The Eternal Gaijin

WorldNetDaily: Why intelligent design will change everything Over at Dispatches from the Culture War, there was an invitation to fisk a really, really bad article from the WorldNutDaily. I'm not a scientist, and I'm not going to go through it thoroughly but I did have some fun with what little knowledge I have and some really, choice bits. In the opening paragraph, Lynn Barton states : Like a fierce game of whack-a-mole, wherever I.D.'s politically incorrect head pops up, its opponents rush to smack it back down. I have to agree with this, but I'm not looking at it in the same light as her. I just want to know why everytime a commentator or movement wears the 'politically incorrect' label proudly, it usually means they're politically motivated and politically uninformed. Barton goes on to talk about how intelligent design theory is going to become a major force for good in the battle to rescue our collapsing culture – because the way we think about origins ...

This post is recovered from the depths of time. I think I've re-written and reposted it already, but I'm a completion freak Okay, so this post kinda blew. I was doing it around some other things coming up at work and didn't really think it through coherently. I've pulled the last paragraph and will make a comment on it seperately. The NCSE website has a good article talking about the latest problem with teaching the basics in schools in Jesusland: self-censorship just to be able to sneak in the basics without parents exploding. An Arkansas (now 30% more educated than plankton!) newpaper ran an article about the difficulties of actually teaching the guidelines, and unbelievably (to me given the nature of the Bible Belt down there) got some letters of support surprises me somewhat. It's worth checking out the links. There's a lot of good information there. People need to realize how it affects everyone.

Sometimes you keep hoping that what happens in the States stays in the States. At least when it comes to the disrespect given the pursuit of knowledge. Yesterday morning I got a bit narked at the front page of the Citizen. Not so much for the story about some professor studying the sex lives of squirrels (differential reproductive success, anyone? anyone? Bueller?), but for the fact that the guys study had been pilloried the previous day in Parliament as a waste of taxpayer money. I was glad to see that the Citizen actuall explained why it was a good study and had important potential influence on a range of policy issues. This happened before with zebra mussels and I thought it was stupid of politicians (not known for the deeper knowledge or thoughts on anything) should be judging the possible effects of research. I am not a scientific person. I do value expertise. I think experts are actually more qualified to judge value of things that take expertise. E.G.

In the wake of the Isaac Hayes quitting South Park and Comedy Central dropping the Scientology episode under pressure from Tom Cruise, The Uncredible Hallq has taken a stand and done a blog-shout that Scientology is a scam . If we don't keep up pressure on the obviously ridiculous and subject it to both scrutiny and ridicule, then we let it have incredible power over us. Say it with me...   E.G        

A beautiful editorial at the International Herald Tribune today decries the "intellectual poverty" of the latest Bush administration security pronouncements. ( http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/19/news/edoped.php ) So the question that I've been asking all along is why does the one nuclear power (North Korea) continue to get a free pass in the international invasion lottery, but countries without (Iraq, Iran) are held to account. Three years ago when this all started, I said that if the US was actually going to invade, then it followed that Hussein didn't have the fabled WMD, and that Bush knew it. No American president will put troops in the line of fire of such weapons. This is doubly true when it's just in the name self-aggrandisement.   E.G.    

Resuming the Chatter Okay, it's been a while and t ime's a wasting. our time in canada is drawing to a close. My wife and I are preparing to move to London, UK because we just can't spend enough money over here. But since she broke her wrist at New year's it's been an ongoing battle. K. has been doing physiotherapy for the Sudek's Atrophy ( http://www.mikety.net/Answers/rsd.html) she developed while in her cast. And we moved in with my parents for a month to allow us to stay in Canada while I finish working and she does here therapy. And somewhere in all of this Stephen Harper became Prime Minister in order to drop off the political scene completely. The guy's keeping a lower profile than Sammy Davis Jr at a Klan meeting. The guy shows up in Afghanistan for a couple of minutes (a la Bush) and everyone asks him, "Who are you again?" What a time. I've wondered about the political scene in Canada for a while but I don't re...