Comments by Geoff

201. Russell T Davies: Return of the (tea) Time Lord

Comment #156067 by Geoff on April 6, 2008 at 3:45 pm

As someone who started watching it when William Hartnell was the Doc, I muct admit I enjoyed yesterday's episode, despite the silly adiposes!

202. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #156065 by Geoff on April 6, 2008 at 3:36 pm

The LHC protest is essentially Walt Wagner. He's tried things like this before, most notably against the RHIC in New York. That action failed, too.

203. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #154523 by Geoff on April 3, 2008 at 11:51 am

Is April "troll season"?

No need to lie: "Truth? You can't handle the truth!"

204. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #154504 by Geoff on April 3, 2008 at 11:33 am

Well, as has been pointed out many times, it doesn't actually specify which sex the 72 virgins are...

205. Anti-gay Okla. lawmaker attracts 1,000 backers

Comment #154487 by Geoff on April 3, 2008 at 10:53 am

Waiting for David to pop in with "that's not my christianity she's talking about"...

206. Thy will be done

Comment #154484 by Geoff on April 3, 2008 at 10:46 am

18. Comment #154216 by Inferno

I suppose this is a good compromise. As long as its not used as a chance for a gossip session: "Oh, look Mr Smith didn't turn up for prayer! Well, I'll have second thoughts about voting for that resolution he wants..."

I suspect it's as likely to work the other way in the UK. "Oh, look, Mr Smith is one of those godbotherers..."

Oh, and "...in the presence of the mace"? That's divisive! What about the rest of the nutmeg? What about the cinnamon? The cloves? Let's spice up the debate and stop all this flavourism.

207. BBC 'too scared to allow jokes about Islam'

Comment #154474 by Geoff on April 3, 2008 at 10:32 am

I never really found Ben Elton funny, but he has gone up in my estimation.

Steve: non-story, true, but still "consciousness-raising".

208. CEAI Action Alert for Science Teachers

Comment #154469 by Geoff on April 3, 2008 at 10:25 am

1) Have you ever been confronted, reprimanded, or given a directive, for criticizing evolution or presenting scientific evidence critical of Darwinism?

If not, why not? Please provide the name of your department head, so he or she can correct this omission.

2) In light of the new dogmatic evolution standards recently passed by the Board of Education, ("Evolution is the fundamental concept underlying all of biology and is supported by multiple forms of evidence.") do you feel that you are free to give critical analysis of evolution in the classroom and not be confronted or disciplined?

Please remember, though, that religious dogma does not count as "critical analysis.

3) Do you feel that there is a hostile environment generally in your school or district toward those who dissent or disagree with evolution or Darwinism?

Again, if not, why not?

4) Do you have legitimate fears about what would happen to you if you criticized evolution in light of the new dogmatic standards?

Please note the word "legitimate". Remember that appearing uneducated and/or delusional should be a disadvantage for a science teacher.

209. Sean Carroll on the Today Program

Comment #154108 by Geoff on April 2, 2008 at 4:53 pm

Another book for my list! This site should get a commission from amazon!

210. Fleabytes

Comment #154022 by Geoff on April 2, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Have I missed where David answered the questions about absolute morality and about fertilised eggs?
Or has he...errr....forgotten?

211. Supreme Court to consider Ten Commandments vs. 'Seven Aphorisms'

Comment #153787 by Geoff on April 2, 2008 at 4:49 am

http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/Scripture/10_Commandments.html

1. Thou shalt have no other Search Engine before me, neither Yahoo nor Lycos, AltaVista nor Metacrawler. Thou shalt worship only me, and come to Google only for answers.

2. Thou shalt not build thy own commercial-free Search Engine, for I am a jealous Engine, bringing law suits and plagues against the fathers of the children unto the third and fourth generations.

3. Thou shalt not use Google as a verb to mean the use of any lesser Search Engine.

4. Thou shalt remember each passing day and use thy time as an opportunity to gain knowledge of the unknown.

5. Thou shalt honor thy fellow humans, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or race, for each has invaluable experience and knowledge to contribute toward humankind.

6. Thou shalt not misspell whilst praying to me.

7. Thou shalt not hotlink.

8. Thou shalt not plagiarise or take undue credit for other's work.

9. Thou shalt not use reciprocal links nor link farms, for I am a vengeful but fair engine and will diminish thy PageRank. The Google Dance shall cometh.

10. Thou shalt not manipulate Search Results. Search Engine Optimization is but the work of Microsoft.

212. Beware the Believers

Comment #153235 by Geoff on April 1, 2008 at 9:00 am

Barry, thanks for the penguins, that was wonderful!

213. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #153230 by Geoff on April 1, 2008 at 8:52 am

Every time there is a debate between a real jihadi and, say, what we have decided to call moderate Muslims, the jihadis win. Because they come with the Koran and quotes from the Koran. The come with quotes from the Hadith and the Sunnah, and the traditions of the prophet. And every assertion they make, whether it is that women should be veiled, or Jews should be killed, or Americans are our enemies, or any of that, they win. Because what they have to say is so consistent with what is written in the Koran and the Hadith.

-Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

214. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153217 by Geoff on April 1, 2008 at 8:14 am

123. Comment #153200 by Quetzalcoatl

Steve-

I nominate Irate_Atheist and The Reverend Dark.

...and Diacanu, surely?

215. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153092 by Geoff on April 1, 2008 at 2:54 am

I'm with Bonzai, Mitchell and others who have pointed out that the UN is a joke, and has been for some time.

216. Fleabytes

Comment #152755 by Geoff on March 31, 2008 at 1:14 pm

Off-topic [topic? we have a topic?] I've just come across an old post of Dr. Benway's on the fora that brightened my whole day. Too good not to share, so...

[explaining the "Big Bang" theory to a fundie]

Thxs 4 xlent qwestin Larry. I has splanashin:

Bang is metafur. Srsly, no has litrl meenins. If frend sais, "U is da bom!" no meens u has fuse can splode all ovr place, LOLs!

Physicses is testin pothsees bout how singlarty break simtry, and how part is gravty, den strong furs, week furs, lectromag furs. No is full splanation yet. But is scovries liek qwerks an mooins an glooins and is totly fasnatin wut is findins. Dey put scovries in cell fones an GPS an sum cat toys too!

Sience iz in ur fones givin u callz. Take out sience put in Bible and u get no calls. Sience pwns Bible LOL!

HTH, kthxbye!

http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33306&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=75#p612608

217. Fleabytes

Comment #152682 by Geoff on March 31, 2008 at 10:46 am

Oh, good, "fleabytes" was just having a well deserved rest!
So, recapping todays contributions (so far - no doubt by the time I've typed this there will be another 3 pages), we have:

7352: me being kind to David. Sorry, it won't happen again. David, the truth is not in you.

7353: We can but hope.

7354: Sorry, Steve; see above!

7355: Yes indeed!

7356: Very much so.

7357: al, I hope you'll "teach the controversy" and include the "Oxford comma". And equal time for the colon and semi-colon, please?

7358: Quetz: yeah, that was me being kind again; see above (and note usage of colon & semi-colon...)

7359: But not a mouthful of tea, one hopes.

7360: me too!

(skipping comments about taking up al's slack, otherwise I'll be here all day)

7371: Me Miss? Pick me Miss? Please?

7386: Paula, all of the above?

218. Fleabytes

Comment #152567 by Geoff on March 31, 2008 at 8:15 am

As usual, David completely ignores the facts, despite both Paula (on here) and UHI explaining the format.

219. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152525 by Geoff on March 31, 2008 at 7:39 am

33. Comment #152494 by al-rawandi

Well he may have a better time than a Jew trying to get de-circumcised.

Brief discussion here:
http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1531

:)

220. Beware the Believers

Comment #152465 by Geoff on March 31, 2008 at 5:31 am

307. Comment #152301 by Dr Benway

Postmodernism isn't popular 'round these parts. But some pomo art is quite good.

I was just about to agree with you, until I realised that the word was "pomo", not "porno".

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

Comment #152448 by Geoff on March 31, 2008 at 3:59 am

righton, I thought I'd heard of that church from somewhere, so I did a quick Google:

http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/deadbabies.htm

This article was 10 years ago, and STILL nothing's been done about them.
Read the whole article, if you have time. It made me cry.

222. Fleabytes

Comment #152292 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 4:03 pm

I thought it was kinda cute! wish I'd copied it before it was deleted...

;)

223. In His Name We Pray, Ramen

Comment #152290 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm

44. Comment #152123 by black wolf

Most weren't even aware that real science has mountains of good evidence in its favor, because that fact is kept from them at every effort. All reasonable people can do is present the evidence again and again, and to show how new evidence is found all the time. They need to find their way out of their ideology on their own, just like it takes followers of extreme Communism or racism a long time to re-evaluate their position.

http://www.skepticreport.com/creationism/ghetto.htm

An excellent analogy here.

224. Fleabytes

Comment #152222 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Yep.
As you say, no surprise.

225. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #152221 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 1:14 pm

130. Comment #152165 by b0ltzm0n

How about "Faithless Unbelievers Considering Knowledge Transcends Anything Richard Dawkins Says"...?

226. Beware the Believers

Comment #152207 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Anderlecht 3-1 Cercle Bruges

Charleroi 1-0 FC Brussels

Excelsior Mouscron 2-1 Dender

Germinal Beerschot 0-2 Westerlo

KV Mechelen 0-1 Standard Liege

Lokeren 0-0 Zulte-Waregem

Mons 4-0 AA Gent

St. Truiden 0-1 Roeselare

227. Fleabytes

Comment #152106 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 6:23 am

aww!

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

Comment #152105 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 6:21 am

Bonzai:

Well in that sense you do have safety warnings for religion. Some are labeled cults.

The only difference between a cult and "mainstream" religion is size (and to some extent time of inception). Nothing really to do with safety.

Pastafarianism could accurately be called a cult!

fides:

2. We can see that their decision isn't representative of all religious people.

That's part of the "no true christian" argument that we're trying to get across to you. Nothing is
"representative of all religious people", or even of all christians, or even of all catholics...the subdivisions go on and on.

The point being that they [the parents in the article] are just as convinced as any other sect that their interpretation is the correct one. Just as is Fred Phelps, or Ted Haggard, or the Pope...

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

Comment #152071 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 4:29 am

Food doesn't come with safe use manuals.

Yes it does! lists of salt/fat/etc contents. "May contain nuts".
Plus all the government health warnings: "5-a-day" and so on.

Edit: oops, this is moving too fast, Steve beat me to it!

230. Iowa county board gives initial OK for ghost hunters to investigate asylum

Comment #152066 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 4:24 am

46. Comment #151744 by asupcb

What's sad is that one of my friends who calls himself an atheist believes in ghosts. Is is just me or if you believe in ghosts you aren't really an atheist?

Only if he starts worshipping them!

Just because we don't believe in gods doesn't necessarily make us completely rational in all areas.

I have a primitive superstition that wooter can eventually be cured, for example, despite all evidence to the contrary.

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

Comment #152062 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 4:18 am

Fides, I can't be bothered doing a search of the bible for you, but Psalm 118:8 is stuck up on a church near me, and it's that ethos that runs through most doctrines.

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

Comment #152044 by Geoff on March 30, 2008 at 3:50 am

274. Comment #152012 by Bonzai

There seems to be an unspoken,--sometimes even spoken,--assumption that religious people either inhabit a different universe where they are completely immune from non religious considerations, or that they are required by their religion to so segregate themselves.

Not all, of course, but many do. Not necessarily physically segregated (although that too happens), but very often intellectually. That's a big reason for their "home-schooling" in many regions.

I camr across this article a while ago, which is apposite here:

http://www.skepticreport.com/creationism/ghetto.htm

279. Comment #152018 by fides_et_ratio

I suspect the reason I haven't heard religious people say this is because they don't believe in 'just the safe bits' they take their faith in its totality. Of course, that's minus the dangerous bits that people who don't share their beliefs try to ascribe to them.

But they all interpret it differently, or take different bits. It's been accurately said that there are as many types of christianity as there are christians.
The fact remains that there are very many that do believe the "dangerous bits" (your words!), and who feel that your type of faith is the wrong one, just as you do with theirs.

233. Beware the Believers

Comment #151848 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 2:56 pm

Hats off to our enigmatic rapers.

I hope that's a typo...

and I still don't find the film funny.

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

Comment #151839 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 2:44 pm

Jon, You do indeed have my sympathy. If an article like this one doesn't have any effect, I suspect nothing you do or say will help. I think you'll just have to accept that neither "side" will persuade the other.

Since you say that you don't hear from them very much, it seems to me that taking your mum's advice (in her last sentence) would be the best option.

235. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #151803 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 12:37 pm

craigyk: nice one!

236. In His Name We Pray, Ramen

Comment #151742 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 9:39 am

No mention of Quetzalcoatl? Heresy!

I need a cup of...errr...coffee.

237. A New Pope

Comment #151666 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 6:53 am

Brilliant! Reminded me very much of Rowan Atkinson, with perhaps a touch of "MIB".

238. Beware the Believers

Comment #151625 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 4:35 am

Yes Brian, sorry, I meant the language, not the content.

239. Beware the Believers

Comment #151606 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 3:54 am

I must be getting old. Even reading the transcript didn't help. Perhaps wooter could translate?

240. 'We Make Our Own Heaven'

Comment #151602 by Geoff on March 29, 2008 at 3:40 am

Bonzai, if that's your impression of the Canada education system, then fair enough, I don't know enough to contradict you (although I am surprised).
As a teacher in the UK, though, our system seems to be the complete opposite of yours, which seems odd.
Every subject has a critical analysis factor; indeed it's one of the most important points in any OFSTED [school inspectors] report. Similarly, very high priority is given to individual learning techniques, which again is the complete opposite of your perceived "factory approach".

I do agree with you about there being too much paperwork, but that's another topic.

241. Fleabytes

Comment #151055 by Geoff on March 28, 2008 at 4:55 am

7144. Comment #150820 by Richard Morgan

Geoff

Back on-topic, I've been married (this time round) for 25 years, and get quite enough sex!

Good for you, mate! But does your wife?

Well, I was hoping that question wouldn't come up... [blush].
No comment!

Anyway..beer:

Elephant: Porterhouse Oyster, definitely, but avoid Brain Blasta!

Jennings Sneck Lifter
Theakston's Old Peculier
Wychwood Hobgoblin
Marston's Double Drop

242. Fleabytes

Comment #150801 by Geoff on March 27, 2008 at 12:34 pm

al-rawandi:

ducks and runs

High time you learned about cricket.

Back on-topic, I've been married (this time round) for 25 years, and get quite enough sex!

Off-topic again, I'm just waiting for wooter to pop up again, so I can pass on this gem of Calilasseia's (used with permission!)

Your assertion that somehow "biology is wrong" is pathetically laughable.Your ludicrous eructation does not even rise to the level of competence required to be deemed worthy of being called wrong. Your eructations are a sad, pathetic joke, your demonstrable scientific illiteracy would be the stuff of pants-wetting, hysterical laughter, if it were not for the fact that the ideological warriors for your assertion-laden, evidence-free, scientifically illiterate and worthless doctrine are egregiously mendacious in their conduct and have been conspiring to subvert education, science and reason for too long. The sooner this pestilential ideological disease is eradicated, the better.

I think that's even better than Shayne's!

243. Fleabytes

Comment #150610 by Geoff on March 27, 2008 at 7:03 am

7025. Comment #150574 by Richard Morgan

Geoff :

it's when debating with this group that the bible becomes an effective "weapon" for "our side" (scare quotes necessary!).

So you're saying that we should be familiar with the bible and other holy books, AND with the various interpretations going around, in order to use them as evidence to enlighten and convince the group of believers who are not aware of "these problems"?
Please confirm that I have read you correctly - then I will continue.

In part, yes. I'm not saying read every "Emperor's New Clothes" commentary, but the core books, yes, definitely.

Quoting the "nastier" parts, that don't get read out in church, can be very effective.

244. Fleabytes

Comment #150567 by Geoff on March 27, 2008 at 5:53 am

Dr Benway: Great post (as we've come to expect), but it doesn't go far enough. The truly scary ones are those who aren't looking for an "escape clause". The soldiers who delight in following unpleasant orders.

A key point to me, though, is this one:

Not all believers are aware of these problems.

I think, if anything, you underestimate the size of this faction, and it's when debating with this group that the bible becomes an effective "weapon" for "our side" (scare quotes necessary!).

245. Expelled from Expelled: PZ story goes global

Comment #150559 by Geoff on March 27, 2008 at 5:29 am

Bonzai, as I understand it, the hour long RD/PZ film is a general discussion between the two of them, the only part about "expelled" is the segment that's already been posted here.

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

Comment #150317 by Geoff on March 26, 2008 at 5:32 pm

It's lucky our morals come from god, isn't it? Who knows what might have happened otherwise.

247. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #149661 by Geoff on March 26, 2008 at 4:38 am