tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74741384184159583832024-03-19T00:39:58.359-04:00Hyphoid LogicMentations of a Mad MycologistBrian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comBlogger1073125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-57469058939884259052008-12-13T14:05:00.005-05:002008-12-13T14:40:06.618-05:00Cthulhu's Bar and Grill for the HolidaysJust in time for the holidays, I'm happy to announce the grand opening of <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cthulhus" target="_blank">Cthulhu's Bar & Grill</a>! It's a one-stop shop for vaguely Cthulhu-related t-shirts and chachkes and such.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/cthulhus" target="_blank"><img src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Graphics/cthulhu%20bar%20and%20grill.jpg" target="_blank"></a></center><br />Nothing says winter quite like a green, octopus-headed cocktail waitress. Face it.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-57703038705274345172008-12-10T13:16:00.003-05:002008-12-10T13:31:36.502-05:00A Different Kind of White House in Marianna, FLWhen I lived in Florida, I went to a town called Marianna a few times. My most recent trip there was just <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/09/brief-summary-of-florida-expedition.html" target="_blank">this past September</a> when I returned to the state to collect beetle specimens. Marianna has a dark past in a number of ways and is, to this day, a bit <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/01/florida-creationism-jackson-county.html" target="_blank">out of step with modern thinking</a>. Every so often, something beyond distasteful bubbles out of the place. The following, a story that sounds like the backdrop for a horror movie, is one of them.<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/09/reform.school.graves/" target="_blank">'White House Boys' win inquiry of reform school graves</a></font><br /><br />By Rich Phillips</b><br /><br />Four men, now in their 60s, met over the Internet, shared stories about the darkest days of their pasts and spurred an investigation into 32 graves at a reform school.<br /><br />Roger Kiser, Michael McCarthy, Bryant Middleton and Dick Colon talked about whippings and beatings and other boys who disappeared. They discussed the 32 crosses marking the graves of persons unknown on the grounds of the former Florida Industrial School for Boys.<br /><br />They called their group the White House Boys, taking the name from the single story concrete building where, they say, boys were beaten and tortured decades ago.<br /><br />The White House Boys believe that delinquents and orphans sent to the concrete White House were killed and their remains buried to cover up the brutality.<br /><br />This week, the four called on Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to investigate. Crist agreed and asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to search for remains, identify them and determine whether any crimes were committed.<br /><br />The department agreed to look into the mystery of the 32 crosses on the grounds of what is now known as the Dozier School, in Marianna, just south of the Alabama state line...<br /><br />...A guard confronted the other boy and began to treat him roughly, Middleton said.<br /><br />"He dragged him to the administration building, and I never saw him again. He never came back to work or to the cottage," Middleton said. "He literally disappeared off the face of the Earth..."<br /><br />Colon said he remembers entering the laundry one day, and his life has never been the same.<br /><br />Inside a large tumble dryer was a black teen.<br /><br />The White House boys, who are all white, said black kids at the school were beaten even more savagely than white kids...</blockquote>While it's worth keeping in mind that these are only allegations and the 32 anonymous metal crosses may or may not turn out to mark graves where human remains were interred, episodes like this weren't unknown from the time and geography.<br /><br />If it turns out to be true, it's still unlikely that anyone will ever face charges for the murders. It's been 50 years or more; most if not all of the alleged culprits are likely dead themselves by now. Even if they weren't, I would imagine it would be nearly impossible to tie any surviving employees to a particular crime by now in a conclusive manner.<br /><br />The image of a teenager in a dryer and the story of one inmate who simply disappeared... someone needs to interview the four survivors mentioned in the story for a horror movie. What a nightmare.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-35148823727821514062008-12-10T05:25:00.004-05:002008-12-10T06:27:29.455-05:00Greater Worcester Humanists Meeting: Big NewsLast night, LL and I went to the <a href="http://worcester.humanists.net/site/" target="_blank">Greater Worcester Humanists</a> holiday <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/12/greater-worcester-humanists-potluck-and.html" target="_blank">pot luck and yankee swap</a>. There was a big announcement to start things off. Our chapter's president, <a href="http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/boardlistandbios.php#David%20Niose" target="_blank">David Niose</a>, has been named president of the <a href="http://www.americanhumanist.org/" target="_blank">American Humanist Association</a>. He'll begin serving his two-year term in January, moving up from his current position as treasurer of the organization.<br /><br />It was also reported that due to the ongoing growth and success of we Greater Worcester Humanists, Cambridge-based <a href="http://masshumanists.org/" target="_blank">Humanist Association of Massachusetts</a> will be changing its name to Greater Boston Humanists to better convey their geographic extent. Big news; GWH is on the map all over the country.<br /><br />The yankee swap was a hoot. The gifts ranged from the intellectual to the mundane to the hilarious. The most-swapped-for items were a <a href="http://monster-island.org/tinashumor/humor/beerjes.html" target="_blank">Top 10 reasons why beer is better than Jesus</a> pint glass and the <a href="http://www.baronbob.com/darwinevolutionplayset.htm" target="_blank">Evolving Darwin play set</a>. LL picked this one from the present pile but it got swapped away for a set of antlers. I was luckier; I traded a <a href="http://wickedcoolstuff.com/vacilimughac.html" target="_blank">Disappearing Civil Liberties mug</a> for a <a href="http://www.worldwidefred.com/holytoast.htm" target="_blank">Holy Toast! Virgin Mary bread stamper</a>. I can't wait to try it out.<br /><br />The present I brought was an assortment of three books: Gould's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pandas-Thumb-Reflections-Natural-History/dp/0393308197/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228906190&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Panda's Thumb</a></i>, Michael Shermer's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/People-Believe-Weird-Things-Pseudoscience/dp/0805070893/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228906263&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Why People Believe Weird Things</a></i>, and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Spell-Book-Magical-Practical/dp/0316488399/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228906309&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Good Spell Book: Love Charms, Magical Cures, and Other Practical Sorcery</a></i>. What good is Shermer's book without some weird beliefs as a companion volume, after all? As luck would have it, the person who wound up with the books was a woman whom I think was at least in her early 80's. I told her that I hoped the love spells would work for her. If she shows up at the next meeting with a 20 year-old boy toy, we'll all know why.<br /><br />Since the Evolving Darwin Play Set seems to be the hot Humanist toy this year, I thought it would be only fair to "teach the controversy." I've thus intelligently designed an analogous toy for Creationists, the Creationist Darwin Play Set. Here's my prototype:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Graphics/creationist%20play%20set.jpg"></center>Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-59057577712298855782008-12-09T12:30:00.004-05:002008-12-09T13:05:41.596-05:00Larry Craig: Another Appeal DeniedI noted yesterday that <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/12/bob-allen-update-gay-conservative.html" target="_blank">the appeal by former Florida state representative Bob Allen</a> had been denied. While Allen's pretty well known in some circles, few cases of conservative politicians soliciting sex in men's bathrooms had garnered as much interest as that of Idaho Senator Larry Craig (R). As you may recall, Craig entered a guilty plea after his infamous "wide stance" solicitation in a bathroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and then said that he'd resign only to later not only fail to step down but to file an appeal seeking to retract his guilty plea.<br /><br />A decision has just come down in the last couple of hours and, like Bob Allen, Larry Craig's appeal has also been denied. The <a href="http://www.mncourts.gov/opinions/coa/current/opa071949-1209.pdf" target="_blank">full decision by the Minnesota Court of Appeals</a> has been released, but the gist of it is that Craig's guilty plea will stand because he lacks any legal basis on which to retract it. Or, if you prefer your legalese undiluted:<blockquote>To be valid, a guilty plea must be "accurate, voluntary and intelligent." State v. Ecker, 524 N.W.2d 712, 716 (Minn. 1994). For a plea to be accurate, it must be supported by a proper factual basis. Id. Appellant argues that the plea was not accurate because it lacked a full record of supporting facts.<br /><br />Appellant did not appear in person when his plea was filed, but a guilty plea is not invalid merely because it is entered in writing. See Minn. R. Crim. P. 15.03, subd. 2...<br /><br />But, because appellant did not appear, the written plea petition was the only account given to the district court of appellant's version of the offense. The relevant paragraph of the petition states: <br /><br />"I am pleading guilty to the charge of Disorderly Conduct as alleged because on June 11, 2007, within the property or jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, Hennepin County, specifically in the restroom of the North Star Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal, I did the following: Engaged in conduct which I knew or should have known tended to arouse alarm or resentment or [sic] others, which conduct was physical (versus verbal) in nature."<br /><br />...Appellant argues that because the paragraph lacks a description of the alleged conduct it fails to provide an adequate factual basis.<br /><br />Appellant's argument is unsupported by the record. A verbatim record was required to be made of the August 8, 2007 proceeding at which appellant's petition to plead guilty was filed and he was sentenced. See Minn. R. Crim. P. 27.03, subd. 6(A) (requiring verbatim record of sentencing proceedings). A defendant is responsible for providing a record adequate for appellate review, including a transcript if necessary. See State v. Anderson, 351 N.W.2d 1, 2 (Minn. 1984) (holding claim of trial error could not be reviewed without transcript). Appellant did not order a transcript of the August 8, 2007 proceeding...<p align="right">— <a href="http://www.mncourts.gov/opinions/coa/current/opa071949-1209.pdf" target="_blank">Source</a></p></blockquote>And it goes on from there, as legalese does, to set out why Craig's appeal simply doesn't hold water.<br /><br />Larry Craig is still guilty by his own admission. More importantly than the legal offense he committed, though, is his hypocrisy in the whole matter, one that he maintains to this day. Craig, like Bob Allen, could remedy this by simply coming out of the closet and explaining his errors while maintaining that gay men can <i>legitimately</i> hold conservative political views and ideas that don't extend to curtailing the rights of other gay men in order to bolster their standing amongst the homophobic segments of society. He could point out that he served as a Senator in ways that otherwise represented his constituency and that his homosexuality, like all homosexuality, is at most a coincidence that, absent social stigmatization, has zero bearing on the fitness of an individual to serve in office, vote, serve in the military, or otherwise enjoy the rights and fulfill the responsibilities incumbent upon all of us as members of American society, no matter whom we might prefer to twiddle our dangly bits now and again.<br /><br />Will he continue in his hypocrisy, though? I'd bet on it.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-75885377901950301822008-12-09T07:41:00.003-05:002008-12-09T08:35:52.746-05:00Obama Lights Up: Ruminations from a Fellow AddictWill the stunning revelations never cease? When pressed during an interview with Tom Brokaw, Barack Obama waffled a bit before admitting that he hasn't been entirely successful in kicking his nicotine addiction. He still lights up from time to time, but he's promised that he won't do it in the White House.<blockquote>During his interview with NBC News' Tom Brokaw over the weekend, President-elect Barack Obama acknowledged that he has had some trouble kicking his smoking habit but promised that the White House would remain a smoke-free zone.<br /><br />"There are times where I've fallen off the wagon," Mr. Obama said when asked if he had stopped smoking...<p align="right">— <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/12/08/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4654231.shtml" target="_blank">Source</a></p></blockquote>Let's get the obvious out of the way. Smoking is bad. Kids, don't try this at home. Everybody tells you this stuff, so why should I repeat it? In most ways, this item is a non-story. The last eight years of radical misgovernment have left many aspects of our nation's well-being in smoking ruins. A smoking Executive? If he can pull America out of its historical nosedive and make repairs to our economy, infrastructure, international relations and commitment to education, I don't care if Obama likes to pound nails up his nose while singing the <a href="http://bonanzaworld.net/lyrics.php" target="_blank">theme song from <i>Bonanza</i></a> at 3:00 in the morning in drag. <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2153/2422607635_ac29708c89.jpg?v=0" target="_blank">Really, really bad drag</a>. Get over yourselves, snap snap.<br /><br />So while I'll readily admit that a smoking president might not be the greatest thing in the world, it's far from the worst. I say this as a smoker myself, and one who, like Obama, has made repeated and unsuccessful attempts to kick the habit. In light of that, my first bit of advice to the President-Elect, were he listening, would be to stay away from <a href="http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01788.html" target="_blank">Chantix</a>. It did weird things to me when I tried it, and I got my hands on a prescription the week after it went on the market. Chantix impaired my memory and caused me to have multiple episodes of sleep paralysis that left me an utter wreck after about two months on the stuff. We can't risk having that in a president. All things considered, he's better off sneaking out to the Rose Garden for the occasional smokebreak... and so are we if he stays away from varenicline.<br /><br />So, even though I am painfully aware of how addictive cigarettes are and have a pretty thorough understanding of how and why they're so bad for you, I'm going to play the optimist here and speak about the upside of this nasty habit. Yes, there is one and no, it's not worth the health consequences and no, this isn't an endorsement of inhaling particulate matter. Still, the guy already smokes. Let's think about the lung being half-full for a moment.<br /><br />In one way, I've benefited from being a smoker. Because we smokers are banned from indulging our habit indoors in the workplace (and rightfully so), we have to step away from whatever else we're doing every so often in order to pump a little sweet, sweet nicocrackatein into our bodies in order to be able to maintain our concentration and evenness of mood. It's boring to do that by ourselves, so smokers naturally form little cliques that take breaks together. From experience, I can say that these little sessions have allowed me the opportunity to learn about all sorts of things — useful things — from other smoking colleagues. This is as true now that I am studying biology as it was when I was a headhunter. It's hard to get time from people to simply learn from them what they know; everyone's days are pretty full. Those smokebreaks make it happen. I've learned about everything from inside information regarding the executive teams at high-tech startups to the problems with designing primers for insect mitochondrial genes from fellow junkies.<br /><br />Might Obama reap the same sort of benefit from amongst the negative consequences of his unhealthful indulgence? He might. You know, he might not be the only world leader, or staffer employed by a world leader, who smokes. He might not be alone out there on the White House steps puffing away in the dead of winter. Who knows what breakthroughs might come when he's joined out there by some government official from another country? What inside knowledge might he gain from sharing a few tar-tawnied moments with a staffer traveling with the Prime Minister of Brunei? Scorn if you must, but these smoke session are intimate in a way that the inside of an office or conference room can never hope to be. You're removed from that environment. You're outside. Maybe you're cold and feeling a little alienated. It's natural that such a situation breeds candor amongst those involved. Obama's health might suffer just a little, but we as a nation might just come out ahead because of it.<br /><br />I have another common trait I share with Obama, or at least I like to think so. Both he and I are highly educated and possessed of a level of intelligence markedly higher than the outgoing president. The latter is, in and of itself, not saying very much, I know. Still, from my own experience I can state that my own awareness of both the costs of smoking and my inability (so far) to quit is a rather humbling thing. It reminds me of my own frailties and it probably does the same for Obama. Such weaknesses are intrinsically humiliating things to anyone with even a modicum of self-awareness, and Obama's waffling in the interview likely demonstrates that he has experienced a similar awareness and its consequent humbling effect. I've long maintained that anyone narcissistic enough to think they ought to be president probably shouldn't be elected, so it's a hopeful sign that Obama gets this periodic thump upside his head with the two-by-four of an unresolved character flaw. He's aware that he's <i>not</i> perfect, that he can do wrong by himself. He's not likely to wave that silly banner of divine right and council like some Chief Executives we know. I'm aware that plenty of people will disagree with this notion that I prefer my humans both flawed and aware of their flaws. Lots of folks think that a president should be a spiritual leader of some sort, a shining paragon of white knight rectitude. Me, I like to see that the guy knows there are some chinks in the armor. It's hard to be humble when one thinks of themselves as perfected. Besides, as embarrassing a habit as smoking is, is it really any more humiliating than<br /><br /><center><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FwisQkmpqmQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FwisQkmpqmQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object></center> <br />I think not.<br /><br />Now, look, the fact that Obama is going to sneak off for a cigarette when the pressure is on every so often is not something to be celebrated. Still, presidents have done a lot worse in recent memory. I'll take smoke-n-choke over shock-n-awe any day of the week.<br /><br />So, Mr. President-Elect, smoke 'em if you got 'em until you don't need to get 'em anymore. From one smokin' schmuck to another, you have my sympathy on this. It must hurt to have the press and the naysayers jabbing their fingers into this bullet wound in your self-image. I'm sure Michelle gives you as much grief over the habit as LL gives me; I also can't smoke in my home or in my office and I'm quite acquainted with the winter winds of New England as one result. Still, maybe you can leverage this for our benefit somehow. Whatever it takes. If I'm ever in DC and see you out having a dose of the bad stuff, I'd love to come and join in your act of enlightened self-destruction. I've got a few thoughts on research funding, and so do you. We can talk about it while we die just a little.<br /><br />See? Smokers' optimism.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-67568021083182014412008-12-08T17:48:00.003-05:002008-12-08T18:12:19.134-05:00Bob Allen Update: Gay Conservative Racist's Appeal DeniedIt's been more than a year since we caught up with Bob Allen. You might remember old "Twenty Dollar Bob." He used to be a Florida state representative and outspoken right-wing voice in the state. Then he got busted.<br /><br />On July 11, 2007, <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2007/08/bob-allen-says-im-so-afraid-of-black.html" target="_blank">Allen was arrested in a men's bathroom</a> for soliciting an undercover cop for sex. During his interrogation, Allen came up with a rather creative excuse for his... errr... activities:<blockquote>Audiotape of a July 11 police-station conversation between Allen and Titusville Assistant Chief John Lau reveals Allen's excuse for discussing sex with an undercover officer at a park men's room.<br /><br />He felt intimidated by the "stocky black guy" in the restroom (whom he didn't know was an officer) and several other "stocky black guys" sitting in the park (also, apparently, plain-clothes officers) and thought he was about to be robbed, Allen said. The officer first mentioned oral sex for money, and Allen simply went along with discussing the transaction to avoid becoming a "statistic," he said...<br /><br />At one point, Allen asked [arresting officer] Kavanaugh: "You're not a cop, are you?" Kavanaugh replied, "Nah. If I was a cop, why would I be hanging around here?"</blockquote>Allen's "I'm so scared of black men that I offer them money to allow me to perform oral sex on them" defense didn't work out very well (big surprise!). On November 10, 2007, <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2007/11/florida-gay-conservative-and-racist-bob.html" target="_blank">Allen was convicted</a> by a jury of solicitation and sentenced to six months' probation.<br /><br />Today comes word that <a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-1208bob-allen,0,7772578.story" target="_blank">Bob Allen's latest appeal has been denied</a>. Frankly, I don't think Bob Allen has any appeal to much of anyone these days, so denying it seems a bit redundant.<br /><br />Bob really ought to come out of the closet about now and just admit to himself and everyone else that he's gay. The racism thing could definitely use some working on, but if he's honest about both things then he'll be the better man for it. Besides, it's not like there's much risk of anyone thinking <i>less</i> of him than they already do. Apologizing and remedying the hypocrisy can only do good.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-78313931939413832212008-12-08T17:09:00.004-05:002008-12-08T17:15:50.350-05:00Refrigerator Door: My Niece Mails Me a MasterpieceMy niece is a consummate artist, and her talents extend far beyond <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/11/refrigerator-door-cow-pig-hand-turkey.html" target="_blank">hand-turkeys</a>. She mailed me a drawing that arrived today, and it's a masterpiece!<br /><br /><center><img src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Photos/Scrapbook/Strox/2008_11/alex%20120808.jpg"></center><br /><br />As I am not myself an artist nor even an art critic, I don't know what it all means. Still... look at that composition! Those confident lines! That bold use of color palette! I'm telling you, the kid is the next Picasso.<br /><br />Thoughtful child that she is, she also sent a note along with her artwork that undoubtedly would explain to me what it's all about. If only I were smart enough to understand...<br /><br /><center><img src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Photos/Scrapbook/Strox/2008_11/alex%20note%20120808.jpg"></center><br /><br />That, I'm sure, makes it all crystal-clear.<br /><br />On most days, I regret retrieving the mail. Aside from the occasional DVD from Netflix, mail is never good news. I live on email, so whatever comes in the post is either a bill or junk. It's a nice surprise to get something like this in that otherwise bleak box!Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-3149669820124618552008-12-08T16:13:00.003-05:002008-12-08T16:14:40.828-05:00PCR: Please Chug Rapidly<center><img src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Graphics/etoh%20gel.jpg"></center>Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-80479143299893183652008-12-08T15:14:00.003-05:002008-12-08T15:25:14.860-05:00The South Park Paradox: God vs. SantaA holiday seasoned press release appears in today's endless stream of EurekAlerts. You have to read it all the way to the end to get to the punchline, though. I'll summarize a bit to save time.<br /><br />Researchers ran across a study about children of ages 7-13's belief in Santa Claus in 1896. That same study was repeated in 1979. The study was conducted again in 2000. The trend found was that more parents thought it a good idea to perpetuate the Santa Claus myth in 2000 than in the previous years. 54% did so in 1896, and that had risen to 80% in the 2000 sudy. Children were more likely to figure out on their own that Santa is fictional in more recent times than they used to be; only 25% of parents finally broke the news of Santa's non-existence to their children in 1896. That number had reached 40% by 1979.<br /><br />So 75% of 7-13 year olds in 1896, and 60% of those in 1979, figured it out on their own or found out from another child who had somehow learned the truth. The conclusion: kids are pretty good at looking at a story, looking at the real world, and figuring out which one they should believe over the other when the facts don't add up.<br /><br />The punchline?<blockquote>...If children attribute the same supernatural powers to Santa as they do to God, why do they stop believing in Santa, but continue their belief in God?<p align="right">— <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/uom-sem120808.php" target="_blank">Source</a></p></blockquote>I don't know if the press release had intended to be funny, but I couldn't help a little chuckle of my own.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-28892756078515831812008-12-08T13:41:00.000-05:002008-12-08T13:41:48.278-05:00Free Science Publication: Evolution Education and Outreach<a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/m3k441k67q3n/" target="_blank"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 95px; height: 128px;" src="http://www.springerlink.com/content/120878/cover-medium.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The latest issue (Volume 1, Issue 4) of the publication <i>Evolution: Education and Outreach</i> has been made available free of charge to anyone who wants it. <a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/m3k441k67q3n/" target="_blank">This link will take you to the main page</a>, at which point you'll be able to navigate through the table of contents.<br /><br />This issue is devoted entirely to that favorite Creationist shibboleth, the evolution of the eye. Much good stuff awaits those who <a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/m3k441k67q3n/" target="_blank">seize the opportunity</a> to download, download, download.<br /><br />A hyphal tip to <i><a href="http://genomicron.blogspot.com/2008/12/calling-fellow-bloggers.html" target="_blank">Genomicron</a></i> for news of this great freebie.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-58765639572134983592008-12-08T08:11:00.003-05:002008-12-08T08:14:18.666-05:00A Question for Atheists: On a Related NoteOn a note related to the previous entry about David Klinghoffer, <a href="http://contemporarycalvinist.blogspot.com/2008/12/question-for-atheists.html" target="_blank">a question</a> by Lee Shelton IV on his blog <i>The Contemporary Calvinist</i> asks:<blockquote>If only the natural world exists, then how did belief in the supernatural evolve?</blockquote>I've already given my answer. Won't you please take a moment to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11738269&postID=3350235163601367724" target="_blank">give yours</a>?Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-57045452450822119762008-12-08T08:07:00.001-05:002008-12-08T08:08:22.919-05:00Discovery Institute Paranormal Apologetics: Klinghoffer's Baffling IllogicThe Discovery Institute has been for some years now a leading Disenlightenment think-tank. We could point to some rather <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/05/michael-medved-mismeasures-man-myth-of.html" target="_blank">strange stuff</a> that emanates from its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston_theory" target="_blank">phlogiston</a>-strewn halls well beyond its advocacy of Neo-Creationism. Nonetheless, it's left to <a href="http://www.davidklinghoffer.com/" target="_blank">David Klinghoffer</a> to thoroughly explain what's at the core of this bizarre institution's ideology, which he does in an opinion piece appearing in today's <i>Los Angeles Times</i>:<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oe-klinghoffer8-2008dec08,0,6410009.story" target="_blank">Ghosts, aliens and us</a></font><br /><br />By David Klinghoffer</b><br /><br />When my wife and I had our twin baby boys circumcised in our home last year, the Hasidic rabbi who performed the bris left us with a surprising parting gift: an amulet for protection against demons... When I queried the rabbi about this... he gracefully dodged, referring me to unspecified kabbalistic secrets...<br /><br />It was a reminder that, as much as we think of our age as cynical and literally disenchanted, supernatural belief has hardly been erased. In fact, it may be on the rise. A <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/29/opinion/polls/main994766.shtml" target="_blank">CBS poll in October</a> reported that 48% of Americans believe in ghosts (and 22% claim to have seen one). Among those younger than 45, 54% believe, as opposed to 41% over that age. Belief in other forms of paranormal and occult phenomena is on the rise too: In the 1980s, 25% of Americans accepted the idea of alien abductions, for instance, but 40% say they do now, according to Newsweek...<br /><br />...Sure, I'm skeptical about crop circles, conspiracy theories and cryptozoology. However, I'm also sympathetic to the late conservative philosopher and ghost-story writer Russell Kirk, who valued the paranormal for its suggestion that reality consists of more than mundane material processes. I get the persistent sense that something profound is affirmed by the eerie accounts...<br /><br />Another possibility is that the human need to believe in the unseen world itself points to, while not proving, the reality of hidden dimensions. It could be that materialism -- the philosophical assumption that reality is nothing but physical stuff -- is a prejudice rather than a fact. Perhaps an unseen reality does exist, revealed in flashes that can be confusing or misleading, to which we sometimes give flaky designations. Like "Bigfoot."<br /><br />Religions used to confidently navigate this twilight realm. Some faiths still do, quietly...<br /><br />...As for the rabbi who presided over our twins' bris, the evangelistic branch of Judaism to which he belongs, Chabad, stands out as bucking the trend elsewhere in Judaism toward a pallid rationalism.<br /><br />The same trend is mirrored in other faiths, especially the shrinking mainline Protestant denominations. It may be that such pallidness helps explain why Americans turn to florid paranormal beliefs, as opposed to traditional supernatural ideas...<br /><br />Religious leaders representing respectable faiths, intimidated by secular prejudice, may wish to take note as they scan the empty pews. The human hunger for a vigorous, unapologetic interface with the unknown can't be entirely repressed...</blockquote>In a nutshell (the best way to summarize the assertions of nuts, after all), Klingoffer's argument is that belief in UFOs and bigfoot are erroneous (don't tell Michael Medved!), but they arise because of an absence of the preaching of traditional forms of supernaturalism in religious institutions, and this belief, in turn, is evidence for the existence of the supernatural. This, in turn, indicates that materialism — or, more accurately, naturalism — is incorrect. Where to begin in this chain of fallacies?<br /><br />I'll start off with Klinghoffer's lumping of bigfoot and UFOs with the supernatural. While these are, indeed, beliefs that something exists in the absence of any evidence that they do, or even can, exist in the real world, they are not themselves beliefs in anything supernatural. The belief that extraterrestrial spacecraft have or do visit our planet is a belief in quite natural, albeit unearthly, things. The aliens in the postulated ships are the products of the same natural forces we find all around us and the ships themselves would work by physical laws. Likewise, bigfoot, were it to exist, would simply be a huge North American ape that ate, breathed and reproduced like every other mammal. No prevalent ideas about bigfoot, as wrong as they might be, offer the conjecture that sasquatches are or do anything supernatural, and while the arguments in favor of their existence are incorrect, they are based precisely on naturalistic sciences like biology and ecology. Klinghoffer is equivocating right from the outset by redefining "supernatural" as meaning any phenomenon for which there is no reputable physical evidence. Given such a redefinition, he can proceed, as he does, to offer the misunderstanding of the physical world as evidence for the existence of a supernatural world or, as he puts it, "unseen dimensions." If one recalls that a common religious definition of "faith" is "belief in things unseen," it becomes immediately clear what he's up to. By doing it, he can assert that ignorance is religion; bigfoot is now an article of faith.<br /><br />Which goes right to the next fallacy, namely the assertion that popular supernaturalism is the result of some diminishing of religious supernaturalism. This is a rather bizarre contention; all religion is based on belief in the supernatural. That is to say, there can be no religion that doesn't posit the existence of at least one deity which operates in a manner unbound by natural laws. Every religion, no matter how liberal it may be when it comes to social ideas and how rational it is when it comes to empirical reality, is rooted in a deeply held belief that something exists beyond the scope of the senses and beyond the possibility of measurement. Whether we're talking about non-evangelical forms of Judaism or mainline Protestantism, all religions must do this, and none of which I'm aware contend something to the contrary. Moreover, the postulation of supernatural causation to natural phenomenon is not some new thing; it has certainly diminished in modern times, but it just as certainly existed in the past, and that past is filled with any number of strange beliefs about the material world that have nothing to do with religion at all. Not so long ago, the supernaturalistic religious worldview was essentially all that existed, and yet the same people who believed in the religion also believed in ghosts and dragons and wizards. If anything, belief in those things were even more widespread in the past than they are today. When I walk down a city street today, I'm surprised if I see even one amulet hanging in a doorway to ward off the evil eye. If I were taking a walk through a 10<sup>th</sup> century village, I'd be equally surprised to see a doorway without one. Religious belief in the supernatural is a factor that makes beliefs in other flavors of magic <i>more</i> palatable, not less. Conversely, the pews of churches and similar structures designated for the worshipful become emptier because the same knowledge that has led much of humanity to dispense with belief in ghosts and warlocks leads to less credulity when it comes to gods and devils. The former pair is far less of a leap, after all, than the latter couple. They were at least of human origin; ghosts used to be people, mages still are, and we know at the very least that people actually exist. There's empirical evidence that tells us at least that much. These other things, though, evaporate utterly when examined from a position of empiricism. It takes less of a leap of faith (and logic) to believe in magic than it does to believe in omnipotence or disembodied malevolence.<br /><br />Still, all of this is but an appetizer before the main noxious entree, the assertion that any belief in the supernatural provides even a scrap of evidence that an "unseen dimension" exists. Using Klinghoffer's redefinition of "supernatural," this equation works out to the solution that one erroneous idea supports the validity of a different error. If I believe that cats visit the moon while I am asleep then angels are real. If I think that lightning bolts are hurled at the heads of sinners by angered ancestor spirits that live among the clouds then Moses parted the Red Sea. I am not exaggerating about this; Klinghoffer is actually asserting, after all, that belief in bigfoot means that there is a Kingdom of Heaven. It's an absolutely bizarre sort of reasoning, to use that term equivocally myself, but it's exactly what Klinghoffer proposes. Any sort of ignorant faith in things unseen and unevidenced will do for his purposes. This is the biggest and blackest tent of them all, and by accepting such things into it, Klinghoffer reveals to us the basis of all that he advocates as a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute. A statue of him should be erected at the front door of their offices, much like the Statue of Liberty. This statue would similarly hold a torch aloft, though it would have no flame upon it and the inscription upon the monument would read<blockquote>Give me your ignorant, your superstitious,<br />Your huddled masses yearning to breathe nonsense,<br />The innumerate refuse of your teeming shore.<br />Send these, the credulous, mistaken to me,<br />I lift my lump beside the night-dark tent flap!</blockquote>The irony that someone who would himself engage in an archaic ritual in which the genitals of eight day old boys are cut up to mark a covenant with a deity, followed by hanging a magical talisman whose origins he does not know and is incurious enough not to bother investigating, arguing that naturalism is "bias" because it doesn't leave room for ghosts and demons, is rich and thick, indeed. That he accepts the "graceful dodge" of a holy man at its word and then denounces empiricism is laughable. This is the very stuff from which Dark Ages have always been made, no different from the taboos regarding treading in the shadows of ancient Egyptian priests or burning incense for the pleasure of the <a href="http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/l/lares.html" target="_blank">lares</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manes" target="_blank">manes</a>. This is the very meat of the Disenlightenment served upon a darkly glittering platter of intellectual misdirection and garnished lovingly with something scraped from the bottom of a boot that has just come in from the cow pasture. For someone like Klinghoffer, the world can never be demon-haunted enough. Why else hang talismans warding off <a href="http://www.deliriumsrealm.com/delirium/articleview.asp?Post=177" target="_blank">Lilith</a> around one's home?Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-77381016781698213512008-12-08T05:09:00.004-05:002008-12-08T05:22:55.720-05:00Personal Computer Turns 40<a href="http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html" target="_blank"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FIa4KXnbEcRHEIUT2HJed32ds_XZGQKseKf_b3U3cr2EWNKGrPWYrojjaHZUmkOD9pyNDQyOqHqmPiJ7Rg3KoL4kaKwIbbnoEgCGQwQ_8n8vWfuPLnQ7oy6IFyc6mCLCrWdxSkwZAek/s200/first+pc.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277361726829870946" /></a>It was 40 years ago tomorrow that the very <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/07/MN1714IRRA.DTL" target="_blank">first personal computer was demonstrated</a> by Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute. SRI's PC already had a few familiar accouterments, including a keyboard and mouse. Who decided to call it that? Nobody knows. Even a very primitive form of the Internet already existed, documents could be hyperlinked, and the computer had something vaguely like windows.<br /><br />People watching the demo — all 1,000 of them — were blown away by the proto-PC. It was the smallest computer they'd ever seen and it didn't use punchcards. It could even edit text.<br /><br />40 years ago, this was big stuff. To celebrate, I'm going to stuff a cupcake into my CD drive today and click "burn." These things can eat now, right?<br /><br />You can view silent black-and-white video taken from original film of the first PC demo <a href="http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html#complete" target="_blank">here</a>. It's too bad that there's no sound, though. If there were, you could hear the guy at the back of the auditorium shouting, "Now I can haz cheezburger!"Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-7282990836432515772008-12-06T09:50:00.001-05:002008-12-06T09:57:40.295-05:00Forrest Ackerman Gone for the Moment: He'll Be BackThe man who coined the term "sci-fi," who likely did more than anyone else to popularize horror and sci-fi cinema, and who long ago inspired a certain Mad Mycologist to a lifelong love of all things weird on celluloid, videotape and paper, has passed away at age 92.<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-ackerman6-2008dec06,0,3646064.story" target="_blank">Forrest J Ackerman, writer-editor who coined 'sci-fi,' dies at 92</a></b></font><br /><br />Forrest J Ackerman, who influenced a generation of young horror-movie fans with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and spent a lifetime amassing what has been called the world's largest personal collection of science-fiction and fantasy memorabilia, has died. He was 92.<br /><br />Ackerman, a writer, editor and literary agent who has been credited with coining the term "sci-fi" in the 1950s, died Thursday of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, said John Sasser, a friend who is making a documentary on Ackerman...</blockquote><a href="http://www.mad-monsters.com/Magazines/Famous-Monsters/images/fm023.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 183px;" src="http://www.mad-monsters.com/Magazines/Famous-Monsters/images/fm023.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As readers of this blog know, I <i>love</i> horror flicks. I've been a fan all my life, and Ackerman is one reason that's so. When I was but a little gore-pup, at the age of no more than 5 or 6, I used to visit a local newsstand near my grandparents' home in Brooklyn every month to get the latest issues of <a href="http://www.pixeltube.com/wmc/sindex.html" target="_blank">Warren Publishing's <i>Creepy</i> and <i>Eerie</i> magazines</a>. One day, I noticed another magazine on the same rack. It was Ackerman's <i><a href="http://www.famousmonsters.com/" target="_blank">Famous Monsters of Filmland</a></i>, and I was hooked. I read that magazine for years. I might not be the gorehound I am today were it not for Ackerman's successful effort to warp my young mind.<br /><br />In fact, horror cinema would probably be very different were it not for Ackerman being right there as the genre blossomed in the drive-ins of the 1950's and 60's. I wonder if there would be a <a href="http://www.troma.com/" target="_blank">Troma</a> today, for example, if not for Forrest J. Ackerman.<br /><br />Not to worry, horror fans. Ackerman will be back shortly... no doubt as a 50' tall zombie with glowing purple eyes and tentacles for arms. If anyone could ever do it, it'd be Forry.<br /><br />And when that happens, boils and ghouls, only the grateful shall be spared. So, thanks, Mr. Ackerman, for doing all you did — and will no doubt keep right on doing — to make me into the freak I am today. I truly appreciate it.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-58990603376559153402008-12-06T08:47:00.002-05:002008-12-06T09:07:24.914-05:00Godless Sign Found in Washington: True-Believers Say Dumb Things in the MeantimeThe sign placed by the Freedom from Religion Foundation in the state capitol building in Olympia, Washington and then stolen — possibly at the behest of notable falafel enthusiast Bill "Would You Look at the Size of That Head" O'Reilly — has been returned. It was dropped off at Seattle radio station KMPS by an unidentified man, received by receptionist Rose Gumpe and passed to DJ Ichabod Caine. It's now being used as <a href="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/web/kmps%20promotion%20screen%20capture%20120608.jpg" target="_blank">promotional material</a> by the radio station for Caine. KOMO-TV news in Seattle has the story:<br /><br /><center><embed id="flashFile" height="278" width="320" flashvars="autoplay=no&playlistxml=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.katu.com%2Fhome%2Fplaylist%2F%3Fvid%3D35634964%26ref%3D%2Fnews%2Flocal%26vhi%3DY%26exthi%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fkatu.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3161%2F2008%2F12%2F05%2Fdepository.shadowtv.net%2Fmedia%2F259%2F2008%2F340%2F14%2F16628_259_20081205_143354_150.flv%26skipthumb%3DY%26codec%3Dflv%26gafv%3Dy&bimEmbed=false&omnitureDomain=katu.com&mediadomain=media.katu.com&videoId=35634964" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" name="flashFile" style="" src="http://media.katu.com/designvideo/bimMain11-07.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/></embed></center><br />According to local police in Washington:<blockquote>State Patrol Sgt. Ted DeHart said the billboard was still on display Thursday evening when the Capitol rotunda building was shut down.<br /><br />He said there would be no way someone not authorized to be inside could get in the building after it's closed at 6 p.m...<p align="right">— <a href="http://www.katu.com/news/local/35634964.html" target="_blank">Source</a></p></blockquote>So it looks very much like an inside job, as it were.<br /><br />It's worth noting that <a href="http://www.kmps.com/" target="_blank">KMPS is a country music station</a>, speaking perhaps to a conservative demographic in terms of its listeners (and <a href="http://www.kmps.com/pages/439847.php" target="_blank">recent guests</a> on Caine's show have included Dinesh D'Souza). Caine had been discussing the sign on his show since it went up, although he denies any responsibility in terms of its theft. It may explain, at least, why the sign was dropped off at the station.<br /><br />Personally, I think this event is yet another example of the "religion does not make people moral" principle. The situation is that religious groups were allowed to place displays on government property, and as both Governor Chris Gregoire and Attorney General Rob McKenna explain in a bipartisan joint statement,<blockquote>The U.S. Supreme Court has been consistent and clear that, under the Constitution's First Amendment, once government admits one religious display or viewpoint onto public property, it may not discriminate against the content of other displays, including the viewpoints of nonbelievers.</blockquote>That someone, or even some group of people, found the sign objectionable is not the point. The FFRF had the right to place their sign in the Capitol because other groups were allowed to advertise religion-related messages. There is nothing special about it being a couple of weeks before a holiday held in particular esteem by one such group; the same rights and responsibilities still apply, and unauthorized removal of the sign constitutes theft as it would during any other time of the year. A crime was committed, and the motivation for that crime being religious or political makes no difference at all. It is exactly the same crime that would have been committed if someone who agreed with the FFRF had swiped a baby Jesus mannequin from a creche.<br /><br />Caine, for his part, misses a subtle but important point in the interview recorded above. He states that the sign is "negative speech." He's right in that, of course. The sign is making a manifestly negative statement about religion, as it was intended to do. However, any religious display, and in fact nearly every religion, makes an intrinsically negative statement about all other religions (or the absence thereof). Each maintains that it is the correct one and that others are, therefore, incorrect. The Christian religion teaches that belief in the divine nature of Jesus is necessary to gain a reward in the afterlife and "blessings" in this life, and that there is no other way. That's an essentially negative statement about any religion that doesn't include this belief and the accompanying obeisances. Islam says the same thing about the status of Mohamed as a prophet. In fact, both Christianity and Islam were formulated precisely as negative statements against what was perceived at the time as corruption within the existent religions from which they stemmed (Christianity regarding Judaism, Islam regarding both Judaism and Christianity). This isn't even touching on polytheistic religions. To say, then, that beliefs are to be inherently respected or should go unchallenged by negative statements about them runs precisely counter to why those beliefs were formulated into codified religions in the first place. A Christmas display, a menorah... it doesn't matter. None of them make only a positive statement of belief, they also make a negative statement about other beliefs. If they didn't, they would be meaningless. The FFRF's sign was more explicit in it's statement of non-belief, and that non-belief was about the very supernaturalism upon which religions are based. One God is, after all, just one more than none.<br /><br />That true-believers realize all of this at some level is exemplified by another sign put up in the State Capitol by <a href="http://www.abchurch.org/our-staff/the-senior-pastor.html" target="_blank">Ken Hutcherson</a>, former NFL player and Tim LaHaye/Rush Limbaugh disciple and present senior pastor at the <a href="http://www.abchurch.org/what-we-believe/philosophy-statement.html" target="_blank">Antioch Bible Church</a>:<blockquote>The controversy over the anti-religion sign prompted Rev. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of the Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, to post a pro-religion sign about 15 feet from where the athiest sign was located.<br /><br />It reads: "There is one God. There is one Devil. There are angels, a heaven and hell. There is more than our natural world. Atheism is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."<p align="right">— <a href="http://www.katu.com/news/local/35634964.html" target="_blank">Source</a></p></blockquote>To make such a statement, Hutcherson first has to know in some way what the basis of the FFRF's sign was and how it ties into the state-sponsored religious debate that has been opened up in the capitol building. Of course, stating that a non-belief can be superstition or myth — both of which categories are entirely based on positive beliefs — is stupidity, duplicity, or both. If Hutcherson himself weren't part of the effort of one religion to make negative statements about others, moreover, his church would not have the following as elements of their <a href="http://www.abchurch.org/what-we-believe/doctrinal-statement.html" target="_blank">doctrinal statement</a>:<blockquote>We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed..<h6>In other words, all beliefs other than ours are wrong. This is "negative speech.</h6>We believe that man was created in the image of likeness of God, but that through Adam's sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man is totally depraved, and of himself utterably unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26,27; Romans 3:22,23, 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).<br /><br />We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ...<h6>This, of course, means that anyone who doesn't hold these beliefs is "fallen" and not "redeemed." It's a negative statement couched in a positive assertion</h6></blockquote>The sign may be back, but the episode points out that there is a growing connection between the right to free expression and the holding of a particular set of beliefs in a worryingly substantial portion of the American populace. In Washington, this connection found expression in the theft of the sign by an as-yet-unidentified (and likely to remain unidentified, unless he seeks publicity) culprit with very specific motives. <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/11/rancho-cucamonga-censors-atheist.html" target="_blank">In California</a>, it was a local official who brought pressure to bear for the removal of a statement of non-belief after calls from a few religious residents. Statements that challenge religion are seen as things to be excepted from free speech.<br /><br />When and if that happens, the true-believers can fight it out amongst themselves whose statements of <i>belief</i> are allowable and whose aren't. After all, ask a religious Jew what he/she thinks about the divinity of Jesus and he's going to make a negative statement in all likelihood. If statements about the non-existence of God aren't protected, then why should we expect that statements about the non-divinity or non-existence of Jesus would be? And after they get that hashed out, maybe they can have a boxing match to decide whether the denial of papal infallibility and the central importance of the Vatican by Protestants should be protected or not.<br /><br />Given the time, I'm sure that believers like Hutcherson can ultimately figure out exactly which speech and which religions are guaranteed freedom... and which aren't.<br /><br />Oddly, enough, the FFRF sign never mentions any such things and no atheists I know of have suggested that the negative statements about reason and logic made by the religious should be considered blasphemous and so not protected speech. You can't have blasphemy without the belief to blaspheme in the first place. Without the superstition, there can be no violation... which would throw a bit of a kink into Hutcherson's very silly sign if he only hadn't gotten a few concussions back when he played football.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-71786420045107923772008-12-06T06:50:00.001-05:002008-12-06T06:53:54.364-05:00Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers: BOOM!There's another Wal-Mart going up on what used to be the site of a US Steel plant between Route 146 and the Blackstone River here in Worcester. Construction ran into a little snag yesterday, though, when three unexploded 8" shells were found buried there:<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://www.telegram.com/article/20081206/NEWS/812060354/1116" target="_blank">Artillery shells found buried</a></font><br /><br />By Steven H. Foskett Jr.</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyTrdhBASRvgKwOH7ENnmR_gaP1QsTeUSof5Drpi7BsAmNrU0z68Xnjvyb_6rBzvIn0SlqUyeU-u8dx7nrKbVkyCeoy054Oje5jW_NlC-W6EhAlNhFBAO7UVFbrfJxQ23tTHuRXhPoSA/s1600-h/walmart+shell.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 77px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyTrdhBASRvgKwOH7ENnmR_gaP1QsTeUSof5Drpi7BsAmNrU0z68Xnjvyb_6rBzvIn0SlqUyeU-u8dx7nrKbVkyCeoy054Oje5jW_NlC-W6EhAlNhFBAO7UVFbrfJxQ23tTHuRXhPoSA/s200/walmart+shell.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276642794911200802" /></a>Explosives experts and local fire and police personnel spent several hours yesterday trying to figure out what to do with old artillery shells found by construction workers on the site of the former U.S. Steel complex on Tobias Boland Way.<br /><br />A state police bomb squad spent most of the afternoon and early evening on the vast construction site, which is slated to become a Wal-Mart retail store...<br /><br />"It appears to be old ordnance," District Fire Chief Ronald Fritz said. "There were a couple of eight-inch shells, about 16 inches tall. They've been there for years."<br /><br />He said the state bomb squad was called in, and said they were trying to determine what to do with the ordnance — take it somewhere, or detonate it on site...</blockquote>Here's my suggestion: leave the shells where they are. Wal-Mart's effects on a community are often worse than a couple of small explosive devices going off and we've already got several superstores in the area. Besides, wouldn't it be just a little bit more exciting to shop at Wal-Mart if you knew that doing so could result in grievous bodily harm at any moment? I haven't heard that the Valley Stream, NY superstore is closing down just because of a few <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/11/die-for-wal-mart-christmas-spirit-in.html" target="_blank">tramplings</a>. Why should a couple of old artillery shells be bad for business in Worcester?Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-34390074146301921012008-12-06T05:57:00.005-05:002008-12-06T06:14:06.752-05:00The Bay Area Fungus Fair Starts Today!It's hard to believe that another year has flown by, but it's once again time for the Mycological Society of San Francisco's annual Bay Area Fungus Fair at the Oakland Museum of California. <a href="http://events.sfgate.com/oakland-ca/events/show/85597889-fungus-fair" target="_blank">The <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i>'s description of the event</a> contains a line that probably comes closest to my own sentiments about it:<blockquote>Wake up and smell the spores, people! It's finally, finally, finally time again for the unutterably fabulous Bay Area Fungus Fair...</blockquote>The fair starts <b>today</b> and only runs through the weekend. This is the event that turned me into a mycologist; it marks a kind of anniversary for me. I wish I could be there this year!<br /><br />More information on the Bay Area Fungus Fair can be had at the <a href="http://www.museumca.org/exhibit/exhi_fungus_08.html" target="_blank">Oakland Museum of California's website</a>:<blockquote>December 6-7, 2008<br />Fungus & Fire<br />39th Annual Fungus Fair<br /><br />After a forest fire, what is the first sign of life?<br /><br />Fungi. Their tiny root-like fibers appear on the charred forest floor and begin to break down debris and release nutrients into the soil. This age-old process is crucial to soil restoration and the forest's revival.<br /><br />Learn about the noble lives of mushrooms at the museum's annual Fungus Fair—Fungus & Fire, Saturday, Dec 6 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) and Sunday, Dec 7 (12-5 p.m.). The fair explores the role of fungi and mushrooms in the aftermath of California's devastating forest fires...</blockquote>If you're within 100 miles of Oakland, CA and you've never been to this event before, today's a great day to check it out for the first time. I've been around a few fungi, but the Bay Area Fungus Fair is the premier event for those who want to check out and learn about the incredibly diversity, beauty and even downright weirdness of one of this most unusual kingdom.<br /><br />The Oakland Museum of California is located at 1000 Oak Street, the corner of 10<sup>th</sup>. <a href="http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Oakland&state=CA&address=1000+Oak+Street" target="_blank">Here's a map</a>.<br /><br />Are you in the car yet?Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-48651944651739229112008-12-04T07:47:00.001-05:002008-12-04T07:51:02.771-05:00Prop 8 the Musical: Filled with Win<center><object width="464" height="388" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="key=c0cf508ff8" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed width="464" height="388" flashvars="key=c0cf508ff8" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" src="http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><div style="text-align:center;width: 464px;"><font size=2>See more <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/jackblack" target="_blank">Jack Black</a> videos at Funny or Die</font></div></center><br />Of course, <a href="http://rapturealert.blogspot.com/2008/12/hollywoods-hatred-of-christianity.html" target="_blank">there are those who disagree and think the video is full of.... SATAN!</a><blockquote>...Our world is becoming increasingly consistent in its hatred of Christians and more and more prepared to receive God's judgment for its open rebellion against His commands. Soon, I fear for the lost, the festive singing and musical blasphemy embedded below is going to be over for them.<br /><br />The Bible makes it clear - and in no uncertain terms - that when the world becomes as it was when Lot lived in Sodom, God is going to shake this world like a sapling in a hurricane...<br /><br />It's coming around! It's coming around as clear as crystal, isn't it?<br /><br />...It's a Satan thing, you know?</blockquote>Gee, and I thought these folks <i>wanted</i> the son o'Jehovah to hurry back.<br /><br />OOGA BOOGA! Satan Satan Satan Satan! The tooth fairy is coming to judge the living and the dead and yank out the fillings of all the bad little boys and girls and toss them into your War on Christmas stockings!Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-21380651324392498632008-12-04T07:02:00.001-05:002008-12-04T07:07:38.149-05:00Darwin Bicentennial Celebrations at Florida State UniversityThings sure have changed at my alma mater, Florida State University, since I graduated. A couple of years ago, there were no Darwin Day events and it fell to a small student organization of which I was a member to put together the first one. It was a very small affair with no sponsorships from either the university itself or the local community. We couldn't even get indoor space on campus to stage the thing.<br /><br />Now look at everything that's going on for 2009!<br /><br /><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 550px; height: 267px;" src="http://origins.fsu.edu/images/originslogoBIG.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><ul><li><font color=#0036A7>March 17</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/harrison.shtml" target="_blank">Peter Harrison; Professor of Science and Religion, Oxford</a></font><br /> <b>The Origins of the Conflict Between Science and Religion</b><br /> <br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 18</font><br /> <font size=3> <a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/mormino.shtml" target="_blank">Gary Mormino; Professor of History, U. South Florida</font></a> <br /><b>The Origins of Modern Florida: From Swamp to Swamped</b><br /><br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 19</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/carroll.shtml" target="_blank">Sean B. Carroll; Professor of Biological Science, U. Wisconsin-Madison</a></font><br /> <b>Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species</b><br /> <br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 20</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/randall.shtml" target="_blank">Lisa Randall; Professor of Physics, Harvard University</a></font><br /> <b>The Origins of the Universe</b><br /><br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 21</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/fair.shtml" target="_blank">Science & Arts Fair Special Feature: The Florida Book Award Winners Showcase</a></font><br /> <b>An all-day celebration with special exhibits and fun events for all ages!</b><br /> <br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 24</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/screenings.shtml" target="_blank">Screenings Feature: <i>Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus </i>(2006)</a></font><br /> <b>More films and times: TBA</b><br /><br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 25</font><br /> <font size=3>Eugenie Scott; Executive Director, National Center for Science Education</font><br /> <b>The Origins of the Great American Creation Science/Evolution Debate</b><br /> <br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 26</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/numbers.shtml" target="_blank">Ron Numbers; Professor of the History of Science, Medicine and Religion in America at the University of Wisconsin-Madison</a></font><br /> <b>The Evolution of Creationism in America</b><br /><br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 27</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/johanson.shtml" target="_blank">Don Johanson; Professor of Anthropology, Arizona State University</a></font><br /> <b>The Origins of Human Development</b><br /> <br /><li><font color=#0036A7>March 28</font><br /> <font size=3><a href="http://origins.fsu.edu/schedule/barnhart.shtml" target="_blank">Scotty Barnhart & Friends; Professor of Jazz Trumpet, FSU</a></font><br /> <b>The Origins of Jazz: A Tribute to the Evolution of America's Own Musical Art Form</b><br /></ul><br />I'm not sure why all this is going on in March instead of February, but at least it's happening down there in North Florida! It's a far cry from that first event in 2007:<br /><br /><center><object width="340" height="285"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q_RtAeRWInU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q_RtAeRWInU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="285"></embed></object></center>Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-7176369182945857302008-12-03T22:29:00.000-05:002008-12-03T22:29:00.342-05:00Exorcism in Texas: American Kindoki Kills Another ChildThere's been yet another exorcism-related death in the US. This time it's in Henderson, Texas where a couple of 18 year old parents beat their 13 month old child to death with a hammer and possibly several other blunt instruments in an attempt to "drive the demons out." Oh, and they bit her at least 20 times, too.<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081203/NEWS01/812030289/0/FRONTPAGE" target="_blank">Couple Bit Child More Than 20 Times in Fatal Exorcism</a></font><br /><br />by Kenneth Dean</b><br /><br />They claim they were trying to drive the demons out of the 13-month-old, but law enforcement officers say the bottom line is a Rusk County couple bludgeoned the little girl to death with a hammer and other objects and bit her more than 20 times in the most grotesque murder the seasoned officers can remember.<br /><br />Blaine Keith Milam, 19 and Jesseca Bain Carson, 18, both of Henderson, remain jailed on $2 million bonds each. They are charged with capital murder for the Tuesday morning death of Carson's daughter Amora Bain Carson...<br /><br />"They had multiple stories they went through before they told us they had beaten the child to death," he said. "It is their version of the truth."<br /><br />Humber said the couple then told deputies the child was possessed and they were trying to rid her of demons.<br /><br />An arrest affidavit states Milam performed an exorcism of the demons possessing their child. The affidavit continues to state after Milam killed the child with Carson looking on the couple "drove to Henderson to pawn some items to pay for an exorcism."<br /><br />Officials said Milam and Carson told detectives they decided to hire a priest after the exorcism went badly...</blockquote>Milam also has a previous criminal record of assault on a child and domestic violence.<br /><br />This is no different from the kindoki mass panic going on in <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/12/kindoki-exorcism-and-abuse-in-africa.html" target="_blank">Africa</a>. It's not even that uncommon that forceful exorcisms occur in <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/07/texas-exorcism-case-may-go-to-supreme.html" target="_blank">Texas</a>, a state whose Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/06/witch-trials-and-exorcism-get-green.html" target="_blank">churches can't be sued</a> for conducting these barbaric rituals. How many more children are going to <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/06/man-beats-infant-to-death-demons-were.html" target="_blank">die as the result of a parent believing in demonic possession</a>? Children are being beaten to death, <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2007/07/strangle-your-daughter-for-jesus.html" target="_blank">strangled</a>, and <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2007/06/of-demonic-possession-and-infanticide.html" target="_blank">stabbed</a>. Rather than try to stop it, organized churches — the Catholic church in particular, but by no means only the Catholic church — continue to propagate the superstitious belief in evil spirits, adding only the caveat that <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/06/prominent-british-witch-doctor-warns-of.html" target="_blank">only their clergymen</a> are qualified to perform the gibberish rites to remove the nonexistent spirits.<br /><br />Until religious officials stand up and admit that all their bullshit about possession and demons is exactly that, this is going to keep on happening. It will happen again and again and again so long as Evangelicals put forth their deliverance ministries and the Vatican trains exorcists and religions keep telling people that they can be possessed.<br /><br />It's a lie. It's a fairy tale. It's fraud. Every pastor, every priest, every one of them, is complicit in these deaths. If not for them, the very circumstances that fosters this insanity would ultimately cease to exist. That should have happened centuries ago.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-38219336745096368222008-12-03T17:32:00.001-05:002008-12-03T17:35:29.582-05:00Who's Healthy: America's Health Rankings 2008 Issued by United Health FoundationUnited Health Foundation has just released its 2008 <a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/index.html" target="_blank">America's Health Rankings</a>. The report considers a number of <a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/components.html" target="_blank">components</a> the UHF considers important to public health, <a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/methodology.html" target="_blank">analyzes</a> their availability compared to a national mean on a state-by-state basis, and then ranks each state according to its overall score.<br /><br />The overall result is shown in the following chart, listing the states from healthiest to least healthy according to the study's metrics:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/results.html#Table1" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 650px; height: 600px;" src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/web/state%20health%20rank%202008.jpg" border="0" alt="Adapted from United Health Foundation's 2008 America's Health Rankings report" /></a><br />I won't get into the minutia of everything that went into these calculations. If you're interested in them, all the information you could possibly need <a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/index.html" target="_blank">is available via the UHF</a>.<br /><br />It's also interesting to check out the <a href="http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/glance.html" target="_blank">Nation at a Glance clickable map</a>. There, you can click a state to get a brief list of strengths and challenges as well as a snapshot that gives considerably more detail of trends in the state.<br /><br />A few particulars leap right out, though. With the exception of Nevada (#42), the bottom 10 states in terms of overall health are all southern states. Five of the top ten (Vermont #1, New Hampshire #3, Massachusetts #6, Connecticut #7 and Maine #9) are in New England. In fact, the only New England state not in the top 10 is Rhode Island, which comes in at #11. No southern state made the top 10; the highest ranked among those is Virginia at #20. In fact, it's the only state in the southeast that comes in above the national average, to which Arizona comes closest.<br /><br />According to the report, Massachusett's biggest overall public health challenge is binge drinking. Louisiana, at the bottom of the list, has low binge drinking as one of its strengths. This reveals a personal bias of mine; because of Mardi Gras, I always connect Louisiana with drinking, so it's a surprise to learn that its more of a problem here than there.<br /><br />I also can't help thinking back to the Pew Religious Landscape Survey (I blogged about it <a href="http://vyoma108.blogspot.com/2008/06/religion-in-america-massachusetts-among.html" target="_blank">here</a>). It's interesting to note that the most religious states are also the ones that come in at the bottom of the UHF's health ranking and the least religious come out near the top. Mississippi, for instance, was the most religious state of all according to Pew's metrics and according to UHF ranks #49 out of 50 in terms of public health (it ranked dead last in 2007, but Louisiana has now surpassed it). This is correlation and doesn't demonstrate that poor public health increases religious sentiments, nor vice versa, but the correlation is unmistakable overall (Utah in particular bucks the trend, however). I suspect that there may well be a factor common to both religious fervor (e.g. fundamentalist tendencies) and poor health when it comes to the bigger public health picture. Perhaps poverty, for instance, and/or lack of access to good education might be a contributing factor in the correlated results of both studies.<br /><br />In any case, the Health Rankings report is interesting to poke about in. Enjoy.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-60216158216548736192008-12-03T07:52:00.000-05:002008-12-03T07:52:28.663-05:00Kindoki: Exorcism and Abuse in Africa, America and the UKA new vocabulary word for non-African readers today: <i>kindoki</i>. That word embodies the belief now prevalent in many parts of Subsaharan Africa that children are demon-possessed witches. It's a pernicious idea being spread by Pentecostal Christian preachers that is resulting in a crisis for African children who, when accused of <i>kindoki</i>, find themselves abandoned by their families and sent to religious camps to be exorcised. The practices associated with this are horrible and a direct consequence of a religious fervor stoked by the preachers for their own benefit at the expense of children and families in countries like Congo, Angola and Nigeria.<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://www.tribune.com.ng/02122008/opinion.html" target="_blank">Persecuting the African child</a></font><br /><br />by Olusegun Fakoya, <i>Nigerian Tribune</i></b><br /><br />Africa abounds with various forms of child abuses, arising mostly from prevalent poverty and ignorance. This notwithstanding, the paramount role of the child in the African setting has never been in question. However, the traditional African belief and attitude to children has been successfully fractured by those who have deliberately perverted traditional belief and infused it with a distorted dose of Christianity...<br /><br />...In the Congo Republic, a surprising number of children are accused of being witches, and thereafter, beaten, abused or abandoned. Child advocates estimate that thousands of children living in the streets of Kinshasa, Congo's capital, have been accused of witchcraft and cast out by their families, often as a rationale for not having to feed or care for them. There are over 50,000 homeless children on the streets of that lawless city...<br /><br />...a shockingly high proportion of these children are on the streets because of the mushrooming influence of the new revivalist churches who have comfortably carved a commercial niche for themselves in the business of "child kindoki"... In 2006, Congo's Social Affairs minister, Bernard Ndjunga, estimated that as much as 50,000 children might just be illegally detained by churches specialising in the removal of kindoki...<br /><br />...Congolese pastors invaded Angola, bringing with them the message of kindoki and further destabilization of an already fractured society. In 2006, it was officially estimated that one northern Angolan town had over 400 abandoned and abused children stigmatised as witches... it was easy for the notion of child witches or kindoki to gain a firm foothold in Angola as in many other African nations, as one of the key African beliefs is that of the potency of witchcraft. It is commonly believed that witches can communicate with the world of the dead or other such supernatural plane, and usurp or "eat" the life force of others, bringing their victims misfortune, illness and death. Adult witches are said to bewitch children by giving them food and then using them to achieve their nefarious goals by bringing misfortunes to their families, causing illness, bad luck and death. In retaliation, gory tales abound of the atrocities committed against children in the fight back against child witches. Two cases were particularly significant. A mother blinded her 14-year- old daughter with bleach in an attempt to rid her of evil visions, while a father injected battery acid into his 12-year- old son's stomach because he feared the boy was a wizard...<br /><br />One of the notable propagators of kindoki in Congo DR is <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/575178.stm" target="_blank">Prophet Onokoko</a> who as at 1999, had over 230 children on his book, all accused of witchcraft. He employed what he termed "vomit up the devil system" to exorcise children of kindoki. This is the regurgitation of strange objects after these kids have been forcefully made to drink bizarre concoctions. There are other sects involved in these unwholesome practices in Congo, chief amongst which is the <a href="http://www.megaphone.ch/joseph/josephmonde.html" target="_blank">Combat Spirituel Church</a> with its headquarters in Kinshasa and numerous branches all over the country and outside, United Kingdom inclusive <i>[NOTE: this same church does have a US branch in North Carolina]</i> ...<br /><br />...the current situation in Akwa Ibom State and other parts of the Niger Delta remains a shame. For as long as it is allowed to continue, it remains a stigma on Nigeria. For as long as it flourishes without restraint, for so long will it remain a blur on the conscience of the <a href="http://www.canonline.org.ng/aboutus.html" target="_blank">Christian Association of Nigeria</a> and all those who at daggers drawn in defence of the impeccability of modern-day Pentecostalism. For as long as this unchecked instances of child abuse reign in Nigeria, for so long will men and women of good will and clear conscience the world over, continue to confront the problems created by a nation that has allowed its territory to become a nightmare for innocent children...<br /><br />...The United Kingdom abounds with Nigerian-oriented churches practising the Nigerian version of Pentecostalism with its prejudices and notable flaws. This is said with reference to the unwholesome impact of non-Nigerian sects like that of <a href="http://www.deyaministries.com/" target="_blank">Pastor Gilbert Deya</a> and so many others from the African continent. In essence, Britain remains like a microcosm of Africa with our blemishes and impurities fully represented. The practice of kindoki is strongly rooted in the Congolese communities in the United Kingdom. Cases abound where parents have attributed ill luck in the UK to kindoki in their children. Often times, such children have been returned to the Congo for exorcism, some not to be seen again...<br /><br />Governments of the world need to come together in action and in deeds to tackle the menace posed by the phenomenon of kindoki or child witches. Africa as a continent can only become further impoverished by the sustenance of this retrogressive practice. In this age and time, what Africa needs is not the concept of child witches but technological advancement, economic, social and political emancipation. Africa needs enlightenment and not the concept of child witches...</blockquote>Here in the US, of course, we've already seen one political candidate who almost certainly buys into <i>kindoki</i> and stood on stage with an African religious figure, Thomas Muthee, to get his protection against it:<br /><br /><center><object width="350" height="287"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iwkb9_zB2Pg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iwkb9_zB2Pg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="350" height="287"></embed></object></center><br />The ignorance isn't confined to economically and socially struggling African countries; we've got our own child exorcisms in the United States. There's more than enough superstitious, ignorant nonsense to go around and we've certainly got our share here in the states.<blockquote>...Maxwell, pastor of <a href="http://www.sos-nar.com/" target="_blank">The Theatre Church</a>, The <a href="http://www.swordofthespirit.net/" target="_blank">Sword of the Spirit Christian Church Ministries</a>, a Bible-based ministry, performs what is known in charismatic Christianity as deliverance ministry, in which people are not possessed, but feel they are oppressed, controlled or influenced by evil spirits or forces...<br /><br />...In more than 40 years of ministry, Maxwell said he has cast evil spirits out of more than 250 people, and many more still seek his help...<br /><br />Deliverance and exorcisms have seemingly increased during the past 30 years due to the growth of cults, satanic masses and the worship of and interest in witchcraft, said the Rev. John Wassell, a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark. "The lessening of Christian culture and the interest in other spiritual cultures have increased these problems," Wassell said. In the Catholic Church, deliverance ministries are also offered. "The church does everything to rule out possible psychological problems," the priest noted...<p align="right">— Source: <a href="http://www.montclairtimes.com/NC/0/979.html" target="_blank">Dealing with Demons</a>, <i>The Montclair (New Jersey) Times</i>, Nov. 13, 2008</p></blockquote><a href="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Graphics/exorcism.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 111px;" src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Graphics/exorcism.jpg" border="0" alt="Satan: As real as it gets." /></a><i>Kindoki</i> is <i>kindoki</i> is <i>kindoki</i>, and whether we call the reaction to it exorcism or deliverance ministry makes no difference. That there still exist institutions that teach true-believers that evil spirits are real, that they somehow take control of and manipulate real people, and that only supernatural means can combat them is the point. It's tempting to look at what's happening in Africa and say to ourselves something about those backwards people way over on the other side of the world, but what then do we say about people like Sarah Palin and Elbert Maxwell and John Wassell, not to mention the millions upon millions of Americans who believe in this stuff?<br /><br />We should make no room in this world for this fear. All people are entitled to live their lives with a degree of knowledge sufficient to understand that <b>there are no evil spirits</b> and, for that matter, no spirits at all except in the metaphorical sense. All the evil in the world is done by human beings to human beings at their own discretion, not because some devil is whispering into their ears or guiding their hands. Until we arrive at that point, there will always be periods of history in which the belief in superstition eclipses reason to the extent that what amounts to torture, slavery and murder seem justified as means of combating the forces of darkness and so become the real forces of darkness, all-too-real evils that afflict nations from India to the UK to Nigeria to America.<br /><br />Every time a purveyor of satanic hocus-pocus takes a stage, any stage at all, he or she should be shouted down in derision. We have got to cast off these fictions, whether they are espoused by a candidate for political office, a Catholic church official or an African Pentecostal child abuser. These beliefs are due <b>no</b> respect. They're poison and should be treated like toxic waste left over from a dark age — because that's all they are.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-52065109935834148342008-12-03T05:29:00.005-05:002008-12-03T06:08:38.208-05:00Romania Drops Evolution from Education, Substitutes ReligionRomania has decided to duck behind an Iron Age curtain. The nation's schools have stopped teaching evolutionary biology and instead requires students to attend compulsory religious instruction classes. Previously, students were taught about evolution at age 18 or 19, in itself an entirely inadequate requirement if they are expected to understand biology.<blockquote><font size=5><b><a href="http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/4652/46/" target="_blank">Romania removes theory of evolution from school curriculum</a></b></font><br /><br />Romania's withdrawal of the theory of evolution from the school curriculum could be evidence of a growing conservative tendency in teaching. Evolution has been removed from the school curriculum in a move which, pressure groups argue, distorts children's understanding of how the world came into being.<br /><br />Meanwhile, religious studies classes continue to tell Romanian children that God made the world in seven days.<br /><br />The theory of the Origin of Species and the evolution of humans is no longer present in the compulsory curriculum, through a nationwide decision made under the previous Government in 2006. Before the change, Darwin's theory was taught to pupils aged 18 or 19 years old...<br /><br />Meanwhile, in religious classes, pupils are taught that the world was created in seven days and God made plants on the third day and the sun on the fourth. Textbooks claim the first man was Adam, who was 'made of ground', and that Eve, the first woman, was made from one of her husband's ribs.<br /><br />"The Romanian state, whether it intends or not, offers pupils a unique perspective on the world, the religious one, without any critical scientific or philosophical offset," argues [Remus Cernea, president of Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience]...<br /><br />Biology has been cut from two hours to one of teaching per week for the final two years in many high schools...<br /><br />"Kids find out what really happened from the Discovery channel," she adds. "They don't really believe the world was made in six days. Well, I hope they don't..."<br /><br />At present, children are taught religious classes from ages seven to 18. This is mostly an Orthodox curriculum. They are also taught that to sleep in on Sunday mornings is bad because children should be going to church.<br /><br />"It's not being taught about religion and what it means," said one headmistress. If a parent wants their child not to attend the classes, because they are, for example, Jewish, Muslim or agnostic, he or she has to draft a letter to the school. The child then sits in a library or the head teacher's office working on, say, maths or languages.<br /><br />But there are new proposals to make all religious classes compulsory for the education system, regardless of the parents' wishes. All children who do not want to attend Religion classes would attend a Moral and Religious Education class...</blockquote>At last, the world has its Creationist, anti-science, anti-intellectual paradise. The "academic freedom" crowd should be most pleased; unfettered by church-state separation, the educational systems of places like Florida, Texas and Kentucky would look quite like that of Romania.<br /><br />Perhaps the decision by Romania's government to turn that nation into a citadel of the Disenlightenment should be encouraged. American disenlightenment proponents ought to be encouraged to relocate to Romania. Their children could live out their lives there in exactly the sort of place they want the United States to become, an explicitly religious state where no challenges to church-sanctioned theology is allowed, where education is indoctrination, and where knowledge is made subservient to mythology with full governmental support. <a href="http://www.donmcleroy.com/" target="_blank">Don McElroy</a> would surely feel right at home.<blockquote>Psalm 100:1-3 is very relevant to this discussion:<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;width: 140px; height: 181px;" src="http://home.att.net/~dmcleroy/pics/mcleroy.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><i>Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands<br />Serve the Lord with gladness,<br />Come before his presence was singing,<br />Know ye that the LORD he is God:<br />It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;<br />We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.</i><br /><br />(Notice, that this Psalm is address to "all you lands", i.e. all the nations, i.e. all people. This Psalm is not addressed solely to Israel. I don't believe there's a more emphatic, concise statement in the Scriptures than this that refutes the idea of evolution—"and not we ourselves"; and it is written to all people. And what is their response to be? It is to "Know ye that the LORD he is God".)<br /><br />Also, in Job 38-41 we have an entire speech by God himself, where he articulates the Truth that Naturalism is false and he created all things.<p align="right">— Source: <a href="http://home.att.net/~dmcleroy/Textbooks/Naturalism_and_Intelligent_Design.htm" target="_blank">Intelligent Design 2<sup>nd</sup> Session</a>, Don McElroy, February 6, 2005</p></blockquote>Wouldn't Romania be the perfect place for someone like McElroy? His "intelligent design," a couple of fancy words swapped for Creationism, is perfectly in keeping with the theology that has now fully eclipsed education in that country, and it would certainly be better for America to put that particular Texan in Romania than it would be for Texas to wind up looking just like Romania.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-7306977696790724232008-12-02T16:46:00.003-05:002008-12-02T17:03:31.996-05:00Swapping Bodies: Researchers Fool Brains to Think They're In MannequinsSwedish researchers Henrik Ehrsson and Valeria Petkova have used technology to fool the brains of subjects into thinking that they're in mannequins instead of their usual bodies. It's pretty trippy stuff.<blockquote>Cognitive neuroscientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) have succeeded in making subjects perceive the bodies of mannequins and other people as their own. The findings are published in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE, December 3.<br /><br />In the first experiment, the head of a shop dummy was fitted with two cameras connected to two small screens placed in front of the subjects' eyes, so that they saw what the dummy "saw." When the dummy's camera eyes and a subject's head were directed downwards, the subject saw the dummy's body where he/she would normally have seen his/her own.<br /><br />The illusion of body-swapping was created when the scientist touched the stomach of both with two sticks. The subject could then see that the mannequin's stomach was being touched while feeling (but not seeing) a similar sensation on his/her own stomach. As a result, the subject developed a powerful sensation that the mannequin's body was his/her own...<br /><br />In another experiment, the camera was mounted onto another person's head. When this person and the subject turned towards each other to shake hands, the subject perceived the camera-wearer's body as his/her own...<br /><br />The strength of the illusion was confirmed by the subjects' exhibiting stress reactions when a knife was held to the camera wearer's arm but not when it was held to their own.<br /><br />The illusion also worked even when the two people differed in appearance or were of different sexes. However, it was not possible to fool the self into identifying with a non-humanoid object, such as a chair or a large block...<p align="right">— Source: <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/plos-spi112808.php" target="_blank">EurekAlert! Press Release</a></p></blockquote>The paper, <a href="http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003832" target="_blank">If I Were You: Perceptual Illusion of Body Swapping</a>, goes into great detail about how and why all this works. For me, the takeaway message is that we can be fooled about things about which we are normally quite certain if we rely on our senses alone. If we can be tricked into thinking that we're not in our own body but within an inanimate, albeit anthropoid, object, we can be tricked into just about anything if some unbiased intermediate observer or technology isn't used to make sure that seeing is truly worth believing.<br /><br />I'm led to wonder, too, about the so-called "out of body experience" reported by some people who have come near death. If the changes that cause the apparent projection of consciousness into a dummy (no cracks about Dubya, now!) can be induced by the application of cameras, and that experience is fundamentally electrochemical, then surely a similar effect might occur as a result of the illness or trauma that leads to a near-death experience.Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7474138418415958383.post-19679040199987903372008-12-02T07:33:00.003-05:002008-12-02T07:45:01.152-05:00LL Sends Video, Causes Cerebral AneurysmDespite LL having lived in the US for many years and now being a citizen, there are still some obvious cultural differences.<br /><br />For example, there's a song from which she's sung a snippet of chorus for as long as I've known her. Something about "Boom boom boom, let's go back to my room." I'd never heard this song anywhere else. After our years together, she last night sent me a link to a YouTube video of said song.<br /><br />I think she wants to kill me. The song is by someone named Paul Lekakis; I'd never heard of him. Nonetheless, I think this may qualify as the worst song of all time. Listening to it was physically uncomfortable. In fact, I could only get through the first 1:05 of the thing before I had to make it stop. It's horrible. I'm going to do the only sensible thing, then, and allow you, the reader, the opportunity to share my pain. Out of responsibility, though, I'll include an appropriate warning:<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 0px; text-align:center;width: 399px; height: 100px;" src="http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Graphics/warning.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><center><object width="399" height="328"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VK99cB3s-J4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VK99cB3s-J4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="399" height="328"></embed></object></center><br />Worst. Song. Ever.<br /><br />If you watch this thing all the way through, I'm convinced, you will die in seven days. Paul Lekakis will crawl out of your monitor and do you in.<br /><br />According to LL, this song was quite popular when she lived in Lebanon. Perhaps it may have something to do with the collapse of that country...Brian Seitzmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16573646849075914851noreply@blogger.com