1. Science is thrilling - except in our schools

Comment #204097 by V'Ger on July 4, 2008 at 6:13 am

Totally agree.

All I remember from my science classes - were boring lectures about the periodic table, and what certain liquids do when heated, or mixed etc etc etc... zzzzzzzz.

If they had spent at least one class on cosmology, or evolution - then I would have been much more interested in pursuing it further.

2. New Zealand man sells his soul to 'Hell'

Comment #204093 by V'Ger on July 4, 2008 at 6:07 am

^ Haha... what a great idea.

You wouldn't think that people would be gullible enough - but then I recall a scheme where people gave messages to the dying - so that they could pass it onto dead loved ones in the after life!

3. Obama Wants to Expand Role of Religious Groups

Comment #203483 by V'Ger on July 3, 2008 at 2:35 am

It's a shame they have to dress this stuff up in the Religion outfit. Can't they just say... you know what - 'we are going to invest a shit load of money into being really nice to people in need'?

4. Obama Wants to Expand Role of Religious Groups

Comment #203477 by V'Ger on July 3, 2008 at 2:20 am

"investing federal money in religious-based initiatives that are intended to fight poverty"

This will save them tons of money. 'God wants you to starve, and the planet to die... after all - he could stop it all right now if he wanted... right?. Now stop complaining and go to paradise already.'

5. Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat

Comment #203125 by V'Ger on July 2, 2008 at 11:42 am

Keep the good work up you Muslim twats. Your doing a much better job of making your religion a laughing stock than any of us aethiest ever could ;-)

6. Can't Darwin and God get along?

Comment #202380 by V'Ger on July 1, 2008 at 12:11 pm

I really don't understand all this stuff.

I would have thought that if your a scientist then you strongly believe in scientific method. Yet a belief in God requires you to put this method out of mind - and jump to an immense conclusion, which is not supported by any known evidence.

So I really don't understand how you can follow science and yet still hold a faith of some kind.

Surley resorting to God just means that you don't understand the science involved (yet).

7. Charles Darwin was not the father of atheism

Comment #202252 by V'Ger on July 1, 2008 at 6:21 am

Don't these guys realise that Dawkins is such a big fan of the work of Darwin - because he is an evolutionary biologist? Not because Darwin was an atheist.

As Richard mentions in one of his books (the Blind Watchmaker I think) - Darwin's theory meant that it was possible to now be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.

I'm sure that his life experiences as a whole actually led to him becoming an atheist... but I bet discovering that a very important part of the bible was clearly wrong also provided somewhat of a nudge ;-)

8. An Interview with Prof. Richard Dawkins

Comment #199546 by V'Ger on June 26, 2008 at 12:47 am

"The evidence for evolution"

I bet the ID crowd have already started to brace themselves for what will surley be yet another sledge hammer blow from the master ;-)

9. Rapture site sends unbelievers their last chance ... via email

Comment #195232 by V'Ger on June 18, 2008 at 12:52 am

Hands up... who will be checking thier email - come the rapture?

10. Vatican bans Dan Brown film Angels & Demons from Rome churches

Comment #194634 by V'Ger on June 17, 2008 at 5:48 am

The Da Vinci Code was tripe... but at the end of the day it's only a fictional story.

A great testemant to the fact that it was complete fiction - was the court case with the authors of another book... with both sides claiming to have invented it first!

11. Logical Proof of the Existence of a Divine Creator, Why Atheism is Not Logically Sound

Comment #190971 by V'Ger on June 10, 2008 at 2:54 am

The simplest proof (yet one that no atheist has ever been able to counter effectively) is that a universe of this size and magnitude does not somehow build itself

They believe that not only did whole planets appear spontaneously...

12. Blogger spreads the gospel of science

Comment #189343 by V'Ger on June 6, 2008 at 4:40 am

Isn't it just the case that settlers from England wanted to name thier new settlements after the places they tavelled from?

So really... it isn't a case of Americans with a lack of imaginiation... but English who were proud of thier roots (that's probably another way of saying 'lack of imagination).

Pocahontas is buried in Gravesend, at her request... so it was probably a bit nicer back in the day.

13. Blogger spreads the gospel of science

Comment #189332 by V'Ger on June 6, 2008 at 4:03 am

Hey Cartomancer... Good to hear a shout out for the wonderful Gravesend!

Indeed I was born and raised amongst the ' feckless Gravesend dole scroungers' ;-) Somehow I managed to survive that future though. Live just outside now... so always popping back for a happy slap or two.

There is also a Gravesend in the states I believe.

14. Darwin still causing waves after 150 years

Comment #188903 by V'Ger on June 5, 2008 at 1:37 am

I'm still really surprised that so many people reject Darwin's theory - simply because they cannot deal with being descended from an ape.

I just don't understand what the problem is! Not to mention that what they would prefer to have descended from is completely irrelevant.

15. Car dealership advert tells atheists to 'shut up'

Comment #186022 by V'Ger on May 29, 2008 at 11:17 am

Hahahah... what a TWAT!

I love it... seems like every day someone else makes the case that most believers are absolute TWAT's ;-)

Can we run a twat countdown at the end of each month?

16. In God's Name

Comment #182908 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 5:43 am

I might have to record this on More4 tonight then.

I can't watch it... as I'll be watching something far more important than religion... the Champions League Final ;-)

17. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #182903 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 5:37 am

Could you use a placard which read: "Scientology Kills'? After all - that can be backed up with factual accounts.

18. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #182901 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 5:35 am

Where to draw the line is a bit of an issue. Some people are offended by the most innocent of things.

I once had a T-shirt with an image of a statue of Christ diving for a football (that's soccer ball to some of you)... alongside was written 'Jeus Saves'.

This was found offensive by the canteen staff - although I refused to stop wearing it every-now-and-then. Until I got a bit fat for it anyway.

My wife bought me a great T-shirt once. It simply read... "Jesus Loves You... but everybody else think's your a cunt!

19. In God's Name

Comment #182893 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 5:13 am

O.k... bit on some leather, and watched a bit more...

up until "history has taught us that following the Bible has taken scientist quite far"... then I had to turn it off again. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry.

20. In God's Name

Comment #182886 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 5:09 am

I had to turn this off when the teacher came on... explaining to those poor young kids that God is a nasty cu*t.

21. In God's Name

Comment #182882 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 5:04 am

Is there really a straight man alive... (religious nutter or not) who has never seen a nice looking girl and thought "phwaa that's a bit of all right'?

That came straight after the homophobe idiot who told us we are here to make babies!

I almost thought this was a clip from Brass Eye ;-)

22. 16% of US science teachers are creationists

Comment #182826 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 2:49 am

No.. I would not want a teacher of mine, or my children to be a creationist - even if they did not teach creationism. The reason why?

I equate beliefs in such things to a severe lack of intelligence. Not a quality which anybody would see fit in a teacher.

23. 16% of US science teachers are creationists

Comment #182792 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 1:20 am

So... if a teacher is a creationist... what do they actually teach? I mean - lessons must be pretty short, and the exams must be a doddle.

"God did/made it" - cut and paste for every answer then cross out as appropriate!

24. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #182787 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 1:16 am

I believe Germany have a big issue with this CULT too.

25. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #182785 by V'Ger on May 21, 2008 at 1:14 am

I'm totally gutted!

I work opposite this Church... but was on annual leave on May 10th. Had I know... I would have turned up, and joined in the protest.

I'd like to see this go to court. If you look up the definition of 'Cult'... Scientology pretty much adheres to it.

26. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179302 by V'Ger on May 13, 2008 at 5:02 am

I'll grant you - I do have a very uneconomical car! But it looks so good... damn those Italians!

27. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179300 by V'Ger on May 13, 2008 at 4:59 am

The problem with raising petrol prices, in order to cut pollution etc - is that, as with most other UK government policies, the people that have no alternative than to drive get punished. While the wealthy don't get affected.

Public transport in my area is so bad, slow, and costly - that it's not a viable option. And local schools are so poor - that I had no real choice than to send my kids to a school in the next town (10 miles away). If only one of those two factors were rectified by the government... then the problem goes away.

Unfortunately... MP's will not care about tempting us with carrots when they can just use the big sticks they have.

28. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179258 by V'Ger on May 13, 2008 at 1:28 am

In my area of England (South East) - unleaded petrol is at £1.10 a litre... which is roughly 2.14 USD!

29. The detail in the Devil

Comment #176269 by V'Ger on May 7, 2008 at 4:18 am

"Hollywood trumps it up for dramatic effect, of course," says Bradshaw. "But I would say The Exorcist is the most accurate depiction of demonic possession."

Wow! Lets hope demons don't overthrow the earth... otherwise there will be thousands of young kids lying in bed all day, and pissing on the carpet! The horror... oh the horror!!!

30. Bill Good Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #173621 by V'Ger on May 1, 2008 at 1:07 am

"I'm afraid Sir... that you have a great deal of reading to do - in order to catch up".

Brilliant :-)

31. Bill Good Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #173618 by V'Ger on May 1, 2008 at 12:58 am

Good interview.

As soon as that guy started going on about there being no evidence for Darwinism... I couldn't shake the image of RD turning red, with steam starting to come out of his ears ;-)

Don't these people have access to books (other than 'that' one)?

32. Science leads to killing people

Comment #170791 by V'Ger on April 28, 2008 at 2:33 am

This guy is on our side right? That can be the only explanation.

33. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #166326 by V'Ger on April 23, 2008 at 6:26 am

"The problem is that scientists now too frequently believe we have the answers to these questions, and hence the mysteries of life. But, oddly, the more we use science to explore nature, the more we find things we do not understand and cannot explain. In reality, both religion and science are expressions of man's uncertainty. Perhaps the paradox is that certainty, whether it be in science or religion, is dangerous."

This piece loses the argument for Winston on it's own for me. Of course they are both expressions of man's uncertainty. But at least science attempts to work the truth out from evidence... instead of jumping to an immense conclusion - and working it's way back from that!

I'm also yet to hear any renound scientist proclaim certainty over anything... something which cannot be said of religious leaders.

34. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #165091 by V'Ger on April 21, 2008 at 3:52 am

I really don't get the whole 'Hitler was driven by Darwin' debate.

Even if it was true (which it clearly is not)... do those morons really think we should hide away from scientific fact because it might be harmful?

Ignorance is bliss I guess.

35. A Conversation with Expelled's Associate Producer Mark Mathis

Comment #165081 by V'Ger on April 21, 2008 at 3:35 am

This guy is mentally ill right? Or have I missed the joke?

36. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #151013 by V'Ger on March 28, 2008 at 3:01 am

Hope you had a happy birthday.

67 times around the Sun... and counting.

37. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #145059 by V'Ger on March 17, 2008 at 8:07 am

The day that my kids school start teaching creationism - is they day they leave.

And I am actually a little worried.... Whilst watching my son's nativity play last Christmas - all of a sudden some kid comes out and started reciting lines about how "the world looks like it must have been intelligently designed for a purpose..." My wife and I exchanged a slightly worried look at that point.

38. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142464 by V'Ger on March 12, 2008 at 2:24 pm

Stewart Lee rules.

Saw a recording of a gig he did in Scotland - which was awesome.

39. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142461 by V'Ger on March 12, 2008 at 2:20 pm

Sorry... couldn't help pushing this clip from... I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRFbNFf6Ig8&feature=related

40. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142457 by V'Ger on March 12, 2008 at 2:15 pm

Just watched the ad - and can't believe that anybody can be offended by that! But then, by the sounds of it, hardly anyone actually complained.

Have we reached the point now - when 60 million people have to be carefull not to offend 25?

41. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142424 by V'Ger on March 12, 2008 at 1:08 pm

Does anybody remember 'This Morning With Richard But Not Judy'? If not - check for clips on youtube.

That was full of sketches that openly poked fun at the Christian faith, and went out every Sunday morning for weeks. Did that one pass them by?

42. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #139241 by V'Ger on March 5, 2008 at 11:06 am

I guess RD must be preparing himself to answer the same old tired questions then!

"... but what about Hitler or Stalin..." Oh brother! Just throw the book at them. Preferably the hard back - right to the face :-)

43. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #134706 by V'Ger on February 28, 2008 at 6:01 am

Wow... yet another call in show with people who have not read the book, and ask the same old questions.

RD should just record the answers, and chill out while it deals with all those callers. I did enjoy the bit where Richard became a little wound up with one caller "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT - I'VE JUST GIVEN YOU YOUR ANSWER..." ha ha.

44. Council pays psychic for exorcism

Comment #126727 by V'Ger on February 14, 2008 at 3:40 am

I tend to think that if objects were floating about by themselves, or carried by an invisible force, or voices were chattering away in empty rooms etc - then surely by now some good hard evidence would be on film.

Even with shows like Most Haunted, and all the others - the best you get is a slight bump on the floor - or those 'Orbs' that they always bang on about (which look uncannily similar to out of focus dust particles being lit by torch light in front of the camera).

Still... most of us would not happily spend the night alone in an abondoned prison... so we are obviously still open to the idea!

45. Council pays psychic for exorcism

Comment #126696 by V'Ger on February 14, 2008 at 1:26 am

I knew somebody once - who kept going on about how every night at exactly the same time - she could hear loud bangs coming from the spare bedroom, but was too scared to go in a see what was going on.

She spent almost a year living with this nightly fear - before a neighbour pointed out that the spare bedroom housed the hot water tank, and the banging was just the pipes cooling down after the heating had gone off!

This is the kind of practical science based knowledge that Attenborough (in Breaking The Science Barrier) mentions everybody should at least have - in order to understand the world of technoogy around them!

Likewise... my sister (who is unfortunately into all that crystal and fairy stuff) - was scared, even in her twenties, when the floor boards creaked at night!

46. Council pays psychic for exorcism

Comment #126494 by V'Ger on February 13, 2008 at 11:15 am

They should have got Yvette Fielding round there. Then she, and the crew could have cowered in the dark - scaring themselves by listening for every little creak!

47. Council pays psychic for exorcism

Comment #126491 by V'Ger on February 13, 2008 at 11:06 am

Does anybody remember the great Poltergiest scetch from 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience'?

"I am the poltergiest... I'm so evil I'm going to switch the telly on... and they will be like - oh my god... I don't remember leaving the telly on..."

I've heard a few cases of people ttrying to get re-housed by claiming paranormal activity.

48. A War On Science

Comment #105582 by V'Ger on January 1, 2008 at 5:33 am

I was dissapointed that the narrator kept reffering to evolutionary steps as 'chance' - and yet they did not point out how wrong this assertion is!