151. Church of Scotland mediators to quell disputes

Comment #179078 by rod-the-farmer on May 12, 2008 at 1:44 pm

Lots of funny comments here. A question for Paula....do you have any believer friends who could be asked to report back on the exact issue in various churches ? I am sure that would be interesting to us. And if not, to cut through the dilemma, I suggest we call SuperScot, Clay More. (He is the one with the kilt.)

152. British Airways takes beef off the menu to avoid offending Hindus

Comment #179069 by rod-the-farmer on May 12, 2008 at 1:30 pm

BA is going to stop having beef in order to please hindus ? Well, MY religious beliefs include strong opposition to the petrochemical industry. I therefore expect them to stop having fuel on their planes.

153. Justice In The Brain: Equity And Efficiency Are Encoded Differently

Comment #179065 by rod-the-farmer on May 12, 2008 at 1:20 pm

Is it just me ? I found this article poorly written, and nearly unintelligble.

Which is better, giving more food to a few hungry people or letting some food go to waste so that everyone gets a share

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

Comment #179060 by rod-the-farmer on May 12, 2008 at 1:14 pm

I believe people like Dawkins give atheism a bad name because their arguments are so crude and unsubtle.

155. Richard Dawkins interviewed by John Humphrys on Cardinal Murphy O'Connor

Comment #178785 by rod-the-farmer on May 12, 2008 at 3:36 am

Re Comment #177684 by Quine on May 9, 2008 at 1:23 pm

Part of what is going on with the "free pass" is the childhood conditioning of sitting through all those wind bag sermons every Sunday. No mater how vacuous the father/minister/rabbi/guru/etc. was, no one was allowed to stand up and shout "rubbish."

Well, be careful what you wish for. Here in the U.S. there is no comparable government subsidy of religious broadcasting (other than the tax break, which atheists can also get - I'd like to see all such tax breaks eliminated), and the result is that instead of a weak state-supported religion, made soft through centuries of being shielded from competition, we have vigorous private-sector religions.

156. Churchgoing on its knees as Christianity falls out of favour

Comment #177419 by rod-the-farmer on May 9, 2008 at 4:22 am

I suggest much of the reason for the growth in muslims numbers is their call for the death penalty for apostasy (leaving the faith). Once in, it would be hard to leave. No churn here. It would be interesting, if this penalty is ever carried out, or maybe even threatened, to see if UK law would permit the laying of a charge similar to 'hate literature'. After all, are we supposed to just accept this sort of thinking, without having the law take a close look at it, and lay charges ? Imagine the furor if a member of the Liberal Party were to be told "Leave and become an Independent, and we will kill you. It IS party policy." Why is religion given this free ride when they make pronouncements like this ? Anyone else would be drawn up by the ears and trundled off to the local court, amidst great publicity.

157. Faith in Britain today

Comment #177413 by rod-the-farmer on May 9, 2008 at 3:58 am

I agree. This is without a doubt the fastest I have ever scrolled through an article on RD.net. Pure meaningless fluff, like dust bunnies under the bed, and about as useful. I DID like how Richard skewered him, AND the interviewer, on the radio link.

158. Trouble ahead for science

Comment #177393 by rod-the-farmer on May 9, 2008 at 2:40 am

I wonder what would happen if an atheist placed an ad in his/her local paper, to debate one of the local fundies, on evolution, science, age of the earth/universe, whatever ? Would the offer be accepted ? Would the atheist find themselves personally threatened and harassed for holding these views ? I know some of the fundies appear to be quite beyond reasoned discourse, but surely there are a few who could understand logic ? Anyone ? Anyone ?

Maybe we need to start a grass roots campaign of local reaction, and not concede the battle for the hearts & minds to "big media" like Expelled.

159. Gene map proves platypus is part bird, mammal and reptile

Comment #177389 by rod-the-farmer on May 9, 2008 at 2:15 am

This mixup of different genes explains now, for the first time, why Noah did not take one (or two) on the ark. His collection crew either could not make up their minds as to what it was, and so left it behind, OR, they just couldn't find one. Having hunted in vain for them myself (as a tourist), I can believe the latter. In a rainstorm they are almost impossible to see. If he had taken two, there would be platypus all over the planet. They are found only in Australia, because they swam like they usually do, during the flood, and survived. Geographically isolated ? Problem solved.

Now as to the questions

(1) how many people were in the animal collection crew ? Noah had, what, 8 people ? Some of them had to be building the ark...
(2) how long did it take them ?
(3) what mode of transport was used to bring them back to the middle east ? (another boat ? - in the same tone of voice used in The Hunt for Red October - "You lost another submarine ?")
(4) who provided the list of candidates, each animal to be ticked off as it was collected ?
(5) where did the food come from to sustain the animals during their trip back to the ark ?

Sorry, what was I thinking....goddidit.

All the technology advances implied/inherent in the successful collection, transport and husbandry of so many different animals were not documented at the time. Doubtless lost scrolls will be found in future years.

160. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176796 by rod-the-farmer on May 8, 2008 at 3:30 am

Wow. My personal experience with this sort of thing is zero, but I had imagined some strange goings-on in the world of fundies in the Excited States of America. But this is way off scale on my personal imagination meter.

I have often said that I wonder if dog is going to come back to earth one day, stand with hands on hips, and say "You people took this religion thing WAY too seriously. Effective immediately, anyone caught practising or preaching religion will be called home, on the spot."

161. The History Channel might do something right

Comment #176169 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 6:38 pm

Re LBraschi

So, do bacteria have eyes? do fungi? plants?

162. Is Liberal Catholicism Dead?

Comment #176067 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 1:38 pm

The Onion strikes again. The Pope tells dog about his visit to America.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/78813

163. The detail in the Devil

Comment #176025 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 11:49 am

OK, two points here. First, the countdown has started. 10.....9.....8....until he is denied tenure somewhere, due to his beliefs, and then someone will make a movie about him and others who want to teach things not supported by the majority of...uhhh...other...morons, I guess.

Second, I am starting a club for all those who volunteer to become satanically possessed. Please respond here, or via IM, and I will set up a suitable web site. My own qualifications are as follows

(1) 50 years of devout atheism
(2) regular outbursts of blasphemy and profanity
(3) refusal to set foot in church other than for weddings. Funerals ? Oh yes, I remember one.
(4) refusal to swear on the bible when giving testimony in court
(5) refusal to bow head, clasp hands or close eyes when someone says grace before a meal

If enough volunteers surface, I am willing to stand for election as a club officer. Vice President has a nice ring to it.

164. What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider

Comment #175897 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 8:04 am

Sorry about the apostrophe. Can't edit it out, either. I was typing in a hurry, as I had just seen yet another clip of Shrub talking about 'nukelar' weapons. To me, this is as much a statement about his personal intelligence, as it is about his choice of advisors. None of whom seems to have been able to change him, or worse, has not even tried. Perhaps they don't know themselves ! Small stuff ? Maybe. But when the man has at his fingertips the button to launch enough of them to wipe life off this planet, I figure he should at least be able to say the name.

And as for the idea that since so many people use kilOmeter incorrectly, it is therefore 'acceptable', I refer you to the reason we are all here on this web site. Just because billions of people believe in a supernatural being who created the universe, does not make it true. I tried to use logic to show why kilOmeter is incorrect. You can accept or reject it as you see fit. I am may start mis-pronouncing the names of people who can't say this word properly.

Here is another.....preventative. No such word. Preventive, just like INventive. We don't say 'inventative'. And the plural of processes is NOT process-ease. I guess some think this makes them sound edumicated. But then I have a number of biases.

Etymological pedant, signing off. Now, back to our normal programming.

165. What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider

Comment #175801 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 4:28 am

Now I am a big fan of science, in all its' forms and varieties. But this guy annoys me something fierce. We are supposed to believe he is a 'real' scientist, not just a TV personality who would not know better. And there he is, in living colour, and the man cannot even pronounce units of distance properly.

There is no such word as kil AW meter. The unit of linear distance for 1000 meters (and I prefer metres myself) is kilo-meter. Kilo is a prefix meaning one thousand. Kilometer does NOT rhyme with any of the following

speed Ometer
tach Ometer
Therm Ometer
od Ometer
spectr Ometer
micr Ometer
ped Ometer
dos Imeter
Polar Imeter
Phot Ometer
Calor Imeter
Pyr Ometer
Alt Imeter
Man Ometer
Potenti Ometer
Bar Ometer
Anem Ometer

These are all nouns describing devices for measuring things. The emphasis is on the vowel sound preceding the suffix meter, as in a "meter" for measuring things.

Kilometer is one of the words like

milli GRAM
centi GRAM
kilo GRAM
nano MEter
micro MEter
milli MEter
centi MEter
kilo MEter

which represent units of length, mass, etc. Note the emphasis is on the suffix.

I hate to be pedantic, but why don't scientists at least get this sort of thing straight. Just because most people mis-pronounce the word does not make it correct, nor acceptable.

What would you think of a person who said he had just bought a car, a Chevrolettt Corvetteeeeee ? A few bricks short of a load. And just because he owns one does not make his mis-pronunciation right.

Rant over. Sorry.

166. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #175800 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 4:14 am

As a Jehovah's Witness she was subject to the whim of the church elders, and they made their feelings about a blood transfusion quite clear. As she was wheeled into the operating theatre, one of them pushed a form under her nose and said "sign here".

167. Regulating Evolution: How Gene Switches Make Life

Comment #175798 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 4:04 am

Am I reading too much into this ? It almost sounds like they are saying they could take the DNA of animal X, change a few switches from on or off to something different, plant the revised DNA into a host embryo, and presto changeo, we have a different animal, Y. Now wouldn't THAT cause the fundies to panic. Dog plus mods equals cat.

168. Record-setting Laser May Aid Searches for Earthlike Planets

Comment #175797 by rod-the-farmer on May 6, 2008 at 3:55 am

I checked the original article, and this one is pretty much a copy. What I would be interested to see is something that could explain to us non-PHD types how a laser that emits light, can help analyse a star which also emits light. My elementary knowledge of physics implies you need a light detector, not a second emitter. Can someone suggest a link that would explain how this works ? Is this another one of those interference things ? Maybe with a diagram ?

169. Dumb and Dumber: A discussion between Ben Stein and Glenn Beck

Comment #175544 by rod-the-farmer on May 5, 2008 at 2:59 pm

OK, this is an order. Do...not...watch...this...video..or ...your...brain...will..suffer..permanent...damage

Stupidest thing I ever wasted an hour on, waiting desperately for something about Expelled. Gel Beck recommends it without ever saying why.

170. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175343 by rod-the-farmer on May 5, 2008 at 9:32 am

And another thing....next pay I will visit my local bookstore and purchase one of your books. Take THAT, you cowardly publishers.

171. Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Comment #175340 by rod-the-farmer on May 5, 2008 at 9:27 am

OK, Sam, count me in. What do you suggest we rationalist foot soldiers do to help ?

172. Research Volunteers Needed

Comment #175284 by rod-the-farmer on May 5, 2008 at 5:16 am

There was a considerable bias towards the U.S., with all the questions about U.S. government, etc. I would have liked to see a question like "What part of the world do you live in/are from ?" to help separate the potentially different responses from different areas & cultures. Given the noteworthy differences in things like religious beliefs between the U.S. and Europe, AND the substantial presence in these Comments from those based in Europe and Canada and even Australia, that may skew the results. Oh well, if I am so smart, howcum I am not rich ?

I too did all four, and reported a typo to Sam.

173. Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools

Comment #175126 by rod-the-farmer on May 4, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Re Comment #175044 by Quine

This from Reverend Rogers, the church leader who set up a conference on ID in the first link you provided.

"The scientific evidence does point to a creator," he said. "You start to think about a creator and you say, 'We're responsible to that creator.' That leads to faith."

"We're responsible FOR that creator."

174. Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools

Comment #175119 by rod-the-farmer on May 4, 2008 at 1:21 pm

Re saraswati

what's a good word for a person who accepts evolution?

175. Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools

Comment #174969 by rod-the-farmer on May 4, 2008 at 2:05 am

Aaarrggh. I just lost a long post. Will try again.

I must be slow here. Just exactly how will this work, in the classroom ? Suppose a teacher is confronted with a report or exam, from a student who either does not know/believe in evolution OR just answers 'goddidit'. How do you grade such responses ? Is there a chart of possible non-evolution answers ? Who created & approved it ? Evangelical xians ? Which one(s)? Last I heard, some of them disagree on certain fundamental (pun intended) points in this area. Or is there a single acceptable answer (goddidit) and no further explanation is required ? Twenty questions, all answered 'goddidit.

After all, we have 150 years of investigation, observation, analysis, experiment (see the recent article on lizards moved to an isolated island, and evolving), and cross-confirmation with multiple other sciences. They have a single book, written 2,000 years ago, by people who did not even know the NAMES of these disciplines, let alone their bodies of knowledge. No recent observations, nor by people who were actually present, no experiments, and multiple refutations by other sciences. "We don't need your stinkin' history, we got the bibul."

Come to think of it, a lot of (most, maybe ?) biologists travel to remote places to study their area of interest. To get really close to the subjects. Where do you go to study goddidit ? What represents a field trip ?

Maybe we tell the legislatures they can save a bunch of money, and close down biology and other courses, since a simple 'goddidit' is enough to pass.

I think it would be useful for a number of university admissions directors to testify before these state legislatures. "In order for YOUR students to be accepted in OUR university, they will have to have a solid grounding in the following subjects...A,B,C,D, etc....all of which require a good understanding of the science of evolution. Anyone not having this, will not be eligible for the following courses/majors.......L,M,N,O,P etc. In addition, we do what we can to assist in job placement for our graduates. There is a long list of foreign students at our university, who HAVE completed basic science courses including evolution, in countries with a long tradition of scientific knowledge, such as (another list, this one focussed on those countries which will annoy) and who will be prime candidates for companies seeking to hire students in the following fields (another list). If you wish to restrict the lifetime earning power of your children by whateveritis percentage, then keep them from learning science like evolution. Those young people with only a high school graduation certificate will qualify for jobs like (another list) but will be ineligible for jobs such as (another list)."

I don't live in the U.S., but is there not a standard set of tests for university admission ? SAT or something like that ? Maybe we choke this entire thing off right there.

I would like to see the response of the legislators to this sort of statement.

176. Truly Bizarre : Indians Throw Babies 50ft From Roof To Thank God.

Comment #174839 by rod-the-farmer on May 3, 2008 at 4:12 pm

The explanation for this is quite simple. Someone in India heard of the western custom of 'dwarf tossing', and simply mis-translated it. Problem solved.

177. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #174544 by rod-the-farmer on May 2, 2008 at 4:09 pm

Re Comment #174524 by Dinah

Only this morning I listened to a programme where a British woman defended her 'right' to wear the veil, evidently regarding it as something of a fashion accessory. She stated, 'It is just a piece of cloth, after all.' No, it isn't. It is something imposed on Muslim women by men, and in many Islamic countries women who refuse to wear it risk being abused, injured or even killed. Women are seen as temptresses, as unclean and polluting, and must cover themselves to avoid inflaming the passions of males. The veil will only revert to being 'just a piece of cloth' when every Muslim woman has a genuine choice about whether or not to wear it.

178. Was the new finger a 'natural' miracle?

Comment #174481 by rod-the-farmer on May 2, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Tetsujin

Yes, the links work when you have them in your original article. But if you go back and EDIT your article, any link you add, will not work. Plan

ahead

as they say.

179. Muslim Rebel Sisters: At Odds With Islam and Each Other

Comment #174476 by rod-the-farmer on May 2, 2008 at 1:34 pm

I too am interested in how a Reformation -like period might come to Islam. Dog knows it is overdue. I have a history book at home on the subject, which I have not read for years. I will crack it open and see what set of circumstances existed at the time in Europe. I regret to say I suspect any pre-reqs for the European/Christian Reformation are not present in todays Islam. The one thing I can see that IS more positive is that the effects of printing press were not that widespread, if I remember correctly - whereas the Internet is widely available to muslims. That's the good news. The bad news is that there is so little science translated into the languages of the Islamic world, that should the knowledge of science be one of those pre-reqs for an Islamic Reformation, we (they) may be out of luck. So how critical thinking might spread among muslims via the Internet is an open question.

180. Museums teach society lacking in science literacy

Comment #172723 by rod-the-farmer on April 30, 2008 at 1:58 am

I love the thousand yard model for the solar system. I wish I were a science teacher so I could do this. I think this brings home to kids & adults, the SCALE of it. Now, if there were something similar to display the scale of time since the formation of the earth, and the origin of life, then perhaps the kids and even fundies would start to understand just how much "room" there is/was for evolution to take place. In particular, the Cambrian Explosion now appears as a very extended period of time, not a flash in the pan, so to speak.

I think I will approach the local public school science teacher(s) and offer to be a sort of guest speaker, and do this Thousand Yard session.

181. Anti-Evolution Film Misappropriates the Holocaust

Comment #172716 by rod-the-farmer on April 30, 2008 at 1:29 am

Someone mentioned that they saw Ben Stein listed as a guest speaker at a forthcoming Cisco conference. I subscribe to an IT industry newsletter, and a very recent issue had an interview with a Cisco senior manager. Comments are allowed, so I asked why Cisco would invite someone who attacks the scientific method to speak at their event. No response as yet. although it is possible they may delete it as being off-topic. Time will tell.

182. Anti-Evolution Film Misappropriates the Holocaust

Comment #172509 by rod-the-farmer on April 29, 2008 at 4:26 pm

Re post # 172506 by cam9976

Did we not have a comment by someone who knew Ben Stein because he went to the same temple ? I wonder what the elders (?) of that particular temple would have to say now that the ADL has taken an official position. It would be amusingly ironic, to say the least, if Ben were to be expelled from his own temple for trivialising the Holocaust.

183. Religion a figment of human imagination

Comment #171522 by rod-the-farmer on April 28, 2008 at 2:32 pm

I agree with Mitchell Gilks. I bet a zoologist, especially of the marine sub-species, would tell you all kinds of interesting stories about dolphins that would surely indicate they are highly intelligent, and can imagine things. Didn't we see an article recently about a chimp or a gorilla who made up words to describe fruit he/she had tasted, but for which he/she had not been given the name ? Life is wonderful, in all its varieties.

184. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170894 by rod-the-farmer on April 28, 2008 at 6:04 am

Here is a video on Ben Steins thoughts about education in America. Funny how different it is to what he says in Expelled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8vcl17SPsM

185. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170732 by rod-the-farmer on April 27, 2008 at 11:15 pm

The poll on the web site

http://www.myspace.com/expelledthemovement

shows that as of 0200, 28th April 2008, approx. 428,000 people have voted, of which 97.7 % were opposed to the statement that

Do you think the theory of Intelligent Design should be taught in our education system ?

but Stein says the movie is getting breathtaking reception.

186. Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

Comment #169737 by rod-the-farmer on April 26, 2008 at 4:42 pm

I wonder what would happen in the U.S. IF the draft were to be re-instated, and a potential candidate asked to be excused due to his/her atheism ? I have seen other articles in the news, especially about religious abuse at the Air Force Academy.

187. Tyrannosaurus rex protein proves dinosaurs evolved into birds

Comment #169728 by rod-the-farmer on April 26, 2008 at 4:32 pm

Ok, Buddha and Tagred, thanks. I think. What I am missing is some sort of idea as to how some un-named person or measurement determines that the confidence level of their inter-relation approaches 1.0 or 100 %. Is it DNA comparison ? And while I dimly recognise some of the Latin names, what the heck is Raja ? Is there a more expanded version of this chart, complete with a legend or some explanation of the terms and the various "taxa" ? A book is probably more than I am going to chase down. I see that chart as open season for fundies, since the confidence level is not explained in any way at all. It may well be understood by those whose field of expertise encompasses it, but for the rest of us, and in particular the fundies, we need a simple, clear explanation. Feel free to direct me and others to a different site, as perhaps not all those watching this article may be interested in the gory details.

188. Tyrannosaurus rex protein proves dinosaurs evolved into birds

Comment #169424 by rod-the-farmer on April 26, 2008 at 4:15 am

For those who are bird enthusiasts, there is a nice web site

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

which has lots of info about birds, especially their various calls. Very useful trying to identify that which you have seen or heard. I recommend you bookmark it. Last time I looked they did not have the T-rex, but then that was a while ago. I suspect there are periodic updates, and we may see something new soon. I will write to my contact there and ask.

189. Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says

Comment #169038 by rod-the-farmer on April 25, 2008 at 2:22 pm

I liked the Spencer Wells program so much I bought the video ! BUT......I would really like to see a video we can all watch on YouTube or maybe on Nova TV, showing just how the analysis of the DNA collected around the world, has been turned into logical conclusions. I would buy THAT video too. I think there is some real meat there, waiting for public revelation, to help convince the fundies, that people like Wells have real science on their side. Something we can ALL see and agree with. This sort of stuff may be available already. But I would expect to hear about it by now. Anyone seen anything ? I agree with Richard D. that we need people out there making science popular, and understandable by the masses who take little interest in science. I just pulled one of my astronomy books off the shelf in my personal library, and find it pre-dates the launch of the Hubble. Yet it still makes fascinating reading (I read a LOT - almost anything). The more we can make science exciting stuff, the better chance we have to keep the fundies a marginal segment of society. Dog, I wish I were a science teacher. Mr. Passion, that's me. OK, history too.

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

Comment #169009 by rod-the-farmer on April 25, 2008 at 2:08 pm

Many years ago the bank I dealt with back then had a "casual Fridays" tradition. One of those Fridays I went in to find my regular teller wearing a t-shirt that said something across the front in a language I did not recognise, possibly Hungarian. I asked what it meant, and she said "You mean you can't read (whatever language it was) ?" So I responded "No, can I try Braille ?" She blushed, and the teller next to her said "That was pretty good, you should let him."

191. Tyrannosaurus rex protein proves dinosaurs evolved into birds

Comment #168946 by rod-the-farmer on April 25, 2008 at 1:24 pm

I agree, truly neat stuff. However, I went to the cladogram mentioned in Comment #9, by Angels on a Pinhead, to see if I could understand the science a bit more. Nope. I must be dumb, but so are several of the people posting there as well. Is there anyone watching this site who could explain that cladogram to us non-techie types ?

192. In His Name We Pray, Ramen

Comment #168325 by rod-the-farmer on April 25, 2008 at 2:43 am

OK, another scientific article, this one on how T-Rex is a distant relative of chickens.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/24/tech/main4044053.shtml

193. Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists

Comment #167265 by rod-the-farmer on April 23, 2008 at 7:39 pm

Expelled is, according to this link, among the top 10 in box office this past week. Released in over 1,000 theatres, it brought in over $3M.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080421/32048_\'Expelled\'_Explodes_into_Top_10_Box_Office.htm

So, if I do the math, 3 million divided by 1000 theatres, then divided again by 5 days (one week, near enough) works out to about $600 per day, on average. No idea what ticket prices are, but suppose they are $10.....that makes 60 people saw the movie each day. Figure on maybe 6 showings per day, that makes 10 people each time, all very rough estimates, of course. I dunno if any savvy theatre manager is going to get excited about 10 people in his Expelled show, compared to whatever box office receipts show up with the other films he/she has to choose from. But maybe they showed it only twice, and the tickets were $5, which would make it more interesting.

194. Anti-evolution bill clears another hurdle

Comment #166627 by rod-the-farmer on April 23, 2008 at 10:52 am

Well, you heard it here first. I just this moment got a phone call from a sales person describing a "free" travel voucher for a Florida vacation. I said "Thanks, but we would never vacation in Florida." The shocked sales rep asked why, and I said it was because of the recent vote by the Florida state government to take evolution out of the schools, and replace it with the bible. (I know, I exaggerated, so sue me. The opportunity was too good to miss.) Therefore neither I nor my friends and family would vacation in Florida until these nutcases were voted out. THEN the sales rep said he thought taking evolution out of the schools was a GOOD idea !!! At that point I said "Well, you won't be seeing me vacation in Florida". Hee hee hee.

195. Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

Comment #166617 by rod-the-farmer on April 23, 2008 at 10:46 am

Great name for a rock group....The Penis Snatchers.... we couldn't make this stuff up.

196. Judge orders La. school district to stop Bible giveaways

Comment #166610 by rod-the-farmer on April 23, 2008 at 10:41 am

Imagine the fuss if the local mosque dropped by with a box of Korans, "which the students do NOT have to take", although they are outside the principals office. Or maybe we should ask a local chapter of the Atheist Church to drop off free copies of something affordable....maybe we could ask Readers Digest to do a Condensed Books version of The God Delusion. You didn't know there was a local chapter ? Not to worry, any motivated individual will do.

197. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #166211 by rod-the-farmer on April 23, 2008 at 2:22 am

I agree with Styrer....unimpressive on both sides. And then this

Blaise Pascal, whose famous wager runs: "You cannot lose by professing belief in God - if He does not exist you lose nothing, and if He does exist, you will be rewarded in the afterlife."

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

Comment #165664 by rod-the-farmer on April 22, 2008 at 2:25 am

In fairness, I should remind listeners of an article right here on RD.net, quoting a professor Hoodbhoy at a university in Islamabad, Pakistan. You can find it under Science: Physics & Chemistry. Science and Islam, or something like that.

He makes the point that English is the major language of science and technology these days. For countries whose native tongue is not English, one indicator of their level of technology is the number of scientific books that are translated into the local language. Then he drops the bomb. In the last 1,000 years, the entire muslim world has translated about the same number of science books as Spain does in one year. Talk about off-scale.

One can hardly blame muslims because SOME of them are essentially illiterate in science, if they have no material in their local language with which to educate themselves. And let's face it......for someone who has no access to books on science, the distorted views we see on the web about a flat earth etc. in Arabic, will be much easier to find. Lately there was even a comment that a lot of the Iraqi fighters cannot read at all. Accurate science, especially if it appears to contradict the Koran, may well be invisible.

199. Pope's Views on Science Invoke Spirited Debate

Comment #165660 by rod-the-farmer on April 22, 2008 at 2:05 am

I agree with those who say he looks creepy. And as for

In a speech written earlier this year, the pope put his views about science into an analogy: "The tree of knowledge is fed through spiritual roots," he wrote, "and without those it will wither and die."

200. If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?

Comment #165658 by rod-the-farmer on April 22, 2008 at 1:51 am

An atheist church ? Count me out. One of the most attractive parts of disbelief for me was freeing up an hour or more of time every Sunday. Time better spent on hobbies, household chores, etc. Some of that time, I do admit, I have spent listening to music inspired by religion. Like Richard Dawkins, I do enjoy immensely things like Handels Messiah. But I would not attend religious services to hear it. An atheist church ? Aaaack. Sounds like dogma coming. Big trouble, right here in River CIty.