See the link?
It is pretty obvious to me.
It seems that terrorists who are really serious, reasonably numerous, presumably well funded, and certainly experienced have threatened to attack the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia (both of them). The fallback plan, it is assumed, is that they can’t attack Sochi so they pick some other random locations, maybe in Russia, maybe not, and attack them. (That is the part about terrorists being cowards, I assume.)
The Russians have security that is probably second to none in the world, or at least on par with the countries that have a lot of experience with this sort of thing and spend considerable resources on evading and avoiding terrorist attacks. One could say that this is a test of an important question. When terrorists who are among the most likely to succeed are put up against security that is second to none, with plenty of advanced warning (over four years), will the terrorists be able to get past the defenses at Sochi or will they be thwarted? Truly, this is an historic moment about to happen. Or not happen, as the case may be.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Bill Nye will be debating Ken Ham over the question “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern, scientific era?” (See this post by Josh Rosenau for details and how to watch the debate live.) As Josh summarizes in his post, and as I said here, Bill Nye would have been well advised to not do this debate. But he decided to so it anyway. Bill is a practiced and excellent communicator and promotor of science. Also, over the last few weeks, he has been preparing for this debate, getting coaching from heavyweights such as Don Prothero. But Ken Ham and the Creation Museum are the epitome of modern day Medieval creationism. It is a little like Sochi…
This is a test of a less important question than the one that will be taken up by circumstances as Sochi: When creationists who are among the most likely to succeeded in front of an audience are pitted with a leading science communicator with the best possible training and resources, what will happen?
I can’t watch the debate. I will be busy doing this. That’s a bummer. But I will watch the recorded version of it (assuming they have such modern technology at a museum with displays showing humans and dinosaurs co-existing). I hope you watch it and please leave comments below on how you think it went.
One final thing. Some people are going to be mad at me for equating American Christian Creationists with Chechen Terrorists. I mean to do no such thing. The core reasons these terrorists exist is because a people has been repressed by a dictatorial regime (several, actually) for many years. The creationists have no valid reason to be fighting science and ruining education. At the same time, the terrorists have adopted methods to get what they want that are horrible, immoral, and cowardly and that cause random death, injury, and destruction. The creationists have adopted methods that are not nearly as horrible, still often immoral, often cowardly, but they generally don’t hurt anybody physically so that’s good. But, anti-science activism has led to a delay in doing something meaningful about climate change over the last decade, so in the end, the anti-science activists in general, including the creationists, will have some accounting to do as well. Just sayin’
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Who would they give their account to, in a universe where there is ” no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference”?
Are you espousing that there is good and evil? What are the unchanging criteria for that, and who thought of it?
anti-science? On the contrary. Creationists have been trying to retake science from these snarky know it all kooks for a long time now. Almost every major science pioneer until a little under a century ago were very deep devoted believers in God. Maybe not necessarily Christian, but many were firm believers that they were studying God’s creation. I am not sure what changed and or why, but darwin was an epic fraud. I fully support Ham and have contributed quite a bit of money to his organization over the years. Bill Nye would do well to keep teaching science to kids and keep politics out of it. His rude comments has earned him the nickname Bill Nye the Science Lie.
As for the islamic terrorists in russian, Obama should stay out the the way and let Putin give them a lesson in manners. If the world would have stayed out of Syria, Al Qaeda would have all been dead by now either by bombs, missles, or chemicals. Assad’s brother never meant for those chemical weapons to harm children there, but Syria’s army was tired to fighting relentless battles so they upped their game plan and gassed the hell out the enemy. Notice how Al Qaeda went into hiding for short while afterwards? Yeah. They were shocked that someone had the balls to do what it took to get rid of their hairy asses once and for all. Too bad no other world leaders are willing to wipe out Al Qaeda in one swift stroke. But that’s understandable. The longer the CIA paid muslim operatives cause terror an chaos, the more power is given to global governance. They are all working together. If not, we could have wiped them out in 10 days or less after 9/11.
I say let Putin do what he wants and do not get the UN, the EU, or the US involved. Let him give them a few lessons in manners with an anything goes style of conflict. Then we’ll see just how powerful Al Qaeda thinks they are when they do not have their CIA allies aiding them.
@ Kevin Summers
Your support of so-called christian science leaves me unsurprised by your paranoid rant. However, I do agree with you about the ruthlessness of that thug Putin. But, I’m not so sure how the athletes will feel, after finding out about the use of summary executions, as the price paid for their competing.
Creationism is for those who deserve it.
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2014/02/05/who-won-the-bill-nye-ken-ham-debate-bill-nye/
the name is SANDERS, not Summers.
The rant “Creationism is for those who deserve it.” is unclear. Does not compute.
No matter if Nye won or lost the debate or not. It will not change my mind nor anyone else’s mind.
If Nye thinks that parents and churches will stop teaching creationism to their kids just becuase he wishes it, then that is a very comical gesture. I sure plan to do all that I can physically and financially to see to it that Creationism survives and thrives and as well planning to do all in my physical and financial power to see to it that more and more people doubt carbon fairies spreading warming over the globe. That idea is an Al Gore delusion designed to make money for global governance. For that alone everyone involved should be in prison for fraud.
Kevin Summers, your delusions would be amusing if they weren’t so sad. You want to know how to “take science back?” By doing real science! As long as you continue to misunderstand science and the techniques for observing the real world, you will remain hopelessly stuck in your primitive bronze-age world view. Best of luck to you, you’re going to need all of it you can get.
I do not need luck. I have right on my side. Bronze age worldview? Since when has time had anything to do with what is right or wrong? Time has nothing to do with it. When something is right or wrong it is right or wrong eternally. Time cannot change that.
Not Bronze Age. Iron Age.