Skip to Main Content (access key 1)
Skip to Search (access key 2)
Skip to Search GO (access key 3)
Skip to comments (access key 4)
Skip to navigation (access key 5)
Skip to top of page (access key 6)

Comments by Geoff


301. Fleabytes

Comment #145922 by Geoff on March 18, 2008 at 9:58 am

6005. Comment #145912 by Steve Zara

I suggest we delete posts, to allow Paula no 6000.


Agreed.
May I suggest the following comment #'s are first against the wall:

145663
145517
145311
144990
143407
etc.

302. Two More Fleas

Comment #145916 by Geoff on March 18, 2008 at 9:50 am

All becomes clear, at last!

wooter wooted:


(more transitional forms are discovered every year.)
You mean on this PLANET?


No wooter; on the Earth. That's where the misunderstandings have arisen.

We don't know the transitional forms on your planet.

303. Two More Fleas

Comment #145868 by Geoff on March 18, 2008 at 8:48 am

366. Comment #145862 by clearmind
I recognise some of the words, but...

Someone on the fora coined the phrase "word salad" to describe such.

304. Two More Fleas

Comment #145866 by Geoff on March 18, 2008 at 8:46 am

Hi Calilasseia, welcome to the "dark side"!

Jon:



Is anyone else getting this image of a Neanderthal shoving a paintbrush up a cat's ass screaming, "YOU ARE MONA LISA! GOD PAINTED YOU!"


I wasn't...until your comment. Now it just won't go away.

305. Fleabytes

Comment #145756 by Geoff on March 18, 2008 at 5:28 am

5791. Comment #145440 by Quetzalcoatl


Thanks, Epeeist, I'm touched. :)


We know.

5811. Comment #145486 by mixmastergaz:

A splendid post, sir. Have some tea.

5855. Comment #145599 by Cartomancer
I've never got a bigger round of applause for shouting the phrase "solipsistic dehumanising nonsense" in my life before...

Never? Don't you use that phrase very often, then?

Pathfinder (still can't work out who you are), your grammar is showing! Couldn't you keep it up?

Funny though it was, even in jest DO NOT PUT APOSTROPHES IN PLURALS! I am one of the founder members of the AAAA (back in the days when the Daily Mail was a newspaper).

David: still not answering questions, I see.

306. Fleabytes

Comment #145221 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 11:30 am

Richard, I'm not sure if this has been mentioned on any other thread, but may I congratulate the Welsh RU side for their well-deserved "Grand Slam"?

307. New Atheists Are Not Great

Comment #145178 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 10:44 am

Steve #6: Thanks for that; that's exactly how I feel, in fact I've already told my family I want that song played at my funeral.

I've posted this before, but it seems apposite to repost it in this thread:

My brother died in February 2006, and a small group of us got together to arrange his funeral as we knew he would have wanted it - he was equally as atheistic as we were.

We interspersed personal readings from each of us with a selection of his favourite music.

Independently, we had all come up with two very similar themes to the readings, although the details were very different. One was that all of us brought humour into them, the other was that all of us mentioned "Lord of the Rings".

this is the full text of my bit:

Tony was so many things to so many different people - little brother, big brother, dad, best mate, partner, drinking buddy... we're going to take turns talking about him from all the different points of view.

To me, of course, he was my little brother (and best mate)...I remember being so thrilled the day he was born, even though I was less than a year old at the time! All through our childhood we did everything together, mostly involving getting into trouble of one kind or another.

Too many stories about the daft things we did to talk about now, but I remember on many occasions fishing him out of the duckpond in the park (which was no cleaner in those days than it is now!). Of course, I then had to take home this wet, slimy, smelly object, and face my mum! As usual, Tony got away with it - I was the older so it was my fault.

Shortly after we started at the Grammar school, Andy came along - which thrilled both of us...we now had a new toy! Even better, Andy could take over the responsibility of being fished out of the duckpond. Of course, I then had to take home this wet, slimy, smelly object, and face my mum! As usual, Tony got away with it - I was the oldest so it was my fault!

In our mid-teens we both discovered three things that were to become recurrent themes for the next 35 years or so. One was trad bitter, and we'll be covering that topic later in the Orwell. Another was girls - but don't worry, I'm not going to expand on that topic! The third was the Lord of the Rings books, and that became the nearest thing we had to a religion, even trying to learn the elvish language. We, along with most of our friends, effectively became "The Fellowship of the Ring", a connection that has lasted all through the subsequent 35 years.

I suspect most of you won't have recognised the music that was playing as we came in. It was taken from The "Fellowship of the Ring" film soundtrack, and the title is "the breaking of the fellowship". It's not really broken, of course, but it does feel as if a bit's fallen off.
I wanted to end my part with a quote from Lord of the Rings. There are literally thousands I could have chosen, but in the end I went for this one, which I can say in elvish:

LÃ\'¡ equen: Ã\'¡va nainuvalyÃ\'«; an lÃ\'¡ ilyÃ\'« nÃ\'­reli nar Ã\'ºmiÃ\'©o.

In English, that's:

I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.

308. Fleabytes

Comment #145100 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 8:58 am

5630. Comment #144964 by Richard Morgan


Turning wine into water..


I can turn wine (or beer!) into urine; does that count?
David:

But my favourite has to be my celebratory drink on a Sunday evening - Talisker.

You've gone up in my estimation!


A couple of questions, if I may:
I don't want to get bogged down on the abortion question, but
The child in the womb is a human being and it is wrong to take human life


At what point do you consider a fertilised egg becomes a child? If you read all the comments on that topic, you'll see a wide variety of opinions, mainly concerned with timescales, viability and so on.

I am still interested in your "moral absolutes", too, which seem to have err...fallen by the wayside?

309. I don't believe in atheists

Comment #145050 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 8:01 am

I haven't really been following this thread all that closely, but it seems to me that two different concepts are being conflated here: the efficacy of, and the morality of torture.

Does whether it is likely to work or not affect whether it's moral or not?

I don't like Steve's ticking bomb scenario, so let me try one of my own:

If my daughter had been kidnapped, and locked away somewhere without food & water, and the kidnapper was caught, I would have no hesitation in torturing him if it was the only way to make him reveal where she was being held. Even if there was only a small chance of it working.

If that makes me immoral, then so be it.

310. Immune system differences found

Comment #145011 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 7:08 am

Has Josh been on holiday? I submitted this weeks ago.

311. They prayed to cast Satan from my body

Comment #145010 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 7:06 am

Truly evil. Surely there's some form of legal action that can be taken against them?

312. Fleabytes

Comment #144957 by Geoff on March 17, 2008 at 5:08 am

5612. Comment #144900 by Steve Zara

Paula the Queen, Zara



Some call me a queen, but in this context I would be happy just to be a princess.


The thought did cross my mind, but I felt Paula had to be the glorious leader. Princess Steve, by all means.

313. Are the 'New Atheists' avoiding the 'real arguments'?

Comment #144797 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 6:42 pm

Goldy, it inhibits benzodiazepine hepatic metabolism too, as I'm sure you know. It would seem to involve the CYP2C19 enzyme.

HTH

314. Two More Fleas

Comment #144794 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 6:33 pm

Gordon, there's never been a cretinist yet that would actually produce a definition of (biblical) "kind".

I wish you luck, though!

315. Fleabytes

Comment #144773 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:51 pm


Ok, returning to the topic...


we haz topik? Srsly?

I'd say Cornwell was just trying for a gimmick. Didn't work.

316. Fleabytes

Comment #144756 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:27 pm

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Paula the Queen, Zara and MPhil,
Richard and Diacanu, Shayne Dark and Cartomancer,
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Fleabytes, Fleabytes shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the thread,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that drinks his tea with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whilst any speaks
That posted with us on the fleabytes thread.

317. Two More Fleas

Comment #144743 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:09 pm

and? You tried that one already. I suggested you read "The Selfish Gene", which explains all those points. As I said then, I don't expect that you will.

318. The atheist delusion

Comment #144729 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 4:49 pm

Ask the question. What's the best way to organise society? You cannot apply the scientific method to this question because the desired result is a value judgement.


I think to some extent one can do exactly that. For example, one can make predictions of how a propsed organisation might turn out by comparison with similar past examples. One could, perhaps, then discard those which have been shown to fail in the past.
If the desired result is simply something akin to the "greatest good of the greatest number", then at least some scientific input is necessary.

319. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #144723 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 4:39 pm

Awww Richard, you almost had me feeling sorry for them!

Almost.

Yet another brilliantly evocative piece, many thanks.

320. The atheist delusion

Comment #144671 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 2:59 pm

Absolutely right. Does atheism?


No, why should a lack of belief in gods tell one how to act? We rely on ethics & morality for that.

321. Two More Fleas

Comment #144664 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 2:32 pm

two days late, that's already been shredded here:
http://richarddawkins.net/article,2361,The-atheist-delusion,Guardian

322. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144658 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 2:20 pm

33. Comment #144650 by Teratornis


I was equally afraid of becoming possessed by demons if I were to play with an Ouija board.


Did you do the experiment? Can you be sure you aren't possessed?

323. Two More Fleas

Comment #144656 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 2:17 pm

http://www.australianmedicalcouches.com/ultraomnicouch.html

324. Two More Fleas

Comment #144636 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 1:43 pm

Reverend: much better, thanks!

(the "toned down" bit was intended as irony...)

325. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144616 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 12:37 pm

Logicel: be ashamed!

326. Two More Fleas

Comment #144609 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 12:09 pm

Reverend, you appear to be toning down the invective; please don't. Just because he feels he's being insulted is no reason to be so nice to him.

327. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #144601 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 11:57 am

wooter: enough with the "random chance", already!

Which of the following words do you not understand?

"The NON-RANDOM survival of randomly varying replicators".

328. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144580 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 11:14 am

I agree with your point about intensity of belief, Bonzai, and to some extent also about why people embrace religion as adults.
I think where we disagree is the proportion of those who are "born again" or whatever, as against those who are brought up with it.

This bit, again:

I will grant that [upbringing] is a factor, obviously, but I have problem with saying that it is a main factor or the only factor.


I really do think it's the main factor, though as you say, certainly not the only one.

Of course, it's difficult to quantify "how religious" someone is, but, to use a more global example, lifelong Muslims seem no less intense than recent converts, to me.

329. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #144572 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 10:54 am

If anyone is interested, AiG & Ken Ham are doing a series of talks in the UK next month:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/events/details.aspx?Event_ID=5644

Some RD.net members are going to be giving out flyers at the events (Steve Zara has been closely involved in the design of the flyer!).

More about it here:
http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=37075&start=0

and the flyer can be seen here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gpjnow/creationistflyer.doc

I'm hoping to get to the Liverpool one on March 31st.

330. 'Anonymous' takes anti-Scientology to the streets

Comment #144560 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 10:33 am

Light-sabers?

Nope! e-meters!

331. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144545 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 10:19 am

ROFL!

332. In Britain, creationist theory is evolving

Comment #144541 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 10:15 am

Before everyone gets too scared, here's an excerpt from the official Government response to a petition last year:

The Government is aware that a number of concerns have been raised in the media and elsewhere as to whether creationism and intelligent design have a place in science lessons. The Government is clear that creationism and intelligent design are not part of the science National Curriculum programmes of study and should not be taught as science.

Full text here:
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12021.asp

333. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144530 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 9:47 am

Bonzai:



I don't think it is very germane to just look at the numbers, As you told others on other threads many times, correlation is not the same as causation. Upbringing certain explains a lot (not completely, see below) about the particular religion one subscribes to, but it doesn't explain why he is religious in the first place. I will grant that it is a factor, obviously, but I have problem with saying that it is a main factor or the only factor. The "cultural" believers usually are pretty relax and are not seriously religious.


It seems clear to me that just looking at a world map of religions shows that it is the main factor. Of course there are exceptions, but proportionately not that many.
"Not seriously religious" looks rather like "No true Scotsman", to me.

You downplay "looking at the numbers", but surely that's the most important fact? Take the recent PEW survey, for example; conversions & immigration don't materially affect the fact that non-christian religions are statistically negligible in the US.

334. Selling science to the masses

Comment #144524 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 9:36 am

Perhaps, but it's a cliche that "common sense" isn't all that common. It seems to me that most people are all too ready to let emotions override it. Perhaps that's susceptible to education, but I'm not all that hopeful.

335. Two More Fleas

Comment #144520 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 9:24 am

The Gabriel Dover argument is explained very well in TSG. I suggest you read it, although I know you won't.

336. 'Anonymous' takes anti-Scientology to the streets

Comment #144514 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 9:18 am

My son went on the Manchester one yesterday: had a great time!

337. Two More Fleas

Comment #144510 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 9:11 am


I wrote more than 200 pages answers in English and still you are saying:...

Even this sentence isn't written in English. Furthermore, it's factually incorrect (Since you're touchy about perceived insults, I'm phrasing that in a different way to that which I normally would). We're still waiting for real answers, rather than the indecipherable, irrelevant analogies you've been posting.

338. Selling science to the masses

Comment #144505 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 9:01 am

Thanks Dr Benway! I remember being given that essay to read in my first year at Uni. Lovely to re-read it now.

339. Richard Dawkins on The Alan Colmes Show

Comment #144482 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 7:27 am

96. Comment #144390 by beauroland

Yeah, what was it that the caller thought it stood for? "After Death", or something?

340. Fleabytes

Comment #144458 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:34 am

Damn, I thought it was a good parody too (although the "light years of time" phrase always irritated!):

A spaceman came travelling on his ship from afar,
'Twas light years of time since his mission did start,
And over a village he halted his craft,
And it hung in the sky like a star, just like a star...

More likely explanation than the bible one!

341. Fleabytes

Comment #144451 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:10 am

"The Battle Hymn of the Atheist"
Phil Alexander

Mine eyes have seen sod all that's emanated from the Lord
And if He's really there the human race has been ignored
Excuse me if I don't believe in heavenly reward
His "truth" is just a con

I've read old and new testaments - it's been a kind of cause
So many contradictions and so many hopeless flaws
It's hard to credit this old tripe has caused so many wars
His "truth" is just a con

Fairy story - what's it to ya?
Fairy story - what's it to ya?
Fairy story - what's it to ya?
His "truth" is just a con

I have read a fiery Gospel and that's full of crap as well
It was writ a hundred years after events of which it tells
And if you think this Truth, then you are gullible as hell
This "truth" is just a con

OK, if He's omniscient, then why the need to pray?
'Cause if He does know everything, He knows it anyway
And if He's that omnipotent, why are things not OK?
His "truth" is just a con

Fairy story - what's it to ya?
Fairy story - what's it to ya?
Fairy story - what's it to ya?
His "truth" is just a con

There's no statistic proof that anything is changed by prayer
So He either doesn't listen, or He simply doesn't care
The logical deduction is there's simply no-one there
His "truth" is just a con

Now, please don't be offended if you don't like what you've read
But try and think about it - yes, I mean think! Use your head...
And if I'm wrong - I guess I'm gonna find out when I'm dead
If "truth" is just a con

Fairy story - what's it to ya?
Fairy story - what's it to ya?
Fairy story - what's it to ya?
His "truth" is just a con

342. Fleabytes

Comment #144446 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:08 am

Paula, have I misunderstood the lyrics? I've always thought of it as a parody of the Xmas story. The "angel gabriel" as an alien space traveller taking the piss?

343. Two More Fleas

Comment #144444 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 5:02 am

275. Comment #144404 by windweaver:

I'm pretty sure we all know that there's little, if any, hope for wooter, but there are still advantages to be gained from continuing to engage him.

1. As epeeist said, there is an audience, some of whom may be helped by following the arguments.

2. Similar to the above, said audience will see the way wooter continually evades direct questions, avoids or misinterprets adverse (to him) facts, in fact uses all the tactics that we've come to expect from his ilk.

3. Practice.

4. General hilarity, similar to FSDTD.

5. The opportunity for some of the more talented authors of streams of invective (eg Rev. Dark, Diacanu) to hone their talents for our delectation.

344. Fleabytes

Comment #144436 by Geoff on March 16, 2008 at 4:44 am

5523. Comment #144429 by mixmastergaz

"Always look on the bright side of life": Python
( - I want that played at my funeral.)

"Burning Times": Christy Moore

"Sister Josephine": Jake Thackray

"A spaceman came travelling": Chris de Burgh

I've seen a nice parody of "Battle hymn of the Republic" somewhere, too, I'll try and find it later.

345. Deadly Sins 101

Comment #144176 by Geoff on March 15, 2008 at 9:01 am

Who closed my style tags? Spoilsport!

(I see a commandment, I just have to break it...)

346. Deadly Sins 101

Comment #144170 by Geoff on March 15, 2008 at 8:39 am

The Church of Google has a good list:

http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/

Their sixth commandnent is my favourite.



;)

347. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #144167 by Geoff on March 15, 2008 at 8:35 am

Jon:

I am however trying to explain logic and science, in a manner simple enough for you to understand.


I'm not sure such a manner exists.

348. Selling science to the masses

Comment #144158 by Geoff on March 15, 2008 at 8:20 am

Um. Not convinced.

He seems to see it as an "either/or" scenario. Why not both? I don't know about the US, but we (in the UK) have very popular TV programmes (like "Brainiac") that do a pretty good job of popularising science.


You want to convince people to vote to fund stem-cell research? You need Michael J Fox on camera, shaking with Parkinson's and saying "this research could save my life, and thousands of people like me."


There are already many ads that do take a similar approach: cancer research, blood donor, stopping smoking etc. The big difference is that these aren't actively opposed by the religious (apart from JW's).

349. The atheist delusion

Comment #144150 by Geoff on March 15, 2008 at 8:04 am

"atheist creed"
Stalin, Hitler...

Nothing new to see here, move along...

350. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #143090 by Geoff on March 13, 2008 at 12:29 pm


You the Reverend and several others are looking after making him look like an idiot...


Naah, he manages that quite well by himself.

More Pages: Previous | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 | Next