The God Delusion

Okay, I admit it, Richard Dawkins is being a jerk on purpose.  But he’s a jerk who knows how to write well, and compared to the stuff you find in YouTube video comments, he’s downright gentlemanly.

Take the section called “Deserved Respect,” for example.  In it, Dawkins says he doesn’t have a problem with a conception of God as a sort of transcendent all-oneness, or a marvelous somethingness that’s immanent in the whole universe, or a source of wonder.  He just thinks we should call it something else.

When he describes certain religious traditions, he really, really tries.  He takes pains to point out that some highly sophisticated theists are close friends of his.  Words like “nonsense” and “bunk” slip out from time to time, but you can practically hear the poor fellow biting his tongue.  When you agree with him, the book is thoroughly enjoyable; when you disagree with him, the sensation is something like being gently but insistently jabbed in the ribs.  I did both, depending on the chapter.

The God Delusion’s real enemy is the God who hates gays and will sentence you to eternal damnation for thinking bad thoughts.  Theists and non alike can agree that fighting hate and ignorance is a good idea, right?  I recommend this book, even if it makes you feel like you want to throw it across the room.  It’s eloquent, funny, and a mind-expander.

Awesome Molasses Wheat Bread

How do I describe the flavor of this bread?  Something along the lines of OMG I never want to buy store-bought wheat bread again.  The flavor is nutty and sweet and strongly of molasses, the texture’s nice and dense, the aroma is so, well, bready.  This bread is so substantial, just a little butter on it and an apple to the side, and you’ve got a lovely meal.  (And if you opt to add the nuts, it provides a complete protein.  Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now.)  Adapted from James Beard.

  • 1 package yeast
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 3 cups all-purpose baking flour
  • (optional) 1 handful of raisins and 1 handful of nuts

Stir together the yeast and 1/2 cup of the warm water in a little bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix the rest of the water, molasses, salt, oil, and whole-wheat flour.  Add the yeast mixture and stir again.  Slowly add the white flour until it looks like bread dough.  Put it on a floured surface and knead until everything is nicely mixed.  Put in an oiled bowl, cover with a slightly damp towel, and let sit for 1 1/2 hour.

Take the dough out and punch it down.  If you like, make a dent in the middle, throw in the nuts and raisins, and knead them in.  Once it’s nice and mixed, put the dough onto an oiled baking sheet.  Or you can split it in half and put it into two oiled 8 1/2 by 4/12 loaf pans.  Cover with a slightly damp towel again and let sit for 1 1/2 hour.

Uncover, bake at 375 for 40 minutes.  The bread’s done when you knock it and it sounds hollow.

Why the Alien Invasion Hasn’t Happened Yet

Supposing a pair of extraterrestrials from the vicinity of Deneb are orbiting Earth, preparing the attack.

“All right, Zarquod, I haven’t got all day.  Sum this planet up in a few words.”

“Yes, sir.  The Earthlings are creative, stubborn, selfish, and altruistic.”

“Well, which is it?  Selfish or altruistic?”

“No, both, sir.”

“You can’t be selfish AND altruistic!”

“They really are that screwed up, sir.”

“… You know what?  Never mind.  This planet is giving me a headache.”

Santa Clara Bans Happy Meal Toys

You can see the news story here: NY Times.

I strive to keep this blog apolitical, so I’m going to be reserved about whether or not the county of Santa Clara is wrong to ban the toys.  But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it is wrong to market McDonald’s cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets to children.

Now, interesting question here.  Is it okay to ban a practice just because it’s wrong?  There are plenty of behaviors, like cheating on one’s spouse, that are immoral, but we wouldn’t want to see it criminalized because that would make an intrusion of the government on people’s private lives.  (I noticed that the people who are backlashing against this law think that Santa Clara is interfering with people’s freedom to eat cheeseburgers.  The law limits McDonald’s freedom.)  On the other hand, there’s the precedent of Joe Camel.  The Joe Camel cartoon marketed an unhealthy product, cigarettes, to children, and I don’t think anybody objects to this ban anymore.

On a related note, how do executives of fast food restaurants sleep at night?

Get your damn sugar away from my yogurt!

And now for a superfluous rant.

Where the heck did people get the idea that yogurt was supposed to be sweet?  I go to the grocery store, and I have an incredible time finding unsweetened yogurt for cooking with.

I don’t want my borscht to taste like artificial strawberry flavoring.  Yogurt isn’t supposed to taste like strawberries, it’s supposed to taste like yogurt.  You know, sour.  Sweetened, nonfat yogurt has more calories in it than unsweetened yogurt with all the fat still in it and they’re not even happy calories because now the yogurt tastes like ick.

Grr.  We oughta start a movement.  People for the Preservation of Sour Yogurt.  PPSY, it’s got a ring to it, yeah?