The Eternal Gaijin

I'd write something, but I am already in my pyjamas. Daniel Kurtzman: Sarah Palin, by the Numbers

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Call for creationism in science Creationism should be discussed in school science lessons, rather than excluded, says the director of education at the Royal Society. Sure it should. "Hey, kids. Before we cover the dominant theory in biology today let's cover some of the failed ideas of the past and present. Open your books to page ID." Rather than dismissing creationism as a "misconception", he says it should be seen as a cultural "world view". Teachers should take the time to explain why creationism had no scientific basis, Prof Reiss said. He stressed that the topic should not be taught as science. Hmm. That sounds reasonable enough. It is a misconception, but one that can be corrected. And what is it that a teacher should do if not teach these concepts? The problem they face is growing as: "An increasing percentage of children in the UK come from families that do not accept the scientific version of the history of t...

Hey, the Dude abides.

This is me deciding to "Me, too" Ed Brayton here: Dispatches from the Culture Wars: I Love Stephen Colbert With this from The Big Lebowski: Right. Walter, what the fuck does any of this have to do with Vietnam?

BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Mid Wales | Vicar admits child porn charges Do I need to comment? Should I say something sarcastic? Didn't think so.

We're happy , yet somehow not nice . Encouraging, yet not really.

Photos later. In the meantime, the BBC had this series on skeptical reasoning and numbers in the media. BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | What the survey didn't say... BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The myth of counting BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Putting percentages in context BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | Just what is average?

Read this: ari_rahikkala: A recapitulation of criticism against the theory of childhood The theory of childhood, also known as child origin, is a damnable, loathsome and indefensible lie. HT to Bronze Dog

He's always saying about dog-cat mixes that they would constitute proof of evolution. Hey, Kent, how about a bird-cat mix? Cue moving of goalposts. Winged cats discovered in western China - Boing Boing In all seriousness though. Winged cats are fucking weird.

I know it's one of those popular videos, but frankly anybody who says we have to know if she believes that there were dinosaurs just a couple of millennia back is hitting the nail on the head. Matt Damon Rips Sarah Palin

Foreign Policy: The List: Obama’s 10 Worst Ideas Foreign Policy: The List: McCain’s 10 Worst Ideas

To Europe. Europe Pulls Ahead of U.S. in Physics | Newsweek International Edition | Newsweek.com

At the risk of drifting into a sub-Lewis Black routine I'll just say that we ought to give this a bit of second thought before we let this shit continue. Faith schools breed terror, says psychologist | Science | guardian.co.uk The study – which he presented at the British Association Festival of Science in Liverpool - was done on extremist Islamist terrorists in India, but that didn't stop him speculating about the effects faith schools in the UK might be having. "It seems to me issues like faith schools are terribly dangerous. The whole idea of setting up these divisions that are based on faith and recognising that is the starting point for people beginning to think of themselves as separate and distinct." Look, there may be an argument for privatising education. I don't fucking think so but there may be one. But this shit is a hell of an argument against it. Maybe the best.

I downloaded Chrome on day one and have been using it in conjunction with Firefox for the last couple of days. I have to say that I rather like it. First of all, the interface is very uncluttered. I like uncluttered. I've been hiding toolbars in Firefox and IE for a while now so having no real toolbars is a refreshing change. There is a bookmarks toolbar that can be displayed or hidden.   The rendering engine works well and pretty quickly. For all the hoo-ha about speed of browsers you hear bandied about back and forth between Firefox (yeah), IE7 (meh), or Safari (blah). Although Safari does render text better than the other two. Set up is easy as Chrome imports everything from IE or Firefox, including saved username and password data in addition to your bookmarks. Transitioning is easy as you can just use your websites like before. Go to your newspapers or forums and your in without fuss. I even sort of like the 3 options tabs: Basics, Minor Tweaks and Under the Hood. It...

Tony Blair, a PM of mixed blessings and curses, has managed to leave a series of footprints that mess the garden of British society and will take a lot of reseeding to fix. One of the worst is faith schools. As an occasional (yet permanent) British resident I signed the petition that the RDF promoted last year. And we were told to go Cheney ourselves. 'Faith schools may be Blair's most damaging legacy' by Polly Toynbee, Guardian - RichardDawkins.net Children start their new schools this week for the 12th year under Labour. Who could have predicted that more pupils than ever will be going to religious schools this term, as the churches boasted gleefully? Pews empty but faith schools multiply. Here you have it. Without a convincing argument religion takes on the characteristics of a childhood disease. This leaves a stale stink like Blue Stratos in a second hand IROC. And that is how to do a series of unconnected metaphors.

From a little trip into Kobe yesterday afternoon.   In front of herbal medicine shop in Nanking Machi The sign for the Kobe Earthquake Monument at Merican Pier. The preserved pier at Merican Park, just as it was after the 1995 earthquake.   Small temple on the walk out of the Merican Park area. Little known fact, unless you read the signs. The park is a customs area, and everyone walking in or out can be subject to search and seizure.  Very odd.

The things that people want you to do. One of the most pernicious trends of our time has been the creeping Christianization of medical services and access to medical services. It's started creeping up into Canada and the UK. So here's just another article that goes from the ridiculous to the ridiculous. Americans choose God over doctors for saving lives | Otago Daily Times Online When it comes to saving lives, God trumps doctors for many Americans. An eye-opening survey reveals widespread belief that divine intervention can revive dying patients. And, researchers said, doctors "need to be prepared to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle." ... When asked to imagine their own relatives being gravely ill or injured, nearly 20% of doctors and other medical workers said God could reverse a hopeless outcome. It's hard to say much to the common person if nearly 1/5 DOCTORS is willing to wait for God. "You can't say, 'That's nonsense.' You...

You can always count on religion for a bit of a laugh, or at least a facepalm. Plan to exhume cardinal is 'homophobic' - Home News, UK - The Independent The Catholic Church is under growing pressure to abandon the "homophobic" exhumation and reburial of the body of one its most famous cardinals, in defiance of his wish to lie for eternity next to the man he loved. Gay rights campaigners have accused the Vatican – which has ordered the disinterment in the first step towards beatification – of attempting to cover up the sexuality of Cardinal John Henry Newman, who died in 1890. When Same-Sex Marriage Was a Christian Rite - Colfax A Kiev art museum contains a curious icon from St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai in Israel. It shows two robed Christian saints. Between them is a traditional Roman ‘pronubus’ (a best man), overseeing a wedding. The pronubus is Christ. The married couple are both men. ... Contrary to myth, Christianity's concept of marriage has not...

Watch the pundits do that 180 turn: -- From: The Eternal Gaijin Lost Somewhere in Kobe, Japan "Words Cannot Describe What I Am About To Tell You." Addendum: More at Dispatches from the Culture War .

A lot of bits have been spilt on untilled LCD screens covering McCain's choice of vice-presidential running mate. Most of it has been centred around babies or her experience, or whether she really has the potential to woo Hilary voters and PUMA-types. There's been talk of how poor the vetting process seems to have been around her. Apparently there's been talk of whether she should leave the ticket or not. Okay, first of all, I don't think she's a great choice. She's a social conservative who seems to have the same sorts of big government authoritarian tendencies we've come to know and loathe over the last eight years in particular. I don't care much about her (grand)son or her daughter. Really. Couldn't give a flying obscene sexual reference. I am bothered by her apparent callous indifference to knowledge and science. She's red meat to the far lefties and a strong facepalm headshudder to the sinθ lefties, like me. I don't think t...

I don't know they actually changed the country, but they did help us change what we thought of ourselves. This is a good slide show from the old Globe 'n' Mail. Keep an eye out for Stanfield, the best prime minister we never had. Also he makes comfortable underwear. I'm sure that's him. globeandmail.com : In Pictures

Well, that should cover the American Pledge issue. -- From: The Eternal Gaijin Lost Somewhere in Kobe, Japan "Words Cannot Describe What I Am About To Tell You."

How could anyone even consider voting for someone this uninformed? -- From: The Eternal Gaijin Lost Somewhere in Kobe, Japan "Words Cannot Describe What I Am About To Tell You."

In Northern England, a councillor is standing up to encroaching Big Brother like surveillance by protesting new 'spy' CCTV cameras. Councillor's spy camera anger - Lancashire Evening Post A councillor is threatening to block Big-Brother-style CCTV cameras from spying on his house – by letting his trees grow. Okay it's not a crowbar to the thing but it's still a good start. I mean who's big idea was it to install these wired up invasions of privacy. Coun Richardson backed the cameras when they were set up almost 18 months ago – but is now fuming as one has been erected close to his front door. He said: "I didn't expect one to go up where it has gone up. There are people watching me coming and going outside my house." Oh. Slammed your cock in the door on that one.

猛列 - mouretsu - severe Example 猛列な雨 - mouretsu na ame - severe rain. I wonder why this would be relevant.

Measles is back, and it's because your kids aren't vaccinated: Scientific American Blog If you didn't vaccinate your kids, you too could find yourself partly responsible for the resurgence of a disease thought eliminated in 2000. Measles—a highly contagious disease-causing virus—is making a comeback in the U.S., thanks to parents fears over vaccines. Fifteen children under 20, including four babies, have been hospitalized and 131 sickened by the red splotches since the beginning of this year in 15 states and the District of Columbia, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. I don't have anything to say here that I haven't said before. It's okay if you're so stupid that you want yourself diseased out of the gene pool, but vaccinate your kids and give them a chance to grow up healthy. 'kay, fucknutz? Kthanxbai.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | London | Cash-in-buttocks man in M25 ban A man who stole cash and belongings from train passengers has been banned from entering London for two years. Peter Abbott, 46, repeatedly boarded trains to take items from overhead racks, Southwark Crown Court was told.

Wait for the guy who says that it could have a chilling effect on religious schools. Now as an experiment, just try to say that as if it were a bad thing. Give it a try.

Plods say it's OK for them give out your DNA | The Register The National Police Improvement Agency has defended allowing companies access to the national DNA database. Sure it's okay. Keep in mind that a lot of police volunteered their DNA for the database to show confidence in it. It also said that the police, many of whose officers have added themselves to the database voluntarily, rejected a request for their DNA samples to be used in a research project. Your secrets are safe with us. Just not as safe as our secrets. Your rights: as inalienable as a sugar sculpture in a typhoon.

...there is a systemic problem. How did Jon Stewart become the most trusted name in news? I love the man, but it boggles the mind. CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Jon Stewart lectures reporters on coverage « - Blogs from CNN.com

People, people, people and the reasonable hand-drawn facsimiles next to you: Vaccines are good. Your religion has nothing to say about them. You who think it does are putting everyone at risk of shit that hasn't been an issue in my life time. Yes, you. I'm looking at you. Get vaccinated. Get your kid vaccinated. Or stay the hell away from the rest of us, you pestilent knob. 'B.C. health official says mumps outbreak began with unimmunized religious group' by Canadian Press - RichardDawkins.net