‘The machine does look a little primitive. We are working on a new model that has flashing lights.’… Read the rest
All entries by this author
150 Bodies Found in Nigeria After Religious Riots
Jan 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMany of the bodies found in Kuru Karama had massive burns, other victims were hacked to death or shot. … Read the rest
Phil Plait on the Arrest of Jim McCormick
Jan 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSay it twice: he has been arrested on suspicion of fraud. … Read the rest
Jim McCormack Arrested on Suspicion of Fraud
Jan 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSold ‘bomb detectors’ to Iraq for $40,000 apiece.… Read the rest
Export Ban on Useless Bomb Detector
Jan 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIraq paid $40,000 apiece for a device that contains a cheap electronicky tag-thing that detects nothing.… Read the rest
Jesus and Mo on Science and Religion
Jan 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonReligious scientists do exist, as do pedophile priests. That’s simply a fact.… Read the rest
Nick Cohen on Chomsky
Jan 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonChomsky doesn’t seem to get the nature of clerical fascism.… Read the rest
National Association of Muslim Police Protest
Jan 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonStigma, communities, faith, black, ethnic, wrong to blame Islam.… Read the rest
Wall St Journal Gloats Over Freedom of Bribery
Jan 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Corporations are entitled to the same right that individuals have to spend money on political speech.’… Read the rest
It won’t work unless the operator is relaxed
Jan 22nd, 2010 11:57 am | By Ophelia BensonAnother entry for the ‘I thought I was beyond being shocked’ category – a very expensive ‘bomb detector’ that has nothing in it but ‘the type of anti-theft tag used to prevent stealing in high street stores.’ Iraq has been paying $40,000 apiece for them – and using them to detect bombs – and they can’t detect bombs because all they have is ‘the cheapest bit of electronics that you can get that look vaguely electronic and are sufficiently flat to fit inside a card.’
Well that’s a nice way to make money!
… Read the restThe Iraqi government has spent $85m on the ADE-651 and there are concerns that they have failed to stop bomb attacks that have killed hundreds of people…The
Fresh Air on 36 Arguments for the Existence of God
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonPart academic farce, part metaphysical romance, all novel of ideas.… Read the rest
A Visit to the Creation Museum
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThere’s a room that has all the stuff God made on each day; the exhibit looks like holiday photographs.… Read the rest
A Jump Too Many
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFrom contempt for philosophy to contempt for the idea that we should strive to have beliefs that make sense.… Read the rest
Christian-Muslim Riots Spread in Nigeria
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAs street clashes broke out in Pankshin and Mangu, one report said 464 people had died in Jos.… Read the rest
Religion’s Role in California’s Prop 8
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonExperts said religion has been used to justify discrimination against African Americans, women and gays.… Read the rest
Maia Caron Interviews OB
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonOn religion and women, compliance and fear, misogyny and habit.… Read the rest
A Bad Earthquake and a Good God?
Jan 21st, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNo. [link fixed]… Read the rest
Straightening out the kinks
Jan 20th, 2010 5:42 pm | By Ophelia BensonChad Orzel said a strange thing the other day.
OK, fine, as a formal philosophical matter, I agree that it’s basically impossible to reconcile the religious worldview with the scientific worldview. Of course, as a formal philosophical matter, it’s kind of difficult to show that motion is possible. We don’t live in a formal philosophical world, though, and the vast majority of humans are not philosophers (and that’s a good thing, because if we did, it would take forever to get to work in the morning). Humans in the real world happily accept all sorts of logical contradictions that would drive philosophers batty. And that includes accepting both science and religion at the same time.
That’s very blithe – … Read the rest
A moral desert
Jan 20th, 2010 5:16 pm | By Ophelia BensonAn impoverished religious mind at work:
Recently, atheists seem intent on proving they can be good without God. I always get a kick out of evangelizing atheists and how they’re so desperate to prove that they’re as good (and usually better) than us religious types.
No, we’re not desperate, but we do like to counter the slanders of many theists to the effect that we can’t be good without God. If Matt Archbold were making a good faith argument (so to speak), he would acknowledge that many theists claim that atheists are necessarily immoral, and that we naturally disagree with that. But he’s not, so he didn’t.
… Read the restBut let’s give Dawkins the benefit of the doubt because us religious
Separation of Church and Medicine
Jan 20th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe religious ideologies that permeate BU’s academic policies may harm scientific progress at BCM.… Read the rest