http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.htmlThis page is about the harm done by religion, and especially about religion in schools.en-gbTue, 27 Dec 2005 08:04:28 GMTCopyright: (C) David Colquhounhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc.html15I suppose one should be grateful the Clare College did not fire the student who dared to be satirical about religion. But they failed utterly to defend his freedom to do so http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#clare2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#clare219 Apr 2007religionClare College student’s re-publish some of the Danish cartoons in an edition of the College Newspaper devoted to religious satire. There is nothing illegal about satire (even under New Labour) but instead of defending UK virtues of free speech the College notified police and are proposing to discipline the student.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#clare1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#clare110 Feb 2007religionThe government has suddenly noticed that religiously-segregated schools encourage extremism and discourage integration. Wow, how smart of Mr Blair to notice that. But they propose the wrong solution.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#multi1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#multi110 Feb 2007religionThe chairman of HEFCE writes to Oxford demanding an explanation of why the academics there decided against having a majority of businessmen on their governing body. That is Oxford’s business. Criticism from a body that has done such harm to research is not welcome.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#eastwood1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#eastwood124 Jan 2007religionA nice quotation from Richard Dawkins; “The God delusion”..http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#dawk2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#dawk21 Jan 2007religionRichard Dawkins; “The God delusion” is number 3 on the US Amazon tope sellers list, and US atheists are coming out of hiding, according to the New York Times.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#usa1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#usa121 Nov 2006religionIn a recent speech and interviews, Tony Blair confirms that he thinks science is just for making money, and that homeopathy and creationism don’t concern him.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#blair1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#blair16 Nov 2006CAMThe cost to the taxpayer of subsidising a creationist school is almost 3 times greater that we were told it would be.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad3http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad318 October 2006UKDerek Gillard;s Education in England web site describes the problems of a teacher who, as a member of the Fraternity of Neptune religion, believes that he must teach dressed in a full diving suit and lead-weighted bootshttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#gillard1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#gillard123 October 2006InternationalThe oppression of women by male religious extremists is nothing new. Pious men attacked James Simpson when he proposed to relieve the pain of childbirth with chloroform. Is it acceptable to allow public displays of the same attitudes in the 21st century, in the form of the niqab? Perhaps we should rely on education to cure the wish of a few people to wear this offensive religious symbol.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#niqabhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#niqab9 October 2006InternationalThe ultimate absurdity -30 “learned” men meet in the Vatican to discuss limbo, and to decide that the church has got it wrong for 700 years.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#limbohttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#limbo9 October 2006InternationalA BBC Panorama programme revealed a secret document, written in 1962, that instructs priest to cover up sex crimes. It was enforced for 20 years by the present pope.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#pope2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#pope22 October 2006InternationalGerald Weissmann, editor of FASEB journal, is as scholarly and witty on the junk science of creationism as he is on junk medicine.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#weiss1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#weiss130 September 2006USAAnother example of religious people attempting to suppress the truth. A Kenyan Bishop wants a fossil collection to be hidden because “When children go to museums they'll start believing we evolved from these apes”. Right back to Galileo.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#kenya1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#kenya114 September 2006UKThe government, realising at last that all is not well, has set up a Commission on Integration and Cohesion. It was launched on 24 August 2006 by the communities secretary, that well known religious extremist, Ruth Kelly (member of Opus Dei). And guess what, the commission will not be allowed to consider the one useful thing that it could do, to end segregated religious education.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#toynbee1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#toynbee124 August 2006UKDouglas Giles . . . used to teach a class on world religions at Roosevelt University, Chicago, founded in memory of FDR and his liberal-inclined wife, Eleanor. Last year, Giles was ordered by his head of department, art historian Susan Weininger, not to allow students to ask questions about Palestine and Israelhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#giles1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#giles114 August 2006USAA survey of 1000 British muslims for Channel 4 TV showed scary attitudes to freedom of speech, and law. Of those in Southern England 42% say they’d rather live under sharia law than British law,http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#mus1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#mus18 August 2006UKParents rebel at 'Dickensian' school run by millionaire evangelist friend of Blair. That is the title of a article in The Guardian. Large numbers of pupils are excluded. Pupils were disciplined if they did not carry the Bible on certain days.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad230 May 2006UKThe visit of lunatic-fringe creationist John Mackay from Australia revealed that the head of Chemistry at Bluecoat School is a young earth creationist who admits to trying to influence his pupils. And his wife is head of science at Belvedere School, Liverpool.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#bcoat1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#bcoat115 May 2006UKA head teacher, Des Smith was until recently a member of the committee headed by Lord Levy (Blair’s chief fund raiser) that raises money for City Academies (from any loony with money). He denied in January that he’s offered peerages for money. On 13th April he was arrested by police.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad113 April 2006UKThe Archbishop of Canterbury shows more sense about creationism than Tony Blair, Ruth Kelly and the OCR Exam board.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#rowan1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#rowan121 Mar 2006UKThe OCR Board syllabus states ““Candidates compare theories of creationism, Lamarck and Darwin on the origin of species.”. That makes it sound as though “creationism, Lamarck and Darwin” are comparable scientific theories. Is this the thin end of a nasty wedge?http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#gcse1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#gcse110 Mar 2006UKFurther confirmation of the abuse of the honours system by Tony Blairhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#edm2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#edm28 Mar 2006UK“Tony Blair has been dealt a humiliating blow by the honours watchdog which has launched a probe into three more millionaire party donors recommended for seats in the House of Lords.” They include Bob Edmiston, used car dealer, school sponsor and religious fundamentalist.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#edm2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#edm25 Mar 2006UKWhat does one do with biology undergraduates who believe in creationism?http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#univ2http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#univ2Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:59:56 GMTUKRight wing fundamentalists in the Middle East and in the USA are remarkably similarhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#bomb1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#bomb1July 2005InternationalThe Danish cartoon furore.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#caric1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#caric1Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:59:56 GMTUS PoliticsCorruption in the UK honours system.http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#acad1Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:59:56 GMTUKReports on young-earth creationists who have taken over a few UK schools, with the encouragement of Tony Blairhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#edm1http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Pharmacology/dc-bits/jurassic.html#edm1Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:59:56 GMTUK