All entries by this author

What on Earth are West Midlands Police up to? *

Aug 24th, 2007 | Filed by

The Ofcom referral caters to the sense of ‘victim culture’ peddled by the MCB and others.… Read the rest



Alice Dreger on Writing in Fear *

Aug 24th, 2007 | Filed by

Intimidation impedes free inquiry.… Read the rest



Dreger’s Report on the Bailey Controversy [pdf] *

Aug 24th, 2007 | Filed by

‘A Case History of the Politics of Science, Identity, and Sex in the Internet Age’… Read the rest



When a Lesbian Says ‘We Are all Hezb’ Allah Now!’

Aug 24th, 2007 | By Azar Majedi

When my daughter’s friend told me a couple of weeks a go, that her socialist lesbian friend has a poster on her wall saying: “we are all Hezb’ Allah Now!” I said: “my God! [and I am an atheist] something has gone fundamentally wrong.”

I asked myself, what are they trying to do, mock socialists? Or, are they simply brainwashed? What is this world coming to?

This young woman has all the necessary ingredients for fighting against political Islam and Hezb’ Allah. First of all she is a woman. Just the fact of being a female is enough to make you a staunch enemy of a radically misogynist movement, unless you are brainwashed to do the opposite.

To add to … Read the rest



We’re going to have people saying unpopular things

Aug 23rd, 2007 12:24 pm | By

One of these again.

J. Michael Bailey, a psychologist at Northwestern University, has promoted a theory that his critics think is inaccurate, insulting and potentially damaging to transgender women. In the past few years, several prominent academics who are transgender have made a series of accusations against the psychologist…Lynn Conway, a prominent computer scientist at the University of Michigan, sent out an e-mail message comparing Dr. Bailey’s views to Nazi propaganda…Dr. Ben Barres, a neurobiologist at Stanford, said in reference to Dr. Bailey’s thesis in the book, “Bailey seems to make a living by claiming that the things people hold most deeply true are not true.”

Oh no, not that. If he does that then nothing is too bad … Read the rest



Maryam Namazie on the Veil and Violence *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

In Iran two sisters died because their brother deemed it sinful for the paramedics to touch them. … Read the rest



Protest Deportation of Pegah Emambakhsh *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

UK is violating all the international Conventions deciding to repatriate Pegah Emambakhsh.… Read the rest



Harassment of a Scholar *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

If we’re going to have research at all, then we’re going to have people saying unpopular things.… Read the rest



Atheists Respond *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

They vilify atheists and distort their views, then complain of how divisive they are.… Read the rest



Yet Another Complaint About ‘Aggressive’ Atheism *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

First put words in its mouth, then say it can best be called aggressive.… Read the rest



Is Stealing Wireless Wrong? *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

Philosophers Nick Bostrom and Julian Baggini comment.… Read the rest



Jesus Smoked *

Aug 23rd, 2007 | Filed by

Malaysian newspaper published an image of Jesus holding a cigarette. But is that really Jesus? … Read the rest



Judgements by default

Aug 22nd, 2007 5:12 pm | By

Silencing by libel suit – it’s everywhere. Deborah Lipstadt pointed out one branch a couple of weeks ago.

Now the Saudis have silenced another book. This one is by J. Millard Burr, a former relief coordinator for Operation Lifeline Sudan, U.S. Agency for International Development, and Robert O. Collins, professor of history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. They have written a number of books on Darfur and Sudan. Their most recent book, Alms for Jihad, was published by Cambridge University Press. The authors explore how…”The Saudi royal family played a pernicious role, founding and promoting charities to spread militant Sunni Islam…” The British lawyers for Khalid bin Mahfouz and his son Abdulrahman bin Mahfouz wrote Cambridge

Read the rest


Ali Eteraz on Harun Yahya and Censorship *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

What does this say about the promises that Islamist parties make before actually acquiring power?… Read the rest



Excerpt from Zimbardo’s ‘The Lucifer Effect’ *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

When all members of a group are in a deindividuated state, their mental functioning changes.… Read the rest



Harun Yahya Blocks all of WordPress in Turkey *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

A thriving citizen-journalist community has been silenced because of the ego of one rich creationist.… Read the rest



Review of Chris Mooney’s ‘Storm World’ *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

The evidence is on the side of those who think hurricanes are changing along with global warming.… Read the rest



Blake Stacey on Pivar *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

On censorship-by-intimidation.… Read the rest



Tim Sandefur on Pivar *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

‘Calling someone a “crackpot” is simply not actionable as libel, except in rare circumstances.’… Read the rest



Panda’s Thumb on the Pivar Lawsuit *

Aug 22nd, 2007 | Filed by

According to Pivar, Gould only endorsed evolutionary theory under duress from ‘Darwinian orthodoxy.’… Read the rest