Sam Harris on Fitna

The controversy over Fitna, like all such controversies, renders one fact about our world especially salient: Muslims appear to be far more concerned about perceived slights to their religion than about the atrocities committed daily in its name. Our accommodation of this psychopathic skewing of priorities has, more and more, taken the form of craven and blinkered acquiescence.

There is an uncanny irony here that many have noticed. The position of the Muslim community in the face of all provocations seems to be: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn’t, we will kill you. Of course, the truth is often more nuanced, but this is about as nuanced as it ever gets: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn’t, we peaceful Muslims cannot be held responsible for what our less peaceful brothers and sisters do. When they burn your embassies or kidnap and slaughter your journalists, know that we will hold you primarily responsible and will spend the bulk of our energies criticizing you for “racism” and “Islamophobia.”

Sam Harris: Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks

Popularity: 3% [?]

Time Cube for Christians

Now this is just super. Remember Time Cube? Yes, that Time Cube. Well, today, in my work email, I was treated to the wisdom of Frank Hatch, and his “Final Notice” before the Earth falls into “Null Space”.

I can’t possibly do it justice, so all I can do is let you see for yourself. Enjoy.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Faux News’ facty fiction

I don’t live in the USA, so I’ve never actually seen Fox News properly. However, I have seen enough clips on YouTube and via the likes of Bill Maher and The Daily Show to realise how they treat reality. ¹ Sky News, as hilarious as it is, isn’t a patch on Fox.

However, though the magic of Digg, I came across this article on the Fox News web site, Report: Non-Muslims Deserve to Be Punished. Now, obviously being sceptical of Fox News’ analysis, I thought I’d check their “source”, which turns out to be Islam Watch, run by islamic apostates.

It’s rather hilarious really, because Islam Watch’s “report” is nothing of the sort, what Fox News quoted was a work of fiction.

Editor’s note: The question / answer session [that Fox News reported] is a satirical and fictional account based on Quranic verses and statements of Muslims who unfortunately take some hateful teachings of the Quran literally. Some readers have been mistaking it as a genuine conversation. Also according to East London Mosque Abdul Makin was never employed by them although he and his fellow convicted perverters of justice did lie about being at the Mosque at the time listening to one of Abdul’s speeches there.

It almost makes me appreciate the BBC.

1. Please feel free to correct me if Fox News doesn’t pretend to be representative of reality [↩]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Sexpelled: No Intercourse Allowed

Genius

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Times: Scientists pressure Prince over woo medicine

A guide to “alternative medicine” produced by Prince Charles’ Foundation for Integrated Health, Complementary Healthcare: A Guide, that has been produced with over £900,000 of taxpayer’s money, is being asked to be recalled as it is claimed that:

[T]hey both contain numerous misleading and inaccurate claims concerning the supposed benefits of alternative medicine… The nation cannot be served by promoting ineffective and sometimes dangerous alternative treatments.
Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, letter to The Times

I did find this quote from a representative of the Foundation, Natasha Finlayson, to be quite telling:

We entirely reject the accusation that our online publication Complementary Healthcare: A Guide contains any misleading or inaccurate claims about the benefits of complementary therapies… The foundation does not promote complementary therapies.

However, if one takes time to read the guide as it appears online, one might be justified in determining that it does indeed promote woo medicine. For example, take this part of the guide that deals with homeopathy under What precautions should I take?:

Some homeopaths think that particular medical treatments or strong smelling substances, including certain aromatherapy oils or mint toothpaste, can affect homeopathic remedies.

What this promotes is the idea (keyword “think” in this case) that any bona fide medical treatment might prevent the efficacy of a homeopathic treatment, and I don’t see it being outwith the realms of possibility that a credulous person might therefore be led to think that the homeopathic preparation is in fact the most important facet of any treatment, which for some illnesses or diseases may indeed be quite dangerous.

What’s also disturbing is what is omitted from what should be the most helpful part of the page, especially when entitled What precautions should I take?. This section doesn’t mention any of the following:

• that there is no evidence that homeopathy has any more efficacy than a placebo
• that homeopathic remedies can be very expensive
• that most homeopaths are not licensed medical practitioners

In fact, none of these items are mentioned at all, although there is a statement that ’some’ homeopaths are doctors, dentists and nurses, although with the caveat when they practice homeopathy it’s not always within the context of the NHS. (Although it does disturb me that they can do it within the NHS at all.)

I’m not even going to mention con artists.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that the Foundation’s web site’s research papers section appears to contain not quite as much research as one might expect for an organisation that is promoting health issues.

The Times: Prince of Wales’s guide to alternative medicine ‘inaccurate’

Popularity: 12% [?]

The Telegraph: Muslim sex offenders may opt out of treatment

In a stunning case of political correctness gone horribly mad and special treatment for (obviously “moral”) god botherers, it seems that there is a “case” whereby imprisoned sex offenders who adhere to a certain flavour of magical thinking may be allowed to opt out of treatment for their crimes.

The treatment programme seemingly entails a period of discussing and acting out their crimes with their peers (presumably other jailed sex offenders) and assessment. Should their assessment be positive, they may be eligible for early release.

Muslims, apparently, have a religiously inspired injunction barring them from discussing their crimes.

One of the startling — and, in my opinion, very disturbing — revelations put forward is that, should muslims not take part in these treatments and thence not be qualified for parole as an assessment is only made during these programmes, they may be eligible to sue the prison service (i.e. the taxpayer) for having to serve their full .

However, union leaders warned that as treatment is used to assess whether prisoners are suitable for early release, Muslims who have to serve longer terms because they did not take part could sue the Prison Service.

So, let me get this straight: someone who has committed a crime, most likely against someone else, and been found guilty within the law might be allowed to receive compensation for serving the full sentence that they received for their crime, because they have some magical beliefs and refuse to receive treatment?

Fuck that.

Full article over at the Telegraph.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Thumbs up for the Apocalypse

It seems to be a day of cartoons today, so I thought I’d share, just in case you haven’t seen it (it’s new to me), The Atheist Apocalypse featuring everyone’s¹ favourite Four Horsemen of Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens².

1. Well, perhaps not everyone… [↩]
2. Hmmm, “h2d2″, reminds me somewhat of h2g2… [↩]

Popularity: 15% [?]

Divine procrastination

Source: The Times Online.

Popularity: 14% [?]

It never rains, eh?

Ever heard of David Mabus? No, neither had I. That was until I (and who knows how many others) received a completely out-of-the-blue email from this person (admittedly sent to Planet Humanism rather than directly to me). I really don’t need to add anything, so I’ll just post it here in all it’s glory and let it speak for itself.

From: David Mabus
To: [snipped]
Date: 19 Mar 2008 16:29
Subject: How Michel Nostradamus stopped the Randi-Dawkins Corp. [What? -ed]

Just in case you folks come up with the same idea……

Visit:

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/forums/viewthread/3283/P0/

to see how we stopped James Randi’s fraudulent MILLION DOLLAR PARANORMAL challenge…..

watch carefully the consequences of Randi’s *great idea*…..

For over 40 years James Randi Zwinge (is this even a REAL NAME?) has had total control over who and how the testing was conducted, yet despite all this he has terminated the challenge.

The ONLY REASON why the challenge was stopped is because he lost and refused to pay.

Apparently, Randi likes to break the rules when it serves him:

http://www.randi.org/joom/content/view/40/32/

“14. This prize will continue to be offered until it is awarded. Upon the death of James Randi, the administration of the prize will pass into other hands, and it is intended that it continue in force. ”

Great force…..it’s over……

where is my MILLION DOLLARS, you LITTLE *NO-NAME* FRAUD

The number of people and organisations that this was sent to lends me a little chuckle in that Mr Mabus (is that even a real name? ;-)) has taken the time to parade his idiocy for so many to see.

It’s a shame that Michel didn’t predict the challenge ending, and then Mabus wouldn’t have had to waste his, and the JREF’s, time in applying.

I guess you can’t win ‘em all.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Arthur C Clarke (1917-2008)

I’ve just heard on the news that sci-fi author and inventor Arthur C Clarke has died at the grand old age of 90 in Sri Lanka.

While I’ve not read much of his more recent output, his earlier works will stay with me and I am ever grateful for their influence in my childhood.

Popularity: 28% [?]

The Times: Ornithology (cartoon)

From The Times Online’s Nature Notes.

Popularity: 31% [?]

catholic.ie

http://www.catholic.ie/

I’ll say no more.

Except “pwned”.

/hattip The BHA e-bulletin

Popularity: 31% [?]

Conversation with a serial blogwhore

Well, that was interesting. Here’s a transcript of a conversation between myself and self-proclaimed “anti-Darwinist” and serial blogwhore¹ John A Davison (that’s “John A Davison”, damnit!), which he “threatened” to publish if I cared to respond. I don’t care to respond further to such an agressive posturing arsehole, so I’m publishing it myself here for the edification of anybody who is having the same conversation with John A Davison yet hasn’t prematurely concluded it.

All emails are verbatim, although I have removed the previous reply quoting for brevity.

Read the rest of this entry »

1. lately here, although I expect that to last as long as his previous efforts [↩]

Popularity: 33% [?]

It’ll never happen

although if the Discovery Institute get their way, they shouldn’t have any right to complain at all.

Although it does beg the question as to why they don’t put pressure on their churches to do this already, to lead by example so to speak, if they’re all about “fairness”.

Popularity: 54% [?]

The Onion: Protests over The Golden Compass

You couldn’t make it up. But they can. :-)

Popularity: 51% [?]