Friday Link Dump 12/31/10

Nutball Alert: Atheist Neil C. Reinhardt - This is something that I have been noticing lately and it is kind of the elephant in the room.  We atheists have our fair share of wackos amongst our ranks.  I bang on moderate theists for not standing up to fundamentalist theists all the time.  Which brings me to...

S.E. Cupp. Possibly the most famous (and growing?) wacko atheist out there.  PZ Myers and Mr. Atheist have already posted good take downs of her so I won’t get into it myself.    

Giant spaceships to attack December 2012?  - At one time I may have believed this.  Check out Bad Astronomer’s Tweet Your Skeptical Journey  stuff.  

Creationists And Climate Deniers Take On Teaching Climate Science In Schools

The following pic is a screen grab from a “friend’s” page on Facebook.  I agree with the notion that not everyone needs to attend college; that part is true, but everything else about this is total crap.  I am sure this is part of the home school movement which is propagated by fundamentalist Christians who despise history and science and want to destroy education so people will continue to believe their brand of bullshit.  *steps off soap box*



Ark Encounter - They are building a replica Ark in Kentucky near the Creation Museum.  Adam said that he is tempted to donate just so people can stand in front of the thing and realize there is no way that all the species of Earth (x2) fit on there.  Adam assumes the type of people that would visit this place will come around to rational thought.  Silly Adam.  

*sidenote: I think there may be a Left Hemispheres field trip to the Creation Museum in the spring of ‘11.  

11 Things The Bible Bans, But You Do Anyway.

Experiment on the effects of religion and magic.

Dozens of GOP Leaders Declare Solidarity With Those Who Want To See Homosexuality Outlawed - In other news the GOP should be labeled a hate group.  

Watch the Milky Way unfurl across the sky (and watch for constellations!)

Amazing WISE Telescope images reveal runaway stars and cosmic jellyfish

Penn Pilot: Atheists attack Baby Jesus! - I’m a week late on this, but I thought it was worth it.

Here is the upcoming American Atheist billboard.  This one makes the Xmas one outside the Lincoln Tunnel seem nice.  

“Debating a Christian” Flow Chart - I should start carrying this around with me.

Latest Right-Wing Freak-Out: Obama Wants To Give Manhattan Back To Native Americans - Ya know, at some point I would think one would just become very exhausted from all their irrational thoughts and activities.  I just seems like a lot of effort to keep up the nonsense.  

5 Real Deleted Bible Scenes In Which Jesus Kicks Some Ass - Ignore the assumption Jesus was a real, historical figure.  The historicity of a preacher named Jesus is irrelevant.  I think this nicely illustrates the mythology of the Jesus lifestory.  

In ‘Daily Show’ Role on 9/11 Bill, Echoes of Murrow

Space Circles Are Proof of a Pre-Big Bang Universe? - Interesting, but pay attention to the headline vs. subtitle.  Damn copy editors...

Faith and Modernity

Study: Conservatives have larger ‘fear center’ in brain - THIS STUDY IS A LIBERAL PLOT!
The All New God Challenge - At least this god is a little up front about things.  

Little Girl Chooses Odd Time To Talk To Uncle About Satan - My New Years resolution is to con as many children I know into writing these for my friends.  

HOW DARE YOU ATHEISTS EXIST?

Steven Pinker on Textbooks, Culture Wars and the “A” Word - “Atheism is merely absence of belief. Humanism will succeed when no one notices that it's there, when it's just common decency in Western civilization.”


Have a happy and safe New Year's Eve everyone.  Don't drink and drive. I need two hands to count the number of people I know that have died from doing just that.  

Mid-Week Rant: Bill Maher

Bill Maher on Religion (From his new HBO Special 2-13-10)
Uploaded by Xrunner17. - See more comedy videos.

Monday Morning Stupid Quotes: Best of 2010

Welp, it’s the end of the year.  A time when lazy media outlets the world over compile “Top Ten” lists and “Best of” lists since they are simple, easy and people will read them since we are simple and lazy.  Considering we don’t do this for money...we will act no different!  Here is your ”Best of” Monday Morning Stupid Quotes.  Join us in rehashing things you have (hopefully) already read!

Sunday Morning Hate: Steven Anderson

 Hateful rhetoric from religious leaders

"I do hate homosexuals and if hating homosexuals makes our church a hate group then that's what we are."

"Should I be a Baptist Pastor if I don't believe what the Bible says, if parts of this book offend the Southern Poverty Law Center then it should label it a hate book." 

OK.  

 “If you’re a homosexual, I hope you get brain cancer and die like Ted Kennedy.”

via  Pastor: If Hating Homosexuals Makes Us a Hate Group, That's What We Are

Friday Link Dump 12/24/10

We compiled a larger Link Dump this week for all you godless heathens to read while stuck with family (or if you’re really lucky stuck without family) this weekend.  Just remember: Not only did the Christians appropriate the holiday itself, but they stole loads of pagan traditions to celebrate the made up birthday of a man who was not only not divine, but likely never existed.

Having said all that; at least Xmas is less sufferable than Easter.  HUZZAH!

A Holiday Message From Ricky Gervais: Why I Am An Atheist

There Goes the Sun - Huh, so Christians don’t own the season?

Christmas in America

The Origins of Religion by Victor Stenger - "Shit Happened," indeed.

Barney Frank Makes a Fool Out of Conservative Reporter Over “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell.” - I wish Barney Frank was my relative so I could listen to his sarcasm over holiday meals.

It's Not Healthy to Have an Imaginary Friend - 1) scientific evidence that prayers are beneficial is not that same thing as prayers being answered.   see psychosomatic  2) Even though it is Fox; I am pretty sure everyone on that set wanted to point out how ludicrous the statement “I don’t think it’s very healthy to have an imaginary friend” and “If you have an imaginary friend there is something wrong with you” is coming from a priest.  

A Christmas Message From Bill Maher

Merry War On Christmas - oops...sorry.  I meant to say Xmas...

Mommy, why Is there a War On Christmas? - I can’t wait for Xmas to be over so I can stop hearing about this bullshit , non-existent culture war.  

Christian Group Executes Plastic Santa by Firing Squad - Again, there is a serious lack of self-awareness to realize that everything you are saying to criticize Santa pertains to Jesus.  

Four in 10 Americans Believe in Strict Creationism - anything above zero is unacceptable.  

Life On Earth Began Three Billion Years Ago

An evolutionary biologist explains the one thing most people misunderstand about evolution - Thanks for the explanation...Meatloaf?

Fossil DNA points to a new branch of humanity

Skin was the first organ to evolve - Which, for whatever reason, made me think of QOTSA’s Skin On Skin.

Bones Gives Peek Into the Lives of Neanderthals - I have always theorized that the reason Neanderthals went extinct was due to their extreme yumminess.

Wild Chimps, Stick Dolls: What’s at Play Here? - I know some people are going to have a problem with this conclusion because it assigns a biological basis for gender roles and apparently that is a horrible, horrible thing to do.  Whether or not this particular study and it’s conclusions are correct I am of the opinion that gender roles - namely as they are used politically - do not matter.  Just because something is biologically dominant does not make the outliers morally or even biologically wrong.  There may be a statistically significant biological predisposition towards a gender role (one would expect this given the drive to propagate DNA), but ultimately the idea of “right vs. wrong” is entirely culturally assigned.  This is good since cultures are usually fluid and the mores of yesterday can change.  It is not necessary to automatically challenge the existence of biological gender roles.  It is wrong to assign a “right vs wrong” morality to it.  

Most Dinosaurs Were Vegetarian, Research Suggests and Beaks Transformed Dinosaurs, Expanding Diet

The “Government Takeover“of Heath Care, and Other Whoppers: Politifact Tabulates the Year’s Biggest Political Lies and Half-Truths

Meteorite Holds Amino Acid Surprise - Is it nougat?  I hope it’s nougat.  

The Sun’s gravity could be used to create an interstellar communications network

Antimatter Lightning Discovered

Pluto May Host an Ocean - It was going to host a Tupperware party, but cancelled when it was uninvited from all the big planet’s parties.  Snobs.  

Possible Ice Volcano Spied on Giant Saturn Moon

PhysicsWorld: Our Favorite Pictures of 2010

South Carolina Celebration of Secession Parks New Tensions - Don’t ever let someone get away with saying the Civil War was not about slavery.  That is a lie.  

I am an Ex-Mormon Video Channel - Mojoey posted one of these over at Deep Thoughts and I find that video incredibly sad.

Pope: Church must reflect on what allowed abuse - Can you guess who Pope Palpatine blames for priests raping children?  That’s right...godless secular heathens are responsible for PRIESTS RAPING CHILDREN!  

Dan Barker at the Colorado Christian University

some extra cartoons we missed earlier this week.  

Maybe this is why I am a godless, liberal heathen.  I never got an assault rifle for Xmas.

All jokes aside I want one!

Mid-Week Rant: Ricky Gervais and Noah

Monday Morning Stupid Quotes ~ Bill O'Reilly: WAR ON XMAS EDITION

Bloggers Note: A stupid quote page on Bill O'Reilly would just be too easy, so we've limited this post to his seasonal ratings grab of the "War on Christmas." Enjoy.

"Macy's, have done away with the Christmas greeting, "Merry Christmas."Now, all of this anti-Christian stuff is absurd, and may even be a bias situation. But the real reason it's happening has little to do with Christmas and everything to do with organized religion. Secular progressives realize that America as it is now will never approve of gay marriage, partial birth abortion, euthanasia, legalized drugs, income redistribution through taxation, and many other progressive visions because of religious opposition". ~From O'Reilly's Christmas Under Siege talking point page.
"Even Jewish people like Christmas." December 2004.
"Every company in America should be on its knees thanking Jesus for being born. Without Christmas, most American businesses would be far less profitable. More than enough reason for business to be screaming 'Merry Christmas.' But many will not. They're afraid of being attacked by secular forces. It is now time to draw the line, ladies and gentlemen. We must decide whether we value our heritage or not. ~November 2005
After a caller stated: "I was politely told by all the postal workers that I spoke with at the various post offices that the only stamp they offered was 'Holiday Cookies.' " O'Reilly said, "I think it's the first time in my lifetime that the United States Postal Service has not had a spiritual stamp for people like you who would like them,"[this is] "insulting you and your beliefs ... because your spiritual stamp is in context to the celebration of Christmas." ~December 2005 (Madonna & Child stamps were in fact available at the time).
So look, that's on a very intellectual level, and it's behind the scenes. But these retailers are killing -- they're shooting themselves. I mean, they're killing themselves, because millions of people are just not going to shop in these places. November 18, 2010
"Keep Christ in Unemployment." 2010
Here's a great compilation:
Happy Holidays!

Sunday Morning Hate ~ Wiley Drake

"I am glad George Tiller is dead. [Tiller was] "a brutal, murdering monster..." There may be a lot who would say, 'Oh that is mean. You shouldn't be that way,'" Drake said. "Well, no, it's an answer to prayer."

"I said to the Lord, 'Lord I pray back to you the Psalms, where it says that they are to become widowers and their children are to become orphans and so forth.' And we began calling for those imprecatory prayers, because he had obviously turned his back on God again and again and again,"-June 1st, 2009

When asked by interviewer Alan Colmes if there was anyone else who's death he prayed for, Drake replied, "The usurper that is in the White House is one, B. Hussein Obama. If he does not turn to God and does not turn his life around, I am asking God to enforce imprecatory prayers that are throughout the Scripture that would cause him death..."

"Imprecatory prayer is agreeing with God, and if people don't like that, they need to talk to God. God said it, I didn't. I was just agreeing with God."-June 3rd 2009

Metalocalypse - Religionklok

See more from Funny on rocktube.us


I woke up thinking about this episode for some reason.  Watch it while you can.  It will probably be taken down soon.

UPDATE (6/26/11): found a viable video of the episode.

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Friday Link Dump 12/17/10

Glen Beck vs. Math

Finally! The gay agenda revealed. Molest our children and institute group sex for everyone! This intrepid website exposes the truth about Homosexual Urban Legends

AMERICA: Y UR PEEPS B SO DUM? by Joe Bageant: The best articles take everyone down a notch

“History of the Earth” in C Major, by Richard Dawkins

Hitchens Interview

New study suggests that intelligent people are less likely to believe in God. I'm going to take the high road on this one. And by high road I mean ironically pointing out that this study states the obvious without actually saying it. See how smart I am?

WikiLeaks Reports: the pope refused to cooperate in sex abuse investigations. Vatican press office decried the leaks as a matter of "extreme gravity." Just like the creation of the Universe.

Japanese probe reaches Venus They may even find life forms made of clouds.

Stem Cell Transplant Cures HIV In 'Berlin Patient'. This is a very specific case, but the science behind it is promising. For more on Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine read this.

FOXLEAKS: Fox boss ordered staff to cast doubt on climate science. This began with a Fox journalist accurately reporting news...I hope he learned his lesson. Here's Al Gore's response.

Nashville billboards claim Jesus will return May 21, 2011 The logic is undeniable, I say! This is worth reading to get to the last sentence.