Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
The Charlotte Pop Fest ’09 is going on right now — it’s a music festival that also raises money for charities. You should go. The recipient of the profits this year will be the Richard Dawkins Foundation.
What, you say? They’re raising money to promote secular science? In North Carolina?
Yes, they are. And the organizer, James Deem, says he is doing it to raise awareness for science and science education. I blow kisses his way — what a great idea.
Unfortunately, there are problems. Sponsors have pulled out, meaning that they had to cut some bands from the schedule, and of course, some members of the public are unhappy. You knew that was coming.
Thorne stressed that the bands are there to play music, not give out a message about atheism or anything else.
Pop Festival attendee Debbie Aintrazi of Mint Hill hopes they don’t.
“If they start going around saying, ‘no, you shouldn’t believe in this, you shouldn’t believe in that’– that’s when I [get upset],” she said. “I don’t believe in not believing.”
Wait, what did she say? I’m going to have to let the idea of not believing in not believing curdle in my brain for a bit, because it’s kind of indigestible right now.
While Ms Aintrazi is working on believing everything she hears, though, those of you near Charlotte should support this event — a swarm of enthusiastic atheists descending on the festival might convince them that supporting us and science is a good idea.
(via the Impolitic)
This is a lovely example of offended sensibilities that was sent to the University of Minnesota alumni association, as well as several other administration people and myself. I don’t think the author realizes it, but this is the kind of hate mail that makes me very happy.
Dear Alumni Association,
Due to the protest of the museum in August of 2009, I will no longer be contributing donations to the University. Actions have consequences — even free speech actions. I believe that tax payers of Minnesota have a interest in not having our professors at the public universities contributing publically to the coarsing of American discourse — and behaving silly (see the picture of the riding dinosaur)
I will also be telling my co-workers and friends to no longer contribute — especially those who went to Morris. I have attached a few links detailing the protest.
Thanks,
Bill FrischeThis is PZ Meyers Blog
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/08/expelled_from_the_creation_mus.phpThis is a more balanced report:
http://www.examiner.com/x-9090-NY-Atheism–Skepticism-Examiner~y2009m8d9-Atheists-expelled-from-Creation-Museum
(note that at the end of this piece it does say they were mocking the museum in the museum — which is why the museum says it asked one of them to leave, although I like the bucking bronco of the profession on the dinosaur, maybe that’s not really him, i don’t know for sure)Here is the museums report:
http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/aroundtheworld/2009/08/11/can-university-of-minnesota-professors-research-be-trusted/
Of course actions have consequences, and I am very pleased to see that my actions have led to a tiny diminution of the possible monetary influence of prating creationist dunderheads on university policy. I also think that people who attended our university and graduated with such a poor grasp of grammar and spelling might not be the best representatives for our mission, anyway.
OK, who got to this poll before me? The answers are all going the way I want them to, and that’s just unnatural.
71.57% It’s a good thing
20.3% It’s a troubling trend
8.12% It doesn’t matter
Well, I guess you can all go over there and nudge them up a little further.
Jebus, they can’t shut me up. Just got back from the afternoon discussion, which went on for two hours. It was great fun. Of course…
My opening remarks were about being assertive atheists who challenge conventions and do things like desecrating crackers…
…and a priest, complete with clerical collar, was right there in a good seat smack in the middle of the auditorium.
He looked a bit peevish, but didn’t say very much. A few of the other Catholics around him expressed how offended they were, which was fine. They could have taken more time to state their case, if they wanted.
Good times. You should have been there.
Remember, tonight, 6:00, Fargo Theatre…it’s your last chance to get a piece of me. It’s small and it looks like a big crowd might turn out, but if you want to give me a piece of your mind, I’ll be available just outside the theater around 9:30 for a bit. The price for telling me how wicked I am is one beer.
I’m keeping busy here — we had a packed house at my talk (which was all wonky sciencey biology stuff) last night, I did a press conference this morning which might get a few soundbites floating around North Dakota, spent a little time on the Christopher Gabriel show on WDAY radio, and now get a brief break before I head over to NDSU for a 2:00 discussion session on atheist activism, which should be fun. I plan on briefly discussing the Creation Museum trip and desecrating communion wafers, and then let other people howl back and forth for a while.
At 6:00, it’s time for the Fargo Theatre and Julia Sweeney’s Letting Go of God, and I need to warn you: it’s a small theater. The audience I had last night would not fit in it. If you’re hoping to go, either go early to get in line, or just figure on going to the 9:30 showing instead and missing my post-movie talk. I’m not planning on posting the talk here, as I usually do, either — I’m writing a book, you know, and a polished and slightly expanded version of this talk will be going in there, so you’ll need to buy my book if you can’t get into the theater.
I am venal and cruel, I know.
My wife and I saw Julie & Julia this weekend — and enjoyed it — but it’s still a little weird to see Julia Child giving lessons on how to make primordial soup.
(via This Blog Contains Caffeine)
There can be too much of a good thing. If you actually eat Turbaconucken, you’ve got a bacon addiction. Seek help.
And if you ever drink Jones Dungeons & Dragons Spellcasting Soda during your weekly D&D game, you are suffering from hypernerdosis. In fact, you are probably even too nerdy for this blog.
I don’t even want to imagine someone who serves turbaconucken and spellcasting soda as a snack during their regular FRP sessions.
I had no idea that our regular commenter SC had become a “d00d”, but there is a fury of discussion about it going on. I think it’s an unfortunate exercise in chromosomal elitism to be sneering at our transgendered brothers and sisters, or at people who we think are transgendered, or even at homogametic individuals who are peculiarly accused of male privilege.
OK, the last one is kind of funny.
(I know, this post is rather oblique…you’ll have to go digging to trace back the web drama. Or not, if that doesn’t interest you.)
