Burnee Spring Links

Jesus and Mo
Profound!

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creatures avoiding planks
Fun!

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God's Most Famous Conversation Ever | God
Well, there you go...

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Imitating a xylophone - YouTube
Some people collect stamps.

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Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science to Merge with Center for Inquiry | Center for Inquiry
I'm not sure I know what to think about this....

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Open Letter To Karen Armstrong on ‘The Myth of Religious Violence’ | Center for Inquiry
I don't remember this from the first time round (September 2014) but it would be a salutary read for some religious members of the Skepticule Facebook group who insist on a skewed idea of what secularism is actually about.

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The rise of a new grief vampire – Respectful Insolence
For those following the latest vampire grief, here's the low-down.

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» Government moves to ban organisations from exposing law-breaking schools unfairly restricting access to children and parents
Once again the Government demonstrates its commitment to seeking informed and expert opinion on a crucial issue, and ignoring it all.

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Nicky Morgan is wrong to block complaints about faith schools | Voices | The Independent
This is ... vexing. It appears to demonstrate that the Government is prepared to do anything to further its own agenda, regardless of legality, fair-mindedness, common decency, and indeed common sense.

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London Thinks – Why Do We Believe? - YouTube
Video of event now available.

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London Thinks - Why Do We Believe? - Conway Hall | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
My pics from the London Thinks "Why Do We Believe?" event at Conway Hall on Monday 25 January 2016.

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TrumpDonald.org
Childish frivolity, but strangely satisfying.

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Fraud Psychic Gets Exposed On Camera! - YouTube
During his presentation at QEDcon in 2014, Mark Edward said "Let's take out the trash!" Some people objected to his phrasing, but it's precisely this kind of fraudulent behaviour he was referring to.

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Atheist Debates - Abraham and Isaac - YouTube
Matt Dillahunty on Abraham and Isaac. Every which way you look at it, this story does not show the Abrahamic religions in good light.

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What happened when my prosperity-preaching dad got a brain tumour
This is what it looks like from outside, even to people who were once inside. But for those who still remain inside, it's all part of God's Plan.

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Customer Letter - Apple
Has the Crypto-war been averted, or merely postponed?

Final Burnee links for 2015

Unbelievable? Is God the best explanation for apparent design in nature? – Jonathan McLatchie & Cory Markum - Saturday 24th October 2015 02:30 pm
Anyone who listened to the Unbelievable? show about Intelligent Design might like to check out the discussion of it over on the Unbelievable? Facebook profile (not the Group), including some highly percipient contributions from previous Skepticule guest James Croft.

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John Maddox Prize: Scientist who once claimed Prince Charles tried to silence him wins for 'standing up for science' | Science | News | The Independent
Deserved recognition, after persecution by the Prince of Woo.

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Evolution and creationism; a valuable new resource | Primate's Progress
Critique of creationism from those closest to it.

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East Herts Council's decision to stick with prayers leaves it wide open to accusations of prejudice | Herts & Essex Observer
Yet another example of why we need secularism in the UK.

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On the tragic events in Paris: an attack on freedom and human dignity - British Humanist Association
Human dignity and value.

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Conversion via Twitter - The New Yorker
Is this a damaged life? I believe so, but in my judgement (yes, I judge) such lives can rectify themselves. Listen to Skepticule Extra 012 for our 2011 conversation with Megan's parents: http://www.skepticule.co.uk/…/08/skepextra-012-20110812.html

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National Secular Society - So called Lord’s Prayer ‘Ban’: It’s Winterval all over again
Stephen Evans congratulates the CofE on its cinema prayer "ban".

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These Pranksters Read Bible Passages to People, Telling Them It Was the Qur’an; They Were Shocked
It's OK Christians, I'm sure these mischievous Dutch cherry-picked the extremely rare nasty bits....

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Mr Green and Mr Grey will not be visiting us today — with Stevyn Colgan at Winchester Skeptics | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mr Green and Mr Grey did not visit us at Winchester Skeptics last Thursday. But Stevyn Colgan did (and some of us got the inside scoop over a curry afterwards).

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Good Dinosaur review - creation.com
Haha, this is disarmingly cute of those wacky creationists, getting all twisted up about a cartoon. Makes me wonder what goes on inside their heads (something, obviously).

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Unbelievable? Is the UK's Christian heritage history? Peter Hitchens vs Terry Sanderson - Saturday 19th December 2015 02:30 pm
Peter Hitchens and Terry Sanderson on this week's Unbelievable? were ostensibly talking about the recent Woolf Commission Report on Religion and Belief in British Public Life, but the programme mostly consisted of Terry Sanderson repeatedly denying that he wants to eliminate all religion and Peter Hitchens repeatedly claiming that morality is impossible without Christianity, that everything good about Britain is due to its Christian heritage, and that secularists, humanists and atheists want to throw it all away.

Peter Hitchens doesn't really understand what secularism is, stubbornly conflating it with humanism and atheism — or possibly he does but deliberately misrepresents it in order to bolster a false premise. As Terry Sanderson pointed out, Peter Hitchens' view of human nature is inherently pessimistic, which makes him appear a bit misanthropic and sad.

In all, a frustrating and unedifying episode, demonstrating that while the British public would probably be more or less OK with secularism, secularists still have some way to go in persuading certain vocal sections of the media.

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John Gray’s awful review of Dawkins’s “An Appetite for Wonder” | Center for Inquiry
Hey, that Dawkins fella wrote another book. Must be crap because ... well ... Dawkins!
It continues to amaze me that people criticise Richard Dawkins for writing stuff he hasn't written.

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The Fallen of World War 2: A Data Visualization of War and Peace | Omeleto
Extraordinary and thought-provoking animation.

Peace.

Burnee linkee catchup

I read the 100 “best” fantasy and sci-fi novels - and they were shockingly offensive
It so happens I've just finished reading Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice.

Assisted dying would be ‘profoundly Christian and moral’ – former Archbishop of Canterbury - Telegraph
Well, that's a surprise, given that he's previously maintained that Christians should be prepared to die in the fight against humanism.

Deepest Mandelbrot Set Zoom Animation ever - a New Record! 10^275 (2.1E275 or 2^915) - YouTube

Complexity from simplicity.

Unbelievable? Is atheism a belief system? Andy Bannister vs Ed Turner - Saturday 22nd August 2015 02:30 pm
Andy Bannister's book sounds like more of the same run-of-the-mill apologetics texts that profess to be targeted at non-believers while being convincing only to those who already believe. His main thesis appears to be the usual attempt to shift the burden of proof. Ed Turner​ was having none of it.

Sunday Times on our Peter Popoff Investigation: “Debt-busting ‘con’ comes to Britain” » Good Thinking Society
Fraudulent or just deluded? Presumably some of these "prosperity gospel" preachers genuinely believe what they preach. Others, however, have previous form.

Dr. Eben Alexander Proof of Heaven Investigation - Proof of Heaven Factual Omissions
To some, Eben Alexander's thesis is obviously false, and his motivation questionable at least.

3quarksdaily: The Scopes "Monkey trial", Part 1: Issues, Fact, and Fiction
Inherit the wind, but not the facts.

What Is Science? | Sean Carroll
Sean Carroll in questioning mode. Hypotheses + Data = ?

The Dad Who Wrote a Check Using “Common Core” Math Doesn’t Know What He’s Talking About
It looks weird, but as Hemant Mehta (a maths teacher) explains, it isn't.

‘But…but…I JUST KNOW!’ | Center for Inquiry
Stephen Law​ gives a brief and to-the-point exposition on knowledge and belief with examples of the difference between justified and unjustified true belief.

US man sets petrol pump alight over spider - BBC News
Idiot.

Sleep – the eight-hour live-broadcast lullaby for a frenetic world | Culture | The Guardian
Those who went to Richard Wiseman's talk in Winchester — "How to be Great" — during which he talked about sleep research, you may be interested in reading about a live "sleep concert" reported in the Guardian.

Woman has benefits stopped because taxman believes she is having an affair - with the post office | UK | News | The Independent
Guilty. (Until you prove yourself innocent.)

How to defend the arts using liberal values - Spectator Blogs
When it takes courage to say no.

UFO sightings used to be ‘better’ — what happened? - Science
What happened? Smartphones with hi-res cameras, that's what. It's all about the quality of the evidence.

“If you suggest we have anything to do with sex, we’ll sue you!” says “COUGAR” dating website | Bad PR
Glad Michael Marshall isn't taking the easy way to victory here (which would be simply telling them he works for libel-reformer Simon Singh).

Scientists have found one tactic that can change anti-vaccers' minds - ScienceAlert
For those who tend to be a bit cynical about advertising and PR (myself included) this is a bit depressing. But perhaps the positive take is to admit that what science and skepticism need is a really good spin-doctor.

Advice From the Creator of Calvin and Hobbes (Comic by Zen Pencils) | High Existence
Meaning.

Philosophy Tech Support - Existential Comics
Who says philosophy is no use in real life? Not me (I wouldn't dare).

Jesus and Mo
Time to repair your irony meter again...

Burnee linkblast

Time to catch up on a load of links I've been saving up for ... a while:

the exciting science discoveries | science experiments 2015 - YouTube
Perpetual!

Tears in rain? Why Blade Runner is timeless | Film | The Guardian
Timeless indeed.

Attack on God // Justin Welby
Well that was a nothing clip if ever there was one.

BBC News - Rowan Williams responds to Stephen Fry's tirade on God
Same goes for this one (see above). Between them the once and current ABCs can only come up with platitudinous BS in response to Stephen Fry's heartfelt castigation — which after all was itself only a response to a TV host's question.

The Gambian despot who 'cured HIV-AIDS' and his British homoeopath allies - Telegraph
Maybe I should start selling my Tincture of Nothingium as a cure-all, on the basis of "the more you pay, the more it's worth". Or maybe not.

How the Christian Church is attacking itself with science - Baltimore Christianity | Examiner.com
"Even so, except for the most extremist among them, the non-religious community recognizes that morality and humane values are important to society, but how to divorce them from their religious roots?"

"...but how to divorce them from their religious contamination?"

Fixed.

It is not close-minded to demand reasonable kinds of evidence
Much as I am willing to give religionists the benefit of the doubt, I'm inexorably drawn to the conclusion that, on the whole, they are making stuff up.

On the foundations of morality | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
'...the question “How do we justify our morality?” does not admit of an answer that does not beg the question.'

Two Creationists Joke About Atheists’ Focus on God, Not Realizing It’s Because of the Awful Effects of Their Groups
Fundamentally at odds. This is why it's (probably) pointless arguing with fundamentalists on matters of doctrine, and (probably) more productive to argue legal points — non-discrimination, separation of church and state, etc.

Ten Facebook Pages You Need to Stop Sharing From
So much woo...

Breaking News: Over-Unity Reactionless Generator Invented In India | Collective-Evolution
"The second law of thermodynamics must be modified..." Er ... no.

This is not what scientists do
They've found God's Throne (and PZ Myers helpfully provides a picture).

I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)
Some people over at you-know-where have been getting unbelievably (ahem!) het up about a recent blogpost by Richard Carrier. Here's PZ Myers' take.

Atheist Debates - Interview: AC Grayling, DPhil - YouTube
Fresh from his magnificent keynote talk at last month's QEDcon, Professor AC Grayling sat down with Matt Dillahunty for this clear-headed, articulate interview ranging through philosophy, religion, debates and humanism.

Daniel Dennett Withdraws from World Science Festival Due to Templeton Foundation Sponsorship
Tainted money.

[Study] This Is What Happens When You Switch To Organic Food
Typical PR "study" in which the conclusions, though true, don't really matter. The measured levels of pesticides and other chemicals "before" are well below accepted standards of safety.

Death Is Not the Answer
"[T]he moral contradiction at the heart of capital punishment."

Prince Charles’ letters confirm that he’s not fit to be king
"The least that one can ask of the royal family is that they should not endanger the health of the nation."

Dementia WILL Affect You But Simple Actions Can Make A World Of Difference | Jamie Anderson
The most uplifting story I've seen all week.

Skyping with the enemy: I went undercover as a jihadi girlfriend | World news | The Guardian
Chilling.

International Humanist and Ethical Union | New president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union: Andrew Copson
This is almost certainly (translation: more likely nothing to do with it) because Skepticule interviewed him at QED2015.

Jehovah’s Witness Leader Rants Against Higher Education, Saying It’ll Lead to “Spiritual Disaster”
Short version: "Don't send your kids to Uni, they'll find out we've been teaching them BS."

8 steps to confront your wife’s sexual refusal | Biblical Gender Roles
So messed up.

Atheist Debates - Can Science Disprove God(s)? - YouTube
Half an hour of good stuff on the burden of proof.

Jonathan Sacks: ‘I’m optimistic when I speak to young Muslims. They have incredible idealism’ - Telegraph

I'm sure Jonathan Sacks is a nice guy, but he gets too much prominence in British media. His thinking appears shallow and unconsidered, mainly consisting of platitudes and vague metaphor. His comment about secularism shows that along with many religionists he cannot conceive of morality without a god:
"It is the secularisation of Western society, he argues, and the resulting moral vacuum, that leaves idealistic youngsters without anything in which to believe and susceptible to radical voices."

Burnee links for the Ides of March

Cartoon: The first scientist
How science is done.

Why media coverage of alternative cancer cures is dangerous | Science | The Guardian
Is the Mirror just being lazy, or is this a carefully calculated slant to increase readership?

Bank of Canada urges ‘Star Trek’ fans to stop ‘Spocking’ their fivers | Dangerous Minds
The people have spoken (or at least "doodled with conviction").

Called "A Murder" for a reason - Album on Imgur
I for one welcome our new crow overlords...

BBC News - Google's Vint Cerf warns of 'digital Dark Age'
I have a stash of 5.25" floppy disks full of all sorts of interesting stuff, and kept for that reason. None of my current computers has a working 5.25" drive, and even if that wasn't the case I doubt my current software would be able to read the contents. Within a month or two every one of these disks will end up in landfill, unread.

Professor Brian Cox brands astrology-believing Tory MP David Tredinnick an 'outlier on the spectrum of reason' - People - News - The Independent
"...outlier on the spectrum of reason." A polite way of saying "bat-shit crazy."

Ten Things Christians Accidentally Tell Me About Themselves
This is a concise run-down of things atheists often hear in debates with Christians.

National Secular Society - Religious lobbying threatens European Parliament vote on gender equality
It's 2015 and we still have to argue about this?

Has Science Buried God? My opening statement from today’s debate | Center for Inquiry
Maybe science can't prove there are no gods, but it can show that the existence of certain gods is extremely unlikely, given the evidence.

Terry Pratchett in quotes: 15 of the best | Books | The Guardian
Miss him.

BBC News - Sex-selection abortion case 'not in public interest'
It says the doctors were "accused" of agreeing to arrange sex-selective abortions. Presumably the secret filming didn't show what the agents provocateur had hoped it would...

Burnee Fridayee linkee

Dino poop and the age of the Earth | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
Creationism in America, ha ha ha! Wouldn't happen in this country, would it?

Ethics in Podcasting?
Listening to The Audacity to Podcast special on the ethics of podcasting. Fascinating stuff (and especially relevant to Skepticule as the host quotes Bible verses but is nevertheless pursuing a consequentialist ethic).

Ian McEwan on free speech and religion | Free Speech Debate

"In the cities of the West, richly layered in race and religion, the only guarantor of freedom of religious worship and tolerance for all is the secular state. It respects all religions within the rule of law, and believes all – or none. The difference is negligible, since not all religions can be true. The principle of free speech is crucial. The cost is occasional offence. The lawful demand is that offence must not lead to violence or threats of violence. The reward is freedom for all to go about their business in lawful pursuit of their beliefs."

God is on the ropes: The brilliant new science that has creationists and the Christian right terrified - Salon.com
The inevitability of life

Christian Parent Is Sick Of Dinosaurs Being Forced On Kids - Dinosaur Hoax: Fossils
I don't get this. Does she think that fossils are completely broken up when they are excavated? Hasn't she ever watched an archaeology documentary on TV?

Astrology could solve crisis in the NHS, says Tory MP - Telegraph
The Member for Holland & Barrett apparently said this: "Astrology may not be capable of passing double-blind tests but it is based on thousands of years of observation." Or in other words, it may be utter woo but we've been looking at it a long time. People have indeed been reading newspaper astrology columns, as well as tea-leaves, palms, irises and feet, for a good number of years. But a long-service medal is no guarantee of efficacy. In this case it just means you've been doing it wrong for a very long time.

But wait, there's more...

Astrology should never have any role to play in healthcare | Pete Etchells | Science | The Guardian
Why is an article like this even necessary? Tredinnick should be drummed out of the Brownies forthwith (or at least off any parliamentary committee dealing with healthcare). His ignorant promotion of woo is clear evidence that he's not fit to be making decisions that have anything to do with science.

We Are Spock
James Croft​ tells us why we can be so affected by the real loss of a fictional character.

Burnee linky dinky

Love Letters to Richard Dawkins | Richard Dawkins Foundation

The original version of this contained the classic line, "I hope you get run over by a church van."

Roll over Nessie – dinosaur alive and well in Scottish Parliament | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
Prove you're not a dinosaur.

John Loftus bizarrely rants against me on Unbelievable. Sadly, all too believable.
I've not listened to that particular Unbelievable? (and honestly not sure that I want to), but it seems to have kicked up a storm.

Fight against Creationism in Scotland gains powerful allies; imminent developments | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
Surely teachers don't need guidance to tell them that teaching unscientific ideas in school science lessons isn't a good idea. Maybe, maybe not. So let's make the guidance available, just in case.

Stephen Fry on God | The Meaning Of Life | RTÉ One - YouTube

The brilliance of Fry.

Stephen Fry's comments about God could lead to criminal sanctions against him in many countries - Comment - Voices - The Independent
I've always thought the existence of blasphemy law indicates the paucity of that which it aims to protect.

Scientists pledge to increase interference with the Church | Dean Burnett | Science | The Guardian
A taste of its own medicine...

Burnee links — Creationism, scientific evidence and AI. And free speech, of course.

The only way to repeal blasphemy codes is to breach them | Lawyers' Secular Society
"A blasphemy code represents the very end of human progress..."

Creationism is inherently homophobic and misogynistic
Why bother arguing against creationism? After all, what's the harm? Well, this.

BBC News - Paul Nurse accuses politicians of 'cowardice' over scientific evidence
The shadow of David Nutt is cast silently over this article...

Add faithophobia to my crimes: I have no respect for religions that have little respect for me | Suzanne Moore | Comment is free | The Guardian
Religionists can say pretty much what they like as far as I'm concerned, but I don't have to respect what they say, and I have the right to say that they're wrong.

National Secular Society - Charlie Hebdo Editorial: Je Suis Charlie Means Je Suis Secularism
It's about secularism.

Can We Avoid a Digital Apocalypse? : A Response to the 2015 Edge Question : Sam Harris
Could we build an "artificial general intelligence"? Perhaps a better question is, should we?

Burnee links for your thinks

Say What? Nicholas Wade and the Worst Idea Ever | NCSE
Creationism remains a problem in America. (Not so much in the UK, but given the current battle in Scotland that might change.)

The Demonic Humanists and the Insecure Christians | Hayley M. Stevens
Hayley was very quick off the mark with this blogpost about the first Big Questions (BBC1) of 2015. I'll be watching this in due course, but her report indicates I won't enjoy it.

Pastor Punches Kid in the Chest - YouTube
http://youtu.be/Q19qRUBj-ic

This man has confessed to child assault. He should be in jail.

Author Interview: Lance Dodes, Author Of 'The Sober Truth' : NPR
Jon Stewart talked about AA at last week's Portsmouth Skeptics in the Pub. This article/audio is from March last year.

What’s the point of lampooning religion? To upset the religious? | Center for Inquiry
Stephen Law asks why Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of a beloved religious figure.

Burnee links catch-up for 2014

Why I'd Still Believe In God Even if the Bible Was a Fairytale | Mick Mooney
This chap should be told about Douglas Adams' sentient puddle. He probably thinks his hands were specially designed to fit in his gloves.

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Everything You Need To Know About The UK's Most Ridiculous Election - BuzzFeed News
This is Buzzfeed avin a larf. Isn't it? Those names can't be real. Can they?

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'This proves homeopathy DOESN'T work ': Scientist swallows 50 homeopathic sleeping pills in one go - and says she doesn't feel drowsy at all | Daily Mail Online
From the comments:

"Homeopathic meds are very mild." 

This is putting it ... mildly. (I need to speak to Avogadro. Anyone know his number?)

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Matt, Mitch and Marsh for QED 2015 / Latest News / QED 2015
Next year's QED — from pretty good to super awesome at a stroke (or three)

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Vaccines and Pesticides May Create The Perfect Storm To Initiate Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Oh dear. Amongst other general horrors, PreventDisease.com continues to promote a specious link between vaccination and autism.

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Anger over move to teach intelligent design in schools | Herald Scotland
The article quotes Alastair Noble:

Alastair Noble, director of C4ID, said his organisation believed the petition was based on imposing a "particular world view" and would inhibit legitimate discussion in science lessons. He ­acknowledged the idea of teaching "for and against" evolution would be controversial, but claimed it was consistent with scientific method.

By all means discuss IDcreationism at university level, or even in religious education or philosophy classes at secondary school level. But in science lessons pupils should be taught accepted mainstream science. That's why they are attending science lessons. How much time do biology lessons devote to explaining the principles of the four humours, or the stork theory of procreation? How much time do physics lessons devote to explaining the astrological influences of the planets on the financial and romantic lives of humans? How much time do maths lessons devote to the numerological significance of particular numbers?

The problem with ID is that its proponents claim it is scientific, yet they never do any science to show how it is scientific. Speculations about the origins of biological life are all very well, but if you have a hypothesis that life was caused by "X" — do some experiments to establish whether or not that is the case. Until the IDists do that, IDcreationism remains unscientific and therefore inappropriate to be taught in school science lessons.

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Full Moon FREE Distance Healing Event
I was invited to this. I considered joining, especially if I could use the energy to power my laptop.

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Space Oddity | Chris Hadfield
It's back — the music video that, when first released, temporarily put every other music video ever made in the shade.

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Transport to Faith Schools - Local Authorities Shouldn't Be Subsidising Segregation | Stephen Evans
MP complains about local authorities removing a special "faith discount" from religious parents. Thinks it's perfectly OK that nonreligious don't get the discount, but removing the discount altogether is "discrimination".

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Brittany Maynard Didn’t Commit Suicide (What We Can Learn From 9-11′s “Falling Man”)
A Christian calmly reassesses his stance on assisted dying.

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Alternative health: what is naturopathy? - Telegraph

“Bioresonance measures the electromagnetic output of every cell in the body. If there’s any discrepancy with the healthy frequency for that kind of cell that gives a diagnosis.”

One cell at a time? Or all together?

“I look to address the cause, not just eradicate the symptoms. If you simply suppress symptoms on a superficial level then you can drive an imbalance deeper into the body.”

Deeper than individual cells? Wow, that's deep!

"Hempel uses bioresonance to put healthy electromagnetic frequencies back into the cells."

What next? Pills containing "healthy electromagnetic frequencies"? (I hear 100.3 megahertz is a good electromagnetic frequency — plus you get classical music along with it.) Really, the Telegraph should be ashamed of itself for publishing such bilge.

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Single adults banned from park - in case they are a paedophile | Western Gazette
Incredible. Frankly I wouldn't want to patronise any establishment where I was considered guilty until proved innocent. Or in the case of this particular establishment, guilty until... well, just guilty.

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Schools are being infiltrated by cults, say secularists - News - TES
A report on the committee hearing.

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The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi - NYTimes.com
For those who have (or haven't) seen the recent documentary, this is a good summary.

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Homeopaths all over the world to tip their remedies down the toilet in order to cure the oceans. No joke.
No joke? Shirley not... (And who knew water was multilingual?)

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The Daily Mail is wrong — homeopathy can't cure Ebola » Spectator Blogs

The Daily Mail is wrong? Well, I am surprised....
(About as surprised as "not at all surprised".)

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Egypt's Muslim, Christian authorities unite against atheism | Africa | Worldbulletin News
Atheism is a fad....

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Our Unreliable Minds, with Paul Thompson - Skeptics and Believers Discussion Group, Henley-on-Thames (Henley-on-Thames, England) - Meetup
I am reliably informed that this thing is happening in January.

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Copper & Magnetic Healing: How to Respond to Complaints | Honest Universe
Take action. It works.

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BBC News - Lee Rigby murder: Internet firms must do more on terror, says PM
Is David Cameron serious about this, or merely pandering to constituents, or is he just clueless about how the internet works?

Terrorists are using the internet to communicate with each other and we must not accept that these communications are beyond the reach of the authorities or the internet companies themselves," he told MPs after the report was published.

Their networks are being used to plot murder and mayhem. It is their social responsibility to act on this.

Has he any idea how many posts and comments are written on Facebook every minute? Is he expecting Facebook employees to read everything posted?

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Glasgow’s Intelligent Design Director has ”open mind” on age of Earth | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
"...there is a lot of uncertainty about all scientific things..." Depends what you mean by "a lot".

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Introduction to Intelligent Design, Alastair Noble (review) | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
I wonder if this is the brochure that Alastair Noble keeps mentioning in his emails, available for £2 plus p&p — apparently only 32 pages long and easily made available as a freely downloadable PDF. If he's so keen to introduce ID, why charge for it?

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James Randi: debunking the king of the debunkers - Telegraph
People are ... human. And we must never forget that Randi is in the deceit business.

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Adam4d.com - Let’s talk about Moralistic Therapeutic Deism
No True Christianity...

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Provider for Christ Hunting Adventure | Frikkie du Toit Safaris
Marvel at the awesome beauty of God's creatures! And kill them!

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'Homeopathy CAN cure Ebola but WHO officials are stopping us' | Daily Mail Online
Homeopathy "at the same time" as conventional medicine? About as effective as prayer at the same time as conventional medicine.

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10 Things You Need To Know About "The Imitation Game"
The film is a great piece of storytelling, but contains a fair bit of artistic licence.

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10 Jokes Only Engineers Will Understand. Who Says Engineers Don’t Have A Sense Of Humor?
Apparently there are no female engineers.

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Stephen Collins on a Christmas ad – cartoon | Life and style | The Guardian
We did check?

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PodCastle 341, Giant Episode: Balfour and Meriwether in the Incident of the Harrowmoor Dogs | PodCastle
My latest narration — this is a looooooong one.

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What is this saucery?
Love this....

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Burnee links catchup from since forever (or thereabouts)

Wow…. failed final observation. « James's thinking space
I know several teachers — I don't know how many of them endured this kind of disincentivization.

Timeline Photos - Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian
Now I see how this works...

Why the faithful need secularism
Say it enough times, maybe it will eventually sink in.

Why the Many-Worlds Formulation of Quantum Mechanics Is Probably Correct | Sean Carroll
Never mind the universe splitting, I think my brain is about to shatter.

Bird & Fortune - Admiral Sir George Parr - YouTube
The benefit of hindsight (or is it...?)

BBC News - Astrology-loving MP seeks health answers in the stars
"...a member of the health committee and the science and technology committee..." Shirley there's been some mistake?

Be Reasonable: Episode #019 – David Boyle « The Merseyside Skeptics Society

The unconnected strands of my DNA have all connected up and my mind has exploded!
Or maybe I've just listened to Michael Marshall interviewing David Boyle. Yeah, that seems more likely (though my brain still hurts).

Twitter / Justinsweh: What does it mean to 'Craig'? Via ...
So true

Why the Aliens Want Earth | Seth Shostak
Is Seth Shostak just making veiled excuses for why SETI hasn't confirmed any positive results yet?

Why You Can't Reconcile God and Evolution | Alternet
Are religion and science compatible? The politically correct answer is yes, but I've always thought it's the wrong answer.

BBC News - China plans its own 'Christian theology'
Wang Zuoan needs to swot up on L. Ron Hubbard.

The god of vapor is hardly any kind of god at all
So someone has tried to rescue the "compatibility of science and religion" from Greta Christina's spot-on critique. And failed, as pointed out here by an actual scientist (someone who's day job is teaching actual science to undergraduates).

Burnee linkee Saturdee

The official Dilbert website with Scott Adams' color comic strips, animation, mashups and more!
How to be successful.

The Simpsons' secret formula: it's written by maths geeks | Television & radio | The Observer
Simon Singh writes about the subject of his new book in the Guardian/Observer. Nice of him to wait until after his recent talk at Portsmouth SitP.

Why we must not let fundamentalist atheism destroy our Christian education system | Christian News on Christian Today
Ugh. David Robertson continues to use an incorrect definition of secularism despite being repeatedly corrected in the past. Is he merely forgetful or deliberately disingenuous?

National Secular Society - A “religious ethos” is not why faith schools succeed – it’s selection that does it
Terry Sanderson says it again.

Jesus and Mo
Inspired by the final programme of the most recent series of The Big Questions (Sunday, BBC1).

How to Read and Understand a Scientific Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide for Non-Scientists | Jennifer Raff
A useful primer.

My Material Contribution to Materialism | John C. Wright's Journal
This was posted in the Unbelievable? Facebook group with the comment that it's an extended argument against materialism. It isn't. Wright articulates the arguments for materialism, then this:

"I leave the refutation of each of them as an exercise for the reader, and I give them freely to any man willing to arm himself against me."

Presumably any woman willing to arm herself against Wright will have to pay.

NeuroLogica Blog » Inflation Evidence Questioned
Science works. Go see it working.

Is God a vertebrate without substance? « Why Evolution Is True
But, but, but ... God is both apophatic and personal. You may think that's impossible, but that's cos you ain't ineffable like wot God is.

When Suits Become a Stumbling Block: A Plea to My Brothers in Christ* | The Salt Collective
Slut-shaming satire with a light touch. (No, that's not a euphemism, it's a metaphor.)

Normal Moments In Art History With No Murder
Seems perfectly innocuous...  

UK law is 'intolerant' towards Christians, says cardinal | Christian News on Christian Today

Off we go again. Look, it's really very simple. Just go to the NSS website and look at their definition of secularism:

"Secularism is a principle that involves two basic propositions. The first is the strict separation of the state from religious institutions. The second is that people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law."

When Cormac Murphy-O'Connor uses the words "too little" he's complaining that the law is not protecting the rights of Christians in preference to the rights of anyone else. Well, tough. That's what "equal before the law" means.

Science and the Supernatural (II); Why We Get It Wrong and Why It Matters | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
Second part of Prof. Paul Braterman's examination of whether supernatural causes are a legitimate subject for scientific investigation.

What it's like to own a Tesla Model S - A cartoonist's review of his magical space car - The Oatmeal
This (along with its follow-ups) is quite something.

Burnee links catch-up

Most of these links are old. But the main purpose of Burnee links is so that I have somewhere to keep links to stuff I'm interested in (so stop complaining about old links). Plus this is my 800th post. Thank you.

Christians aren’t being driven out of public life – they’re just losing their unfair advantages
Robin Ince's reply to Cristina Odone's crazed rant (to which there is a link at the top of Ince's article). An uncharacteristically even-tempered but nevertheless comprehensive rebuttal, to which all so-called "persecuted Christians" in the UK should pay heed.

“The Experience of God” Review – Introduction
James Croft tackles David Bentley Hart's latest tome.

More than just an illusion
This article from Christianity Today Australia demonstrates how religious belief can really mess with your mind. It's asking (and incidentally answering) the question: are stage magicians "of the devil"?

BBC News - Bletchley Park's bitter dispute over its future
Via James Thomas, who asks, "What the hell is this?" Indeed, the last thing Churchill's "golden geese who never squawked" need is to be Disneyfied.

Every Day Things Zoomed in at a Microscopic Level Look Trippy
Fascinating. The weirdest is surely the blood clot.

How “God’s Not Dead” Makes Christians Look Even Worse Than It Makes Atheists Look
Not so much one to miss then, but to actively avoid.

Creationism Is Not Being Ignored On 'Cosmos' -- It's Actually The Focus | ThinkProgress
Although creationism isn't science, it is a belief shared by a significant proportion of Americans. Cosmos is therefore making a point of showing how creationism is utterly wrong.

Cruel and Unusual » A Million Gods
Encapsulating the reasons against capital punishment.

The Creeping Danger of Conspiracy Theorists | Vanity Fair
This would be hilarious if it weren't so depressing.

Why Was Edwina Rogers Fired from the Secular Coalition for America?
It was a controversial appointment but they thought they could handle the fallout. Maybe it turned out they couldn't.

Man Trapped Overnight at Vegas Airport Shoots Ridiculous Music Video
Neat.

Evolution is a lie says the school. Good curriculum, says England’s School Inspectorate | Eat Your Brains Out; Exploring Science, Exposing Creationism
Outright nonsense being taught in British schools. Until recently I thought this kind faux education was limited to American home-schooling.

Burnee links for Saturday

New cross put up in window at Haycombe Cemetery | Bath Chronicle
The crematorium provides a cross if you want one, or it can be removed if you don't. Secularism in action — a Christian symbol is not imposed on non-Christians, and Christians are not denied such a symbol. (Though one might query who is paying for the cross — non-Christians pay Council Tax too.)

Not doing it for the kids | Julian Baggini | Comment is free | theguardian.com
Some good points, but it's been suggested that this attitude could explain why the non-religious appear to reproduce less than the religious. Baggini, however, makes no such correlation in this article.

Rise of the exorcists in Catholic Church - Telegraph

The need for exorcisms is “rare, very rare”, said Fr Vincenzio Taraborelli...

Infinitesimally so, I'd say. The supernatural claims of religion are untrue.

xkcd: Photos
That!

15 ways atheists can stand up for rationality - Salon.com
Say no to the “master-slave” ethos, among other things. No doubt "serious theists" will proclaim this agenda as simplistic, yet their sophisticated theology^[TM] — when examined — will be revealed as the epitome of vacuity.

Burnee links for the last Monday of the year

A bit of linky catch-up as the last of this year spirals away...

Doctor Who: fifty years of Humanism
This thematic interpretation of an ongoing British TV cultural institution might be going a bit too far in the exegesis department.

Matt cartoons witty political cartoons and satirical sketches - Telegraph
Ha!

Universities should be the last place to ban free speech | Nick Cohen | Comment is free | The Observer
The answer to free speech you don't like is not censorship, but more free speech. This is especially important in a university.

Texas School Board Adopts Accurate Biology Books, Rebuffing Last-Ditch Campaign By Creationists | Right Wing Watch
I find it incredible that in modern America this is even an issue.

Tributes have flooded in – Mark Steel
On the tributes to Mandela.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee banned from having atheist on Radio 4's Thought for the Day - Telegraph
Whence this extraordinary resistance to non-theistic contributions to TftD?

Burnee links for Friday

Get up to date with this bumper crop of links...

Don't Believe Your Eyes | Shre Design
Amazing landscapes, all fake creatively imagined.

BBC News - Neil Gaiman: 'No such thing as a bad book for children'
If we want a future of rich culture, we mustn't risk putting kids off reading.

WDDTY – Tesco choose profit over people | Western Sloth
Tut tut, Tesco.

A tribute to Prince Charles, champion of anti-science, on his 65th birthday | Edzard Ernst
Not so much a tribute, more a timeline of unjustified influence.

The Throwable, Panoramic Ball Cam Is Finally Here—and It's Incredible
An astounding merge of existing technologies, making something truly amazing for $500. Too cool for words.

Incredible Interactive Dynamic Shape Display
Amazing potential ... I think!

Confronting the World’s Great Unrecognized Crisis | Psychology Today
More than an interesting evening with friends at the pub.

Atheists Must Not Self-Censor - Council for Secular Humanism
Eddie Tabash's call to arms.

National Secular Society - Secularism seeks to balance everyone’s religious freedoms fairly. Why would anyone oppose that?
An explanation of secularism. In case it's needed. (It is.)

The Rants of Cherry Black » Blog Archive » “Superstition Ain’t The Way”
Trish reports first hand on woo in professional medicine.

Atheist Agenda Wants You to Turn Your Back on Christ
Articles like this are (...I hesitate to say "a godsend"...) welcome, because they highlight not only the object of their concern — in this case Boghossian's book — but also the fact that some cages have been badly rattled. That the article also contains obvious misconceptions and non sequiturs is a bonus.

Policy: Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims : Nature News & Comment
Useful list for non-scientists who don't want to be misled.

School children as young as 8 told they would be labelled 'racist' for missing school trip - Telegraph
I know quite a few headteachers. I don't think any of them would have done something this crass and threatening. But I suspect there's more to this than immediately apparent.

Burnee links for Wednesday

National Secular Society - BBC Trust rejects Thought for the Day bias complaint
I missed this TftD when it aired, but the BBC demonstrates its persistent active blindness on this issue.

NeuroLogica Blog » The Second Law of Thermodynamics – Again
Next time creationists make this argument, send them to Steve Novella's article.

▶ Introducing WildCat - YouTube

This robot looks like something out of Star Wars (but probably noisier). I want one of these, but smaller and battery-powered electric rather than petrol, in a kit-version — with a Raspberry Pi at its core.

First they came for the T shirt manufacturers… | Robinince's Blog
Banning Jesus and Mo tee-shirts is ridiculous. There's no right not to be offended, and in this case the offence might even be imagined.

Damian McBride's war on evidence-based policy
James O'Malley is concerned about evidence. And some bloke.

Ancient Confession Found: 'We Invented Jesus Christ'
This is probably nonsense.

Burnee links for Tuesday

How to read and understand a scientific paper: a guide for non-scientists | Violent metaphors
This looks like an awful lot of work. Probably because it's an awful lot of work.

Alas, poor Wallace | teleskopos
Some facts about Wallace, Darwin and established knowledge. As skeptics, we should be more careful about this stuff.
(Via Mark Edon.)

It's not the morphine, it's the size of the cage: Rat Park experiment upturns conventional wisdom about addiction - garry's subposthaven
New evidence: change your beliefs.

Bot & Dolly's Box takes CG into the real world (video)
The possibilities are ... probably unknown at this point. But this short video is highly impressive.


▶ Tim Minchin Occasional Address and Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters - YouTube
Surprisingly inspiring.


Atheism starts its megachurch: Is it a religion now? - Salon.com
Short answer: no. It's great that the Sunday Assembly is expanding so rapidly, and though I'm not likely to attend on a regular basis even if one opens near me, I wholeheartedly support what they're doing.

Burnee links for Monday

Nagel’s bat doesn’t demonstrate incompleteness in materialist science | coelsblog
You'll never know what it's like to be a bat. And that's OK.

Richard Carrier Blogs: Defining the Supernatural
"Supernatural" doesn't necessarily mean untestable.

No One is Born Gay (or Straight): Here Are 5 Reasons Why | Social (In)Queery
Well, that's interesting. Maybe it's true.

Stephen Fry — Am I an Islamophobe?
He of brain-the-size-of-the-Universe finds himself having to say it yet again. And I'm guessing it won't be the last time.

Burnee links for Thursday

'Persecuted' British Christians need to 'grow up', says former Archbishop Rowan Williams - Telegraph
Rowan Williams pooh-poohs "persecution".

Beyond Dawkins | Rationalist Association
Daniel Trilling is taking over editorship of New Humanist magazine in September, and here he sets out his stall. NH, during the few years I've been a subscriber, has appeared unafraid of publishing articles that are potentially counter to the views of its core readership. I hope that continues. (But what's happening to Caspar Melville?)

Do Not Link allows you to ethically criticize bad content | Skeptical Software Tools
Useful article from Tim Farley concerning how to link to bad content in social media or other sites that don't honour the NOFOLLOW HTML tag.

National Secular Society - Secularism for beginners
Excellent article. Bookmark it and send it to every religionist who insists on talking about "militant secularists".

Sorry Apologetics: an essay wherein I use lots of big words | godless in dixie
A good article that includes a concise explanation of presuppositional apologetics (aka BS).

Richard Dawkins attacks Muslim bigots, not just Christian ones. If only his enemies were as brave » The Spectator
About time. And in the Spectator. Nick Cohen says what all those loud and angry militant atheists have been too shy point out.

Dawkins gets a break at last « Why Evolution Is True
Jerry Coyne picks up on Nick Cohen's Spectator article.

Michael Shermer: Rapist or Sleaze? (Unless Box Checked for Other) » Richard Carrier Blogs
Good to read a rigorous analysis of what might have happened, and why it matters.

What do you do when someone pulls the pin and hands you a grenade? » Pharyngula
PZ presents the evidence Richard Carrier writes about in the previous link. Apparently Michael Shermer's lawyers have since issued PZ with a "cease and desist" letter.