December 2007
You looking at me? →
“As astronomers become more adept at searching for, and finding, planets orbiting other stars, it’s natural to wonder if anybody is looking back. Now, a team of astronomers that includes a professor from MIT has figured out just what those alien eyes might see using technologies being developed by Earth’s astronomers.”
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.”
– Benjamin Franklin - From a list of quotes maintained at MachinesLikeUs.Com
Evolution as Fact, Theory and Path. →
T. Ryan Gregory of the University of Guelph sorts out the scientific meaning of words from their vernacular usage. This article appeared in the first edition of the journal “Evolution: Education and Outreach”.
Letting Microbes Do the Dirty Work. →
Researches look at using microbes to convert “unrecoverable” heavy oil into methane. Most conventional oil well leave about 65% of the oil in the ground. The researchers hope that their technology will be used to boost the world energy reserves.
A Solar Grand Plan. →
This article from Scientific America looks at what it would take to convert the US from coal, oil and nuclear to solar such that it would get 69 percent of its electricity and 35 percent of total energy from solar power plants by 2050. They found we have the technology but “US$420 billion in subsidies from 2011 to 2005 will be required to fund the infrastructure and make it ...
Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste. →
It seems those worried about radioactivity in the environment should be looking closer at coal powered plants than nuclear ones.
Are we there yet? →
Have we hit “peak oil” production or have oil reserves actually increased in 2007?
Don't call Blair "a nutter" →
The British ex-PM Tony Blair recently converted to Catholicism. He said that while in office that he didn’t talk about his religious beliefs as he didn’t want to be labelled “a nutter”. The Brits unlike their American counterparts don’t like being led by “a nutter”, they probably think having a Royal Family is bad enough. In another article he implied...
Another research team gets stem cells from skin... →
“A team of American scientists reported Sunday that they had widened the scope of a Japanese breakthrough in stem cells that many experts have hailed as the greatest medical achievement of 2007.” Now this is a real Christmas present for all of us.
unBelief.org →
“The aim of this website is to counteract the negative influence of the Religious Right on Australian social policy. We strongly support the separation of Church and State, and the proposition that society is more compassionate and fair if civil authority is totally independent of religious belief.”
Another year closer to the end for God.
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This “Christmas closes another year that has been pretty brutal on the God squadders, a year in which the swelling tide of unbelief crashed further through the structures of our cultural architecture.”
What's an atheist to do at Christmas? →
Why not go and see “The Golden Compass” and try to figure out why it is causing so much conniptions amongst Christians.
A "man" worth emulating. →
“So who among our moral leaders is most like Jesus of Nazareth? Is it the president of Liberty Victoria, Julian Burnside, QC, who battles for the rights of the poor to legal representation and for formal justice for two of the most reviled groups in Western societies: prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and asylum seekers? Or Cardinal George Pell, who leads the fight against the ordination of women...
Xmas buying is full of spirit . →
“But what’s wrong with a commercial Christmas? It really does seem like a strange complaint, even for those ideologically opposed to excessive consumption. After all, Christmas is the one time of the year that we go shopping not for ourselves, but for others.”
Canadian churches "falling like bowling pins". →
Christianity seems to be dying in Canada. And some conjecture that it was the women’s movement in the 1960’s and the church’s patriarchal attitude to women that started the rot.
Burnout on the God beat - second top religion... →
Covering religion may be harmful to your faith. Two leading religion journalists — one in Britain, one in the United States — have quit the beat in recent months, saying they had acquired such a close look at such scandalous behaviour by Christians that they lost their faith and had to leave. — brigno
Christmas has always been crass; so enjoy. →
Historians claim that Christmas celebrations never had any “spiritual meaning”. Heck even the three wise men (3WM) brought useless, expensive gifts; OK, I know that now even the Christians admit the 3WM story is just a legend but I hope you can see my point.
The environmental con that is Ethanol →
Ethanol is touted by some as our environmental saviour , the fuel that will be better for us than petrol. But as this article shows there are many problems associated with the way we currently produce ethanol; more enrgy going in than comming out, increased rather than decreased pollution and green house emissions and an increase in food costs and fuel costs. Better methods of producing ethanol...
Jet fuel from waste. →
Two companies are working together on a portable system that would allow the US military to convert biomass (eg, food scraps) into diesel and jet fuel. Could this be the new look compost bin of 2008?
Problem Solved! →
I know one of the biggest problems facing readers this year is what to get me for Xmas. Well Bugs labs is about to relase an open-source hardware system which I would really like to have, so problem solved! Hay it’s worth a try ….
“The impulse to spend seizes everyone.”
– Libanius, a 4th Centuary Greek pagan. Demonstrating yet again that there is nothing new under the Sun.
“But what enrages me is that increasingly they insist that their beliefs should...”
– Michael Costello; from his article “Beliefs don’t deserve the force of law” in the December 21st 2007 edition of The Australian newspaper.
I knew it! Three Wise Men story is a "legend". →
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has admitted that the story of the “Three Wise Men” in the Bible is a legend! He also goes on to say JC wasn’t born in December; so bugger off all you Christians and let the rest of us enjoy Saturnalia in peace. He also dropped the bar for potential new Christians saying that they ‘need not leap over the “hurdle”...
The big-screen battle for a story's soul. →
The book is different but it seems some Christians are again having trouble separating fact from fantasy. BTW, if you have a son who’s not keen on reading buy him a copy of “The Golden Compass”. My 13-year old couldn’t put it down and when I asked him about the anti-religious elements, he said “What anti-religious elements?”. After some explaining of the...
Which produces more CO2 a nuclear plant or... →
In this presentation by P.L. Denholm & G.L Kulcinski of the University of Wisconsin, they look at the full life cycle of nuclear, gas, coal and renewable power plants for baseload power generation. The found that nuclear has the lowest CO2 emissions while the renewables had almost 10 times as much but still far below the fossil fuel powered plants.
Put a chicken in your tank! →
Researchers are looking at ways to convert chicken fat into biodiesel fuel.
British Hindus want laws changed so that they can... →
Hindus wat the Brisish animal walfare laws cahnged. Currently the laws make it an offence to knowingly permit an animal to suffer unnecessairly. The Hindus want the laws changed to take into account their religious beleifs and allow them to look after animals according to their faith (the Hindus not the animals). The issue came to a head when the RSPCA put down a temple cow that was suffering...
Christian MP stirs up anti-Islamic feelings. →
Australian Christian Democrat MP Reverend Fred Nile was one of many speaking at a rally against the building of a Islamic School in the NSW town of Camden. Nile opposed the building of the school because of what he sees as Islam’s opposition to Christianity. One attendee left the meeting early claiming it “was an exercise to increase the fear in the local community, and most...
Why atheists are God's chosen people. →
Does God prefer “self-starters” to those who follow a “10-step religion” ?
Year in Review →
Some of the more “offbeat” stories of the year.
Atheists the fastest growing minority in the USA? →
And not a Presidential candiate they can vote for!
Saudi king pardons rape victim. →
No that’s not a typo. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has pardoned a gang-rape victim whose sentencing to 200 lashes by a Saudi court provoked an international outrcry. The vicitim had originally been sentenced under Islamic law to 90 lashes for being with an urelated man and the rapists to prision terms of up to 5 years. The Supreme Judicial Council then increased her sentence to 200...
Soul Searching →
Multi-cultural Toronto is in mourning this week after the murder of a 16-year old apparently at the hands of her own father because she choose not to wear a hijab.
Catholic Church putting on the spin →
The Catholic Church is handing over $41 million dollars to the Randwick Racecourse as part of a compensation package to users of the racecourse. The Church plans to hold the World Youth Day Papal Mass at the racecourse next year and the compensation is for loss of business to the users of the racecourse and for repairs to the grounds. Obviously the ammount of money been spent on the World Youth...
Don't spare the rod, abuse the child; advice from... →
A US book which takes it’s inspiration from the New Teastament line “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: etc, etc” could be encouraging parents to break New South Wales (NSW) laws. In NSW it is to illegal belt your kids as advocated by Michael and Debi Pearl in their controversal but popular book “To Train Up a Child”. NSW’s Commissioner for Children and...
Bible wrong again. →
It wasn’t a star but an alignment of planets. Now about that virgin birth …
Zorba the Greek Yolgnu style →
The Chooky Dancers perform an Australian Aboriginal style interpretation of the Zorba the Greek dance. Don’t forget to check out the YouTube video that started it all.