All entries by this author

Surprising what you find hard-wired in your DNA these days

Apr 25th, 2009 4:36 pm | By

An archbishop has been reading The Little Golden Book of DNA, and he has derived much wisdom therefrom.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan yesterday said advocates of gay marriage “are asking for trouble,” arguing that traditional, one-man/one-woman marriage is rooted in people’s moral DNA. “There’s an in-built code of right and wrong that’s embedded in the human DNA…Hard-wired into us is a dictionary, and the dictionary defines marriage as between one man, one woman for life, please God, leading to the procreation of human life.”

Uh huh. Traditional one-man/one-woman marriage is rooted in people’s moral DNA – which would explain why there is no such thing as polygamy anywhere on earth: it’s because it just ain’t in our biology, … Read the rest



Terry Eagleton Pitches a Fit at ‘Liberals’ *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

Martin Amis, Hitchens, Dawkins, Grayling, McEwan, Rushdie – he hates ’em all, all, I tell you!… Read the rest



Jared Diamond Sued Over New Yorker Article *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

Two Papua New Guineans claim they have been inaccurately portrayed.… Read the rest



Language Log on ‘Twitter Bad For You’ Panic *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

Haven’t seen such a spectacular divergence between evidence and science journalism since 2005.… Read the rest



Attempt to Grab the All-Yorkshire Misogyny Prize *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

‘If anyone ever deserved a good slap, this woman certainly did.’… Read the rest



Is Ben Goldacre a Lone Potty-mouthed Pedant? *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

Experts say new scientific evidence helpfully justifies massive pre-existing moral prejudice.… Read the rest



New Channel TV and One Law for All on Sharia *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

One Law for All has set up a free helpline for those denied their rights by Sharia councils.… Read the rest



Science Organizations and Accommodationism *

Apr 25th, 2009 | Filed by

It is particularly difficult to reconcile the scientific picture with the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, loving, providential deity.… Read the rest



Which door, oh which can it be

Apr 24th, 2009 4:43 pm | By

Jeremy has done a new game for TPM: The Monty Hall Puzzle. He would be grateful if people would give it a test run, and especially grateful if they (you) would tell him if there are any bugs.… Read the rest



Oh dear, a steamroller got there first?

Apr 24th, 2009 4:36 pm | By

I saw a headline at BBC News today – on the Manchester page, so doubtless it reads differently to Mancunians. It read

Tributes to flat stabbing victim

Sorry, no offense to the departed, but you must admit…… Read the rest



UAE Prince on Video Torturing a Pakistani Man *

Apr 24th, 2009 | Filed by

Hit him with nail-studded boards, set him on fire, cattle prodded him, ran over him with Mercedes SUV.… Read the rest



Test the Monty Hall Puzzle Game at TPM *

Apr 24th, 2009 | Filed by

And tell Jeremy if there are any bugs. It’s a good game; have fun.… Read the rest



Obama Admin Not Delighted at Taliban Advance *

Apr 24th, 2009 | Filed by

Can’t imagine why.… Read the rest



Doctors Criticize ‘Treatment’ for Gayness *

Apr 24th, 2009 | Filed by

Psychologist claims to help people ‘increase their heterosexual potential’; RCP cites lack of evidence.… Read the rest



Pakistan: Death Mandatory for ‘Blasphemy’ *

Apr 24th, 2009 | Filed by

A sentence short of death in blasphemy cases is un-Islamic and unconstitutional.… Read the rest



Another archbishop heard from

Apr 23rd, 2009 12:07 pm | By

Typical of the moral blindness of the Catholic church on the condom issue – the archbishop of Sydney talks a lot of emollient drivel about sexual morality as the putative reason for saying condoms make the AIDS epidemic worse – without ever mentioning the blindingly obvious (to anyone but a moral idiot) that condoms are needed because AIDS transmission involves two people, one of whom can be as sexually faithful as any pope or archbishop could desire and still be infected by the other party. Usually this cashes out to women infected by men. The archbishop talks and talks and talks and talks and never mentions this. It is wicked to fail to mention it.

To blame Catholics and Pope

Read the rest


The Science and Religion Question *

Apr 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

Paul Fidalgo on Coyne, Dawkins, Myers, Scott, and ‘instigator’ atheism v the other kind.… Read the rest



Salil Tripathi on the Southall Uprising and Story *

Apr 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

The Southall Story celebrates what Salman Rushdie described in The Satanic Verses as ‘the city visible but unseen.’… Read the rest



Quantum Gods Don’t Deserve Your Faith *

Apr 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

Victor Stenger isolates and debunks the claims of ‘quantum theology’ and ‘quantum spirituality.’… Read the rest



Sydney Archbish Defends Pope’s Condom Advice *

Apr 23rd, 2009 | Filed by

Non-marital sex bad therefore condoms no help. Uninfected spouse should have married someone else.… Read the rest