A Multicultural Shamboles
The UK continues to lead the way in multicultural madness. The latest instance is 'Shambo', a "sacred" bullock, who resides at the Skanda Value multi-faith temple, and has contracted TB. Shambo's Hindu owners have been trying to save him from the destruction he is due on the grounds of religious principles and human rights.

The high court, in the general manner of such courts, has decided to quash the destruction order, once again proving the principle that men wearing dresses aren't necessarily the best judges of what is good for society.

In disease of multiculturalism may now infect thousands of other cattle.

Shambo's case is just another clear example of why multiculturalism is unlivable.

Update: Well, the courts over turned the over turning of the kill order, and the monks tried to use a human shield tactic, but police have come in and removed them. Shambo is on his way....The UK has dodged a bullet, or more accurately, sent the bullet towards Shambo, and away from themselves...
- posted by Alan Grey @ Friday, July 27, 2007 1 comments

 
Endagered Coral Reefs?
The Sunday Mail on the weekend had a scarifying section on how man made global warming was going to destroy our precious great barrier reef.

Like most things the global warming fearmongers claim, this is a stupid and obviously false claim. Consider the headline of this news article.

Climate change may kill Great Barrier Reef by 2050

The article goes on to quote the IPCC which claims the coral reef will be 'functionally extinct' by 2050.

The clues of the moronicity of the IPCC report are even there in the article

"Coral bleaching can occur for a number of different reasons, but more recently, its been occurring because the seas in the tropical parts of the world are becoming too warm," Hoegh-Guldberg said.

Yep. A number of different reasons can bleach coral (essentially killing it), but they know it is all global warmings fault how?

Of course, the real kicker comes from Australian coral geneticists.

Coral geneticists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science have found that many corals store several types of algae, which can improve their capacity to cope with warmer water.

"The potential for this hidden back-up type (algae) to step in and provide nutrition to coral during heat stress is far greater than currently thought," said Jos Mieog, a PhD student involved in the coral study.

The Australian scientists said this "shuffle" ability might explain why coral reefs have been able to survive for thousands of years during various climate changes.

Wow...'Ancient' Coral reefs survived lots of climate change...but somehow the current climate change is going to kill them all off...

Global... Warming... Idiots...

(HT: Tim Blair)
- posted by Alan Grey @ Thursday, July 26, 2007 0 comments

 
Evolution of Math Teaching in America
The Neo-atheists are complaining that religion and creationism is destroying the education of the nations children, as evidenced by the declining competitive ranking between America and other nations...of course, the real reason is the changing way that math has been taught....


Teaching Math In 1950
---------------------
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is
4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math in 1960
---------------------
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is
4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970
---------------------
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is
$80. Did he make a profit?

Teaching Math In 1980
---------------------
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is
$80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990
---------------------
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the birds and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong
answers.)

Teaching Math In 2000
---------------------
Un ranchero vende una carretera de madera para $100. El cuesto de la
produccion era $80. Cuantos tortillas se puede comprar?

(Source: Anonymous - Received via email)
- posted by Alan Grey @ Tuesday, July 24, 2007 0 comments

 
God as Foundational - Materalistic Evolution Must Be Wrong
That's a pretty big claim. Certainly many philosophers have defended God as a necessary being, but the point I want to talk about is that to even begin to think about truth, materialism must be wrong.

Richard Dawkins provides a clear example of this. In 'The God Delusion' he puts forward the notion that we all evolved, as did our religious beliefs and moral sense of empathy.

Clearly, Dawkins believes that peoples religious beliefs are false (hence a delusion), yet evolution, according to Dawkins (and most other materialists), is responsible for those beliefs. Perhaps those beliefs had some evolutionary/survival benefit he says.

And this is the big point...if we evolved, our beliefs (knowledge) is gained not for it's truth value, but for it's survival value. So what confidence do we or can we have that any of our beliefs are true? Well, none. Certainly there may be many true beliefs that also have survival value, but Richard Dawkins clearly defends the idea that evolution may have generated false beliefs with survival value.

So the big question remains....how do you tell the difference? When your beliefs (and your beliefs about your beliefs) can be believed merely due to survival value and not their truth value, there is no way you can have any confidence about ANY belief being 'true'.

So, if evolution is true, then we could never know it.

Labels: evolution

- posted by Alan Grey @ Friday, July 13, 2007 0 comments