951. ELECTION DAY IN THE USA. GO VOTE.

Comment #280951 by Laurie Fraser on November 9, 2008 at 2:12 am

Brilliantly said, Mike. No-one can argue with your last three or four posts. Those who like to continue to hack on the U.N. should remind themselves that the U.S. has been actively destabilising it for years, not because it sees the U.N. as supporting an ideology opposed to its own, but because the U.N. has been calling out the U.S. for its massive complicity in crimes against humanity.

952. Unknown 'Structures' Tugging at Universe, Study Says

Comment #280722 by Laurie Fraser on November 8, 2008 at 6:08 am

Michael: http://www.abc.net.au/news/ and scroll down to the video of Keating/Turnbull. He was in fine fettle.

Steve - I understand, but I really wish I had the maths as well. :)

953. Bad Faith Awards 2008: Vote now

Comment #280719 by Laurie Fraser on November 8, 2008 at 6:00 am

Carto, you're just a naughty boy. Of course that's what a fifteen year-old girl thinks about all the time - her future health and the risks associated with "funny business with boys."

The St Monica's "management team" needs a good horsewhipping.

954. Unknown 'Structures' Tugging at Universe, Study Says

Comment #280718 by Laurie Fraser on November 8, 2008 at 5:57 am

I loved Keating last night, Michael - he "did Turnbull slowly."

955. Unknown 'Structures' Tugging at Universe, Study Says

Comment #280709 by Laurie Fraser on November 8, 2008 at 5:42 am

Hi Oystein - well, for us folks who don't have the maths, the only way we can understand these things is, as Steve says, in analogical terms. Those of you physicists who are patient enough to spell it out in words deserve our appreciation. I enjoy those writers like Weinberg, Smolins, etc who bring cosmology alive for us lesser mortals!

956. Unknown 'Structures' Tugging at Universe, Study Says

Comment #280706 by Laurie Fraser on November 8, 2008 at 5:34 am

Decius - I love it when Oystein messes with my head!

957. ELECTION DAY IN THE USA. GO VOTE.

Comment #280688 by Laurie Fraser on November 8, 2008 at 3:57 am

righton - I was having a little joke, yes? That being so, in the main I would suggest that we DO moderate our language; as I have found out, conversations conducted temperately are far more productive.

None of this, of course, applies to DP.

958. Darwin's specimens go on display

Comment #280544 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Hey 8 - voted yet?

959. ELECTION DAY IN THE USA. GO VOTE.

Comment #280543 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 6:21 pm

You mean - NO POOFTAHS! ?

Perhaps I should remind those poor bastards who live in countries other than God's own, Brian, that the word "bastard" is a term of endearment here.

960. ELECTION DAY IN THE USA. GO VOTE.

Comment #280539 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 6:06 pm

righton - here on RDnet we like to be civil and courteous to other posters, even when we don't agree with their opinions. I would remind all posters that it is the interest of fairness and civility that we moderate our language at all times.

DP - you stupid bastard.

961. Does Religion Make You Nice?

Comment #280526 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 5:19 pm

Comment #280517 by phil rimmer

Couldn't agree more, Phil. I have always loathed the idea of charity: its condescension, hubris and pretension. A civilised society will take account of those who have special needs, and provide for those needs through progressive taxation instruments. It is not a matter of one's preening "generosity"; it is a matter of human rights.

962. ELECTION DAY IN THE USA. GO VOTE.

Comment #280494 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 3:55 pm

The reason (or one of the reasons) that capitalism is a house of cards is in what Marx called "the myth of entrepreneurial enterprise." While it is fair for owners and managers, etc, to receive a share of incomes in accordance with their actual work value, capitalism has, at its base, a belief that says that the owners of production can legitimately exploit market forces in order to reap as much profit (surplus value) as they can. This is why capitalists always seek to lower the costs of production, including labour, and explains why various industries move off-shore to exploit the cheap labour of developing countries. It is not necessary to explain what this does to the countries whose manufacturing sectors have been largely globalised. (Just have a look at the rust belt of the U.S., or parts of Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia.)

When an economy starts to exist on its service and financial sectors, it will always be a house of cards.

Ed for typo.

963. Unknown 'Structures' Tugging at Universe, Study Says

Comment #280488 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 3:34 pm

Leave it up, Josh - it's time for round two of the philosophical discussion entitled "How do we know what's there?"

964. Does Religion Make You Nice?

Comment #280484 by Laurie Fraser on November 7, 2008 at 3:30 pm

Nice, isn't it? Pull a quote from one of the most nuanced, complex authors in history - a writer whose investigation of the human psyche predated almost all of modern psychology, and trumpet it as if it were Dostoyevsy's final analysis; what a fraud.

965. Bad Faith Awards 2008: Vote now

Comment #279891 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 2:44 pm

Talky Meat - on second thought, you're right. The school governors descend way below pure ignorance into the most Machiavellian evil.

966. Bad Faith Awards 2008: Vote now

Comment #279889 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 2:36 pm

Coulter - pure evil, as NEB suggests.

Oktar no 2

Palin no 3 - just because I don't want to see her slip out of public life without getting a good boot up the arse for being such a fuckwit.

967. President Obama: Bad News For the New Atheists and Other Fundamentalists

Comment #279406 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 3:07 am

Sorry, CFL - I'd had a bad day, came home, and the first thing I saw on RD was this shite from quantum flux. I was going to apologise for my bad manners, but then thought "fuck it"; I'm sick to death of the right-wing brigade who actually believe that the world will be OK as long as we allow capitalism untrammeled access to our pockets. Obama talks about "change"; let's see some change where working-class people actually assume control over their own lives, and are not simply the playthings of the wealthy elite.

968. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279381 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 2:00 am

Hi Michael - I just watched Obama's acceptance speech. Made Rudd's look like the boring shit it was.

969. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279359 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 1:05 am

Comment #279356 by Brian English

Brian - a couple of little problems with your right-hand technique, there. Get that thumb pointed up towards the neck, i, m & a a little back, and hold the hand off the guitar a bit. There's a good boy!

970. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279355 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:36 am

I'm going back to Tia, Brian. You can have that avatar :)

971. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279352 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:28 am

Isn't "festooned" a lovely word? Just for fun:

There once was a woman name Rhoda
Who built an erotic pagoda
And the walls of its halls
Were festooned with the balls
and the tools of the fools that bestrode her.

972. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279349 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:24 am

Comment #279348 by Brian English

Oh, man - I could tell you some funny stories about all of that; like getting lost with a festooned float with twenty dykes on top in the middle of Sydney. Good value.

973. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279346 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:19 am

I agree with Russell, Brian. The problem is that while we have institutions like marriage which automatically confer discriminatory rights on heterosexual couples, gays are left in the cold. This needs to be addressed.

974. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279339 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:11 am

Touche, mate. Actually, the reason I get to drive the float is because I've got a truck driver's licence - but fuck, it's fun.

975. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279336 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:08 am

Yeah, Brian - those bloody poofters made me do it! :)

976. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279333 by Laurie Fraser on November 6, 2008 at 12:01 am

Good comments from all. Eshto - although I'm neither black nor gay, I believe that my empathy for blacks and gays allows me to understand, at least, their oppression. Why on earth did I allow myself to get beaten half to death by the cops simply because I wanted to express my solidarity with my black South African brothers and sisters in 1971? Why do I drive a float in the Gay & Lesbian Mardis Gras in Sydney every year? There's nothing in it for me...... or is there? That's the point, obviously. We can all see oppression when it occurs, and we can either do something about it, or remain mute. I'm for sticking up for my black and gay mates, not rolling over and saying "It's not my struggle." One of my great memories is watching Nelson Mandela thank all of the people all over the world who stood against apartheid. I hope that the day will come when the gay Prime Minister of England will thank all those who stood against the vilification of gays, all over the world. Solidarity, brothers and sisters. That's what counts.

977. President Obama: Bad News For the New Atheists and Other Fundamentalists

Comment #279322 by Laurie Fraser on November 5, 2008 at 11:36 pm

Get fucked, quantum_flux - socialism is good. Your brand of free-for-all, fucked-up capitalism has been exploiting the world for too long. Get a fucking life, go work at something that is productive and benefits your society, and stop being one of those dickhead Americans that believes that if you play the stock market right, you too will become a millionaire. The world's changing, bozo. Read John Ralston Saul, dammit.

978. Gay Marriage Outlawed in California

Comment #279240 by Laurie Fraser on November 5, 2008 at 6:30 pm

The Abrahamic religions spurn homosexuality because the ancient Israelites, who were "strangers in a strange land" after the flight from Egypt, wanted to control and own that very land, as "God" had ruled that they were the chosen people. They invented various marks of difference between themselves and the surrounding tribes as a method of consolidating in-group loyalty: circumcision, monotheism (the people of the Middle East were polytheistic), and, of course, a blanket proscription of certain activities in the two most important human activity groups - eating and fucking.

There you go.

979. ELECTION DAY IN THE USA. GO VOTE.

Comment #278736 by Laurie Fraser on November 5, 2008 at 5:15 am

Bugger! Have to pull down my tent. If anyone can send some books, I've got plenty of shelving.

980. Quentin Letts ranks Dawkins 30th on list of 'people who have wrecked Britain'

Comment #278729 by Laurie Fraser on November 5, 2008 at 5:02 am

Hi Ladies and Gents -

Just want to butt in after being at an American Election party. Well done Obama - now live up to the rhetoric.

981. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277760 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:47 am

Received and replied, Titania.

982. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277757 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:40 am

Bloody hell, Vaal - things have changed! I remember our teachers used to give us foot massages when we were at school, except that they used rubber hoses!

983. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277755 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:35 am

Titania, there is a rather good book on Aussie slang I've got somewhere. If you PM me a postal address I'll send it over, so you can bone up on it before we meet in Dublin. That way, you and I will be able to communicate, and you'll be able to interpret for everyone else.

984. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277752 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:32 am

I'll bet they get tired of you listening to them, though, Mitchell.

985. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277749 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:29 am

Titania - "sheila" is Aussie for "chick", or whatever the slang for "female" is in your neck of the woods. Sorry - didn't mean the reference :) (Good, though :))

986. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277747 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:25 am

No, no, Quetz - you were supposed to reply "SAY NO MORE!"

Mind you, yours was better :)

987. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277743 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:15 am

Quetz - I could have half a dozen atheist sheilas living in my back yard. And you know what those atheist sheilas are like - wink, wink, nudge nudge.


*runs like buggery*

988. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277737 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 5:05 am

There seem to be quite a few American female RD.netters preparing an exodus in the event of a McCain win.

989. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277682 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 3:11 am

Thanks, Brian - I'll get on it now. Deuce.

990. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277678 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 3:01 am

Corylus,
Try this:
http://www.harunyahya.com/theauthor.php

Brian - *face palm* JUST STOP NOW, WILL YA?

991. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277674 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:55 am

Brian - I thought you were doing something productive, like belting blowies. Now check your PMs, and help me out! (Pleeeeaaaaase)

992. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277669 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:45 am

Brian - PM in a few minutes.

993. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277667 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:44 am

Corylus -

Have I ever told you what a marvellous, outstanding, intelligent and beautiful woman I think you are?

994. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277665 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:41 am

Brian - as we are all descendants of "Why I am Not a Christian", that just makes us all supremely hot. There's your Russelian explanation.

995. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277661 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:38 am

Ah, you guys!

Mike - if you're still around (or anyone else), what's a good way of posting MP3s on my blog space?

996. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277655 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:33 am

I think you're just channelling Justin Timberlake, Mitchell.

997. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277652 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:30 am

I noticed the Humean references, Brian, but I wasn't going to comment on them in case you got a big head about it.

What's your weapon of choice for the blowie?

998. 'Probably' the best atheist bus campaign ever

Comment #277641 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:22 am

Comment #277606 by Titania

I've got bad news for you, Titania......

Hey. Obama wins tomorrow!

999. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277637 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:18 am

Mike - it's not that being suave or sophisticated is bad, per se. (I'm both, BTW :)) It's the pretence of it all that I find deplorable. As if one's airs and graces are everything.

1000. Beware - creationism's march will go on

Comment #277625 by Laurie Fraser on November 4, 2008 at 2:11 am

Comment #277614 by Brian English

Nice. *claps*

Steve - with that avatar, I'd like to see YOU take on Yahya.

Mike - what's wrong with zoophilia? I love zoos.