1. The Darwin Lectures

Comment #237172 by mark8 on August 26, 2008 at 6:33 am

Clatz: "hmmm, I think he is a little off the mark there in terms of the countries beauty - I don't think he got to visit Wellington so I'll forgive him :-)"

I don't think the "Windy City" could have given him any better impression of NZ than the stunningly beautiful Bay of Islands.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:OvvCt8cU4G8J::nature.wallpaperme.com/4379-2/Bay+of+Islands_+New+Zealand.jpg

It would have been the "one horse town" factor more than anything.

"I don't think he had the chance to study the amazing flora and fauna either, what would he have made of the Tuatara, Kakapo or Kiwi?"

Had he had the chance, his views would most definatly have been different. The evolution of Flightless birds on a predatory free (Harpagornis aside)archipelago would surely have intrigued him.

2. God's Warriors

Comment #230219 by mark8 on August 14, 2008 at 12:45 pm

God's Warriors (Christian)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxc50X0ab8o&feature=PlayList&p=4898E976BB696B09&index=0&playnext=1

3. The Return of Religion

Comment #211757 by mark8 on July 16, 2008 at 9:40 am

"These characters have a violent and untidy air:"

Look out for the Atheist jihad lead by Richard & co.

"it is very obvious that something is missing from their lives, something which would bring order and completeness in the place of random disgust. And yet we are uncertain how to answer them."

You have not been able to answer the average Atheist for quite some years now.

"Nowhere in our world is the door that we might open, so as to stand again in the breath of God."

That's because he doesn't exist you numpty.

4. France rejects Muslim woman over radical practice of Islam

Comment #209540 by mark8 on July 12, 2008 at 2:49 pm

rod-the-farmer

We have a citizenship test here in the U.K. Alas they find way's around even that.

" Foreign nationals are being helped to claim British citizenship by cheating in citizenship tests. A BBC undercover reporter filmed a language school giving the candidates answers to an English test in advance."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7330338.stm

5. Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind

Comment #201720 by mark8 on June 30, 2008 at 7:12 am

Authors@Google: Gary Marcus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0fsz8qibCU

6. Science teacher dissed evolution

Comment #196816 by mark8 on June 20, 2008 at 1:09 pm

"These concerns had been going on for at least 11 years, and the school had not done anything,"

This is it for me, the school is just as culpable for his actions as the teacher is himself. Clearly washing their hands, while he proselytizes and tortures children!

Dismiss, and then charge the lot of them with the full letter of the law.

7. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #137541 by mark8 on March 3, 2008 at 5:39 am

Here is the entire show for anyone interested.
Apologies if this has been posted already.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTzLVi1Nwg0&feature=PlayList&p=71A71823C04F2CF0&index=0&playnext=1

8. Pacific Islanders' Ancestry Emerges in Genetic Study

Comment #115418 by mark8 on January 24, 2008 at 7:07 am

Radesq
"Is there a similar genetic study about the origins of native Americans (North, Central, South)?"

In trying to educate myself a bit more on this threads topic, I have now come across this
from National Geographic.

"Analyzing DNA from the cheek cells of a group of Mongolians enabled geneticist Spencer Wells, an Explorer-In-Residence at the National Geographic Society, to figure out whether they were indeed descendants of the notorious warrior who lived 800 years ago and thousands of miles away. Such exotic historical enigmas are daily fodder for Wells who is in the midst of the Genographic Project (GP)—a massive undertaking to sample human DNA from around the world to illuminate human genetic and migratory history."
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/2005/06/explorer_adam.html

"The Genographic Project, launched in April 2005, is a five-year genetic anthropology study that aims to map historical human migration patterns by collecting and analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world."

To answer the question above posed by Radesq.

"As of December 2006 some federally recognized tribes in North America have declined to take part. "What the scientists are trying to prove is that we're the same as the Pilgrims except we came over several thousand years before," said Maurice Foxx, chairman of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs and a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag. "Why should we give them that openly?"[2] However, more than 30,000 indigenous participants from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe have joined the project as of January 2008."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Genographic_Project

Explorer: Search for Adam (2005)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=139853557823751401

Apologies if this is old news, it is new to me, I've just found a link for the documentary and thought I would share it before watching it myself.

9. Pacific Islanders' Ancestry Emerges in Genetic Study

Comment #115282 by mark8 on January 23, 2008 at 11:13 pm

I just came across this short narration, coupled with diagrams from a youtube user named mamoahina
on Polynesian Origins, which references sources named by tribalypredisposed on a post above.
Seems like a nice representation although the oratory is quiet in places and the narrator stumbles with some of the words(Not a grumble).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAgvZ3T9AWk

Correction it references a different Oppenhiemer than tribalyprediposed mentions.

10. Pacific Islanders' Ancestry Emerges in Genetic Study

Comment #115281 by mark8 on January 23, 2008 at 10:54 pm

The Truth, the light
"I saw an interesting documentary where two New Zealand Maori's traced the Maori origins back through the Pacific to Taiwan.

What I found really interesting is how different the Taiwanese aborigines are to the Chinese Taiwanese. It was also interesting to see the similarities in Maori and Taiwanese (can't remember the actual name of it) languages and very similar legends and art."

Hi 'The Truth, the light' I've been looking for this Doc since reading this thread, unfortunately no luck as of yet. It is an ABC one I believe, from 2003, here is the link (transcript) regarding the doc.
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s823810.htm

"Adele Whyte is the part Maori micro biologist who used mitochondrial DNA samples to trace her peoples origins back as far as mainland Asia. But the big question was where in Asia? The mitochondrial DNA couldn't say. The answer came from a surprising quarter – by looking at the gene for alcohol."

Truly fascinating stuff.

11. Ken Ham in Leicester April 2008

Comment #115264 by mark8 on January 23, 2008 at 8:22 pm

MC1R
Oh my word! I work in Hetton.
We often joke about its resemblance to Royston Vasey, but this is too much.
I could probably put some signs up directing people to the "fookwitt convention"

As long as the sign doesn't read "Welcome to Royston Vasey. You'll never leave"

Otherwise the crazies may have a longer stay than we wish!

12. Islam in Europe

Comment #114761 by mark8 on January 22, 2008 at 6:38 pm

MaxD "And then we need to serious look at how best to serve the students. I have to be clear I think the main problem really hits at the highschool level.
Moreover I think much of it stems from the fact that educators and particularly the people who structure education have given absolutely no thought to our evolutionary history, and the psychology said history has crafted."

I would agree largely, especially since I am one of those students who fell through the gaps in the education systems of the west.
A radical overhaul of the standard model of education, is most certainly required.
What may have worked to instill good learning practises in students on a smaller national or global scale, is clearly not holding sway with an ever increasing national or global population.

13. Ken Ham in Leicester April 2008

Comment #114760 by mark8 on January 22, 2008 at 6:25 pm

Apparently they are plauging my pleasant place of birth Sunderland too.

Hetton-Le-Hole
91 The Avenue,
Hetton-Le-Hole, Sunderland
United Kingdom
Saturday, March 08, 2008 youth event
7:00 PM tba:tba
Sunday, March 09, 2008
10:30 AM tba:tba
5:30 PM tba:tba

Also various venues throughout Ireland/U.K.
Fahan Presbyterian Church 11-Mar-2008 -
Tooban
Burnfoot, Co Donegal
Republic of Ireland

Limavady Reformed Presbyterian Church 12-Mar-2008 -
Greystone Road (Beside the swimming pool)
Limavady
United Kingdom

How do you stop a plauge of locusts?

14. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #113218 by mark8 on January 19, 2008 at 1:18 am

This is a blog that creationists on some other forums are posting in an attempt to discredit Neil Shubin and his book Your Inner Fish.

"One reason why the intelligent design controversy is intractable is that many scientists are stuck in the primitive mode of discovering that a change occurred and declaring that "Darwin's theory explains this!" They then make up stories to show how Darwin's theory could explain it.

You know the sort of thing: "Tiktaalik survived by propping itself up and eating small fish in shallow waters." Maybe Tiktaalik did that. But that does not explain how he found himself to be in any position to do it.

That kind of just-so story will not wash any more, because the enormous inner complexity of the design of life forms requires a more detailed accounting than that.

Darwin's theory is simply not adequate to the task, and the resources spent propping it up would be better used otherwise."

http://www.thedesignoflife.net/blog/Evolution-Tiktaalik--channelling-your-inner-fish/View/Default.aspx

15. Ask The God Delusion author Richard Dawkins

Comment #94181 by mark8 on December 5, 2007 at 1:16 am

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Your_Say

hope this helps.

16. Tests of faith over 'The Golden Compass'

Comment #83328 by mark8 on October 29, 2007 at 5:02 pm

Fox news article
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305487,00.html

17. Help Counter the New Atheist Crusade to 'Evangelize' America!

Comment #82621 by mark8 on October 27, 2007 at 2:39 am

Comment #79437 by briancoughlanworldcitizen

Just received my copy of skeptics answered Lol, for the paltry fee of one dollar.
Let's see they may have produced the book for less than the dollar, but it still cost them $8.80 to post. Result.

18. A Face-Off Over Faith

Comment #76166 by mark8 on October 5, 2007 at 12:32 am

Hi there, I have found this google link for those having trouble with the mp3s.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1178593152777296559

Audio only still though. Enjoy

19. Debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox

Comment #76164 by mark8 on October 5, 2007 at 12:24 am

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1178593152777296559

Hi there, for anyone having trouble with the mp3s etc. I have found this google link, audio only though, don't get your hopes up.

Enjoy!