The World Is A Beautiful Place

November 7, 2009

The world is a beautiful place

to be born into
if you don’t mind happiness
not always being
so very much fun
if you don’t mind a touch of hell
now and then
just when everything is fine
because even in heaven
they don’t sing
all the time
The world is a beautiful place
to be born into
if you don’t mind some people dying
all the time
or maybe only starving
some of the time
which isn’t half bad
if it isn’t you
Oh the world is a beautiful place
to be born into
if you don’t much mind
a few dead minds
in the higher places
or a bomb or two
now and then
in your upturned faces
or such other improprieties
as our Name Brand society
is prey to
with its men of distinction
and its men of extinction
and its priests
and other patrolmen
and its various segregations
and congressional investigations
and other constipations
that our fool flesh
is heir to
Yes the world is the best place of all
for a lot of such things as
making the fun scene
and making the love scene
and making the sad scene
and singing low songs and having inspirations
and walking around
looking at everything
and smelling flowers
and goosing statues
and even thinking
and kissing people and
making babies and wearing pants
and waving hats and
dancing
and going swimming in rivers
on picnics
in the middle of the summer
and just generally
‘living it up’
Yes
but then right in the middle of it
comes the smiling
mortician

Let’s hear it for Honey and hope for the best

November 7, 2009

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I post this story just because African Hunting Dogs are my favorite animal … and also that of my daughter who in summer 2008 helped make enrichment feeders for the three males here at the Phoenix Zoo. Mother gives birth to nine pups and unfortunately dies – a surrogate named “Honey” takes over. Here’s hoping the pups – who normally have a 50% mortality in captivity – can make it through.


It has nothing to do with religion … honest!

November 6, 2009

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Dembski “uses the Bible” to illustrate a scientific point. From here:

After a time of musical praise and worship, Dembski took the stage and began a clear, concise analysis of the necessity for Intelligent Design studies. He highlighted the similarities and differences between Intelligent Design and Creation Theory and explained why there was a need for both and how science and religion go hand in hand. Dembski’s investigative research and insightful lecture was met with appreciative applause as he concluded with prayer. … The topics that Dembski discussed at The Baptist College of Florida were grounded in Biblical faith and doctrine ranging from Darwinism to Information Theory.

HT to John Pieret


Some Thoughts on Historians and Contemporary Anti-evolutionism.

November 6, 2009

The following has appeared in the October edition of the Newsletter of the History of Science Society. It appears here so as to allow comment and discussion on the issues raised.

In a recent book review for The British Journal for the History of Science, Thomas Dixon asks what contribution historians of science can make to the debate about intelligent design (ID). As myself and others noted in a 2008 Isis Focus article, historians have many opportunities to make contributions to this most public of debates, yet our community has largely resisted the Siren’s call of engagement with creationism. In this brief note, I would like to offer some thoughts on current creationist tactics with regards the history of science and hopefully inspire some readers to engage in this significant debate.

Read the rest of this entry »


Year after year their numbers get fewer

November 5, 2009

I was listening to June Tabor’s version of “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” tonight and quoting the following seemed apt:

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, “What are they marching for?”
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all.

The last ANZAC survivor of Gallipoli, Alec Campbell, died in 2002. He led Hobart’s ANZAC Day parade three weeks prior to his death. There ain’t that many survivors of the War to End All Wars left.


Todd Wood on Evolution (Pt 3)

November 3, 2009

Todd Wood’s latest statement on evolution:

That’s why I want my students to know the truth about evolution. It’s not bogus. It’s not a failure. There’s lots of evidence in its favor. But that just doesn’t make it true. Have faith in the risen Christ, and it will not matter what scientists tell you (or anyone else, for that matter).

See here.


Cosmic latte

November 1, 2009

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Apparently this is the average color of the light in the universe. Details here (via APOD).


Meanwhile in Chicago …

November 1, 2009

There’s a big Darwin meeting going on in Chicago this weekend with concurrent science and HPS sessions. I was originally going to attend but work got in the way. PZ Myers has been live blogging the science talks by Dick Lewontin, Ron Numbers, Mark Hauser, Doug Futyuma, the Grants, Douglas Schemske, Paul Sereno, Frederick Cohan, Jerry Coyne, Eric Lander, Philip Ward, David Jablonski, David Kingsley, Neil Shubin, and Hopi Hoekstra.

He also stumbled into Michael Ruse’s talk on “Is Darwinism past its ‘sell by’ date? The challenge of evo-devo” – I suspect this is the talk Ruse gave here at ASU in February (transcript available) – and one by philosopher Bill Wimsatt that left him a little confused. Bill often has that effect of folks.

Update: I thought there was a verb, to Wimsatt. I was wrong.


No surprises

October 28, 2009

Once again, Steve Fuller shows what a clown he is. See here and here.

Update (11/1): Fuller can deal it out but appears not to be able to handle criticism.  As I’ve said here before, he is in no way is representative of STS as practiced by the historians, philosophers & sociologists I work with. He is a minor player with serious problems who is convinced of his own importance. Sad really.


Worldwide poll indicates relatively high acceptance of creationism

October 25, 2009

A poll of 11,768 adults across ten countries indicates that 43% think that “[e]volutionary theories should be taught in science lessons in schools together with other possible perspectives, such as intelligent design and creationism.” Agreement ran at 54% in Britain and 51% in the US. This article notes that “Britons were almost three times more likely than Egyptians to want creationism and intelligent design to be included in the teaching of evolution” but if the question was worded as above, I suspect that the lower rate for Egyptians may actually be from them wanting only creationism taught in schools. Unfortunately, I can’t actually find the report online.

(HT to John Pieret)


Wait a minute … I know that guy!

October 25, 2009

Defending Ussher

October 25, 2009

ussher.jpgFamously, Dubliner James Ussher dated the creation to the 22nd of October 4004 BCE, a “fact” that became enshrined in American thought early in the twentieth century with the rise of Fundamentalism. Ussher has predictable come in for some ridicule for his ideas, but as Thony Christie points out, he deserves to be understood within the correct historical perspective and not treated ahistorically merely to gain cheap rhetorical points.


My Third Computer

October 25, 2009

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Details here.

After that (in 1989) I bought a series of Windows laptops and desktops manufactured by Dell, Gateway and Toshiba. Twenty years later, I moved to my current system.


My Second Computer

October 24, 2009

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Details here.


My First Computer

October 23, 2009

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Cutting edge of home computing in 1982. More information here.