NCSE Site moving on up!

Well, the campaign seems to be working. There has been a push to get the site Expelled Exposed, the NCSE (National Center for Science Education) website dedicated to countering the propaganda in the new Ben Stein lie-fest, Expelled, into the top of the Google. As of 9:15, when you do a Google search for Expelled, the first hit is for the movie, 3rd is PZ's blog post about being booted from a screening, and now on the first page, in the 8th spot, is Expelled Exposed! It's a great site, including movie reviews from a number of sources, information countering lies in the film, and great resources for anyone with questions about the people the movie claims were fired for supporting ID creationism.

Check it out!

Creationist Propaganda Film

Friday, we get the premiere of the creationist, piece-of-shit movie, Expelled. As their hypocrisy has hit the airwaves, including banning scientists who oppose the film from attending screenings (and they were in the movie!!) and telling people screenings are cancelled while moving the time and informing just those who would be favorable, news of lawsuits pend. Apparently, the film contains clips from a Harvard movie on the cell, and from a PBS production, both without obtaining copyright permission. These Expelled morons will stoop to all sorts of lows! I'll go see it, just to see what the controversy is about, and maybe take my son to enlighten him to the fallacies there in. But the movie sounds like pure crap, and I may wait to check it out from the library. As a teacher, I want to know what crap brain-washed students may present in class, and I want to be prepared to counter with an understanding of where their ideas came from.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Enjoy the day, and have a green beer. I'm gonna try to get a little Irish in me. Thinking some Bailey's should do it.

Holy Grail....in ~5 seconds.

This is just random, but immensely funny. Enjoy!

The Golden Compass

A little while ago, I was disappointed to hear that the final two books in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series were not going to be made. I understood the economics of it, seeing how it brought in less than 100 million domestically, and cost more than that to make.

But now the news comes out that the film has grossed over 200+ million worldwide, with a huge release in Japan and China, where it just premiered. And sales of DVDs have yet to occur, where many (including myself) will increase profits for the feature. I hope this news may force the hand of the film makers and encourage them to finish the trilogy. Don't cave to pressure from the church!

An Atheist's Creed

For those that feel that atheists believe in nothing, this is a response. (Thanks to PZ Myers, of Pharyngula fame.)

I believe in time,
matter, and energy,
which make up the whole of the world.

I believe in reason, evidence
and the human mind,
the only tools we have;
they are the product of natural forces
in a majestic but impersonal universe,
grander and richer than we can imagine,
a source of endless opportunities for discovery.

I believe in the power of doubt;
I do not seek out reassurances,
but embrace the question,
and strive to challenge my own beliefs.

I accept human mortality.
We have but one life,brief
and full of struggle,
leavened with love and community,
learning and exploration,
beauty and the creation of new life,
new art, and new ideas.

I rejoice in this life that I have,
and in the grandeur of a world that preceded me,
and an earth that will abide without me.

Creationist arguments, this time showing how ignorant Big Science is, by exposing the fraud of Leap Year/Leap Day:

"We have leap years because the earth is slowing down in its orbit, which proves that the earth can't be old — a million years ago the earth would have been whirling around the sun so fast it would have flown out of orbit!"

Happy Leap Day. I'm gonna go bang by head against a wall in an attempt to figure out where these people are coming from. (For an extremely detailed look at Leap Year, see this Bad Astronomy post by Phil Plait.)

3-D Tattoo

OK, so I'm not going to get into having a tattoo, seeing how I have several myself. It's a growing art form, with an increasing number of people in society possessing a tat in some form or another. And yet, isn't this taking things a little far?

Apparently, this guy wasn't content with the tattoo of a busty cowgirl on his calf. He felt it needed a little something more. So he had implants put into the tattoo. Or, more precisely, into his leg to give the effect of boobs in his tattoo. Unfortunately for the poor guy, they ruptured, and he tried to stitch things up himself. Fortunately, he eventually saw a real doctor, who put him on medication to heal him up.

See more at: http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/02/18/4856191-sun.html

Way to go, Pat. Credibility = Zero.

Wonderful discussion here from Pat Robertson. In retrospect, either God lied to him, or Pat made the whole thing up. No terrorist attack with tremendous loss of life, and the whole thing about not inter-marrying with the heathens. Classic. No wonder people worldwide listen and respect this guy. I feel nauseous just listening to him. Maybe he should seek humility and leave the rest of us alone.

UPDATE: UFO Sighting

Oh, damn. That UFO was just the lunar eclipse tonight. Silly me.

Watched it through the telescope. It was an awesome sight, and framed by Saturn on one side, and one of the brighter stars in Leo on the other made for some spectacular stargazing.