Enlightning Bolts – 10.31.2010

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are some links to things I’ve been wanting to blog about but haven’t found the time.

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The local skeptics group had their first SkeptiCamp. I didn’t make it out but they’re posting videos of their talks on the Winnipeg Skeptics Blog. There are three so far and I believe more to come.

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This Church has a built-in dinosaur – and I don’t mean the Ken Hamm sadle-wearing kind.

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Here‘s the blog of the 15-year-old Rhys Morgan, who is suffering from Crohn’s disease, and it bravely (and effectively) fighting against quacks who are selling bleach (BLEACH!!!) to Crohn’s sufferers and claiming that it’s a miracle cure.

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This guy saved another man’s life using physics. Science!

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Old Weather is a cool citizen science project that allows you help transcribe WWI-era ships’ weather observations to help build climate models.

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And, just because, here are some pictures of the recent snowfall here and the pumpkins I carved:

Enlightning Bolts – 07.05.2010 – Female Bloggers Edition

I recently posted a list of skeptical female bloggers (and websites, podcasts, etc.) and have been slowly making my way through them reading what they have to say. So I thought I would make a special Enlightning Bolts to highlight some of the posts I’ve been enjoying…

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Rachael posted a positive story about how kids’ perceptions of scientists changed after they met some scientists.

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Angie the Anti-Theist has an interesting multi-part piece on her experience with Alcoholics Anonymous. Here’s Part 1.

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Doubtful Daughter has written about how much more she questions things now that she’s not a “believer”…it might as well have been written by me!

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Apparently it’s Relocate Religious Books Month! I’ve never moved a book from its spot in the bookstore if it’s in the wrong section, I tend to think that’s just making the employees’ jobs harder, but I have mentioned to staff that certain books shouldn’t be in the Science section and gotten results. I also sometimes move Skeptic Magazine over so that it’s covering the woo-ish UFO and Biblical Archeology magazines – they’re in the same section so I don’t feel bad about doing that!

Enlightning Bolts – 07.02.2010

Hi all, aside from responding to as many comments as I’ve been able to manage lately, I’ve been absent from the blog ever since I declared my will to stick with it. I have a good excuse though, and it’s not to do with frustrations this time. I bought a house! As anyone who has bought a house knows, it’s time consuming and stressful so I’ve opted for spending my internet time on things that hurt my brain less like xkcd and SMBC (if you haven’t yet discovered these wonderful web comics, you’re welcome).

So I thought I would share some Enlightning Bolts today, and I’ll post as frequently as possible during my move over the next couple of months.

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I was sad to learn that outspoken atheist, and my favourite Vanity Fair columnist, Christopher Hitchens, has cancer. The press release is light on details, hopefully they caught it early enough and he is able to recover quickly.

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Will Phillips is the ten-year-old activist who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in his classroom because there isn’t “liberty and justice for all” if gay couples don’t have the right to marry. He deserves a treat, don’t you think? Well, his birthday is coming up in September, why not donate a few dollars to help send this wonderful and deserving kid to DragonCon?

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Should we or shouldn’t we be de-oiling birds in the Gulf?

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Jesus likes grilled cheese, but Buddha prefers termites (pictured).

Enlightning Bolts *Video Edition* – 02.11.2010

This post is going to be short and sweet, but it will link you to lots of awesome videos that I’ve been loving. Enjoy!

College Humour takes on the end of the world.

The history of the universe…flipbook style.

Dragon’s Den berates a snake-oil salesman.

Jimmy Kimmel responds to the Tim Tebow ad.

Have a nice weekend!

Enlightning Bolts – 01.21.2010

Dang, I thought we had until 2012:

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I haven’t listened yet, but this debate should be good: between Stephen Meyer and Peter Atkins.

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“We are just a basic off the rack mammal…we’ve got the same basic building blocks and plumbing…but we use it in ways that are unprecedented.” – Robert Sapolsky talks about what’s unique about humans. It’s almost 40 minutes, but really interesting, entertaining, inspiring, and worth taking the time to watch.

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The devil responds to Pat Robertson via letter to the editor.

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This one’s for my husband:

Canadian scientists studying ancient rocks in Quebec and New Brunswick appear to have solved a central mystery about the Earth’s history: why rivers began curving back and forth on their way to the sea about 400 million years ago. [Read on here]

And here’s a picture of the meandering river he and I took a walk on the other day:

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You can watch Christopher Hitchens’ critical documentary about Mother Teresa online: Hell’s Angel.

Enlightning Bolts – January 17, 2010

Church sign logic fail.

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NASA solves the mystery of the giant ribbon at the edge of the solar system: “We believe the ribbon is a reflection,” says Jacob Heerikhuisen, a NASA Heliophysics Guest Investigator from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. “It is where solar wind particles heading out into interstellar space are reflected back into the solar system by a galactic magnetic field.” Wicked!

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College Humour is brilliant: The Tetris God (YouTube).

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Meryl Dorey, Australian anti-vaxxer, doesn’t want any part of her donation going to immunizing Haitians, in spite of this:

Diarrhoeal diseases would flourish as survivors struggled to find clean water and safe food, Dr Kirsch said. Measles outbreaks, which sometimes follow natural disasters, may spread in neighbourhoods of tightly packed courtyards where thousands of homeless residents are gathering.

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Half of the children in Haiti are unvaccinated and just 40 per cent of the population had access to basic health care before the crisis, according to the WHO.

They need vaccines.

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I gave a list of options for your Haiti donation the other day, now here’s one more (set up by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science): Non-believers Giving Aid is an attempt to quell the myth that atheists aren’t charitable as believers, but it also makes sure that 100% of your donation is given to the secular charities they are supporting (Int’l Red Cross & Doctors Without Borders). Richard Dawkins will personally cover any fees associated with making a donation, so you know that your full contribution will go straight to the people who need it.

Enlightning Bolts – January 14, 2010

I always end up with a bunch of items that I want to blog about but run out of time, so rather than just letting them fall to the wayside I’m going to start posting them all with my brief comments on a semi-regular basis.

I’m dubbing them Enlightning Bolts…Cheese-tastic!

Pat Robertson blames the Haitians for the tragic earthquake on TV, but the weird part is that the woman standing next to him doesn’t slap him for his despicable remarks. The Haitian ambassador responds perfectly. Why he should have to handle such thoughtless and hurtful remarks during such a hard time disgusts me. Shame on you, Pat Robertson.

The newest Bigfoot “evidence”: a dark figure appears in an IMAX film, nobody knows what it is, therefore Bigfoot.

Wyatt Cenac totally pwns some anti-gay marriage protesters in New Jersey: “It was just as our forefathers had envisioned. That one day, people who had been descriminated against for their religion or the colour of their skin, could come together to discriminate against people for their sexual orientation, without the slightest sense of irony.” (Canadians can watch here, sorry if you’re in the US, you’ll have to go to Comedy Central and look for the January 12th episode).

If you’re on Twitter, you should be following @lowflyingrocks, it’s fun with a tiny bit of terrifying! Yesterday, Astroid AL30 missed us by 135,000kms…that’s closer to us than the moon!

Phil Plait posted some jaw-dropping pictures of Mars (above right).

This website talks about why God is Imaginary. I like proofs 17 (Think About Leprechauns) and 48 (Compare prayer to a lucky horseshoe) best. (Thanks to misunderstoodranter for the link!) If you like that, you’ll love this. I like 50, 123, 376, bah they’re all good!

[If you have any items you’d like me to put in the next Enlightning Bolts, send them to me through the contact form or via Twitter @EnlightningLinZ]