Terahertz

I’ll probably be posting a lot less on religion/atheism here (unless I want to get really defamatory), since over the past week I have joined the new Canadian Atheist group blog.

I can’t promise how much more I’ll post here, since I like the communal, grassroots nature of this new project, and it’ pays off with more page hits than my own site. I also have my personal blog, which covers more mundane aspects of my life which leaves little space for this site, although I may still do the occasional overtly partisan rant here.

So check out the new site, it has a lot of great writers, and I have a series of posts coming up on the intersection of politics and atheism in anticipation of the VanSecular Party meeting on Tuesday.

I won’t be posting much here (or at my other site) till next week since I’m off to Victoria this weekend with some of the Vancouver Skeptics in the Pub people. We’ll hopefully be meeting up with some fine island-folk while we’re out there.

The other reason for a bit of calm is that I’ve been recruited into a group blog that I’m hoping to have a bit of content filled in for Monday when we publicly announce it. It should be good, so stay tuned for the announcement.

I’ve had an increase in spam comments recently so all new commenters will require approval before they can post. I’m not sure if this works retroactively, but I don’t intend to block any comments (except spam links).

I’ve rebuilt my personal website at http://ian.bushfield.ca since I’ve finally given up on Drupal and am now a WordPress-only junkie.

This blog will keep going as a place for me to rant about science/religion/politics while that blog will deal with my personal activities, including my goal to develop a business plan for a freethought cafe. I probably won’t cross-post anything, so if you follow both you won’t get overwhelmed.

The results are in and Terahertz Atheist placed fourth in the Religion & Philosophy category of the 2009 Canadian Blog Awards. Not too shabby for my first showing in the competition, maybe next year I’ll have to bump my writing up a notch.

Thanks to everyone who supported me.

I placed fourth in Round 1 of the Religion and Philosophy section of the 2009 Canadian Blog Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted but the work is not done yet, as now begins Round 2.

I came in fourth of five qualifiers, and have taken a look at the competition.

I’m the only atheist on the list (Armchair Antichrist didn’t make it through), but Benedicton Blogs On and Pulpit and Politics are both liberal Christians who I likely have a reasonable amount of shared ground with. Benedicton writes exposés at Religious Right Alert and has frequently criticized Stephen Harper’s theocons. Meanwhile, P&P is written by former NDP MP Dennis Gruending.

However, leading the pack is the newer (his archives only go back to October) “Bible Journey” which is an anti-homosexual and anti-choice Christian website:

Another controversial passage of the Bible is the above — the passage where the Lord condemns homosexuality (lying with a man as you would lie with a woman). Sex being for marriage, it would be inappropriate to assume that God wants churches to support the marriage of same-sex couples of some of those more "progressive" "Christian" demoninations have done.

Despite the controversy of Leviticus 18, it’s still quite clear what we are to make of it…take it at face value. [Source]

Finally, we have Anglican Samizdat filling the fifth spot in the finalists. AS seems to have taken a shining to the denialist wave surround the manufactured Climategate controversy, and attacks a progressive Christian charity run by the Anglican and United Churches of Canada. He even takes to putting attack quotes as “Fanmail” on his sidebar. My favourite is the irony of a regressive Evangelical Christian making Douglas Adams references, considering Adams was both a “radical atheist” and an environmentalist.

Round 2 voting is open, and for the Religion and Philosophy section, I recommend myself (I do need my ego stroked), Benedicton Blogs On and Pulpit & Politics. Let’s keep the anti-science/human rights blogs out of the medals.

As for the political category of the Awards, I was eliminated in round 29 of 49. Of the top 10 Political Blogs, my picks are Daveberta, CalgaryGrit, and Buckdog (in no particular order).

I was browsing twitter, came across a link to someone plugging their blog in the 2009 Canadian Blog Awards, and wouldn’t you know it but I’ve been nominated in the Politics and Religion & Philosophy categories.

So thanks to whoever appreciates my writing. It keeps me from doing school work and being a “productive” member of society.

Get over there, check out some great Canadian Blogs and vote for those you like.

I’ve created myself a new wesbite at http://ian.bushfield.ca which I’m going to use to publish more personal and creative posts. This site will remain for now, with a focus on science, politics, and atheism.

I’m also posting some of the better pictures I take at that site and it will continue to grow into the future.

So check out the blog over there and keep following this one too.

Since 99% of the trackbacks I’ve been getting on my posts are spam, I turned them off. Leave a comment if you really want to link to me and let me know.

Since the NDP voted with Harper yesterday and the Liberals didn’t, we can no longer count the number of confidence votes that the Liberals have propped up the Conservatives. While we can debate the merits of this, or even if the IgGrits are showing any more effective of an opposition by switching from auto-support to auto-oppose.

The real issue for the NDP though was months and months of bragging about how ineffective the Liberals were being. It guaranteed that eventually this situation would happen.

On Linda Duncan’s campaign we never “went negative.” While her supporters may have said nasty things about Jaffer, the official campaign was always focussed on why Linda Duncan should be the MP for Edmonton-Strathcona, and not about why the others shouldn’t. Of course it also through in a bunch of strategic voting hints to win over the Liberals, but it never attacked the Liberals either.

Positive campaigning, while harder, I think is the way all of the parties need to continue (and I have to commend Ignatieff for keeping on at least this message).