Comments by Brian English

451. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225040 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:35 am

For those with a strong constituion, here's the photos of the moggy that was supposedly from the genus Panthera. It's the same carcass, but conveniently without the hunter in shot, which gave away the game somewhat. One can note the general lack of encephalization on the poor moggy which could be attributable to normal calibre weapons acting on a cat or to a tank charge on a full size puma.....At least the webpage reports its a feral moggy and not a puma.

452. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225036 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:23 am

I remember in a Sunday rag (Herald-Sun) a few years ago they were showing photos of a hunter who'd claimed he'd bagged a puma in Gippsland. Unfortunately there was no evidence (apparently he buried the carcass and didn't know where he'd been) apart from one photo that seemed to have the same qualities as many of the shots in the 'Lord of the Rings' films where one person would stand meters behind the rest to look small. Anyway, a zoologist said it was a common moggy (poor pussy cat). But the society of Crypto-zoology got a guernsey in the debate.

Why is it that humans want to believe the unbelievable? Isn't Pam Anderson's cleavage enough I ask?

453. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225032 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:18 am

I mean, ACQUIESCE with? What the fuck is that?

I've never read Nietzsche but I think he called it slave morality.

454. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225031 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:17 am

Quetz, replace psychologist with psychic and I think you've got it.

455. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225027 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:13 am

But it's doubtful, I think. Would you agree, Brian?

Very doubtful. But it's inductive so can be falsified by one example the proves the rule.

What I find bonkers is that there are regular sightings of Thylacaines/Pumas (how they get the 2 confused is beyond my limited abilities) in Victoria, mostly Gippsland. I'm from Western Victoria, so we only claim to see Pumas (Grampians Puma) not something extinct! Just something not known to live in Australia and not known to swim the Pacific! At least it wasn't a Bunyip, that's all I can say.

456. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225026 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 5:10 am

Quetz, that Di woman is fucking moronic. And I don't mean she has bed partners who aren't smart. Talk about the Queen of non-sequiturs.

457. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225018 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:55 am

I'm not Laurie so feel free to ignore this but I was in Tasmania last year for a week.

Laurie, most of Tasmania is still wild isn't it?

There are large tracts of National park. But most? Probably half.

Have there been any recent sightings of the Tasmanian Tiger in the wilderness?

Not that anybody is reporting. Wink, wink.

I had always hoped that there may be some part of NZ* undiscovered where they may still find the giant Moa. Unfortunately, I suspect it is just wishful thinking.

Considering that there has never been any evidence of Moa in Tasmania I concur with your supposition that it's wishful thinking. Emus yes, Moa no.

EDIT, I didn't realize you said NZ. I blame the beer, the fact that I donated blood not 2 hours ago and mostly my readiness to comment without thinking which is caused by my inability to think.

458. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225015 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:50 am

Apathy, your suggestion of switching from imperial to metric might just work. After all, a probe crashed into Mars because some folks were working in feet and some others in meters....The stupid Apes can't even say metric! They'll never know what hit them.

459. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225012 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:46 am

The denoument.

Fin.

460. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225011 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:43 am

The Gorillas proclaim victory

461. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225009 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:41 am

The Gorillas are not impressed and reprisals ensue.

462. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225005 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:37 am

As the Gorillas secure their dominion a few, erm, challenged humans attempt to foil my banana sting.

463. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225002 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:34 am

Try again

464. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #225000 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:32 am

Apathy: Scene from the Gorilla takeover

Laurie: Yes, yes. You're blog would be most impressive.

465. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224995 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:26 am

Not poodles? Tell them they go to a poodle hairdresser. Dalmations?

466. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224992 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:25 am

of all the diabolical schemes to overthrow the gorilla empire.... you pick the most devastating.

They'll never see it coming. They'd expect a huge markup, but I'll sneak in a moderate rate which won't shock them. With their lack of digitation and calculation they'll get so confused they'll end up beating themselves on the chest so hard that death will quickly ensue. Evil, thy name is Brian.

467. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224988 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:22 am

To be honest Laurie. I don't think a petty popularist who's as shonky as Dilemma will take much note of a 'unpopular' cause such as atheism unless he's pushed into it. We need to create a faux crisis about discrimination of atheists by the goverment so the government can prove how fair it is by offering heaps of cash for a partisan cause....

468. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224983 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:18 am

She's trying to stop you from oggling her Laurie. She read your comments about young women....I hope Poodles don't do it for you.

469. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224981 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:17 am

More Proactive. Uhm, steal some paper with Pell's letterhead and write your request on that. It's worked before.

470. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224975 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:14 am

Laurie, can I offer you salvation* for a moderate fee?

*Salvation doesn't imply eternal joy or even existence after death. It's a term of trade. Please see the Product Disclosure Document available at http://www.youarebeingscrewed.com

471. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224973 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:11 am

I plan to infiltrate the gorilla ranks by declaring myself as a creationist.

I plan to grow a lot of bananas and offer them gratis to Apes first to ingratiate myself. Then, when they have a false sense of security...Wham! I'll charge a moderate rate for the bananas.

472. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224971 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:10 am

1. Do you believe that you have an absence of belief in God?

Yes, it's a belief.

2. How do you know that you have an absence of belief in God?

How do you know you're alive? Oh that's right, you think about it....

3. If the absence of belief in God is a requirement to qualify as an atheist, how does one achieve this?

By not believing in God you niny.

473. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224965 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:05 am

Quetz, I'm a lesser god because I didn't want the sooky-la-la prima-donna gods to get their panties in a knot (immortals who whine really make eternity a downer) and I don't like administration. So, any god who proclaims himself supreme deity does so at my pleasure.......

474. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224964 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:03 am

Now we have found a base and know they plan to attack, they'll speed up their plans, it's only a matter of time...

I second the earlier post welcoming our Gorilla overlords. A person like me could be quite helpful in snitching on those who don't obey you, oh hairy masters.

475. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224957 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 4:00 am

Apart from the tight shorts, Laurie described his cult. Strange.

476. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224955 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 3:57 am

Thanks Quetz, I thought I'd let you see my deity avatar. I'm impish, sort of a lesser God. Not a creator god, more a trickster/destroyer god.

477. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #224954 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 3:56 am

Joe, how about you think for yourself? Stop posting meaningless quotes, they don't convince anybody. We're not arguing if person A said quote B, we're arguing over whether God exists or not. No book that relies on God can prove God exists, so forget the Quran. How about an argument that you understand that is convincing or that you believe is convincing and not some slabs of quotes? You can do it Joe, you can't be a stupid as you appear with all those sad quotes.

478. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224946 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 3:45 am

Quetz, she's just projecting. All she probably does is evangelize and indulge in circular reasoning.

479. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224938 by Brian English on August 6, 2008 at 3:39 am

Sex, sex sex. That's all you men thing about. Now where were we?

Oh, you were thinking about Joe? I reckon sex is probably more interesting....

480. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #224847 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 10:16 pm

And we're back....

alternate banking systems such as Islamic banking instruments
Like cutting off the hands of thieves? Good instruments them....

481. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #224829 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 5:36 pm

And there you have it. If a man is getting it, he's not wandering. I've always thought that sex is only important in a relationship when there isn't any or insufficient to keep the guy (or girl) from getting toey.....

Back to Goldy's moobs.....

482. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #224820 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 5:14 pm

I'm well and truly fat. I'd blame the beer and fatty food, but it wasn't their fault they were born so enticing and I'm too nice a guy to deny myself anything. :D

483. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #224814 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Goldy, only 100Kg? You're a lightweight. How tall? Sounds like I've got the bigger set of faux mammaries. :P

484. Evangelically Serious Science

Comment #224806 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 4:53 pm

Coco, Goldy is a dirty old man with man-boobs. He gets quite upset when his attempts to bridge the divide between men and women via simulated mammaries aren't noticed. :)

485. More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo

Comment #224797 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 4:36 pm

I've often thought that if the Thylacaine was found in a remnant population in Tasmania that the best thing the government and researchers could do was to deny that they found a live Thylacaine. Reason being that people would soon wipe it out just because they wanted to see or capture such a rare creature. I'm not saying this has happened, but the case is similar with this find. Why tell everybody? Why not quietly coerce the Congalese government with some largesse and strong-arm tactics into sealing off this area and keeping people away from the Gorillas? Oh well, I guess with 125K of Gorillas the bush meat and poaching trade will feed lots of starving Congalese for a while.....

486. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224781 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 4:15 pm

I thought they nailed a Jew to a tree for our sins. Yet we still have them? From birth? Well, that crucifiction was a bloody waste of time then, wasn't it!

Goldy, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You only get the sin wiped if you eat the Jew for lunch on a regular basis. You got to eat the cracker!

487. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224767 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 3:34 pm

The reader "Knowledge: Readings in contemporary epistemology" by Sven Bernecker and Fred Dretske (editors) and - for a completely novel position, Timothy Williamson's "Knowledge and its Limits"

More pimping for Amazon! I'll put them on the list.

488. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224765 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 3:30 pm

think all the talk of "innocence" is hogwash anyway - for it presumes metaphysical attributes of persons - not guilt as simply having done something that violates a norm but really being free of some metaphysical "guilt", which is really a very similar concept to that of "sin".

The idea that people are born guilty, sort of like an attribute of being human is to be guilty really is begging the question isn't it?
Why do we deserve hell? Because we're guilty. How can we be guilty of something we haven't done? Because all humans are born guilty.

489. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224762 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm

Brian - still holding to the JTB-view of knowledge? How old-fashioned of you :)

I don't need to hold to it. I've seen so many Xtians describe knowledge thus. I guess I think of knowledge as believing a fact and not just guessing the right answer but that's about as philosophically sound as swiss cheese.

of course! Now it all makes sense. Perfectly coherent and justified - not ridiculous at all. *cough*

Still holding on to coherency and justification? How quaint. ;)

490. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224488 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 3:26 am

From MPhil's link:

What we do know is that either eternal torment in hell or eternal joy in heaven awaits all people after death, based on whether they trust in Christ's payment for sin or reject Christ.

They know? So it's a justified true belief? The mind boggles.

491. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #224479 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 3:01 am

Oystein you're as bad as Steve. How do you expect to be convinced if you wait for reproducible results? It's so self defeating! Just give in to the belief.

492. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #224472 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:54 am

Steve, you're always bringing logic and reason, and a demand for empirical evidence into a discussion. How do you expect to be convinced of amazing things if you keep being so skeptical? Can't you see how self-defeating your attitude is?

493. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224469 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:49 am

Euthyphro? Don't use your logic and clear thinking in an argument!

494. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224467 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:47 am

How is such a punishment not evil?

God = good, whatever god does = good. If god deprives a person of every joy and good emotion because it's god = good.

495. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #224463 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:38 am

Steve, keep the champagne in the cold fusion reactor for now. Don't want it to get hot. :)

Quetz, I think you've demonstrated cold-fusion. Not in a way that's useful in a power-plant (unless that plant be solar) but still, it's now demonstrated!

496. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #224460 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:32 am

And if I had thought SZ's comment was a considered use of consensus in the sense you describe, I would not have made my response.

Apologies if I've put my foot in it but I just assume Steve's responses are considered. He's English after all. ;)

497. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #224450 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:20 am

Go with the consensus? Baaa There's a reason why going with the consensus is important. It's possible to get a result that for various reasons is false. When many other people do the tests independently and get the same result, they form a consensus. It increases the probability that the theory is explaining reality. This is a strength of science, it deserves more than a Baaa.

498. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #224449 by Brian English on August 5, 2008 at 2:18 am

Steve:

The thing that everyone is after is not fusion, but reproducible fusion with enough excess heat to supply energy.

Look at the sun man! Or the hydrogen bomb!

Or did you mean cold fusion?

499. Richard Dawkins branded 'secularist bigot' by veteran philosopher

Comment #224409 by Brian English on August 4, 2008 at 10:03 pm

Mike, just started reading Swinburne's 'coherence of theism.' So far I'm not converted and there's nothing I find particularly objectionable. But I'm only at the stage where he, like Mackie later make the case against strong verificationism. Or should I say that we can coherently comprehend claims that theism makes in some sense.

500. The Emptiness of Theology

Comment #223887 by Brian English on August 3, 2008 at 3:45 pm