151. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150483 by Logicel on March 27, 2008 at 1:49 am

Happy Birthday, Richard! In celebration, I am rereading the bits in Unweaving the Rainbow related to your wonderful angle on cutting through woo: bad poetry (the chapter titled: Huge Cloudy Symbols of A High Romance).

Corylus, a year has gone by fast because a year is really not all that very long of a period of time! (this is coming from an old fart, when the perception of time definitely is speeded up)

I love these threads that lure out the lurkers. No problem with lurking, just nice to know who is out there. I do hope Shaka posts again as I can't get enough of the rubbery magic of Rowan Atkinson's face (and of purring cats also, maybe an added audio?)

152. Expelled from Expelled: PZ story goes global

Comment #150475 by Logicel on March 27, 2008 at 1:20 am

Regarding the blogosphere not being the 'real' world, tell that to all the newspapers whose stock prices have been halved within recent years (because of the competition from 'unreal' people getting their information from the 'unreal' blogosphere.

It seems to this real person who works, communicates, and is entertained via the Web throughout each and every day, that the folks that are more critical than I regarding the 'real' effects of the Web, are much more optimistic and easily disappointed than I. Yes, the confrontation against Theism will be a long slough, and the Web will make that a bit shorter, but for goodness sakes, don't expect miracles.

153. Saudi Arabia Leader Calls for Interfaith Dialogue

Comment #150076 by Logicel on March 26, 2008 at 12:42 pm

Abdullah said Monday, deploring "the disintegration of the family...
______

Here, let me translate that into English: deploring the disintegration of cruel, crushingly mindless, power-obsessed Patriarchy.

154. Police: Girl Dies After Parents Pray for Healing Instead of Seeking Medical Help

Comment #149878 by Logicel on March 26, 2008 at 10:11 am

Faith is not a virtue, it is a vice. Society needs to wake up to that fact and not pussyfoot around it anymore--faithheads are all walking time bombs.

155. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #148828 by Logicel on March 24, 2008 at 2:47 am

As I have said previously, more original content is needed for this site. And though Richard is a novice at blogging and his opening paragraphs a bit rough around the edges, wow, did he eventually find his stride and strode right into the heart of the topic. Wonderful blogging.

For the commenters who remarked on the rough style, keep in mind how smooth PZ Myers' blogging is and realize that blogging is a skill (PZ Myers puts out about 5 original entries daily).

One of my fave bits, such a well done phrase (my emphasis is bolded):

...and his speaking voice is an irritating, nasal drawl, innocent of charm and of consonants.

Is that why Stein comes off like a bored thug?

156. John Templeton: God's sugar daddy

Comment #148472 by Logicel on March 23, 2008 at 6:46 am

Another 'love' junkie. Give me due process, democracy, evolution-based altruism, access to human rights, etc. anytime over this bowing down to an absolute notion of love as an entity and as a force for good.

157. The death-of-god debate

Comment #148465 by Logicel on March 23, 2008 at 6:26 am

Religion is a mental appendix, outdated but not yet extinct (and sometimes sorely inflamed).
_____

Wonderful line.

158. Discussion on PZ Myers being expelled from Expelled

Comment #148078 by Logicel on March 22, 2008 at 1:25 am

Nice clip. Loved Dawkins saying, He (the director) was doing Lord Privy Seals all over the place.

and

Goodness knows, they must be insecure.

Regarding all publicity is good publicity (in the sense that it will drive film revenues), I consider that to be an insignificant plus for the side of these IDiots compared to the willfully shooting of themselves in their feet debacle they now have on their hands.

Perhaps the American IDiots have been so lulled by the last twenty years or so of the predominance of the so-called Moral Majority, that they have no idea what they are up against with the viral negative publicity made possible rather recently by the Web.

159. No Admission for Evolutionary Biologist at Creationist Film

Comment #148071 by Logicel on March 22, 2008 at 12:57 am

As I suspected when I first read Dr Benway's wikipedia entry regarding breaking the irony meter, the entry was eventually deleted. Reason given that it belongs here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expelled:_No_Intelligence_Allowed

Check under the subtopic: Screenings.

160. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144614 by Logicel on March 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Now the tantrik wrote Sanal's name on a sheet of paper, tore it into small pieces, dipped them into a pot with boiling butter oil and threw them dramatically into the flames.
______

Oh g(h)ee! Really thought that would work.

161. The business of natural selection

Comment #144168 by Logicel on March 15, 2008 at 8:36 am

Can this system account for such variables as the company's in question competitor's well being/decline, Lady luck (ex., an unexpected oil, or other commodity find?), etc.?

I am a discretionary trader, and I spit in these people's faces.

162. Selling science to the masses

Comment #144166 by Logicel on March 15, 2008 at 8:31 am

In addition, the lovely bloke at Blogging Around the Clock has a list of all the pertinent links concerning this debate which has been raging for some time now:

http://scienceblogs.com/clock/2007/04/onestop_shopping_for_the_frami.php

163. Selling science to the masses

Comment #144160 by Logicel on March 15, 2008 at 8:25 am

PZ Myers disagrees vehemently with the 'framing' approach of Mooney and has written several lively posts related to this topic. Here's one:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/04/i_like_framing_less_and_less_w.php

164. The atheist delusion

Comment #144072 by Logicel on March 15, 2008 at 2:56 am

One long belly laugh from start to finish.

If 'loud/new' atheism (though this guy feels humanism is a problem also, per the Wikipedia link) is flushing these demented fuckwits out in the open, then perhaps Sam Harris is not entirely right to resist focusing on atheism.

This guy sounds like Hedges, negative and has given up on mankind. Just nuts. If we as a species fail, at least we tried.

165. Bishop accuses gays of 'conspiracy' against the Catholic Church

Comment #143348 by Logicel on March 14, 2008 at 3:15 am

Put a fork in it, the Catholic Church is done.

This guy is like a roasted whole pig just coming out of an oven with an apple stuffed in his mouth (apologies to vegetarians), the apple falls out, and this roasted, stuck pig manages to still squeak out his immoral beliefs. Eventually all his flesh will be stripped from his pathetic self and he will be no more. Thank Goodness for that.

Cartomancer, in his comment #74, outdid his usual wondrous grasp of the English language: my fave bit is, I have packed every nunnery from here to Geneva with trained lesbian insurgents and half the cardinals in the conclave are under my sway, ready to bring the church to its knees at a single theatrical wave of my ostrich-feather fan.

166. Two More Fleas

Comment #142646 by Logicel on March 12, 2008 at 11:47 pm

Here's a snappy reply for the fine tuning argument from Dawkins (TGD, p.144):

Far from God being needed to twiddle six knobs, there are no knobs to twiddle.

167. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142395 by Logicel on March 12, 2008 at 12:45 pm

...including one from the Archdeacon of Liverpool, objecting that the ads were offensive to the Christian faith.

_______

And his point is?

168. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #141745 by Logicel on March 11, 2008 at 6:46 am

...abortion, which offended "the dignity and rights of women"...
_____

I agree absolutely as I consider a rusty clothes hanger thrust up a woman to be very dignified instead of having access to legal, safe ELECTIVE abortions which are just so undignified.

Bunch of demented fuckwits that need every last bit of power stripped from their immoral hands.

Take a wild guess, what part of a women controlling her body do these dangerous morons don't like? Here's a hint, it begins with a c, same letter that begins the word, competition.

169. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #141733 by Logicel on March 11, 2008 at 6:34 am

As for the article: Put a fork in it, the Catholic Church is done.

170. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #141728 by Logicel on March 11, 2008 at 6:31 am

Not surprisingly, I made the 9th level, probably because I am a rude native New Yorker who chooses to live in France:

Ninth Level of Hell - Cocytus

This is the deepest level of hell, where the fallen angel Satan himself resides. His wings flap eternally, producing chilling cold winds that freeze the thick ice found in Cocytus. The three faces of Satan, black, red, and yellow, can be seen with mouths gushing bloody foam and eyes forever weeping, as they chew on the three traitors, Judas, Brutus, and Cassius. This place is furthest removed from the source of all light and warmth. Sinners here are frozen deep in the ice, faces out, eyes and mouths frozen shut. Traitors against God, country, family, and benefactors lament their sins in this frigid pit of despair.

An OK place for the likes of me, as I prefer icy climes over hot ones, but the mouth being frozen will need to be changed (as I adore talking and eating, among other things).

171. Lords Approve Abolition Of Blasphemy

Comment #140244 by Logicel on March 7, 2008 at 4:24 am

Lord Hailsham, bouncing up and down like an electrified blancmange, as was his wont,...
______

Morgan would be welcomed at my home for drinks for that precious line alone. I got this image of electrified blancmange in my mind now, and it won't leave me alone. Every time I see in my mind this insipidly bland pudding jump with fright and horror from its cozy bowl, I collapse in shrieking laughter.

I wonder if the good Lord Morgan then fell into a satisfying slumber after his literary exertions? And if he did, then I am the first to say it was a very well deserved sleep.

172. Bulldozers tear down giant religious teapot

Comment #138947 by Logicel on March 5, 2008 at 1:27 am

Members and visitors to the commune believe that water from the teapot, which poured into the giant vase, held purifying powers.
________

How does the water get poured into the giant vase? Is there a water pump at the base of the very long spout? If it is a miracle, think of the riches the Malaysian government can harness by renting their teapot out to the world.

Believers who emphasize the ecumenical approach drive me nuts which I refer to as let's all serve up the same warmed-up crap to everyone, let's revert to the worst common denominator, let's stew in our stagnated juices and rot for all eternity.

173. Church exhumes Padre Pio

Comment #138430 by Logicel on March 4, 2008 at 10:04 am

Put a fork in it, the Catholic Church is done.

174. Fleas on the Horizon: In Defense of God

Comment #138173 by Logicel on March 4, 2008 at 3:04 am

clodhopper wrote: Would that be 'winsome' as in 'sweetly or innocently charming'?
______

No, it is winsome as in the crucifixes hanging on the walls of Christian homes and churches, with their man-god in great, bleeding pain just so their mythical 'sin' will be washed away in his blood sacrifice. Winsome as in death cult, winsome as in embracing nonsense, winsome as in total waste of human creativity, ability, and time. With winsome like that, we need some unwholesomeness in buckets, please.

175. It's Make Believe!

Comment #137502 by Logicel on March 3, 2008 at 2:20 am

Carlin is so sharp that when he does get sloppily 'soft' it just leaps up at you.

However, he is mostly in top form, and this part of the special shows his genius (United Strokes of America with the Statue of Liberty jerking off Uncle Sam):
http://atheistmedia.blogspot.com/2008/03/george-carlin-on-heaven-and-hell.html

176. A natural phenomenon

Comment #137492 by Logicel on March 3, 2008 at 1:57 am

He will continue to make TV programmes (including a series about Darwin), but his days of going on location, of getting urinated on by birds, pooed on by bats or having a Mozambican cobra spit venom in his eye, are over. Attenborough will never whisper from the bushes again.

_____

milt, it says that right in this article!

177. Rock-Bottom Loser Entertaining Offers From Several Religions

Comment #137062 by Logicel on March 2, 2008 at 9:07 am

...which has offered a comprehensive package of everything and nothing.
______

That just about sums up religious 'truth.'

178. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #134669 by Logicel on February 28, 2008 at 4:57 am

The interviewer was so boringly trite that even hearing Dawkins doing his usual excellent 'routine' could not keep me awake. I shut it off after a minute.

179. The Giant Tortoise's Tale

Comment #133861 by Logicel on February 27, 2008 at 1:41 am

Ooooh, a barefooted Dawkins!

Not only factually presented, but also 'fractally':

Archipelagoes within archipelagoes

Islands within islands.

180. The Encyclopedia of Life, No Bookshelf Required

Comment #133858 by Logicel on February 27, 2008 at 1:12 am

This may sound nutty, but most people want to reach some kind of milestone before they die, and for me it was to be part of a global, user-generated network (this was my fondest dream over 30 years ago when I was studying McLuhan and getting bowled over by what many now consider to be the print precedent of what we have in the net, Brand's Whole Earth Catalog).

So being the weirdo that I am, I often muse out loud, I can die happy now because we have the Net. That's when the folks next to me on the bus or train move on over to some vacant seat, somewhat far from little ole me.

181. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video

Comment #133321 by Logicel on February 26, 2008 at 4:08 am

rod-the-farmer, did you use this email address: Submit an article for the front page by sending an email with the information to: articles@richarddawkins.net

182. Add another flea to the list...

Comment #132956 by Logicel on February 25, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Those are quite a lot of books decrying the 'new atheism.' Quantity can't trump quality though.

This author is focusing on the audacity of atheists of stating outright that religion can be dangerous (how can anybody doubt that, were they in a coma the day the World Trade Center was destroyed by devoted religious believers?)

Oh my, criticizing their beliefs is the equivalent of being a Stalin or a Hitler?

This loss of esteem and respect for their beliefs is earth-shattering for them. I thought God was enough for them? Not a single of the well known atheists writing have ever said anything in terms of depriving folks the right to worship.

They have no arguments against our stance. There I said it. They have none at present.

Here's a 'rabid' excerpt from TGD: I suspect - well, I am sure - that there are lots of people out there who have been brought up in some religion or other, are unhappy in it, don't believe it, or are worried about the evils that are done in its name; people who feel vague yearnings to leave their parents' religion and wish they could, but just don't realize that leaving is an option. If you are one of them, this book is for you. It is intended to raise consciousness - raise consciousness to the fact that to be an atheist is a realistic aspiration, and a brave and splendid one. You can be an atheist who is happy, balanced, moral, and intellectually fulfilled.

So what is it about being happy, balanced, moral, and intellectually fulfilled that is being the equivalent of being a Stalinist? Why would this state of affairs be a state that any decent human wouldn't want to encourage?

183. Fleabytes

Comment #132090 by Logicel on February 24, 2008 at 6:28 am

I am disappointed in our low level of masochism. Why stop at Robertson? Invite also McGrath and the other two fleas against whom P. Kirby presented her rebuttals with admirable skill.

As for this thread, some thoughtful posts managed to withstand a bevy of beery burps most likely triggered by watching sports on the telly.

Geoff, thanks for the Allen link, love that guy and somehow missed that clip.

Epeeist, damg, I loved that quip regarding female logic and P and Q. Cute.

184. The Lava Lizard's Tale

Comment #131666 by Logicel on February 23, 2008 at 1:24 am

26. Comment #131067 by kennykyles on February 21, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Marvellous. The style and presentation harks back to an earlier time when content was king.
______

I agree. Josh did well with this vblog. I, for one, think this site needs more original content. With my Newsreader, I catch about 50% of the non-original articles which are posted here (so this site is still quite valuable in that regard). However, original content is what the 'eyeballs' want.

I enjoyed the opportunity to see some marvelous landscape and to hear once again Dawkins' superb handle on regarding the role of time in evolution. I particularly appreciated the simile used for the day-long lava flow--what an artist can accomplish with her brush, an activity with we can visualize easily. This easily understandable perspective is a bridge on which we can stand so we can begin to understand a time span that exceeds our own, the time span in which evolution happened.

185. DLD08 - Life: a gene-centric view

Comment #130618 by Logicel on February 21, 2008 at 2:46 am

Though Dawkins and Venter were wonderful with their discussing of ideas, Brockman, with his 'laymen' perspective, although quite intellectual, grounded the discussion. Brockman was an asset to the scientists' chat.

I am really warming up to Venter; he reminds me of a lumbering bear, shuffling around, and then with concentrated determination, ruffles up a bee hive and leaves with the honey.

My two fave lines of his from this vid:

We can't play God if there is no God. (Can you get any more brilliant than that!!! Cuts right through the religites' crapola)

Pinker thought evolution has stopped because he has spent so much time at an university. (Venter's independence and business skills help him to sharpen his edge)

186. Fleabytes

Comment #129685 by Logicel on February 19, 2008 at 1:07 pm

I am still reading this article, but I want to say I got goose bumps reading this! Such a lovely sustained flow of well presented thought. Kudos!

I regard the religites' blathering about how we are made in God's image as their meaning that we have eternal souls (whatever that bit of fluff means). Humans are therefore not just animals.

187. Fleabytes

Comment #129681 by Logicel on February 19, 2008 at 1:03 pm

Leaving to one side the sheer audacity of Wee Flea, of all people, complaining about being patronised, let's get one thing straight: David Robertson, this paragraph is not about you. TGD is not about you. The universe was not created with you in mind. Of course our identity is bound up with all our choices, preferences and beliefs. All of them â€" which football team we support, our favourite composer, our preferred holiday destination, whether we take sugar in our coffee - form part of who we are. Yet it would be ludicrous to suggest that no one should be allowed to write anything that is in opposition to our own preferences, for fear of causing us offence; and equally ludicrous to suggest that religion should be granted special status in this regard. When Robertson writes in his book that atheists have a "profoundly depressing" view of the world, I would challenge that on the basis of reality, not on the basis that my identity is bound up with my atheism and that he's therefore offending and patronising me.
________

Simply excellent!

188. Why do we believe in God? 2m study prays for answer

Comment #129433 by Logicel on February 19, 2008 at 6:07 am

The Templeton Foundation has a dubious reputation; their focus is to present religion in a favorable light. It is not necessary for them to do the impossible which is to prove God's existence, but instead, to establish that religion is not just an evolutionary byproduct, harmful or not, but something in itself that has an evolutionary advantage.

189. Atheists An Increasingly Outspoken Minority

Comment #129281 by Logicel on February 19, 2008 at 12:31 am

Hanson is wrong. America is not a safe place for many to come out and declare their lack of belief. Atheists coming out because of the Christians invading the secular nature of government is valid. In addition, the outspokenness of atheism is in large part because of the net, not only because of chats, forums and blogs, but because of videos, audios, and artwork, cartoons, etc.

190. Atheists An Increasingly Outspoken Minority

Comment #129278 by Logicel on February 19, 2008 at 12:27 am

I place my trust on all those swirling atoms that seem to annoy religionists so much--with those around, anything is possible.

191. Archbishop's 8 March centennial message: Let Sharia Law govern women's lives, Amen!

Comment #128670 by Logicel on February 17, 2008 at 2:38 pm

In fact it only exposes his ignorance.

It seems that Williams' state of shock was triggered by his disbelief that his words were so 'misunderstood.' Sigh. Are Christians so focused on imaginary sin that they are impervious to when they truly commit egregious acts like this pathetic man stating his pathetic words? Do they feel no shame for their lack of knowledge, sensitivity, and fairness?

192. The argument from oranges

Comment #128463 by Logicel on February 17, 2008 at 4:19 am

I envision an American theocracy where all its international transportation hubs will have mobile food carts piled high with peanut butter/banana/orange sandwiches (in the shape of a fish) of which mandatory consumption is required in order for one to step upon the sacred theocratic soil. The ingestion of such iron-clad proof of the existence of God will be sufficient to nip in the (taste) bud any propagation of atheism.

193. A match made on RichardDawkins.net?

Comment #128446 by Logicel on February 17, 2008 at 2:58 am

I am so excited and pleased for you two--now I no longer need to keep my yap closed about this great news!

I am pleased as punch that V will be much closer geographically to me now and looking forward to visiting with you both.

Congratulations, my funny, intelligent, courageous friends!

194. Smaller Version of the Solar System Is Discovered

Comment #128088 by Logicel on February 16, 2008 at 4:50 am

Tooltroll (Comment #20), you made my day! Hilarious.

But if FRESH tripe is malodourous, I would hate to smell beyond-its-due-date tripe. (I have only cautiously peered at tripe wrapped in vacuum sealed plastic in the meat counter, never smelled or tasted it)

Astronomy has come a long way, baby.

195. Ayaan Hirsi Ali asks for protection

Comment #127968 by Logicel on February 15, 2008 at 8:15 pm

Finally, something that BHL does about which I can feel positive.

196. A Tyrannical Romance

Comment #126521 by Logicel on February 13, 2008 at 12:21 pm

Olivia Judson is an evolutionary biologist with flair--if you use a Newsreader, make sure you subscribe to her informative and enjoyable blog, The Wild Side (link provided in above article).

Though I throughly enjoyed the 'avianlanche' of puns, this comment (out of about 50 so far) at the article's original site had me in complete stitches:

Do we really have to know all this stuff? I mean, what’s it all got to do with St. Valentine’s day? I mean, all this anatomical business;�"it’s a turn-off, you ask me.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like dinos, like reading about ‘em, watching ‘em on TV. It’s just that, well, based on what I’ve seen and read about ‘em, romance just wasn’t part of their everday life.
__________

movingshadow, your LOLdino is excellent!

197. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!

Comment #126330 by Logicel on February 13, 2008 at 2:03 am

Niel Crafford, Atheist Alliance has this feature to help organize atheists all around the world: http://www.atheistalliance.org/outreach/index.php

I hope this helps. Also contact this site (Dawkins) by email and ask if DVDs can be bought at an discount, etc.

Hang in there, and you find a solution to your problems.

198. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125828 by Logicel on February 12, 2008 at 5:57 am

Other possibilities are Jerry Coyne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Coyne) and Michio Kaku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michio_Kaku)

How ridiculously ageist it is to have an mandatory retirement from an academic position!

Of course, Richard is going continue his work via his wonderful foundations. Who needs Academia.

199. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!

Comment #125756 by Logicel on February 12, 2008 at 1:45 am

Really enjoyed reading all our cards!!!

How nice it would be instead of Halloween (or in addition to it, since it can be so much fun), to have D-Day evolve where folks go around dressed up as the creatures we have evolved from, where community halls would have delightful interactive learning 'seminars', etc. (welcome any ideas).

It was hard to pick a fave, but this is mine so far:
http://media.richarddawkins.net/images/2008/darwinday/028_Sarah.jpg

200. Bill Maher on Larry King Live

Comment #125741 by Logicel on February 12, 2008 at 1:07 am

Despite not being a Maher fan, he did good with this interview.

Steve Novella MD, who writes the NeuroLogica blog has assembled up a stable of medical writers at a newer blog which is excellent (good discussion in the comments also):

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/

They debunked the anti-vaccination crowd thoroughly (check the archives).

The 'failing' that I see in science-based medicine is that it is just learning how to tailor custom its practice to individuals, for example, how to get the dose of medicine to be optimal for each patient--many of the untoward reactions and waste of medicinal resources would be decreased with the implementation of this angle.

Claiming that medicine focuses on the elimination of all disease is a fallacy. Having been trained in science-based medicine, I would agree that this was the focus under which I was taught: Medicine is the science and "art" of maintaining and/or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of patients. (from Wikipedia). Note not a mention of the word disease.

A fit gene is a gene that allows the organism to reproduce in its environment. Once the environment can be changed, as it has been via medical breakthroughs, those people are now fit to survive in that environment.