tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43594988228406013132024-03-19T04:32:25.715+01:00badblogBjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-33234626036109157112011-02-04T13:20:00.000+01:002011-02-04T13:20:23.096+01:00Theological and scientific truthsA new year means time for a bit of blogging, hopefully the present frequency of adding new stuff is not exhausting anyone.<br />
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In an age where the positivistic stance has had a renaissance in neoatheistic circles, there is no lack of noise and negativity whenever someone makes attempts at integrating theological and scientific truths.<br />
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If you want a calm and constructive take on this, with a kind of case study <span style="font-size: small;">on the initiation of human spiritual life, </span>there are worse places to look than in <a href="http://biologos.org/blog/a-response-to-coyne-macdonald-ruse-and-wilkinson/">Denis Alexander's response </a>to Coyne, MacDonald, Ruse, and Wilkinson. <br />
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A <a href="http://biologos.org/uploads/static-content/alexander_response_paper.pdf">pdf of the whole article</a> is also moving upon the waters.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-34084561845422505552010-06-21T14:38:00.000+02:002010-06-21T14:38:56.126+02:00The GK Chesterton Society of IrelandJust to celebrate that I'm alive (though narrow enough mainly to materialise on my <a href="http://dekodet.blogspot.com/">Norwegian blog</a>), some blogs are removed (as they seem to have gone with the wind) and the blog of <a href="http://irishchesterton.blogspot.com/">The GK Chesterton Society of Ireland</a> is added. <br />
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For a time containing the vast population of one member only, something that in practice means a whole universe.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-42469120462392508892010-03-22T12:00:00.000+01:002010-03-22T12:00:21.077+01:00Elephant 9Ah, a Karn Evil beast.<br />
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If Keith Emerson had been younger. And Norwegian.<br />
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<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-qP7Yy-Bwt8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-qP7Yy-Bwt8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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More stuff <a href="http://www.myspace.com/elephant9theband">here</a>.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-69908334267549076562010-03-10T10:50:00.002+01:002010-03-10T10:54:22.453+01:00Galileo backed Copernicus in spite of the dataOf course Galileo Galilei has long been known to in error when backing the <i>circular </i>motion of the planets around the sun. However, now it seemes his own observations went against him also in other areas, as indicated by <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100305/full/news.2010.105.html">a new study </a>using the same kind of telescope as Galileo. <br />
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<blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Galileo Galilei was right: Earth moves around the Sun, just as Nicolaus Copernicus said it did in 1543. But had Galileo followed the results of his observations to their logical conclusion, he should have backed another system — the Tychonic view that Earth didn't move, and that everything else circled around it and the Sun, as developed by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the sixteenth century.</div></blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6cGu9OllWhk71MQPTjI3-KYI6YpCeqUYyDFsg92D1NiMAaA8KN0BK6QZDtiXOePIzg9MBML1KELs3ZCsAcP8bAuw8yyviEueifsBgqAHxRQEpaC7IhY5X1dkyexU-BoXamxlAm65Eww/s1600-h/brahes+modell.gif" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6cGu9OllWhk71MQPTjI3-KYI6YpCeqUYyDFsg92D1NiMAaA8KN0BK6QZDtiXOePIzg9MBML1KELs3ZCsAcP8bAuw8yyviEueifsBgqAHxRQEpaC7IhY5X1dkyexU-BoXamxlAm65Eww/s320/brahes+modell.gif" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In Brahe's view the earth was immobile at the centre of the universe (for alternative models, look <a href="http://www.bluffton.edu/~bergerd/NSC_111/science3.html">here</a>). The sun and moon moved around the earth, while the other planets moved around the sun. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This theory was more consistent with the observational data than Copernicus' model and was highly popular in the early 1600's. It's always been somewhat of an enigma why Galileo didn't argue for - or even against - it. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The article also shows the way Galileo discredited his opponents and bolstered arguments through omissions and only weakly support by data. Some data even went against him, as he kept insisting on circular motion and that the tides was due to the movement of the earth.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It seems if this analysis is correct that Galileo proposed his theory in the teeth of the evidence and scientific consensus. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">If he is to be honored as a martyr for something it should perhaps as much be for stubbornness as for science.</div>Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-18251275250706723532009-12-20T22:07:00.000+01:002009-12-20T22:07:22.923+01:00Keith' Christmas<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dc9cQRTGuKo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dc9cQRTGuKo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-68111438896750462172009-11-03T13:41:00.008+01:002009-11-03T13:56:37.448+01:00The Hole Left by the Freethinking AgeAs this blog alternates between prog and prejudice, it's time for another go at the Medieval myths. <br /><br />Or science fiction writer <a href="http://m-francis.livejournal.com/101929.html#cutid1">Mike Flynn's </a>go at "the Hole Left by the Christian Dark Ages". <br /><br />Here's a taste.<blockquote><em>In general, he projects. His essay appeals to ignorance of the history of science and the scholarship of the past couple of decades, indeed, of any scholarship at all. <br /><br />He confuses correlation with causation. That a Christian did something does not necessarily mean that he did it because of his Christianity. He recognized this when the deed is a good one, but swallows it whole when the deed was a bad one. <br /><br />He also claims that Christians are guilty of "non sequiturs" when they write that various famous scientists were believers, commenting correctly that "it doesn't follow that just because a few scientists believed in God that science resulted from it." Then among his "further sources" he includes two links to surveys citing all the scientists who do not believe in God. <br /><br />But if it is a non sequitur in one direction then, under the gandersauce principle, it is a non sequitur in the other. In either case, it is an invalid appeal to authority.(*) Why should a scientist's beliefs about God matter any more than his beliefs about barbecue sauce or the coining of free silver? <br /><br />Training in the sciences tends to be narrowly focused and does not usually confer expertise in theology, history, philosophy, or indeed much of anything outside his specialty. (*) It is perfectly valid to appeal to an authority in a field; i.e., to cite an historian on a point of history; a cosmologist on a point of cosmology. This is simply shorthand for research the reader has not the time, inclination, equipment, or expertise to carry out himself. <br /><br />Inexplicably, Mr. Walker cites (as the bandwagon fallacy) an appeal to "the popular notion that Christianity began modern science." But this is hardly a popular notion. Most people undoubtedly buy into the cultural 'tude that Christianity was hostile to science. However, he does invite by his rhetoric that we all get on the bandwagon of advanced thinking in this regard. <br /><br />Here is the primary thesis of this counter-essay. Whether or not you believe in someone's God has nothing to do with whether they accomplished anything you consider worthwhile. They may have been perfectly mistaken about God and still kicked off science. But there is a certain kind of "free" thinker who seems bound to the notion that if you disbelieve in a religion then nothing that religion ever did could possibly be any good. <br /><br />History is never quite this cardboard stereotype of White Hats and Black Hats.</em></blockquote> There's a LOT more.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-42229556907774765682009-11-03T12:17:00.005+01:002009-11-03T12:25:15.533+01:00ELP Reunion?!Too incredible to be true, still it is written in white on blue at the <a href="http://www.emersonlakepalmer.com/index.html">ELP site</a> and white on black at <a href="http://www.greglake.com/">Greg Lake's</a>.<br /><blockquote><em>Mean Fiddler and Classic Rock Magazine are proud to announce that Emerson Lake and Palmer (ELP) will be reforming to bring the inaugural High Voltage festival to a close.<br /><br />Forty years after ELP opened the legendary Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970, what better act to celebrate Britain's biggest and best Adult Rock Festival.<br /><br />Fans can expect 'Cannons, Pyrotechnics and a supreme production alongside the stunning musicianship and songs that made ELP the legends they truly are'.<br /><br />2 November 2009</em></blockquote>Stay tuned.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-72425975278159510712009-10-08T20:02:00.005+02:002009-10-08T20:15:04.715+02:00AgoraphobiaThe <a href="http://b-a-d-blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/hollywood-hypatia-hypers.html">Agora movie </a>is sure to lead to Hypatia hype, however it's presentation of Church History will also lead both to Agora- and Christianophobia.<br /><br />So it is not puzzling that there are symptoms of <a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17335">protests</a> in some areas.<br /><blockquote><em>Just days before the release of the new movie “Agora” by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar, civil rights organizations are denouncing the film for promoting hatred of Christians and reinforcing false clichés about the Catholic Church.</em></blockquote>As if there is a need for such after <em>Angels and Demons</em>.<blockquote><em>Marcos reminded Amenabar of the comments made by people who have already seen a private screening of the film and which Amenabar himself echoed during a television interview.<br /> <br />During the interview he said, “At the end of the film, people sitting near me said Christians are bunch of SOBs.”</em></blockquote>On the other hand, such responses may lead to an... interesting public discourse.<br /><blockquote><em>In response to Amenabar’s statements that the film “is not against Christians but rather against those who set off bombs and kill in the name of God, that is, against religious fanatics,” Marcos wondered why the director has not recreated situations like those that take place in the Middle East.</em></blockquote> Of course, arguing against muslim extremists <em>vicariously</em>, through alleged Church History, is a great and traditional Western sport.<br /><br />Which requires far less courage.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-89767718141823765892009-09-06T21:11:00.004+02:002009-09-06T21:15:27.284+02:00Take a Latin PebbleIt is always good to see ELP numbers becoming jazz, rock or classical standards.<br /><br />Or latin.<br /><br />Even if this is a rather typical "starting from the source for never returning". The latter half is still good in it's own Al Di Meola way.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KU67H9tmAns&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KU67H9tmAns&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-78544522482036699322009-08-31T12:27:00.002+02:002009-08-31T12:33:19.837+02:00The McWizard of Keyboards<em><blockquote>Minor luminaries such as Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Chick Corea, Glenn Gould, Keith Emerson, Bill Evans, Joe Zawinul, Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock come and go, but one keyboard artist stands head and shoulders above the rest. The genius of Scots home organ guru Eric McWhirter is renowned throughout the keyboard-playing universe, but for years, his very existence was a closely guarded secret. </blockquote></em>Click your keys and read all about it <a href="http://www.davebarb.demon.co.uk/dsbgeric.html">here</a>.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-71353086519398120492009-08-19T12:07:00.004+02:002009-08-19T12:13:51.544+02:00Buridan rides againAs not <em>everyone </em>subscribes to the magazine or has bought web versions of <a href="http://dekodet.blogspot.com/2007/09/middelaldersk-science-fiction.html">this issue </a>of <em>ANALOG Science Fiction and Fact</em>, it is good news that Michael F. Flynn's short story of alternative medieval history is available <a href="http://www.analogsf.com/nebulas09/QUaestionares.shtml">here</a>. <br /><br />It is about nothing less than <em>Quaestiones Super Caelo Et Mundo</em>. Areas that contain far more than most.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-47036111606152012902009-08-15T23:11:00.003+02:002009-08-15T23:20:07.335+02:00End of 'academic embargo' on G.K. Chesterton?Chesterton is so much a genius and contrarian that academia for long has hesitated even to touch him.<br /><br />Even if the people of England has not spoken yet, others are raising <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-18639-Grand-Rapids-Church--State-Examiner~y2009m8d11-Author-calls-for-end-of-academic-embargo-on-GK-Chesterton">their voice</a>.<blockquote><em>Despite having a profound influence on the 20th century, English author G.K. Chesterton has remained virtually unknown to modern readers. This discrepancy may be due to an unwillingness for universities and colleges to include him in literary and history curriculum.</em></blockquote>And <a href="http://markshea.blogspot.com/2009/08/chestertonians-to-academe-we-are-here.html">other </a>others.<br /><br />In short, you should ask <a href="http://chesterton.org/discover/who.html">"Who is this guy and why haven’t I heard of him?"</a><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXcu4UkjITo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DXcu4UkjITo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-5537845425816543682009-08-13T22:36:00.003+02:002009-08-13T22:39:47.869+02:00Seeing ElvisWe'll start a little series on "What Did Keith Do, Rather Recently?". <br /><br />And we'll do it rather now.<br /><br />Apparantly he attended an Elvis show and played some Tarkus a <a href="http://www.bigbriar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7330&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=e0f7395d7328062515c41a0a3c1b89be">few days ago</a>.<blockquote><em>I checked out Elvis Schoenberg and the Orchestre Surreal last night. They were doing a set of mostly big-bandish/Zappaish arrangements of Hendrix tunes. It is a big, loud group with a string quartet, eight brass players, guitar/bass/drums/keys, percussion, several singers, dancers, . . . Anyhow, they don't play too often, but are a treat. The highlight was a version of little with with electric sitar, string quartet, and vocals. <br /><br />An additional treat was that Keith Emerson was in the crowd and played a bit of "Tarkus" for us. Alas, no Moogs in sight.</em></blockquote>Stay tuned.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-33090542847962378682009-08-01T16:54:00.004+02:002009-08-01T17:00:41.578+02:00God’s Philosophers released!One of the best books on the alleged warfare between Christendom and Science in Medieval Europe is about to be relased.<br /><br />Here we have it from the horse's mouth (and I have counted all the teeth):<blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGQ6NJImR6Z_FiHg9fGvW9LXNoE4EfLgvYNmSKB1CP6Tw28A-Fi_hAX5o3M_V1LdDdZcK_m7AYPULXV38blupchPTz8HYziGgFvaUliNJkSXh1DaTeJnIB61Lu-ln9JM5u2qfw-TZ_iFz/s1600-h/Gods+philosphers+2.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365002628204607330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 210px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGQ6NJImR6Z_FiHg9fGvW9LXNoE4EfLgvYNmSKB1CP6Tw28A-Fi_hAX5o3M_V1LdDdZcK_m7AYPULXV38blupchPTz8HYziGgFvaUliNJkSXh1DaTeJnIB61Lu-ln9JM5u2qfw-TZ_iFz/s320/Gods+philosphers+2.jpg" border="0" /></em></a><em>I am writing to you because you very kindly registered an interest in my book God’s Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science at </em><a href="https://mail.telenor.no/OWA/redir.aspx?C=866e1cf613814fda93e08c7d5095a693&URL=http%3a%2f%2fjameshannam.com%2f" target="_blank"><em>jameshannam.com</em></a><em>. I am delighted to report that the book is being published in the UK by Icon on 6th August. I am not sure about availability in your country but Amazon.co.uk are already sending out copies so if you would like yours as quickly as possible, you can use the link below:<br /><br /></em><a href="https://mail.telenor.no/OWA/redir.aspx?C=866e1cf613814fda93e08c7d5095a693&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.amazon.co.uk%2fgp%2fproduct%2f1848310706%3fie%3dUTF8%26tag%3dgodsphil-21%26linkCode%3das2%26camp%3d1634%26creative%3d19450%26creativeASIN%3d1848310706" target="_blank"><em>Order God’s Philosophers from Amazon.co.uk</em></a><em><br /><br />God’s Philosophers celebrates the forgotten achievements of the medieval world. Focusing on the rise of science, it shows how natural philosophers of the Middle Ages laid the foundations of the ‘Scientific Revolution’. <br /><br />Without the work of medieval scholars, there would have been no Copernicus, no Galileo and no Newton. By emphasising the important positive role of Christianity on medieval science, God’s Philosophers also contributes to the current debate about the relationship between science and religion.<br /><br />Thank you for your support in registering your interest in God’s Philosophers. I very much hope that you enjoy the book.<br /><br />Best wishes<br /><br />James Hannam</em></blockquote>Please, use your handy mouse.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-61336990852575118662009-08-01T15:41:00.007+02:002009-08-01T16:06:27.679+02:00Hidden Wisdom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1tcHL4oYNmdjD7pvTXRnUnf8bSbjpgeYSpNzLrJoCDbfiFiETQjpzXGZsnXBw4ODyHbvkvv5tfQ7B39ImxdmhEWdDIdHPkjdbvNvjS17EGbcRfXwm0VMnWdymNweoqn7rvQ9-vCbgOY/s1600-h/Comics+-+gnostic.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364990398171097826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 170px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1tcHL4oYNmdjD7pvTXRnUnf8bSbjpgeYSpNzLrJoCDbfiFiETQjpzXGZsnXBw4ODyHbvkvv5tfQ7B39ImxdmhEWdDIdHPkjdbvNvjS17EGbcRfXwm0VMnWdymNweoqn7rvQ9-vCbgOY/s320/Comics+-+gnostic.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This - in it's singular way - <em>gem </em>of a comic indicates how much <em>The Da Vinci Code </em> and similar historical nonsense have influenced the public consciousness.<br /><br />Even if it is no record that not a single sentence gets it right in a comic, it is amazing how to the point and obvious true it all seems. In a medium no one bothers to read with Britannica (or Wikipedia) in the other eye.<br /><br />In short a masterwork of sneaking in below the radar.<br /><br />Rest assured The Catholic Church will get around to a good countercomic in a century or two.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-22109296538212289832009-07-03T12:30:00.004+02:002009-07-03T12:37:27.211+02:00New logo for The Church of England.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOspRT8E1F2DXeoSVJjmzY9b9pmC56QIvgtDny2QbBAj8QF-8_OC7OG1MenfNhGpH-RMWBWQ9ymhTDRzr1QokE29oUVfdn9jx62GCRS281MG61Kl9IIb9zVTDu7S8cBWpx0iarHc9uTE/s1600-h/Chrisendom+-+CofE.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOspRT8E1F2DXeoSVJjmzY9b9pmC56QIvgtDny2QbBAj8QF-8_OC7OG1MenfNhGpH-RMWBWQ9ymhTDRzr1QokE29oUVfdn9jx62GCRS281MG61Kl9IIb9zVTDu7S8cBWpx0iarHc9uTE/s320/Chrisendom+-+CofE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354180767322126546" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks to the inimitable <a href="http://www.christilling.de/blog/2009/07/new-church-of-england-logo.html">Chris Tilling</a>.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-24788756765433142432009-07-02T09:55:00.001+02:002009-07-02T09:56:58.521+02:00Keep tappin'24 seconds in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/panjapop/3677602781/">pristine quality</a>.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-75716691289289986862009-07-01T18:20:00.010+02:002009-07-01T19:10:31.376+02:00Ham'n knifeOne video document of <em>Spinal Tap </em>at Wembley yesterday, playing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5BrYAbsONo">Heavy Duty</a>.<br /><br />Please note their guest keyboard player on Hammond and Knife, especially from about 4 minutes. <br /><br />Unfortunately a bit blurred picture. And the keyboard player is hidden behind an official camera man. <br /><br />Other that that, a great sight.<br /><br />The general idea was to have Keith getting stuck beneath the Hammond and then to be carried out on a stretcher. Though it seems he didn't stick to getting stuck after all.<br /><br />Rather nutty still, as one <a href="http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/misc_live_shows/s/17697/spinal_tap:_back_from_the_dead">reviewer commented</a>.<br /><br />BTW, here is <em>Spinal Tap </em>discussing the tune as such:<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JmrlR1WJXT4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JmrlR1WJXT4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Take care. Whether there is a Hammond close by or not.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-38483091910198704012009-06-28T18:01:00.003+02:002009-06-28T18:06:01.129+02:00Samurai RondoThis one I really enjoyed, especially from about 2:50. Wild and virtuosic.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I02Wk50tlD0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I02Wk50tlD0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Hopefully Keith enjoyed it too. <br /><br />We'll be back with more about him on Wednesday.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-39019769985323256812009-06-16T14:00:00.004+02:002009-06-16T14:10:37.606+02:00The Bible as scienceOne often hears that <strong>if only </strong>the Bible had contained scientific truth, then I would believe. <br /><br /><a href="http://metamagician3000.blogspot.com/2009/06/noma-no-more-great-accommodationism.html">Russell Blackford</a> is one of those guys.<blockquote><em>if a god or angel or similar being has inspired the religion's poets and prophets, or dictated actual text for inclusion in its holy books, the god or angel (or whatever) could easily reveal such facts as the true age of the Earth, the fact that it revolves around the Sun, the fact that it is spherical and rotates on its axis, and the evolutionary origin of human beings.</em></blockquote>What then would really happen? <br /><br />The questioned awakened Unklees' imagination at <a href="http://jameshannam.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=348&page=1">The Quodlibeta Forum</a>.<blockquote><em><strong>Moses</strong>: Hey Aaron, how do you spell "quark" in Hebrew?<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: No idea. What do you want to know that for?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: It's Yahweh again. Keeps telling all this strange stuff about strangeness and charm and spin, and quarks and gravitons and dark matter. I don't mind not understanding, but I need to know how to write this stuff down.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: Tell him we're just stone-age goat-herders living a subsistence existence, and you're the only one who can read and write. Ask Him for something simpler, like why does the sun rise every morning?<br /><br />Moses goes away up Mt Sinai, and returns 3 days later.<br /><br /><strong>Moses</strong>: He says the sun doesn't rise in the morning, its the earth moving.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: I've felt the earth move once or twice (snigger), but not usually in the morning!<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: Nothing like that bro', we live on a giant ball, and it goes round and round on its axis, and that makes the sun look like it's moving.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: What's a ball?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: Dunno, bro', I asked him that and he started to talk about radii and something called a pie, and the number 3.1412, but then he said "forget it!" and muttered under his breath about next time I'll just say 3.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: Did he tell you anything else?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: Two more things. One was that when he said we came from the dust of the ground he meant we had gradually evolved for billions of years.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: What's billions?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: Dunno mate, but I think it's a number greater than two.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: What does evolved mean?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: He says it actually took him more than 6 days to make all this. I told him I didn't really care how long he took, I wasn't in any hurry.<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: What was the other thing you learnt?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: He said that one day people would find it easier to believe all this came about by chance than believe in him. I said, no, I was willing to believe all the other crazy stuff about quarks and pie if He said so, but I couldn't come at that!<br /><strong>Aaron</strong>: What did he say then?<br /><strong>Moses</strong>: He said, let's start again. Just write this down: "In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth" And I said, that's more like it, now you're talking my language! He just smiled and said, thanks.</em> </blockquote>I guess that's why the Bible doesn't even tell us that the universe had a beginning.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-38340623341054630432009-06-14T17:14:00.004+02:002009-06-14T17:18:32.524+02:00Science and religion: a history of conflict?James Hannam is my man, this time in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/jun/14/science-religion-coyne">The Guardian</a>.<blockquote><em>As the battle between creationism and evolution heats up, some atheists, like Jerry Coyne, have been insisting that it is really a battle between religion and science. Coyne resists any accommodation between religious and non-religious scientists to defend Darwinism. He doesn't want to see them joining forces against the creationist common enemy in case that legitimises religion. In order for his position to make sense, he needs to show that there is some sort of existential conflict between religion and science. So it is unfortunate for him that the historical record clearly shows that accommodation and even cooperation have been the default positions in the relationship.</em></blockquote>I anyone was in doubt about how strong this myth is, the comment section is mandatory.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-78479059178386501042009-06-08T15:06:00.001+02:002009-06-08T15:08:01.770+02:0012 most bombastic synth solos of all timeOr at least <a href="http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/the-12-most-bombastic-synth-solos-of-all-time-208829">12 synth solos</a> from different players.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-83382802218582268372009-05-24T22:05:00.009+02:002009-05-24T22:20:22.055+02:00On the side of the angelsMassimo Introvigne of the Center for Studies on New Religions has been interviewed on <a href="http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/the_shadowy_world_of_the_illuminati">Angels and Demons</a>.<br /><br />As a rather conservative catholic it is no surprise he is somewhat critical. Not to mention scathing.<br /><br />And it all goes to show the truth in the <strong>Second Law of Davidsen</strong>: <em>If Dan Brown has said something it is probably wrong</em>.<br /><br />The interview has a lot of good stuff on Illuminati and secret societies. Introvigne knows his facts when it comes to "La Purga" as well.<br /><br />And about the alleged castration of Rome's pagan statues. As so often with Dan Brown, the story is rather the other way around. <blockquote><em>Did the “great castration” of the “pagan” statues by the Blessed Pius IX (1792-1878) really happen?<br /><br />Introvigne: No, it didn’t. The legend dates back to English-language anti-clerical pamphlets of the late 19th century. What is true is that certain statues had their prominent genitalia covered by fig leaves. This happened at various stages during the 17th, 18th, and 19th century (not only in Rome) and was certainly not a new idea of Pius IX. The claim in the movie that pagan statues in the center of Rome were destroyed by Pius IX “at the end of the 19th century” is preposterous. At “the end of the 19th century” Pius IX was dead, and the center of Rome was administered by the (quite anti-clerical) Kingdom of Italy. If anything, Pius IX had a keen interest in archeology and in restoring the ancient historical and artistic monuments of Rome. He was even criticized for this by Catholics who believed that supporting Roman archeology was not part of the Church’s mission, or a waste of its resources.</em></blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrOom6Obsg-bRc2_6IoX6NzoBN0wXmG5D8sGmPyK6eXLYq4asgI3aou3-gcjv3Xa6WAaJq3YS84IDIpP9qWOda59rKJ5fOyft5vbk62zORkXk34ELGD9t9WcoCHvkIjjvsXPIOwfJjbc/s1600-h/Dollar.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339486857241835394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 139px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrOom6Obsg-bRc2_6IoX6NzoBN0wXmG5D8sGmPyK6eXLYq4asgI3aou3-gcjv3Xa6WAaJq3YS84IDIpP9qWOda59rKJ5fOyft5vbk62zORkXk34ELGD9t9WcoCHvkIjjvsXPIOwfJjbc/s320/Dollar.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />He even tackles the one dollar question.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>But wasn’t the back part of the Great Seal of the United States, the one we still see on the dollar bill, a symbol of the Illuminati?<br /><br />Introvigne: No, no matter how many books (and movies) claim it. The pyramid and eye symbol is never found among the Illuminati. Actually it is not even a Masonic symbol, although there are similar symbols in Freemasonry, where a fascination with Egypt was widespread in the 18th and 19th century. The particular pyramid used in the Great Seal was derived from Pyramidographia, a book published in 1646 in London by John Greaves (1602-1652), based on his trip to Egypt. The eye was introduced by Congress Secretary Charles Thomson (1729-1824) – who was not a Freemason – in his 1792 speech prior to the seal’s Congressional acceptance as a very Christian “eye of the Providence” presiding over the destiny of the United States. As such, it is featured in a number of Christian churches and symbols, quite apart from, and well before, its use within the frame of Masonic rituals. </em></blockquote>One interview you will not regret reading.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-28463934074686181692009-05-23T00:28:00.003+02:002009-05-23T00:31:06.518+02:00Science and faith - The MovieIs is possible to improve <a href="http://bedejournal.blogspot.com/2009/05/science-and-reason-movie.html">this</a>?<br /><br />Not at all. Not for a nanosecond. Or a millenium.<br /><br />Long live Bertrand Russell! And James of Hannam. <br /><br />Death to The Church!Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4359498822840601313.post-51471491206859626772009-05-21T12:33:00.010+02:002009-05-21T13:32:31.555+02:00Hollywood hypes HypatiaThe neoplatonic philosopher Hypatia is a fascinating figure from late antiquity. <br /><br />Not the least as she has been used so often and intensely to symbolise and propagate the myth about the Church's "Warfare with Science", another of those Icons of Modernity painted in the 18th and 19th Century. <br /><br />Fortunately a new film may provide ample opportuinity to set the story more straight. At least it is a good sign that it so quickly has been denounced for the <a href="http://armariummagnus.blogspot.com/2009/05/agora-and-hypatia-hollywood-strikes.html">nonsense it is</a>.<blockquote><em>As an atheist, I'm clearly no fan of fundamentalism - even the 1500 year old variety (though modern manifestations tend to be the ones to watch out for). And as an amateur historian of science I'm more than happy with the idea of a film that gets across the idea that, yes, there was a tradition of scientific thinking before Newton and Galileo. But Amenabar has taken the (actually, fascinating) story of what was going on in Alexandria in Hypatia's time and turned it into a cartoon, distorting history in the process.</em></blockquote>However, as Christianity is the in-thing to slam these days (and has been for a century or two), all is allowed in the name of love and science. <blockquote><em>From the press release timed to co-incide with the film's screening at Cannes this week:<br /><br />Played by Oscar-winning British actress Weisz, Hypatia is persecuted in the film for her science that challenges the Christians' faith, as much as for her status as an influential woman.<br /><br />From bloody clashes to public stonings and massacres, the city descends into inter-religious strife, and the victorious Christians turn their back on the rich scientific legacy of antiquity, defended by Hypatia.<br /><br />So we are being served up the idea that Hypatia was persecuted and, I'll assume, killed because "her science ... challenges the Christians' faith". And why have a movie with one historical myth in it when you can have two:<br /><br />"Agora" opens with the destruction of the second library of Alexandria by the Christians and Jews -- after the first, famous library which was destroyed by Julius Caesar.<br /><br />At least he's done his homework enough to realise that the decline of the Great Library was a long, slow deterioration and not a single catastrophic event. But he still clings to Gibbon's myth that a Christian mob was somehow responsible. And rather niftily invents a "second library of Alexandria" so he can do so.</em></blockquote>With an imagination like that, who need sources?<br /><br />Make sure you read more of the excellent review <a href="http://armariummagnus.blogspot.com/2009/05/agora-and-hypatia-hollywood-strikes.html">here</a>. And heed the moral:<br /><blockquote><em>Unfortunately for those who cling to the "conflict thesis", the history of science actually has very few genuine martyrs at the hands of religious bigots. The fact that a mystic and kook like Giordano Bruno gets dressed up as a free-thinking scientist shows how thin on the ground such martyrs are, though usually those who like to invoke these martyrs can fall back on citing "scientists burned by the Medieval Inquistion", despite the fact this never actually happened. Most people know nothing about the Middle Ages, so this kind of vague hand-waving is usually pretty safe.<br /><br />Unlike Giordano Bruno, Hypatia was a genuine scientist and, as a woman, was certainly remarkable for her time. But she was no martyr for science and science had zero to do with her murder. Exactly how much of the genuine, purely political background to her death Amenabar puts in his movie remains to be seen. It's hoped that, unlike Sagan and many others, the whole political background to the murder won't simply be ignored and her killing won't be painted as an act of ignorant rage against her science and scholarship. But what is clear from his interviews and the film's pre-publicity is that he has chosen to frame the story in Gibbonian terms straight from the "conflict thesis" textbook - the destruction of the "Great Library", Hypatia victimised for her learning and her death as a grim harbinger of the beginning of the "Dark Ages".<br /><br />And, as usual, bigots and anti-theistic zealots will ignore the evidence, the sources and rational analysis and believe Hollywood's appeal to their prejudices. It makes you wonder who the real enemies of reason actually are. </em></blockquote>If nothing else it also proves how dangerous it can get when blind faith gets in the way of facts. Which rarely is seen clearer than in the blind faith in the Warfare between Religion and Science.Bjørn Arehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01491085976273836365noreply@blogger.com1