Monthly Archive for April, 2009Page 3 of 6

Tidal and Wave Power

Published

on April 15, 2009

Slightly different thoughts today. I was reading about tidal and wave power and it looks like it could be a viable technology that could provide a significant (15%?) amount of power, clean power. But then I got to thinking...

One person talked about how mother nature is providing tidal power for free and we are just wasting it by not using it. But, what did they mean by that? How is tidal power being 'wasted'? In other words, if we aren't using the energy, where is it going?

If a tidal power generation operation were to take 50% of the energy from the tide, that means that 50% of the energy the tide used to provide is not being used naturally. So, if we take tidal energy, what effect does that have on nature?

Lots of questions.

My first thought is heat. Eventually, all energy is lost as heat. Therefore, current tidal energy must be being converted into heat. Is that heat warming the water? Will the removal of the tidal energy result in lower water temperatures thereby affecting life in the water? Tides also cause mechanical erosion so a reduction in tidal energy will slow erosion - that's probably a good thing but I'm not sure if erosion provides benefits to sealife in the form of releasing minerals?

I think back to when people would have looked at an untouched forest of trees and marvel at all the wood they could cut down and then eventually cut the whole forest. Or when the nearly inexhaustible supply of cod on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland let to the virtual destruction of it. By siphoning tidal power on a large scale, what effect will we have?

Opinions and links to resources would be appreciated!

Karaoke, Atheism and Astrology

Published

Nobody's There

on April 15, 2009

Last night my partner and I had separate fundraising events. At home B (He who must be Obeyed) held a cocktail party for the Great and the Good in order to raise funds for the local theatre. I was, as usual, judge at Aqua Nightclub for their version of American Idol – Karaoke!

One made tens of thousands of dollars, the other hundreds of dollars. I leave you to guess which was which.

After my event a stunningly pretty girl came up to me and asked me what my sign was. “You’re such an interesting person.” Now, although I’m gay, flattery from youth of either sex is always welcome… but my astrological sign? I looked at her, as if from over a pair of thick lensed glasses, and replied “It’s either “Stop” or ” Speed Limit 45… Surely you don’t really believe in such nonsense?”

“You don’t believe!”

“No, I’m atheist.”

“You mean you’re agnostic. Atheism meams that you have a closed mind!”

“Well, it’s not so open that my brains fall out.”

“But you’re open to the possibility that god exists?.”

“It’s possible, but I think, not believe, that we die and.. well that’s it!”

“Oh, I do too, but we’re all god really aren’t we?”

“I think a god would be able to do impossible things. Now I try to do at least three impossible things before breakfast every day – but I never succeed. So, no I don’t think we are.”

“I am glad that you’re not closed off to possibilities. That’s nice.

Now ”What sign are you?” is a fairly common “chat up line”. It is all over the universe. Here in Key West the usual response from an individual to the refutation is “No I don’t believe either but I wanted to talk to you.”

It was nice to meet a believer.

We have hundreds, I mean one on every corner, of churches here. Every time I challenge the attending faithful they quickly recant their beliefs. I’m sure that the “Post Christian” era arrived many years ago. It’s just taken us all a long time to realize that.

How Should We Call Them ?

Published

Michel

on April 15, 2009

It would be nice to have name, a monicker, an appellation or designation, for those who really profit Big Time from their lies and their siblings' ignorance and gullibility.

Other than priests, pastors, shamans, frauds, thiefs or the Federal Reserve Bank for that matter. An original nickname - could be funny ironic sarcastic or just plain factual.

It could also be a completely made-up word. Like Beliefants, for instance.

How Should We Call Them ?

Published

Michel

on April 15, 2009

Famous Youtube Christian, Tony48219, Murders 20 Year Old Girl

Published

[ Matt ]

on April 14, 2009

For anyone who has seen Anthony Powell's (aka Tony48219) videos on youtube it's apparent that the man was suffering from a serious mental illness. He would often rant incoherently about the virtues of his christian life, evolution and the immorality, anger and stupidity of atheists, and rarely got through a sentence without uttering numerous expletives. His hatred for women was also apparent in one video entitled "black women don't deserve respect" where he tells women to be obedient and submissive to their "kings".

Nobody, apart from "liz" on FSTDT, thought that his mental instability and hatred for women would lead to the events which unfolded on Friday, April 10 2009, when Anthony Powell, 28, took a gun to Henry Ford Community College and murdered 20 year old student Asia McGowan before killing himself.

I don't think Anthony Powell's religion caused him to become a murderer, instead i think his delusions lead him to be a christian, and his hatred and mental illness caused him to be a murderer. Despite the fact that the christians on youtube are frantically trying to distance themselves from this as if the only important thing here is the reputation of their silly little cult.

Good job for Anthony Powell his god was imaginary, otherwise he would be in a lot of trouble right now.

Atheism Logo Study

Published

Michel

on April 14, 2009

A litttle while back, on Twitter, Michael Nugent, who hosts an atheist blog on Atheism, Happiness and Life suggested the idea of creating a visual symbol for Atheism.

There are already existing icons on the web representing atheism or certain aspects of the worldview, the FFS, Dawkins' A, the Skeletal Fish and others. But it started me thinking and I came up with the above design and the following argumentation:

My proposal for an Atheist Logo:
1 - Since everything either spirals in or out in this Universe, here's the Spiral.
2 - It also represents a Birdsnake, a fantasy hybrid link between reptiles and volatiles. Evolution.
3 - It has an organic sketchy-like irregular rendering, indicating the finest any (known) given star can produce: Life.
4 - Also suggests a galaxy... of like-minded thinkers.

Any opinions or suggestions?

Atheism Logo Study

Published

Michel

on April 14, 2009

Souls Don’t Exist After Death

Published

Michel

on April 13, 2009

Myth: We have immortal souls that survive the death of the body.

We have mountains of evidence that makes it clear that our consciousness, our beliefs, our desires, our thoughts all depend upon the proper functioning of our brains our nervous systems to exist.

So when the brain dies, all of these things that we identify with the soul also cease to exist.

Despite the fact that billions of people have lived and died on this planet, we do not have a single credible case of someone's soul, or consciousness, or personality continuing to exist despite the demise of their bodies. Allegations of spirit chandlers, psychics, ghost stories, and communications with the dead have all turned out to befrauds, deceptions, mistakes, and lies.

From Matt McCormick's blog Proving The Negative

Souls Don’t Exist After Death

Published

Michel

on April 13, 2009

Myth: We have immortal souls that survive the death of the body.

We have mountains of evidence that makes it clear that our consciousness, our beliefs, our desires, our thoughts all depend upon the proper functioning of our brains our nervous systems to exist.

So when the brain dies, all of these things that we identify with the soul also cease to exist.

Despite the fact that billions of people have lived and died on this planet, we do not have a single credible case of someone's soul, or consciousness, or personality continuing to exist despite the demise of their bodies. Allegations of spirit chandlers, psychics, ghost stories, and communications with the dead have all turned out to befrauds, deceptions, mistakes, and lies.

From Matt McCormick's blog Proving The Negative

Easter Monday

Published

Holy Prepuce

on April 13, 2009

The Holy Prepuce would like to make clear that, should he ever be nailed to an object, he does not want the anniversary celebrated as "Good" anything.

This year, as every year, Christians around the world celebrated Good Friday with reenactments of the Biblical Crucifixion. And, again as every year, residents of Bulacan Province in the Philippines took things just that one step further by actually nailing each other to crosses. The ritual is a perennial journalistic standby: it's easy to schedule coverage, it's always photogenic, and typically there's some hook. Last year's hook was the government health advisory warning penitents to receive tetanus vaccinations, to ensure that they self-flagellate only with "well-maintained" whips, and to disinfect their four-inch nails prior to hammering them through each others' hands and feet. More comprehensive health warnings, such as "don't nail yourself to crosses, you crazy bastards," apparently went unspoken. This year's angle was the revelation that Jewish Australian comedian John Safran was discovered among the penitents, being crucified under an assumed name.

Every now and again, I like to do some original reporting for this blog, so I asked the one person I know in the Philippines what she thought about the practice. Her comments suggest that middle class Manilans have approximately the same relationship to Bulakenyo crucifixion as most Americans have to Appalachian Pentecostal snake handling: it's deeply weird, it's faintly embarrassing that people in other countries know about it, and they've only ever seen it on TV.

My source, who prefers not to be named out of fear at what she described as a reflexive tendency toward "butthurt" against public criticism of Filipino cultural institutions, went on to say the following:

[M]y only opinion on the matter, with my limited knowledge on the subject, is "Holy SHIT that's gotta hurt." I mean, they use real nails and shit. (I always change the channel.) But for a more insightful opinion for your piece, I'll actually quote my Dad, who had some interesting comments when they showed it on TV: these people go through all of that excruciating physical pain every year, then they go home and beat their wives and children, gamble, drink, steal, and engage in all sorts of debauchery.

They're probably in it for the attention they get from the townspeople, like, "Wow, you're so brave and self-sacrificing." I think it takes the concept of the act of confession, in Catholicism, and then magnifies it hundredfold, so these people think that if they just commit to this torture once every year, it makes up for the less godly things they do the other 364 days, in God's eyes.

In other news on the Easter-related themes of corporeal punishment, resurrection, and redemption, I would direct your attention to:

This article on Alabama judge Herman Thomas, indicted for (among other things) allegedly checking male inmates out of jail, taking them to a specially-furnished storage room near his chambers, and "forcing [them] to expose their buttocks to 'paddling and/or whipping.'"

The reference, in this article, to the "National Organization for Victims of Juvenile Lifers." The NOVJL website does not disclose the source of its funding, but one suspects that like many "victims' rights" groups, NOVJL is a front organisation for the Corrections Corporation of America or the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. (Both lobby aggressively against bad-for-their-business reductions in incarceration.) But seriously, what kind of an asshole joins a group specifically founded to advocate continued sentencing of 13-year-olds to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole?

This article on a Maryland plea bargain, under which all charges will be dropped in case of the victim's resurrection. Said a spokeswoman for the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office: "This would need to be a Jesus-like resurrection. It cannot be a reincarnation in another object or animal."

Easter Monday

Published

Holy Prepuce

on April 13, 2009

[M]y only opinion on the matter, with my limited knowledge on the subject, is "Holy SHIT that's gotta hurt." I mean, they use real nails and shit. (I always change the channel.) But for a more insightful opinion for your piece, I'll actually quote my Dad, who had some interesting comments when they showed it on TV: these people go through all of that excruciating physical pain every year, then they go home and beat their wives and children, gamble, drink, steal, and engage in all sorts of debauchery.

They're probably in it for the attention they get from the townspeople, like, "Wow, you're so brave and self-sacrificing." I think it takes the concept of the act of confession, in Catholicism, and then magnifies it hundredfold, so these people think that if they just commit to this torture once every year, it makes up for the less godly things they do the other 364 days, in God's eyes.

In other news on the Easter-related themes of corporeal punishment, resurrection, and redemption, I would direct your attention to:

This article on Alabama judge Herman Thomas, indicted for (among other things) allegedly checking male inmates out of jail, taking them to a specially-furnished storage room near his chambers, and "forcing [them] to expose their buttocks to 'paddling and/or whipping.'"

The reference, in this article, to the "National Organization for Victims of Juvenile Lifers." The NOVJL website does not disclose the source of its funding, but one suspects that like many "victims' rights" groups, NOVJL is a front organisation for the Corrections Corporation of America or the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. (Both lobby aggressively against bad-for-their-business reductions in incarceration.) But seriously, what kind of an asshole joins a group specifically founded to advocate continued sentencing of 13-year-olds to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole?

This article on a Maryland plea bargain, under which all charges will be dropped in case of the victim's resurrection. Said a spokeswoman for the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office: "This would need to be a Jesus-like resurrection. It cannot be a reincarnation in another object or animal."

Looking Good For Jesus

Published

Kristi

on April 13, 2009

I am entering the contest over at God is Pretend and Not my God. The contest is called The Search for Christian Kitsch.

I needed to find a tacky christian product. It didn't take me long.

I found the Looking Good for Jesus shopper. The detailed description of the shopping bag says.. "Look your Sunday best and shop till you drop with this King-sized shopper."

Bishop Of Aston Demands We Abide By His Religions Rules

Published

[ Matt ]

on April 13, 2009

"waa waa, stop playing football on our special zombie man day" was the demand coming from numerous religious fanatics intent on forcing everyone else to abide by their rules this easter.

In a letter sent to Richard Scudamore, CE of the premiership, the Bishop of aston said

In rearranging this fixture in this manner you show disdain for the religious traditions of this country, and the sensitivities of many employees and football supporters.

Well, bish, listen up and listen carefully. shove your traditions and shove your sensitivities. If you don't want to watch football on easter then don't, but don't you dare try to prevent me, or anyone else, from doing something based on your primitive cults rules and your imagined laws. YOUR RULES APPLY ONLY TO YOU.

the bish tried to veil his demands in the guise of a soggy "won't somebody please think of the elderly!" plea by claiming

Often the elderly or infirm, who make a special effort to attend church on Easter Sunday, are placed at risk due to the crowds.

well which is it? Should we not have football because of "religious sensitivities" or should we not have football because the elderly don't like crowds? Or is it, as i suspect, that you think we should just do as your religion demands and are now looking for a reason to make us?

35th Humanist Symposium- or Humanity’s Extremes

Published

Psychodiva

on April 12, 2009

Welcome to the 35th edition of the Humanist Symposium- please be gentle with me as this is my first time :) the allusion will become clear as you read on.

Now, I'm supposed to try and find a connection between the various submissions that will help people relate to them in some way.

I at first found this difficult due to the apparent disparate nature of the posts but as I read on I found myself thinking that the overall theme of this month's symposium could easily be stated as 'The extremes of human nature': many of the posts covering topics such as death and sex but also some posts which could loosely be placed under the heading of extreme thought or an investigation of human feelings.

Which left me in a quandary- do I place the posts under these self-imposed headings or do I let the reader find their own groupings?

I decided that as I had the opportunity for an audience I would give my own thoughts on the posts some airing as this little blog is unlikely ever to have such an audience again :)

So- on to the submissions - under the loose heading of:

'Life as we know it'

Comes a post from Daylight Atheism which reminds us that life often needs support in a more practical way and asking us to think about how we, as atheists might lend that support through charitable means while also urging us to ignore the attitude of the 'perpetually disgruntled' in accusing us of being 'holier than thou'. I know I searched for a long time to find a charitable organisation without ties to any religion to which I could donate with a clear conscience - they are out there and Daylight Atheism appears to have found a good one.

I believe we have only one life and we should live it to the full - blinding myself to nature by laying a human face or feelings onto natural processes removes for me the wonder inherent in this world.A Nadder has a thoughtful post that reminds us of the extremes of nature and the way that the human habit of anthropomorphising blinds us to the real glory and wonder that can be seen if we only care to look.

Now for that allusion- under the loose heading of:

'A variety of sexual experiences'

Comes a wonderful satirical post from Cafe Philos designed to make us think about the inherent bigotry in religious beliefs about sex and sexuality.

Hot on the heels of that is a post by Glowing Face Man about human sexuality and the way religious belief constrains and changes it from something to be enjoyed and celebrated into something 'dirty' and deniable. In my practice as a therapist for kids, I come butting up against this 'belief' every day- it is a belief that I wish could be removed from the consciousness of many of the adolescents I see- it is a belief that hurts and maims the personality of many a teenager and carries on throughout their lives into adulthood and parenthood- it is a belief that makes me sad for all those people who do not enjoy life as a result of it.

To top off the sexuality theme a post by The evolving mind writes about a study undertaken by Prof Michael King into the use of therapy to change sexual orientation. As a therapist myself I found this disturbing and intriguing and hope that the wealth of possibilites for future posts is explored by evolving mind.

And from life comes......

'Death as we know it' which is explored by Living with Mormonswho writes with obvious sadness about attending the funeral for a friend who was a Mormon and successfully extrapolates this out to religious funerals in general and urges us to celebrate the life of the person, rather than the religion under which they lived.

And finally we have:

Human Nature and Extremes of Thought, a very loose heading indeed but probably containing some of the most thought-provoking submissions:

The Philly Chief over at You Made Me Say It proposes an alternative response to the assertion by many religious and non-religious people that 'you were never a real.......'.

Which brings me to loss of faith / religion which is explored by a submission from grrlscientist over at Living the Scientific Life which has a very good review of a book by William Lobdell about losing his religion- I must say that as a British native I had no idea who this person is but the review made it clear and helped me decide whether to read it or not. The most thought-provoking piece of the review comes at the end when the question is asked - who do people turn to in a crisis of life or faith? Are we as atheists, agnostics or Humanists ready to help people at these times?

Now to be completely honest with ourselves, in a crisis many of us will turn to what could be called 'prayer'- I know I have in the past- I may not have called it prayer but the way I was brought up, as an English child absorbing the culture of my time, a culture that told me 'when in crisis pray', I found it a hard habit to break and one that we all need to be more honest and thoughtful about- the post submitted from Blag Hag does just that and is another post that I would urge warrants further exploration in future posts.

Bigotry and anti-atheism is highlighted by The Atheist Revolution in a post about college student, Zac Smith, who wrote in his local college paper about the bigotry experienced as an atheist.

Epsilon Clue submits a post that at first glance I thought should go under the 'sex' heading but on closer reading is talking about application of the scientific method to everyday occurences, thoughts and questions - not the least of which are 'morality and feelings'- which leads me on to the human feeling of 'unhappiness'.

I see so many unhappy and damaged people in my everyday clinical practice - children and teenagers that have really good reasons to be unhappy, so that when I hear someone say they are unhappy due to, what to me is a spurious and unworthy reason, I have a tendency to get on my soapbox -why do people these days think they have a 'right' to be happy? Raptitude.com proposes a new way of looking at the 'struggle for happiness' that made me rethink my stance on the matter. Well worth reading and I would also urge a few more posts about the subject with deeper exploration of the new 'script'.

Lastly we have a post that can't really be placed under any heading - apart maybe from one that says- 'read this cos it is weird' :

Coquetting Tarradiddles (yes that's right) not only has a wonderful blog name but also a wonderful post on the extremes of human belief related to science and shows us that in the end religion is not the only harbinger of doom and repository for weird and wonderful thinking.

I hope you enjoy the submissions as much as I did and think about submitting to the next symposium which will be held at Bloc Raisonneur on 3rd May. Submissions can be made using this form.