This clip is from a traffic camera in Chile — it shows a dog hit by a car, and then another dog risking the heavy traffic to pull the injured animal to the side, out of danger.
I wonder what church the heroic dog attends?
Keep this in mind when you encounter people — yeah, I’m looking at you, Francis Collins — try to argue that morality and altruism and empathy are unique markers of a divine hand in our origin.
Bet you didn’t know I’m the guy who talked the deity into using the horrifically inefficient and cruel process of evolution to create life on earth, didja?
The trick to maneuvering him into doing anything? Appeal to his vanity. The guy is definitely omninarcissistic.
(Psst. Notice that the deity’s science advisor is wearing an “A” pin, and one of Lynn Fellman’s sciency ties. Bad acting is no barrier to sneaky product placement!)
Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe and donate. How else will they ever be able to stop scraping the bottom of the barrel for guest appearances?
Out of a whole collection of steampunk-themed cakes, this one has to be my favorite:
It looks like something out of Girl Genius — it must have been made by a spark.
It’s also interesting to see that there is a whole wide freaky cake-decorating sub-culture out there. Very cool.
I’ve recently made arrangements to come speak at the University of Ireland in Galway in early February. Hooray! I’ve been looking forward to visiting Ireland for some time, so it’s going to be great.
And then I discover that not all the Irish are sane. There are crowds listening to ‘psychic’ prophets and standing in churchyards to stare at the sun until their eyeballs are all wobbly and semi-toasted, and then declaring that the fact that they can’t see straight is a miracle! From God! Hallelujah to a creator who would make a delicate energy sensor friable!
I was planning on giving a couple of serious talks, but now I’m cleverly thinking…if I just hand out ball-peen hammers to the audiences and tell them to bang themselves on the head until they see stars and angels and Jesus himself looking like Bono and singing lullabies, I’ll have a little more time to sneak out and get all touristy.
Except that the people who’d come to listen to me would probably be more critical than the ones who’d listen to a self-proclaimed ‘clairvoyant’ like Joe Coleman. Darn. Preaching reason and autonomy and rebellion from the dictates of mystical authority does have its downsides.
Surely this was misaddressed! I am not the right person to contact about pseudo-scientific ‘spiritual’ evolutionary seminars.
Dear Evolutionary,
I am happy to invite you to two free teleseminars–one with spiritual teacher and founder of EnlightenNext Andrew Cohen, and another with EnlightenNext magazine executive editor, Carter Phipps. These calls offer not only valuable content but also a fully interactive experience on MaestroConference, a new technology platform that allows you to engage the speaker and other participants as if it’s an in-person workshop, with breakout groups and more. Here are the details:
Awakening to the Evolutionary Impulse
FREE Conference Call with Andrew Cohen
Thursday, October 8, 2009; 5:00 pm (Pacific Time, US)How does higher spiritual and psychological development translate into the demonstrable evolution of our personal attitudes and cultural values? In this dynamic virtual seminar, Cohen will guide participants into a direct experience and understanding of the life-transforming power and perspective of Evolutionary Enlightenment. Always teaching within the context of an Integral framework, Cohen will help us to see in clear and simple terms how our experience of higher consciousness can lead not only to our own personal liberation but also to the evolution of our shared beliefs and cultural values.
Evolution Changes Everything:
How the Discovery of Progress Is Transforming the Spiritual Path
FREE Conference Call with Carter Phipps
Thursday, October 15, 2009; 3:30 pm (Pacific Time, US)Once upon a time, there was only the cycle of birth, life, and death. Then God created Darwin, whose theory of evolution transformed a static wheel of existence into a great arc of change, with bacteria, beast, biosphere and even human consciousness caught up in the currents of an evolutionary universe. This still radical revelation poses a fundamental challenge to some of our most cherished spiritual beliefs. In this teleseminar, Carter Phipps will upend traditional concepts of enlightenment and spiritual awakening, showing how the latest insights in science, philosophy, and spirituality are destined to transform our relationship to life, God, and…well, everything!
Oh, no, that’s insane. Darwin is now a messianic prophet who changed the universe? Sorry, but he was just a guy with a smart idea.
Of course, to two very dumb con artists like Andrew Cohen and Carter Phipps, that might seem god-like. After all, Darwin made it possible for them to bilk gullible people out of their money.
Removed at photographer’s request
The Discovery Channel is having a documentary about Ardipithecus ramidus at 8pm Central time (in about half an hour). I’m planning to set my work aside for a while and fix a bowl of hot soup — it’s cold here, with a snow storm on the way — and see if they actually do it right.
First half hour wasn’t bad: nice overview of the practice of finding old bones, and a good illustration of the fragmentary nature of the fossil. At the same time, though, it’s also doing a good job of showing how they know the pieces of Ardi are from a single individual.
S l o w i n g d o w n. So far this program is taking longer to watch than it took me to read the original papers. It’s got some nicely done bits, but it sure is taking it’s time, and it’s annoyingly repetitive. It’s also got commercials, and the frequency of commercial breaks is steadily increasing.
I thought we Americans were supposed to have short attention spans. How is this sort of drawn out programming supposed to appeal to the average person with a general interest in evolution?
Bill Maher doesn’t believe in vaccines at all? Man, you’ve have got to be utterly nuts to make Bill Frist look good.
The first part is pretty good, where Frist gives Maher a lesson in vaccines; the last bit is rather annoying, as they find common cause in agreeing that we don’t need to make modern medicine available to more, because “we have the best health care system in the world” (baloney), and our bloated health care budget is simply a consequence of bad food and obesity.
It’s a poll. A poll with a stupid question.
Do psychics have a role to play in criminal investigations?
Yes: 31%
No: 69%
What role is that? To generate red herrings to keep the mystery alive?
Come on, New Zealanders. I have a higher opinion of you than that only 69% would find that question ludicrous.
Right now, people are marching on Washington with a reasonable demand: equality under the law for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. It’s not much to ask for; it’s simply what every human being in this country ought to expect.
I’m not in Washington DC. I’m sitting in wintery Minnesota. You’re probably snug in your homes, too. So what can you do?
How about getting inspired?
Are you feeling it now? We all should hope for a world where all the differences between us are no obstacle to full participation in civic life by all people; whether you’re gay or godless, black or white, the law should treat us all the same.
Unfortunately, there are people who don’t share that dream and want to constrain minority positions, and make non-heterosexuals second class citizens. Equality is not what they want. We have to act to improve our country.
Contribute to the Support No on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign. If you live in Maine, vote NO on 1 in the election booth.
On the other side of the country, contribute to the Approve Referendum 71 campaign, and if you live there, vote YES on Ref. 71. I have a lot of family in that state, so I’ll be contributing there, and will also be calling up family and reminding them that they ought to vote FOR this one.
Here in the middle of the country, you can donate to the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. But you know this is an issue everywhere — look for local groups you can help. You’ve got google, even if you aren’t getting up off your butt today, use it! Contribute! Work with your GLBT friends and neighbors! Make a difference!
(Thanks to MAJeff for sending along the information, and for doing his part to enlighten North Dakota.)
