1. Student's 'Be Happy, Not Gay' t-shirt ok

Comment #169290 by Bigorra on April 25, 2008 at 5:42 pm

Al-rawandi--
Nice hat! Go Tigers!

To Alexander Neuxoll:
I have a T-Shirt that I'll be wearing to express my opinion of you. It reads, "Jesus loves you. Everyone else thinks you're an a--hole."

To Rod,
That story is worthy of a Peter Sellers movie.

2. Mount Vernon schools to hire investigator in Bible case

Comment #169285 by Bigorra on April 25, 2008 at 5:17 pm

"What you're seeing is a classic example of character assassination … to release nothing more than allegations and say now they're going to investigate," Daubenmire said.

The issue of burning crosses onto students' forearms is "an old allegation" that was first brought up in December, and school officials did not act on it at the time, Daubenmire said.

Daubenmire, you are a moron. If there were no allegations, then there would be no reason to investigate, but since there are allegations there will be an investigation. It's very simple. It's also not an "old allegation" at the ripe age of four months. There are things in my refrigerator older than that.

But I guess it's too much to expect a guy like Douchenmire to stop supporting a fellow teacher who breaks the same rules he does.

3. Yoko Ono sues over use of John Lennon videos

Comment #169272 by Bigorra on April 25, 2008 at 4:57 pm

Thank you, Yoko. John would be pleased. As much as he hated Nixon, to have his music used in support of Nixon's deluded ex-speechwriter would likely make him sick to his stomach. If we could only hear what John would have to say about all this mess...

"Sorry Ben, but Instant Karma's gonna get you."

4. Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

Comment #166633 by Bigorra on April 23, 2008 at 10:59 am

I know it's around here somewhere...

5. Mecca should become core to measure time zones: scholars

Comment #165765 by Bigorra on April 22, 2008 at 9:04 am

Four things I learned from this article:

1. I just checked the time on my "anti-clockwise" watch and realized that the year is 1308. I thought I was going to be late for work, but it looks like I have plenty of time.

2. Anti-clockwise clocks are the best thing ever "invented", nothing like taking a regular clock and constructing it in mirror image.

3. The fact that globes look almost exactly like pictures of the earth taken from space is "because they are forged to serve Western interests."

4. "Scientific proof" means whatever the hell I feel like believing can be "proven" with "research," even though I don't have a "testable hypothesis" for which "evidence" can be "found."

6. Gods and earthlings

Comment #163494 by Bigorra on April 18, 2008 at 12:21 pm

When arguing an antecedent to the universe that created everything, are the intelligent designers not ignoring that astrophysicists agree that at the singularity that preceded the Big Bang, all physical laws break down and no longer apply? If theirs is a scientific theory, should they not also go about figuring out a manner in which it is possible for any form of intelligence to exist in a singularity where none of the known laws of the current universe apply? How exactly would a designer that is not complex proceed to accomplish this feat? How would it manage to straddle the inside/outside boundary to set up a place for all of us to exist in the "Goldilocks" zone? Intelligent designers, as the scientist they claim to be, must certainly give an answer to this question when postulating antecedent progenitors of life on Earth or in general. I would like to see them have a go at an answer.

7. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162415 by Bigorra on April 16, 2008 at 10:46 pm

Comment #162411 by sarah95

The licensure decision may have been over the heads of the band. We don't know that they were even involved in the decision.

That may be, so I'll reserve a personal judgment on them until we hear what the band says. Either way, they should be more protective of their image. I get a bit ornery at all the music that gets commercialized these days. Popular music can be used well, i.e. 'Layla' in Goodfellas, or it can be used horribly, i.e. the Beatles' 'Hello Goodbye' as a Target ad. Either case in the movie is a horrible use.

8. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162408 by Bigorra on April 16, 2008 at 10:14 pm

There are two things that I learned from this article.

1. When somebody makes me take sides with Yoko Ono, they've gone too far. Dragging John Lennon into their crummy movie for schmaltzy emotional appeal makes me sick. I hope Yoko takes them for everything she can get.

2. I will never listen to the Killers again, which coincides well with my policy of not listening to them in the first place.

9. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162401 by Bigorra on April 16, 2008 at 9:52 pm

Comment #162299 by rod-the-farmer

Can a Florida resident please post the email & phone number for the Governor, and the head of the state tourism department.

Not a Florida resident, but I found this contact information for anyone wishing to send them a note.

Office of Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

Telephone:
* Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
[Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time]

Fax: (850) 487-0801

For individuals with hearing loss or speech disability:
1-850-922-7795 (TTY)

E-mail:
Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
Lt. Governor--
Jeff.Kottkamp@MyFlorida.com

Executive Office of the Governor
Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development
The Capitol, Suite 2001
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001
Phone: 850/487-2568
Suncom: 277-2568
Fax: 850/487-3014
Suncom: 277-3014

Katherine Morrison
Sports, Tourism, and Transportation Liaison
katherine.morrison@myflorida.com

Florida Department of Education
Office of the Commissioner
Turlington Building, Suite 1514
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Phone: (850) 245-0505
Suncom: 205-0505
Fax: (850) 245-9667
Suncom Fax: 205-9667
For questions & comments regarding education issues, Email: Commissioner@fldoe.org .
For questions or concerns relating to Educator Certification, please Email: edcert@fldoe.org .
For all other questions & concerns
http://www.fldoe.org/department/WebMail/Were_Listening.asp

Food for thought--
Press release of the Florida Board of Education on Optional Revised Science Sunshine State Standards
http://www.fldoe.org/news/2008/2008_02_19.asp
Governor Crist Announces New math and Science Initiative
http://www.fldoe.org/news/2007/2007_02_21.asp

Good news (albeit last year) from the second press release:

Funded by the Florida Legislature with a $2 million grant, the Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will conduct research and use these research-based findings to support the Office for Math and Science in the Department of Education. The center will be led by Sir Harold Kroto, co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and an ardent advocate for K-12 science education worldwide. Florida State University will hire three to six nationally and internationally renowned math and science faculty members. The grant was awarded to Florida State University following a competitive bid process.

Looks like Sir Harry has a little more influence in Florida than the article indicated.

10. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162392 by Bigorra on April 16, 2008 at 9:02 pm

Comment #162224 by epeeist

I am with "tree with roots" (great moniker). Harry Kroto is one of the great communicators. I heard him a few years back talking about the discovery of buckyballs.

Really nice guy too, he came across to chat with my two daughters who were the youngest people in the room.

Thank you for that. It's good to know that his ability to communicate equals his knowledge. I've seen too many situations where people taking sides on an issue only look at the accomplishments of the speaker and do not listen to their argument. They take sides with whoever seems to have the most accolades. People listen to Dr. Oz on Oprah, even when he promotes idiocy like assisted touch therapy. They would as rapidly discount dissent from James Randi because he is "only a magician."

That said, I am thankful that Harry Kroto is working on this side of the pond, especially in Florida where his wisdom is needed most. The many posts here about him have persuaded me that he is precisely the type of advocate we need. I admit that I hadn't heard of him before today, but his comments in the article alone make me like him.

11. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162204 by Bigorra on April 16, 2008 at 10:35 am

A few more ideas for ways to "teach the controversy", a pro bono list created for the legislative branch of the Florida government:

1. Humans and all animals were created by an Intelligent Designer, not through the process of evolution.
2. The earth is the center of the universe, not a small outpost for life in a vast universe.
3. The earth is flat, not a roughly spherical object.
4. The sun, and every other heavenly body, revolves around the earth. The earth does not revolve around any other object but remains stationary.
5. All diseases are caused by infestations of demonic spirits, or "djinns," not because of genes, bacteria or viruses.
6. Witchcraft is a method by which the unscrupulous may alter reality to suit their own purposes, and people are not powerless to change reality by indirect means.
7. The future may be perceived through revelations received from sources outside the fabric of reality by means of extrasensory perception, not an something entirely dependent on chance factors.
8. Homosexuality is purely a personal choice having no basis in biology, not a result of genetic predisposition or other naturally occurring, unchosen factors.
9. Certain gifted individuals can speak to the dead through automatic writing and direct communication, and death is not an impediment to continuing communications with people who have passed.
10. Astrology is a means by which absolute facts about personality and the future may accurately be ascertained, not a vague, unsupportable, arbitrary endeavor.

Unless these ideas are taught to our children, they will think that scientific endeavor is the only way to approach the truth in any argument about the nature of reality. I am sure that your friends at the Discovery Institute can polish the wording to support these scientifically valid ideas.

Teach the controversy, Florida!

12. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162189 by Bigorra on April 16, 2008 at 9:48 am

There will always be people trying to push this ID/creationism nonsense on students, as there are always people unwilling to say the emperor has no clothes. I would like to see a greater emphasis on skepticism in all education, so that more people would be able to see through this nonsense on their own. The Discovery Institute pushed their agenda in a packet for educators, including a handpicked quote from Darwin's Origin of Species: "A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question." This sounds to those versed in PC at American colleges like a perfectly reasonable statement, but what many will not realize is that it calls for "a fair result." At some point you have to come down on one side of the argument as being a better explanation of the phenomenon in question. Certainly the explanatory value of evolution is the fair result obtained when arguing ID v. Darwin.

While I am grateful for the work Harold Kroto is doing, some are only going to be swayed by hearing that he's a Nobel laureate, not because he can intelligently explain why there should be no debate in Florida or anywhere else. They may be as easily swayed back if Francis Collins comes to them the next week to say that he believes God put us here. Only by teaching children the way scientists come to their conclusions in explaining nature can we put this debate to rest. Unfortunately much of education in the United States is teaching facts, not thinking. Until more people learn to think for themselves, Kroto's maxim will have to suffice: "You may not like that but it's not my fault. It's the way it actually is."

13. Victims: Pope Benedict Protects Accused Pedophile Bishops

Comment #161902 by Bigorra on April 15, 2008 at 8:23 pm

All Benedict has managed to do is say that he'll try to not have another scandal. He's ashamed, but he's not saying that he's sorry. This is like the German church reporting on forced labor. They made no apology, then said that compared to other forced laborers those "employed" by the church had good. This time Benedict says he's ashamed (no apology) and that he won't let this happen again. I wonder if he means the scandal or the pedophilia? "We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry," he said, but how in the hell are they going to know? Pedophiles don't walk around with a scarlet 'P' on their foreheads.

14. School bars same-sex partners at formals

Comment #161865 by Bigorra on April 15, 2008 at 7:54 pm

If these schools are privately funded, then they ought to be able to do as they like, just as we are all free to ridicule and/or condemn them for their ignorance, shortsightedness, homophobia, and backwardness. So long as they aren't taking money from taxes, they should be allowed to declare their ignorance. Would it be better if they simply bit their tongues and hid their prejudices from the public while quietly undermining the gay teenagers at their schools? Actions like this should be seen as an opportunity to protest the revelation of divinely inspired ignorance. This issue is not something that is going to go away on its' own, it is more like a whack-a-mole game where people have to keep knocking these bishops back down into their holes for promoting discrimination in Jesus' name.

15. For sale: 13-year-old virgin

Comment #161112 by Bigorra on April 14, 2008 at 8:20 pm

A young boy at the hostel told proudly how he had persuaded his grandmother not to push his aunt into prostitution. "My grandmother said that she would kill herself if my aunt did not go into the trade and earn money," he said. "But I persuaded her, and my aunt got married."

And a child shall lead them.

16. British schools are falling for the pseudoscience of Brain Gym. Why fill kids' heads with nonsense?

Comment #160476 by Bigorra on April 14, 2008 at 6:31 am

...Resonance Kinesiology, which, apparently, "holds information on how to move forward with truth, without the overlays of people's beliefs and ideas about what is best for themselves and others".

There is a wonderful case study on how this phenomenon works. It's called the White House.

17. Inadequate, private and late apology with grotesquely inadequate excuse

Comment #159076 by Bigorra on April 11, 2008 at 12:13 pm

Perhaps Davis' outburst was uncharacteristic, as Rep. Franks says, but that doesn't make her comments not indicative of her true sentiments. The death of the CPS student is sad and unfortunate, and my condolences go out to the family, so I find it disgusting that she would use the incident to justify her actions. People can choose to accept her apology or not, but her actions again show her to have a very shallow respect for other people. She needs to step up and apologize to everyone for her poor judgment, without making reprehensible rationalizations.

18. The List: The World's Worst Religious Leaders

Comment #159062 by Bigorra on April 11, 2008 at 11:49 am

The loonies have been spotted!

19. Lungless frog discovered in Borneo

Comment #158960 by Bigorra on April 11, 2008 at 8:42 am

Double Bass Atheist:

Before submitting this article for the website, I posted it in the Forum with a question....

How does a creationist explain this?

A creationist would explain it in a way very similar to the way that Kermit the Frog "evolved" from Jim Henson's spare jacket. Snip, snip, cut, cut--lungless frog!

20. Scientists take drugs to boost brain power: study

Comment #158936 by Bigorra on April 11, 2008 at 7:44 am

The survey shows only the behavior of those who answered it, and nobody should pretend the numbers touted here have anything to do with an actual percentage of scientists who take drugs for performance. We all know that people in all walks of life take drugs not prescribed for them, what psychologists call "self-medicating", so the idea that scientists are regular people when it comes to drug use is no surprise.

I think the only reason that it is a story in the first place is the perception that only athletes take drugs to boost performance. A couple of years in a call center exposed me to many people who took various combinations of drugs just to keep focused on boring customer service, because the department heads kept detailed time logs. Representatives wanted to stay constantly on the phone and, given the mind-numbing nature of the work, drugs like adderall and ritalin became an answer for many people. They either bought them from a dealer or took them out of their children's prescriptions.

21. Reviews of Expelled

Comment #158298 by Bigorra on April 10, 2008 at 9:50 am

In a word: Urgggh. Suddenly Stein is not so amusing anymore. I want my eye drops from someone else.

I wonder how long the people at Clear Eyes will keep Ben Stein as their spokesman? His picture is on their website, right at the top of the home page.

22. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158244 by Bigorra on April 10, 2008 at 8:52 am

Perhaps this can be the basis for their next movie, "Expelled Again: No Distribution Allowed", an intense condemnation of the American legal system, detailing the ways free speech is being curtailed by evil copyright holders.

23. Commentary: Democrats finally getting religion on religion

Comment #157963 by Bigorra on April 9, 2008 at 10:01 pm

From Article Six of the United States Constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution;but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

From John F. Kennedy:

Neither do I look with favor upon those who would work to subvert Article VI of the Constitution by requiring a religious test, even by indirection.

Now, whose opinions am I going to respect, The Founding Fathers and John F. Kennedy, or Roland S. Martin? This scattershot article proposes that the best thing for the United States is to have every candidate for President to be in a tug-of-war for the hearts and minds of Christians to find out which one of them is most cozy with Jesus. What he neglects to notice is that this is pretty much what we already have. Instead we should have people like Neil de Grasse Tyson and Michael Shermer asking the candidates where they stand on issues such as NASA funding, stem cell research, science education, medical research, and any other issue of the government's failure to support scientific endeavors they can conceive. Obama, Clinton and McCain are doing a fine job fighting over Jesus without the Compassion Forum to help the religious decide. If they want to give a "reason for the hope that is within them", let them do it on their own time and in private discussion with their own pastors. I am not interested in "the black pastors who would pass muster by their gay and pro-choice supporters" (Martin shows himself as a complete jerk with this comment despite his 'joke' disclaimer), I am interested in a candidate for president who would stand up for his values and sway people with reason, but James Madison has been dead since 1836.

24. German Church admits aiding Nazis

Comment #157953 by Bigorra on April 9, 2008 at 8:51 pm

Germany's Roman Catholic Church has acknowledged the extent of its involvement in the use of forced labour during World War II.

Give the Church some credit. It took them only 63 years since WWII ended to admit the extent of their involvement. This is what the Vatican refers to as the "fast track".

At the televised launch of the report in Mainz, the cardinal said the conditions in which people had been forced to work in Catholic institutions - such as hospitals, homes and monastery gardens - had not been as bad as elsewhere.

Without judging members of the Church in their willingness for involvement, I still find this statement insulting. It is like justifying spousal abuse by saying, "At least I never hit my wife in the face, so she had it pretty good." The cardinal should have stopped after outlining Catholic involvement, rather than trying to equivocate their guilt.

25. Anti-evolution bill clears another hurdle

Comment #157714 by Bigorra on April 9, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Of course they called it the "Academic Freedom" bill. You wouldn't want to stand against "freedom", would you? It's the same way they keep pushing the "PATRIOT" Act. You wouldn't want to be unpatriotic, would you?

I think they should get off the pot and give this bill a name every Florida Representative could get behind, the F.R.E.E.D.O.M. act:

F.--Floridia
R.--Representatives
E.--Equating
E.--Evolutionism with
D.--Destroying our
O.--Offspring's
M.--Minds

That ought to fly right with the electorate.

26. In search of the God particle

Comment #156903 by Bigorra on April 8, 2008 at 11:32 am

Some scientists have suggested that they may generate mini black holes, which have led others to suggest that these black holes could somehow merge to form a larger, destructive entity that could swallow up the entire earth.

If only Ben Stein would make a movie about particle physics, a hastily thrown together piece of trash full of misconstrued statements, non-sequiturs and ad hominem attacks, we could stop these horrible, evil scientists from going against the will of God. I'll even supply him with another ridiculous pair of short-pants, because if anything says, "Take me seriously!", it's a grown man dressed like a 10 year old boy.

27. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156413 by Bigorra on April 7, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Here's a partial transcript from Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn:
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/04/rep-monique-dav.html

28. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156410 by Bigorra on April 7, 2008 at 1:38 pm

"It's a tragedy when someone goes against anything related to God and wants to fight. I don't see you fighting guns at school, you know. I'm trying to understand the philosophy you are trying to spread in the state of Illinois."

It's a tragedy? By this rationale, fighting against terrorism is wrong because all the members of Alquaeda are convinced that they are doing God's work and use the Qu'ran to show proof. David Koresh, Jim Jones and the Heaven's Gate cult were all just peachy, because they were "related to God", whether or not Rep. Monique Davis would treat them as a red-headed stepchild of the faith. She is a ridiculous person who cannot make a coherent argument. She may be "trying to understand the philosophy", but I think I have a pretty good start on understanding her. Her philosophy: question motives, obfuscate, push unrelated buttons ('guns at school'), rise up to fever pitch (like Al Sharpton), and cover yourself in the protective cloak of a widely revered figure. What is my philosophy? Punching holes in bloated windbags like you. Here is what you're trying to defend, Rep. Davis:

The hearing to probe the grant came after the Blagojevich administration steered $1 million to the private Loop Lab School to make good on the governor's pledge to help Pilgrim Baptist Church rebuild after a fire. Instead of giving to the church, the money went to the school, which rented space from the church.

The grant came as state and federal authorities were trying to collect thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes from the school, the Tribune reported Wednesday. Other potential roadblocks also were cleared to make the grant possible: The governor gave a rare and swift pardon to the school's director, a convicted felon; the school registered as a charitable organization for the first time in its 25-year history; and the school filed three years' worth of required state tax documents in one day.

This information is from the link Pharyngula provided. These are the actions Rep. Davis wants to condone. My only addendum to her "philosophy"? The end always justifies the means.

29. Upside-down church sculpture on hit list

Comment #154892 by Bigorra on April 3, 2008 at 10:51 pm

In Detroit there is a sculpture of a big bronze fist to honor Joe Louis. In one of the most violent cities in the world this was widely denounced when erected, yet the sculpture still stands and the violence continues. Nobody even talks about it anymore, because it doesn't matter. This is another tempest in a teapot. If people say they are offended, I say I don't give a damn. Find something better to do.

30. Pastor attacks scientist's talk

Comment #154884 by Bigorra on April 3, 2008 at 10:22 pm

Who really gives a crap what this moron has to say? The fact that a free group wants to invite multiple speakers to present varying viewpoints on relevant cultural issues is no reason to protest. The only reason this douchebag is protesting is that he hates Dawkins. Lots of people do. So what.

In other breaking news, the sun rose in the east this morning and is expected to continue doing so in the foreseeable future.

31. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #154879 by Bigorra on April 3, 2008 at 10:01 pm

"Studies show no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades," Kern said in the recorded comments. "It is not a lifestyle that is good for this nation."

What studies? And I would also like her to make a list of the societies that have "totally embraced homosexuality." What does she even mean by that? This woman is seriously deluded. Her knowledge of morality comes from passages in Leviticus, and yet she has been entrusted with helping to make state policy in the 21st century. As if we haven't learned anything in the last five or six millenia. Perhaps she would be comfortable lamenting the end of slavery, since the Bible has plenty to say about how the institution should work, and even Jesus never seemed to have much problem with it. Let her try to get that song playing in the sticks.

What a disgusting human being. The fact that her husband is a Baptist minister, well you could knock me over with a feather.

There are a lot of religious watchdog groups out there, keeping the world safe from the horror of free expression.
---Lisa Simpson

32. Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov tries suicide after realising he was wrong about doomsday

Comment #154861 by Bigorra on April 3, 2008 at 8:50 pm

It was an attempted suicide. Pyotr put his head on a tree stump and started hitting his head with a log.

My immediate reaction was to laugh, because I found the method to be absurd. Deluded people waiting in cave for the end of the world, that is funny as well. Sad, but funny. It reads like a deleted scene from the Life of Brian. This doesn't mean that I don't have pity for them, including Pyotr Kuznetsov. It doesn't mean that I wish he had succeeded, or that I think his followers are better off in that cave believing their absurd beliefs about End-Time Prophecy and UPC codes. However, when the world plays like a satire, there is nothing for me to do but laugh. This entire article could be reprinted, word for word, from The Onion. Had it come out on April Fool's Day, I would doubt it to be the truth.

33. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #153041 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 11:38 pm

The answer lies in Palo Alto, Calif., if you spot the sign by the roadside. It's at the Humanist Community, where for a few hours every Sunday the humanists, as they call themselves, come together in what one might call a congregation.

ABC News describes the group as a congregation, but the people in the article never describe themselves this way.

One congregant disagrees. "I do believe that this is important to start when they are very, very young," said Beverly Crowell, a member of the congregation.

Sounds like the are a church, if ABC News describes them as a congregation.

What's interesting about this non-church is some of its churchlike aspects.

Now it is not a church.

Some outside the church might take issue with the humanist teachings being taught to a young person like Jane

Now it has become a 'church' according to ABC News.

The manner in which he teaches is similar to how some fired-up preachers also talk.

Bishop is similar to a preacher according to ABC News.

...discuss not their faith, but the opposite of faith -- the idea that truth arises from reason, from science, from free thought.

ABC News makes sure to get in the point that science is against faith.

And Jane is doing just that -- trying to figure out for herself the answers to life's difficult questions, like what happens when people die.

What ABC News has done in this article is describe the group as a cult, while not once asking the people there, a) how they would describe themselves, or b) what they call their non-church/church. Is there any balance here at all? The quotes from the little girl are given in perfect little girl language that says she doesn't really quite understand, but the questions are loaded. ABC News asserts that the parents of the child just leave her all alone with no input while she ponders death, a loaded example if there ever was one. Maybe she actually spends more of her time thinking about butterflies. And the answers from the parent to the child on the death question are, in context, pure woo:

I believe we make our own heaven right here, or hell, and I said, I'm going to come back in an afterlife as a leaf on a tree.

Thank you, ABC, for using garbage as filler for the Nightly News. My bullshit detector is working just fine, thank you.

34. Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help

Comment #153034 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 11:06 pm

For the theists in this discussion:

http://www.whywontgodhealamputees.com/

35. Christian Founders 3D Adventure Computer Game

Comment #153027 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 10:31 pm

Soul_biscuit,

Half the language in the letter that he sent me was lifted out of the resolution itself, apart from a few missives about how religion "can have a positive influence", "provides our society with a foundation of values", and "encourages self-discipline and morality." They may not copy off each other, but they lift their language from the same trash can.

36. Vatican: Islam surpasses Roman Catholicism as world's largest religion

Comment #153025 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 10:25 pm

The figures on Muslims had been put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.

Who verifies the accuracy any of this data? What does it matter anyway?

37. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153022 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 10:18 pm

With Islamic Conference(OIC) having a stranglehold on the Human Rights Council, what other outcome could have been expected? The OIC naturally wants to limit any freedom of expression that hurts their feelings. Now they have the right to condemn such "abuses" as the Danish cartoons. This way they can marginalize such idiocies as the Ayatolla Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie. They can declare Sam Harris a human rights abuser for suggesting that Muslims have constituted the large majority of suicide bombers over the last 10 years, or that their beliefs just might have had something to do with it. All this so they can feel better about Sharia law, while they condone marriage of 9 year old girls, stoning for adultery, compulsory divorce, and murder of rape victims. Freedom of speech with limits is not freedom at all, unless you have a giant axe to grind and you need the freedom to behead apostates with it.

38. Christian Founders 3D Adventure Computer Game

Comment #153014 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 9:28 pm

The revision of American history is happening everywhere we look. This video game is a way to get children to take it for granted that the United States is a Christian nation, rather than a secular nation. The producers want to form this idea(lie) in the minds of young people, knowing that few will investigate it further and will take the idea for granted. Meanwhile, we have Congressman Randy Forbes[R-VA} wasting our time with H.R. 888. The 'R' is for Revisionism.(emphasis added):

Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives----

(1) affirms the rich spiritual and diverse religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history, including up to the current day;

(2) recognizes that the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures;

(3) rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources; and

(4) expresses support for designation of a `American Religious History Week' every year for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith.

Read the full text here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr110-888

And a fine rebuttal here: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/1/4/24725/53989/

I've already written my congressman, Joseph Knollenberg and received a letter in return. It acknowledged:

House Resolution 888 would support the designation of a "American Religious History Week" every year for the appreciation and education of America's history of religious faith.

Yes, Congressman, unlike some people who write to you I actually read H.R. 888 in its entirety and don't need Resolution #4 to be quoted back to me. There was nothing else in the letter that could not have been culled from the resolution itself.

He also said:

The has been referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for review. While I am not a member of this panel, please be assured I will keep your thoughts in mind should H.Res. 888 come before the full House of Representatives for a vote.

Somehow I don't think my thoughts will be kept in mind, since his letter mostly repeated the bill back to me as if I was a particularly dense child. He also says the resolution 'would recognize the diverse religious history of the United States.' I pointed out in my letter that there isn't anything in the resolution to recognize anything other than Christianity, but form letters don't acknowledge valid points.
What burns my ass about Randy Forbes and Christian Founders is that they know they are lying through their teeth. As Mark Twain said, "One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives."

39. Ben Stein Wins Intelligent Design Money

Comment #152832 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 3:53 pm

In light of Stein's contribution to the pursuit of liberty and truth, particularly as it relates to the field of Intelligent Design, he is being honored with the 2008 Johnson Award.

What a contribution he is making, too. Ben Stein's contributes to the pursuit of truth only in the same way that 'The Flinstones' provide evidence to the 'theory' of Intelligent Design.

40. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152820 by Bigorra on March 31, 2008 at 3:27 pm

The Southern Baptist congregation I attended when I was young made it your personal choice as to whether you wanted to be baptized or not. Not to say that their views were enlightened, but at least they considered that part to be a matter of choice. I never did it, so according to Jesus I'm on the Highway to Hell. (John 3:5) Woohoo!

As far as circumcision goes, the AMA doesn't believe that the benefits are significant to the point of justifying it as standard procedure (emphasis added):

2. The AMA supports the general principles of the 1999 Circumcision Policy Statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which reads as follows: Existing scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision. In circumstances in which there are potential benefits and risks, yet the procedure is not essential to the child's current well-being, parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child. To make an informed choice, parents of all male infants should be given accurate and unbiased information and be provided the opportunity to discuss this decision. If a decision for circumcision is made, procedural analgesia should be provided. (source: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/13585.html )

Whatever ethical considerations there are, the AMA doesn't think that the practice does enough good to be standard. I believe circumcision should be a choice, the way that baptism was in the church I left so long ago.

41. Iowa county board gives initial OK for ghost hunters to investigate asylum

Comment #152379 by Bigorra on March 30, 2008 at 9:46 pm

James Randi's definition of ghost:

ghost-- From the German geist, for "spirit." A specter, phantom, apparition, shade, or wraith. A figure, often described as semitransparent, believed to be the remaining trace of a deceased person. Ghosts are the favorite subjects of scary tales designed to impress children and some adults.

Yes, adults like Brandon Cochran.

42. In His Name We Pray, Ramen

Comment #152002 by Bigorra on March 30, 2008 at 1:21 am

"If this is what I believe in, no matter how stupid it might sound, I should be able to express myself however I want to," said Weaverville, North Carolina, high school student Bryan Killian.

Way to go, young man, couldn't have said it any better.

It's always enlightening to see how people react when they glimpse their reflection, and the fact that the Flying Spaghetti Monster offends so many religious people shows the idea to be a great reflector, not to mention a great source of humor.

43. I always aim to misbehave

Comment #151996 by Bigorra on March 30, 2008 at 12:00 am

It's a good thing PZ refuses to back down from the crew of Expelled, since they continue to obfuscate. The idea that more people are visiting his blog than the Expelled website makes my day. Good job, PZ!

44. Expelled from Expelled: PZ story goes global

Comment #150716 by Bigorra on March 27, 2008 at 9:58 am

Holy Mary virgin mother of Christ, how many threads do they want to create out of a non story? No one likes being kicked out of a movie, but c'mon now, isn't it a bit narcissistic to keep talking about it forever? Get a grip.

Bonzai--

A main reason that the story has taken off is the delicious irony that the producer, Mark Mathis, displayed exactly the same behavior his movie condemns, giving force to the conviction on the part of those who do not agree with his viewpoint that his movie is nothing more than a propaganda film. If the point of the movie were truly to revive debate between the "ivory tower intellectuals" and the ID proponents that they "expel", then there is no justification for PZ Myers to be removed from the movie. The story on behalf of the producers has evolved through being retold, while the story on the other side has not changed, showing again that the agenda of the filmmakers is something other than a respect for the truth. That is why the story is compelling, and why the thread continues to grow.

While I agree with your sentiment that the retelling of the event is somewhat tiresome, it is the type of story that people like to talk about. People like to read about the mistakes others make, especially when someone hoists himself by his own petard. It may plant a seed of doubt in the minds of reasonable people who know about it before they see the film. Exposing hypocrisy from those who made a movie that supposedly condemns it is a first step in protest against their message. You are correct in the sentiment that this event is just another brick in the wall, but where should the deconstruction of the wall begin?

45. What are your qualifications to question religion anyway? Just who are you?

Comment #150445 by Bigorra on March 26, 2008 at 11:31 pm

My qualifications?
--The First Amendment to the Constitution and a restless quest for truth.
Who am I?
--A person who does not surrender his reason to dogma or irrational, subjective, shifty interpretations of "final" truths or constantly changing revelations.

46. Atheists don't believe in anything

Comment #150439 by Bigorra on March 26, 2008 at 11:15 pm

If you don't believe in God, you must not believe in anything.

Therefore...

1. You don't believe in God.
2. You must believe in God to believe in anything.
3. You must not believe in anything.

1. You believe in God.
2. You must believe in God to believe in anything.
3. You believe in anything.

If I must not believe in anything if I don't believe in God, then you must believe in anything if you do believe in God. You must believe in unicorns, werewolves, vampires, yetis, UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, poltergeists, and Atlantis. But you don't believe in all these things? Then you don't believe in anything, therefore...

47. Saudi Arabia Leader Calls for Interfaith Dialogue

Comment #150433 by Bigorra on March 26, 2008 at 10:35 pm

King Abdullah's message of tolerance comes at a time of religious tensions caused by the re-igniting of a two-year-old controversy over Danish cartoons deemed by Muslims to be insulting.

This is the same King Abdullah who commuted the sentence of a woman who was gang-raped only after international diplomatic pressure, but qualified the gesture (for that is all it was) by saying he still thought the Islamic court was correct in their punishment. Here is a summary of the many examples of tolerance present in Saudi Arabia, over which King Abdullah has had dictatorial control since 1995:

http://hrw.org/englishwr2k8/docs/2008/01/31/saudia17618.htm

Among the highlights:

Saudi judges routinely sentence defendants to thousands of lashes, often carried out in public. Okaz newspaper reported in October that a court sentenced two men in southern Baha to 7,000 lashes for "sodomy," the most severe sentence with lashes known to Human Rights Watch.

The kingdom carried out some 147 executions by decapitation with a sword as of November 2007, over four times the figure for 2006. There is no obvious explanation for this rise, as the most recent Ministry of Justice statistics for 2006 showed a downward trend in court cases for two years. Judges sentence persons as young as 13 to death. On July 21, 2007, Saudi Arabia executed Dhahiyan al-Thawri al-Sibai`i for a murder he committed when he was 15 or 16.

In January 2007 a court finalized the forcible divorce of the consenting, adult couple Fatima `Azzaz and Mansour al-Timani after her half-brothers filed for the divorce citing his socially inferior tribal affiliation. Ministry of Interior officials have harassed the couple since, enforcing their complete separation by detaining Fatima with their two-year old son, while denying visits by Mansur, who has custody of their daughter.

To point out that he is a hypocrite is too obvious for anyone to doubt, except perhaps the governments of the United States and United Kingdom:

Saudi Arabia is a key United States ally. US pressure for human rights improvements lessened: for example, the 2007 US State Department's international religious freedom report found "some improvements" in protecting the right to private worship for non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia, and the US chose not to impose sanctions. The US in July announced arms sales to the kingdom totaling US$7 billion.

The United Kingdom in December 2006 halted a governmental inquiry into illegal payments in connection with a UK-Saudi arms deal, claiming that the halt was in the national interest. During the Saudi king's first state visit in 20 years to the UK in October 2007, the government stressed shared Saudi-UK values, but did not publicly mention concern over Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

If this meeting comes about, it will certainly be better than having no dialogue. I would not argue against the leaders of the monotheistic religions trying to find ways not to kill others, rather than pointing out the flaws in the irrational tracts those of other faiths follow as reasons for killing them. Yes, King Abdullah is a contemptible character, but it does not make his idea contemptible. He is a hypocrite, but it would be a lot to expect of him that he not mix a good idea with his horrible misconceptions. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.

48. Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help

Comment #150125 by Bigorra on March 26, 2008 at 1:25 pm

There is no excuse for the parents' actions, whether the law in WI allows "Treatment through prayer" or not. The law does not make it moral in any sense to watch your own child suffer and die. Jim Crow laws were never moral, either. If the malady had been sudden loss of blood, where immediate medical intervention would have saved her life, then would the police say the Neumann's actions were not neglect? This is a case in point that religious beliefs can equal neglect.

49. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150086 by Bigorra on March 26, 2008 at 12:51 pm

Happy Birthday, Richard!

Your writing has been enlightening for me in many ways, not only on the basis of the knowledge I have gained, but through the reasoned construction of your arguments and the defense of your position. I have learned much from you and look forward to the many insights you will offer in the future.

Thank you,
-Ron

P.S. Happy Birthday to you, Steve Zara. I must thank you, also, for the courteous dissent you bring to this forum. I'm glad to share a small corner of the page with you.

50. Expelled Overview

Comment #150002 by Bigorra on March 26, 2008 at 11:46 am

My reasons for not seeing this film have to do with the lack of reasoning shown by Ben Stein in other forums that relate to this debate. A ham-handed tactic, such as equating the Theory of Evolution to Nazism is something he addresses in a commentary
at World Net Daily (talk about not-so-strange bedfellows). It is an example of the mindset of the Expelled star and speaks to the arguments presented in the film. I am not going to spend my time seeing a film that compares the process of science to ethnic cleansing, evolutionary biologists to the Nazi party and Charles Darwin to Adolph Hitler. The commentary from Stein, if you can stomach it, was written on March 4, 2008. There is little reason for me to believe that his view, given the timing, differs in any significant way from what he says in the film. He may not mention the film directly, but there is ample evidence throughout the rest of the site as to the opinion of the editors regarding Expelled, so I see this column as Stein's way of appealing to his audience. Why should this appeal differ from the film?