Category: Uncategorized

A word about this week’s comic

Ruben Bolling

Based on the comments that have appeared in response to the Creationism Math comic, I just wanted to make a couple of points:

 

1.  Some people have pointed out reasons, justifications and explanations for the supposed Biblical errors brought up in the comic.  (And by the way, there are many other examples, including errors in basic counting.)  I'm not saying in the comic that it's impossible to explain away "errors" in the Bible.  Over the centuries, some of the greatest minds of humanity have used exquisite creativity to explain away difficult passages in holy texts.  I'm saying that the particular character in this comic has taken a very literal approach to these passages, and refuses to bend that interpretation to the realities of "secular" mathematics.  This is obviously an analogy to the very hard-line Creationists who could take one of the many options for interpreting Genesis specifically, or faith generally, to line up with geological and biological facts, but instead insist on literalism.

 

2.  The point of the comic, therefore, is not to make fun of people of faith.  What I'm making fun of, and where I draw the line, is people who not only take this literalist view of religious text, but also insist that it replace or inform scientific learning in schools.

COMIC: HOW PUTIN PROTECTS RUSSIA’S CHILDREN

Ruben Bolling

1174ckTEASER-sochi-olympics

 

 

After this comic went out to the INNER HIVE on Monday, I received this interesting and moving email from a member.  I thought I would share it here:

 

"I was in Russia with Paul McCartney and saw the horrendous problem of homeless kids with AIDS, and it brought me to tears. 
 
 
I was on the plane with a doctor from France who goes in every two months to try to help, as a volunteer.  He told me that after the USSR came down, social services and education dropped to nothing. So kids that would normally drink or smoke pot, etc, started doing heroin because it was easier to get than cheese.  
 
 
They got addicted and then got AIDS from the needle sharing, and then had kids who were born with AIDS, many of whom had become homeless.  Local people had started homes to try to house and care for these kids.   The doctor went there to do needle replacement and education, and medical services.  He was an amazing person, and gave so much of his time to try to make a dent in the problem, which was ignored by the government.  The doc told me they refused to acknowledge the existence of the horror.
 
 
Paul, being the great guy he is, brought a bunch of kids to his show and had them right up front. It was a great day for them. 250,000 people singing along to Back In The USSR, and those kids standing on their chairs singing every word perfectly.  What a moment !  And such sadness behind it all…
 
 
And I'm sure that Putin intends for that beacon to shine on himself."
 
 
——–

 

Click here to read on Medium. 

Click here to read on Boing Boing.

Click here to read on Daily Kos.

Click here to read on GoComics.

GWEEK PODCAST 128

Ruben Bolling

Gweek-logo-100

 

I had a lot of fun doing another Gweek podcast.  Mark Frauenfelder is always cool to talk to, and I had a great time podcast-meeting A.J. Jacobs, who was really interesting and funny.  We talked about:

– when Mickey Mouse was mean;

– an idiot-proof way to compose music on you iPhone;

– Bill de Blasio's dream of bringing NYC back to its "Warriors"-era glory;

– Bear Baiting; 

– the defintion of family, and how it relates to a Giant Mousetrap;

– 3-D printing food; and

– more, obviously.

 

My one regret is that I didn't ask a follow up question on 3-D printed food, which I still don't get.  It seems like if you're going to use it to feed a starving country, the key is to get the INGREDIENTS to that country, not process them through a contraption to make it a funny shape.

 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.