Creationism coming closer to home

A growing number of science students on British campuses and in sixth form colleges are challenging the theory of evolution and arguing that Darwin was wrong. Some are being failed in university exams because they quote sayings from the Bible or Qur'an as scientific fact [...] MORE...

Egyptian blogger finds proof the whole cartoon discussion may be politically fuelled

"[...] while the arab islamic population was going crazy over the outrage created by their government's media over these cartoons, their governments was benifitting from its people's distraction. The Saudi royal Family used it to distract its people from the outrage over the Hajj stampede. The Jordanian government used it to distract its people from their new minimum wage law demanded by their labor unions. The Syrian Government used it to create secterian division in Lebanon and change the focus on the Harriri murder. And, finally, the Egyptian government is using it to distract us while it passes through the new Judiciary reforms and Social Security Bill- which will cut over $300 million dollars in benefits to some of Egypt's poorest families. [...]" MORE...

Laïcité in Norway?

There's an interesting article in Aftenposten (in Norwegian only) today about freedom of speech and the recent cartoon issue: [...] MORE...

Freedom of speech

Voltaire(?): I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. MORE...

JyllandsPosten's Muhammed cartoons

[...] The jury is still out on whether it's a smart thing to do for more papers to re-publish these cartoons and kindling the fire currently raging (literally, as a couple of embassies were torched over the weekend!), but for the right of newspapers to print what they want without receiving death threats - that is something worth defending: [...] MORE...

ABCNews

Just got a call from ABC News in US who will use my photo of the Evening Standard today in their news coverage as of immediately. Cool when traditional news organizations tap the blog-o-sphere. MORE...

The first newspapers are out in the shops

London evening standard frontpage MORE...

More information on London blasts

Misc links, Flickr photo sets, timelines etc of the London Explosions this morning MORE...

Webloggers: Give to tsunami victims and I'll give too!

I want to challenge other webloggers: Whether you give money, time or whether you decide to share your link-power; if you create a post on your weblog front page or create permanent links in your blogroll and link to the below organizations, then link to my blog and this posting, I will pay US$ 1 to the British Red Cross. MORE...

Are Christmas trees religious symbols?

As some outpost in Pasco County, Florida is currently banning Christmas trees from public buildings in an effort to rid themselves of religious connotations, there is a more fundamental question to be answered: since there is no mention of Christmas trees in the Bible; are they Christian symbols? (or are they religious symbols at all?) MORE...

On eVoting without a paper trail & the new importance of statistics

''Public discussion of changing voting technology raised concern that some forms of electronic voting might produce a discrepancy between voters’ intentions and tabulations of the election’s outcome. In particular, touch-screen voting machines were criticized for being unverifiable unless they printed out a hard copy that voters could certify as correct and election officials could keep in case a recount was ordered. Without a paper trail, statistical comparisons of jurisdictions that used e-voting are the only tool available to diagnose problems with the new technology. [...]'' MORE...

UK catching up on the smoking ban front

The British Government has released a white paper on benefits of implementing a smoking ban in public places to combat the risks of tobacco smoking. [...] MORE...

The French Laïcité is being held hostage

In the news: France refuses to remove their ban on conspicuous religious symbols in schools despite demands from Islamist extremists holding two French hostages in Iraq. The French idea of 'laïcité' is a fundament of the modern democratic republic of France: [...] MORE...

Robust memory cards

Check out one blown up camera (and a still working memory card) here... MORE...

Something I wonder about

A tidbit: according to the mullah's and Shabana's religious beliefs, contact between unmarried men and women is prohibited. In Norway it is not. When the mullah is threatening to sue Shabana - will Islamic laws enter the Norwegian courthouses? MORE...

Feminists that can't take a joke

Feminists that can't take a joke damage their own cause: Virgin Atlantic was planning to fit some funky, fun urinals at their new 'clubhouse' (that's their business class / frequent flyer lounge) at JFK airport, but the ever-vigilant National organization of Women (NOW.org) put an end to it. [...] MORE...

What is basque separatism?

Background reading on the Basque Separatism issue (and newslinks for this morning's explosions in Spain) MORE...

Sometimes...

Sometimes I'm not particularly proud of being Norwegian: [...] ''A Norwegian politician has proposed the Prime Minister and George W Bush for a joint award in recognition of their achievement in ensuring the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. [...]'' MORE...

Journalist = bad blogger?

A while back I gave a journalist some information on a topic he was writing about. Today he published a first page story, but unlike what we've come to expect in the weblogging world, the journalist offered no links back, not even an email with a thanks... Do real journalists have less netiquette than webloggers? MORE...

How stupid can you get?

''Police arrested the suspected owner of the bag, a Japanese journalist who is said to have brought the object, believed to be a grenade, from Iraq as a war souvenir.'' MORE...

Tanks at Heathrow??

What is it in al-Qaeda's interpretation of Islam that allows random attacks on civilians? If it's a war - fight the soldiers, not the civilians, goddamnit! MORE...