Hat Tip the LITTLE things which has earned a spot my Atheist Blogroll!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Window decals
I have not participated in a Theme Thursday post in a long time, so here I go.
I keep hoping that the whole put your family in your back window SUV culture thing will just go away like the Baby on Board signs form the 80s - but no, it just keeps spreading.
Bush admin disingenuous
Via (parenthetical remarks) - why does the Bush administration insist on being disingenuous? They rewards failure and encourage incompetence, then act as if nobody will notice.
The Bush administration is balking at the prospect of opening up talks with Iran and Syria about the crisis in Iraq on the grounds that it would be "rewarding bad behavior".
How about a little walk down memory lane:
Penn Jillette: There Is No God
via Austin Cline at About.Agnosticism/Atheism
Sometimes, people who don't believe in god are told that they must not really believe in anything. I've even had that happen recently on comments here with the blunt statement: "I say you don't have beliefs." To be fair, the label "atheism" does focus on what a person doesn’t believe rather than on what they do believe. That does not mean, though, that atheists don't believe in anything. You just have to ask them rather than assume you already know all you need to about them.
Penn Jillette doesn’t believe in any gods, but at the same time he believes in many other things:
Source: Penn Jillette: There Is No God
What does Penn believe in? - besides a bad game show...
About the same thing as me, which is kind of cool.
Blog poll tools
I had a few questions regarding putting simple polls on blogs recently. I've compiled a list of the tools I've used or know about.
- Add a poll (for wordpress)
- Quimble
- BlogFlux
- Democracy (for wordpress)
- Free Blog Poll
- Vizu
- Blog Polls
- Blog Poll
- A movable type tutorial (for do it yourselfers)
- Survey Monkey $$$ (not a widget, but I like it)
- PollDaddy
- Key Survey $$$
- WebsiteGear $$$
If you know of any others, please let me know.
Just call me a cynic
A friend sent me an email telling me to read this "outstanding rebuttal to atheism" - say what?
DEAR DR. GRAHAM: I read a book attacking religion recently written by an atheist, and it convinced me to believe in atheism as the only logical way to live. God doesn't exist, and the sooner we admit it, the better off we'll be. I respect your sincerity, but sincerity isn't enough. -- A.G.
(and Billy Graham responds..)
I did not have the heart to tell my friend that this is a classic straight-man pitch. Plus - Grahams response is the classic "you have not seen the evidence" line of BS. I don't think it qualifies as an "outstanding rebuttal"
Technorati tags: atheism
ID on the move in Louisiana
Via Jon Voisey of the Angry Astronomer we find that the Ouachita Parish School Board slipped in language that would allow the teaching of Intelligent Design in science classroom.
Where topics are taught that may generate controversy (such as biological evolution), the curriculum should help students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist, why such topics may generate controversy, and how scientific discoveries can profoundly affect society.
Source: Ouachita board OK's academic freedom' in classroom - The Shreveporttimes.com
Jon writes:
If the actual wording of this is upheld, then I think it would be rather innoculous. I fully support the teaching of the "full range of scientific views". But the key word there is scientific.
Unfortunately, I suspect that my definition of science (you know... involving the scientific method and all) is quite different from there's (uses lots of big words we don't know but tells us what we want to hear).
This news means that the clock is ticking on a lawsuit. My bet is three months.
Liquid water on mars
This great science story hit the press yesterday. It seems scientist have some proof of liquid water flowing recently on the surface of Mars.
"Water seems to have flowed on the surface of today's Mars," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, speaking at a news conference yesterday. "The big question is how does it happen, and does it point to a habitat for life?"
Source: Mars Photos May Indicate The Recent Flow of Water - washingtonpost.com
Of course, this could mean that life may exist on Mars. I've always been fascinated by the scientific problems this would pose. How does one explain the emergence of life on Mars? Did it evolve via the primordial sea as in theorized here on earth, or was there an entirely different process? I am also thrilled at the possibility that earth is not unique. If life exists on Mars, it could exist throughout the universe.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Yes - I have a morbid fear of Big Brother
...and thanks to Somnambulist - it just got much worse. Check out a view of the future when we are all using a National ID Number.
*** Update ****
Somnambulist is no more - it was up yesterday and gone today.
Mystery solved - it's Christian capitalism
I've been noticing the NOTW symbol on the back of truck windows and SUVs for a few months now. I never really figured out what it stood for. I figured it was some Christian thing. Last night I dreamed that zombie people wearing these T-shirts with this emblem, were trying to kill me. My mind works in odd ways, dreams are one of the ways my mind functions to resolve problems. I knew upon waking that if I did not find the answer, the zombies would be back again tonight. So, I resolved to find the source.
It turns out to be a crass commercialization of Christian imagery and not really worth my time. but....
"Not Of This World" is an alternative lifestyle brand that goes beyond the norm. NOTW is an identity set apart, designed to save and empower lives.
Uniquely made and part of a bigger plan, NOTW provides fashion that communicates the grace, truth and love of Jesus. It is about you and the One who loves you most.
Source: NOTW Clothing - Not of This World - Wholesale Christian T-Shirts & Apparel
They have a web based alter call. That makes it ok to see cutting edge Christian clothing embellished with in-your-face imagery. Whoohoo - I love America! Now, where are those damn money changers?
Saturday, December 02, 2006
It's that time of the year again
My inbox is starting to fill up with with Libertarians who intend to run for President. I get a kick out of the process because most Libertarians who choose to run, cannot get elected to a local school board. Yet, they have a plan to "save America". Take Christine Smith for instance (and no, not the Christine Smith from NWS - Playboy).
America needs true leadership. I am running for President of the United States because I love America, and feel called to help save it. It is time for a people's America.
I want to represent you, and will work to immediately enact changes in the federal government which I believe will make America safer, more productive, and regain and ensure the civil liberties guaranteed American citizens.
[it goes on and on]
Christine has a blog, which needs some design TLC. She has a brief press release up at LNC, and she has been interviewed by The Next Prez. She is a Natural Law libertarian - and completely unknown to me.
I often wonder what motivates people to run for President under the Libertarian banner. It is the hopeless cause of hopeless cases. If she is lucky enough to become the official Libertarian candidate, she will live in the obscure shadow of the real candidates. I would feel differently about running for a major office if there was a chance that we could made a difference. But, history shows us, very few make any impact. It is a waste of time and energy, but... I love it because they all tend to be borderline crazy.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Fundie Quote: Dobson - not not not
"...The separation of church and state is not in the Constitution. No, it's not. That is not in the Constitution. ....It's not in the Bill of Rights. It's not anywhere in a foundational document."
Source: Progressive Newswire
An Open Letter to Fox News' Hannity and Colmes by Alexander Villacampa
Alexander Villacamp was a little pissed when Hannity and Colmes dropped him for a segment on the separation of church and state in favor of an atheist for a segment on church and state. I'm sure the atheist did a great job with the issue. Villacampa, a libertarian, has a perspective that helps our cause. Sometimes we forget that we are not alone.
...many of the individuals in favor of these Ten Commandment displays, such as you, Sean Hannity, claim that the United States of America is a Christian nation founded on Christian laws; this can not be farther from the truth. In all reality, one of the principle reasons for the creation of the United States was freedom of religion and the separation of religion from the state. This is something the British crown did not practice and which led to many acts against minority religious groups by the English government. It was the intent of the Founding Fathers that the United States government be free from all ties to any specific religion.
Source: An Open Letter to Fox News' Hannity and Colmes by Alexander Villacampa
Of course, I'm a libertarian too.
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