351. Turkey bans biologist Richard Dawkins' website

Comment #249618 by Hellene on September 18, 2008 at 11:13 am

Oh and I forgot about a million or so Greeks murdered 1914- 1923.


http://www.greek-genocide.org/index1.html

352. Turkey bans biologist Richard Dawkins' website

Comment #249601 by Hellene on September 18, 2008 at 10:47 am

116. Comment #249486 by al-rawandi


And before that don't forget six million Armenians killed by the Ottoman Turks.


http://www.usaturkishtimes.com/news/english/turkey_stops_us_senate_measure,_for_now/

353. Turkey bans biologist Richard Dawkins' website

Comment #249369 by Hellene on September 18, 2008 at 3:54 am

60. Comment #249365 by Diacanu

Are we insulting Turkish authority figures? Is this like a blasphemy challenge? Can I try?

OK

Hanum YiaYia's moustache looks like it had been put on by force... in prison.

354. Turkey bans biologist Richard Dawkins' website

Comment #249356 by Hellene on September 18, 2008 at 3:19 am

Not surprising, considering they can't admit to purging six million Armenians.

355. Discussion between Richard Dawkins and Clive James

Comment #248935 by Hellene on September 17, 2008 at 7:46 am

Quote;

"...and he saw the tadpoles and drew the right conclusions".

Avatar vindicated!


Script writer, "Tadpole Incorporated".

356. Religion in America: Why Many Democrats and Europeans Don't Get It

Comment #248184 by Hellene on September 15, 2008 at 8:47 pm

The issues just need to be rephrased in language that the _______s can relate to.

Not abortion or birth control, but "Teenage Pregnancy Prevention" (TPP for short).

Not universal health care, but "The same level of health care our legislative body receives".

Not alternative or renewable energy, but "Protect our Nations Oil for the future".

Not gun control but, "Guns for law abiding citizens only!".

Not Sex education, "Healthy minds, healthy bodies".

And I'm not really that good with words.....

357. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #247047 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 9:50 pm

I dweam of makivewi wif de light bwown haia...

358. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #247045 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 9:35 pm

2470. Comment #247042 by Diacanu

Hey I'm Greek. What do I know from Islam.


"Kiwl de muswem, Kiwl de musweeeemmm."

359. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #247037 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 9:18 pm

2463. Comment #247025 by GoatBoy36

In that particular case I think of ineptitude and failure ...

360. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #247022 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 7:11 pm

I keep seeing in my minds eye....

Elmer Fudd under a spotlight, in wagnerian gear, a helmet with horns, armor, and a spear.

Singing;

"Kiwl de muswem, Kiwl de musweeeemmm."

361. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246909 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 2:07 pm

Option #3:

Read Sun Tzu.

362. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246898 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 1:52 pm

2406. Comment #246892 by decius

Haven't gotten to the end of those as of yet.

363. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246888 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 1:40 pm

2395. Comment #246872 by Titania

"but I think he has a blindspot regarding the religious justification of jihadism. "

I'm reading through his "stuff" on his website. I'll keep my antenna up.

364. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246871 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 12:53 pm

2392. Comment #246869 by Titania

Interesting fellow he.

Scott Atran

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/satran/home

365. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246864 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 12:20 pm

2383. Comment #246852 by mordacious1

Thank you! The second video is the one You Tube removed.

Quote;

"God is invading Alaska. Masters commission Wasilla Alska has one purpose... etc... The call, to spread the power and message of christ to Alaska, the United States, and the entire world."

Got "Code"?

366. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246853 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 11:51 am

2380. Comment #246847 by BSBUSTER

Palin knows "The Code" and speaks it. Thats one of the reasons McCain picked her.

367. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246845 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 11:36 am

decius

You tube has removed "Palins Demon Haunted World".
Curious.

368. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246819 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 10:19 am

Lee Harris

"This was the plight faced by the peasants in Kurosawa's masterpiece, The Seven Samurai..."

Personally I like "Gunsmoke" better, the Marshal wore a white hat.

EDIT: Or how about the Bourne Identity? Or the Turner Diaries?

EDIT#2: And my favorite Starship Troopers #3.

369. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #246812 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 9:18 am

2358. Comment #246802 by Steve Zara

My father once told me, "It is easy to pull the trigger and let the bullet fly, but much harder to take your finger off the trigger and have the bullet come back into the gun".

370. Anglicans back Darwin over 'noisy' creationists

Comment #246791 by Hellene on September 13, 2008 at 7:21 am

Tahir Alam, of the Muslim Council of Britain, expressed concern that there was a rising trend of intolerance towards religious beliefs and said:"Secular atheism is getting very dogmatic."

371. Why we evolved to be superstitious

Comment #245891 by Hellene on September 11, 2008 at 1:49 pm

I brought a "country" dog into the city once. He tried to chase a deer lawn ornament. Totally freaked the poor dog out. It looked like a deer. But smelled wrong, and didn't move. Dog had all its hair standing on end, and was shaking like a leaf. Kept looking at back me and wimpering. " Do you see this too?". I'd say he saw the equivalent of a ghost.

372. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #245794 by Hellene on September 11, 2008 at 12:30 pm

1963. Comment #245783 by al-rawandi

Any more info on Mike Lurie? He looked promising.

373. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #245766 by Hellene on September 11, 2008 at 11:58 am

1939. Comment #245732 by Frankus1122


Dude, lighten up. Al's been taking it from all sides lately, I thought he could use a laugh.

374. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #245718 by Hellene on September 11, 2008 at 11:14 am

1830. Comment #245573 by al-rawandi


1) "They aren't cutting down the redwoods."

Well thank Mother Earth for that. Those were some awesome trees.

2) "They are cutting down about 10 Oak trees by Memorial Stadium and will be planting and entire grove of new ones."

I think "Arboreal Sapiens" need to have thier own tree section to protest in. It could be an elective. Money for the University.

3)"These hippies are annoying, these trees aren't endangered, and more will be planted."

Hippies are an endagered species, and need protection. Again think of the tourist dollars.

4) "Why don't they fly to the damn rainforest and make a real difference."

If they are up in the trees they can't cause any problems on the ground can they?

Plus they can't vote from up there can they?

375. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #245419 by Hellene on September 10, 2008 at 5:03 pm

1813. Comment #245414 by decius

Hey! I wasn't that high!

376. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #245412 by Hellene on September 10, 2008 at 4:51 pm

1795. Comment #245378 by al-rawandi


1973, I slept under the redwood in the second photo. It's on the bank of strawberry creek right? They are cutting down that grove of redwoods? Jeesh! They'll come down eventually, the "hippies" and the trees.

377. Opening minds

Comment #243584 by Hellene on September 6, 2008 at 9:56 am

195. Comment #243581 by Roger Stanyard


And here it is;



http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm


Now I'm going fishing.....

378. Opening minds

Comment #243583 by Hellene on September 6, 2008 at 9:50 am

195. Comment #243581 by Roger Stanyard

Joy!

I mention Strauss, people over here start humming waltzes.

Lets see, Karl Rove wrote Palins' speech for the republican convention. At least that's what I read. Haven't been able to confirm. McCain is going to have to deal with the Neo-Cons if he wants to survive. They have been consolidating power since Nixon. It's going to take a lot of reverse engine breaking to dislodge them. If they don't get the white house they go after the house and the senate. And state government, and local. If Obama wins they'll spend time derailing him and holding him up as an example of what's wrong. I hope I'm making sense. I'm going fishing, goodbye for now.

379. Opening minds

Comment #243578 by Hellene on September 6, 2008 at 9:19 am

192. Comment #243572 by Roger Stanyard

in the beginning,there was enough land here for religious cults to go on isolated from the rest of the world. Unfortunately wealth has allowed them to continue in ignorance. Add the neo-cons trick of blending nationalism/patriotism with fundamentalism, we are pretty much knackerd (did I spell that right?).

380. Opening minds

Comment #243569 by Hellene on September 6, 2008 at 8:29 am

188. Comment #243566 by Titania

Good for your father. I wonder how he coped being surrounded as it were.

Do consider science a freedom?

381. Opening minds

Comment #243564 by Hellene on September 6, 2008 at 8:19 am

182. Comment #243553 by Roger Stanyard

"It is not a battle between science and religion (and I deeply disagree with Professor Dawkins on this). It is a battle between rigid and unyielding ideologues and freedom. "

I agree with much of what you have posted.
But I would like to put forth an idea;

Does not science free us from ignorance, and superstition?
Does not science help keep us free of disease, and discomfort?
Has science not allowed us to communicate freely?

Isn't science a freedom of sorts?

382. Opening minds

Comment #243561 by Hellene on September 6, 2008 at 8:08 am

180. Comment #243549 by Titania

I was lucky. My grandfather was my male role model. Polite , calm, and worshipped humor. He kept telling me that Jesus was not a blue eyed blond, but a sunburnt Hebrew carpenter with a probably crooked nose. My absentee father, whom I met in later years, believed in the twelve gods of Olympus.

At one point I asked my daughter if she had ever read the bible. She replied no, only some quotes here and there. I recommended she should for "literature" purposes. I got a very amused look from her. You know one of those you get from your kids when you say something very silly. And it dawned on me. She was free from that nonsense.

My mother had "the Selfish Gene" waiting for me one college summer break. At the time I was a Biology major. Sometimes I regret not staying the course.

I live in Tampa, home of Rhonda Storms, our own little Palin. She trotted out "teach the controversy" legislation in the state senate lastsession. It was bogged down in technicalities. Someone was smart.

Yes the brainwashing is a problem. Just mention "revelations" around here and watch peoples eyes glaze over and get the most ridiculous zombie smile.

And to make it worse, one of the schools I teach at has a group "occultists". Kids come out of some classes scratching their heads.

And I leave with something I overheard the other day. A student was discussing his classes for the next semester with the department head. There was a course in Logic on his roster. He asked what they did in that class.

"You learn critical thinking".

"Do I really need that?"

The whole office responds as one: "Yes you do"!

383. Trichoplax Genome Sequenced: 'Rosetta Stone' For Understanding Evolution

Comment #243396 by Hellene on September 5, 2008 at 4:34 pm

6. Comment #243346 by Cartomancer

" I have an instinctive reflex when confronted with creationists to bash their faces in with a fire extinguisher..."


Over here you'd get fined for tampering with a fire extinguisher.

Interestingly enough when I was younger I went through an aquarium/terrarium phase. I had about twenty or so in my room. One of my salt water jobs had these tiny little blobs eating the algae that grew on the glass. I wonder if it was these fellows?

And thank you to the DOE, Yale, and Professor Dellaporta. I regret not getting a degree in Biology.

384. Opening minds

Comment #243150 by Hellene on September 5, 2008 at 8:03 am

137. Comment #243130 by upsidedawn

Au Contraire!

I was in Athens Greece, my grandfather sent me to buy a newspaper. On the cover was the title "patisan" (they have stepped). The Apollo program was everywhere at the time. And there was hope instead of fear.

385. Opening minds

Comment #243121 by Hellene on September 5, 2008 at 6:26 am

At my funeral?

"Death trip" by Iggy & the Stooges.

Titania

My daughter is about to graduate film school with a minor in biology. Her science teachers were amazed to find a "filmie" in their classes.

386. Opening minds

Comment #242932 by Hellene on September 4, 2008 at 7:00 pm

kkelly you rascal!

387. Opening minds

Comment #242920 by Hellene on September 4, 2008 at 6:22 pm

Try this one on for size. A physics teacher who shows "What the bleep do we know?" and quotes it in class as a source.

388. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242436 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 4:56 pm

594. Comment #242431 by Titania

"What the heck is a McBush atheist? Will someone enlighten me? Or do I really want to know?"


A Republican Atheist... I think.

389. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242429 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 4:45 pm

590. Comment #242427 by Titania


"Decius,

Sometimes you are funnier than Diacanu! "


I'll add a sharp wit and good character to that.

390. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242423 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 4:36 pm

583. Comment #242420 by BrandySpears

"Islam is submission, not peace. "


I was quoting George Bush.

391. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242418 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 4:25 pm

" The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war."

392. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242362 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 3:14 pm

531. Comment #242359 by Steve Zara

"How about "would a pig argue in favour of the general concept of bacon"? "

Isn't that close to being some sort of blasphemy?

393. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242118 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:55 am

323. Comment #242114 by Ian Bamlett

"*takes out his Glock 19*

... Never bring a knife to a gun fight Diacanu, you know that... "



Great... an arms race.

394. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242111 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:47 am

317. Comment #242107 by Diacanu


Good Point. Thank you.

395. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242109 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:44 am

313. Comment #242103 by Ian Bamlett


"I understand. One rule for the democrats, another for the Republicans. "

In your mind only. I'm not a Democrat.

396. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242099 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:37 am

307. Comment #242092 by Ian Bamlett


No I don't.

397. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242090 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:26 am

300. Comment #242085 by Ian Bamlett

"Some very smart people are religious but fully accept the age of the universe, the earth, evolution, plate tectonics etc etc. These are the people we need to work with the, 'belief in belief' crowd who can be one over. The young earth crowd are just bat shit insane. So.... which is Sarah Palin and why do you say there is no difference. There is a HUGE difference."

You mean like Ken Miller?

398. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242083 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:19 am

293. Comment #242077 by Ian Bamlett


I really don't care which gradient of delusion she subscribes to.

399. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242074 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:13 am

281. Comment #242062 by Ian Bamlett


"Do you understand the difference between believing that God created things billions of years ago and god created things 6,000 years ago?"

Actually, no I don't understand the difference. ; )

400. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #242071 by Hellene on September 3, 2008 at 11:11 am

285. Comment #242068 by Ian Bamlett

I have never mentioned the word Obama in this thread. Try and stay on topic.