Ben Stein’s “Expelled” the Movie: Exposed! Lies, Distortions and that Old Time Religion
April 1, 2008
Ben Stein, attorney, author, Nixon speechwriter, game show host, actor, commercial pitch man and formerly thought to be both educated and intelligent, is fronting a new documentary called Expelled. His involvement in this project proves that there are deficits in his education, if not his intelligence.
I’m disappointed because I only knew of him as a media figure with an eclectic résumé and my impression was that he was a clever, witty guy with a great dead pan face. His new film Expelled tries to make the case that there is a conspiracy, controlled by Big Science, to shove Darwinism down everyone’s throat and squelch anyone who dares to defy this orthodoxy. And you know what Darwinism leads to, doncha? Evolution in the classroom, dancing on Sundays, a complete breakdown of social norms, Nazism. . .!
If you’ve followed the Creation Science slash Intelligent Design controversy in recent years you probably know that it’s all a shrouded campaign by the forces of Darkness to put Biblical Science on on equal footing with Real Science, done by serious looking men with bad hair cuts in lab coats, in the nation’s classrooms.
This movement, to replace science with old messianic folklore, makes me so angry all I can say is, all I can say is, “This Side Up. Push Gently to Open.” When I get that angry I can’t think straight.
Anyhow, the campaign is on to expose Expelled so we’re doing our bit here. Dr. Eugenie Scott and the National Center for Science Education’s official response to Ben Stein’s Expelled is here.
She also gave a great interview about her own involvement with Expelled on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast (Podcast #140 3/26/2008).
What, you mean you don’t listen to the SGU each and every week? Don’t admit a thing like that here, pal.
Seriously, this is a great science podcast that’s a project of the good people at the New England Skeptical Society, or NESS to her initiates in association with SkepChick.org and the James Randi Educational Foundation.
P.Z. Meyers, biologist, professor and real scientist living in Minnesota, gives his side of being featured in the movie but tossed out of a free screening, here.
Richard Dawkins’ review is here.
As far as I’m concerned, you should never mess with Richard Dawkins. If you don’t know who he is, I’ll put it this way: he’s the Steve McQueen of evolutionary biologists. If I were a teen age girl, I’d have his poster up on my bed room wall.
Security Dogs Poisoned in South Africa by Peanut Butter-Covered Batteries
April 1, 2008
The South African Daily News ran a piece on the a current wave of dog and pet poisonings. For the complete article, go here.
It appears as if this may be related to burglary attempts as the targeted dogs appear to be large breeds used as guard dogs and security for homeowners. The two methods mentioned were meat laced with rat poison and batteries covered in peanut butter. Most large dogs would swallow these whole.
Once the battery is ingested, it begins to break down in the stomach and the battery acid is released, killing them. It also has the sad advantage of ingredients that are cheap and readily available.
This struck me particularly because I know that our two Labs would gobble up anything smaller than a car battery if it were slathered in peanut butter.