News From Around The Blogosphere 11.24.09

1. Happy 150th Birthday, Origin of Species! - That’s right. The little book that changed the world, single-handedly rendered even a deist god unnecessary, and made it truly possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist has just turned the Big 1-5-0! CNN’s published a brief retrospective from Richard Dawkins. Suck it, Kirk Cameron!

Then again, CNN also published some creationist nonsense from Stephen Meyer. In his bio, they claim the Discovery Institute “supports research challenging ‘neo-Darwinian theory’ and supports work on the theory of ‘intelligent design.’ “ Of course this isn’t actually wrong because it never says the D.I. actually DOES any research; it just supports the idea of research. Of course cdesign proponentsists have yet to ever present a means of properly testing their claims or of showing any practical applications of their “research.” And of course if you limit your “research” to a taking a specific position on a scientific argument, you’ve already exposed your bias. But let’s not quibble over small details like that.

2. LHC creates its first collisions - They grow up so fast, don’t they. It seems like only a year ago that people were freaking out that it’s going to destroy the world and now our boy’s all grown up and smashing shit. Before you know it, it’ll be married and having its own baby colliders.

3. Study finds cannabis little more than placebo in cancer patients – This will no doubt come as an even bigger disappointment to the 4/20 crowd.

4. Iraq bribes citizens to get married – American conservative Christians pay attention. THAT’S TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE. But it’s not just any marriage. The Iraqi government is trying to promote interreligious marriage specifically, which is almost kinda progressive when you think about it, as ill-conceived as the overall plan seems to be.

About a dozen mixed couples will take part in a mass wedding Friday and will receive their $2,000 gifts, Mohammed said. An additional 375 same-sect couples will join the celebration, but they’ll receive $750, Mohammed said. The government wants to help those cash-strapped couples in getting their start, he said.

Did they say “same-sex” couples? Oops, my mistake. I misread it. But at least the government sees value in encouraging hetero-sect-ual relationships in an effort to heal tensions.

5. Michael Jackson’s trapped in someone’s womb! – That’s what expecting parents Dawn Kelley and William Hickman see in Dawn’s latest ultrasound. But even though you don’t think it looks like Michael Jackson, they’re not crazy. Even their six-year-old daughter agrees that it looks like Michael Jackson. And who’d know Michael Jackson better than a small child (That’s right. I went there)? But I guess we won’t know for sure until Dawn starts to feel the baby moon-walking.

6. Pennsylvania Avenue turns to Sesame Street to promote math and science -

To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.

I think we all know that The Count was born for this job.

Water discovered on the moon or creationists foiled by science again

Sorry to have to tell you this again, Shawn, but you’re. . .

Because we’ve now found a “significant” amount of water ice on the moon.

News From Around The Blogosphere 11.3.09

1. Atheist wins NC City Council seat – The other day, I blogged about Cecil Bothwell, the Asheville, NC City Council candidate who was being attack by his opponent because of his atheism and his scathing attacks on Rev. Billy Graham. Well, he won. Congratulations!

2. Dark Matter, Dark Energy: 95% Of Universe -

A detailed picture of the seeds of structures in the universe has been unveiled by an international team co-led by Sarah Church of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, jointly located at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, and by Walter Gear, of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. These measurements of the cosmic microwave background — a faintly glowing relic of the hot, dense, young universe — put limits on proposed alternatives to the standard model of cosmology and provide further support for the standard cosmological model, confirming that dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of everything in existence, while ordinary matter makes up just 5%.

3. Speed Limit To The Pace Of Evolution? -

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a theoretical model that informs the understanding of evolution and determines how quickly an organism will evolve using a catalogue of “evolutionary speed limits.” The model provides quantitative predictions for the speed of evolution on various “fitness landscapes,” the dynamic and varied conditions under which bacteria, viruses and even humans adapt.

 

News From Around The Blogosphere 10.27.09

1. And the secret to a happy marriage is. . . – finding a younger and smarter wife:

The secret to a happy marriage for men is choosing a wife who is smarter and at least five years younger than you, say UK experts.

And in related news, money can be used to buy goods and services.

2. Anti-vaccinationists like Skepacabra’s recent commenter J.B. Handley prove nothing is off limits when attacking critics – Several days ago Amy Wallace wrote an in depth piece on Dr. Paul Offit and the history of anti-vaccination movement in Wired magazine. In response, JB Handley wrote an essay using rape imagery to describe Wallace’s relationship with her interview subject, Offit (which he then quickly removed and replaced with Jonestown Massacre imagery by the time I read it on Age of Autism). Anti-vaccinationists have since threatened and intimidated Wallace as well as calling her a “cunt,” because that’s what classy folk they are. David J Kroll also defends Wallace here.

3. What did Cancer Quack Hulda Clark die from last month? – Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

That’s right. According to her death certificate, the woman who claimed to possess the cure for all cancer (as well as all disease) died of…cancer.

News From Around The Blogosphere 10.26.09

1. Walt Disney refunds parents for not making their kids geniuses – Disney is refunding parents for all those “Baby Einstein” videos. Come to think of it, my niece watched them. I wasn’t aware that these videos promised to make kids smart anymore than I was aware Baby Van Gogh promised to turn kids into great artists.

2. The zombie apocalypse has been prevented. . .for now – An Iowa man accused another man of being a zombie, and then punched him…twice. I can only imagine this was because he was following Rule #4, which calls for a “double tap”:

3. Felicia Day does a NASA PSA – Felicia Day, best known for her role in Joss Whedon’s hit internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and less known for her starring role in the never-aired episode of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (and possibly the show’s best episode), has now she’s managed to somehow up her geek cred even more:

4. Inland Empire Atheists take their ads into the coffee shops -

News From Around The Blogosphere 10.6.09

1. Scientists out-miracle Jesus – Scientists in Mexico have figured out how to turn tequilla into diamonds. Suck on that, Jesus!

2. University of Florida removes response plans for zombie apocalypse from their website – Now how are we going to know what to do in case of zombie apocalypse?!

Spokesman Steve Orlando said late last week that the university removed a link to a disaster recovery exercise, which detailed how the school could respond to an outbreak of the undead.

Orlando said officials felt the joke “didn’t really belong” on the site, which also included plans for dealing with hurricanes and pandemics.

Am I the only one who thinks this is some sort of government coverup to leave the public vulnerable to zombie attack in an elaborate plot to reduce the population of the Earth? Wake up, people! The zombie apocalypse is an inside job!!!!

Sure, you may laugh, but mathematicians have done a study on the mathematics of a hypothetical zombie attack, and published it in a book on infectious disease. The study is discussed in Episode 214 of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast about 6 minutes into the show.

3. How nonsense sharpens the intellect – This is an interesting article in the NY Times that defies summarization.

News From Around The Blogosphere 10.5.09

1. Liberty “University” adopts a liberal – To further illustrate how illegitimate Jerry Falwell’s ridiculous little school is, they decided to launch a new prayer-in-action program called “Adopt a Liberal.” The idea is to choose a liberal authority figure to be the subject of regular, intense prayers:

Here’s How it Works…
Pick one or more of the liberals from the list we have posted online at www.LC.org, or choose your own liberal(s) to adopt. If you are led to choose one or more of the liberals we have selected for consideration, please read their brief biographical statement, including the reasons they stand in need of prayer.

Pray earnestly and intensely for them! Pray that the Lord would move upon them and cause them to be the kind of leaders who will encourage others to lead “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” We encourage you to seek the Lord’s guidance on how to pray for your liberal(s), always allowing Him to temper your prayer with His love and mercy.

2. Shroud of Turin debunked. . .again –

An Italian scientist says he has reproduced the Shroud of Turin, a feat that he says proves definitively that the linen some Christians revere as Jesus Christ’s burial cloth is a medieval fake.

3. Grand Unified Theory of Superman – Most superheroes have only one power and you might have thought they all had to be jealous of Superman because he seemed to have so many. I mean, just to duplicate Superman’s powers you’d need: Captain Marvel, The Flash, Cyclops, Colossus, Dare Devil, Ice Man, and Miss Marvel. I think that about covers it. But a scientist has now determined that Superman might only have one superpower:

It is our opinion that all of Superman’s recognized powers can be unified if His power is the ability to manipulate, from atomic to kilometer length scales, the inertia of His own and any matter with which He is in contact.

See True Believers, science can have practical applications! Excelsior!

Mysteries, Magic & Miracles 9.21.09

MYSTERIES

Did I Fall Asleep? Neural Reductionism and Dollhouse – I now occasionally write for The Gotham Skeptic, the official blog of the New York City Skeptics. And today I found a blog from one of my fellow Gotham Skeptics that I found interesting because it explores scientific questions within science fiction and particularly because the TV series Dollhouse is returning this week and Dr. Horrible’s recent interrupting of the Emmy’s reminded me of how much I enjoy the work of Joss Whedon.

A new study finds large penis size raises self-esteem – And in a related study, researchers found that water causes wetness.

MAGIC

Vancouver quacks selling homeopathy remedies for H1N1 - I like how Some Canadian Skeptic put it:

Placebo water-pills using magic and sorcery to vaccinate against one of the deadliest flu-strains to hit Canada in generations.

Dowsing for WiFi - A pre-scientific stick using magic and sorcery to locate high tech 21st century technology, Yeah, good luck with that.

MIRACLES

California hospital now allows Hmong shamans to perform healing rituals – Shamans? The most advanced medical science the 21st century has to offer. . .and they’ve got shamans?! Just remember. You can’t spell shaman without the “SHAM!”

Chris Mooney responds to Sam Harris and digs himself even deeper

I’ve written a lot about my disagreements with the accomodationist view that’s apparently advocated by in Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum’s (M&K) latest book  (here, here, here, here, here, and here). I finally thought I was done talking about M&K’s much criticized book but every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in.

This time it’s Mooney’s response to Sam Harris’ criticisms during his criticisms of Francis Collins. Now I still haven’t read the book at the heart of the controversy and I’m not really planning on it. So I’m not critiquing their book, only their blog response to Harris, which I have read.

Mainly, I wish to focus on this paragraph here in Mooney’s response:

“The point is not to watch what you say, but to understand the context in which you are trying to communicate—and to recognize that most Americans are not going to be dragged all the way from fundamentalism to atheism thanks to the force of reasoned arguments. No matter how much we may wish it, it just isn’t going to happen. Giving them some more moderate stopping off points along the way is the only common sense approach if you want to change minds, or change the culture.”

Here I think Chris is giving away his hand. Harris is right. This is about M&K just trying to get converts who will say they accept evolution. Chris is himself an atheist, and I surmise that if asked about it, he’d say he has good reason for his atheistic position. But his argument condescendingly says that while you and I might be able to understand the full atheistic ramifications of science, some people aren’t as smart as us, so we need to feed them science-lite first to ween them off religion slowly to a less true middle ground. Then once they reach science OT Level III, we can tell them the full truth about Xenu–err, I mean we can eventually get them to embrace full science a lot easier once we’ve gotten them to this bogus middle ground position we originally told them was correct.

It’s just a strategy, a deceptive tactic for manipulating people in order to convert them to our way of thinking. But that’s not what scientific-minded people should do; that’s what the cranks do. We’re better than that. We should be teaching people critical thinking and have enough confidence in our scientific conclusions to expect critical thinkers to embrace it on their own. Even if we assumed that M&K’s tactic was more effective at getting more evolution converts than just being honest with people by admitting the atheistic implications of science, I’d still prefer honesty to Chris’ “giving them some more moderate stopping off points along the way.”

News From Around The Blogosphere 9.14.09

1. $cientology tries to censor critics in Australia – The Australian branch of CoS submitted a proposal to the local Human Rights Commission to censor those who commit, as they call it, “Religious Vilification.” Essentially, they want to create their own blasphemy laws.

2. 2010 California Marriage Protection Act - Safeguarding marriage from the evils of divorce. As if you needed another reason to hate religion.

3. Proposed law in Indonesia calls for stoning adulterers to death -

Muslims who commit adultery in Indonesia’s Aceh province may be stoned to death under a controversial new sharia law passed by the local parliament on Monday.

As if you needed yet another reason to hate religion.

4. Bill Gates intends to control the weather -

Turns out Microsoft mogul Bill Gates and a team of scientists have filed a patent on technology that would seek to eliminate the danger of hurricanes. The idea is pretty simple: A fleet of barges would be dispatched to the waters ahead of a raging storm. There, they would use a system of conduits to both push warm surface water below the ocean surface while bringing deeper, colder water up. This would theoretically weaken the approaching hurricane, possibly saving lives and money and binding all those affected into a blood debt with Mr. Gates.

Gates may be onto something but some experts aren’t convinced for various reasons. For more info, click the link above.

5. Science Daily explains how stem cells make skin -

Stem cells have a unique ability: when they divide, they can either give rise to more stem cells, or to a variety of specialised cell types. In both mice and humans, a layer of cells at the base of the skin contains stem cells that can develop into the specialised cells in the layers above. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, in collaboration with colleagues at the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas (CIEMAT) in Madrid, have discovered two proteins that control when and how these stem cells switch to being skin cells.