Sunday, April 17, 2016

Sunday Globe Special: The Other AIG

"In the world of creationism, any counterfactual is taken to be evidence in the creationists’ favor. When the science complements AiG’s interpretation of the Bible, the science is right. When it challenges it, the science is wrong. What is never wrong, though, is the Bible, according to one article on AiG’s website.

“I got a joke for you,” says Les, a lanky, cheerful, old man taking tickets at the main hall’s entrance, to the right of the massive lobby display depicting humans and dinosaurs existing together. “What kind of lights did Noah have on the ark?” He doesn’t give me time to guess. “Flood lights!”

Les has all kinds of jokes that he has picked up from visitors over the years. Les tells me another joke about a man whose mother-in-law died during a family vacation to Israel. The man is told he can ship the body home for $5,000 or bury her for $50 in the Holy Land. When he responds he’ll pay the money to ship her home, the doctor asks him why. “A man was buried here 2,000 years ago and came back to life” he explains, “I just can’t take that chance.”

The jokes are corny, but Les’s laughter is contagious...."

Just not funny anymore, sorry, and watch were you step when you leave.

"With this rigatoni, I thee wed: The first Rastafarian wedding" by Nick Perry Associated Press  April 16, 2016

AKAROA, New Zealand — The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which began in the US as a protest against religion encroaching into public schools, has gained legitimacy in New Zealand, where authorities recently decided it can officiate weddings.

Saturday’s ceremony was all about having fun. The guests came dressed as pirates and shouted plenty of hearty ‘‘Aaarrrghs.’’ The church claims that global warming is caused by pirates vanishing from the high seas, and that there is a beer volcano in heaven.

The church has been battling to gain legal recognition around the world, with mixed success. It was formed in 2005 as a way to poke fun at efforts in Kansas public schools to teach not only evolution, but also ‘‘intelligent design’’ — the idea that the universe must have had a creator.

Church founder Bobby Henderson said in an e-mail that he thought it was odd that most weddings still have such an entanglement between religion and government....

Time to disentangle, 'er, divorce myself from this slop.

--more--"

The joke smells rotten to me now, sorry.

RelatedInky the octopus slithers free from New Zealand aquarium tank

Also seeNew England Aquarium has its own octopus escape story

And then there is that Jesus fellow who rose from the dead and escaped a cave.