There's news on the intelligent design front. Ben Stein has written and narrates Expelled, a "documentary" coming out mid-April (maybe--it's been postponed before) about academics who propound ID and are expelled (get it?) from universities because academia is biased in favor of evolution and natural selection (like that’s a bad thing).
So oh well, creationists are behaving like Dover never happened--big surprise. But the most delicious event... PZ Myers, one of the preeminent Darwinists, who is interviewed in the film, was thrown out of a theater--expelled, get it?--and not allowed to see it! That's right; he wasn't allowed to watch a movie he appears in, and that THANKED HIM in its CREDITS(!), which is indescribably hilarious. Here's a bit from his blog of the event, Pharyngula:
EXPELLED!
Category: Creationism
Posted on: March 20, 2008 8:26 PM, by PZ Myers
There is a rich, deep kind of irony that must be shared. I'm blogging this from the Apple store in the Mall of America, because I'm too amused to want to wait until I get back to my hotel room.
I went to attend a screening of the creationist propaganda movie, Expelled, a few minutes ago. Well, I tried ... but I was Expelled! It was kind of weird — I was standing in line, hadn't even gotten to the point where I had to sign in and show ID, and a policeman pulled me out of line and told me I could not go in.
Imho, this is the funniest thing that's happened on these internets since that JibJab video (remember?), and the two best things about it that I’ve surfed across this weekend are this genius video by rap master Dicky D (Richard Dawkins--you have just got to see it) and this post to a review in the Orlando Sentinel of a preview of Expelled. (Why is it so satisfying to hear someone let the creationists have it in the kisser?) It is, predictably, from a blogger in Europe, sigh, where adults roam the land. (I’ve not changed his spelling, any typos, or rearranged his formatting.)
So take a break from politiking and enjoy something really fun. We still need fun.
EDIT: It was suggested that I cut the blockquote. See the whole thing at the Orlando Sentinal link above.
EDIT #2: That's Richard DAWKINS not Richard DAWSON in the video. Heh heh.
The Orlando Sentinel
Posted by: David Edwards | February 01, 2008 at 03:00 PM
...More to the point, the central thesis - namely that science trashes the careers of those who defy the existing paradigms - is a complete canard. I can think of three scientists whose work was directly at variance to the established paradigms in their day, and their careers have FLOURISHED. Namely:
Dr Barry Marshall, who posited that stomach ulcers were caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, against the established wisdom of surgeons. Result? He was AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR HIS WORK.
Stanley Prusiner, who hypothesised that proteins could exist that were capable of replicating without a nucleic acid intermediary. Result? He was AWARDED THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR HIS WORK.