1. Common New Atheist Fallacies

Comment #201022 by Ohnhai on June 28, 2008 at 7:19 pm

OK. Not sure if this has been pointed out yet (not read the whole thread...

But it's page 1[b]5[/b]7 not 187...

and the remaining quotes or points are not quotes verbatim nor are in their correct order, and surprisingly when are quoted accurately are truncated at the point when a point is about to be made.

finally there IS not '...therefore'. Not once in the remainder of the chapter does Richard use that word.

2. A New Step In Evolution

Comment #188599 by Ohnhai on June 4, 2008 at 8:39 am

monumental. simply monumental. I doubt many people will hear of this , and fewer still will truly understand the importance of this result.

as said, 'Nobel prize' worthy.

We all know of the nylon eating bug. now such a genetic shift has been captured and recorded in the lab, unequivocally. Brtavo, and my hat is definately off to the patience of these epic explorers.

3. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #182669 by Ohnhai on May 20, 2008 at 8:13 pm

Thy hypocrisy is staggering.

Hauling a kid off to court for using a label that a Judge has used in an official decision for this cult, and then allowing far worse in political and other religious demonstrations.

I guess political mud slinging is fine and our mighty boys in blue are scared to take the disgusting, hate filled signs away from those nice calm men from the 'religion of peace'.

An un-armed,calm, rational, educated and atheistic teen telling it simply as it is, now that's a different story.

Jut goes to show that we still have a long way to go in dismantling the wall of un-due privilege afforded to religion.

Does the RDF have any lawyers they could lend to this case?

4. 3QD interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #178907 by Ohnhai on May 12, 2008 at 8:10 am

interesting to hear Richard refer to the USA as a 'Rogue State' :D

5. British Airways takes beef off the menu to avoid offending Hindus

Comment #178328 by Ohnhai on May 11, 2008 at 8:28 am

I seriously doubt that beef was taken from the menu for 'cattle class' because of worries that it being there would offend Hindus.

It is a simple and might I add obvious business decision.

The India routes are the second biggest for BA's mass transport plans. Hindu's will not eat beef regardless of a chance that they would be offended by it's inclusion on the menu.

This means that a significant proportion of economy passengers on those routes will not touch the stuff, regardless. Add in the general nervousness over British beef (specially from the Yanks) means demand for beef is also drastically reduced on the other major routes.

BA makes it's money from making coach as cheep as possible. One of the ways to do this is by standardising the catering arm across all coach routes. Buying greater varieties of food in smaller quantities means higher costs, there for it pays to keep the choices of meal to a minimum. If a statistically large proportion of your customer base avoid a particular meal (for what ever reason) it makes sense to remove that option and replace it with one that is likely to be chosen by a higher proportion of customers.

Add in the recent hike in beef prices and the pulling beef from the menu becomes a no-brainer...

I think the paper in question was shopping for controversy where there is none.

6. Truly Bizarre : Indians Throw Babies 50ft From Roof To Thank God.

Comment #175196 by Ohnhai on May 4, 2008 at 7:53 pm

No injuries. my ass

"It still screams and wails like a baby. It ain't bleeding. Nothing LOOKS broken. Praise be to God!!!"

What about brain damage? What about long term spine damage? I would lay odds that those people who were tossed as a child will have a statistically significant higher history of persistent back problems and possible retardation over those who weren't.

And it is permitted BECAUSE it is justified on religious grounds...

Ok the world would not be a Utopia if there was no religion. Humans would still find reasons to be catastrophically stupid and mean to each other. What would change is that you would have removed the prevailing excuse and rationalisation for said stupidity. And this is a good thing as it is the reason that can't be argued with or rationalised away because, to it's adherents, it is by definition, the truth.

7. Religion a figment of human imagination

Comment #171842 by Ohnhai on April 28, 2008 at 11:17 pm

I will have to agree, it is the imagination that makes the concept of the supernatural possible. This only means anything if you have the means to communicate this concept to others.

We have language, written, drawn and spoken, that serves us in this function. If we were limited to the communication levels of even the great apes (primitive vocalizations, simple gestures, physical negative reinforcement, chemical…) then it would be hard if not impossible to communicate a concept that lies entirely with the imagination and outside the boundaries of the physical world…

Try this.

Imagine something utterly weird and strange. Imagine something totally outside the realm of reality. Now without speaking a word, without writing anything down, without drawing anything try and communicate this new notion to a friend. Oh, they can't speak, sign, write, draw either.

Without language, visual or aural, then our ability to transmit ideas that lie within the realm of the imagination is virtually non-existent. You can dream up all the personal god's you like, but without language you can't have religion.

8. Open Letter to a victim of Ben Stein's lying propaganda

Comment #164814 by Ohnhai on April 20, 2008 at 6:05 pm

I just sent an email to Josh asking him to ask Richard to consider getting this open letter into as many papers as he can...

@ Bill G

While it is true that as natural beings nothing we do can be considered 'unnatural', the difference with Natural selection (NS) over Artificial Selection (AS)is that there is no driving goal in NS, where as AS is usually a deliberate attempt to force a particular species down a particular path.

So while it is 'natural' for us to participate in AS, animal husbandry or what ever you want to call it, AS is always guided and directed and thus not NS.

The good Dr Dawkins makes the point that now we understand (ish) evolutionary principles and are beginning to grasp their power over behaviour as well as form we can strive against that to wean out the more undesirable/anti-social tenancies, to tame the tooth and claw.

9. Out of the Blue

Comment #141034 by Ohnhai on March 9, 2008 at 6:04 pm

If I recall the esimated need would be a 500 petaflop machine.

the Folding at home DC-network is currently running at 1.327 petaflops (10/Mar/2008) and one whole petaflop of that is coming from the 35,000~ currently active PS3s.

to generate a 500pf network you would need 17.5 million PS3s.. global sales of the PS3 are currently at 10.5 million and rapidly rising each one had the ability to hook into the folding at home network. so the power required is actually there if not now but in the next few months for sure... :)

or if you wanted your own PS3 super brain then it would set you back about 5billion. quite cheep really for what would be the worlds most powerful computing system...

now if IBM concentrated on building the next gen BlueBrain out of cell-processors like the one in the PS3 then I'm sure a 500pf machine would be a lot smaller than a footie field....

10. Inventor Doesn't Dare Say 'Perpetual Motion Machine'

Comment #124120 by Ohnhai on February 8, 2008 at 12:06 pm

I think people are getting hung up on the 'perpetual motion' thing. Something that the inventor himself is not claiming. ALL machines mechanical or biological eventually break down and fail.

But having looked at the videos, there does seem to be something interesting happening here.

Sure it might not work for 'ever' but if, through this magnetic coupling, generators could be built that require no fuel and can produce usable energy then he truly has something interesting on his hands.

This is already seems to be there as in it's coupled state you need to reduce power to the motor to maintain a steady speed. All you need to do is divert the extra juice rather than burn it off in a variable resistor (light-dimmer-switch)

Would be fun to see him build a unit that can, for example, run a TV for a week or so...

11. Female Muslim medics 'disobey hygiene rules'

Comment #121580 by Ohnhai on February 3, 2008 at 5:58 pm

There are a few things I have to do as a requirement for my job. If I concistently failed to do these few things I would lose my job for simply not doing it.

the Hygiene requirements in health care are there to protect the life and well being of all the people associated with that environment.

If ANY employee working in any field can not or WILL not comply with the mandatory requirements for that job then they should not be in that job. It's that simple.

If someone is able to comply with the requirements but simply wont, then any sympathy I might have would evaporate quickly.

12. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #117385 by Ohnhai on January 28, 2008 at 6:06 pm

another attempt to 'define' away the atheists. Agnostics are fine as they are undecided, but atheists? NOO! you are not allowed to disagree with us. If you do we will call you sad desperate and shrill...

Fcuk off.

13. 2 fleas for the Christmas week

Comment #103307 by Ohnhai on December 25, 2007 at 4:05 am

Not read all the comments..... do we know if they cleared the use of that image of TGD ?

I doubt it as it's Lulu.com and so self publication and home design... Have flagged it on Lulu as a probably copyright infringement

14. Huckabee Stands by Christmas Campaign Ad

Comment #102854 by Ohnhai on December 23, 2007 at 6:55 pm

He's right about one thing... Christmas is primarily about Jesus and the Christian faith.

I'm so sick of religious people trying to coax me into playing along at this time of year with platitudes like "Ah but it's more about family and friends..."

Would I get this if I converted to any of the other major faiths? "sorry, I've converted to Islam. I don't celebrate Christmas". Not a single voice would be raised in argument (maybe over my conversion but, surely not over my religiously motivated rejection of the celebration of the birth of Jesus)

I agree it is all about family and friends but whilst it is wrapped in an implicit acceptance of Jesus and the Christian faith, it tends to stick in my throat

15. Three wise men just legend: archbishop

Comment #101266 by Ohnhai on December 20, 2007 at 6:54 am

You inherit the meme from your parents as surely as you do their genes...

16. Al Qaeda: We're open to questions

Comment #101259 by Ohnhai on December 20, 2007 at 6:46 am

That's who Dinesh should debate next !

17. The Four Horsemen: on Christmas

Comment #99914 by Ohnhai on December 17, 2007 at 8:28 pm

Blu-Ray please (<< currently enjoying GT5 Prologue, :P )

have you thought about making the content available on PlayStation Store and XBOX Live?

18. Creation vs. Reality

Comment #98848 by Ohnhai on December 14, 2007 at 4:31 pm

I agree with DearRain, this wasn't about accuracy, but more a chance for the two sides to swap clothes and prance about for a bit. To imagine what science would be like dressed up in religious grandeur. It drive home what creation science does in draping it's myths in clinical 'data'.

I thought it was a suburb exercise in that ever present cinematic and TV cliché, 'The Body Swap' but for ideas rather than people.

If you have problems with it's actual content then simply try to enjoy it as you would a marathon session of clips from 'the Book'. The book with "DONT PANIC" embossed on the surface, that is.

19. U.S. Congress Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith

Comment #98138 by Ohnhai on December 13, 2007 at 6:12 am

Interesting that those two other bills passed with no 'Nay's .... Christmass has less support than those other religions? interesting....

We need to get a bill pased for Pastafarianism, or the holy church of the Jedi. if we can then that prety much undermines the value of said resolutions.

20. Laugh at Sudan

Comment #96784 by Ohnhai on December 10, 2007 at 10:40 pm

Heck no.. Love Tenchi... Liked the new OVA series that finished the original one :)

21. Is Infant Male Circumcision An Abuse Of The Rights Of The Child?

Comment #96065 by Ohnhai on December 9, 2007 at 11:11 pm

Ok, if 'acceptable is that the procedure is relatively 'harmless' if carried out properly and doesn't overly inconvenience the child in later life, let's start a religion where we demand it is our right and God's command that we remove the little finger on the left hand of our children...

The reason all genital mutilation of infants is not covered by a flat out ban isthat no one wants to face the demented honking cries of anti-Semitism from the politically correct and the Jewish lobby.

You are not allowed to criticise this religion and god forbid (quite literally) that you should try and interfere with their divinely mandated practices.

22. Stem cell breakthrough

Comment #90391 by Ohnhai on November 25, 2007 at 1:48 am

Good news indeed, though by the sounds of it that 'nearly indistinguishable' sounds like trouble...

is sounds like a major break though in understanding but I'm guessing that embryonic stem cell research is still gonna be the ideal for some time yet.

23. Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Comment #85991 by Ohnhai on November 7, 2007 at 5:59 pm

Can someone TIVO this and make available some how for us non-US peeps?

(all I ask is please don't use real-player, I hate that application...)

24. The Turning of an Atheist

Comment #85056 by Ohnhai on November 4, 2007 at 5:58 pm

Beware the validity of 'deathbed' conversions.

It's shameful that they would take advantage of a great man's failing faculties.

It's like re-writing an Alzheimer victim's in your advantage, then persuading them they asked you to do it… Sick twisted desperate bastards…

Who ever said it, this coins a new argument for god. "Argument from hijacked authority"

They are so desperate for credible names to be on their side (apparently the Templeton isn't enough to get people to abandon their dignity) that they ambush a old man who freely confesses to being on the forgetful and confused side, to – quite literally – put words in his mouth.

25. I didn't know the FLEA CIRCUS was back in town!

Comment #85051 by Ohnhai on November 4, 2007 at 5:30 pm

"The Twilight of Reason"...

Only a religious person could honestly think this (if true) would be a good thing...

The fact that ANYONE can get a warm and fuzzy feeling when contemplating the end of reason horrifies me more than I truly care to mention.

26. Religion as a Force for Good

Comment #74648 by Ohnhai on September 29, 2007 at 8:01 pm

As usual the good that is supposedly done by those of religion could just as easily be done by those of another faith or - more importantly - by someone of no faith. Oppressed people will eventually rise up. The tide of history show us this.

That in this case it was the monks who took the lead is commendable, but not attributable to their faith. Any one group could have done it, it just happened to be them in this case. Had it been the students who kicked this round of protests off would Iam Buruma be pushing that 'being currently in a university education' is a 'force for good'. No, I don't think so. Even if, as is the case, that student bodies have a far, far better track record of speaking out against atrocities and oppression.

The evils that religion drives some of it's adherents to, forces the apologists to seek some indisputable 'good done by religion'. This is to try and counterbalance the atrocities, both historical and contemporary done by people of 'faith'. However, as Christopher Hitchens keeps challenging, what act of 'good' or ethical stance held or done by a religious person can not also be done or held by the staunch atheist?

On the subject of balancing the scales just how many acts of 'good' are required to nullify an act of evil? How many acts of religiously motivated compassion are required to counter a single religiously motivated murder? More than a simple handful is my guess.

Given the histories and contemporary actions of most of the world's religions they are so far into the red on the good/evil scale they could spend the next three thousand years of doing nothing but unambiguous good and still never tip the scales to even, let alone into the black.

No, religion is NOT a force for good. History shows us it is an unmitigated force of evil, set to destroy all in it's path. The occasional act of compassion or civil disobedience done in its name is more down to simple human decency and not the professed theology of people involved.

27. Catholic school board in Halton may ban HPV vaccination

Comment #71462 by Ohnhai on September 18, 2007 at 8:30 pm

The sheer myopic callousness of this staggers me. 'you are not to have sex outside of marriage so we will deny you this cancer prevention, and prevent you getting any kind of accurate information on this topic till you are...so says god'

Keep them ignorant and let them die. Oh how great the church is... praise god, may he ROT

28. There is no God and Dawkins is his Prophet

Comment #66280 by Ohnhai on August 29, 2007 at 3:11 pm

though I thought the third and fourth paragraphs were a prety decent summation of TGD.

BUT


FFS!!! STALIN's ATHISM WAS NOT THE ROOT CUSE OF HIS ACTION!!! IT WAS THE FACT HE WAS A BRUTAL TOTALITARIAN DICTATOR WHO SAW ANY KIND OF OUTSIDE ORGANISATION AS A DIRECT THREAT TO HIS POWER BASE.....



also, I've noticed a new trend. this problem the initial cause needing to be complicated if the ideas of creation by a being are to be believed. THis fella (and several others) seem to be suggesting that as complex can arise from simple that the initial cause and thus creator could well be simple.

Are they really trying to suggest that they are happy to down grade their god from all powerful to less then the simplest life form? It would be truly funny if they were.

29. CNN Request for 'I-Reports' on religion

Comment #65164 by Ohnhai on August 23, 2007 at 4:37 am

PeterK: ooops.. honest mistake. Was writing that just after waking up... should have checked my facts, There you go kiddies, a lesson if ever there was one.. Doesn't matter if you think you know the facts, ALWAYS verify them !!!

30. I'm gonna be a MOVIE STAR

Comment #65124 by Ohnhai on August 23, 2007 at 1:00 am

Heh. as they obtained the interview under false pretences, wait till just before their launch and then slap an injunction on them citing miss-representation and force them to re-edit the film to remove your contribution.. also if any other respectable people have also bee duped in this way, organise with them to also get injunctions to remove their footage (but get them to stagger the injunctions so to keep causing the film hassle.

31. CNN Request for 'I-Reports' on religion

Comment #65054 by Ohnhai on August 22, 2007 at 6:41 pm

I kinda got carried away.... had to email it instead :D

---------------------------------------------


According to the latest data there are also millions of Americans who do not live by faith (about 42 million, or about 14%) and that is based on figures gathered in 2001. In the intervening years there has been a major upswing in the number of people who are privately or publicly questioning religion and the inane and unwarranted taboos on questioning and examining religion. This number is bound to be higher today.

Its not so much that religion is under attack, but – finally – it is being put under the same level of scrutiny we demand for virtually every other facet of human life. Politics, Art, Spot, Life and Love. Religion is not comfortable with this, because for centuries the religions have actively and viciously suppressed any notion that their dogma is to be questioned at all.

As has been pointed out by many key writers in this field (Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, Hitchins) that the religions are currently squealing like a stuck pig, as if the gravest wound had been inflicted upon them, just witness the hysteria over the Dutch cartoons of Mohammed. Accusing all who write questioning their 'faith' as visiting the most vile, and demented attacks upon them.

Viewed dispassionately, if you look at what IS being written against the ideas of the various religions, then the terms and phrases are usually no worse, and frequently a lot milder, than those used to attack political belief or the opposing footy team. People describe this as 'harsh' because of the enforced and ingrained taboo on criticising religion, installed in society by centuries of brutal suppression at the hands of these 'loving' and 'compassionate' organisations.

The current indignation of religions has a lot more to do with an inflated outrage they feel in an increasing number of people daring to question, test, and examine religion. They have not had to deal with it on such a broad front before. What's worse is that this new wave of questioning is tooled up with the very best that modern science has to offer. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Archaeology, to name but a few, all bring the power to test and examine the claims of the faithful, to tunnel down into the supposed truths of the bible and find them hollow and devoid of verifiable fact. On top of this they would find it hard to fall back in their old, tried and tested, methods of suppressing criticism.

It's different in the Muslim world. There the brutalisation and murder of apostates and digressers is still rampant. That murderous hysteria at the questioning, ridiculing or other digression from the 'path of the righteous', so clearly demonstrated by the brutal stoning of a young girl because she dared marry a fella from the 'wrong religion', was until comparatively recently, the reality of the western world. And it is what the most faith-full amongst the religious population of America would dearly love to drag us back to, kicking, screaming, and the unrepentant faith-less amongst us – burning.


Without ever – quite – going that far, America can still be an unpleasant place for those who profess not to have religion. Worse still for those who publicly admit that they do not believe the god/s exist. I find it amazing that such a large proportion of the populous (42 million) is derided and hated so vehemently. It is statistically likely that more then a few of the elected representatives and senators are lying about or feigning their religiosity. Picking up the crook of religion, simply to herd sheep to the polling stations.

Also, many many people hold on to the outer appearance of religion for simple social reasons, not actually believing any more, but because 'we have always gone to church'. That or they fear alienation from the community for turning away from the church when it's odds on there is a significant proportion of their neighbours in exactly the same position.

The Christian church in the USA is rotten. It is the very model of a once and proud support beam that has stood the test of time and never failed but, it is rotten. Poke the surface of the timber and it crumbles showing the extent of the damage. The whole edifice is structurally unsound and it knows it. THAT is why it doesn't want a new wave of scepticism. Why, now more than ever, doesn't want a resurgence in serious academic or popular study into the validity of it's beliefs, because it knows that this time it could be marginalised for good.

While Religious belief will never disappear, (The human animal is built in such a way that there will always be some leanings towards the spiritual) it needs to retreat to the realm of the private. It needs to understand that it has no place intruding into and attempting to impose it's beliefs and values onto an increasingly secular and increasingly non-religious society. People are free to believe what they want, they are not free to enforce those beliefs into the world of others.

32. Good luck, Dawkins!

Comment #63916 by Ohnhai on August 16, 2007 at 5:45 pm

CJ22: Yup that what I was thinking too, but it seems I was in error.

Apologies to Sue.

33. Good luck, Dawkins!

Comment #63805 by Ohnhai on August 16, 2007 at 12:58 am

My memory might be going, but didnt Sue rip Richard a new one for criticising the falsehoods and irrationality of religion? But now she is all for tearing down the silly false ideas and superstitions that 'other people' hold, so long as her religion is not targeted for criticism...

The blindness of faith creating un-intended hypocrisy...

34. Interview with Richard Dawkins about 'The Enemies of Reason'

Comment #62990 by Ohnhai on August 12, 2007 at 7:42 pm

Richard and Judy (a couple for those that didn't pick up the subtle hints)are just there to fill air time when no one of any import want to watch TV. They are so used to their own voice they feel strange when they cant hear it.

Judy, with her cross on prominent display and a few pointed comments I'm sure wanted to rial against Richard more than she did...

again. Richard was calm and collected, and kept on with the message "Show me the evidence and, I might belive. But not until then"

35. The Out Campaign

Comment #59841 by Ohnhai on July 30, 2007 at 8:14 pm

The 'A' shirt is as good a symbol as any, but it's not for all. I am ordering several so I can wear it frequently. If it is not for you then find your own OUT cry, but cry OUT you must.


Dawkins is right about that.

What ever else divides us atheists, we need to raise our voices as one and call OUT "ENOUGH". We will not tolerate interferance in public life,or our own personal life, from religions, or the religious.

We will NOT be ignored and marginalised, and deamonised by religions, or the religious

We need to stand together and shout OUT god does Not exist and THIS is our freedom, you will not deny us.

We need to shout OUT we are more numerous than you think. Not only do we know where you live, we LIVE where you live.

come OUT
reach OUT
speak OUT
stand OUT

36. OUT Campaign Launched, 'Scarlet Letter' Shirts Now Available!

Comment #59481 by Ohnhai on July 29, 2007 at 7:55 am

TO those that dislike the RichardDawkins.net URL plastered on the shirt. Print your own, that simple.

To those who think it's too bold, you are missing the point.

Perhaps we need mugs, pin-badges and necklaces too.

If we are attacked or hurt because we wear these garments then they loose. Gay bashing did nothing but harm the anti-gay movement.

37. Don't eat at the Outback Steakhouse on Route 3...

Comment #59170 by Ohnhai on July 27, 2007 at 7:54 pm

All his ass-hattery aside.

WHOOT ! my name is displayed in an anti-atheist video ! (the first post he shows "I agree with ohnhai's idea" I am a named enemy :)

38. The hitch in Hitchens' thinking

Comment #58693 by Ohnhai on July 25, 2007 at 7:57 pm

didnt get past the second Paragraph...

"Unencumbered by serious theological or biblical knowledge,"....

Here we go again.

'you cant criticize or attack religion without being extremely well versed in it's apologetics'.

If with an institution that is built on one 'fact' alone (the existence of god), and you doubt that 'fact' then then rest of the inverted pyramid of abject hand-waving and fiction means nothing at all.

You don't need to understand the finer points of theology because, without god, it is ALL meaningless, dangerous drivel that can and should be swept away and be done with.

as has been pointed out you dont need to get into the finer points of the god/s personal habits if you take issue with their very existence. Bitching about 'that's not MY god'is futile when our responce should be "well, he doesn't exist either!"

39. Lecture on Sex Ratio Theory and Sexual Selection

Comment #52979 by Ohnhai on June 28, 2007 at 10:23 pm

I agree. It's nice to see Richard back on his home turf. He is an evolutionary biologist after all, it nice to hear him on these subjects. Which is, thanks to 'growing up in the universe', how I first became aware of him in the first place.

40. Christopher Hitchens on Religion

Comment #48509 by Ohnhai on June 8, 2007 at 8:05 am

Munsey is a hypocrite. He would be amongst the FIRST to go a gainst the personal testimony of those who proclaimed gainst the 'Truths of the "lord"'


He is just pissed that someone -- any one-- has the simple gall to say "And how 'exactly' o you speak with'god' again?"

Personal testimony is fine, but it is open to the same scrutiny and ridicule as any other branch of evidence. it is this simple truth that those like Munsey do not like.

41. Pale Blue Dot

Comment #47625 by Ohnhai on June 5, 2007 at 5:01 am

I have embeded the one Meepo linked in a post on my site.. I was weeping by the end of it.

Best production values, audio and simple quality. Carl is audible and the music sets the right mood of breathtaking awe...

Bravo.


Here is to Carl and the pale blue dot.

www.ohnhai.com

42. The planet hunters

Comment #47264 by Ohnhai on June 3, 2007 at 7:52 pm

continuing on from what Jimill said...

The discovery of even ONE jovian sized extra-solar-planet (ESP) shortens the odds that there might be life out there, so dramatically it is hard to state just how more likely extra-solar-life becomes.

the fact we have around 200 ESPs on record (an ever growing number) continues to shorten the odds in leaps and bounds.

The recent news that scientists think they have found an 'earth like' planet - if confirmed - will dramatically shorten the odds yet further.

While the evidence is by no means conclusive (we need more data) the simple fact we HAVE any data at all makes the possibility of extra-solar-life a totally rational probability. Unlike the 'asstertion' of God.

43. Would the World Be Safer Without Religion?

Comment #43272 by Ohnhai on May 21, 2007 at 3:23 am

He says that we should work to make the practice of faith sincere,as if this will stop the violence...

What world is he living in?

I can think of no more sincerely practice religion than Islam and that is a hot bed of the worst atrocities.

If anything we should work to make the practice of religion as insincere and as trivial as possible. Then People wouldn't care if their neighbour practised a different religion. It would make as much difference as their choice of cereal brand.

44. Kirk Cameron Proves That God Exists

Comment #40040 by Ohnhai on May 12, 2007 at 7:29 pm

Damn. The RRS had this won without needeing to utter a single word after Comfort's opening arguments . So much for being able to Prove god 100% without once invoking faith. Comfort and Cammeron did nothing but refer to 'Gods word' and personal incredulity for their, 'Scientific' proof. Even going as far as to attempt to re-define science to create a straw man definition that could fit practically anything.

Bravo to the RSS. How Brian and Kelly stopped themselves from laughing out loud at the God Squad's ineptitude I don't know.

And thank you to Brian for reminding us all that you only need to open your eyes to see billions of living transitional forms. I frequently fall for the 'tyranny of species' and forget that is the case. I frequently think we should officially drop the concept of box/container like species definitions (it is or it isnt this species) and addpot a more 'pin in the map' style definition where organisms and groups are classified by their proximity to their local pins.

I don't know if Bashir was play devils advocate, but I suspect he was when he seemed confused by the "we are all transitional forms" comment. His comment that suggested that he read Brian's comments as suggesting the transition played out during the life time of the individual and not that the individual was the result of the evolutionary progression. I only hope he was playing dumb to extract a clarification, if not then we still have a massive amount of education to be doing… I loved Kelly's comment that "…we are but this year's model…"

45. French Muslim women opt for hymen surgical cons

Comment #39740 by Ohnhai on May 11, 2007 at 7:47 pm

So sad.

Especially the prevailing feeling that they have 'no choice' but to do this.

The truth is that they are unaware (or unwilling to accept its an option) that they do have a choice. THey can turn their back on their family and 'culture' and say 'sod you' I now live in Europe and I no longer have to put up with this. But sadly They dont believe they are strong enough to do this, because their entire lives they have has the notion drummed into them that they are weak, useless (save for housework and babies) and need a good strong Muslim Man to stand any chance of making it in the world.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not underestimating the strength is needs to break with everything you believe defines you. But it is a real option, its sad that so many fail to see it as such.

46. Unholy row at clergy soccer game

Comment #38090 by Ohnhai on May 7, 2007 at 12:26 am

Python couldn't have come up with anything better.


Comedy gold. --Sigh--

Would the Ref have been Atheist?

47. My response to the GOP evolution question

Comment #37812 by Ohnhai on May 5, 2007 at 7:47 pm

Technical criticicm.

A LOT of the text is hard to read. A lot of pale text on pale backgrounds. Try using a dark drop shaddow on the light text. Content is worth nothing if you cant read it.

What I could read however was good and... Love the music. (been years since I seen Twin Peeks)

48. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37809 by Ohnhai on May 5, 2007 at 7:33 pm

And I wish they would not call these 'honour' killings.

There is no honour gained or saved in this.

Again its is simply control through fear and violent intimidation.

The powers that be say don't do this or we will kill you. And then kill anyone who transgresses. (specially if they are female)

This causes the majority to keep their head down. You have the few stubborn fools, whom you mercilessly hunt down and kill. Yet more incentive to keep your head down.

You start picking on people simply on suspicion and, yes, kill them 'stone' dead. The people start to panic, and to avoid even the slightest hint of suspicion swing to the hard line, actively rooting out the 'infidel' and dealing with them.

Then, when they have trapped themselves in this cycle of violence out fear of being 'next', they persuade themselves that it is 'honourable' to do this that in the name of 'honour' they MUST do it.

There IS no honour in this. there cant be.

49. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37803 by Ohnhai on May 5, 2007 at 6:57 pm

Yorker: You say 'inhuman'.. Sadly I have to disagree. this act is so VERY human.

It is, until very recently, how the whole world worked. You only need to read the story and see the picture to know exactly what it was like to live in the time of the inquisition. The fear and the brutality. the unflinching control through sickening violence served up to any one even THINKING about disobeying the man. And it is 'the MAN' for a reason.

How you fix this, how you put an end to this I dont know.

How DO you stop people teaching this crap to their children? how do parents stop others teaching this crap to their children? How DO you make nation after nation, religion after religion sit up and take head when you say "enough of this crap!"?

This world depresses the crap out of me more often than I truly care for.

50. God Exists. A Formula Proves it.

Comment #37797 by Ohnhai on May 5, 2007 at 6:31 pm

anyone spot the real message there?



"hey Ive got a book coming out!"