David Berner compiled a list of a few cephalopod based Maakie strips, so I’ll pass them on to you. It’s two good things at once.
I can almost see why an octopus would find an elephant attractive, although it might look like a heptaplegic to it.
It feels good to see the IDist crackpots beaten back a little bit in their bid to control the Kansas school board, and I think it is necessary to keep up the pressure and prevent them from getting a better grip on public school education. However, Paul Nelson actually has a point with his little parable. It’s not the point he thinks he’s making, but it’s important to keep in mind anyway, and I’m going to dash some cold water on any sense of triumphalism on the pro-science side.
Tom Gasaway sent me a link to this cartoon, but I don’t get it.
Is it trying to say that Condi is an amazing asset to the US who brings us all kinds of wonderful surprises? Could we get her to give up her current job and come work at the Common Cup in lovely downtown Morris? I’d order lunch there every day, I promise.
This is a new low: if you read this post by a fellow atheist, you’ll see a critical comment by “PZ Myers.” Thing is, it wasn’t me.
I guess we’ve got some cowardly kook wandering about, leaving comments with my name stuck on them, in an attempt to simultaneously annoy others and discredit me. Nice. If anyone else is getting what seem to be out-of-character comments from me, let me know…it would also be good if you had a way to let me know the IP address of the imposter.
In a related situation, read this story about a fake ‘atheist’ blog purporting to label the good, the bad, and the ugly atheists (no, I’m not mentioned in any of the categories)—it reeks of astroturf.
Watch the ‘pretty’ birdies land on a tree.
Lippard has also pulled out a viewer comment that you will find hard to believe.
Phil Plait is trying hard to depress us with the most horrific youtube video ever. Watch it and realize that the universe does not love us, we are incredibly fragile, and there are cosmic forces out there that with a little bad luck, could turn us into cinders in an instant.
Hmmm, I guess I can be depressing, too.
If you’re at work, I hope you have headphones; if you don’t, check in once you get home. Here are a couple of audio recordings of good science.
It wasn’t a clean sweep that threw all the rascals out, but the Kansas school board election did return a little more balance and helped out the pro-science side. Thoughts from Kansas summarizes the results:
The Board is back in moderate hands no matter what. The night is, on balance, a victory. It’d be nice to further marginalize the extremists by winning the remaining races in November, but we’ve got a majority that will implement the science standards recommended by the scientists, educators and parents of the science standards committee. The Board can focus on bigger issues. They can dig into ways to address the special challenges of rural districts, and to find solutions to the problems faced by the students in poorer urban districts. Real challenges, not fake controversy. Helping kids, not fighting culture wars.
Best of all, it looks like Connie Morris has lost her seat on the board. That’s good news right there.
One entry in the carnival roundup for today:
Otherwise, I’m running about in Minneapolis, paying another visit to the airport and going to a meeting at UMTC, so talk among yourselves. I’ll be back later.
