551. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting

Comment #127295 by annabanana on February 15, 2008 at 6:26 am

annabanana wonders why Partisan insists on being on topic (although annabanana tends to agree with Partisan).

552. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting

Comment #127286 by annabanana on February 15, 2008 at 6:13 am

annabanana decides to tell steve that she simultaneously works on excel and word all day long while also posting on RD.net. Sometimes she also has to talk to EPA to try to get some decisions made, but is constantly being disappointed since EPA only makes decisions when they get sued. She wonders on a similar note if Steve ever gets any sleep as he always seems to be involved in all the threads.

553. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting

Comment #127281 by annabanana on February 15, 2008 at 6:06 am

annabanana always has work to do. she says there is a continuously growing mountain. she also thanks quetzcoatl for asking how she is!

554. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting

Comment #127264 by annabanana on February 15, 2008 at 5:42 am

annabanana, having been gone for the night, wonders why everyone is speaking in the third person, but decides to join in anyway?

555. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126926 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 1:58 pm

Steve, if it weren't for the whole sex and reproduction thing, he'd probably want women eradicated as well...and along those lines, anyone who even looks at him funny...

He's pretty ridiculous. I understand not wanting to converse with/be around/be near him.

556. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126915 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 1:37 pm

Yes, Richard. That's it! :) I suppose I can avoid the word in the future since it seems to have caused some confusion.

557. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!

Comment #126884 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Shmeezers,

Sure, if you posit a designer, that leaves the question as to who (or what) that designer is. But why does that need to be answered in order for the argument to stand?

558. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126844 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 10:46 am

My apologies for the confusion I have caused due to my usage of the word "should". Epinephrine got it right.

As an aside, every time I see your name, Epinephrine, I think of my epi-pen.

559. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126841 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 10:44 am

Richard,

There have been several studies on the evolution of such emotions as empathy involving primates other than ourselves. The primates would make sacrifices so that they didn't have to harm others. I tend to think that this would suggest that the golden rule is somewhat innate. However, as al-rawandi has suggested, it is sometimes easy to condition a child to believe that violence is a social norm. I can't imagine anyone necessarily being born that way, as in violent, but in other species, there have been examples of so-called "rogue" animals (sharks being one) that seem to kill just for the "fun of it". So I suppose it would be possible for a human to be born wanting to be violent. I would think that this would classify as some sort of a mental defect, however.

560. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126831 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 9:40 am

DavidJMH would have us regress a hundred years...interesting...

Should we also take away all of the other "regresses" we have made like the civil rights movement and women's rights movements?

561. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126821 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 9:15 am

mesomodel, I think consequences are a good way of preventing crime (and also your children's misbehavior), but that doesn't mean that the consequence has to be punishment. People shouldn't be committing crimes (or misbehaving) because of the implications of what consequences their actions will have on other people and because of our evolved sense of empathy (*winces in case Scooter decides to join this thread*) we should innately not want to cause others harm.

562. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126815 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 9:02 am

Steve, I am in complete agreement. In fact, on my journey to becoming an atheist, I stopped believing in hell because I could only understand god wanting to punish particularly heinous sins, but particularly heinous sins (or crimes) are usually committed by someone with a certain degree of mental illness and I couldn't understand why god would punish someone for eternity for having a biological disorder that caused them to commit the sin.

563. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126809 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:56 am

mesomodel,

I think it could be considered torture, but it is in no way on the same plane as waterboarding and other such practices. Also, many prisoners end up experiencing some sort of "stockholm syndrome" and get accustomed to it. I think some forms of imprisonment are worse than others, though. For instance, permanent solitary confinement seems particularly cruel and probably causes permanent psychological damage.

564. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126802 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:44 am

In addition, it isn't about punishing them. It's simply about removing them from society and keeping people out of harm's way.

I'm with Steve in that I think that punishments should be somewhat reversible...

565. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126800 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:40 am

mesomodel,

I don't understand your infatuation with punishment for a mental disorder. The murderers who are psychopaths and sociopaths will not feel any remorse for what they've done no matter how much you punish them.

566. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126796 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:35 am

al-rawandi, I was surprised to discover that my mother, who is a public health nurse, felt the same way about some people when we were discussing the pedophilia issue. She works in the local health department and has seen her share of some very shocking things.

I can't decide whether it's naive or not of me to take the stance that the death penalty is not necessary.

567. My Saudi Valentine

Comment #126792 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:31 am

But, Johnny O, all the men wouldn't be "sex mad" if it weren't so socially and religiously unacceptable to have sex at one's own fancy. I seriously doubt the sex drives of those men are any different from any other culture.

568. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!

Comment #126789 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:27 am

Shmeezers, Richard Dawkins has an excellent discussion of the universal constants in The God Delusion.

569. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126787 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:24 am

mesomodel,

Research has also shown that in countries where the death penalty is instituted, crime rates of crimes that are punishable by death are not any lower which suggests that the death penalty doesn't even help in the prevention of violent crime. I think this is another good reason not to support the death penalty.

570. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126783 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 8:18 am

al-rawandi,

why the hell are you so motivated to stay on topic today?

*makes pouty face and hangs head after being slapped on the wrist*

571. Murder plot against Danish cartoonist

Comment #126771 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 7:57 am

Red bull and flax flakes, guys. What's all this nonsense about jam?

572. A Tyrannical Romance

Comment #126756 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 6:54 am

this site has come to represent quite an important aspect of my life at the moment.

573. A Tyrannical Romance

Comment #126752 by annabanana on February 14, 2008 at 6:32 am

Richard, many times you make me laugh, and then other times I'm just frightened.

574. A Tyrannical Romance

Comment #126602 by annabanana on February 13, 2008 at 4:19 pm

sort of flashy winglets

575. A Tyrannical Romance

Comment #126539 by annabanana on February 13, 2008 at 1:37 pm

Steveroot,

I found the dementors disturbing in the first place...now you've gone and made them unbearable, thanks.

That reminds me though...it always bothered me that the mist in book 6 meant that the dementors were breeding...yuck...

576. Earliest bats did not 'see' with sound

Comment #126475 by annabanana on February 13, 2008 at 10:21 am

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed is king!

577. A Tyrannical Romance

Comment #126443 by annabanana on February 13, 2008 at 9:00 am

This is a very strange article, indeed, but I like puns, so I'll go along with it.

578. Why Darwin matters

Comment #126130 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 1:35 pm

Maybe I'm just more gullible than you guys. He seemed fairly genuine to me. And he's usually not mixing insults in with his questions like many of the other theists. I guess I'm just having a hard time conceiving of any other purpose that he may have, other than being curious, from the style of his posts.

579. Why Darwin matters

Comment #126124 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 1:26 pm

I think it's easy to get carried away with ourselves when conversing with theists. Some of them come here and make utterly reprehensible remarks which I think leads us to be unnecessarily hostile to the ones who are polite and genuinely interested like krisking.

580. Why Darwin matters

Comment #126107 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 1:11 pm

I'm actually glad krisking is here searching. He's one of the few more genuine theists we have here.

Generally he's polite, too.

581. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126051 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 12:18 pm

Everyone always needs a little bit of comic relief after some of the discussions we have here, Ian!

Besides, I'd rather flirt with intelligent atheists than the idiots I have surrounding me here (and on myspace).

582. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126043 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Diacanu,

Thanks!

*blushes and shrugs shoulders innocently*

583. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126034 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 11:55 am

Damn, I always had a thing for jaundiced men...

584. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126030 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 11:50 am

I'd been meaning to do it for a while, so I did it at lunch while I was home and had access to all of my pictures. Thanks to everyone who likes it.

al-rawandi, are you as buff in real-life as duffman?

If so...grrrowl...

*disclaimer: all animal noises made by me today are in celebration of the diverse tree of life made possible by evolution that was so astutely recognized by Charles Darwin. ;-)

585. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126027 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 11:47 am

So Reverend, since I'm female (obvious, I hope), I think this challenge would be infinitely easier for me...maybe I could be the cougar (although, a young one)...suggestions?

586. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126018 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 11:38 am

I don't think that I ever think anything you say is pointless, Steve.

587. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #126007 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 11:23 am

Don't you think Duff would be the equivalent of Bud Light? I think I'll charge on guinness...

al-rawandi...purrrr... :)

588. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125992 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 11:03 am

I suppose I'll have to try the pizza. At this point, I think I could run 35 miles easier than I could...ok, that's enough :)

589. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125988 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 10:58 am

That certainly would take a bit of stamina. What's your secret?

590. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125984 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 10:52 am

Ian,

I don't think we're having 2 entirely different conversations. I think it's hard to judge what societal response is appropriate if you don't know much about the causes and appropriate treatments of the disorder.

Just locking them up isn't going to solve everything. There are better options that allow for improvement of their quality of life as well as the safety of society.

591. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125981 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 10:48 am

Oh my! Where is this thread leading to now?

592. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125966 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 10:35 am

Ian,

When a person is a pedophile, they have these desires as part of the disorder. Another part of the disorder is that they are unable to look at the situations objectively. Many of them actually believe that the child is enjoying the relationship because the child (being scared, etc.) allows the relationship to continue.

Many people are under the impression that there are no viable treatments available for pedophilia when this simply isn't true.

Also, when it comes to mental disorders certain people have a predisposition (sometimes genetic) for certain disorders and if a traumatic event occurs, this can trigger the disorder. Therefore, it isn't an option for a pedophile who himself was a victim of abuse to just "break the cycle".

I think you should brush up a bit more on the research in this area.

593. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125915 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 8:52 am

Ian Bamlett,

Whilst I agree that sex must be between two consenting adults, (age at which one becomes an adult is arguable, of course) I don't agree with calling a pedophile a scumbag. There are real chemical imbalances that cause these disorders and it isn't fair to call them scumbags when it isn't something that they can control. What they can control is putting themselves in situations where they are likely to indulge in their impulses.

Also, a significant portion of pedophiles were abused (in some form or another) when they were children. I think it is probably easier than you think to feel sympathy for their painful condition.

594. Why multiculturalism must be abandoned

Comment #125837 by annabanana on February 12, 2008 at 6:33 am

I must say that I am quite astonished to see DavidJMH's homophobic comments here.

But I have to agree with the other posters; there are people like that everywhere. Most are at least astute enough to figure out that it isn't smart to go somewhere and have a statement like that permanently connected to you.

Just yesterday at lunch, one of my superiors made the comment that pedophiles should all just be killed because there isn't any way to cure them. It just amazes me that there are people who hold these opinions.

595. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125512 by annabanana on February 11, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Frankus, I don't think that many people, compared to the general population, watch those shows here. I watch them quite eagerly, but of course, I'm a huge science nerd. As a personal anecdote, I'm always talking about them and not many people tend to know what I'm talking about or if they do, they haven't absorbed as many of the facts and noticed the subtleties of the shows as are presented. I would love it if there could be some sort of show equivalent to CSI that could help educate the general populace. Of course, some CSI stuff is completely unrealistic.

596. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125469 by annabanana on February 11, 2008 at 12:14 pm

al-rawandi, I think that less than half of the U.S. population accepts evolution. There have been several polls. You can google it. :)

Teratornis,

I agree that Richard would choose his opponents for debate carefully and that a single sentence would not allow for a proper description of the process. However, I don't agree that he should leave American alone. A great deal of what the U.S. does affects the U.K. and vice versa. And it almost seems as if you're implying that we don't have great enlighteners here. Daniel Dennett is most impressive as well as Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens is now a U.S. citizen...unless, of course, you want to sever the ties of those 3 horsemen? ;)

597. Christopher Hitchens on Books & Ideas

Comment #125463 by annabanana on February 11, 2008 at 12:03 pm

Sharon, I've been wondering where Dr. Benway is, as well. I've seen her pop up here and there, but not to the extent that she used to. Her knowledge is much needed!

598. What he wishes on us is an abomination

Comment #125302 by annabanana on February 11, 2008 at 8:04 am

Although I generally wonder why Yasmin still believes anything of her chosen religion, I am glad that she has written such a response the the Archbishop. It is extremely important that there are such moderate Muslims, especially women, who can and will speak out. If we could just rid all religions of their toxic parts, the world would be a much better place and religious people and non-religious people would have an easier time co-existing. I think the voice of the moderate Muslim is the first step in achieving this.

599. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125283 by annabanana on February 11, 2008 at 7:21 am

I wish that E.O. Wilson weren't too old for the post or I'd nominate him. PZ and Krauss are very good nominees, though, so I'm sure they'd do a wonderful job if selected. I do look forward to finding out who the new candidate will be as they will have "big shoes to fill". The more well-recognized scientists we have enlightening the world, the better!

Thanks, Richard, for all the enlightening you have done and I can't wait for more of it to come.

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

Comment #124043 by annabanana on February 8, 2008 at 8:04 am

I forwarded the article to one of the electrical engineers I work with. We're having lunch today so I'm waiting to see what he has to say about it. He works with power plants all the time, and he's one of the smartest engineers I know, so hopefully he'll give me some insight as this is not exactly my area.

I will say, though, that just because the guy claims that it's violating the 2nd Law doesn't mean that he hasn't come up with something useful.