1. We need to stop being such cowards about Islam

Comment #230804 by cerbera on August 15, 2008 at 6:55 am

Well how nice to read an encouraging article like this in the mainstream press...

More clapping from over here...

2. When too much Rapture is barely enough

Comment #204990 by cerbera on July 6, 2008 at 11:25 am

I wonder what is more worrying - the lunacy of the belief itself, or the calm and pseudo-rational way in which the guy presents it...

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

Comment #166340 by cerbera on April 23, 2008 at 7:07 am

That was, as all of you have said so far, an excellent response.

It's not all bad news though - it seems that most of the critical world is not taken in by this appalling film, if www.rottentomatoes.com is to be believed, and I do think that is a reasonable general indicator.

Here, the movie has received a suitably awful 9 points out of 100, and of the reviews I read, only 2 critics appeared to have taken it seriously at all, the rest seeing through its lies and half-truths almost universally.

I really hope the man Stein is reading these reviews, and perhaps will feel a need to apologise to those he has lied to. Perhaps he himself was mislead to some degree by the evidently duplicitous Mathis.

However, I feel that expecting a candid admission from either of them would be optimism to the point of foolishness - but I'm sure they must both know, deep inside, what an absolute travesty of a film they have made.

And Mark Mathis - hang your head in shame.

4. Richard Dawkins: 'Growth in creationist beliefs a problem for schools'

Comment #156379 by cerbera on April 7, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Well it would be good to hear or watch the debate with Richard Holloway - anyone know if it is being or will be made available ?

Likewise I had hoped that with RD undertaking another large tour of the states, we might be in for a few more video updates, lectures, Q & A's etc, but recently there has been almost nothing to watch other than the expelled fiasco (amusing though it was)...

Or is it the case that these last lectures were not made public because they contain the same sort of content as the first US tour when TGD was first released ? Even so, I would have thought the audience questions (or rather the answers given to them) would still prove interesting... surely it can't all be repeating what has gone before ?

5. New Atheists Are Not Great

Comment #145751 by cerbera on March 18, 2008 at 4:54 am

A lot of people seem to find Dinesh offensive. Personally, I find him quite amusing. Sort of like a little over-excited dog jumping up and down trying to defend a bone that isn't there...

I must say though, as once again we see RD described as 'shrill', has the reviewer not seen any of Mr D'Souza's hysterical ranting in debates with the ever-calm and unruffled Mr Hitchens ? If we are talking 'shrill', then D'Souza surely wins the prize every time, I would have thought...

6. Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

Comment #125076 by cerbera on February 10, 2008 at 10:28 pm

Four debates with RD ? Interesting. Where can we see those, I wonder ?

7. Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'

Comment #123697 by cerbera on February 7, 2008 at 2:14 pm

SURELY if there are people who want to live under sharia law, they are welcome to move to any country already living under it ? WHY anyone would possibly want to live under that continues to evade me entirely, and I will lose no chance to oppose its implementation here to the very best of my ability...

8. Richard Dawkins on The Big Debate

Comment #117837 by cerbera on January 29, 2008 at 7:02 pm

I wished the debate had been longer, as we usually do, I imagine, but RD's contribution was efficient, effective and well-delivered as ever...

Shame they didn't dwell on the apostasy angle a bit more - I would have been interested in the answers given by the Muslim representatives if Richard had been allowed to press them on the differences, if any, between what is taught to children about apostasy in the UK, and in Muslim countries...

9. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #116627 by cerbera on January 26, 2008 at 9:23 pm

Oh he really is superb isn't he... well done again, RD...

10. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115605 by cerbera on January 24, 2008 at 11:48 am

Oh it just so weak... he must know how fallacious he's being. He must also know that anyone with half a brain will instantly see it for the irrelevant diversionary tactic it is. So he must be deliberately trying to deceive the people that don't yet know any better. What a disingenuous twat he surely is.

11. The devilish church practice of exorcism

Comment #114812 by cerbera on January 22, 2008 at 11:48 pm

heart-sinking stuff...

12. Darwin Day (Feb 12th) E-Cards

Comment #114287 by cerbera on January 21, 2008 at 6:50 pm

Without wishing to wee on anyone's fireworks, may I suggest that E-cards are not a good thing to be sending anywhere, given the recent proliferation of E-card spam mails that redirect to supremely dodgy sites. I would venture that no-one of any basic computer security knowledge would now even think about clicking on any E-card link they were sent, perhaps even if they knew the (apparent)sender. And rightly so in most cases.

So - maybe another format is preferable ? Possibly an email-able Jpg (although of course most email apps also block pictures from display by default), or perhaps a flash presentation hosted on an existing web site where people could click an email link to view it. Or even a mailable powerpoint presentation, such as they are...

But I quite agree, it would be nice to send round something...

13. Richard Dawkins on The Late Edition with Marcus Brigstocke

Comment #110019 by cerbera on January 10, 2008 at 10:01 am

Well that was a bit odd for me. And not just because I don't generally find Marcus Brigstocke funny. I thought RD looked a tad uncomfortable there in places, almost as if he was regretting his decision to be there somewhat.

I think I'm regretting his decision to be there too, just a little. Why ? Very hard to pin down, but might be along the lines of imagining that baseline comedy and intelligent rationalism don't necessarily work together. or at least not in that format, where it's all too brief, and nothing of real value gets explored properly. But others seemed to enjoy it, and I suppose if it does bring RD's name to those who may not have heard it, and it encourages them to find out more then all to the good...

14. The OUT Campaign has its own Flea!

Comment #106893 by cerbera on January 3, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Oh dear. I was fairly revolted reading through that lot.

It is something of a mystery to me why people feel the need to be wearing T-shirts proclaiming what they believe anyway...

But I have a feeling that should I see someone with that little 'C' proudly adorning their chests, it will always look like a 'D' for 'Deluded' to me...

15. Springer opera court fight fails

Comment #94365 by cerbera on December 5, 2007 at 1:23 pm

I'm glad this article is here, I read it in the Times Online and was slightly frustrated to not be able to leave some comments there.

So - another small victory for reason... I wonder if and when the decent thing will be done, and the law itself is indeed ruled irrelevant and repealed.

16. Highway to hysteria

Comment #94071 by cerbera on December 4, 2007 at 5:28 pm

Oh dear - you don't know whether to laugh or cry. As I believe Ross Noble once put it, it's like being molested by a clown.

17. Man-sized sea scorpion claw found

Comment #89991 by cerbera on November 22, 2007 at 10:37 am

And what about Shelob in the Lord of the Rings? Stabbing victims with her derierre! Spiders bite not sting.

18. Mother dies after refusing blood

Comment #85489 by cerbera on November 6, 2007 at 2:27 am

Maybe the unhappy incident will have some positive effect by making the bereaved question the validity of what they believe...