Google Atlantis
Atlantis is one of those enduring myths that is so tenacious it provokes speculation about what is it, exactly, that makes it so irresistible. It certainly appeals to the imagination – wondering what an ancient yet advanced civilization might have been like. It also appeals to the little explorer in each of us. At a time when we can go on the computer in our living room and see high quality satellite images of the entire planet it may seem like there is nothing left to explore – no edge of the map beyond which there be dragons. A little mystery can be fun – perhaps there are hidden archaeological and historical treasures to be found, at the bottom of the ocean or under Antarctica, whatever your preference.
Ironically, Bernie Bamford, an aeronautical engineer from Chester, UK, claims he found an aerial map of Atlantis on Google Earth. What he found was what appears to be a
grid-pattern of lines covering an area about the size of Wales about 620 miles off the coast of West Africa (here are the Google coordinates: 31 15′15.53N 24 15′30.53W. Bamford is quoted as saying that the grid pattern “must be man-made.” Some reports characterize the pattern as “perfect.”
Certainly perfectly straight lines and right angles are not features common in nature and they do indeed suggest a human technological origin. If you look closely at the photo you will see that the lines are not perfect – but to be fair they are close enough that the non-natural argument still holds.
2009: Shaping up to be a really bad year for antivaccinationists
[Originally posted at: Science Based Medicine]
I will begin this post with a bit of an explanation. Between one and two weeks ago, there appeared two momentous news about the manufactroversy regarding vaccines and autism. No doubt, many SBM readers were expecting that I, as the resident maven of this particular bit of pseudoscience, would have been here last week to give you, our readers, the skinny on all of this. Unfortunately, as some know, my wife’s mother died, coincidentally enough, on the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birthday and a day when one of those two momentous bits of news was released to the public, which is why I used one of my handful of posts written and then held in reserve. I’m back now, though, and I don’t think it’s too late to comment on these bits of news because now that over a week has gone by what I’ve seen has led me to draw some conclusions that I might not have been able to do, had I done my usual bit and been first off the mark (at least among SBM bloggers) discussing the story.
[Read the rest of this post at: Science Based Medicine]
Psychic predicts trouble for car companies
No shit! What are they going to predict next, trouble with the banks, Ponzi schemes, the first black president? This is a joke!
Koo Koo – Woo Woo quotes of the day
One definitive aspect of alternative medicine that surpasses the aims of conventional medicine is that it strives to harmonize and enrich one’s body in a fundamental way, not just as a quick fix approach to a problem. The options available are numerous, including holistic, natural, non-toxic and various other methods. Some of these are opposed by the modern medical bigwigs who try to impose their views on the world, claiming alternative medicine is untested and unproven. They advise not getting pregnant after 40 based solely on their textbook guidelines and traditional mode of thinking. But the act of throwing those old conventions and notions out of the window has allowed alternative medicine to break new ground and offer people something that conventional medicine can’t.
Unlike China and India, alternative medicine in Nigeria is devoid of science.
#15 Science
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ORIGINAL ENTRY AT “STUFF GOD HATES”
Prepare thyself, he who reads this, to tremble and quake before the Incredible Word of God, as written by THE LORD HIMSELF!
In this entry I will focus on something that makes Me so mad, I just can’t even…say it…aargghh!! DAMN YOU SCIENCE! DAMN YOU TO HELL!
Whew…ok…I feel better now. I always feel a lot better after damning things I hate to hell. And I think this blog-therapy has really been paying off in My Temper lately. Like, a couple of hours ago I could’ve totally killed this dumb baby I hate, but I was like, whatevs! I’ll let it live. For now.
But back to the subject at hand – stupid damned pagan science!
I, the Lord your God, despise science and all things sciencey. Scientists, the scientific method, laboratories, lab rats, the periodic table, Bill Nye – they’re all going to hell when they die.
Facts, evidence, hypotheses – BAH! These things show a disturbing lack of faith in My Divine Wisdom.
I mean, the gall! The utter gall it takes for man to try to figure out the universe I created. I gotta say, it’s pretty galling!
Put yourself in My Position. Imagine you made your very own ant-farm. You designed it from top to bottom, filled it with ants, and set about the joy of watching them kill each other. And then what do your stupid ants do? Get all sciencey and stuck-up on you!
Ugh. I hate every last one of those smug, self-satisfied scientists. Think they’re so smart! You probably think they’re smart too. Smarter than Me even. Well you’re not gonna think they’re so smart after they accidentally blow up the planet this summer. Yup, you won’t be thinking much at all after that, because you’ll be dead.
Well anyway, there’s just not enough time for Me to discuss the many things I hate about science in this post. Just know that in general, I hate science.
It is dumb. Really, really, really, really dumb. And it’s never proven anything.
What it means to be a Skeptic
[Originally posted at: Rodibidably]
I meant to post this on the 18th, in honor of Yoko Ono’s birthday, but I was unable to finish the post until now, so I apologize for being late (sorry Yoko).
To get us started on this short (well, we’ll see how short it ends up, I tend to ramble at times) journey, I’d like to first define what I mean by Skeptic.
Many people have an image in their head of an older white male (usually with a beard) who sits in an arm chair and dismisses anything that goes against their preconceived notions. While this image may or may not be of a “skeptic”, it seems to be the general understanding in society today. But as with many ideas held by the general public, it’s not really an accurate picture of what it means to be a skeptic.
So let’s define skeptic, with a bit of help from Wikipedia:
In ordinary usage, skepticism or scepticism refers to:
- (a) an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object;
- (b) the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain; or
- (c) the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism that is characteristic of skeptics (Merriam–Webster).
In philosophy, skepticism refers more specifically to any one of several propositions. These include propositions about:
- (a) an inquiry,
- (b) a method of obtaining knowledge through systematic doubt and continual testing,
- (c) the arbitrariness, relativity, or subjectivity of moral values,
- (d) the limitations of knowledge,
- (e) a method of intellectual caution and suspended judgment.
The word skepticism can characterize a position on a single claim, but in scholastic circles more frequently describes a lasting mind-set and an approach to accepting or rejecting new information. Individuals who proclaim to have a skeptical outlook are frequently called skeptics, often without regard to whether it is philosophical skepticism or empirical skepticism that they profess.
These definitions are nice, and quite accurate, but they seem a bit unwieldy to me, let’s keep looking for a simple one line type of description if we can:
A scientific (or empirical) skeptic is one who questions the reliability of certain kinds of claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation.
In my view if you replace the phrase “certain kinds of claims” with “virtually all claims“, you’d have what I consider a solid definition of what I mean when I use the term Skeptic.
As a skeptic myself (or at least somebody who attempts to be skeptical in their life) there are a number of philosophies or ideals I attempt to use to guide myself through life. Some of these are well known skeptical quotes or ideas, while some are more vague ideas.
[Read the rest of this post at: Rodibidably]
The Fuzzy, Superficial World of Balance
[Originally posted at: Alibi.com]
Balance. Everybody wants it. Tires and tightrope walkers need it.
It’s a very popular concept in the New Age and holistic healing circles, but what is it? It’s a buzzword that, like natural, is universally desirable but poorly defined. Pills offer emotional balance, books offer spiritual balance, alternative medical therapies offer chi or vibrational balance. The idea, of course, is that in a perfect world, everything is balanced or in equilibrium. People seek innumerable physical and metaphysical methods to bring “balance” to their lives. Balance suggests an even, equitable, harmonious or natural division between substances, states or conditions.
Humans seek and love simplicity. We like dualism and dichotomies. We like good and bad, male and female, East and West, heaven and earth, reality and fantasy, skeptics and believers, balance and imbalance. These categories are convenient, but they are also profoundly vague, superficial and misleading. The world simply isn’t divided into two polar opposites. Yes, there are men and women; there are also homosexuals, transvestites, transsexuals and the intersexed. Yes, there is good and bad, but what is good under some circumstances may be bad in others. It’s simply not true that “you’re either with us or against us.” Binary, dualistic thinking can be dangerous.
[Read the rest of this post at: Alibi.com]
What’s the difference between a Christian and an Atheist?
I don’t know, but I can tell you that they have much in common with each other, as Rook’s Rant easily shows us. Go there to see the full table.
Gods that Christians don’t believe in Gods that atheists don’t believe in Aesir
Agasaya
Agdistis
Ah chuy kak
Ah cun can
Ah hulneb
Ah puch
Ahulane
Ahura mazda
Aine
Airmid
Aizen-myoo
Aji-suki-taka-hi-kone
AkeaAesir
Agasaya
Agdistis
Ah chuy kak
Ah cun can
Ah hulneb
Ah puch
Ahulane
Ahura mazda
Aine
Airmid
Aizen-myoo
Aji-suki-taka-hi-kone
Akea
Dr. Jay Gordon: Will you please stop claiming you’re not an antivaccinationist?
I knew it. I just knew it.
I just knew that when I finally decided to come back from my absence from this blog that something very unpleasant and sad would be waiting for me. True, there had actually been one very nasty thing that I simply had to deal with a few days ago, but that was a particularly vile and despicable human being who, believe it or not, was not John Best. That is not the case here, although the misinformation being pushed is truly disturbing.
Not surprisingly, what awaited me upon my decision to come back was posted earlier this week on that repository of antivaccine propaganda, The Huffington Post. Also, not surprisingly, what awaited me had been penned by everybody’s favorite pediatrician to the stars’ children (especially antivaccine activist Jenny McCarthy’s son Evan), namely Dr. Jay “Whatever You Do, Don’t Call Me Antivaccine” Gordon, the man who’s been known to parrot the worst antivaccine canards, who penned the foreword to Jenny McCarthy’s latest paean to antivaccinationism and autism quackery, and, who, most recently, invaded my alma mater with a kinder, gentler version of his nonsense.
I know, I know, Dr. Jay is “not antivaccine.” How do I know? He tells us so ad nauseam whenever it is pointed out that he is the chief physician apologist for the antivaccine movement, of course! Usually he tells us either with outrage or with a hurt, puppy dog demeanor at the perceived injustice of being called out for spewing his nonsense. I’ve even bent over backwards to try to give Dr. Jay the benefit of the doubt at every opportunity. Indeed, I do believe that Dr. Jay believes he is not antivaccine. Unfortunately, what he believes and reality are related only by coincidence. That includes vaccines, and that also includes his self-delusion that he is not “antivaccine.” If you don’t believe me, get a load of Dr. Gordon’s reaction to the recent decision in the Autism Omnibus, in which the special masters roundly and utterly rejected the arguments of the plaintiffs in the first three test cases (more about that on Monday, unless something more current demands my attention by then). I’m tellin’ ya, the dude is closer to sounding unhinged than I’ve ever seen him, and that anger shatters for me any claim by him that he is not antivaccine. If you think I’m being too harsh, then check out his two posts on HuffPo, “There Is No Proof that Cigarettes Cause Cancer” and The Vaccine Court Was Wrong.
Even I never would have expected something so unscientific and just plain dumb from Dr. Jay. As much as I think Dr. Gordon is probably a nice guy who cares about his patients, being nice does not excuse one from being taken to task for advocating dangerous pseudoscientific nonsense. Unfortunately, he managed to live down to my expectations and then start digging. With a backhoe. Let’s take a look at his first bit of idiocy:
1 comment