Archive for December, 2007
Good luck to Chris Comer
Dec 7th
Wired has this article about the former Texas science curriculum director, Chris Comer, who was forced to resign after she forwarded a mail announcing a lecture promoting evolution. Her bosses felt that by sending an FYI about the lecture she was showing “insubordination” and therefore needed to go.
It boggles my mind that the people running the science curriculum are not allowed to promote a solid scientific theory/law like evolution. There is a good quote in the article:
- “Each approach should be fair game for critical analysis, so terminating someone for just mentioning a critic of intelligent design smacks of the dogma and purges in the Soviet era.”
Intelligent design is hogwash and has no place anywhere near scientific education, except as an example of a bad theory. The Texas school board has a long way to go – Mrs Comer you are better off without them over your head.
Financial Mail on a possible Zuma presidency
Dec 6th
The Financial Mail has this article speaking about what a rough road we have ahead if Zuma becomes South Africa’s next president. Unfortunately it now seems that the only way we can avoid such a tragedy is through charges being pushed through against him.
The article tries to figure out what Zuma would be like as president. This is pretty tricky because he is distressingly quiet about his policies and ideas. That said, the author is able to infer some of Mr Zuma’s social ideas:
- “He has intimated that the press should project a positive image of the country, rather than criticise.”
- “His own behaviour and support for Zulu virginity testing poses significant concerns about his attitude to the rights of women.”
- “Other comments betray his homophobia.”
The article goes on to discuss possible economic and cabinet changes that the author feels Zuma is likely to make. For instance, his close alliance with the left is likely to have a big (and in my opinion bad) impact on his fiscal decisions. Labor laws will probably become tighter instead of being loosened. Taxes are likely to go up and tax breaks could become “a distant memory”.
Although I don’t necessarily think everything in the article is justified Zuma does scare my pretty badly. He doesn’t give us enough information to judge his policies and what he does say is all crazy.
The religiously sensitive have a go at Gareth Cliff
Dec 5th
Gareth Cliff is a “controversial” morning radio presenter in South Africa. He was recently discussing this crazy story about the Sudanese teddy bear circus when he said: “If God is great, why would he be so easily offended by what a mortal man says? If God has such an ego, then he must be petty.”
Large portions of the South African public have now gone nuts and are calling for him to be fired and even fined for his actions. Madness.
I am sick of hearing about this kind of stuff – be confident in your religion. If you don’t agree with Gareth Cliff then don’t listen to his show. Or even, though this never happens, engage him in a logical debate. But he has a right to say what he thinks and that right should be protected.
I often think Mr Cliff is an idiot, but in this case I happen to agree with him. I think it a little strange that people who are so sure of themselves get so easily offended when such mundane questions are asked of them. If you are so sure then just say “‘No, God is not petty.” That should be it!
I know first hand how this plays out too. Yesterday a respected colleague and friend told me that I am “the spawn of evil” when I suggested there is a possibility that there is no God.
We respect your position and you should respect ours.
Dino fossil found with some skin tissue mummified
Dec 4th
National Geographic reports on an astonishing fossil that has been unearthed recently. “The extraordinarily preserved hadrosaur, or duck-billed dino, still had much of its tissues and bones intact, encased in an envelope of skin”.
The dinosaur died in a “perfect soup” of chemicals allowing for the amazing preservation of its tissue after 67 million years. The paleontologists are all very excited about the information that they can get from this specimen. And it was found by a teenager!
This image above shows the preserved scales of the dino’s skin.
The Sudanese teddy bear circus
Dec 3rd
You may well have heard about the British volunteer teacher Gillian Gibbons who has been sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation from Sudan because she allowed her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad. She was convicted of “insulting religion” because any depictions of Muhammad are deemed insulting – so naming a teddy bear Muhammad is a no-no.
I must admit that I find this kind of thing a little crazy. As I have said in the past, I think it’s very important to be tolerant of other cultures and open to other ways of life. However, I just can’t respect the kind of country/culture that thinks this reaction is OK. Ridiculous.
Even more worrying is the fact that it seems many people in the area thought that this punishment was too lenient for the crime and have been protesting and calling for the death sentence! These guys are completely mental. They need some perspective.
The Economist has an article on the the subject. What they say there is what I have found to be true here in Cape Town: most Muslims in democratic countries also think this kind of reaction is unjust.
Update: I have just read that the woman was given a presidential pardon and has been released. A good step, but I still think that the law was a crazy one.
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