Sally Ann loses the plot

I have, for a long time, had a sneaking regard for the Salvation Army. Yes, they’re religious, but they do tend to get off their backsides and really help those in need. They habitually go into pubs and clubs to collect donations, even though they have an antipathy to alcohol consumption, so one would expect them to be equally grateful for the proceeds of a song, no matter that it was written and sung by an atheist. One of Tim Minchin‘s songs has already appeared on this blog, but this time there will be no need to warn anyone that it isn’t safe for work. Minchin doesn’t grovel to religion, but this song is fairly innocuous, and the ingratitude shown by the Salvation Army when they said ‘we do not in any way support the statements made in this song.’ is staggering. Why could they not say they were grateful for the donation whoever gives it? Anyway, Tim has reacted to their disdain by switching the donation elsewhere and you can click here to buy his version in aid of a secular charity.

In the meantime, I can only hope that the stupidity is confined to Australia’s Sally Ann. It would be a shame if their good work elsewhere was contaminated by such intolerance.

Here’s the song in question – as usual, if you like it please click through and tell him so.

The Timonen Saga continues….

As some of you may know, Mr Timonen has joined several atheist forums, presumably so he can invoke the rule that most of them have against the personal abuse of other members. Naturally this hasn’t gone down too well, and even those of us who think the rule ought to upheld are annoyed, but not surprised, by his underhand tactic. Some people have been creative though, and while these videos probably don’t abide by the letter of the rule, they seem to have survived on at least one board. I think they were made by the people who put it on Rationalia (using the names Tigger, Bella Fortuna and Paula there), but you need to be a member to see them in that forum.  Here it is for non-members.(In case you don’t know, FUA stands for Forum User Agreement.)

As usual, if you like any of these videos click through and tell the right person.

Click for Charity!

Image by ponChiang via Flickr

You may have noticed what looks like an advertisement on the top right of the screen. In fact it’s a way of helping, in this case, the World Wildlife Fund, without spending a single penny. All it takes is a few clicks and a few minutes of your time. Even if you hate what I have to say, please consider helping the planet we all live on.