a novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows,  published in 2008 by the Dial Press.

( more after the cut )

I read it last week. Most of it.

I did not like it.

I have seen good reviews of it and I can't argue with them. I think it was well crafted; I was not disappointed in the way the story was told.

Mild spoilers follow.   ( Read more... )

Comments on Dawkins' book

The main reason Dawkins gives for writing this book is to combat the guilt pangs that established conservative religions instill in their young to preserve their membership and power.  He regards such as cults.  Many use some of the tricks of cults to maintain their hold.  The God Delusion is described in its beginning as his de-programming effort.

If that was all that he tried to do, I'd applaud.  ( Read more... )

Two posts in one day?  No, I'm not going to finish before midnight.  Well, some of you know about this already.

( For the rest )

Recently, several of my FL have posted the Hugos meme
Partial list:
stoutfellow  http://stoutfellow.livejournal.com/184143.html
sebastian_tombs  http://sebastian-tombs.livejournal.com/210595.html
kd5mdk  http://kd5mdk.livejournal.com/134564.html

I started reading SF before there were Hugos; my greatest unfamiliarity is at this end.   I won't post the list here - I might some day.  But the list brought an issue to mind that connected with something else. ( cut for SF to philosophy to ethics ramble )

This book came out in 1996 in hardback and subsequently in paperback.  I read it recently because of the Intelligent Design issues that arose recently in Kansas and Pennsylvania.  Behe was an expert witness in support of presenting Intelligent Design in public school curricula in the Pennsylvania trial.  His book has been adequately reviewed - you know how to search, but I'll mention some below.  I don't know that it has received adequate unbiased reviews.  I shall, of course, try to provide one, but I was not a fan of Intelligent Design before and Behe did not convert me.  He did write a good book; it is quite readable and raises several points worth discussing.

( REVIEW )
( CRITIQUE )
( CONTROVERSY )
( OTHER RESOURCES )
( SOME RELATED ISSUES )
( Falsifiability )
( Anthropic Principle )