Cincinnati Skeptics

Local Man Blames Ghosts for Stealing Copper

2012-01-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

What does a ghost need copper pipe for?

The Umbrella Man

2011-11-22T22:04:00.002-05:00

Here's a great short film showing why conspiracy theories should be so hard to believe.

What's The Harm?

2011-10-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

This is, that's what.

2011-10-19T11:45:00.003-04:00

A nice take down of Ken Ham and Answers In Genesis.

David Barton and Ken Ham are not fundamentalists. They are not in denial, defensively retreating from a bewildering world they do not understand except as a vague threat to their faith. No. Fundamentalists in denial are their prey, their mark — the goose that provides them with golden eggs.

It’s considered rude to state this so bluntly. That’s what they’re counting on. Their ability to continue this lucrative con depends on a misplaced notion of civility that mistakenly presumes that the presumption of good faith is absolute and impervious to evidence. That warped idea of civility is what creates the space in which they are free to act in bad faith with impunity, to lie without any danger of ever being called to account for lying. Refusing to call liars to account is not civility, it’s aiding and abetting — becoming an accomplice in their scam.

Randi on ABC tonight

2011-08-17T09:44:00.000-04:00

Travis of Cin City Skeptics sent this out.

I wanted to be sure everyone is aware that tonight, Wednesday August 17th at 10:00pm (9:00pm Central), ABC's Primetime Nightline will air a one-hour special on psychic abilities. James Randi, along with JREF President D.J. Grothe, JREF's Million Dollar Challenge Director Banachek, and advisor Jamy Ian Swiss, worked with Nightline producers on two of the segments and participated in three days of taping, including the JREF's first-ever open Million Dollar Challenge event where hundreds of New York City psychics were invited to take the test in front of TV cameras.

I won't dare predict the results so watch ABC's 30-second teaser for the show here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/belief-psychic-power-14307679?&clipId=14307679&cid=embedded

click below for behind-the-scenes photos:
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1384-jref-on-abcs-primetime-nightline-weds-10pm-9pm-central.html

...make sure to watch the show tonight and if you get a second, let ABC know we need more of this kind of thing on television!

Noah's Ark being built in Northern Kentucky

2011-08-17T09:36:00.003-04:00

More news from the Creation Museum If they are serious about building a life-sized ark, I wonder if they are also going to limit themselves to technologies in use at the time of the supposed building of the original ark. If that is the case this could actually be an interesting experiment. It might also be interesting to see how much constructing this would cost in today's dollars.

Whatever the case, I hope nobody is hurt during the construction.

ART Picnic June 25th at Susan and Bernie's

2011-06-13T23:24:00.006-04:00

The picnic on June 25th at Susan and Bernie's will be a potluck, so if you are a member who wishes to list the items you are bringing, please do so in the comments. This way we should be able to eliminate duplication. remember to check previous comments to see what others are bringing.
The address and directions will be on the mailer card and in the Email.
3:00 - executive meeting.
4:00 to whenever - picnic.
Please let us know if you are going to be there, and how many will be with you.
513-575-9091
just leave a message if no one is home.

Dean Regas gets a national gig

2011-06-10T22:44:00.000-04:00

Great news for a local scientist.

Lack of Rapture

2011-05-25T12:57:00.003-04:00

Well, if you didn't notice, all the True Christians did not fly up into the sky on Saturday. And while Harold Camping is saying that it actually did happen, one of our local groups of believers apparently has apologized for the lack of judgement day.

Official Statement Concerning May 21

There are many different time paths in the Bible which point to May 21, the 17th day of the 2nd month of the Biblical calendar this year. While we will have to wait on God to reveal to us the details about that day, it is true that the Rapture did not happen. So, I would like to apologize to all of those to whom I told, either directly or by signage, that the Rapture would take place on May 21. I told thousands of people that this was guaranteed to happen and that was not true, even though I believed it very definitely. I hope you will forgive me for saying something that was not true. I was wrong.

Unfortunately, they didn't figure it completely out.

The Bible is still absolutely true and trustworthy.

When more information is available about the 17th day of the 2nd month this year, I will update this website with it, God willing.

New fictional amusement park in the Cincinnati area

2011-05-19T15:56:00.002-04:00

Answers in Genesis just got $40M in state tax incentives to build their Noah's Arc amusement park. I don't see what good it is going to do, I really don't think that they will be able to build it before Saturday when all the Christians are raptured up.

Liposuction

2011-04-26T13:13:00.003-04:00

New studies on liposuction make it appear that it isn't so benign after all.

Supernatural Skeptics in India

2011-04-04T14:23:00.002-04:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2011/04/02/supernatural-hi-jinx.html

Global Warming

2011-03-20T20:25:00.003-04:00

This is a comment about global warming. To begin we might ask how to make a decision about the following:

1. Is Global Warming (GW) a fact?

2. If so, is a significant part of it due to humans?

3. If not, how can we correct the claims for GW?

4. If 1 or 2 is correct, should we do anything about it?

First I note that science is not a democratic process. Both the education and experience of a writer are very important as well as their recognized expertise. Within mathematics and physics (my areas), the important problems are most often set by experts in the field. There is also a general consensus about the identity of the experts. While there are exceptions (else new experts might seldom emerge) there are standard paths by which one becomes an expert. (A Cincinnati boy, Thomas Kuhn, discusses this in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions---I hasten to add that GW falls in the area of Kuhn's "normal science.")

While consensus indicates a kind of democracy, one should not think that there are "votes" on the important problems in graph theory. Nor are there "votes" on the direction that particle physics should take.

With that in mind, I will refer the reader to the NASA website on Climate Change:

http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

There are links to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) at the NASA site.

We find there this statement:

"The current warming trend is of particular significance because most of it is very likely human-induced and proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years."

There is also a quote from the IPCC:

"Scientific evidence for warming of the climate system is unequivocal."

Geological Swindler

2011-03-04T08:26:00.002-05:00

This is a fascinating read on a swindler who roamed the US in the late 19th century scamming various scientists out of specimens and selling them. Cincinnati make an appearance and actually apprehends the confidence man.

Hyperlinks in books

2011-02-14T10:03:00.002-05:00

After our discussion this past weekend concerning the digitization of literature, I found this link from boingboing particular on point.

The reliability of Wikipedia

2011-02-13T07:36:00.004-05:00

The reliability of Wikipedia came into question at the ART meeting yesterday, so I thought I might toss this out there to spark further conversation.

From the article entitled "The reliability of Wikipedia":

The reliability of Wikipedia, compared to other encyclopedias and more specialized sources, is assessed in many ways, including statistically, by comparative review, analysis of the historical patterns, and strengths and weaknesses inherent in the editing process unique to Wikipedia.^[1]

Because Wikipedia is open to anonymous and collaborative editing, assessments of its reliability usually include examinations of how quickly false or misleading information is removed. An early study conducted by IBM researchers in 2003—two years following Wikipedia's establishment—found that "vandalism is usually repaired extremely quickly — so quickly that most users will never see its effects"^[2] and concluded that Wikipedia had "surprisingly effective self-healing capabilities".^[3]

A notable early study in the journal Nature suggested that in 2005, Wikipedia scientific articles came close to the level of accuracy in Encyclopædia Britannica and had a similar rate of "serious errors".^[4] This study was disputed by Encyclopædia Britannica.^[5]

By 2010 reviewers in medical and scientific fields such as toxicology, cancer research and drug information reviewing Wikipedia against professional and peer-reviewed sources found that Wikipedia's depth and coverage were of a very high standard, often comparable in coverage to physician databases and considerably better than well known reputable national media outlets. Wikipedia articles were cited as references in journals (614 cites in 2009) and as evidence in trademark and higher court rulings. However, omissions and readability sometimes remained an issue – the former at times due to public relations removal of adverse product information and a considerable concern for fields such as medicine.

Religion and Representation

2011-01-08T09:16:00.004-05:00

In an article by CHARLES M. BLOW in the New York Times:

"According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life about the religious composition of the 112th Congress, the unaffiliated (atheists, agnostics, the unchurched, uncommitted, etc.), at 16.1 percent of the population, is the largest religious group in America without representation in Congress. (Six members, about 1 percent, did not specify a religious category.)"

The Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/opinion/08blow.html?_r=1

Glen Beck was in town

2010-12-15T09:32:00.002-05:00

I didn't hear about this until this morning, but I guess Glenn Beck was in town signing books at the Kenwood Barnes and Noble last night. I was skimming through the pictures at Cincinnati.com and found this fantastic picture of the Love and Sex section covered by cloth. So what message does this send? Conservative Glenn Beck is against Love and Sex? Glenn Beck does not want to be offended by ideas of Love and Sex? Banes and Noble is OK with censorship? The whole thing is rather silly in my opinion.

The Joy of Statistics

2010-12-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

New Theme Park in KY

2010-11-30T14:59:00.003-05:00

This article is light on details, but what does it tell you when Kentucky's Governor is so publically embracing anti-science?

Edit: More details on the Theme Park here. I can't comment on the legallity of this, but if they don't discriminate what kind of business is getting tax incentives then it sounds legal to me. I am glad that they wouldn't get special incentives.

Psychic Jill on the radio this morning

2010-11-17T14:00:00.004-05:00

I listen to WNKU a lot, they play good music. Unfortunately, this morning, I heard a segment with Psychic Jill. I posted about Psychic Jill at the beginning of the year when she made predictions for 2010.

It seems that Jill is making claims about haunted houses and doing some readings concerning houses. She made the claim that 1 in 4 houses are haunted, and also a whole bunch of made up nonsense about why ghosts stick around these places. None of this really bothered me too much, but the interviewer never once questions how she knew all of this. he went along with it, without once sounding even slightly suspicious.

Now I know many people could say, "Who cares? Everybody knows that this stuff is fake." But go and check out her website. She claims that this is all real and that she is not in the entertainment business. She also charges $45 for a 15 minutes reading. If you'd like to go all out, you can pay $180 for a 60 minute meeting. Yes, that's $180/hour. This is serious business. People paying this amount of money are not doing it for entertainment; They are doing it because they want real answers. Unfortunately, I suspect that Jill is feeding them guesses and feel good platitudes.

I'll come back to Jill at then end of the year to examine her 2010 predictions.

UFO's over New York

2010-10-15T09:04:00.001-04:00

So some in the UFO community are thinking that the UFO's showed up on Wednesday over New York City.

But it looks like there is a more mundane explanation.

Most people don't look up at the sky all that often. When they do, often times they see planes, birds or stars. Most of the time they don't think a second time about it and go on with their lives. But when they look up expecting to see something all of a sudden whatever they are seeing becomes significant, interesting and possibly alien.

As interesting as first contact with alien life would be, I'm afraid that this is not it either. If it is, then those aliens are a bunch of jerks buzzing our cities and mocking us.

Aliens are coming

2010-10-13T08:29:00.001-04:00

Today, I guess.

Science Map

2010-08-31T09:38:00.004-04:00

Holy Smokes!

Crispian Jago put together this incredible map of science based on maps of the London underground. Just after skimming through it very quickly I can tell that there are a lot of names that I'll be looking up.

Each "subway line" is a science discipline. Each name is a "stop" or "station". Explore til your heart's content.

Technological Singularity

2010-08-19T09:23:00.004-04:00

The idea of computing power becoming so powerful that it will create a Utopian society complete with sentient robots and humans merging with computers to essentially become immortal is an idea that I have heard in the past. But I really have never looked into it beyond the thought that it seemed rather grandiose, and if it ever occurred I would not be around for even the beginnings of it.

However, there are people who are predicting that this technological singularity is going to occur sometime in the 2030s. Sam Ogden of Skepchick has a nice writeup on those who hold these opinions.

This seems all too fantastic for me. Just the hurdles of creating computer AI and interfacing humans with computers on a larger scale seem to be formidable tasks that will not be easily overcome. Couple this with predictions for the future being notoriously difficult and you'll have a tough time guessing what life will be like in 5 years let along 10 years.

Fire in Russia

2010-08-11T12:55:00.003-04:00

There's a major human and environmental disaster going on in Russia right now. I've seen very little of it on the major American news services. It now appears that the fire are reaching Chernobyl and the radiation contained in the area will be carried aloft by the smoke.

Here's a quick video of a group who were evacuating a village when the road that they drove in on was engulfed in flames. Some subtitles swearing for those who cared to be warned about such things.

Philosophy Games

2010-08-07T18:55:00.004-04:00

Here are a few philosophy games you can play and test yourself for consistent logic and thinking. Really I think this would make a great party game and you could compare answers with your friends and hate them for it afterward.

A Sea Without Fish

2010-08-01T17:04:00.002-04:00

This book has been out for over a year, but I heard an interview on the radio, WVXU, with the author, David Meyer. He discussed the fantastic fossil hunting we have here in the Cincinnati area. We really do have a great resource for science education right in our backyards, literally. Local group, the Cincinnati Dry Dredgers are doing that today.

101 Patterns for Influencing Behaviour Through Design

2010-07-28T09:03:00.002-04:00

Here's a nifty link showing examples of design elements which lead users to take certain actions. I found it interesting to see how people are influencing us.

Phil Plait's Bad Universe

2010-07-23T15:51:00.004-04:00

Phil Plait, who became semi-famous for hosting a thorough debunking of the moon landing hoaxers is getting a TV show on The Discovery Channel.

It looks a bit Mythbusters, which certainly isn't a bad thing.

ScienceBlogs Imploding?

2010-07-21T10:20:00.002-04:00

Mega-blogging network, ScienceBlogs, is falling apart over a fiasco where they were giving a blog to PepsiCo who was paying for exposure next to some of the best science based bloggers that the internet has to offer.

The 4 year old network seems to have many problems behind the scenes and the link above is a great read on how to destroy what was a successful network in almost no time flat.

Whew!

2010-07-13T09:15:00.002-04:00

Ken Ham, of the local Creation Science ministry, is apparently freaking out about some recent declarations from a gathering of atheists. Read the whole thing to see Ken rewriting the declaration to fit his preconceived ideas. The whole thing is one huge example of what a strawman argument is.

Science Tattoos

2010-07-13T09:08:00.001-04:00

Carl Zimmer, science writer keep a blog where he collects tattoos that relate to science and related disciplines. He had one today that caught my attention .

Picnic on August 14th at Susan and Bernie's

2010-07-06T14:08:00.005-04:00

The picnic on August 14th at Susan and Bernie's will be a potluck, so if you are a member who wishes to list the items you are bringing, please do so in the comments. This way we should be able to eliminate duplication. remember to check previous comments to see what others are bringing.

Field trip to Fernald

2010-06-21T15:03:00.003-04:00

The field trip to Fernald was very informative and a lot of fun.
Ray Owens posted some great photos of our visit.
Thanks Ray

http://unrelated.net/homefrnt/10jun12/index_f.html

Proto-life

2010-06-17T11:44:00.004-04:00

I have always been fascinated with the concept of proto-life that had to exist between the simple proteins forming, and the first DNA. This article does not really answer all my questions but it is thought provoking.
From proteins to protolife: was life's emergence random or guided by determined chemical steps

Risk Analysis

2010-05-13T10:06:00.002-04:00

Schneier on Security has a great article up about risk analysis and worst case scenarios.

The new undercurrent in this is that our society no longer has the ability to calculate probabilities. Risk assessment is devalued. Probabilistic thinking is repudiated in favor of "possibilistic thinking": Since we can't know what's likely to go wrong, let's speculate about what can possibly go wrong.

Here's where our education system fails. Critical Thinking is not a course at any level of education outside of college.

Strange object in the sky over Cincinnati

2010-05-06T16:07:00.002-04:00

I'll leave it to the reader to determine if local news media should be focusing on more pressing matters, but in this case I'll hand it to WLWT. They had a UFO story and who did they contact? Dean Regas from the Cincinnati Observatory. Good choice.

I have to say that it does look odd coming from the ground. I'm guessing that it isn't a satellite as it appears to be moving much too fast and it appears way too bright in relation to the other objects. It looks to be the speed of a meteor, but like Dean says, it is coming from a very strange angle. I would say that a bottle rocket would surprise me as it is moving very straight and it seems quite high up. My thought is that it is something much close to the foreground than the video makes it out to be.

Rebranding Skepticism

2010-04-27T15:20:00.003-04:00

Ticktock of Science-Based Parenting has an article up concerning what skepticism is to the general public. He contends that skeptics are not the cynics. The cynical ones are those who hold irrational beliefs.

I think groups like the Association for Rational Thought does a nice job of staying positive about reality and science. We bring in speakers who focus on a variety of topics not limited to the traditional skeptical topics. Instead of tearing down ideas, we look forward to ideas that may or may not work, but at least they are based on evidence. There are certainly times for tearing down bad ideas, but during our meetings we try to find the solid ground of reason and evidence.

By the way, Ticktock is a Cincinnati-based blogger.

Creation Museum passes 1,000,000 visitors

2010-04-27T07:40:00.002-04:00

Apparently the Creation Museum passed 1,000,000 visitors, yesterday.

Paleo Future

2010-04-26T16:45:00.002-04:00

Here's a neat blog about what people used to think the future would look like. Obviously we see some hits and misses. I heard about this blog on the way home from work today on All things Considered.

SkeptiCamp and Other Acts of Skepticism in Ohio

2010-04-21T13:27:00.000-04:00

Looks like our neighbors to the north east are doing some stuff. Check it out.

Math is useful

2010-04-16T12:11:00.001-04:00

Look kids, mathematics is useful. Hey, I know there are plenty of reasons for a solid mathematics education, but I saw this story and thought that it was a great example.

Michael Specter: The danger of science denial

2010-04-15T08:19:00.003-04:00

Here's a great talk by Micheal Specter on denialism.

It shouldn't be surprising to most people who are checking here, but it is worth a listen.

What's the harm?

2010-04-12T14:17:00.001-04:00

Check out whatstheharm.net. It's a nice resource that compiles examples of why something of the crazy things that people believe in are not a harmless as many would like you to think.

Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos Photosynth

2010-04-05T12:39:00.001-04:00

In my wildest dreams I did not see this coming. And it's almost here. Truly another quantum leap in information technology.
http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html

Nature by Numbers

2010-03-29T22:39:00.001-04:00

Beautiful

James Randi

2010-03-22T07:32:00.000-04:00

is gay. Bravo, sir.

What is the speed of gravity?

2010-03-16T11:35:00.002-04:00

Apparently it depends on what model you are using, but this short article seems to think that it is near the speed of light. Current technology cannot measure it directly, but we may be able to in the future. That seems reasonable to me.

This is a nice little Physics FAQ.

ART meeting: Dean Regas

2010-03-12T17:10:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow March 13th Dean Regas will be presenting to ART. 10:00AM at Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge. Join us, it is open to the public.

Zicam lawsuit

2010-03-04T15:08:00.003-05:00

It appears that Stan Chesley has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Zicam. Zicam marketed itself as a homeopathic remedy for colds, but it turns out that it isn't homeopathic at all. Zicam contains a Zinc compound that has caused some people to lose their sense of smell. So not only is this product dangerous, but it is also circumventing laws that would require testing by calling itself homeopathic. Isn't it time for the FDA to start regulating so-called homeopathic drugs? Start testing them for efficacy, then we can no longer worry about these con artists from selling people water and claiming that they are miracle cures.

Unfortunately the comments at Cincinnati.com focus either on Stan Chesley's politics or are people claiming that they don't mind losing their sense of smell, just give them back their sweet relief in Zicam.

More 2012 nonsense

2010-03-01T14:29:00.003-05:00

A spambot showed up in the comments here.

The site is a cornucopia of nonsensical rambling about Nibiru tearing planet in half and how the Mayan's predicted the end of the world. It seems like an awful lot of work for a site that won't be there on Jan 1st 2013.

I think the 2012 fantasy is amazing in the fact that it not only abuses just about every science discipline, but it also neglects history an tried to tie in many cultural and religious myths to justify its claims. Who buys this stuff?

Snow and Climate Change

2010-02-17T10:26:00.005-05:00

Brrr... It's cold out side and look at all the snow! Where's the Global Warming?

These last couple of weeks have been a boon for the Global Warming Denialists. I've seen so many people claiming that all the snow that has fallen on us the last few weeks are proof that Global Warming is some kind of lie.

Snow means cold, right? And if it is cold that must mean that there is no Global Warming. That's pretty much the whole argument summed up right there. Really, do these people expect an eternal summer? The axis of the Earth isn't dramatically shifting. My biggest ripe about the whole mentality is that there is very little thought put into the whole Global Warming thing.

First, just because you have snow on your doorstep doesn't mean the whole world is covered in snow. You can't extrapolate the world's temperature based on the temperature at your house.

Second, that brings us to the next point. There are not only two temperatures, snow and not snow. Global Warming talks about the rise of temperature, the amount of precipitation is a complex side effect of the temperature and a variety of other factors. One of the driest places on Earth is in Antarctica, meaning it gets very little precipitation. So since it snows less there, does that mean it is warmer?

Third, the weather is not the climate. Temperature is very noisy and confusing the noise for a signal is a novice mistake. Factors like El Nino make using the weather to predict the climate completely unreliable. We can't point to a weather event, say Katrina, and say this is proof of Global Waring, just as someone can't point to the pile of snow and say that it is proof against Global Warming.

Finally, I believe that Al Gore did somewhat of a disservice to Climate Science. Anytime Global Warming comes up it is now about Al Gore using his private jet to fly around the globe. The science in An Inconvenient Truth may have been sound, but he has effectively turned off the minds of a good percentage of the population who believe that this is some kind of liberal conspiracy.

NPR has a nice article up on why you have to think about things a bit deeper before making broad generalizations.

More Scale

2010-02-15T11:22:00.000-05:00

Depth of the ocean.

Strange Bedmates: Conservative and Liberal Advocates for Judicial Activism

2010-02-08T11:51:00.001-05:00

Join ART this weekend 10:00AM at Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge. The program will continue till noon with lunch and discussion afterwards.

New Deal liberals condemned the conservative activists who invalidated progressive economic regulations, and 21st Century conservatives denounce liberal activist judges for legislating from the bench on abortion, gay rights, criminal procedure, and religious liberty. Progressives on the left and libertarians on the right have recently joined forces in suits asking judges to find unconstitutional overbroad criminal laws, bans on gay marriage, and limits on gun ownership. Are there any principled legal boundaries or legitimate political checks on the abuse of Judicial Review by justices who substitute personal policy preferences for the choices made by popularly elected legislators?

UC Professor of Political Science and adjunct Professor of Law Howard Tolley Jr. earned a PhD at Columbia and a JD as a human rights fellow at the UC College of Law. He served as President of the Cincinnati ACLU and member of the state board, clerked for a judge on the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, and does fact finding/mediation in public sector labor disputes for the State Employment Relations Board. He teaches undergraduate public law courses on the U.S. legal system and Constitution as well as international law and human rights. His publications include three sole authored books and nine interactive Teaching Human Rights Online cases http://homepages.uc.edu/thro/

Math Opinion in the NY Times

2010-02-02T11:45:00.002-05:00

A new series in the New York Times takes on Math. This ought to be an interesting looking to the power of abstraction, why math is interesting to so many people, and how it has brought us to where we are today.

Why do people often vote against their own interests?

2010-01-30T15:51:00.005-05:00

I have often wondered about this myself. This article goes a long way towards making sense of the issue. Possibly the most cogent point in the article comes from Thomas Frank.

"Thomas Frank says that whatever disadvantaged Americans think they are voting for, they get something quite different:
You vote to strike a blow against elitism and you receive a social order in which wealth is more concentrated than ever before in our life times, workers have been stripped of power, and CEOs are rewarded in a manner that is beyond imagining.
"It's like a French Revolution in reverse in which the workers come pouring down the street screaming more power to the aristocracy."

I have to disagree with the author's comment that "This is a culture war but it is not simply being driven by differences over abortion, or religion, or patriotism." Somehow the party of big business has co-opted moral and patriotic authority as their domain, and branded the party of the working class and poor as morally bankrupt. How did they manage that? Could it be as simple as having more advertising dollars?

Why is CBS in Bed with the Religious Right on Super Bowl Sunday?

2010-01-30T11:08:00.003-05:00

A thought provoking article in the Huffington Post.
I had never considered that there might be an overt bias toward one "Christian" view point versus another in an organization as large as CBS.

Scale again

2010-01-29T13:50:00.003-05:00

Going back to this post will get you a nice view of the scale of the world, but this graphic is even better. The whole Universe down to the Planck Length.

The strawman to knock down all strawmen

2010-01-26T08:30:00.003-05:00

Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, is a natural medicine practitioner. He recently got in a little scuffle on twitter concerning some silly internet award. When some of his votes were taken away because they were fraudulent and he started to lose in the health category to a real doctor he decided to write what up what he believes skeptics are. Free registration is required to read the entire article, but don't bother. The blog Dubito Ergo Sum has the whole thing with commentary.

Really, what else is there to do but laugh at this. Mike Adams is so deluded that just about everything that he states is demonstrably wrong.

Here's a few examples of what he believes skeptics to be.

...and that there is NO LIMIT to the number of vaccines a person can be safely given. So injecting all children with, for example, 900 vaccines all at the same time is believed to be perfectly safe and "good for your health."

Skeptics believe that the human body has no ability to defend itself against invading microorganism and that the only things that can save people from viral infections are vaccines.

Skeptics believe that DEAD foods have exactly the same nutritional properties as LIVING foods (hilarious!).

I don't even know what that last one means. I prefer not to eat live animals. The squeaking is really annoying when I'm trying to bite off their arms. Or does he mean plants? Some plants actually have more nutritional value if they are cooked. Cooking actually can release more nutrients for consumption than just eating the food raw.

Cavemen: Part 2

2010-01-25T13:11:00.002-05:00

Here's a follow up to this post concerning the Caveman diet.

Prehistoric life was not short. This is a blessed scientific lie.

We explain this in much more detail in the book, but here's the misunderstanding in a nutshell.

* There was high infant mortality in prehistory. (How this compares to infant mortality in Medeival Europe or modern India and China is an interesting question we look at in the book, but no space for it here.)
* There are technical difficulties in distinguishing age of death beyond the early 30s, when one's last teeth are fully erupted from the jaw bone.
* These two factors combined with sloppy thinking to create the wide-spread "fact" that "if you made it to 30 or so, you had done well."

But it's bullshit! Nobody was considered "old" at 30 in prehistory, just as 30 year-olds aren't considered "old" among modern day hunter-gatherers, or in the Old Testament, where humans were allotted 70 years (three score and ten). People who lived beyond childhood often–even typically–lived into their 60s and 70s in prehistory. The evidence for this is overwhelming, and well known to specialists in anthropology, primatology, and archaeology.

AiG in Haiti

2010-01-22T11:42:00.004-05:00

Here's an odd post from Answers in Genesis concerning a missionary that is in Haiti. First, I was glad to see that their colleague is okay. But I was struck by the content of the post. Instead of information on how to help the stricken people of Haiti, or perhaps even an amazing story of survival against all odds, we get a listing of the various booklets that are available in Haiti. They seem to be putting the cart before the horse at AiG.

Support groups are still having a hard time getting proper medical supplies to where they are needed, so see my earlier post about how you can help.

EDIT: Mark Looy commented below that AiG is also soliciting donations for Food for the Hungry. It is good to see everyone pulling in the same direction whenever crisis strikes. However, I still think that my previous post stands. There are still many lives to save before anyone starts worrying about distributing literature.

KY Ten Commandments

2010-01-19T07:42:00.003-05:00

LEITCHFIELD, Ky. - The Rev. Chester Shartzer sang God's praises and talked of restoring his place in American government Monday as he hoisted a framed copy of the Ten Commandments back onto the wall of a Kentucky courthouse.

More than 200 people joined Shartzer and Grayson County officials in returning the commandments to the county courthouse, just days after a federal appeals court allowed the display, saying it wasn't religiously oriented.

I guess I really don't have a problem with a Ten Commandments display that is in conjunction with other historic documents, but the first two paragraphs of this article should be enough for anyone. The courts said that the display of the Ten Commandments were not religiously motivated. So when they put them back up in the court house of course it was accompanied by songs of praise to the Christian God.

Haiti

2010-01-18T16:11:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen it yet, Richard Dawkins has organized a way for the secular people of the world to contribute to Haiti relief. this is good for a few reasons. First, Haiti is in bad shape and obviously every dollar count. Second, often times, the charged is level that religion is a requirement in the world because otherwise people wouldn't ever help anyone else and there would be no morality. I already gave to Doctor's Without Borders, which had offices in Haiti before the earthquake.

Coast to Coast Predictions

2010-01-18T11:44:00.001-05:00

Here's an amusing list of predictions for 2010 from the listeners to Coast to Coast AM. Enjoy.

Amazon Kindle

2010-01-12T09:55:00.003-05:00

Here's a follow up to our discussion at Saturday's meeting on the Amazon Kindle.

Cory Doctorow, of Boing Boing fame, points out that according to Amazon's End User License Agreement (EULA) when a person purchase a Kindle book, they are not actually purchasing a book, they are purchasing a license to read that book. Of course when it comes to marketing they change their tune a bit making it sound as if they are selling books, not just permission to read those books. Follow the link for the full write up.

Cavemen

2010-01-11T15:20:00.003-05:00

Has anyone else heard of this subculture who try to replicate some aspect of living like a caveman for better health?

It seems highly misguided to me. The idea is that modern man is weak when compared to our primitive ancestors. While that may be true, our ancestors were lucky to live past what we now call middle age. I also find it funny that the practitioners have no problem partaking in modern medicine while thumbing their nose at eating vegetables.

I'd call this a fake, except the world is a strange place and I don't doubt that people would attempt something like this. Still it could be a nice little hoax.

10 Minute Free For All

2010-01-08T15:25:00.001-05:00

Come out to Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge from 10AM to Noon tomorrow and be prepared for a variety of topics to be discussed. This is usually a very fun meeting and a good chance to inject your point of view into the discussion.

Local Psychic

2010-01-04T08:01:00.003-05:00

Awesome, a local psychic, Psychic Jill, has predicted what 2010 will be like.

On the topic of the overall state of the world: "I have a much better feel for 2010," she said. "It seems we've been in gloom and doom for so long, I see the sun coming up for the whole world. It's a much happier year. There are new beginnings and new romances - people who never thought they would find love will do so. I feel like there will be a spiritual awakening this year. I also see that the Pope will get ill, with potential heart problems, and there will be an engagement in the Royal Family."

Ok, so a general feel on 2010. After 2009 I think it is pretty easy to guess that 2010 will be better. I think most people will tell you that 2010 will be better as 2009 was not a banner year. She's not really going out on any limbs here.

Then we get some general garbage about lots of people finding first love. Gee, do ya think? People have only been doing that every year since the beginning of the human species. I'd even venture to say that it has happened already in 2010.

Next some stuff about the pope having heart problems, again not really something that would be surprising as he is an older man who is in the prime demographic to get heart problems. At least this is a falsifiable prediction unlike the first two.

And then an engagement in the Royal Family. Ok, which Royal Family? She remains vague on this. If she means the British Royal family, then not much a prediction as Harry and William are both at a prime age for getting engaged. but she doesn't specify, so any royal family across the world will do. I suppose she could even point to someone with the last name of Royal who gets engages this year. not that she'll ever have to defend these predictions if they don't come to pass as everyone will have forgotten them at the end of this year.

The economy: "Money situations are going to become easier," she said. "It will all lighten up. Job-wise, the economy is going to open up."

Well, as most economists will tell you, that is how 2010 will be. Anyone could have made this statement by listening to the news and not being psychic at all. So being right here wouldn't prove anything. There's nothing terribly specific here, either.

President Obama: "The man is under such a microscope, and I feel like that will not let up," she said. "I feel like he bit off more than he could chew. People thought things would be wonderful, and they still won't be in this upcoming year. I feel like he is a great man, but it will take at least another year before things seem to go his way."

The first half is a lot of nothing. Lots of political commentators are saying the same things about Obama being far too ambitious, and many people are already becoming cynical about Obama. This business about it taking another year before things start to go his way is very vague. It could mean that in 2010 things will 'go his way', or it could mean it might not be until 2011 before things 'go his way'. In the end though, she doesn't define what 'go his way' means. So this prediction isn't much of a prediction at all.

America at war: "I don't see an end to the wars," she said. "Possibly in two years, but not in the upcoming year."

Most people might guess this very thing, no psychic ability required. But of course, she still has an out in her prediction as she qualifies it with 'Possibly'. Here's a prediction from me, 'A cockroach will eat Cincinnati, possibly.' See? That's easy.

The Reds this season: "They are going to start off very slow, so much so that people lose interest," she said. "Then, in mid-season, they are going to pull a rabbit out of their hat and they will turn things around. Still, I don't see them as a playoff team."

More mediocrity from the Reds? Sigh. They've been bad so many years, couldn't you get a divine favor for us starved baseball fans, Psychic Jill? I will be generous and say that this means that the Reds will be bad before the All-Star Break and people will write them off, but they will make a run for a playoff spot, just missing. Still not a very specific prediction, but it could be falsifiable.

The myth that 2012 will bring about the end of the world: "I don't buy it," she said. "I see my grandbaby - who is 3 - getting married and having children. I see a lot of joy there. People are getting scared for no reason."

Right answer, wrong reason. The world will not end in 2012, but I don't need to see into the future to know that.

"I feel good about the upcoming year," Psychic Jill said. "If we hang in there, together, and we pray to God and put our faith in God, we can get back to the way things used to be."

Why should we worry about hanging together and putting our faith in God, Jill? You already told us things will be A-OK.

I really wish the media would look at the articles that it prints. This story is nothing but uncritical fluff. Not once does the writer turn a skeptical eye towards the predictions or even suggest that she's a fraud, scam artist, or just deluded. At least the comments at the bottom of the article are appropriately cynical.

Unfortunately this is the last we will hear of these predictions. There won't be a follow-up on December 31st 2010 pointing out all the problems with her predictions. This article amounts to a free advertisement for Psychic Jill as the last line tells the reader how to setup an appointment with her.

2012 at the Cincinnati Observatory

2009-12-21T14:03:00.003-05:00

Do you or someone you know think that the world will end in 2012 because the Mayans aid so? Well then you should attend this class at the Cincinnati Observatory. The lectures at the Observatory are really first class, I don't get to enough of them. This one ought to be fun as well as educational.

Ten Commandments Followup

2009-12-17T12:13:00.001-05:00

A follow up to this post. Lockland has taken down the display, which is probably the right thing to do. If you put up a display like this it opens the door for any and all religious displays to be put up.

12/12/2009 Shirley Maul

2009-12-09T15:55:00.001-05:00

"An Exploration of the Creative Process"

A presentation of selected sections of performances followed by an attempt to answer the questions "How do you think of these things?" and "What makes one performance Art, and another performance not Art?"

Shirley Maul, a former recipient of an Ohio Arts Fellowship, has been creating performances and collaborating in group performance pieces for 20 years. Shirley has performed in several venues in the Cincinnati area, as well as in Columbus, Cleveland and Yellow Springs.

Meet at Molly Malone's in Pleasant Ridge at 10:00AM on Saturday 12/12/2009.

More local atheists and thoughts on the public's view

2009-11-24T08:07:00.005-05:00

'Sinners' gather at atheist meeting.

I didn't go to this meeting, but I think it is important to highlight it here. It's nice to see that the billboard has brought some more atheists to CinCor, but I find it odd that when a group has to define itself by what it is not. That's why these news stories end up sounding like the atheists are fighting believers, and, in turn, why believers think that atheists are mad at god or some other nonsense.

I do need to get out to at least one of these meetings to see what it is like, I really can't be critical of them just from what I've learned from the media's perspective. And I can't be angry at the media for a poor portrayal if that isn't the case.

I know it goes hand-in-hand, but the view of atheists from the outside is probably similar to the public's view of skeptics. How can you meet and talk about what you don't believe? With ART, the answer should be obvious; we meet to discuss a wide variety of subjects not limited to the 'traditional' skeptical subjects of homeopathy, psychic cats, and little green men from across the galaxy. We turn our skeptical eye to topics on the cutting edge of science, art, and public policy. How different are the groups within' CinCor? I will have to find out. Not knowing is my own fault.

Billboard moved

2009-11-12T13:34:00.003-05:00

Well that didn't take long. Someone apparently threatened Lamar Advertising for hosting the billboard.

EDIT:
My mistake, Lamar was not threatened, actually the landowners from whom Lamar leases were threatened. More info here

Billboards

2009-11-11T18:08:00.003-05:00

Those uppity non-believers have put up a billboard with a very nonthreatening message telling other non-believers that they are not alone. This article on Cincinnati.com has brought in over 500 comments as of this posting.

How dare those godless people express such a simple message in public? Don't they know that we're not supposed to discuss controversial issues, such as religion and politics, in public?

Scale

2009-10-29T10:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a neat illustration of scale.

Secular Service and UC Symposium

2009-10-14T08:39:00.005-04:00

October 18th is Secular Service Day. Seems like a good idea, and maybe next year we can organize ART to participate. I know we have a few members who have connections in non-profit organizations, so it shouldn't be too hard to find opportunities. A bit late to organize something now.

Also the 2009 Darwiniana Symposium: Darwinism, Science, Religion, and Society will be held at UC October 29-30.

Speakers include Eric Plutzer (Penn State University), George Bishop (University of Cincinnati), Patricia Pricehouse (Case Western Reserve University), Robert T. Pennock (University of Michigan), NCSE Supporter Francisco Ayala (University of California at Irvine), Jon Miller (Michigan State University), Michael Roos (University of Cincinnati), and Robert Richardson (University of Cincinnati).

UC Skeptics - Are Christianity & Evolution compatible?

2009-10-09T07:39:00.001-04:00

Revisionist History

2009-10-07T09:21:00.003-04:00

The webpage is currently down due to being hit by multiple majors blogs the last two days, but this piece of "art" makes some strange claims about the founders and modern society. The artist is trying to make some profound statements about America, but the symbolism is all screwed up. Of note is the number of founding fathers who are portrayed good Christians including Ben Franklin (fornicator), Thomas Jefferson (read his version of the Bible), George Washington (didn't take communion) and even Thomas Paine (atheist). I was especially confused by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. dressed as the modern American soldier.

If you were wondering, the college professor is sitting right next to Satan and Mr. Hollywood.

You can see a revised version of the art with a humorous slant to it here.

Lockland Ten Commandments

2009-10-06T14:43:00.002-04:00

The story appears to be a bit light on details. Apparently the guy claims to have been harassed by the police and in retaliation has files a lawsuit to remove the display.

LOCKLAND - A Lockland resident has filed a lawsuit against the village, claiming a display of the Ten Commandments outside town hall is unconstitutional.

Christopher Knecht wants the sign removed and a court order to prevent any future displays of "religious fables and myths."

Collateral Damage (I'm going to get an earful on this one)

2009-09-30T10:53:00.004-04:00

I have often wondered about our ability to so readily accept collateral damage in a conventional war, yet we are so unwilling to accept it in the war against crime.
In war news from Afghanistan, we hear of wedding parties decimated by unmanned drones, and women and children recklessly killed by Blackwater in a street fight. This is news for a couple of days, and then we forget and accept it as the cost of war. These people are true innocents. But, for a person who is on death row for a murder he or she most likely did commit, we agonize for 20 years and spend millions of dollars before we are willing to carry out the sentence.
I don't know if there are reliable statistics about wrongful convictions, but my guess is that a very small percentage are innocent of the crime they were convicted for, and an even smaller percentage are true innocents.
At what point do we say society can't afford this process anymore, and we have to accept it as collateral damage?

A Glorious Dawn

2009-09-30T06:39:00.002-04:00

This video has been making the rounds around the skeptical blogosphere. It has a catchy tune and a nice message from Carl Sagan.

If you don't know what Autotune is check out this video from Nova Science Now.

What if the only way to send astronauts to Mars is to leave them there for good?

2009-09-23T14:10:00.003-04:00

I heard a segment on NPR a couple of weeks ago, and today found the transcript.
The gist of it was:

"What if the only way to send astronauts to Mars is to leave them there for good? Lawrence Krauss, a physicist at Arizona State University and director of the Origins Initiative, argues that a one-way trip is worth considering, and that it wouldn't be hard to find passengers."

An interesting concept.
The argument is that a round trip would be exponentially more expensive.
According to the guest, he has been able to find quite a few people who would be willing to volunteer.

The Transcript

The Audio

Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian

2009-09-21T12:41:00.004-04:00

I don't know how many of you know about Betty Bowers, "America's Best Christian". The quote on her latest missive is, "I will NOT let Mr. Obama brainwash children! That is MY job."

Just for grins, check out her site at:
http://www.bettybowers.com/index.html

Here are some graphics that are worth a chuckle (I shudder to think how many people believe this sort of stuff).

http://www.bettybowers.com/bettyschool.jpg

http://www.bettybowers.com/bettybowersbible.jpg

-- Jill

Seasonal and 'Swine' flu

2009-09-16T15:51:00.002-04:00

The blog Science-Based Medicine has a great article on the flu. Check it out and be the most informed person in your class this year.

Richard Wiseman

2009-09-16T14:36:00.003-04:00

Richard Wiseman has an interesting website where he delves into the workings of the human mind. He loves to exploit some of the trickier parts.

It took me a few minutes to see anything, but once I did it became difficult to 'unsee' it.

Nice online talk on medicine

2009-09-15T17:49:00.003-04:00

There is a very nice talk on medicine, the scientific method, and skepticism on the Skeptics Toolbox by Harriet Hall, MD.
http://skepticstoolbox.org/hall/
Here are a couple of slides:

Cartoons of the day

2009-09-11T14:29:00.003-04:00

An oldie but a goodie.

Latest Doonesbury - So True

2009-09-06T22:57:00.004-04:00

I'm reminded of a founding member of the Cincinnati Skeptics who long ago observed that:
"Skeptics are just another fringe group."

Creationist Blog

2009-09-04T12:05:00.008-04:00

Check out this Creationist blog if you get a chance. I had an interesting exchange with the author towards the end of the comments.
http://thebibleistheotherside.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/hb-2800-in-texas-will-help-creationist-grad-school/

Liberty University's Creation Studies Department

2009-08-26T13:05:00.002-04:00

I have started reading "The Unlikely Disciple" by Kevin Roose. This interesting book is about how he spent the Sprint 2007 semester at Jerry Falwell's 20,000 student Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is a fascinating account of the good and the bad about his time there.
What I wanted to talk about was their Creation Studies Department.

Apparently, they lost their accreditation in Virginia in 1982 from pressure from the ACLU, so that graduates were uncertifiable as public school teachers, since Liberty only taught creationism in biology classes (and everywhere else). To respond to this, the university moved all the creation coursed to their new Creation Studies department and was able to have students be teacher certified. All Liberty students are required to take a course in creation studies, biology majors are also required to learn evolution studies. As Roose says:

"And even those evolution courses are sort of Fair and Balanced(TM), if you get my drift. As Dr. Falwell said in 1982, before the Virginia board ruling: 'We with God's help, want to see hundreds of our graduates go out into the classrooms teaching creationism - of course they'll be teaching evolution - but teaching why it's invalid and why it's foolish, and then showing the proper way and the correct approach to the origin of the species'."

Liberty still seems to teach the original creation science. I gather many of the more funamentalist based colleges now teach intelligent design, but Liberty has remained pure to the original creed. BTW, he mentions that his required course was taught by a Dr. Dekker with some reasonable science cred in neuroscience. He recounts his first encounter in the classroom describing Dr. Dekker as in a white lab coat as if he was shipped from Central Casting as a movie extra playing Chemist #4. The first words he said in class were "My name is Dr. James Dekker, and I am a real scientist." This strikes me as a little defensive. Sort of reminds me of Dr. Science.

Creation Museum "Science" Fair

2009-08-18T10:05:00.002-04:00

The Creation Museum is hosting a "Science" fair in February. This isn't a real science fair, if your child wants to participate they have to agree with the AiG Statement of Faith.

Do I have to believe a literal interpretation of Genesis, including creation about 6,000 years ago, to participate?

One reason we are holding this Science Fair is to show that creationists are capable of conducting good science. We also want to provide an opportunity to encourage creationist students with an interest in science to pursue their goals. In light of these intentions, the invitation to participate is open to any 7–12 grader who agrees with the Answers in Genesis Statement of Faith.

Of course, in real scientific studies there are no doctrines that one must follow in order to do experiments or research.

The cost of participating is $5/student, but I don't see anything on how much it would cost to attend the fair. In the past other creationist 'science' fairs have been good evidence for how otherwise bright children are being misled.

Amazing

2009-08-11T09:12:00.004-04:00

From Yahoo News:
An undated photo released by The University of Cambridge shows a rook, a member of the crow family, as it drops stones into a tube to raise the water level and bring a worm into reach, at the Sub-department of Animal Behaviour at University of Cambridge. In Aesop's fable 'The crow and the pitcher' a thirsty crow uses stones to raise the level of water in a pitcher to quench its thirst. A new study published online Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009 in the journal Current Biology demonstrates that rooks, birds belonging to the corvid, or crow family, are able to solve complex problems using tools and can easily master the same technique demonstrated in Aesop's fable.
(AP Photo/The University of Cambridge)

Cartoon of the day

2009-08-10T12:30:00.001-04:00

Irradiated food

2009-08-10T11:31:00.002-04:00

I have been wondering why there is such a difference in the perception of genetically modified and irradiated foods between European countries and the United States.
On the one hand, most of the people of the US have few concerns about genetically modified foods. Yet they react very strongly against Irradiated foods. Just the opposite is true in Europe.
From the standpoint of the consumers, I have to side with the Europeans. Irradition is actually a very simple technology, which has been thoroughly tested, and really can't offer a lot of surprises. There can't be any residual radiation or others toxins in the food as a result of the radiation. I have read that if fresh strawberries are packed in Mylar and irradiated, they can last for 6 months on the shelf without refrigeration. Less spoilage and no refrigeration costs translates to more food getting to the people who need it. The only concern I have about irradiation is for the safety of the employees at the food processing end.
Genetic modification, on the other hand, especially if done at the DNA level, provides an almost infinite number of possible recombinations. The odds of accidentally producing something detrimental to humans are extremely high. Right now we are taking an Alchemist approach to the science of Genetics. We just dice and splice, and see what happens. Even if we learned enough to be able to accurately computer model the results before we splice, the science can never be perfect.
What do you think?

Creation Museum

2009-08-09T20:50:00.014-04:00

I finally went to the creation museum in Kentucky.
The Secular Students Association got a group rate for the tour reducing the admission cost from about $22 to $10. I donated the difference to the SSA and purchased my ticket through them.
There were a little over 300 people who came for the tour. The museum was quite crowded and I would estimate that a little over a half the attendees were with the group for the morning. The museum is doing a very good business in general, even without secular students and their supporters.

I have a few pictures to share and a few impressions. I don't want to give a guided tour, but rather leave you with my sense of the museum.
I had a tendency to view the museum through the lens of intelligent design .vs. evolution. There is a lot of such thinking represented at the museum, but the real mission of the museum is the larger argument for the bible and young earth interpretations. The very excellent dioramas, animatronics, and exhibits are aimed at bolstering the faithful in their viewpoint of the infallibility of the bible and the biblical message as interpreted in modern fundamentalist thought today. As such, there is as much there on the garden of Eden and the flood as in showing evidence for why the earth is as young as they claim. Their two messages throughout the museum are "Prepare to Believe" and the 7 Cs (These start with Creation, Corruption, etc).
I took in the special effects show that was quite fun and included blasts of air, rumbling seats, water mist, flashing lights etc. and had an excellent three screen projection display. The theme was quite illuminating about a girl who was trying to decide if all this evolution stuff she was learning could be true rather than her religious training. She was troubled about having to defend religious views in our secular society. The point of the show was to give the audience viewers the confidence to express such creationist views in the general public arena of school and elsewhere. They made fun of the science teachers and made them out to be fools. In other words the show was quite defensive and tried to give the museum goers the confidence to express an inferior position in public.

I also came away with an admiration of what efforts science teachers must have to make to prepare themselves for such children. The museum had a number of key arguments to use against an old earth interpretation and against natural selection. For example, how do you respond to a student who asks you to explain why there is carbon 14 in diamonds, or why there is anomalous helium in zircons, or why some Mt St. Helens rocks give anomalous radioactive dating? I don't know the answers to these right now, but I would definitely have to be on top of such specific minutiae in order to answer comments from students from fundamentalist families.

Lastly, I listened to a talk from Dr. Jason Lisle who has a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado on "The Ultimate Proof of Creation" . Dr. Lisle was very intelligent and rational and tried to impress us with how he would convince us with a rational argument that the bible and Christianity are right. He spent quite a bit of time discussing the various ways to approach persuasion with a nice summary and stressed his wanting to win us over with a strictly rational argument. He eventually got down to his main points about the uniformity of the universe, the continuity of the universe, and that the universe is logical. He asked the big questions about these, ie, why is the universe uniform, do we have any reason to believe the universe will act the same tomorrow as today or as it has in the past, and why should the universe exhibit a logical consistency (he didn't get to say much about this for lack of time)? His "convincing" argument was that secular science has no answer to these questions, but the bible gives answers to all these, so religion is the right answer. I leave it to the reader to see if you agree with this.

On to a couple of pictures:

A garden of Eden picture with penguins.

The Garden of Eden with dinosaurs. BTW, all dinosaurs before the fall ate plants including such species as tyrannosaurs and velociraptors.

The Villain of the piece.

The temptation of Adam by Eve. Interestingly, the fruit of the tree of knowledge looks like small berries.

.
This is from the flood. These signs were interspersed with the museum displays all through the exhibits.

If you want to see lots of pictures, I recommend the flickr entries from John Scalzi at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scalzi/sets/72157603091357751/

I will make the obvious point that this beautiful state of the art $27,000,000 museum is really nice as a religious artifact, and has some beautiful illustrations of natural history, but is a terrible representation of science.

Roy

Eugenics

2009-08-07T14:35:00.000-04:00

So far, this blog has become a repository for Skeptics news items. Well, I think I’ll mix it up a bit with some of my personal observations and political incorrectness.
I am absolutely convinced that almost all of the problems facing the human race today could be solved if we could get a handle on population growth. In fact the ideal situation would be to roll back the population and maintain it at a sustainable level. Rational humans who care about the quality of ALL human life, should be able to formulate a strategy to accomplish this. In fact, it is essential for the long term survival of the race.
Easier said than done.
So what are our options?
The Chinese have tried using law and coercion, with quite obviously very little success.
Pol Pot had some rather distasteful notions of his own. So did Stalin and Hitler.
Abstinence education is a dead end for obvious reasons.
The human drive to procreate is based on the notion that there is infinite room for growth. It is built into our primal nature. So we are on a self destructive path which no amount of rational discussion can end.
Force is not an option. The only humane and totally equitable solution would be a capitalist one. Reward for deferred or ended fertility would be the only way I could see this working. A one-time small cash payment for elective, reversible sterilization. The payment has to be large enough to incentivize those who are not ready to handle the cost or responsibility of children. But small enough that there would not be a black market in cheap reversals. When, or if, an individual considers him or herself ready for children, they would pay back the amount they received, with interest, and get the reversal.
The first ones to line up would be the alcohol and drug addicts who should not have children anyway. Care of their children costs us millions a year. This would be a windfall savings for society. I am sure that there is a large portion of the population which would never consciously want to have children. Accidental or unwanted children would be a thing of the past. There is another segment which would never achieve the economic status to raise children properly.
This is the only form of Eugenics which allows each individual to choose for themselves. There would be no majority deciding the reproductive fate of a minority. There would be no pressure to make a decision. The only pressure would be economic.
I haven’t worked out the details of applying this on a global scale. But, we have to start somewhere.
If someone has a better, more equitable, idea I would love to hear it.

Creation Museum visit update

2009-07-29T09:10:00.002-04:00

PZ has posted an update concerning his trip to the Creation Museum. Apparently they have over 20 people signed up to attend and it is getting Answer in Genesis a bit worried about security. I don't blame them, that's a of of people. I'd like to think that in general, rational thinkers are well behaved people, but with such a large group who knows how every person is going to act?

If Marijuana is legal, Will Addiction Rise?

2009-07-20T14:18:00.003-04:00

There is a nice discussion in the NY Times today on this topic.
The article includes several opinions. One of the nice things is that the article doesn't contain the usual comments by:
1 - A usually less well informed parent concerned about the drug menace to their children
2- A representative from a government agency whose budget is dependent on the war on drugs
... or
3- Someone with a religious argument against the use of drugs

Don't get me wrong. Like anything else that has psychotropic effects there are downsides to taking a drug like marijuana. Furthermore, there will likely be an initial rise in use, although my guess is a longer term return to current use levels or lower. Also, I am sure there are people who will get "addicted" to marijuana. I think the issue here is that we all have an addictive personality to a greater or lesser extent and those who would get addicted to marijuana would find something else otherwise. Most people in the article would agree, this is a drug that is much safer than our current legalized alternatives of tobacco and alcohol, and likely safer than many of the widely prescribed drugs such as ambien and prozac. As Norm Stamper (former Seattle police chief) points out, one of the problems with marijuana, is not it's current higher strength, but no standards such that the consumer knows what strength of drug they are smoking.

Peter Reuter (professor of public policy and criminology) states there were 750,000 arrests last year for marijuana possession. This is a ridiculous waste of time, money, instills a disrespect for the law. Clearly, the current system doesn't work and the laws need to be changed.
I could go on, but you can fill in the blanks yourself.
BTW, for the record, I don't smoke marijuana and am not planning on doing so.

Roy