Paul Z. Meyers
pharyngula
Posts by this author
May 23, 2011
The Visible Man. The Visible Dog. The Visible Head. The Visible Horse. The Visible Cow. The Visible V8 Engine. My favorite, The Visible Woman, which taught me that under their clothes, women were glassy smooth and transparent. I had all those model kits when I was a kid, but one thing I never had…
May 23, 2011
Howdy all! This is MG Myers.
The competition for the March Mollies was mighty fierce with 23 great nominees. The votes have been tabulated and the winners are <drum roll>
onion girl and CJO!
These two well-deserving commenters are hereby inducted in the distinguished Order of the Molly…
May 22, 2011
The World Atheist Conference in Dublin is now sold out. You'll have to plan on attending the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne instead.
It's interesting — these things are all selling out their tickets amazingly quickly. My event here in DC also sold out. I guess the market for the godless isn…
May 22, 2011
That study claiming that black women are "objectively" unattractive seems to be finally getting its author, Satoshi Kanazawa, in big trouble. That would be entirely wrong if it were based on disliking his conclusions, but if it were based on a demonstration of Kanazawa's incompetence, then it would…
May 22, 2011
The number one most common excuse I have been seeing for Harold Camping's failure, both before and after yesterday, is that he can't possibly forecast the time of the Rapture because Jesus said no one can know. You know what? That's the same stupid reliance on the authority of the Bible that led to…
May 21, 2011
…the fear he fosters spreads around the world.
This woman, fearful of the end of the world, took a boxcutter to the throats of her two daughters, and then sliced her own throat. This is what religion encourages: fear based on imaginary terrors.
Here's a man who committed suicide in Nairobi. Here'…
May 21, 2011
We all knew this was going to happen. The Bastrop High School graduation ceremony began with a prayer.
Do I have to say it again? That's what the moment of prayer is for. If you feel the need to give "glory to your lord", go for it, do it then. But telling everyone else to give glory to your lord…
May 21, 2011
I'm busy in DC this weekend, so I thought I might just dick with you all by letting Pharyngula go dead for the whole weekend, as if I'd been raptured. But I decided to be nice and at least mention that I'm still earthbound. (Although there was a scary moment on the plane last night, when something…
May 20, 2011
It's a great lead: Atheists have better sex. Sign me up already.
Put it on billboards, too.
May 20, 2011
It's embarrassing. Not only do we have Michele Bachmann, but the last election swept in a gang of know-nothing Rethuglican scum who've been trying to turn our state into Texas. Now they've invited the notorious evangelical crank Bradlee Dean to give an opening prayer. Dean, for those who don't know…
May 20, 2011
You all follow Creature Cast, I presume, and have already seen the story of the strangler fig, but I'll just echo it here anyway.
May 20, 2011
The CDC has issued a preparedness warning for the Zombie Apocalypse. I'm stockpiling water and shotgun shells now. Remember, AIM FOR THE HEAD.
May 20, 2011
Oh, wait, no — I meant Stephen Hawking. I understand that physics is actually a fairly rigorous discipline, almost as daunting as molecular biology, so I suspect that a childhood spent on a hackneyed sitcom and an adulthood spent peddling dumb-ass theology is probably not adequate preparation for…
May 20, 2011
This is only for the thoughtful, responsible fundagelical fanatics, obviously.
May 20, 2011
That place is just a magnet for nuts. There is going to be a review of the science curriculum next month, and the creationists on the state board of education are gearing up by appointing more creationists to staff the panels. Furthermore, they're gathering specific curriculum materials, and…
May 19, 2011
Bastrop High School promised to obey the law against school-led prayer at official events, although they were also petty and mean about it, and have been making life hellish for the young man who complained. Now here's the surprise (not): in an official function called Senior Night, they announced…
May 19, 2011
Tomorrow is Draw Mohammed Day. Have you created your artwork?
Watch this video:
Then see the instructions, upload your drawing to the group flickr page, and watch the slide show.
May 19, 2011
Today was the day: Kentucky officially approved giving Ken Ham $43 million in tax breaks plus $11 million in road improvements. That's a nice number; it's about twice what Answers in Genesis sunk into their Creation "Museum" in total. Now they get double that back from the state, and they can use…
May 19, 2011
The Buffalo Beast has an interview with sadly delusional Harold Camping, the senile old man who is predicting the end of the world on the 21st. I say "Pshht!" and "Humbug!" — it's no big deal to get an interview with that loony attention hog on the 19th; I will be impressed with the fellow who gets…
May 19, 2011
After the scandal of an atheist pointing out the illegality of forced public prayer, the Bastrop Open Enterprise has put up a poll. And what a poll! I had to stare at it for a while to try and figure out what they're asking, and I think they're actually polling on the logical and grammatical skills…
May 19, 2011
The Dallas News has drawn in a group of theologians to discuss the thesis that science is responsible for literalist religion. At least they aren't blaming atheism for creationism this time!
British theologian and Anglican cleric Keith Ward contends that the growing role of science in the world,…
May 19, 2011
File this under "religion unites people". Sure it does. It unites them to harrass unbelievers. Damon Fowler of Bastrop, Louisiana asked his school to obey the law and not impose sectarian prayer on his high school graduation, and for that he's being ostracized.
My graduation from high school is…
May 18, 2011
Author Annie Jacobsen has a new book that finally reveals the truly true truth about the so-called UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico. And here is the answer: Roswell Martians May Have Been Deformed Nazi Kids Sent by Stalin.
It explains so much.
The craft, she writes, wasn't an alien spaceship, as…
May 18, 2011
I hope Australians are getting good and mad. They've been exploited into supporting this dishonest chaplaincy program in their public schools, and recently Evonne Paddison, one of the cult members pushing for more chaplains, was caught openly, even proudly, admitting that it was a program intended…
May 18, 2011
Man, I am so jealous. I say stuff like this all the time, but all Stephen Hawking has to do is plainly state the obvious that "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," and it's NEWS. I think half the email I got this morning…
May 18, 2011
The city of Lake Forest, California has given a talented young boy scout the job of designing the city's logo. The presentation of his Eagle Scout project to the city council must have been dramatic: he displayed his carefully crafted graphic arts project to them, and they voted 3 to 2 in favor of…
May 18, 2011
He came to Minneapolis to whimper about gay marriage, and he got glittered.
Although the guy at the end who menacingly claims that they [Republicans?] don't disturb their [gay?] events is rather creepy. I think the fact that they want to police what goes on in the bedroom goes beyond disturbing.
May 18, 2011
The Atlantic runs this regular column where they ask people about their reading habits — this time, they asked Aaron Sorkin, who sneers at the web and announces that he reads a couple of newspapers…or at least, he reads the front page and the op-eds in a couple of newspapers.
When I read the Times…