As an equal opportunity blasphemist, after this there's now this
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
There are just no words
Accused witch gives birth in tree
No mention in the article of what religion is involved here, the immediate reaction could be muslim, they too certainly don't like witches but I think that it is not not the religion of peace at work here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea#Religion
No mention in the article of what religion is involved here, the immediate reaction could be muslim, they too certainly don't like witches but I think that it is not not the religion of peace at work here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea#Religion
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Interesting but it will not change the believers mind
Why do we believe in God? 2m study prays for answer
That is a very interesting study, and will be useful in many ways but it will not change a thing for current believers.
Only a very small minority has the mental capacity to get rid of the long term indoctrination, most of the believers even if they understand and are shown the exact path how religion was formed by men and evolved as a necessity rather than a truth will shake their head and say "I need it and I'll keep it"
Plus anything that takes money from religious organizations for at least something that resembles actual research instead of creating creationism/ID propaganda is okay by me.
That is a very interesting study, and will be useful in many ways but it will not change a thing for current believers.
Only a very small minority has the mental capacity to get rid of the long term indoctrination, most of the believers even if they understand and are shown the exact path how religion was formed by men and evolved as a necessity rather than a truth will shake their head and say "I need it and I'll keep it"
Plus anything that takes money from religious organizations for at least something that resembles actual research instead of creating creationism/ID propaganda is okay by me.
God and Politics in Lynchburg, Tennessee
Oh man, as if Bush has not been guided by his imagination enough.
Friday, February 15, 2008
SMS Scam!
Zo, gisteren kreeg ik ineens een bedankje van mijn vrouw voor een "geheime valentijn" SMS, maar ik had niets gestuurd!
(we hebben het niet zo op die specifieke dag maar ik had toch iets anders al gedaan voor deze SMS)
Bij nader onderzoek bleek dat ze een SMS berichtje gekregen had van een "geheime valentijn" en om het bericht te bekijken moest ze enkel een SMS sturen met een code naar een nummer, op het einde van dat bericht stond geheel terloops.
En ze heeft die SMS met code gestuurd en daarna een web link gekregen naar een onnozel JPG file van een beertje met een rood hart.
Nu, we hebben nog geen rekening gekregen maar ik ben vrijwel zeker dat we daar 2 euro kwijt gespeeld zijn aan een achterbaks truc.
Het gaat mij (ons) niet om die 2 euro maar het feit dat die SMS waarschijnlijk bij duizenden andere mensen terecht gekomen is en er zeker heel wat voor die bedrieglijke praktijk gevallen zijn waaronder zeker heel wat kinderen maakt mij echt kwaad en ik vind het erg dat er geld, zelfs al is het maar 2 euro, van mij naar zulke bedriegers gaat.
Ik ga kijken of ik de site en de nummer nog kan vinden om eens te zien of er geen gezamenlijke acties tegen gestart werden.
Nu dat ik eraan denk, een tijdje geleden had mijn vrouw zich ingeschreven voor sms dienst waardoor ze regelmatig (dagelijks) een bijbelvers of religieuze text kreeg tot ik haar attent maakte dat dat ook 2 euro per bericht was en dus op het einde van de maand makkelijk 20 à 30 euro kon worden, het zou mij niet verbazen dat die de lijst van telefoonnummers (of misschien enkel de afvalligen uit wraak) doorverkocht heeft ... (maar dat is puur speculatie natuurlijk)
(we hebben het niet zo op die specifieke dag maar ik had toch iets anders al gedaan voor deze SMS)
Bij nader onderzoek bleek dat ze een SMS berichtje gekregen had van een "geheime valentijn" en om het bericht te bekijken moest ze enkel een SMS sturen met een code naar een nummer, op het einde van dat bericht stond geheel terloops.
... ( 2 E )
En ze heeft die SMS met code gestuurd en daarna een web link gekregen naar een onnozel JPG file van een beertje met een rood hart.
Nu, we hebben nog geen rekening gekregen maar ik ben vrijwel zeker dat we daar 2 euro kwijt gespeeld zijn aan een achterbaks truc.
Het gaat mij (ons) niet om die 2 euro maar het feit dat die SMS waarschijnlijk bij duizenden andere mensen terecht gekomen is en er zeker heel wat voor die bedrieglijke praktijk gevallen zijn waaronder zeker heel wat kinderen maakt mij echt kwaad en ik vind het erg dat er geld, zelfs al is het maar 2 euro, van mij naar zulke bedriegers gaat.
Ik ga kijken of ik de site en de nummer nog kan vinden om eens te zien of er geen gezamenlijke acties tegen gestart werden.
Nu dat ik eraan denk, een tijdje geleden had mijn vrouw zich ingeschreven voor sms dienst waardoor ze regelmatig (dagelijks) een bijbelvers of religieuze text kreeg tot ik haar attent maakte dat dat ook 2 euro per bericht was en dus op het einde van de maand makkelijk 20 à 30 euro kon worden, het zou mij niet verbazen dat die de lijst van telefoonnummers (of misschien enkel de afvalligen uit wraak) doorverkocht heeft ... (maar dat is puur speculatie natuurlijk)
Another gunman in a school in the US
But this isn't about awful and senseless shooting
A witness had this to say:
And that just about sums it all up, when all else fails, when you don't know what else to do, if thinking about and thanking god can keep you calm and quiet in that situation then it has worked for you (off course it doesn't mean it's true)
And in such a situation you're probably not going to think any further that this god you are thanking is (by your rational) also responsible for the dead people and the whole situation you're in at that moment, no, at that time it comforts you and keeps you quiet and it probably is a survival technique.
But to base your whole life on a thought you have in a crisis situation and claim some truth value for that thought is just ridiculous.
In such situations I'll try to just be quiet on my own accord and I'll keep thinking about ways to get out of that situation instead of filling my head with nonsense.
And also it is a mystery to me why every news item now seems to have to include a witness statement with a god claim in it
A witness had this to say:
"I kept thanking God, over and over," she said. "I didn't even know what else to do."
And that just about sums it all up, when all else fails, when you don't know what else to do, if thinking about and thanking god can keep you calm and quiet in that situation then it has worked for you (off course it doesn't mean it's true)
And in such a situation you're probably not going to think any further that this god you are thanking is (by your rational) also responsible for the dead people and the whole situation you're in at that moment, no, at that time it comforts you and keeps you quiet and it probably is a survival technique.
In such situations I'll try to just be quiet on my own accord and I'll keep thinking about ways to get out of that situation instead of filling my head with nonsense.
And also it is a mystery to me why every news item now seems to have to include a witness statement with a god claim in it
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
So much evil on one page
If I had more time there would be so much punchlines to write but I'll just put the link here:
http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/Catholic_Children%27s_Costumes.htm
(if the kids were a bit older they could be doing lots of wholesome blasphemous activities, I can imagine themed college parties, pub crawls, Spanish Inquisition reenactments ...)
http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/Catholic_Children%27s_Costumes.htm
(if the kids were a bit older they could be doing lots of wholesome blasphemous activities, I can imagine themed college parties, pub crawls, Spanish Inquisition reenactments ...)
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Weer een bewijs dat België niet immuum is
tegen het creationisme.
(The video is in Dutch but you English speakers can watch the cool intro)
(The video is in Dutch but you English speakers can watch the cool intro)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Curtains
Since we still don't have any curtains in our house ('xcept off-course our daughter's room) I think these will do and we have some nice big windows to put them on:
http://gizmodo.com/353266/magnetic-curtains-retain-whatever-shape-you-put-them-in
http://gizmodo.com/353266/magnetic-curtains-retain-whatever-shape-you-put-them-in
Henry Rollins - Evolution
Oh yeah!
(via http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/02/rollins_on_evolution.php)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
grmph, I just don't understand
I was just reading PZ's latest posting when my eye gets diverted to the ad, I usually don't look at them but I don't know why I all of a sudden focused on that word in it, "faith". From that moment I had to see what it was about, well here it is:
http://fusenow.org/why_faith_communities.html
Why would they want to exclude by their own admission 20% of the population just because that 20% does not adhere to dogma, I just don't get it, that charity does not have "faith" based goal, on the contrary it is a goal that is quite secular and a secular organization with that same goal would have been able to speak to 100% of the world population, oh, well, I sent them a message to that effect and am off to bed.
http://fusenow.org/why_faith_communities.html
Why would they want to exclude by their own admission 20% of the population just because that 20% does not adhere to dogma, I just don't get it, that charity does not have "faith" based goal, on the contrary it is a goal that is quite secular and a secular organization with that same goal would have been able to speak to 100% of the world population, oh, well, I sent them a message to that effect and am off to bed.
Personal things
So we're thinking about expanding our family.
And I'm torn, #1 has been an absolute wonderful experience, she's everything I didn't know that kids could be and even though I had no problems in finding a reason to live before she was here, she has taken the #1 spot the moment she was there!
And I'm quite sure #2 would be similar but my very next thought is that (s)he would not be #1 ... so I'm really torn that I would want to give #2 the same as #1 but I'm sure it will not be, it might even be better but that does not change my feelings, (s)he will not be #1.
And it's not financial, that does play a bit but we're doing OK in that department.
My wife and I are both single children and I've never ever felt it as something missing, my wife did, so perhaps that is it, I don't know, can't know what having siblings is.
Another thing that I fear is time, my wife and I have had a pretty free life, and are enjoying some freedom again (#1 is coming up to her 2nd birthday), if there is a #2 then it will push that freedom back by another 2-3 years, I didn't mind with #1 but from what I hear from other parents free time will be even less with an additional kid.
Before #1 I was not really pro-children but am very, very happy to have #1, I think I'm more pro #2 than I was before #1 and probably all this doubt will fade away when/if #2 comes but it is playing in my mind, and feels good to put it in writing a bit.
ps. Religion really doesn't come into play here. My wife, though a church going Catholic, she's quite liberal about it and doesn't seem to force things, contrary to the grandparents who have given those awful children bibles (I'm gonna make a version with the story of Lot's daughters and see how good that sells ;) ) but that will not change and they do not dictate our lives, those books have been put in a box far away from #1.
And I'm torn, #1 has been an absolute wonderful experience, she's everything I didn't know that kids could be and even though I had no problems in finding a reason to live before she was here, she has taken the #1 spot the moment she was there!
And I'm quite sure #2 would be similar but my very next thought is that (s)he would not be #1 ... so I'm really torn that I would want to give #2 the same as #1 but I'm sure it will not be, it might even be better but that does not change my feelings, (s)he will not be #1.
And it's not financial, that does play a bit but we're doing OK in that department.
My wife and I are both single children and I've never ever felt it as something missing, my wife did, so perhaps that is it, I don't know, can't know what having siblings is.
Another thing that I fear is time, my wife and I have had a pretty free life, and are enjoying some freedom again (#1 is coming up to her 2nd birthday), if there is a #2 then it will push that freedom back by another 2-3 years, I didn't mind with #1 but from what I hear from other parents free time will be even less with an additional kid.
Before #1 I was not really pro-children but am very, very happy to have #1, I think I'm more pro #2 than I was before #1 and probably all this doubt will fade away when/if #2 comes but it is playing in my mind, and feels good to put it in writing a bit.
ps. Religion really doesn't come into play here. My wife, though a church going Catholic, she's quite liberal about it and doesn't seem to force things, contrary to the grandparents who have given those awful children bibles (I'm gonna make a version with the story of Lot's daughters and see how good that sells ;) ) but that will not change and they do not dictate our lives, those books have been put in a box far away from #1.
Friday, February 1, 2008
The British Humanist Association
I subscribe wholeheartedly and am a member of the Belgian group.
Very well done!
Charlie Chaplin Speaks
Let us fight for a world of reason a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness!
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