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Recent Posts
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Intelligent Design v. The Multiverse Hypothesis: Astronomer John Gribbin Cleverly Splits the Difference Between Them
At the UK’s Telegraph, astronomer John Gribbin puts an intelligent design twist on the multiverse hypothesis: he writes that it’s possible—indeed, plausible—that ”a very advanced civilisation”, knowing how to birth new universes via the creation of black holes, designed our universe with life-friendly … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, evolution, Genesis, intelligent design, john gribbin, multiverse hypothesis, Stephen Hawking, the big bang
3 Comments
The Ground Zero Church
In response to Feisal Abdul Rauf’s proposed mosque near ground zero, a Christian by the name of Bill Keller is fund-raising for an eight million dollar “9-11 Christian Center” to be built near ground zero. Want to donate to the building of Bill Keller’s 9/11 Christian Center? You … Continue reading
Alternative Medicine Does Not Exist; Critical Thinking Does
Andrew Sullivan recently got a letter from an epidemiology doctoral student offering some rules-of-thumb for thinking about medical claims and treatments. The advice is so sensible, and so nicely representative of good critical thinking, that I post them here: 1. Ancient wisdom is the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged alternative medicine, fitness, flu, flu shots, health, medicine, pneumonia, yoga
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Max Keiser: Glenn Beck is a TV Rodeo Clown
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Tagged America, clowns, fraud, glenn beck, max keiser, rodeo, rodeo clowns
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Atheist universes without end: Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow’s ironically titled new book, “The Grand Design”
In a recent Washington Post review of Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow’s new book, The Grand Design (Bantam 2010), physicist James Trefil summarizes how the authors answer this question: Where did our lawful universe come from?: Our current best description of the physics … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, chance, contingency, existentialism, Genesis, God, Stephen Hawking, the big bang, the multiverse
19 Comments
Life on Mars? A new paper says maybe
In 1976, did the scientists responsible for interpreting Viking data underestimate some important evidence that actually points to life on Mars? A new scientific paper says maybe. The New York Times earlier this week: For the veteran Mars researcher Gilbert V. Levin, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged are we alone?, astronomy, biochemistry, biology, life, life on mars, Mars, science, solar system
1 Comment
They call the new cell ‘Synthia’: What is synthetic biology, and what, exactly, is Craig Venter up to?
The New York Times explains: In the approach toward which Dr. Venter is driving, engineers would specify the entire genetic code of a cell — essentially the software that runs the cell — on computers, making design changes as if … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bloom boxes, craig venter, energy, frankenstein, KR Sridhar, Peak Oil, Prometheus, synthetic biology, synthia, the future
4 Comments
Madera, California Mosque Vandalized
Madera is a relatively small town of 58,000 near Fresno, Ca., and, according to the Los Angeles Times this weekend, its lone mosque has been subject to repeated acts of vandalism: [I]t was here, in one of a series of … Continue reading
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Tagged America, Christianity, herderians, Islam, Jesus, Muslims, religious tolerance, terrorism, Thomas Jefferson, yusuf Islam
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Some more ELO (accompanied by clips of John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, and Jamie Lee Curtis when they were young and beautiful)
And the Twin Towers also make a brief cameo.
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Tagged 1980s, aerobics, dancing, ELO, jamie lee curtis, john travolta, music, new york, olivia newton john, the twin towers
6 Comments
The Human Bones Discovered at Masada: An Example of Religion Hindering Science
At the academic web magazine, Bible and Interpretation, anthropologist Joe Zias complains about ultra-orthodox Jews hindering archeology and anthropology: For several decades self-appointed groups of the ultra-orthodox have been waging an all out cultural war against the archaeological community in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged apologetics, atheism, Bill Maher, fundamentalism, Islam, Judaism, masada, orthodoxy, philosophes, pilate, the Enlightenment, truth
3 Comments
Mental Health Break: ELO’s Strange Magic
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Tagged ELO, gabriel marcel, life, mental health break, music, ontological mystery, poetry, psychology
1 Comment
Paul Davies Says Stephen Hawking’s New Book Doesn’t Quite Get Rid of God Completely
Physicist Paul Davies, reviewing, for the Guardian, Stephen Hawking’s new book, The Grand Design (Bantam 2010), says this: The laws of physics can explain, he says, how a universe of space, time and matter could emerge spontaneously, without the need … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, atheism, cosmology, creation, evolution, Genesis, God, multiverse hypothesis, origins, paul davies, physics, Stephen Hawking
20 Comments
Would “The Last Exorcism” Have Been Better Titled “The Last Atheist”?
I saw The Last Exorcism this past weekend and, yes, it’s really good. And scary. And it’s also a bit of an ancient Greek morality play, which makes it philosophically interesting as well: what if a good-hearted cynic, an unbeliever of the Marjoe or Bill … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, Apollo and Dionysus, atheism, atheist, Bakkhai, cotton marcus, demon possession, demons, Euripides, exorcism, the last exorcism
2 Comments
