1. The Dissent Of Darwin - The World Of Richard Dawkins

Comment #180422 by hoops mccann on May 14, 2008 at 9:35 pm

Actual event(I was there):

After a student complained about the extreme difficulty of an exam, the professor (who should have known better) replied: "that's just one of my little quizzies". Without thinking (I'm sure you all know where this is going), the student (female) replied: "if that's one of your little quizzies, I'd hate to see one of your little testies". After it sunk in, the class laughed uproariously.

2. Scientists Know Better Than You--Even When They're Wrong

Comment #177876 by hoops mccann on May 9, 2008 at 9:43 pm

By making claims about the physical world, claims which are testable, creationists open themselves to scientific challenge. Richard isn't stepping outside of his "narrow field", the creationists are stepping into it (so to speak).

3. Atheists are nice people who will roast in hell, says Cardinal

Comment #177865 by hoops mccann on May 9, 2008 at 9:15 pm

Comment #177794 by mordacious1:
"Don't read the long speech, I felt like stepping on a third rail after I did. Although, if you want to get the real gist of this guys thinking, you should probably wade throught it, just keep a barf bag nearby."

And a syringe of insulin.

4. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177139 by hoops mccann on May 8, 2008 at 4:27 pm

Richard,

Please harp on his use of the word "richness" to describe his traditions and "spirituality". This claim is completely ridiculous. How is dull repetitous ritual combined with threats of hellfire "rich"? I always found his (and formerly my) religion to be emotionally deadening, intellectually impoverished and spiritually (as in "human spirit") paranoid. They may have an intellectual tradition (although I suspect that it was used to create arguments that arrive at pre-determined conclusions) but they never share it with "the flock". The piece was sacharine drivel that I had to stop reading about a third of the way through. What a waste of education.

5. How to reconcile Richard Dawkins?

Comment #172684 by hoops mccann on April 29, 2008 at 10:19 pm

Thank you for your patronage, Peter. We're all really flattered that you think Dawkins is an ok guy underneath. If fact, it made our day. You might want to actually read his book, though. The entire book.

More of the usual condescension we've come to expect from these bozos. If he can't "understand Dawkins's thinking", that's a reflection on him. Dawkins has expressed his arguments quite clearly. RTFB.

6. Orangutan attempts to hunt fish with spear

Comment #171040 by hoops mccann on April 28, 2008 at 9:05 am

"This individual had seen locals fishing with spears on the Gohong River.

Although the method required too much skill for him to master, he was later able to improvise by using the pole to catch fish already trapped in the locals' fishing lines. "



I hope that he never sees anyone using dynamite!

7. Mount Vernon schools to hire investigator in Bible case

Comment #168805 by hoops mccann on April 25, 2008 at 11:18 am

Adam Morrison:
"Well, he should be up on charges for burning crosses into peoples arms. "

That's even worse than burning them on peoples lawns.

8. Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

Comment #166642 by hoops mccann on April 23, 2008 at 11:07 am

Cartomancer:
"This sounds like something straight out of a cultural anthropology textbook or an egyptian magical papyrus."


Or a Monty Python movie.

9. Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists

Comment #165591 by hoops mccann on April 21, 2008 at 6:35 pm

L. Brent *Bozell*


What an appropriate name.

10. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #165505 by hoops mccann on April 21, 2008 at 2:32 pm

My feeling is that, based on David J's phraseology and tone (and the fact that it was his *great* grandparents who suffered during the holocaust), he is quite young. I don't think that Dawkins' careful reasoning and subtle arguments will have much effect on him, at least in the near future, since he seems so impressionable.

11. School bars same-sex partners at formals

Comment #161469 by hoops mccann on April 15, 2008 at 10:25 am

"In Sydney, a homosexual person is valued because they are a person but would not be appointed to a position in the diocese, but would be welcome in our churches because everyone is welcome."

i.e., their money is as good as anyone else's

12. German Church admits aiding Nazis

Comment #158430 by hoops mccann on April 10, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Quetzaltcoatl: "The word the Cardinal was looking for should not have been blind. It should have been complicit.

Still. A bit late, but at least they've admitted it."

But they haven't really taken moral responsibility for it. They "admit" to using forced labor but then soften it by saying that basically "everybody did it" and "we weren't as bad as the others". This is implicitly stating that they did the prisoners a favor, since it was ineveitable that they would be exploited by *someone* and weren't they lucky it was us instead of them! This is moral weaseling at it's worst. Shame on the church, for doing the original act and for insulting us with such a lame interpretation.

13. In search of the God particle

Comment #157050 by hoops mccann on April 8, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Bigora: "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."


They should name a particle just for him: the "bozon".

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

Comment #152995 by hoops mccann on March 31, 2008 at 8:17 pm

"War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength"

- Orwell

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

Comment #149821 by hoops mccann on March 26, 2008 at 9:08 am

"They are still in the home," he said. "There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see."

Death isn't a sign of abuse????!!!!

16. God's cure for gays lost in sin

Comment #146679 by hoops mccann on March 19, 2008 at 9:19 am

Has anyone noticed how Pathfinder's spelling has improved? Hmmmmmm...

17. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #145433 by hoops mccann on March 17, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Teratornis:
"I think the psychological addiction to automobility is actually a more serious problem than the mere physical addiction..."

I strongly disagree. Speaking for myself, I would give up driving in a heartbeat if decent public transportation became available and safe bike lanes were constructed.

"...and most people in the U.S. seem too stupid to figure out how to telecommute to work with existing technology..."

They're not. Decisions like this are made by managers, who want to be able to oversee their subordinates.

"...we could greatly reduce the physical addiction with some straightforward rearrangements..."

Now you're talking.

18. Immune system differences found

Comment #145399 by hoops mccann on March 17, 2008 at 2:37 pm

"I didn't know there was a country called Caucasia."


Isn't that the place where they have caucuses?

19. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144017 by hoops mccann on March 14, 2008 at 9:58 pm

greenlol: "Terrific stuff from RD as usual. One thing troubles me slightly. He was clearly losing patience very quickly with the callers and going on these shows he maybe needs to stick to the incredible politeness that he is famous for. It is quite understable that he feels fit to explode; after all there is SUCH a gulf in his position on god, religion and the like and the position of people who say they believe in that stuff. "

I think that he's finally getting fed up with ignoramuses who triumphantly spout the same tired arguments that he's disproven countless times before, show after show. They never respond thoughtfully to any of his comments (and it goes without saying, never read one of his books), but just repeat their memorized statement over and over, as if that somehow will prove that they're smarter than him. I don't think that most are even capable of comprehending his statements if they wanted to, which they don't. Dawkins has the patience of a saint (if you'll pardon the expression) but he may have dealt with one too many bozos for his own good. Trying to explain subtle ideas to people who are as dense as bricks (and openly hostile) can frustrate even the most tolerant. That he can continue to express sincerity and warmth in the face of this level of disrespect amazes me.

20. Chemical brain controls nanobots

Comment #142289 by hoops mccann on March 12, 2008 at 9:05 am

"Cool beans. The potential application for nannites is huge! I wonder how they trick the immune system into not attacking them."


This comment reminded me of the film "Fantastic Voyage". If I remember correctly, Raquel Welch gets trapped when antibodies attach themselves to her skin-tight fitting spandex uniform. It became a source of humor for the stand-up comics of the time.

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

21. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #141433 by hoops mccann on March 10, 2008 at 12:12 pm

Geoff says:

"Lust & Sloth have always been my favourites."


Followed by a good steak dinner.

22. Should Galileo's tomb be opened for DNA tests?

Comment #141385 by hoops mccann on March 10, 2008 at 10:27 am

"I also saw the remains of his middle finger on display at the history of science museum."



How appropriate.

23. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #139856 by hoops mccann on March 6, 2008 at 3:14 pm

Wooter asks:

"How do you overcome this fear of being gone forever"?

Answer: by being grateful for the opportunity to live and honoring that life by living it to the fullest.

24. A natural phenomenon

Comment #139441 by hoops mccann on March 5, 2008 at 8:52 pm

decius,


Love your avatar. Is it Larson?

25. Church exhumes Padre Pio

Comment #139254 by hoops mccann on March 5, 2008 at 11:52 am

What macabre bullshit. I'm sure glad I cut myself loose from that outfit when I was still young.

26. Hebrew University researcher: Moses was tripping at Mount Sinai

Comment #138448 by hoops mccann on March 4, 2008 at 10:58 am

Rod-the farmer says:

"When one enters a jewish home, one is sometimes invited to "Have a nagela". This is the original name for a HHHHash brownie. Note the guttural HHHHH. "


I'd like to meet your friends!

27. Add another flea to the list...

Comment #132895 by hoops mccann on February 25, 2008 at 11:34 am

Another bozo on the bus.

28. Potentially Habitable Planets Are Common, Study Says

Comment #129592 by hoops mccann on February 19, 2008 at 10:56 am

Charles Bradlaugh says:

"This may be a bit of a tangent, but it reminds me of what i thought was the weakest part of TGD: the anthropic principle idea. i can see 'the universe is so big, the law of averages suggests there must be another world like this one somewhere' in a kind of phillip pullman way, but i didn't see how it fitted into 'therefore a god didn't create this one.' "

I don't think that the anthropic principle concludes that there is no god, only that devine action is not *necessary* to create things that are highly unlikely. Even highly improbable events become inevitable when the universe of possibilities is large enough. We know that it's greater than zero since we exist, so sheer size and expanse of time make it possible for life (and universes) to exist without needing (super)intelligent creators.

29. Ben Stein Wins Intelligent Design Money

Comment #127975 by hoops mccann on February 15, 2008 at 8:25 pm

rod-the-farmer says:
"One can only hope that his first movie will not make it into mainstream theatres across the world."


When I first heard about the fleas, I wondered about their commercial viability as well. Is anyone actually buying this stuff? I have to wonder if it is vanity published or (more likely) subsidized by some group.

30. Exorcism undergoes a revival across Europe

Comment #126200 by hoops mccann on February 12, 2008 at 3:29 pm

"I learned that many members of my congregation became in touch with a dark force whenever they used their computers," he said.

Microsoft?

31. Exorcism undergoes a revival across Europe

Comment #125679 by hoops mccann on February 11, 2008 at 8:39 pm

I'm half Polish, and this embarrasses me. When I read news like this I start to wonder if maybe there isn't a grain of truth to all the jokes. On a more serious note, I can just picture every religious parent whose child talks back dragging the poor kid to one of these witchdoctors.

"Typical cases, he said, include people who turn away from the church and embrace New Age therapies, alternative religions or the occult. Internet addicts and yoga devotees are also at risk, he said."

Why not include Unix gurus, vacuum cleaner salesmen, avid golfers and Kiss fans while you're at it?

"...speak in exotic tongues..."
Like French?

"He said priests at the institute realized they needed an exorcist on staff after encountering an increase in people plagued by evil."

Great irony!

'... associated with medieval witch-burnings and the 1973 Hollywood horror film, "The Exorcist."'

If it wasn't for this tawdry piece of crap, exorcists would be on the trash heap of history along with inquisitors and overseers. Fuck Hollywood and William Peter Blatty.

"...resurgence in exorcisms has been encouraged by the Vatican, which in 1999 formally revised and upheld the rite for the first time in almost 400 years"

Now *there's* an accomplishment!

"According to what I could perceive, the devil was present and acting in an obvious way," he said. "How else can you explain how a wife, in the space of a couple of weeks, could come to hate her own husband..."

Or maybe he's a bozo and she just decided that it was time to get off the bus? Also, the fact that they were in a marriage *counseling* program speaks volumes.

"Rev. Andrzej Trojanowski..."
Maybe he's just horsing around :-o

32. Inventor Doesn't Dare Say 'Perpetual Motion Machine'

Comment #124111 by hoops mccann on February 8, 2008 at 11:42 am

samratpathania makes some comments that cut right to the heart of the matter. I would like to address them:

"What saddens me when I read the comments with regard to this post is that people are resorting to personal attacks to dismiss this person.
This person may be a college dropout (Bill Gates was one wasn't he) and he may have a ruined marriage. But what does that have to do with the credibility of his invention."

Nothing, per se. But is does have a lot to say about his character. It's not merely that his marriage was ruined, it's that it was ruined by his obsession with the invention. He's playing the unrecognized-genius-working-in-his-basement-struggling-against-all-odds role, straight from central casting. A Nicola Tesla wannabe. This certainly casts doubt on his ability to be objective.

"It reminds me of an German philosopher/astronomer who proposed that the earth came out of Jupiter."

Immanual Velikovsky

"Carl Sagan talks about this in Cosmos and he was shocked not at the this idea itself but at the vehement dismissal of this idea by learned people"

I know the episode well. What Sagan is decrying is the fact that scientists actively tried to suppress and censor the author, not that they were merely dismissive towards him.

"Prove the man wrong. That is all we have to do"

No, we don't. Anymore than we have to disprove the existence of a deity. Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence (there's Sagan again). It's the inventor's job to provide the evidence and convince scientists that he's right. That being said, it would be straightforward to test his claims. Connect a power source to the input of the device with an accurate instrument to measure how much energy is being supplied. Then connect the device to a dummy load with an instrument to measure the energy being produced. If the output exceeds (or equals) the input, collect Nobel prize. If it is less than the input, but better than any existing device, collect patent. Otherwise, get a day job.

33. Inventor Doesn't Dare Say 'Perpetual Motion Machine'

Comment #124050 by hoops mccann on February 8, 2008 at 8:32 am

"In 2005, Heins formed a company called Potential Difference Inc. to develop and market his invention ... Heins has also been raising money for his invention, asking individuals such as former U.S. vice-president Al Gore, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Tesla Motors chairman Elon Musk, and Google´s "ReCharge IT" project"

Yep. I figured this was the case well before I got to that part of the article. Could I be psychic? And, let me guess, he's selling shares in the company.

34. Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'

Comment #123634 by hoops mccann on February 7, 2008 at 12:23 pm

emmet says:

"The only way to respect all religions equally is to respect none of them at all. "


Beautifully put. A sound bite that we should all memorize.

35. Some non-Christians feel left out of election

Comment #123190 by hoops mccann on February 6, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Geoff sez:
"As a Brit, I've not studied the candidates as closely as, perhaps, you Yanks have, but I don't see anyone in the mix that I'd vote for.

Got to be a Democrat, presumably; but who do you guys see as the "most secular" candidate?"


I wish it was that simple. I was all for Edwards because of his stands on labor rights, universal health care and the war. If he is religious, he at least doesn't flaunt it or use it cynically to get cheap support. Alas. Right now, I think Barack Obama is the least dangerous. Because of her need to show that she can be as tough as any man, Hillary supports expanding the war. That puts her out of the running in my book even if she doesn't identify herself as religious (which she does).

36. Female Muslim medics 'disobey hygiene rules'

Comment #122624 by hoops mccann on February 5, 2008 at 4:58 pm

Incredulous says:

"In this instance, though, I think Dr Benway's point about ensuring patients are not harmed is pretty moot"

Are people not getting this (possbly unintentional) reference? This statement is utterly hilarious to anyone who has read The Naked Lunch.

37. Dusty Clues: Study suggests no dearth of Earths

Comment #122153 by hoops mccann on February 4, 2008 at 8:25 pm

This is awfully inferential. I also noticed that the journalist reached conclusions that the author of the study was very cautious about making. Hate it when they do that. It's better than the usual wild guesses though.

38. God vs. Gridiron

Comment #121060 by hoops mccann on February 2, 2008 at 11:06 pm

vivaldian67 says:
"I don't see what all the fuss is about myself - it's only rugby for cissies. ;)"


From John Cleese's open letter to the American public following the 2004 election:

"You should stop playing American football. There is only one kind of football. What you refer to as American football is not a very good game. The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a world outside your borders may have noticed that no one else plays American football. You will no longer be allowed to play it, and should instead play proper football. Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. It is a difficult game. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like nancies)."

39. What should a scientist think about religion?

Comment #119431 by hoops mccann on January 31, 2008 at 3:28 pm

Oh, leave deists alone! They won't try to convert you and certainly won't burn you at the stake for heresy, although they may burn a steak every once in awhile.

40. Belief in Belief

Comment #118291 by hoops mccann on January 30, 2008 at 3:06 pm

Duffski says:

"An incredible article; my only complaint is that when it comes to me arguing with theist friends, I am incapable of the intellectual vigour and lucidity of Hitchens or Dawkins... "


Welcome to reality :)

41. Dawkins is third most prolific internet Briton

Comment #117784 by hoops mccann on January 29, 2008 at 3:50 pm

I would like to have seen John Cleese do a little better.

42. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #117660 by hoops mccann on January 29, 2008 at 10:30 am

Sally Luxmoore writes: "Hmm. Interesting. I don't know what this book is (I'm English, is it American?)"


It's American. It was the book that was central to the controversy at Dover, Pennsylvania. The book was intended to introduce "intelligent design" into the biology curriculum of the local school system. Christian fundamentalists had covertly taken over the local school board and railroaded a vote that approved use of the book. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the attempt was blocked by a successful lawsuit. The title reveals the most prominent feature of fundamentalists: unoriginality. I'm sure that the title is a contraction of two book titles: "The Panda's Thumb" and "Of Hens Teeth and Horses Toes", both excellent books by Stephen Jay Gould.

43. The devilish church practice of exorcism

Comment #115127 by hoops mccann on January 23, 2008 at 3:56 pm

"I think a fitting end to the Nazi popes reign would be him tied up and tortured until he "confesses." "



Now, now.

Seriously, I don't think Mr. Ratzinger is deserving of the title "pope" (for what it's worth). I'm starting to wonder if he's earned enough respect to be called "Mr." Anyhow, that priest in Africa should be doing time somewhere.

44. The devilish church practice of exorcism

Comment #115098 by hoops mccann on January 23, 2008 at 2:45 pm

"In practice, official Catholic exorcisms have been dramatically increasing since the mid-1970s, according to Michael W. Cuneo, ..."



In other words, since the movie came out :)

45. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106755 by hoops mccann on January 3, 2008 at 12:06 pm

I'm always struck by the lack or originality of the fundies. Others have pointed out the use of the red "C". The titles of the fleas speak for themselves. The title of the textbook that the Dover, Pennsylvania school board wanted to use was called "Of Pandas and People". Consider this:
"Of Pandas and People" = "The Panda's Thumb" + "Of Hens Teeth and Horses Toes"
Both of the latter books are by Stephen Jay Gould.

46. Mind your manners

Comment #89393 by hoops mccann on November 20, 2007 at 2:02 pm

> Henri's in the top five trolls on RD.Net

> You're right, NMcC, better to just ignore him.


But is he a Marxist troll or a cultural troll?

47. I didn't know the FLEA CIRCUS was back in town!

Comment #84967 by hoops mccann on November 4, 2007 at 11:28 am

Is anyone actually buying these things? Are they vanity books? Are religious teachers assigning them for study? Are priests making people read them for penance? (Assigning books to read has apparently replaced the "Hail Mary" as a penance item, if what I've heard is true). I can't imagine anyone investing the money and the time to read one of these, otherwise. Maybe the whole thing will backfire, as the derivative books may inspire people to read the originals. I was inspired to read Lord of the Rings by first reading the Harvard Lampoon parody Bored of the Rings.

48. The smallest signs of retreat

Comment #68611 by hoops mccann on September 7, 2007 at 10:09 pm

Anyone who has taken the trouble to carefully read his book or listen to him speak would realize that Richard has always been conciliatory. He is a gentleman. He is willing to give his opponents the benefit of the doubt, and does not use bullying or sophistry to win arguments. This puts him at a grave disadvantage to people who are fundamentally dishonest and treacherous. He is naive in the sense that he underestimates the determination and viciousness of his enemies, believing instead that people are basically honest and that disagrements can be resolved by reasoned debate and evidence. Unfortunately, his (our) enemies are playing a much different game. By choosing to take a higher moral and intellectual ground, he is sometimes "too nice a guy" for his own good. However, I think it is better that he lose a few battles (with his customary graciousness) than to stoop to their level and risk losing the entire war. Ms. Bunting and Mr. Cornwell should be ashamed of themselves, but now I'm the one who is being naive. People like them have no shame.

49. Kenya: The Death of Religion And Rise of Atheism in the West

Comment #56610 by hoops mccann on July 16, 2007 at 2:24 pm

"The article claims Hitchens is the sympathiser, not Dawkins. And I don't know if it's true."

Hitchens is a former Trotskyist. Trotskyists are not known for their sympathy for the former Soviet Union. Trotsky himself was murdered by Stalin for not accepting the direction that the Russian revolution was taking in the 1920s.

50. Heliocentrism is an Atheist Doctrine

Comment #45810 by hoops mccann on May 29, 2007 at 10:34 am

sanforized?