All posts by rabbitpirate

Culture, Reason, Science

What would you say?

22 Comments

Following on from AndromedasWake’s excellent post the other day and my own recent research/thinking on the issue of teaching skepticism I have found myself thinking a lot about science knowledge and the general public. As I am sure you are all way too painfully aware when it comes to good scientific understanding the general public have something of an antagonistic relationship with reality.

 

For every person who applies good skeptical thinking and basic scientific understanding in their everyday lives there are at least three people who religiously check their horoscopes on the way to visit their local homeopath. In the recent election for example I discovered that my local MP supported making homeopathy available on the NHS and one of the smaller parties had climate change denialism as part of its manifesto. Something is seriously wrong with that.

 

So what can we, as hardened and, if I may say so, devilishly attractive skeptics, do about it? How can we help to make the general public more skeptical and more science literate? Well I am sorry to say that I don’t have an answer. I’ve been trying to do my small part by working on a “beginners guide” style book about skepticism but it is not as though that has never been done before. As such my thoughts have recently turned to smaller things, which brings me to the point of this post. I have a question for you.

 

If you could give one bit of advice, drop one bit of knowledge or just make one suggestion to the general public or someone new to skepticism then what would it be?*

 

Maybe we can’t influence the world as a whole, but perhaps we can start sowing little seeds of logical and rational thinking. I like to think of this as bulletpoint skepticism. Little catchy easy to remember pieces of information that can change the way people thing. For example simply knowing about something like pareidolia makes it less likely that you will be convinced that you’re really are seeing the virgin Mary in your breakfast cereal.

 

Anyway it is just an idea that I had, not sure if it is a good one or not or even if I have explained it at all well, but I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with. Plus I haven’t posted anything in ages and felt that I really should put something up. All these newbies are starting to make me look bad. 😉

 

* Be warned, if you come up with something great I am so stealing it for my book.

Culture

How do I make my vote count?

2 Comments

So as you are no doubt all aware there is a general election coming up here in the UK. On May 6th the country will be called upon to cast their votes as to which bunch of crooks political party they want to govern us for the next five years. Now I plan to vote, I really do, only I am really struggling with regards to whom to vote for and even whether there is any point in voting in the first place. As such I thought I would ask you guys for your thoughts on the matter.

 

Continue reading How do I make my vote count? →

Religion, Science

Boobs cause earthquakes!!!

46 Comments

Well at least they do according to Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, a senior Iranian cleric. Apparently “Many women who do not dress modestly … lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes“. Now I am sure you ladies already knew that you had the power to cause car accidents with your alluring curves, but I bet you didn’t know you could cause earthquakes too.

 

“What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble?” Sedighi asked during a prayer sermon Friday. “There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam’s moral codes.”

 

Well that certainly sounds, er well, “logical” to me. But the best thing about this insane story is that it makes a claim that is scientifically testable, and oh so wonderfully so. Jen, over at the awesome Blag Hag Blog, proposes that we do just that.

 

On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that’s your preferred form of immodesty. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I’m sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn’t rumble. And if we really get through to him, maybe it’ll be one involving plate tectonics.

 

Now that is what I call science. So come on ladies, this is your chance to get involved in a grass roots scientific experiment. Sure there is a slim chance that you may accidently destroy a city or two, but I for one am willing to take the risk. As Jen said, come Monday it will be time for a Boobquake.

Religion

What’s the big deal?

9 Comments

Ok so I know that I am meant to be doing a post on the whole Simon Singh/BCA thing but that was so last week so instead I’m going to talk about something else entirely. If that’s ok with Th1sWasATriumph that is. Also let me apologise in advance if this post descends into a rant as even as I write this I am not completely sure where I am going with it. Let’s just start at the beginning shall we.

 

Back when I was a Christian I was a big fan of Christian music. Yes I know, but don’t worry I grew out of it. Anyway at the time one of my favourite artists was a lady by the name of Jennifer Knapp. Her music was a little bit country, a little bit bluesy and unlike many Christian artists she actually did songs about real life as well as just songs about how awesome God is. But then, after a couple of incredibly popular albums, she disappeared completely from the scene with no information on when she might return.

 

So by now you are no doubt wondering why I am mentioning this at all. Well part of the reason, though certainly not the main one, that she decided to take a break was that she finally accepted the fact that she was gay. Now, after a seven year break she’s back, with a new album entitled Letting Go, as an openly gay Christian woman. So what, you are probably asking, who cares if she is gay? Well I sure don’t, as far as I am concerned who you love is no-ones business but yours, but seeing she is a some what famous “Christian” artist you can sure as hell bet someone cares, someone cares a whole lot.

 

Continue reading What’s the big deal? →

Censorship, News, Reason

This time victory really is ours

14 Comments

A really quick post as I don’t have any more details than this right now but it seems the BCA have dropped their case against Simon Singh. No doubt this will be on every skeptic and atheist blog for the rest of the week so we will all be inundated with details in no time. For right now I am sure you will all join me in offering our congratulations to Simon and our thanks for having the courage to stand up for rational thinking and good science like he did. We love ya man.

Science

The Great Memory Experiment

6 Comments

Something completely different today. I need your help with an experiment.

 

The other day someone I work with mentioned that they believe that there is a real difference between the memories of men and women. Now this didn’t sit right with me and so rather than try to argue with him based upon nothing but my personal opinion I thought I would do an experiment to see if I could get a more definitive answer.

 

And this is where you lot come in. In order to test this I have made a youtube video and all you need to do is watch it and then answer six simple questions about what you saw. That’s it. Now hopefully if I can get enough people answering the questions then when I correlate all the answers they will actually mean something. That said this is the first time I have ever done anything like this so it could all go terribly wrong. Ah well that’s science for you. Anyway I predict that, once everything is added up, there will be no real difference between the memories of men and women, though we may see a difference when it comes to the ages of those involved.

 

So help me out. Go watch the video and tell other people to watch it and answer the questions as well. I am aiming for at least a hundred answers but the more the merrier.

 

Click here to join the experiment.

Entertainment, Reason

Happy second…much more fun than an hour

6 Comments

So today sees the start of World Homeopathy Awareness Week and I thought what better way to get the party started than with a homeopathic cocktail.

 

How to make an Avogadro Slammer

 

You will need:

 

A Martini Glass

A Cocktail Shaker

A Large Jug (the bigger the better)

A Pipette

 

Ingredients

 

1 part Gin

1 part Vodka

1 part Dry Vermouth

Tonic Water

A Lemon

A Lime

Green Olives

Red Cherries

Ice

500,000 Gallons of Water

 

Instructions

 

 

 

  • Use the pipette to place one drop of each spirit into a large jug full of water.
  • Stir gently.
  • Use the pipette to place one drop of the mixture into the cocktail shaker along with some crushed ice.
  • Strike the cocktail shaker forcefully until thoroughly shaken.
  • Pour the contents of the cocktail shaker into a fresh jug of water.
  • Stir gently.
  • Repeat steps 3 to 6 until not a single molecule of the original spirits remain.
  • Place one drop of the final mixture in a chilled Martini glass and serve with tonic water, a slice of lemon, a slice of lime, two olives and a cherry.

 

 

 

WARNING: Due to the way in which it is made the Avogadro Slammer in an extremely potent drink. The League of Reason accepts no responsibility should you become intoxicated or hospitalised as the result of drinking one. Side effects can include liver damage and long term brain damage. Please drink responsibly. Do not drive a vehicle for at least a month after consuming a Avogadro Slammer and give up operating heavy machinery all together.

Censorship, News, Science

Victory is ours…well kind of

9 Comments

So no doubt you have all heard by now that Uber skeptic Simon Singh has won his libel appeal over the issue of whether his statements against the British Chiropractic Association should be treated as “fair comment” or not. Now this doesn’t mean that the case is over, Simon still has to win the libel case against him. However it does mean that he will be able to use the defence of “fair comment” rather than having to justify his statements as facts.

 

This is not only great news for Simon but for those seeking to reform the draconian British libel laws in general. Because of the importance of the judges involved in this decision, the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of Rolls and Sir Stephen Sedley, this ruling carries a lot of weight with it that could be used to help reform the current libel system, especially with regards to science and public health issues. But we still have a long way to go.

 

If you haven’t already get yourself over to the Libel Reform website and sign the petition to show your support. Even if you don’t live in the UK the British Libel laws still affect you as currently if anything you says can be accessed in the UK, which given the internet is pretty much a guarantee, then you can be sued under British libel laws. Scientists, and those of us who blog on science and public health issues, need to be able to present information that is in the public interest without fear of being sued by those who would rather the truth didn’t get out there. Right now the law is very much skewed in favour of those who would silence good science, but working together we can, and I have no doubt will, see this change in the very near future.

 

I’ll end with this great 1994 quote from Judge Easterbrook, chief judge of the US seventh circuit court of appeals, which is still spot on today. Easterbrook stated that those claiming they had been libelled:

 

“cannot, by simply filing suit and crying ‘character assassination!’, silence those who hold divergent views, no matter how adverse those views may be to plaintiffs’ interests.

 

“Scientific controversies must be settled by the methods of science rather than by the methods of litigation. More papers, more discussion, better data, and more satisfactory models – not larger awards of damages – mark the path towards superior understanding of the world around us.”

 

I couldn’t agree more.

News, Religion

Don’t laugh, this is serious

12 Comments

The child sex abuse scandals that, if I may channel Th1sWasATriumph for a moment, are currently pounding the Catholic Church in the arse* are no laughing matter. This sort of institutionalized rape is an abomination of the worst kind and if the real world actually mattered at all to the Pope and the Popettes then they would be stringing up the perpetrators by their little bishops in Vatican square.

 

But still even in the midst of such a sickening story unintentional humour can be found. For example take a recent article from the Times Online website about the effect of the scandal in Germany. The article is fairly well written but I can’t help but feel that they could have found a more appropriately named journalist to write it.

 

Ah I did laugh. Anyway I promise my next post will have a bit more substance than this one.

 

* I was so tempted to use the “Impacted by Jesus” line here but managed to control the urge.

Culture, News, Religion

But your Honour, it’s funny

14 Comments

So have you heard this story? Harry Taylor, a 59-year-old philosophy tutor and “militant” atheist, has been arrested and charged with three counts of religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress under the Crime and Disorder Act. His crime? Leaving humorous cartoons poking fun at various religions in the prayer room of John Lennon airport in Liverpool. In court the cartoons were described to the jury as being “sexually abusive and sexually unpleasant” but for the life of me I can’t see where they are getting this from based upon the description of the cartoons listed in the Telegraph.

 

Continue reading But your Honour, it’s funny →