All entries by this author

Even Slavery is Culturally Relative to Some *

May 11th, 2005 | Filed by

To others, ‘To excuse it as a cultural or religious normality is equally indefensible.’… Read the rest



Church of Fictionology Claims 450 Billion Members *

May 11th, 2005 | Filed by

Worship of Kool Aid man encouraged, unlike hidebound old Scientology.… Read the rest



Always the Last to Know

May 11th, 2005 2:30 am | By

Don’t I feel stupid. Sometimes I miss comments here. I don’t have one of them there RSS things, so no little bell goes off, no stoat leaps out of a hole in the corner of the screen, no spark ignites a small charge of powder to explode the ‘k’ key and get my attention. In short, nothing alerts me that a new comment has been posted, and so…if some days have passed…and I’ve forgotten what number they were on…then I overlook them. I feel guilty sometimes, as if I’ve been snubbing people, or ignoring them when they say something interesting. And I miss good stuff, too. I should get one of them there RSS things, I suppose. But I’ve been … Read the rest



Carlin Romano on Pope’s Lack of Indignation *

May 10th, 2005 | Filed by

Quickly sealing Ratzinger ‘Hitler Youth’ file with ‘compulsory’ is too simple.… Read the rest



Elaine Showalter on the Academic Novel *

May 10th, 2005 | Filed by

Sociological interest of pope-crowning-like search for new university president.… Read the rest



Revenge of the Republic of Letters on Sartre *

May 10th, 2005 | Filed by

He had lots of disgust and no artistic sense of play.… Read the rest



Vatican Dismisses Editor of Catholic Magazine *

May 10th, 2005 | Filed by

Scholars fear Vatican intends signal: disagreement with church is forbidden.… Read the rest



Look at This Watch

May 10th, 2005 2:18 am | By

Kansas, eh. I have to tell you, I’m having second thoughts about that move to Topeka.

This time, Darwin’s critics insist they are not religiously motivated creationists, but are scientists who believe that certain things in the universe, including human life, are too complex to be explained by natural causes and must be the product of an intelligent creator. They call this theory ”intelligent design,” and while they resist publicly declaring that a Christian God’s hand is at work, they also suggest that proponents of a key tenet of evolutionary theory — that changes over time can result in new species — are atheists or secular humanists.

Atheists or secular humanists – ew ick. Those nasty proponent people wouldn’t just … Read the rest



Irshad Manji *

May 9th, 2005 | Filed by

No community, no culture, no religion ought to be immune from respecting universality of human rights.… Read the rest



Knowledge in the Dock in Kansas *

May 9th, 2005 | Filed by

Like handing control of a blood bank over to a cabal of vampires.… Read the rest



Contradictions in Kansas *

May 9th, 2005 | Filed by

ID is science not religion, but evolution is for atheists and ‘secular humanists.’… Read the rest



Kansas Heads Backward *

May 9th, 2005 | Filed by

Well into 21st century Kansas earnestly discussing whether schools should teach science.… Read the rest



Scientists Boycott Kansas Evolution ‘Hearings’ *

May 9th, 2005 | Filed by

Boycott of ridiculous carnival led by AAAS and Kansas Citizens for Science.… Read the rest



Wisdom

May 8th, 2005 6:45 pm | By

Let’s pay a nice visit to the pope again. We haven’t dropped in on him in awhile, and he always repays attention. Let’s see what he’s been up to, the dear man. Dylan Evans tells us that religion is beautiful, and a metaphor, so let’s take a look at some beautiful metaphors.

A pope “must constantly bind himself and the Church to the obedience of the word of God in the face of all the attempts to adapt it or water it down,” Pope Benedict told a packed congregation. “That’s what Father John Paul II did when faced by all such attempts which were seemingly benevolent towards man. When faced with erroneous interpretations of freedom, he unequivocally underlined the inviolability

Read the rest


Necessary to Overcome Hostility to Science *

May 8th, 2005 | Filed by

Because greater public involvement doesn’t always produce greater public sophistication.… Read the rest



WMD in the Uterus! *

May 8th, 2005 | Filed by

The right’s campaign against contraception.… Read the rest



Fairy Tales May Teach Girls to be Submissive *

May 8th, 2005 | Filed by

Cinderella and Rapunzel may not be best characters to identify with.… Read the rest



Pope Talks Nonsense *

May 8th, 2005 | Filed by

About ‘natural death.’ Natural death in hospital with feeding tubes, that is.… Read the rest



New Labour, Education, and Educationalists *

May 7th, 2005 | Filed by

On black under-achievement in school, special needs, the continuing inequities of the state/private divide.… Read the rest



Southall Case and Difficulties With Evidence *

May 7th, 2005 | Filed by

How does one evaluate evidence, expertise, experience, probability, and the like?… Read the rest