All entries by this author

The Six Lives of Malalai Joya *

Jul 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

‘is the responsibility of our own people to fight for their rights, to achieve values like democracy and women’s rights.’… Read the rest



Islam, Women, Double Standards, the West *

Jul 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

The argument about chastity in Christianity and Islam is undermined by the difference in outcomes for women.… Read the rest



Malaysian Court Sentences Woman to Whipping *

Jul 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

She drank beer in a nightclub. Six strokes of the cane and a $1400 fine.… Read the rest



Mirror mirror on the wall

Jul 22nd, 2009 12:03 pm | By

Russell Blackford said in More on H.E. Baber’s piece in The Guardian that yes there are such people as knee-jerk atheists, who are far less nuanced and thoughtful than Dennett and Dawkins and so on, but –

But that is inevitable. What movement doesn’t attract a lot of people who adopt a relatively crude version of its ideas? It’s very unfair to write in a way that perpetuates the myth that Dennett, Dawkins, etc., themselves are unnuanced and dogmatic. Any fair reading of their work shows the opposite. If anything, there is now some urgency in dispelling that myth, which is not only unfair but also making it more difficult for the individuals concerned to get a decent hearing, i.e.

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Historians Misrepresented by Creationists *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

Phil Bell, CEO of Creationist Ministries UK, acknowledged that Fathom Media was established as a front company.… Read the rest



Creationist Film Company Tricks 3 Historians *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

Fathom Media was revealed to be a subsidiary of Creation Ministries International.… Read the rest



Greg Fish on Mooney and Kirshenbaum *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

This is another case of picking on a minority rather than telling the truth.… Read the rest



Fairies at the Bottom of the Schoolyard *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

A tour of Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophical Twilight Zone.… Read the rest



Steiner Schools and the Diversity Agenda *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

‘Disagreement would not be allowed to frustrate the government’s plans to meet its intentions under the diversity agenda.’… Read the rest



Jeffrey Shallit on Stephen Meyer’s Problem *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

It has to do with telling the truth.… Read the rest



Steven Pinker to the Boston Globe *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

Shame on you for publishing two creationist op-eds in two years from the Discovery Institute.… Read the rest



Johann Hari on ‘Bruno’ and Missing the Point *

Jul 22nd, 2009 | Filed by

Baron Cohen is taking a prejudiced position to its logical conclusion, in order to expose its absurdity.… Read the rest



Express your opinions forcefully and colourfully

Jul 21st, 2009 12:03 pm | By

I haven’t said enough yet about Sholto Byrnes. I’ve said a little, but that little was a mere note – a mere listing of the things he said about Does God Hate Women? that were not true. I’m not sure that was quite adequate. I’m not going to say all that I could say about Sholto Byrnes, but I am going to add a little something.

For instance I’m going to point out that his vituperative and inaccurate review was apparently not enough for him; he had to take another swipe, just in passing, while talking about a different book.

Armstrong’s god is beyond our little explanations etc etc; ‘any suggestion of literalism is to fall into a … Read the rest



Jerry Coyne on NSF Funding and the Golden Age *

Jul 21st, 2009 | Filed by

There is no indication that there was a post-Sputnik “golden age of science” that has now vanished.… Read the rest



Sholto Byrnes Reviews Karen Armstrong *

Jul 21st, 2009 | Filed by

And takes a gratuitous swipe at ‘Does God Hate Women?’ while he’s at it. … Read the rest



OB Chats With The New Statesman *

Jul 21st, 2009 | Filed by

Co-author of the new book Does God Hate Women? discusses patriarchy, the burka and capitalism.… Read the rest



Multitasking While Driving: the Documents *

Jul 21st, 2009 | Filed by

Over 250 pages of undisclosed material obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. … Read the rest



Data on Risks of Distracted Driving Witheld *

Jul 21st, 2009 | Filed by

Federal agency hid hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers.… Read the rest



Saudi Woman Given Asylum in UK *

Jul 20th, 2009 | Filed by

She had an ‘adulterous affair’ which would get her stoned to death in Saudi,… Read the rest



Alain de Botton Reviews Karen Armstrong *

Jul 20th, 2009 | Filed by

Armstrong ‘wishes to remind us of the mystery of God’ – and to say how stupid atheists are, of course.… Read the rest