Comments on: TAM 6 guests announced

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:33:47 +0000

Neil is the most famous living astronomer? Wait, did David Levy die? I know we’ve lost Sagan, and Gene Shoemaker, and some others, but I can sincerely say I’d never heard of Neil.

(I may be an unusual case, in that I don’t find out about astronomy – or indeed anything else – from the morning television news-talk shows…)

By: Tom Marking

Tom Marking — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:50:41 +0000

Christopher Hitchens is a far-left loony tune. He’s the left’s version of Ann Coulter – meaning even people on his side of the aisle are revulsed by him. Wasn’t he the one who was attacking Mother Theresa when she was still alive? Yes, I found an article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2090083

BA, when you see Mr. Hitchens please ask him what he was doing to help the poor of Calcutta all those years since he sees fit to castigate Mother Theresa.

By: Brango

Brango — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:11:15 +0000

A fantastic lineup no doubt, but if only mere mortals with budgets could afford to attend… I’d love to go, but the $450 overhead leaves very little left for the gas/food/hotel bill… and this is Vegas we’re talking about!

Maybe I should print up a “Will drop pants for entrance fee” banner.

By: Summer

Summer — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:59:15 +0000

I wish I could attend. I really think that Niel Tyson deserves fangirls with handmade signs and t-shirts with him on them, like a rock star at a concert.

By: Barton Paul Levenson

Barton Paul Levenson — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:41:40 +0000

Stevo –

Yes, it was in a thread about the use of torture on prisoners. I was the only person posting who had actually been tortured.

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 04:17:03 +0000

Re Hitchens (and Dennis Miller for that matter)- seems to hit older men especially hard – Midlife Crisis II: the revenge. First they realize they’re no longer seen as virile, then they realize they’re mortal. That fear appears to do strange things, including pushing some bizarre drive for absolute certainty. Anything that might breed doubt about what comes after seems to be reviled and pushed away.

I’m not sure it’ll happen to me – I had my big fear of oblivion when I was in fourth grade, after I started doubting there was a deity watching over me. Now I realize I won’t be around to fret about not being around.

By: anomalous4

anomalous4 — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 19:32:33 +0000

I have a massive crush on Neil deGrasse Tyson. And I’m about 40 years too old for such things.

By: StevoR

StevoR — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:21:25 +0000

So Barton Paul Levenson of all the numerous possible reasons for objecting to Hitchens what _were_ yours if I can ask?

& did I see something on another blitzfeed thread (comments from you) about being tortured? Not sure whether that _was you or was even right (I was pretty tired at the time ..near 2 am Adelaide tiome) but ,please, if so, then would you mind telling us about it?

By: StevoR

StevoR — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:13:35 +0000

(Continued)

BA when you see Christopher Hitchens & Penn too could you ask them Toasts question? Plus please ask them mine too – why exactly they think they’re going to convince people by insulting and offending them in the striongest way possible?

Even when charactrrs like Hitchens,Penn and Dawkins are right their off-putting style and the rudeness of their exo\presionis such that I wish they weren’t.

Do they really think they’re helping their cause by this?

I suppose I can get carried away a bit myself on occassion and vent more than is polite (I freely acknowledge that nobody’s perfect least of all me) but really …

By: StevoR

StevoR — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:05:34 +0000

Barton Paul Levenson – I can think of a lot of reasons for not liking Hitchens. Gross disrespect and rudeness towards the deeply held beliefs and experiences of others, neo-conservative cheerleader for mass murder,torturte, injustice and wars based on lies as Toast put it :

“Ugh. That tool. Is he going to explain the amaz!ng trick where a formerly respectable leftist intellectual wets himself on 9-11 and becomes a neocon lickspittle? I’ve always wondered how that worked.”

By: John Edwards » Blog Archive » Comment on TAM 6 guests announced by Barton Paul Levenson

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:57:44 +0000

[...] Rose wrote an interesting post today on Comment on TAM 6 guests announced by Barton Paul LevensonHere’s a quick excerptI have other reasons for disliking Hitchens. See if you can guess what they are. [...]

By: MO Man

MO Man — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:23:46 +0000

I would enjoy a debate at TAM as to where rudeness and belligerence rank in the effort to encourage folks to think more clearly and eschew the yoke of superstition. It has been unsettling at times to see the levels of rudeness expressed by Penn and Hitchens which some of us feel that we will have to answer for as we are tarred with the brush of “all-atheists-are-inconsiderate-axeholes.” Sometimes it does seem appropriate to shout at an idiot, if just to jar him into realizing how outrageous his laziness and stupidity are, but if winning people over to a more logical position is the collective goal, then I think being combative and insulting, especially to people who agree with much of what you have to say, is counter-productive. Oh, I wouldn’t mind if someone slapped Penn just once. It wouldn’t be rude so much as it would be the disciplining of an unruly child.

By: Barton Paul Levenson

Barton Paul Levenson — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:45:12 +0000

I have other reasons for disliking Hitchens. See if you can guess what they are.

By: John Edwards » Blog Archive » Comment on TAM 6 guests announced by Beelzebud

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:15:05 +0000

[...] Novakeo.com wrote an interesting post today on Comment on TAM 6 guests announced by BeelzebudHere’s a quick excerptSomeone should ask Penn Gillette why he goes on the Glenn Beck show, when the guy has the “psychic” John Edwards on the very next day. [...]

By: Thomas Siefert

Thomas Siefert — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:31:03 +0000

when I saw Penn Gillette happily chatting with Glenn Beck … He just doesn’t seem too sceptical about much these days.

Maybe it’s because he’s not as sharp as his name would lead you to believe, after all it is spelled “Jillette” and not “Gillette”

By: Beelzebud

Beelzebud — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 05:23:53 +0000

Someone should ask Penn Gillette why he goes on the Glenn Beck show, when the guy has the “psychic” John Edwards on the very next day. I saw this last autumn and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Penn Gillette happily chatting with Glenn Beck; A man who takes physic frauds seriously, and gives them a megaphone to spew their nonsense.

He also said on Bill Maher’s show one night that he didn’t mind creationism being taught in school because not everyone would end up being a scientist when they grew up…

He just doesn’t seem too skeptical about much these days.

By: Michael Lonergan

Michael Lonergan — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:43:42 +0000

Do you and your friends ever get up to Canada? We feel so left out

By: Toast

Toast — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:29:52 +0000

and Christopher Hitchens

Ugh. That tool. Is he going to explain the amaz!ng trick where a formerly respectable leftist intellectual wets himself on 9-11 and becomes a neocon lickspittle? I’ve always wondered how that worked.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:05:24 +0000

“How about Mr T?”"

Murdoch, FOOL!

By: Jack Hagerty

Jack Hagerty — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:33:21 +0000

The BA says: “The keynote speaker will be my old friend Neil Tyson, perhaps the most famous astronomer alive.”

Present company humbly excepted, of course.

- Jack

By: Dave Morton

Dave Morton — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:11:50 +0000

“Men Who Look Like BA”?

How about Mr T?

By: Gareth (bujin)

Gareth (bujin) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:23:10 +0000

Great line-up! I wish you’d all come over to the UK so I could attend! I’ve just bought three of Richard Wiseman’s books (but I’m in the middle of reading something else at the moment, so they’re on hold), and I could listen to Christopher Hitchens all day. As I mentioned in an earlier post here, if I’d heard of Neil Tyson while I was still in uni, I’d probably be a professional astronomer today – his enthusiasm for astronomy is incredibly infectious! I also noticed Arthur Benjamin’s name – I’ve always been fascinated by people who can do rapid mental arithmetic, and I enjoyed reading his “Secrets of Mental Math” book – it taught me a lot, and gets you calculating in a far easier way than they teach you in school!

By: Sam Ogden

Sam Ogden — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:32:19 +0000

Phil, call me. Let’s talk about some new material for you this year. And I don’t mean the subject of your talk, but your jokes. I think you should work blue. Either that or smash some produce with a big sledge hammer.

By: bearcub

bearcub — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Outstanding!

I’ve always enjoyed the repeat speakers, but now I’m really looking forward to attending this year. I have a lot respect for Neal Tyson and like the way he presents his information, a lot of enthusiasm there. I also think it’ll be fun to hear PZ.

Not to sound like a suck-up, but of the “regulars”, I enjoy hearing/seeing both you and Wiseman the most. And no, I don’t get you confused with Wiseman.

Now all we need is the reservation page to open up ………

By: Dayna

Dayna — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:55:54 +0000

Oh Mr. Tyson!

/swoon