More butt-in-skys who think it is their calling to make everybody be like them: ELLETTSVILLE, Ind. — An Ellettsville family whose home is decorated for Halloween contacted police after someone placed on its porch a flier that suggests Halloween praises the devil. Dalene Gully said she took offense to the flier, which was placed outside her home by the House … Read More
The Only Worthwhile Debate On Intelligent Design
Too busy to blog, but I’ll blogwhore a great post from The Abstract Factory entitled "The only debate on Intelligent Design that is worthy of its subject": Moderator: We’re here today to debate the hot new topic, evolution versus Intelligent Des— (Scientist pulls out baseball bat.) Moderator: Hey, what are you doing? (Scientist breaks Intelligent Design advocate’s kneecap.) Intelligent Design … Read More
It’s 1973 All Over Again
"[I]t is true that, as far as capacity to govern in concerned, that to be under a constant barrage 12 to 15 minutes a night on each of the three major networks for four months tends to raise some questions in the people’s mind with regard to the President and it may raise some questions with regard to the capacity … Read More
I Think I Saw This Scene
Shelley Winters Suffers A Heart Attack No, I’m not trying to make light. I like Shelley Winters. To show you want a classy broad she is, she donated her Oscar (for "The Diary Of Anne Frank") to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. You go, girl. Here’s hoping she’s okay.
Astrology And Palm-Reading Are Sciences Too
I love this opening paragraph from the New York Times story about the "Intelligent Design" case in Dover, PA: A leading architect of the intelligent-design movement defended his ideas in a federal courtroom on Tuesday and acknowledged that under his definition of a scientific theory, astrology would fit as neatly as intelligent design. Yes, professor. And that’s the problem. Astrology … Read More
One Freaky-Looking Dinosaur
It’s called the Caulkicephalus trimicrodon, remains of which were discovered three years ago on a beach on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England. The reptile’s name was chosen by University of Portsmouth palaeobiologists in southern England, as Caulkhead is the informal name for natives of the Isle of Wight. This is an artist’s impression. It’s kind … Read More
Action Alert: Boycott Target
Here’s why: A 26-year-old Missouri woman was refused EC when she handed her prescription to a pharmacist at a Target store in Fenton, MO, on September 30. The woman was told by the pharmacist, “I won’t fill it. It’s my right not to fill it.” She was told that she could go to a local Walgreens instead. The woman said, … Read More
The Dover Trial
Regrettably, I have not been able to follow the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial as closely as I would have liked. (The case relates to the teaching of "intelligent design" in Pennsylvania public schools). But I do recommend this rant by Plutonium Page at The Next Hurrah, discussing the ID defense "expert" who doesn’t know the concept of scientific method from … Read More
Catholics Enter 20th Century
Wow. This is pretty amazing, when you think about it: THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true. The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, … Read More
On The Cover Of The Rolling Stone
The ASME has picked the best 40 magazine covers of the past 40 years, and I’m not very impressed (Caution: their page takes a looong time to load). The #1 choice is the classic Naked-Fetal-John-Lennon-Kissing-Yoko (Anne Leibowitz) from the cover of Rolling Stone. Ugh. Anyway, here are my eight favorites of the ASME Top 40, in order:
People I’m Glad I Don’t Know
This guy: A passenger woke up from a nap, raised his fist and punched out the interior pane of an airplane window on a flight from Las Vegas to Florida, authorities said. Ryan J. Marchione, 24, shattered the inner plastic shield covering the glass window and disconnected its frame about 90 minutes into the America West flight, according to an … Read More
Vivian Malone Jones – R.I.P
Classy lady. A real looker, too. Vivian Malone Jones, one of two black students whose effort to enroll at the University of Alabama led to George Wallace’s infamous "stand in the schoolhouse door" in 1963, died Thursday. She was 63. Jones, who went on to become the first black to graduate from the school, died at Atlanta Medical Center, where … Read More
Jonah Goldberg Rewrites History
Conservative NRO writer Jonah Goldberg doesn’t like Miers, but he’s resigned to it for the time being: When the nomination was first announced, I hurled myself onto my computer keyboard like the Phantom of the Opera to bang out an evil melody about the president’s folly, Miers’s lack of qualifications, and my abiding love for constitutional niceties and nuance. Even … Read More
New Book Addresses Catholic Attitudes To Extra-terrestrial Life
From this press release: The truth is out there. With increasing numbers of people believing not only in the possibility of intelligent life on other planets, but even claiming encounters with aliens, it is not surprising that the Catholic Church is beginning to explore what effect the discovery of sentient ETs might have on Christian theology. Apparently, this is a … Read More