Physics Genius Stephen Hawking has restated his previously stated position about the need for God in the process of creation in slightly different words, but with precisely the same conclusion

I posted last week about why I think one can defend the creation of a BBC religion editor, and the fuss about Stephen Hawking's 'u-turn' over the possible existence of God makes the point nicely.

Otherwise intelligent journalists (like John Humphreys on Radio 4 this morning) seem to turn into gibbering, incoherent numpties when they get near a religious news story*. The whole idea that Hawking has had a major turnaround in his beliefs is something with which the Church Mouse takes issue, and I'm inclined to agree with him:

Here's what Hawking said in 1989:

What I have done is to show that it is possible for the way the universe began to be determined by the laws of science. In that case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary. [Stephen W. Hawking, Der Spiegel, 1989]

Compare the quote from 1989 with the one which has caused the headlines today:

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

If anyone can spot a difference, please let Mouse know.

It occurs to me that a good religion editor in the BBC would have been called in here to make some sort of analysis, and they would hopefully have removed the spin and hyperbole from the BBC's coverage. They may even have offered some more incisive research into Hawking's position, and given a balanced and accurate rendering to the fact that 'Physics Genius Stephen Hawking has restated his previously stated position about the need for God in the process of creation in slightly different words, but with precisely the same conclusion'. Not such a snappy headline is it?

*I accept that's not entirley true - I enjoyed Humphreys' series of interviews about his own beliefs, but we can all use a bit of hyperbole occasionally

Update - Mark Vernon has a different angle on the issue here.

13 days

Am I the only person to be irritated by Robert Peston?

The BBC's Business Editor, Robert Peston, has been almost ubiquitous on the BBC airwaves since the beginning of the 'financial crisis'. He went a bit quiet after the return of Stephanie Flanders* from maternity leave, and I breathed a big sigh of relief. But he was on the Today Programme this morning, and I felt the need to post!

As a regular Today Programme listener, I have become all to accustomed to the ponderous drawl of Mr Peston. Sometimes his hesitations in the middle of sentences, and his insertions of interminable 'ers' and 'ars' make me want to throw the radio at the wall! On more than one occasion, I have switched station, or switched off altogether at the sound of Peston's voice.

I don't know if I've become over-sensitised to him now, or whether other people find the same thing with him. What do you think?

*did you know her dad was Michael Flanders of Flanders and Swann?

Swine-flu fever

Despite there being no new guidance on the precautions pregnant women should be taking in relation to swine-flu, the Daily Mail (uncharacteristically) stirred up a dose of uninformed hysteria this weekend. I'm told that this story has been amended since the weekend. The original version advised pregnant women to stay indoors!

There was good coverage on the Today Programme this morning, which managed to persuade the pregnant Mrs Lanky that she would be ok to continue going out of the house.

I really wish that newspaper editors would think about the effects that their headlines might have before they sign them off for publication. I'm guessing that pregnant women across the nation will have spent the weekend in a paranoid state of anxiety; especially those who work in the big cities, and whose jobs put them in contact with large numbers of people. I'm glad to see that the advice has now been tempered; even by the Daily Mail. It should be noted, however, that it is difficult to unscramble an egg!

(please pardon the mixed culinary metaphors)

Death of a legend

I just read on the BBC website that the legendary Bill Frindall, or 'Bearders', has died. I've followed cricket now for many years, and Test Match Special is my staple source of live cricket coverage (after a brief dalliance with Sky Sports).

For those less familiar with the game, the scorer is a skilled and somewhat elevated role with great responsibility. You need to know all the rules, have endless patience and good eyes (and/or a pair of binoculars).

Bill provided analysis for TMS, and was rarely caught short when asked for an obscure statistic - and people tried very hard to challenge him.

TMS won't quite be the same without Bearders. He'll be missed by many.

Scary morris dancers

I heard about this on the today programme this morning. i think I saw some of this type of Morris dancer in Lancaster once - a scary experience!

Lake District weather

We spent most of yesterday within miles of the Original Mountain Marathon and I've been interested to review the news coverage. As we travelled back through fairly nasty weather last night, we listened out for news reports on the radio in case our chosen route was affected by road closures. At that point, I recall thinking that the news footage was lacking in the usual hyperbole and judgementalism. I expect we'd be told how irresponsible the organisers and competitors had been, but instead there was a balanced tone of concern about the affected people.

In the end though, the media rose to the challenge with a mild example from the BBC here. I'm sure there will be more extreme examples in the kinds of papers I prefer not to read.

My opinion is that the competitors were experienced and well equipped outdoor enthusiasts. As we heard on a live interview on the BBC News channel when we arrived home last night, each competitor was required to carry kit which would allow them to survive in extreme weather conditions. 

My only reservation concerns the safety of the emergency workers who would probably have preferred a quiet day. I particularly feel for the mountain rescue volunteers who, along with the RNLI (and probably others), should be funded by the taxpayer.

I promise this is my final post for the day!

It's a strage feeling when you wake up to hear a familiar voice on the radio. I don't mean Gordon Brown, or John Humphreys. They are familiar, but not in the same way as a friend or a colleague's voice is familiar.

Nigel Paul from the Lancaster Environment Centre was on The Today Programme the other day. It was a bit weird to say the least! Good to hear Lanacster research making the news.