The View from Number 80

Backwards Glances Index 2005 part 1

A word of warning - owing to the Weekly Glance's attempted topicality some of the links below may be even more ephemeral than usual. (Tip - a search for cached versions of missing sites is often productive using either Google or The Internet Archive Way Back Machine.)

January 1st 2005 Non Sense

January 3rd 2005 A Dead Parrot

January 5th 2005 An Unlikely Ally

January 7th 2005 80's TV Supplement

January 9th 2005 Plug for the Dead?

January 12th 2005 Fakery Foretold

January 15th 2005 Non Vox Populi

January 17th 2005 Cammittee Report

January 19th 2005 Stickers Stuck

January 20th 2005 The Masque of King George

January 22nd 2005 Fundamental Dangers

January 24th 2005 Murderous Rhetoric

January 25th 2005 Condom Split

January 26th 2005 Reality Check

January 28th 2005 Murky Waters

January 31st 2005 Iraq's Choice

February 1st 2005 Monkey See

February 4th 2005 Unforgivable Delay

February 6th 2005 With Friends Like These

February 8th 2005 Wedge Cat

February 9th 2005 Gospel According to Mott

February 11th 2005 Medieval Wedge

February 13th 2005 Damage Repair

January 1st 2005

Non Sense - in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami there have been reports noting how animals seem to have avoided the waves, leading to renewed speculation as to whether they can either predict earthquakes or detect them at great distances by some unknown sense. The very first thing to note is that most of the reports are not independent, and merely recycle the same material and quotes that originated in a Reuters' piece. The initial impression that they are widespread in origin is illusory. Furthermore, when looking at such reports, it is worth bearing in mind that initial observations are merely anecdotal with all the caveats that apply, as not enough time has elapsed for proper study and, quite rightly, all efforts in the stricken areas are humanitarian in nature. There may well be many dead animals, as yet unnoticed, given that relief workers will have more pressing matters to attend to. This piece from CNN, like most others, quotes H.D. Ratnayake, the deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department, "No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening." Several points can be raised here - most damage ocurred along the shoreline, with generally little incursion inland. How many elephants, hares and rabbits frequent the beach, especially in areas of heavy human population? Also, this "sixth sense", does it detect the earthquake itself or the ensuing tsunami? If the latter, can this sixth sense detect the direction of the wave and somehow tell the animal a safe direction to flee? Does this sense use some kind of triangulation to pinpoint the source of danger? Also does this sense tell animals how far to flee in order to be safe? And lastly did it tell them that fleeing to higher ground was safe but lower ground wasn't? If it managed all these things it is a very comprehensive, not to say miraculous, sort of sense. It is unlikely that this marvellous power evolved in elephants, hares and rabbits to combat the effects of tsunamis, which are comparatively rare events - especially when compared to the lifespan of a rabbit - so how did it come about? On the little evidence so far there is no justification for claims of such a "sixth sense" in animals. The question also arises did humans once have it and lose it? If so, why? Do our closest relatives, the chimps and bonobos, still have it or is it only manifested in non-primates? It is far more likely that given some animals' "ordinary" senses such as hearing and smell are so much more acute than those of humans these may well have served to alert them of possible danger. Let's not invent some "sixth sense" where none seems to be needed.

Quote - from a letter by Richard Dawkins in the Guardian responding to letters on Martin Kettle's article about religious people's attitude to the tsunami disaster. " Not only does science know why the tsunami happened, it can give precious hours of warning. If a small fraction of the tax breaks handed out to churches, mosques and synagogues had been diverted into an early warning system, tens of thousands of people, now dead, would have been moved to safety." An additional observation by 80 is that the number of accurate predictions of the disaster by psychics and fortune tellers exactly equals the number that predicted the 9/11 atrocity - zero. Will people continue to pay these charlatans for their useless prognostications? Most assuredly.

January 3rd 2005

A Dead Parrot - Of the responses to Richard Dawkins' letter (see here) in the Guardian that from a Dr G J Welch (see here) is worth singling out - although not for any great insight, memorable turn of phrase or even originality. In fact it is for the opposite of originality that the letter is noteworthy - it parrots and perpetuates one of the more idiotic calumnies aimed at atheists. To quote Welch "As a Christian, I know exactly why I should love and care for others. If I were an atheist, I can't imagine why I should bother to help anyone whose genes might compete with mine." So, without the crutch of his supernatural belief Welch thinks that he would cease to help anyone, that he would lose any empathy that he now possesses for those, like the tsunami victims, who are desperately in need of such help from the more fortunate. The idiocy of his position immediately becomes evident when one considers the huge amount of money raised by the British public for the relief of those suffering along the shores of the Indian Ocean. This is the same public which is generally acknowledged as growing increasingly secular and the subject of much handwringing by representatives of the major faiths. A God, or bogeyman, to use Dawkins' term, is not necessary in order to feel compassion.

Unarticle - an ugly word for an ugly concept. In George Orwell's novel 1984 those who fell foul of a dictatorial government became erased from existence - they became, in the official language of Newspeak, an unperson. 80 has taken this idea and applied to to a modern phenomenon - the UNARTICLE. "Dr. Terry Polevoy is a self-appointed health watchdog. He investigates and challenges products, services and theories that are marketed with claims he believes to be false, unsubstantiated or even illegal." So runs the intro to an article about the work of Polevoy, an indefatigable opponent of quackery in all its forms, by Barbara Kermode-Scott, and originally published online in Medical Post (MP). Don't bother to go there to read the piece for it has mysteriously disappeared and a search of MP's site using the word Polevoy will only reward you with a link to a blank page. Kermode-Scott's item has become an unarticle. It would appear that Rogers Publishing, which publishes many "vertical trade publications and information products", including Medical Post, also does a lot of business with the sCAM (so-called Complementary and Alternative Medicine) industry. In the past, because of his activities exposing the crooks, frauds and kooks that abound in alternative medicine, Ontario-based physician Polevoy has been the subject of libellous attacks and all manner of abuse in order to silence him. His stated mission as quoted in the unarticle is "I think that medicine-generic medicine-any kind of medicine-healing arts medicine-has a responsibility to be honest, to publish and to study things that work and disprove them if they don't work." Those who attack or try to silence Polevoy fall into two broad categories (although with many crossovers) - the sCAM evangelists, convinced of the rightness of their therapies, usually in the face of contradictory evidence or no evidence at all, and the sCAM profiteers, who profit from promoting questionable alternative medicine products and wish to protect their bottom line. It would seem Rogers Publishing is one of the latter, hence the disappearance, or to be more accurate, censorship, of the Polevoy article. A classic example of greed triumphing over ethics. For the background details to this sinister and worrying episode take a look here. The original article is posted here so that you may judge for yourself whether it transgresses any bounds of truth or accuracy. The interpretation of these events as an example of blatant censorship is convincing, and shows a disregard for truth that is deeply troubling - naturally, if Rogers Publishing has an alternative explanation they wish made known, 80, and other members of the Anti-Quackery Web Ring and the Skeptic Web Ring, would be happy to publicize it. Make it your New Year's resolution to let Rogers Publishing know your opinion of their behavior - contact addresses and phone numbers are here - scroll down. Don't hold your breath for an answer or explanation...........

(thanks to Paul Lee of the excellent Quack-Files site for the heads-up on this)

January 5th 2005

An Unlikely Ally - James C. Dobson, described in the New York Times (reg rqd) as the "most influential evangelical leader" in the US, has announced his intention to interfere in the process of appointments to the Supreme Court. He has threatened six Democratic senators with being put "in the bullseye" if they block President Bush's choice of appointees. The six are up for re-election in 2006 and Dobson would marshall conservative (ie right-wing religious reactionary) voters against them. This is apparently the first time Dobson, founder of the evangelical organization Focus on the Family, has overtly intervened in politics, but this does not sit well with many that would seem to be natural allies. Charles W. Colson, "another influential Christian conservative" has warned against such action saying "To think that way demeans the Christian movement, we are not anybody's special interest group." This is a very interesting development and one that shows the Bush administration cannot automatically count on support for all its objectives from the Christian right. This was made obvious from a statement, available online, from Dr Chuck Baldwin, founder-pastor of the Crossroad Baptist Church, ex-State Chairman of the Florida Moral Majority, annual member of the National Rifle Association, life member of Gun Owners of America and supporter of Roy "Ten Commandments" Moore. Heck, this guy is even a converted alcoholic like Dubya himself but he has gone on record as saying "No one can honestly question my commitment to pro-life, pro-family, conservative causes. That being said, the Religious Right, as it now exists, scares me." He goes on to say that the Religious Right "has obviously and patently become little more than a propaganda machine for the Republican Party in general and for President G.W. Bush in particular. This is in spite of the fact that both Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have routinely ignored and even trampled the very principles which the Religious Right claims to represent. Therefore, no longer does the Religious Right represent conservative, Christian values. Instead, they represent their own self-serving interests at the expense of those values." This is pretty fierce stuff from a man one would automatically assume to be backing Bush and friends. It seems Baldwin is scared of two developments in particular, quite justifiably in 80's view. One is the erosion of civil liberties brought about by the Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security with little or no protest from his fellow conservative religionists. In addition to this supine behavior, Baldwin finds " Another disconcerting feature of today's Religious Right is its attempt to Christianize political entities which it supports and to demonize political entities which it opposes. This trend is especially scary." Baldwin seems a most unlikely ally for opponents of the Bush administration, but he is also genuinely concerned about attempts to weaken the wall between Church and State saying, "I used to believe that liberals were paranoid for being fearful of conservative Christians gaining political power. Now, I share their trepidation." It is not very often that 80 finds common cause with someone with Baldwin's credentials. If he is not a lone voice, and there is no reason to think he is, Bush's second term may not be quite as he, Cheney, Rove and the others, thought it would.

January 7th 2005

80's TV Supplement - for those with access to Channel 4 in the UK a one-off special tonight from illusionist Derren Brown may well prove interesting. Brown has attracted 80's attention before, once over his Russian Roulette show and again with The Seance. (This latter attracted a large number of viewer complaints over how some extremely gullible (the uncharitable would call them stupid) students were suckered into attending a seance and scaring themselves to bits.) The new show, Derren Brown: Messiah features our eponymous hero "in America attempting to raise questions about the validity of certain religious and spiritual belief systems; belief systems that people are encouraged to base their lives upon - such as new-age faiths and mainstream Christianity. Can he get certain authority figures to endorse him as the real thing?" according to his website. In an interview he states two of his targets "are new-age beliefs and mainstream Christianity." Referring to his own, now defunct, Christian belief he says "I slowly realized that true belief of any kind - Christians, new-agers, committed cynics - all fall prey to a similar circular, self-fulfilling logic. I saw that although my faith was culturally endorsed, it didn't stand up to any more scrutiny than the wackiest new-age belief." 80 will definitely be in front of the TV for this show - unlike the upcoming Jerry Springer - The Opera from the BBC, to be aired on Saturday. This show has become the center of more whiny protests from Christians and others, no doubt emboldened by the BBC's craven behavior over Popetown and the recent successful Sikh "censorship by riot" of Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's play, Behzti. This time it looks as if the Beeb will stick to its guns in the face of protests. So why will 80 not be watching? The show just does not appeal, simple as that. The same option not to watch is equally open to the protesters but this is not enough - they wish to deprive others of the chance as well. As the BBC puts it "It is the BBC's formal duty to reflect society and bring such plays to a wider audience who might not otherwise be able to see them at a theatre. Viewers have a right to see it. Those who are likely to be offended have a similar right to turn it off." Also see the National Secular Society's (NSS) take on the Springer Opera fuss here. If you are as concerned as 80 about the disproportionate influence unrepresentative religious groups have upon Blair's government and the media in Britain please join the NSS and help do something about it.

Penn Mightier Than Sword - 80 was pleased to catch on Showtime cable a while back Penn and Teller's series, Bullshit! In this the magic pair feature all manner of things they take issue with, to put it mildly, in shows entitled Talking to the Dead, Alien Abductions, Feng Shui, Creationism and other assorted silliness. For those unable to see the show there is a good 3 DVD set of the first series available, but a word of warning for those outside DVD Region 1 (U.S., U.S. Territories, Canada, and Bermuda). In 80's experience the disks play perfectly on a DVD player that has been "chipped", ie fitted with a hardware upgrade, for multiregion viewing, but will do nothing in a player that uses a software fix to achieve compatibility - as the ads say, your mileage may vary. On the subject of restricted access, if you are outside the US don't bother to look at the Showtime page devoted to P & T's Bullshit! - you will not be allowed in. All that you see is this message "We at Showtime Online express our apologies; however, these pages are intended for access only from within the United States." Quite how this sits with P & T, both avowed libertarians, is not known. For more on the show, and Penn Jillette himself (he's the large abrasive one, as opposed to the silent cherubic one) see an interview in Reason where he talks of Love and Memory and Humanity. He also has a chance to discuss his novel, Sock, which he wrote partly to address the question, following his father's death, how does an atheist deal with really deep grief? 80 has yet to read Sock but this quote certainly acts as an incentive to do so, "Faith felt good, faith always feels good, it probably feels better than heroin and that’s why faith has done much more damage…What’s the difference between God and a sock monkey? There is a sock monkey." Also in the interview is Penn's reaction to the 9/11 atrocity, which bears repeating, "People have to realize that having an imaginary friend may be dangerous. When 9/11 hit, the second thing I said to myself was, “This really is what religious people do.” Those people flying the plane were very good, very pious, truly faithful believers. There’s no other way to paint them." (His first thought was the same as George Carlin's, “There go our civil rights.") By the way, Penn and Teller will be amongst the many excellent guests at James Randi's The Amazing Meeting 3, January 13-16 in Las Vegas. The guest list includes Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, Joe Nickell, Richard Wiseman, Christopher Hitchens and many others. (Incidentally, as a bonus on the Bullshit! DVD set P & T are interviewed by Randi himself.)

January 9th 2005

Plug for the Dead? - now here's a strange coincidence - spooky some might say. Just as a new film is released about so-called "Electronic Voice Phenomena" (EVP) which no doubt is in need of some free publicity, the BBC manages to dig up a Scottish woman, Linda Williamson, who thinks EVP allows her to hear the voices of dead relatives. What is EVP? The Skeptic's Dictionary describes it as "the alleged communication by spirits through tape recorders and other electronic devices." One common method is that used by Williamson, where a tape recorder is left running in a place supposedly with no one around but when the tape is played back, with the volume cranked up, voices and other noises can be heard. This sounds like the auditory equivalent of pareidolia - described by the Skeptic's Dictionary as "a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct." With pareidolia the burn marks on a tortilla are discerned as the face of Jesus, and with EVP faint interference is plucked out of white noise and perceived as the voice of a dead and much- missed relative or a deceased politician. EVP is far from new and was first known to be studied by Friedrich Jürgenson followed by Dr Konstantin Raudive in the 1960's. Like most "paranormal" phenomena the effect is completely unconvincing to a skeptic and explainable by conventional physics - electromagnetic radiation is everywhere, a lot of it radio, tv and cellphone transmissions. If you leave a recorder running with the recording level way up you are very likely to pick up all sorts of stray transmissions (or people nearby you were unaware of) - some of which may, to the gullible or impressionable ear, sound just like late Uncle Fred. That the messages sometimes have to be played backwards or slowed down may mean old Fred is confused - dying can do that to a chap. That the messages received are as devoid of meaningful content as the mutterings of a medium does not seem to deter believers. As Chris French told the BBC "People want to believe." and the common factor behind examples of EVP he has heard is that people are "reading meaning into what's actually random noise". Seemingly less random is the BBC's sudden interest just at the moment when a movie on the subject is out - White Noise, starring Michael Keaton in which "A man is contacted from beyond the grave by his murdered wife." - using EVP of course. The page on the movie at the Internet Movie Database has attracted one early review which called it "totally believable". The unbiased nature of this comment is called into question by the reviewer, who tells us "I can tell you as a professional ghost researcher, the portrayals are quite realistic and believable." Carla Meyer, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, is not so easily impressed, calling it a "rather boring horror film". Meyer is also troubled by the film's suggestion that EVP is genuine "Noise" is also weirdly insistent that electronic voice phenomenon is legitimate. A postscript assures us that only a small fraction of spirits contacted through the process is hostile. Who is behind this shameless plugging, the Ghost Advisory Board?" ... or the British Broadcasting Corporation?

January 12th 2005

Fakery Foretold - every year the so-called psychics, charlatans all, make predictions for the coming 365 days. Luckily for them, and their bank balance, the general public has a short memory and soon forgets these prognostications, which are almost invariably wrong. The "almost" is there because, on the shotgun principle, if you fire off enough pellets you are bound to hit something now and again. The Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, CSICOP, is less deficient in the memory department than most, and has published a review of predictions made for 2004, in which Gene Emery looks at the failed guesses of the psychic con-artists. Emery also invites those who claim to know what will unfold in 2005 to contact him with their guesses/foretellings, the only proviso being "they must be for unexpected events guaranteed to make the headlines in 2005." Somehow, after looking at his comprehensive shredding of last year's crop of dumb and wholly inaccurate forecasts, 80 feels he will not have many takers. The last word is Emery's, "Given their track record, it's amazing that a psychic can tell you when the 10 O'Clock News is going to come on." (For previous year's predictions and how they fared see here)

Pat's Prophecies - it is not just so-called psychics making predictions for this year. Pat Robertson, religious bigot, or, as his website gushingly says, " broadcaster, statesman, author, humanitarian, businessman and Christian" has been channeling God. It seems the Man Upstairs has told Robertson what 2005 holds. Surprisingly the Deity, with the whole Universe to watch over, is fixated on American business and politics, just like Pat. He will "will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly, and their successors will refuse to sanction the attacks on religious faith.". Furthermore "2005 is going to be a year of extraordinary prosperity for this nation... the American stock market is going to surge upward..." As for President Bush "basically he is positioned for a series of dramatic victories which I hope will hearten him and his advisers. They don't have to be timid in this matter because the wind is blowing at his back..." With a lot of that wind issuing from Robertson. Just to show how strong Robertson's, excuse me, God's, grip on reality is, He also forecast that many Muslims "..will be turning to the gospel, to Jesus Christ. I think many of them already are...." How many of his fans will hold Robertson (or God) accountable at the end of the year for all this tosh? 80's prediction is - none.

Big Question - the Edge Foundation is, according to its website, a group whose "informal membership includes of some of the most interesting minds in the world." A look at the list of contributors confirms this. The Foundation's mandate "is to promote inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues, as well as to work for the intellectual and social achievement of society." As part of this brief, a question was posed to 120 members, "What Do You Believe, Even Though You Cannot Prove It?". The answers are available on the Edge website and make for fascinating reading. Among those contributing to the exercise are John Barrow, Susan Blackmore, Paul Davies, Richard Dawkins, Freeman Dyson and Rupert Sheldrake. The answers vary in length from a short essay to the single-sentence brevity of Bruce Sterling, who responded "I can sum my intuition up in five words: we're in for climatic mayhem." Bookmark this page, you will want to return, as the answers given here will intrigue, enrage and inform - but, in 80's experience, never bore.

January 15th 2005

Non Vox Populi - well, the BBC showed Jerry Springer - The Opera, despite the actions of such groups as Christian Voice, which, in order to harass those it believed to be responsible for blasphemy, published their phone numbers on its website. This resulted, according to the Guardian, in the BBC 2 Controller and the director of television being "deluged with "threatening" and "abusive" phone calls." The BBC also received a record number of complaints, but the content of the messages have led many to smell a rat - a Christian rat in this case. It appears that a "large number of those complaints were by email and used a similar form of words." The internet makes it almost too easy for such "copy-and-paste" exercises to give a false impression of the numbers of complainants. It is similar to the technique used by those who complained about the number of swear words in the show. The number was inflated massively by adding together the swear words and then multiplying the result by the number of cast members. It can be expected that such methods will become common practice among groups who wish their personal beliefs to be given the force of law, no matter how unrepresentative they are of the majority of the population. It must seem to many ordinary folk that the Christian Voice, instead of being peaceful and mellifluous is in fact whiny, grating, homophobic, intolerant, offensive, and ignorant. It must be stressed that whether members of Christian Voice themselves indulged in offensive or threatening calls to BBC management is not known, but by the very act of publishing the phone numbers on its website Christian Voice has shown all too clearly the sort of company it keeps. Stephen Green, director of the group, now admits that it was "naive" to have published the BBC2 Controller's number, which was removed after complaints from BBC lawyers. Naive barely covers it - what the hell did Green think would happen? Green still hopes to bring a private prosecution against the BBC for the archaic common law offence of blasphemy. One is led to wonder why an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent deity would need the help of Green and chums to punish blasphemers - whatever happened to good old fire and brimstone? "Meanwhile", the Guardian tells us, "the company behind the stage show is aiming to cash in on the latest controversy surrounding the award-winning musical. It said anyone who brought a Bible to the box office of the Cambridge Theatre, in central London, while purchasing their ticket would pay a mere £10."

Update - to the item above. Here is an informative and entertaining article from the UK Guardian on Christian Voice, called Moral Minority. It is written by Stuart Jeffries who worryingly asserts that Christian Voice's "political agenda is more akin to Bush's Republican right than that of any major British party." Stephen Green, the group's director, is interviewed and reveals himself to be typical of the rabid (he would no doubt say zealous) religionist in that instead of offering a rational argument for his position he apparently thinks it sufficient to quote from a "holy" text. Rather than give his views overwhelming force, as he apparently thinks it does, this parroting of Iron Age and 1st century scriptures and fables merely makes him sound out of touch and eccentric. Besides, as the old saying goes, even the devil can quote the scriptures. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.." (Matthew 7:15)

Christian Taliban? - "A kind of Christian Taliban, modelled on the Religious Right in America, is forming in this country, and they are attempting to dictate what can and cannot be said about religion. For all our sakes, that must not be allowed to happen. It has never been more important for religion to be held up to close scrutiny and critical examination. It must also, like every other ideology, be open to satire and mockery. A culture war is developing in Britain, and it is time for liberals and others who value free expression to speak out more forcibly. If they don’t, the freedoms that we cherish will be rapidly eroded." Terry Sanderson, Vice President, National Secular Society. For more see here and to join the NSS please go here.

July 17th 2005

Cammittee Report - in the the US the Institute of Medicine has released a 350 page report on sCAM (so-called Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - which may be read here. Before plunging into the document, a substantial investment of time, it would repay the curious to have a look at this critique of the report by Stephen Barrett, M.D. of Quackwatch. It does little for the report's credibility that Dr Barrett notes the "National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which provided funding for the report, limited who could be on the "CAM" Committee by barring all persons whom the project administrators perceived as critics of irrational “CAM” practices. However, many of the committee members have economic and/or occupational conflicts of interest or strong commitments to irrational "CAM" ideology." Dr Barrett not only backs up this observation but has also helpfully listed the report's main recommendations, to which he then responds. These recommendations do not stand up very well to his scrutiny. The fact that this report was published at all seems, in 80's view, to be more of a recognition of the huge revenue sCAM generates than any real desire to investigate these therapies for efficacy. "Either it is true that a medicine works or it isn't. It cannot be false in the ordinary sense but true in some 'alternative' sense." This observation by Richard Dawkins of what is, after all, only common sense, does not seem to have been taken on board by the producers of this report.

Diary Dates - February 12th is Darwin Day, an international event celebrating the great man's contribution to our understanding of the world. As the official website explains "The Darwin Day Celebration was founded on the premise that science, like music, is an international language that speaks to all people in very similar ways. While music is both intellectual and entertaining, science is our most reliable knowledge system, and it has been and continues to be acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity. Moreover, evolution, introduced by Charles Darwin, has become the central organizing principle for all basic scientific research; particularly in biology but also in physics and cosmology." Also worth noting is the Center for Inquiry's Third Annual Florida Conference on the theme, How Will Our Democracy Survive? Progress in a Regressive Society. This takes place from February 11-13th at the Deauville Resort Hotel in Miami Beach. For details and a list of speakers please take a look here.

DeLayed Reaction - here is a charming little item that nearly slipped under 80's radar. Tom DeLay, the less than squeaky clean House majority leader (ethics? what are they?) has increased his lead over other contenders in the crowded race to be one of the most despicable creatures in the world of US politics. In a live Congressional Prayer service broadcast following the horrific devastation of the tsunami in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, DeLay, in the words of the Amcop blog, "gets up to the pulpit, and -- striking a beautiful note in light of the 150,000 dead from the floods referenced by his colleagues -- lets loose with some Matthew 7, beginning at verse 21." For those who do not have a bible handy this is the passage where Jesus delivers the parable of the wise man who built his house on rock and the fool who built his on sand. "Everyone who listens to these words of mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man, who built his house on a rock: The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew, and buffeted the house, but it did not collapse; it has been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine, but does not act on them, will be like a fool who built his house on sand: The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew, and buffeted the house, and it collapsed and was completely ruined." Afterwards DeLay sat down without comment - he obviously thought he had made his point - these unbelievers brought it upon themselves. As the DemWatch blog (which links to an audio file of DeLay's reading) puts it "Tom DeLay is either blindingly stupid or heartlessly cruel. Either way, he should be ashamed of himself." (Thanks to Dave for the heads-up on this)

January 19th 2005

Stickers Stuck - a while back 80 wrote about Cobb County, Georgia's school authorities and their daft idea of defacing biology textbooks with stickers proclaiming "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered." Quite understandably some parents took legal action, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over this injection of thinly-disguised religion into the science class, for, in spite of a disguise, this is what it is. Now federal Judge Clarence Cooper has given his ruling on the matter, finding the placement of the stickers is an unconstitutional government intrusion on religious liberty and ordered they be removed immediately.The ACLU website quotes Rabbi Scott Saulson, a board member of the ACLU of Georgia, regarding the introduction of faith issues in the science class, "People who wish faith to compete with science are asking faith to be judged by the same standards as theory, which is a standard of reasonable proof. Faith is unique in that it is not predicated upon proof. To continue to mask religious belief as science will sooner or later besmirch both faith and religion." As 80 has noted before, when religions make claims that can be tested by science, it is the religion that is always the loser. Good though this victory may be for rational education, it is only the outcome of one battle in an ongoing war. In a world whose future is dependent on science and technology the US cannot afford to have a less than effective education system - and that means one untainted by a supernatural worldview. (on a related theme see A Nation of Faith and Religious Illiterates by Stephen Prothero, writing in the LA Times.)

Help With Strings - supplying humanitarian aid alone is not enough for some organizations - they want to take advantage of other's misfortune to follow their own religious agenda. This certainly seems to be the case with a bunch called World Help, whose stance on other cultures and religions is shockingly ignorant and bigoted. Here is the introduction to a page describing its "mission" to India, "In January 2005, MISSION will travel to the country of India, where God is overcoming hundreds of years of false religions and idol worship." This would certainly be news to the inhabitants of that country, who, if World Help has its way, will soon be knee deep in churches, "Our strategy for the next 7 years is to plant 100,000 organized churches and 1 million house churches in the least-reached area of the world ... specifically in the North India state of Uttar Pradesh." World Help is also active in providing aid to the tsunami- devastated Indonesian state of Aceh - but instead of offering help for purely humanitarian reasons, it is in fact bait for the conversion to Christianity of those in need. In conservatively Muslim Aceh this has been met with warnings from a prominent Islamic scholar, Dien Syamsuddin, about proselytizing in the region. He is concerned about a backlash against aid workers, saying "Do not do this in this kind of situation, the Muslim community will not remain quiet. This is a clear statement, and it is serious.". This reaction was triggered in part by news that World Help planned to adopt 300 children orphaned by the tsunami and raise them in a Christian children's home - a plan the group says it has now dropped. The danger here is that World Help, and other evangelical organizations, will jeopardize ALL of the relief efforts by their underhand conversion campaign, thereby further endangering those they claim to be helping. Is it not enough for these zealous ignoramuses to help those suffering from the tsunami disaster purely out of compassion for their fellow human beings in distress, without treating the situation as an opportunity to peddle their brand of religion?

Springer Tour - it has been announced that Jerry Springer- The Opera is to go on tour in the UK. Expect apoplectic rage from the likes of Christian Voice. Also, a BBC Radio 3 producer has resigned in protest at the corporation's decision to air the show. According to this BBC news page "Antony Pitts said he rejected the notion that because the show was a satire, it allowed the Christian faith to be ridiculed and he said believed blasphemy laws had been broken." It is, of course much easier to ridicule something if it is absurd in the first place. In the words of Mark Twain "You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches. demons, sticks turning into snakes, burning bushes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?" It is worth noting that by the time the current run of Jerry Springer - The Opera ends it will have been performed 609 times live on stage to great acclaim, with barely a peep out of outraged Christians. Now of course every zealot for a thousand miles wants to jump on the bandwagon.

Quote - in the Washington Post, from an anonymous "senior administration official" illustrating the current view of the electoral process embraced by the Bush administration "I would . . . really encourage people not to focus on numbers, which in themselves don't have any meaning, but to look on the outcome and to look at the government that will be the product of these elections." He (or she) was referring to the upcoming poll in Iraq, where voter numbers will be strongly influenced by the violence of "insurgents" that the US and the interim Iraqi administration appear hopelessly unable to counter, and which may well result in not just a low turnout but a Sunni boycott. Nothing like a little managing of expectations when confronted with the inevitable. Somehow a poll that delivers an Iran-influenced Shiite theocracy doesn't seem to fit with the neocon aspiration of bringing democracy to the Middle East.

January 20th 2005

The Masque of King George - as might be expected there is a wide divergence of views on whether George Bush's second inauguration should be such a lavish and expensive event, considering the nation is at war. The San Francisco Chronicle quotes Rep. Anthony Weiner, Democrat-New York City, "These are sober times. ... The image that is most troubling is of a president in black tie holding a champagne flute at a time when so many soldiers are eating out of a plastic pouch while getting shot at in Iraq." He is not alone in his disquiet - about 60 protests of various kinds are planned for Thursday by anti-war, pro-choice, civil liberties campaigners and other groups. The White House sees no need to rein in the celebration, war or not, and in the evening there will be no less than nine inaugural balls. 77-year-old Charlie Brotman, who will be doing the announcements for the 13th time, told the Chronicle, "It's just a few hours of entertainment. The war isn't going to stop tomorrow.'' In 80's view it is a bloody expensive few hours of entertainment, costing upwards of $40 million in privately raised funds, without taking into account the cost of the accompanying security operation. According to the New York Times (reg rqd) the city of Washington's share of that bill will be $18 million. Homeland security supremo Tom Ridge has confirmed the federal government will also spend millions, but even he doesn't know the total cost. The Times paints a picture of the nation's capital whose "grand buildings and marble statues seemed to disappear behind curtains of steel security fences and concrete barriers." So with, as the Chronicle reminds us, 1,500 military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more than 10,000 wounded, the party will go on. Anybody remember the old Roger Corman movie, The Masque of the Red Death? The arrogant Prince and his courtiers party on while his subjects, shut outside the castle, die in droves..... On a related note here is an analysis page from the BBC that asks whether the US president is now as powerful as a monarch and discusses a new book by Professor Stephen Graubard, The Presidents: The Transformation of the American Presidency from Theodore Roosevelt to George W Bush, in which he claims "...since Ronald Reagan, the powers of a president and his "courtiers" have become increasingly untrammelled". Graubard is particularly unimpressed by the fear-mongering tactics of the current administration,"That we have never lived in such dangerous times is - to use a four-letter word - crud." Also see Emil Guillermo's bitter piece, "Bush's Bluff" on the utter failure of the search for WMD, "Bush's justification for war -- that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction -- was just a stone-cold bluff. There were no weapons of mass destruction. The only things Bush pre-empted were the facts."

Inaugural No-Nos - for those wishing to attend the Bush inauguration the United States Capitol Police have produced a helpful list of "prohibited items" for onlookers. These range from the obvious such as "Firearms, weapons of any kind..." to things that could express dissent, such as, "..posters, signs, placards..." to the seemingly innocuous, "..strollers, chairs, umbrellas..". Just in case they have missed anything there is a catch-all line at the bottom of the list forbidding, "..any other items at the discretion of the security screeners that may pose a potential safety hazard." Such items may well include an attachment to civil liberties, a fear of burgeoning theocracy and a deep and gnawing anxiety over the outcome of the next four years.

January 22nd 2005

Fundamental Dangers - here is an op-ed by Susan Jacoby, director of the Center for Inquiry-Metro New York, writing in the New York Times (reg rqd), reflecting on the sad fact that for most of the last century and into this one there has been a near ceaseless struggle over the teaching of evolution in US schools. With the rise of the religious right, skirmishes in this ongoing war seem to more frequent and can do little to help students of biology in their studies. In a world that will need a new generation of scientists to combat the menace of HIV AIDS, mutating bird flu, West Nile virus and other, as yet unidentified, deadly threats, teaching kids Iron Age fairy tales in biology class could prove disastrous. Creationism, and its thinly-disguised bastard offspring, Intelligent Design, are a threat to the future health of the US population and will have the additional effect that cutting-edge research will take place in other countries, countries not shackled to the myths of the past. Without the explanatory power of the theory of evolution biology lessons will make little sense - understanding is not gained by attributing the complexity of living beings to a capricious supernatural being - that route is a dead-end. The signs are already there, with the stultifying effect of religion on science education already visible, as Jacoby notes, "Perhaps the most insidious effect of the campaign against evolution has been avoidance of the subject by teachers, who, whatever their convictions, want to forestall trouble with fundamentalist parents. Recent surveys of high school biology teachers have found that avoidance of evolution is common among instructors throughout the nation." Perhaps the beginning of the 21st century will be looked back on as the time when the US ceded the crown of scientific leadership to others, others who are less in thrall to comforting fairy tales. This will not only affect the nation's health, as noted above, but will also have disastrous economic consequences, as the wave of scientific advance leaves the US behind, drifting in a fundamentalist backwater.

Sensational Scots - congratulations to the sub-editor at The Scotsman who came up with one of the most intriguing headlines in a while - One in five Scots has blood tie to ancient Iraq. The article itself is a sensationalist plug by Sharon Ward for a new TV series and book called Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History by television presenter and producer, Alistair Moffat. The Scotsman piece mentions some surprising claims made in the book, including the one alluded to in the headline, that 20 per cent of Scots have Iraqi blood. The Iraqi reference is there purely to catch the eye - the revelation that descendents of Middle Eastern farmers exist in Scotland, and all over Europe is not a new one. The shows in the series, we are told, "dispel the myth that the population in 4000BC was made up of grunting cavemen running around in animal skins." Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Scottish archaeology can point to sites such as Skara Brae (circa 3200 BCE) or Maes Howe (circa 2700 BCE) as evidence of how sophisticated these early inhabitants were, far from being "grunting cavemen" - and again this is no revelation. The Scotsman also reports, in another non-scoop "... that many Scots spoke Old Welsh before Gaelic." The early Scots in fact spoke Goidelic, one of the two branches of the British language, the other being Brythonic, from which Welsh evolved. All of these things are unremarkable and can perhaps be traced more to Sharon Ward than to the book of the series. The publisher's page is far more sober and does not mention the claim that 80 has saved until last. It seems that "the mythical land of Atlantis existed in what we now know as the North Sea". according to the Scotsman. Here Ward has been unable to resist the temptation to associate the tired old Atlantis of fable with an inundated land - in this case the Dogger Bank. The real story of Doggerland is intriguing enough, without resorting to the cheap thrill offered by the name Atlantis. Whether the Scotsman article, with its grunting cavemen and Atlantis talk, has rendered Moffat a disservice remains to be seen - the book itself is out January 31st. (For another theory involving Atlantis and the Dogger Bank see Leprechauns of Atlantis For current Atlantean silliness (will it never end?) see this piece of drivel linking the recent tsunami to the sunken city - which has changed its location once more, according to "Spanish-Cuban investigator and scriptologist Georgeos Diaz-Montexano" who says it was located "between Spain and Morocco." Thanks to Explorator for these last two links.)

January 24th 2005

Murderous Rhetoric - threats and violent protests by religionists over perceived insults to their beliefs are now a regular part of our daily news. Recent examples include the Sikh protest over the play Behzti, and the death threats made against the play's author, the publishing of private telephone numbers of BBC staff by Christian Voice and the subsequent threats of violence, and the disgusting murder of film director Theo van Gogh, for offending fundamental Islamists. Even the word for a religious edict or ruling in Islam, fatwa, has become part of our everyday vocabulary, but with the narrow meaning of religious death warrant. Most Westerners became aware of that particular term February 14th 1989, when the Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's then spiritual leader condemned author Salman Rushdie and put a price on his head for a fancied insult to his interpretation of Islam. In the intervening 16 years the malevolent influence of religious zealots of all kinds has become worldwide, exacerbated by George Bush's so-called War on Terror and his creation of a huge recruiting ground for Islamic fanatics by the botched occupation of Iraq. Now that gentleman and his neocon cronies have begun saber-rattling in earnest towards Iran, which gives us the bizarre situation of a theocratic wannabe threatening an existing theocracy. Since Khomeini's original fatwa on Rushdie things would appear to have changed in Iran. The Iranian government formally withdrew the murder edict in 1998 and was rewarded by the upgrading of diplomatic relations with Britain, a situation which the British seem very keen to retain. Perhaps the hope here is that such diplomatic contacts aid in European efforts to curb Iran's development of a nuclear bomb. If so, things have just got more complicated. The current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeated the death threat, using a term from sharia law, describing Rushdie as "mahdour al-damm mortad" which this piece in the Times translates as an apostate whose blood may be shed with impunity. What is the reaction of the Blair government, who are themselves busy trying to push through a religious hatred law? The Foreign Office have fallen back on the argument that the Ayatollah didn't really mean it, describing the murder edict as "... just the standard rhetoric." and that he was speaking as a spiritual leader and not as a head of state. The Times quotes an unnamed "Tehran-based analyst" who also dismisses the comments saying, "This isn’t shocking — it’s nothing new." One wonders if this analyst would be so laid back if he was the subject of the fatwa. It is also doubtful whether your average fundamentalist Islamist will appreciate the rhetorical niceties involved, hearing only a renewed call to murder Rushdie. They can only be encouraged by the fact that a $2.8 million bounty on Rushdie is still on offer in Iran.

SpongeBob Fatwa - meanwhile, humorless conservative Christians in the US have found a new target for their righteous wrath, the kid's animated cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants. Just think of the other targets they could have chosen for their condemnation, from Osama bin Laden to Kim Jong-il, but no, they have chosen to look petulant and idiotic by attacking a drawing of a sponge. Dr. James C. Dobson, psychologist, hate-mongering bigot and founder of Focus on the Family, has drawn a bead on SpongeBob for appearing in what he terms a "pro-homosexual video" which also features other kid's TV characters Barney and Jimmy Neutron. Quite what the problem with SpongeBob is seems to be a bit of a mystery - the video promotes tolerance and multiculturalism and makes no mention of sexual identity. It has already aired on several networks, which must mean it is pretty innocuous given how TV companies are in a frenzy of self-censorship right now - even to the extent of Fox blurring a shot of a cartoon character's naked butt. It is not really the video that Dobson and fellow zealots are upset about, but something else. They believe there was a plan by the makers of the video to "mail it to thousands of elementary schools to promote a "tolerance pledge" that includes tolerance for differences of "sexual identity." according to the New York Times (reg rqd). It appears the accusation is baseless and, even if true, hardly worthy of condemnation - Christian groups are always whining about tolerance and respect - but seem unwilling to extend them to others. One can only view their paranoia about a so-called "gay agenda" as perhaps a way of channelling their obvious fascination with the subject. 80 has a far from original theory that such raving homophobes are merely attempting to hide from their own deep-seated yearning to take a walk on the wild side.

January 25th 2005

Condom Split - back in October 2003 80 wrote about the Roman Catholic church's litany of lies regarding the efficacy of condoms in combatting the global epidemic of HIV AIDS (see Wicked). Its representatives spread, and have yet to retract, totally false allegations of condom porosity to the AIDS virus, because they are frightened by its other use - as a contraceptive. This would clash with the RC view of women as baby factories, churning out more Catholics for the greater glory of God. Now it seems some porosity is evident in the Vatican's uncompromising stance on the matter, with fluids of dissent seeping out in Spain. Perhaps the church in Spain is feeling a little more independent under the new socialist government as it now acknowledges that "condoms could play a role in the global fight against Aids." This BBC report tells us Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, a spokesman for the Spanish bishops, has endorsed the use of condoms and "sexual restraint". (80 believes this means abstinence, rather than a reference to S and M) While this changed attitude is long overdue, it is nonetheless very welcome indeed. The next question is, what do the old men in the Vatican think of this Spanish independence? Although there has not been an official line on the condom/AIDS ineffectiveness lie at Catholic HQ, there has also been no effort made to silence the liars, despite pleas from the World Health Organization. and exposure elsewhere. According to this report from the Herald Sun "...the Vatican - where Church doctrine is set out - quietly but firmly reiterated the official line, and Catholic leaders elsewhere followed suit." Bishop Jose Luis Redrado Machite said the use of condoms was "contrary to Catholic morality" as opposed to, say, the sad plight of the millions of orphans, their parents dead from AIDS, left to starve in Africa and elsewhere which appears to be more acceptable. The Vatican hierarchy once again stands exposed as an unfeeling, out of touch and unthinkingly cruel group of old men, living in a world that no longer exists outside their dogma-stuffed heads, who would not understand the meaning of empathy or compassion even if it came and bit them on their sanctimonious asses - they are not fit to wash the feet of the Spanish bishops.

Update - to Condom Split (see below). It looks as though some papal arm-twisting has been going on. Whether Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, who announced the change of mind on condom use to fight AIDS, has had a visit from the Inquisition is not known. At any rate the liars have carried the day and it is hypocritical business as usual from the Roman Catholic Church. The Spanish bishops have confirmed that Catholic doctrine "...says use of condoms implies immoral sexual conduct." How immoral it is to condemn millions to death was not mentioned. The cruel old men in the Vatican are beneath contempt. Let's hope the brief flowering of Spanish ecclesiastical free will is a sign of things to come. Meanwhile, expect to see deaths from HIV AIDS continue to rise wherever the Catholic church continues to stifle opposition to its illogical and cruel stance.

CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS ALIVE AT END OF 2003 - GLOBAL TOTAL 15 MILLION.

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

January 26th 2005

Reality Check - the Washington Post (reg req) echoes concerns, expressed by 80 (see Fundamental Dangers) and other observers, that with the school science curriculum being undermined in many states by Creationist/Intelligent Design promoters, the US is in danger of losing its position as a leader in world science. Other countries, unhampered by religionist interference in education, will leave America in the dust. The Bush administration seems little concerned, and the President's rhetoric serves only to encourage those with a biblical world view. Perhaps it would engage the neocons's attention if it was pointed out that a lead in science is essential for the next generation of weapons - something that may get through their thick skulls instead of a more reasoned argument. Even this may not be enough to persuade them of their folly in not actively opposing religion's intrusion into the science class - don't forget these are the kind of arrogant fools who believe drivel such as "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality" to quote an unnamed presidential senior adviser speaking in 2002. It is obvious nothing has been learned since then. As the Post editorial says "To teach intelligent design as science in public schools is a clear violation of the principle of separation of church and state. It also violates principles of common sense. In fact, the breadth and extent of the anti-evolutionary movement that has spread almost unnoticed across the country should force American politicians to think twice about how their public expressions of religious belief are beginning to affect education and science." The "American politicians..." phrase is studiously non-partisan and rightly so. While it is the right-wing Republicans who are leading the move away from science to an Iron Age, biblical worldview, the Democrats merely make matters worse by trying to compete with them in religiosity. Many in the other Western democracies who wish America, if not Bush and chums, well are looking on in horror. It is like watching an old friend indulging in a self-destructive habit, apparently oblivious to the consequences. Far from being the New American Century beloved of the neocons, the 21st century will be dominated by those who do not turn their back on reason and science. This may be Europe, or China, for if the current trends persist it certainly won't be the land of the free and the home of the brave. When Dubya has finished reading "My Little Goat" perhaps he should read just one line from Philip K Dick, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away".

Randi and the Skepchicks - here is great report from Richard Abowitz, writing in the Las Vegas Weekly about The Amazing Meeting 3, (TAM3) held January 13-16th. TAM3 is an annual skeptic's convention and jamboree and also a fundraiser for the James Randi Educational Foundation. Abowitz certainly blows out of the water the common misconception of skeptics as a bunch of no-fun killjoys and neatly summarizes the event, even fitting in a plug for Randi's Million Dollar Challenge, which has yet to be successfully claimed, despite the fact that the world is full of self-proclaimed psychics and mediums of one sort or another. To quote Abowitz "I'm as Mulder as the next guy: I want to believe. But if this talking-to-the-dead shit can be done, it would have passed the same tests that aspirin and penicillin did, and Randi's wallet would be a million bucks lighter. So, for those of you who want to put your faith in a miracle worker, or anyone who promises to perform the impossible, ask yourself before you write them that first check whether they would be willing to take the Million Dollar Challenge. It may open your eyes. And when they say no, you may want to think about donating to JREF, an organization that, to paraphrase noted skeptic Frank Zappa, protected you from discovering the big difference between kneeling down and bending over." (and the Skepchicks? Read the article)

January 28th 2005

Murky Waters - in the Guardian's Bad Science column Ben Goldacre continues to do battle with misleading or nonsensical advertising claims - this week it is Penta water ('ultra-purified, restructured micro-water') that has attracted his attention, and rightly so, as well as the publications that parrot Penta's daft claims without question*. 80 first learned of Penta and their wonderful product in the James Randi weekly Commentary, which chronicled how, in 2001 Mr. William D. Holloway of Penta Water first signed up for the Million Dollar Challenge and then backed off. In order to win a million bucks from the James Randi Educational Foundation all Holloway had to do was to substantiate his claims for his water, something that, when it came to the crunch, he was unable, or unwilling to do. Randi prints the ensuing correspondence he had with Holloway prefacing it with this comment "What follows is the complete correspondence between myself and a Mr. William D. Holloway, whose web page for "Penta Water" www.hydrateforlife.com should be visited, first, for a better understanding of what follows. You will see here how condescending, arrogant, and patronizing these people can be. They're convinced of their own infallibility and invulnerability, and wonder how it is that they suddenly find themselves in full retreat before the facts that they must face as a consequence of the million-dollar challenge." This was the beginning of a long-running saga which can be followed through the Commentary archives. (a link to the current Commentary is always to be found in the left margin on this page, along with other good stuff including Bad Science). Now Goldacre is himself finding scientifically rigorous evidence for Penta's claims impossible to trace, although they say they will be sending him a reference. Given Randi's experience, 80 suggests Goldacre doesn't hold his breath on this one. Watch this space. For more on dodgy water claims see Wonder Waters. *(Men's Health, Daily Mirror, Evening Standard and Waitrose Food Illustrated should all be ashamed of themselves)

Fawlty Flummery - do take a moment to read this great piece by David Kipen, book critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, on how much of George Bush's second inaugural speech was filched from elsewhere. It's not just Dubya however, such recycling is rife among politicians, according to Kipen. Some people are getting very tired of the practice, "During all the fawning inaugural post-game shows last Thursday, only one commentator had the temerity to wonder over an open microphone whether it would be asking too much for the leader of the free world, just this once every four years, to write his own damn speech, without any help from the West Wing term-paper mill." Kipen tells us. Great stuff, but who said it? Read Kipen's piece to find out. Other commentators have noted cribs in Bush's speech, including James Meek writing in the Guardian, who finds the text not only full of Mosaic fire, which is unremarkable, but it also employs an image lifted from Russian literature, which certainly isn't. "But the key fire passage in the Burning Bush speech - "We have lit a fire as well; a fire in the minds of men" - actually has its origins in a novel by the 19th century Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Devils, about a group of terrorists' ineffectual struggle to bring down the tyrannical Tsarist regime. One of the characters declares that it is pointless to try to put out a fire started by terrorists: "The fire is in the minds of men and not in the roofs of houses," he says." Not quite what George had in mind perhaps....but then he can always just flatten the houses. At least he managed to comply with Basil Fawlty's famous injunction, "Don't mention the war!"

January 31st 2005

Iraq's Choice - further down this page (Vote for Peace) 80 quoted a sentence describing the violent mayhem that led up to Iraq's polling day and posed the question "Would YOU take a stroll along to the polling booth?" The answer appears to be from many Iraqis, yes - the Guardian reports an estimated turnout of 57%, with other sources quoting as high as 60%. This compares more than favorably with the pathetic showing from the British electorate in their 2001 General election, of a mere 59%. As far as 80 can ascertain none of these voters in the UK, a mature democracy, faced threats of car bombs and beheadings to keep them at home. Comparison with the US turnout in the 2004 presidential race, which was hailed as the highest since 1968, is also less than flattering - it was still only 61%. Other countries, such as Belgium and Australia, counteract voter indifference/lethargy by making it a legal requirement to cast a vote, which looks good on paper but leaves one wondering how many cast a ballot purely to avoid a penalty and how many really take an active interest in the future government of their country. In Iraq, where the last election was a complete mockery resulting in endorsement of Saddam Hussein, there can be no doubt the voters on Sunday were active participants, who believed their choice will affect their future. This does not mean that the violence attendant on the bungled occupation of Iraq and internal disputes will cease any time soon, but the determination of such a large percentage of the population to exercise its rights must surely send a message to the most rabid fundamentalist terrorist or ex-Baathist "insurgent" that violence cannot win. Although a massive rejection of the men of violence it must be borne in mind the much better than expected turnout is a tribute to the bravery of ordinary Iraqis in seeking self-determination and not an endorsement of the preemptive invasion and botched occupation of their country.

Caught, Straw-Handed - the straw man argument is generally accepted as an underhand ploy and anyone caught using it suffers an instant loss of credibility. There are two variants of this stratagem in 80's view, one is that of trying to refute someone's view by misrepresenting it and the other is more extreme, fabricating a fallacious argument out of whole cloth and presenting that as the opposing view. The handy thing with the latter is that there is so much more leeway when one devises a fictitious viewpoint from scratch, giving much more of an opportunity to make one's opponent look ridiculous. This can of course backfire, particularly when the views or arguments attributed are so absurd as to render the whole exercise self-defeating. There is a steadily dwindling group of scientists who have yet to accept the impact of human activity on climate change despite what is now overwhelming evidence. It would seem that these deniers are becoming desperate. (This group have a spokesman of sorts in the shape of novelist Michael "Jurassic Park" Crichton whose latest opus is a thinly described diatribe against "global warming". The book, State of Fear, is summarily dealt with by Chris Mooney and judged to be Bad Science, Bad Fiction) But back to the straw man - see if you can beat this for stupidity - the recent devastating Indian Ocean tsunami was a result of global warming. How anyone can connect the effect on the ocean of a submarine earthquake and global climate change seems completely illogical, and yet this is what Daniel Sarewitz, a professor of science and society and director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University and Roger Pielke Jr., of University of Colorado, Boulder claim "global warming" advocates are saying. This piece by Simon Mansfield, The Big Lie: Tsumani and Global Warming, at Space Daily pulls no punches in expressing disgust at such a ploy, and tellingly juxtaposes a press release about Sarewitz and Pielke's allegations and another jointly from Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. The latter plainly states "A number of articles have appeared in recent days wrongly claiming that Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have linked the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake to climate change. We want to make it clear that we have made no such link." If you think you can smell burning don't be too concerned - it is just a scruffy little straw man going up in smoke. Luckily, metaphorical smoke contains no pollutants...

Vote For Peace - Mark Fiore gives a helpful list of Iraqi voting Do's and Don'ts delivered by Ballotman in his latest animated flash cartoon. Meanwhile John F Burns, writing in the New York Times (reg rqd) gives the statistics for just one week in Iraq's capital city, "Baghdad was hit by 7 suicide car bombings, 37 roadside bombs and 52 insurgent attacks involving automatic rifles or rocket-propelled grenades. The suicide bombs alone killed at least 60 people and injured 150 others." Would YOU take a stroll along to the polling booth?

February 1st 2005

Monkey See - a new study may go some way to explaining the popularity of fawning over "celebrities" in magazines and TV shows like I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. On another note, it also demonstrates that viewing porn is not exclusively a human activity. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have been studying macaque monkeys and their reactions to certain images. They found that, perhaps unsurprisingly, male "monkeys will give up their juice rewards in order to ogle pictures of female monkey's bottoms." The researchers feel that this act is "akin to paying for the images" and to 80 it sounds reminiscent of the human porn business. It also may show that such interest is not a new thing, a curse of our modern godless society, as many religionists would have us believe, but something we primates inherited from the distant ancestors we share with macaques. This will give those same religionists another reason to rail against evolution - as if they needed one. That's it! The fiendish (read atheist) scientists corrupted the monkeys with their lascivious experiments..... Far more interesting, and less obvious (at least to 80) is that those same monkeys would also "pay" to see pictures of their fellows, but only those at the top of the heirarchy. As this report in Live Science comments "Maybe that's like you or me buying People magazine." (or Hello! or OK or any of countless others). Interestingly, the researchers found that the simian celeb fans had to be paid (in juice) to view images of low status individuals. One particularly intriguing finding was that the monkeys in the study had not personally interacted with the subjects in the photos but had gauged their status, high or low, purely from observation. Lest you wonder what the point of the whole procedure was, apart from perhaps shedding an evolutionary light on humankind's taste for porn and/or celebrities, it was in fact to provide insights on the deeply puzzling condition of autism. The work was sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Cure Autism Now Foundation, the aim being to learn about the social machinery of the brain and its application to autism. The study also displays the serendipity that can occur, when a researcher finds not just data applicable to the questions being asked but also other, unintended insights. The report will appear in March issue of Current Biology.

Miracle Babies Scandal - has still yet to be resolved. Self-styled archbishop Gilbert Deya, running out of wiggle room despite his protestations of innocence in the Miracle Babies saga, has turned to a popular defence (reg rqd) of the cornered cultist - he "..has accused the media, the judiciary and the Kenyan and UK authorities of torturing and humiliating his family and church members." The fact that evidence is lacking to substantiate these allegations is not an obstacle for the archbishop - where is the evidence to support his claims of miraculously impregnating post-menopausal members of his congregation? It is nowhere to be found behind his blustering smokescreen of threats and claims of persecution. 80 has been following Deya and his antics since August last year and now things may be moving toward a resolution with a report that "Kenyan Police Friday kicked off an international probe to establish a possible relationship between a United Kingdom-based Kenyan preacher, Archbishop Gilbert Deya’s “Miracle Babies” claims and an upsurge in global child trafficking." The Kenyan cops are quoted as linking Deya with "various cases of human trafficking in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria." The sooner Deya is returned to Kenya to face charges the better for all concerned, especially the distraught parents who believe their children were stolen. As the Kenyan police uncover more evidence his continued presence in the UK is surely untenable.

Wrong Writer - surprise, surprise graphology is yet again revealed to be nonsense on a par with Rorschach inkblots, polygraphs and ouija boards. After a press conference featuring Bono, Bill Gates and Tony Blair at the economic summit in Davos a set of doodles was found and assumed to be Blair's. Several UK papers drafted in graphologists to analyse the scribbles and notes hoping for deep psychological insights. Observations were made that the penmanship revealed Blair to be "a bit of a daydreamer hoping for the best" and "an aggressive, unstable man who is feeling under enormous pressure" and also "not a natural leader". It now appears the graphologist's conclusions were more likely based on the knowledge that Blair was the writer rather than any real analytical skill, as the jotter was in fact the one used by Bill Gates. Time for some rapid graphological backpedalling and claims of misquotation from the so-called experts consulted by the British press. It is not just the graphologists who have egg on their faces but the newspapers as well, who still have yet to learn that graphology is not a science but a pseudoscience. What is more worrying than this cock-up by the handwriting gang is that many firms use their claptrap to assess suitability of job applicants - they might as well use astrology - hold on, some of them do. Here is a damning look at graphology by neuroscientist Barry Beyerstein - it took 80 about 30 seconds to find it - an easy task but one apparently beyond the abilities of the hacks that hired these charlatans. The last laugh seems to be with Blair's spokesman, quoted in the Guardian, "We look forward with amusement to explanations by a variety of psychologists and graphologists of how various characteristics ascribed to the PM on the basis of the doodles, such as 'struggling to concentrate', 'not a natural leader', 'struggling to keep control of a confusing world' and 'an unstable man who is feeling under enormous pressure', equally apply to Mr Gates."

February 4th 2005

Unforgivable Delay - one of the overriding themes in coverage of the recent commemorative ceremony in Auschwitz, the concentration camp where over a million people were murdered by the Nazis, was that never again should such a thing be allowed to happen. And yet it is happening in many places around the world right now. One of these places is Darfur, in Sudan. A report from the UN commission investigating the ongoing violence there has said what is happening is not genocide but mass killings and enforced displacement of civilians. 80 is sure the people in Darfur, 70,000 of whom have been murdered and 2 million of whom have been forced to flee their homes will appreciate the distinction. To quote from the UN report "The commission found that [Sudan's] government forces and militias conducted indiscriminate attacks" including "killing of civilians, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement, throughout Darfur". According to this BBC report the commission concluded that the Sudanese government "has not pursued a policy of genocide" but that some unnamed government officials may have committed "acts with genocidal intent". The US, in the shape of Colin Powell, accused the Sudanese government of genocide in September of last year. (see Racist Murder in Darfur). Apart from the dispatch of a largely ineffectual African Union force to the area nothing else seems to have been done to halt the violence. Now the UN wants those accused of human rights violations "which may amount to war crimes" to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. One would think that this would at least be a start, but the US will oppose this move as it objects to the court. Most of the other UN security council members favor using the existing ICC but the US wants to set up a new tribunal at another court already investigating the Rwanda genocide. The American aversion to the ICC stems from a fear "that the court could bring politically motivated actions against American personnel abroad." according to the New York Times (reg rqd) How this intransigent and timewasting stance adopted by the US appears to the men, women and children suffering right now in Darfur is not known, but it can only serve to confirm to the rest of the world that the Bush administration, despite conciliatory noises from Condoleezza Rice, is still determined not to be a team player. (also see History Repeats Itself?)

Quote - "The I.C.C. could start tomorrow saving lives, with the Rwanda tribunal route, you're talking about another year of killing." Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch in the New York Times (reg rqd).

February 6th 2005

With Friends Like These - President Bush's State of the Union speech contained a reference to an ally of the US, Saudi Arabia, and expressed the hope that "The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future." So far there has been little sign of any real commitment by the Saudi royal family to such a goal - in fact the government there is expending resources, not at home but in the US. Here is news of a report from the Center for Religious Freedom entitled “Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques”. This was compiled over the course of a year from " over two hundred original documents, all disseminated, published or otherwise generated by the government of Saudi Arabia and collected from more than a dozen mosques in the United States." What it reveals is condemnation of democracy as un-Islamic, at least by the Saudi's fundamentalist Wahabi standards, and more worryingly "it gives detailed instructions on how to “hate” the Christian and Jew". Those who leave Islam, the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs bluntly states, should be killed and for a Muslim who indulges in homosexuality or heterosexual activity outside marriage “it would be lawful for Muslims to spill his blood and to take his money”. Perhaps those that repeatedly accuse many people in the Western democracies of "Islamophobia" should make themselves aware of the Saudi's efforts to destroy any peaceful co-existence between followers of different religions or none. In complete contrast to the Saudi attitude is that of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, prime minister of Malaysia and chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, who has called for Muslims to "close the great divide" between themselves and the West. 80 wonders how the Wahabists of Saudi Arabia view his statement "It is our duty to demonstrate, by word and by action, that a Muslim country can be modern, democratic, tolerant and economically competitive." The huge difference between Abdullah's forward looking attitude and the medieval mindset of the Wahabi fundamentalists demonstrates clearly the danger of treating Islam as a monolithic structure, bent on religiously motivated violence. All the voices of reason in Islam do not capture the headlines as well as a single suicide bomber, but they are there, and their views demand wider dissemination. (The full 89-page report, “Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques", can be downloaded here in PDF Acrobat format)

Condoms Continued - it now appears that a more lenient Roman Catholic attitude to the use of condoms as a means of combatting the spread of AIDS after the brief false dawn from the Spanish Bishops (see Condom Split) is back on the agenda. This welcome news comes courtesy of Cardinal Georges Cottier, theologian of the pontifical household, according to this Guardian report, and previously known, at least to 80, for Taking Satan Seriously. Although Cottier's statement is hardly that of enthusiastic endorsement it is to be hope that it will start to turn the tide of lies that has been the norm. (see Wicked). Cottier has acknowledged that the AIDS epidemic is now so serious "the use of condoms in some situations can be considered morally legitimate". He manages to square this change in attitude with Catholic thought by saying, "The virus is transmitted during a sexual act; so at the same time as [bringing] life there is also a risk of transmitting death, and that is where the commandment 'thou shalt not kill' is valid." The theological acrobatics are of no import but the fact that the church is softening its resistance to condom use certainly is. It is to be hoped that it was merely a coincidence that Cottier spoke out while his boss, Karol Wojtyla (aka the Pope), is in hospital. It would be a tragedy if Cottier backpedalled, like the Spanish bishops, when Wojtyla recovers and resumes the reins. Current word from the Vatican is that the old boy, who has been suffering complications attendant on a bout of 'flu, will remain in hospital "for another few days".

February 8th 2005

Wedge Cat - escapes creationist bag. Those who have read 80's maunderings on the anti-evolution brigade have noted that little distinction is made between Creationism and Intelligent Design (ID). In fact 80 has described ID as Creationism's poorly-disguised bastard offspring on more than one occasion, so it is nice to have this view confirmed by none other than the Discovery Institute itself. Chris Mooney, writing in the American Prospect, tells us "Now, at long last, we're getting acquainted with the new anti-evolutionists. And they seem very familiar." How does he know this? It seems the Discovery Institute slipped up and placed on the web a document that gives the lie to its supposedly scientific, as opposed to religious stance. This was the Wedge used to introduce religion into the science class, which is now revealed as a sham. Many folk have known this for a long time but it was good for the Institute itself to spill the beans. As Mooney puts it "But the Discovery Institute made a key tactical error. Somehow, a document that seems to bare the true soul of the institute leaked onto the Web. You can read it here, with Discovery's gloss on it. Unfortunately, not even the most consummate rhetorician could explain away lines like, "Design theory promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions." Once it lets its guard down, anti-evolutionism hasn't changed a bit." By the way it is probably not worth trying the link indicated - it now leads to a PDF Acrobat file, called The Wedge Document - So What, which 80 was unable to open (although others may have more success). An error message tells you "this viewer cannot decrypt this document". This makes it pretty obvious that the Discovery Institute does feel it has something to hide. One drawback (or advantage) of the internet is that once the cat is out of the bag it can be hell's own job to stuff it back in again - try this page courtesy of The Houston Atheist Society (and Google). Update - even this page is now no longer available. Still, 80 was prudent enough to have saved a copy. If this has copyright implications any offended party would have to admit to being the originator - which could prove interesting... Update - the Wedge Document can now be viewd here.

Havana Hooey - 80 was amused to note that President Fidel Castro of Cuba thinks that George W Bush is "deranged". Well, it takes one to know one. Even more amusing were Castro's remarks distancing himself from the US and Europe - this article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer quotes him as saying that his Caribbean island nation, "doesn't need the United States. It doesn't need Europe. What a wonderful thing to be able to say, that (Cuba) doesn't need any assistance - it's learned to live without it." The president has obviously put a new spin on the meaning of the word assistance, as he failed to mention the help he gets from his new friends, China and Iran. The latter loaned Cuba $26 million recently in a deal that is "part of a bilateral cooperation agreement between the two countries covering key areas such as banking, farming and biotechnology." As for China, apart from a loan of $400 million in 2001 it has aided the Cuban economy in other ways, with a range of business deals including "$500 million investment in the island's key nickel industry" and donations of " $6 million to Cuban hospitals, as well as cloth for school uniforms worth about another $6 million. China also agreed to finance 1 million television sets for the Cuban market." No wonder Castro needs no assistance from the US or Europe....... Talking of the US, a look at the list of foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities reveals they now total a stunning $1.75 trillion - $217 billion of which is China's. It's a funny old world.........

February 9th 2005

Gospel According to Mott - censorship is on the rise all over the place and while different tactics have been involved, the prime mover remains the same, religion of one sort or another. As detailed in this report in the New York Times (reg rqd) by Frank Rich, "The Year of Living Indecently" TV companies in the US are now self-censoring, fearful of attracting the unwelcome attention of such po-faced guardians of public morals as Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings who took fright at an "animated rabbit hobnobbing with actual lesbian moms while visiting Vermont to learn how maple syrup is made." This is in step with the SpongeBob SquarePants nonsense and even the censoring of the violent opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan". This official approach to censorship is happening in the US because the current administration is in step with the Christian moralists who want their own narrow views to become the law for all. In Europe, it is somewhat different, the censorship is motivated by fear, fear of violence by zealous religionists of all kinds, be it Sikhs rioting in Birmingham over the play Behzti, or the creepy Christian Voice bunch posting their victims' private phone numbers on a website in the UK, or the disgusting murder of film maker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim extremist in the Netherlands or the banning of a painting in Sweden. The ripples from the van Gogh killing are still spreading through Dutch society - leading to the organizers of the Rotterdam Film Festival's decision not to show van Gogh's and Ayaan Hirsi Ali's film Submission, for fear of a violent reaction. In some instances this attempt to stifle free expression has happily had the opposite effect. Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre in the UK seems determined to tackle the forces of repression head on by mounting a deliberately challenging season of plays. In this Guardian piece Hytner condemns the Home Office for its "pathetic" response to the violence over Bezhti. One item on the new season's playlist is a work by Howard Brenton about the inventor of Christianity, fanatic and misogynist, St Paul. Brenton, described here as "a major and frequently provocative voice in British post-war political theatre" has attracted the attention of uptight religionists before. His 1980 play, The Romans in Britain, staged at the National, led Mrs. Mary Whitehouse of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association, a self-appointed guardian of public morals, to take out a private prosecution against the director Michael Bogdanov for gross indecency. These days such a reaction would likely be judged too mild for many, as different faiths vie with each other to stifle expression, with the effective collusion of a government scared by the thought of losing votes. Sikh, Muslim, Christian and other zealots are now all too ready to embrace the ethos of the old Mott the Hoople song, "Violence, violence, it's the only thing that'll make you see sense......".

Male Nipples - here is a quote from the wonderfully waspish Maureen Dowd, writing in the New York Times (reg rqd) about a planned Creation Museum for those unable or unwilling to understand the theory of evolution. "Do male nipples prove evolution?...Nipples may be biologically de trop for men, an "expert" on the site notes, but that doesn't mean they resulted from natural selection. They could just as well be a decorating feature of the Creator's (like a hood ornament). Who are we to question His designs, since we cannot presume to comprehend His mind?" Read the rest here and check her archived columns here. Apologies - the archives with the dollar signs are not free -d'uh.

Hot Water - last week 80 mentioned, not for the first time, the excellent Bad Science column in the Guardian by Ben Goldacre. In Murky Waters 80 noted that a product called Penta Water had rightly attracted Goldacre's skeptical eye. Not only is it difficult to find any scientific evidence whatsoever of Penta's claims for its "ultra-purified, restructured micro-water", as Goldacre discovered, but this bunch had also fallen foul of James Randi back in 2001, who described them as "...condescending, arrogant, and patronizing...". It would now appear that someone has taken exception to Goldacre's piece last week, as he has subsequently received threatening and abusive text messages. This nasty little action would seem to have backfired as whoever sent these unpleasant messages has now got Goldacre's full attention - something they may well regret as the police are now involved. Not entirely unconnected perhaps, Goldacre received a phone call from "PR guru Max Clifford to apologise for a "hotheaded" Penta staff member." See this week's edition of Bad Science for the full story. (for more from 80 see Wonder Waters)

February 11th 2005

Medieval Wedge - spare a moment to think of the Iraqi women who voted in the recent election there, braving terrorist threats, bombs and bullets. It would be tragic if they did so only in order to end up with fewer rights under the law than they had under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. The votes counted so far are heavily in favor of the Shiite majority, which is hardly a surprise, and their dominance will no doubt translate into great influence on the wording of the country's yet to be written constitution. The Shiite ayatollahs will push for the inclusion of as much Islamic shariah law as they can. The effect of this will be to demote women to the second class role they have

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Backwards Glances Index 2005 part 1

January 1st 2005

(thanks to Paul Lee of the excellent Quack-Files site for the heads-up on this)

CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS ALIVE AT END OF 2003 - GLOBAL TOTAL 15 MILLION.

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Quote - "The I.C.C. could start tomorrow saving lives, with the Rwanda tribunal route, you're talking about another year of killing." Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch in the New York Times (reg rqd).