Comments by Tyler Durden

401. Storm erupts over 'virginity' divorce

Comment #188034 by Tyler Durden on June 3, 2008 at 7:06 am

Comment #188029 by al-rawandi

If he thinks he can open a can of Whiskis and get me naked, he has another think coming.

Now there's a mental image I didn't need. Thanks a million Al :-)

402. Storm erupts over 'virginity' divorce

Comment #188032 by Tyler Durden on June 3, 2008 at 7:02 am

Comment #188020 by Appleby

I'm not looking for an excuse to discriminate against homosexuals but...

Really? Have you actually read your own posts??

This one is up there with the classic: "I'm not racist but..." followed by some racist rant.

403. Storm erupts over 'virginity' divorce

Comment #187974 by Tyler Durden on June 3, 2008 at 5:13 am

Comment #187126 by Appleby on June 1, 2008 at 10:24 am

Well, just because something is true in nature, it doesn't make it right. Homosexuality might have been seen by the religious as "unproductive". They *do* tend to die off and leave no offspring of their own, don't they? Offspring with perhaps the same "bad wiring" (if you'll excuse the term) no less.

I find male homosexuality disgusting because I'm a straight guy. I think that also answers why I don't find female homosexuality disgusting.

Comment #187130 by Appleby on June 1, 2008 at 10:40 am

In a similar way, I find the shoving of male penises into assholes of other men disgusting.

Didn't Ted Haggard say something very similar before being caught paying for sex with a male prostitute?

404. Top 6 Incestuous Relationships In The Bible

Comment #185260 by Tyler Durden on May 27, 2008 at 9:42 am

Billy,

Is the offical line from the Vatican that "Adam and Eve" did not actually exist, and so the story is just allegorical? I thought the Vatican approved and accepted evolution by Natural Selection?

I was approached by some Christians while passing by their church the other day, they were evangelizing, and they were convinced "Adam and Eve" existed, and the world was only 6,000 years old.

I did my best to educate them, but after an hour they were sick of my logic, reason, science, psychology, biology, and biblical knowledge that they ran back inside their church - same old excuse from the theists: "we have to go" :-)

405. What is science for?

Comment #185249 by Tyler Durden on May 27, 2008 at 9:04 am

Comment #185235 by clearmind

As for the tilting of the earth for seasons or receiving the sunlight properly, with your evolution IQ, how did evolution calculate exact measures in solar system and the distance between earth and sun and other planets?

"clearmind", this has nothing to do with Darwinian evolution by Natural Selection.

Luck
Chance
Unexplainable randomness (whatever it is, it is self- absurdity)

And neither does this.

Are you being intentionally dense?

406. Top 6 Incestuous Relationships In The Bible

Comment #185219 by Tyler Durden on May 27, 2008 at 8:12 am

1. Amnon and Thamar

I had not read about this one, heard about the other five.

How can the pious Christians defend this sick, twisted behaviour???

407. Religion is a product of evolution, software suggests

Comment #185208 by Tyler Durden on May 27, 2008 at 7:46 am

In this explanation, natural selection slowly purged human populations of the non-religious.

What a load of nonsense! This was published in New Scientist?? Hmmm.

408. Religion is a product of evolution, software suggests

Comment #185200 by Tyler Durden on May 27, 2008 at 7:27 am

"Religion is a product of evolution, software suggests"

But reality proves otherwise!

409. 'Reverse Evolution' Discovered in Seattle Fish

Comment #183890 by Tyler Durden on May 23, 2008 at 5:34 am

This reminds me of the phrase "reverse psychology", when trying to get somebody to do something they would not normally do - but it's a misnomer. It's all psychology, it's just being used in a manner to obtain a goal.

This is evolution, plain and simple.

410. What is science for?

Comment #183050 by Tyler Durden on May 21, 2008 at 9:27 am

ASMarques,

Are you still here?

Don't you have a Moon Landing Conspiracy website, The Flat Earth Society, or a pack of rabid dogs you should be annoying?

411. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #183035 by Tyler Durden on May 21, 2008 at 9:03 am

"clearmind"

LET'S HEAR THE TRUTH.. Sorry I did not have soooooo many books like you, sorry JUST web pages BUT they are enough to reveal the truth

Actually, no. That is your subjective viewpoint, try posting an objective viewpoint to counter the argument - The Cannonical Hadith would do as a source, if you can find anything there to back up your "argument" - otherwise you just look very, very foolish.

412. In God's Name

Comment #182951 by Tyler Durden on May 21, 2008 at 6:35 am

Comment #182937 by devout_heathen

on the Carmel Christian School. According to their prospectus:

There is added emphasis on a superior academic system... based on learning Maths, English, History, Geography, Science and Etymology in the context of God's created world and based firmly and soundly upon Bible principles.

According to the official Vatican astronomer, Rev Jose Funes, in the newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the Bible "is not a science book".

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/and-god-created-aliens-vatican-1375675.html

So these muppets in Carmel Christian School are teaching against Vatican doctrine? Tsk, tsk, straight to hell with you lot!

413. In God's Name

Comment #182928 by Tyler Durden on May 21, 2008 at 6:05 am

Comment #182918 by nalfeshnee

The only slightly frustrating thing was that the interviewer was a little polite. But then, he did get access to these idiots...

I got the same impression, but after a while realised that maybe, just maybe, the interviewer was simply giving them enough rope to hang themselves with.

And hang themselves they did. Idiots.

414. In God's Name

Comment #182841 by Tyler Durden on May 21, 2008 at 3:14 am

From Part2:

"Andrea Williams is a barrister"

Yet when poor Andrea is asked a question like "How old the Earth is" she asks for the camera to be turned off. Or when asked to explain her views on Islam as a "false religion" to a Member of Parliament, she turns her mic off.

Hands up anyone who would hire Andrea Williams as a barrister.

No, me neither.

415. In God's Name

Comment #182835 by Tyler Durden on May 21, 2008 at 3:00 am

"Hell is other people." John Paul Sartre

416. Group finds Starbucks logo too hot to handle

Comment #180922 by Tyler Durden on May 16, 2008 at 6:12 am

Comment #180913 by k1mgy

Let's launch a national protest movement against the crucifix.

Anyone care to raise a cup of brew to that?

Sign me up!

I remember as a kid in my grandmother's house, the image of Sacred Heart hanging on the wall always freaked me out. What a horrendous image to have hanging on a wall, esp with kids around imho.

417. Bill Good Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #180591 by Tyler Durden on May 15, 2008 at 9:01 am

Just listened to this today. The sound of the disgruntled caller hanging up abrubtly after RD explains to him why we can't actually see evolution happening in front of our eyes (similar to plate tectonics) was a pure coffee-over-the-keyboard moment.

Thanks Richard, you made my day :-)

418. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #180572 by Tyler Durden on May 15, 2008 at 8:20 am

Comment #180534 by Galactor

cathat (beginning to get the Dr Zeuss reference?)

The evilutionist gladly points out how we now have the makings of a nursery rhyme.

There is a creationist response to this progression but I can't remember it. Oh well.

The creationist mumbles something about the lack of nursery rhymes in the bible, therefore nursery rhymes are against god, and wanders off to stick his head in the sand! :)

419. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #180488 by Tyler Durden on May 15, 2008 at 5:10 am

Comment #180485 by riandouglas

What you need to do now, instead of continuing to display your arrogance and ignorance, is back up your argument with some evidence.

rian, such optimism :)

If txpiper went searching for evidence, his opinion would have to change - as the evidence backs Natural Selection as the mechanism - and I don't think he came here to have his opinion changed, merely to spout it as us (much like ASMarques).

420. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #180480 by Tyler Durden on May 15, 2008 at 4:32 am

Txpiper,

Have you actually read anything posted by Calilasseia, Dr. Benway or Rev Shayne Dark?

All I get from your posts is the Argument from Personal Incredulity.

Just because YOU do not understand Darwinian evolution by Natural Selection does not mean it is not happening, or has not occured over the last 3.5 billion years.

Exactly how self-important do you think you are? So all those evolutionary biologists and scientists are wrong - but you are right? And your doctorate is in...?

What else don't you understand? (Don't answer that one, I don't have all day!) So, if you don't understand nuclear fussion, are we to assume the sun did not help form life on this planet and is NOT currently warming our planet, allowing life to flourish?

Read up on Natural Selection, there are countless books out there, then try posting your opinions - crying that it can't have been Natural Selection because you don't understand the mechanism is a very weak argument.

421. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #180470 by Tyler Durden on May 15, 2008 at 3:34 am

Comment #180162 by jayalenik

To the punctuation police:

I wrote: Your welcome

I left out the period two

You are slipping

The period two? Two is not a period, it's an alphabetical representation of the natural number character "2"

Oh, you left out the period too. As in "I also left out the period here." Now I see what you're trying to say.

You are slipping

You left out another period here too!

422. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180154 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 9:31 am

Al,

Haven't read that much on global dimming, will have a look online later and get back to you.

Off out to enjoy the sunny weather... isn't global warming great? :-)

423. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180152 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 9:25 am

Quetz,

Sorry, meant to say the Northwest passage is finally navigable all year round. It was navigable before, as you say, but only during summer months.

424. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180145 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 9:15 am

Al,

Climate change (i.e. a natural larger cycle of warming) and man made global warming are two separate phenomena. Anthropogenic global warming being a sub-set of climate change. Trying to control the climate of our planet may be beyond our means, however, we can control the amount of CO2 we pump into the atmosphere, thus control global warming.

Yes, we have geological evidence for climate change such as previous ice ages; this can be proven to be from volcanic eruptions or other factors outside our control. What this gives us is a comparison to show that we don't need anything as catastrophic in order to affect the atmosphere - we do this by simply raising CO2 levels.

Fluctuations in the sun's rays over its 11-year solar cycle have shown to have no effect on global warming. Evidence for any perceivable effect would have been amassed prior to the industrial revolution but alas, the evidence shows the total solar irradiance, which is the amount of solar radiative energy impinging on the Earth's upper atmosphere, is observed to vary in phase with the solar cycle, with yearly averages going from 1365.5 Watt per sqm at solar minimum, up to of 1366.6 at solar maximum, with fluctuations of about /- 1 Watt per sqm on timescales of a few days. This variation is far too small to affect Earth's overall climate, much less cause man-made global warming.

The conclusion that anthropogenic global warming will continue if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced has been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialised nations including The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (www.nasonline.org), The American Association for the Advancement of Science (www.aaas.org), and the Joint Science Academies of the major industrialised and developing nations.

The latest research findings from the British Antarctic Survey (www.antarctica.ac.uk) show that the Wilkins Ice Shelf (the size of Northern Ireland) is about to break from the Antarctic Peninsula because of rising temperatures due to man-made global warming.

The Antarctic Peninsula is an area in rapid climate change and has actually warmed faster than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere, rising by nearly 3°C over the past half century.

This has lead to an increase in the volume of Antarctic glacier meltwater, which has weakened the ice shelves, and was responsible for the collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf in 2002.

these latest images are available at www.polarview.aq

425. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180136 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 8:58 am

I honestly hope that global warming is just bull shit, because if it isn't... we are doubly fucked.

Al, I hate to rain on your parade (excuse the pun) but anthropomorphic global warming is happening, CO2 is on the rise, ice caps are melting (the Northwest passage in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is finally navigable) - the evidence is in - we're fucked!

426. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180122 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 8:38 am

Hopefully in the future this will be a solution, once we have a more reliable means to launch into space.

Superman?

427. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180114 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 8:25 am

Why don't we just load rockets up with the nuclear waste and shoot it at the sun, or random directions into space? That would get rid of it no?

Al, in theory, yes. (I assume you're being serious, not facetious? :)

But it's too dangerous, chances of a misfire on the launch pad etc. which is why they haven't tried it... yet.

428. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #180079 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 7:31 am

Comment #180067 by Colwyn Abernathy

I thought he left out "mat" at the end of it. Doesn't make it any less funneh, tho. ;)

Who the hell is mat? Now I'm totally confused :)

429. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #180062 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 6:50 am

Comment #179992 by jayalenik

Your welcome

Your welcome what?

Ah, perhaps you meant "you're welcome".

430. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180027 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 5:59 am

Comment #180020 by Dr Benway

Refrigerators: Having the door on the side means all the cold air falls out each time you open the thing. If we simply designed them with the door on top, we'd save an enormous amount of energy.

True, but my refrigerator is nearly six foot tall, how am I supposed to get anything out of it if the door is on top? :-)

431. Shaw TV Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #180017 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 5:40 am

Comment #180014 by ASMarques

Yawn!

432. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #180011 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 5:26 am

At the weekend, Twyman had led a group of around 200 people in prayer at pumps in San Francisco, where petrol is nearing $US4 a gallon (3.8 litres)

It ain't working - quele suprise!

www.sanfrangasprices.com

San Francisco
Today $4.037
Yesterday $4.004
One Week Ago $3.985
One Month Ago $3.896

433. Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

Comment #179943 by Tyler Durden on May 14, 2008 at 2:50 am

What if these aliens are gay?

Will the Vatican be as welcoming to an 'extraterrestrial brother' then?

434. God seekers go public

Comment #179453 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 9:10 am

The whole site looks like a game of "Spot the logical fallacy":

Personal Incredulity - "The more we learn about the organization of life, the more clearly it reveals design."

In other words: "I just can't believe we evolved from lower forms of life, we MUST be designed. Designed I tells ya!"

False Dichotomy and Poisoning The Well - "If Darwinism really is plausible, it must instead be the case that Darwin leapt to something of substance - something that really explains how, contrary to our intuitions, the remarkable gadgets we see in biology can be chalked up to mindless inevitability."

Argument ad Populum - "Everyone agrees that life is full of systems and structures that have an appearance of intelligent design."

I like this one - "Everyone agrees..." Did they conduct a global poll while I was out? How do they know what "Everyone" agrees on?

Argument ad ignoratum - "We think life looks designed because it was designed, and we think that careful science is backing this up - not just in one field, but in many."

IDiots!

435. God seekers go public

Comment #179439 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 8:45 am

Why not email the good people at the Biologic Institute with a question or two: info@biologicinstitute.org

I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear from us :-)

436. God seekers go public

Comment #179367 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 7:10 am

If Darwinism really is plausible, it must instead be the case that Darwin leapt to something of substance - something that really explains how, contrary to our intuitions, the remarkable gadgets we see in biology can be chalked up to mindless inevitability.

http://biologicinstitute.org/2008/04/03/perspectives/#more-13

False Dichotomy.

Do these guys really believe they're scientists? Just because they have a website and can spell b-i-o-l-o-g-y

"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken."

437. God seekers go public

Comment #179363 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 7:01 am

"The more we learn about the organization of life, the more clearly it reveals design."

www.biologicinstitute.org

Muppets!

438. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179320 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 5:44 am

Sorry Phil, I missed your point, must learn to read slower :)

In the context of this article - these guys seem to want to have their cake and eat it.

439. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179319 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 5:39 am

Toyota Enjoys Record Share in U.S. New Auto Sales in April

http://www.japancorp.net/article.asp?Art_ID=17990

Toyota increasing its U.S. market share at expense of U.S. automakers

DETROIT With a model lineup that consumers love, Toyota Motor Corp. continued to take market share from other automakers last month, posting an industry-best 17 percent increase in sales.

The company's success, which it attributes to fuel efficiency in times of high gasoline prices, comes at the expense of Detroit's Big Three, even though General Motors Corp. posted a sales increase and Ford Motor Co. reclaimed the No. 2 sales spot in August.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/02/business/NA_FIN_US_Auto_Sales.php

440. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179315 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 5:33 am

Phil,

Leave the gas guzzling 4x4 SUVs on the forecourts, buy something more efficient - then see how long GM continue to manufacture them...

441. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179308 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 5:18 am

If the American car industry knew how to build decent cars there wouldn't be so much of a demand and that really would be a miracle...

Quite the opposite really - if American consumers demanded better mileage from the cars they buy, the US Auto industry would comply. Especially if consumers voted with their wallets. Leave the gas guzzling 4x4 SUVs on the forecourts, buy something more efficient - then see how long GM continue to manufacture them...

I think Toyota overtook GM recently as the largest share in US car sales due to Toyota's far superior gas mileage/reliability.

442. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179263 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 1:46 am

Are these people allowed to vote?

443. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #179262 by Tyler Durden on May 13, 2008 at 1:43 am

Comment by Artful_Dodger:

Christian parents in my experience do not subject their kids to threats of eternal damnation unless they behave in a particular way.

Oh Boy! We got a live one here folks!

"unless they behave in a particular way"

Are you for real?? Seriously? An you call yourself a parent? Is this how you "parent" your children?

Art,

please list the ways that you think appropriate where these kids would deserve to be subjected to "threats of eternal damnation", what exactly would they have to do in order to have that type of child abuse inflicted upon them - I'm all ears.

I would think Child Social Services would also be quite interested. Muppet!!

444. Evolution: What is 'Natural'?

Comment #178924 by Tyler Durden on May 12, 2008 at 8:25 am

Artful,

I understand you have multiple questions to respond to first, but when you get a chance can you explain this twaddle:

Neuroimaging can tell neuroscientists what is going on in a person's brain when they are engaged in any "soulish" activity: listening to music, enjoying a conversation, reasoning, making a moral choice, having a spritual experience and so forth.

Is this your opinion or do you have actual evidence for this assertion?

Having just completed my final year exam in Neurophysiology, and specifically studying Methods of Investigation of the Brain, this is fresh in my mind, yet I don't seem to recall Carlson, Passer & Smith, or Eysneck & Keane (or even my lecturer) mentioning MRI, fMRI, CAT, MEG or PET scans being able to pick up "a spritual experience" in the human brain.

Physiological, emotional, neural activity, yes... but a "spiritual experience"???

Ask any neurophysiologist for his definition of "soulish" activity and he'll probably laugh in your face, before politely asking you to leave!

What have you been smoking?

445. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #174307 by Tyler Durden on May 2, 2008 at 5:01 am

Quetz: funny how it was "revealed" that Jesus was white.

How so? Are you claiming that Jesus wasn't European? Guess you think he looked like an Arab or something. Pffft :-)

Wait, Jesus wasn't white?? Bloody hell, now how am I supposed to shift 100,000 framed Sacred Heart pictures next month in Lourdes???

Oh yeah, gullible Catholics. Guess I've answered my own question :-)

446. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173895 by Tyler Durden on May 1, 2008 at 10:27 am

Only so much time in a day, my friend. Please understand this.

seeker, why do you think scientific research takes so long? There are no "quick" answers. Of course, you could read Genesis 1:1 - 1:14 and think that's all there is to it. 'fraid not.

Take your time, read the articles, digest the information, then make your case.

You're putting the cart before the horse. Science doesn't work that way:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method
1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
7. Publish results
8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists)

Amass as much information as you can on the subject, then opine.

We're not going anywhere :)

447. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173855 by Tyler Durden on May 1, 2008 at 9:45 am

Comment #173844 by Don_Quix

Oh no...now they not only want transitional forms of fossils, but they want transitional forms of stars too! I give up.

Isn't religion just great!! :-)

Forget recreational drugs, bungy-jumping without the bungy-cord, or even a crash course in DIY brain surgery - the best way to fuck up your brain is to let religion get its dirty little paws on it.

Hitch was right!

448. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173811 by Tyler Durden on May 1, 2008 at 9:01 am

seeker,

The Universe is 14.6 billion years old (give or take approx. 12.5 million years).

The Earth is 4.6 billion years old (give or take approx. 0.5 billion)

Just accept it and move on.

449. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173036 by Tyler Durden on April 30, 2008 at 8:56 am

Comment #173032 by Incredulous

What I don't understand is how anyone would want to waste so much effort trying to defend patently untenable positions because they have a problem with facts?

Strange or what.

Not strange, just religious :-)

450. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #173026 by Tyler Durden on April 30, 2008 at 8:39 am

Comment #173018 by seeker_of_truth

I'm off for the day and may be back tomorrow. I don't know why I refuse to accustom myself to the bias that whittles 'argumentation' down to the level as is evidenced by this post.

This from the person who takes the word of Chuck Norris seriously when it comes to movie reviews.