Haven't Done A Roundup In A While

Sheez, what do you have to do to get the KKK, yes that KKK, mad at you. Apparently all you have to do is belong to the worlds most hated church. Guess who, the peeps that brought us God Hates Fags, none other than Westboro Baptist Church. Oh btw, hows that website thingy going.

Good news if you are a lame-o on a college campus. There are more virgins. "These days, 29% of females and 27% of males between ages 15 and 24 claim to be virgins, up from 22% of both sexes in 2002, Centers For Disease Control." Why on "Gods good earth (that's my attempt at being funny) is virginity valued. don't get me wrong, as I have said before I've never had casual sex, but to put importance on something like this doesn't make sense. so what is it that doesn't make sense-religion buddy (f*ck Alla's 72 virgins. I'll take experience everytime).

As I reported earlier, DJ Lama has retired from political life and thank goodness. Religion and politics should and must be separate. Here's a real article (as opposed to mine) on the Dali Lama.

This article has it half right. The author urges churches to stop attempting to pray (something made up) away the gay (something real). Where dude goes wrong is that he is still a believer. I don't get why some believers cling to religion when they obviously have rational and critical facilities. I just don't have enuff faith to be a believer.

Joplin mourns its dead and the devout stand firm in their belief in God. Just as in the above example...WTF! On one hand, when a natural disaster happens somewhere else (not the bible belt) it is an occasion to strengthen ones faith. It is an opportunity to see Gawds mysterious ways and open your heart. If a natural disaster happens where there are brown people and not in the bible belt, those powerful gays and immorality is to blame. Sometimes I just want to shake people.

And finally, I'd like to welcome Malta to the year 2011. Recently, they voted to introduce divorce. That is it. Recently they introduced divorce. Really, they didn't have divorce in Malta before this weekend. With just a 53% majority, Malt-ians can now get divorced. I guess before they cheated on their spouses (which because I was indoctrinated Catholic, I think it's really bad. Sorry.). Cheating is crazy pants, esp. when believers do it. If that is not a 'sin' then I don't know what is. really, if I was unhappy with my situation (and currently, there is no situation), then I would take care of business so I could seek happiness. If sports has taught me anything it's...don't cheat...and don't blame gay peeps for the destruction of marriage. Sheez.

Well, that was fun. I kinda forgot about the roundup, ya know, with my sh*tty brain chemistry lately and all. have an awesome week Team Atheist. I heart you so much...and thanks for all the kind words lately. Out.

The D-Man, The Dali Lama

Call me crazy (and I am) but I think dude would look good with hair.

Well, while I was working the lamest of all the festivals that I work at, The Sacramento Dixieland Jubilee*, the D-Man, the Dali Lama, retired from political life. Sheez, who knew that he was a spiritual and political leader, not me.

"The Tibetan spiritual leader approved amendments to the exiled constitution to enable him to devolve his political responsibilities into the community's elected leadership and judiciary, according to officials (CNN Belief Blog)."

I know that in my beautiful Philippines the Catholic bishops have this crazy amount of influence in politics and if ya ask me, that is dookie. Here in the states separation of church and state in written into the constitution (whether it is practiced is another thingy).

Pretty much here in the states one must have some kind of religion to get elected into public office. The very few out atheists that run for office are (incorrectly) smeared when they run. Off the top of my head, only Australia has an atheist in the top tier of leadership.

Hey Jewels, I've got my eye on you.

To say that it is important to separate religion and politics is an understatement. Bush Jr. consulted his bible and prayed on the decision to take this country, and the world for that matter, into a ten year war with no sight in end (if you think it's going to end, ask Japan, Philippines and anywhere else their is a permanent US military base). To have End of Timers in office where they have control of the button makes me shake my head and quiver in fear.

The culture war of religion and politics is a waste of time and money. We just have to look at the assault on the science classroom to see the waste of tax payers dollars. In Louisiana they have the Louisiana Science Ed Act, which at first blush sounds cool, science right, but it is really an attempt to teach one specific religion (Christianity) in the science classroom.  

I'd like to congratulate the D-Man on his retirement from politics. There are certain things that should never mix, like stripes and plaids, chocolate and peanut butter and, yes, religion and politics.

"Nuff said."

* The Sac Jazz Festival is mostly super old peeps and bad music. If I didn't need to supplement my income right now, I would have gone to Carnaval in SF. (Click the link, really) Sometimes choices are made for you. Sheez.

What's The Plural of Bigfoot?

Remember that totally 'credible' Bigfoot remains finding from a couple of years ago. Neither do I

I do believe that it was a couple of months ago that there was a Nessy sighting, and before or after that, there was that credible UFO sighting in Israel. These things happen in cycles. They grab media attention, like those Russian dudes that found the remains of Bigfoot (above), they disappear, a couple of months/years pass, then they are here again. Yesterday NPR was saying Tupac was alive somewhere (turns out they were hacked). Well guess who's back...Bigfoot. I miss the big guy. In the 70's he was on the Six Million Dollar Man and he even had his own TV specials. Awh, those were the days.



Didja see him, or her. After all we have no captured Bigfeet (the plural of Bigfoot) or any remains to examine, ever ever, so how could we know the gender of this magnificent and mystical creature-we can't. Not only are there no remains to examine, there is no evidence. All these decades of Bigfoot research has only produced grainy, crappy videos. If the big guy did exist, then wouldn't we have seen somekind of remains, a skeleton. Hell I would count some Bigfoot poo as evidence, I guess it would be called Big-Poo, but we don't even have that. Here's another one.



This time he waves, which I think is really nice. Of all the videos that I have seen previously, he is very not sociable. In fact, he has always been very camera shy. Not only that, so has his family. After all there can't just be one Bigfoot. Could the life expectancy of the one Bigfoot be 50 plus years (that is counting from the 70's)? What about all the different types of Bigfeet throughout time and in all the different cultures: Abominable Snowperson, Yeti and Yowie. Is there only one, cause if there is, dude can travel. The point is that if such a creature exists, then there must be a family, a tribe; but we have not seen evidence of that.

Lastly, if Bigfoot did exist dontcha think that some Ted Nugget type redneck would have hunted him down and made some awesome BBQ out of him (with a really spicy sauce). I think so. It's that or these new vids are just a hoax like all the other vids that came before it...and I'll be prophetic...all the vids that will come after it.

Happy BBQ Day everyone.

* Bigfoot Field Researchers.

* Huff Po 1

* Huff Po 2

R.I.P The Revolution

Gil Scott Heron 1949-2011. R.I.P. my uncle in the fight for equality. What can I say about this very important brother that hasn't been said-nothing. His work speaks for it's self.



"Home is where the hatred is...It might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again...*"



"The revolution will not be televised." If he came out with an album today, he might say...The Revolution will not be tweeted. I can't say how important he is to me musically, as a minority and as a human. R.I.P Gil.

"The revolution will be live." 

Heart Kriss

* I feel that way right now.

Article Guardian UK

Ladies and Gentelmen..."Justice"

Is it prejudice of me to think Eddie Long looks like one of those comedian guys, not Bernie Mack, the other one.

Well, well, he frackin' got out of it. I can't believe this. What's that German word for reveling in others misfortune...I was ready to do that with the Bishop Eddie "I was accused of molesting four young boys under my leadership and I preach the hate filled gospel of homophobia" Long. I really thought he was going to get nailed on this one (oh yeas I did), but justice has been served.

While exact details have not been revealed, Porn Name is Eddie Long is said to have reached a settlement with the four young boys he did it with, the boys that trusted him and looked up to him. This article has some good details about that stuffs, but what amazed me was the reaction from the followers of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. Key words here: cognitive dissonance and brainwashed.

(Quote block)""Rasheedah Oliver of DeKalb County, a member of New Birth for about a dozen years said the settlement means "we can move forward and continue to do what God would have us do."

"I'm still steadfast," she said. "I know what he's done in my life, and I know what he has done in the lives of others."

"Kamelya Hinson, "It doesn't make me think he's guilty or anything," "I decided when this came out that I loved my pastor unconditionally. Even if he came out and grabbed the mic and said ‘I'm guilty,' it wouldn't change the way I feel about him. I wouldn't be angry like a lot of people are. You can't walk away after 15 years of being a member of a church."

"He's done 1,000 good things," she said, "and he may or may not have done four really bad things."

 "Chumbler, who said she thinks Long is "like a lot of movie-star preachers, arrogant and a bit puffed up," said she still believes he is not guilty of the accusations."

"New Birth issued a statement saying the decision was made "to bring closure to this matter and to allow us to move forward with the plans God has for this ministry. This resolution is the most reasonable road for everyone to travel," 

"After the charges first surfaced in September, Long vowed to "vigorously" defend himself against the charges.
"This thing I'm gonna fight," he said just days after the lawsuits surfaced." (Thanks DeKalb County News)."

What we do know of the settlement is that the four boys that young boy liker-taker-advantager Eddie "I preached the pray away the gay gospel" Long cannot bring up these same charges in the future. Really check out the rest of the article and shake your head in wonder. Anyways...

What about those responses from the church members. Wow, what is that. They have forgiven him and many didn't even question if he was guilty of not. Not even question. Since this case broke out I have seen no comments on the now teenage boys. Are they still in church, did they get excommunicated, are they in counseling etc...But comments on the denial of Edward Longjohn's guilt, meaning that no one even questioned him, are in abundance. What about that peep that said he's done "X" amount of good things and (allegedly) only four bad things. That's how they think in that church. I'm scared of that.

Wow. This is what we are up against folks. I was going to get my schadenfreude on. I don't care if that makes me bad, f*ck that guy. He teaches the Prosperity Gospel, the gospel that says Jesus wants you to be rich. Nevermind that whole Jesus f*cked sh*t up at the temple and was poor himself. Eddie "Young lover" Long knows better. You can tell because he is a millionaire, money given to him from his congregation buys luxury cars, boats, houses, first class accommodations and travel. The belief of the Prosperity Gospel is that if you preacher is rich, then kinda like Ronald Reagan's Trickle Down Economics (the thing that never worked, unless you were rich), and, if you give your preacher gifts and money or material items, then he will tell God that you are cool and, one day you will benefit. Except for it doesn't work like that. It only benefits the rich.

Okaaayyyyy, I'm blabbering and losing it...so don't get me started on how he preaches/teaches his congregation on how and why you should hate gay people and how they can pray away the gay. Dude got off easy and now he is going back to his high paying job conning people and being in a position of leadership and trust...and he has armies of boys at his disposal. There, I said that too.

* Article.

* @mojoey has chronicled the history of this dudes travels in the American court system.

Update May 31, 2011. This article is too epic for me to comment on. I would not do it justice. Read here.

The Captain

Sania Mirza debunking the myth that Indian peeps are all doctors.

I always talk about how I heart y'all on Team Atheist and my concern for you. The (wrong) perception of us as being loners and angry makes me, well...angry. I always mention getting out there and finding whatever it is that you like to do and being with your peeps. If your only activity is fighting for secular society and improving the brand of The New Atheist, then perhaps you should consider finding an activity where you can step away, even if it's just for a moment, and enjoy yourself.

I heart me some tennis, esp. the women's tennis (for obvious reasons and because their game is more elegant with a wider variety of shot selections). My favorite tournament of the year is in full swing right now, the mighty French Open. If you do not have a TV, like me, you can watch it on The Tennis Channel or on ESPN3 (if your Internet provider carries it).

Oh Maria...

Tennis has provided me with so much throughout the years and I feel fortunate to have an activity that provides me pleasure and friendship. An old teammate from, like, 15 years ago has been coming to visit me and encourage me to get back on the court. The bond that me and the team made years ago is everlasting. I heart those guys so much.

Just before my second playing year I got severely depressed. I had made up my mind to quit, didn't practice or answer the phone for a month, but on the first day of practice I showed up. I just couldn't let the guys down. I had told the coach of my intentions and he gave me the room to figure things out-no pressure. He never told me this, but while I was gone they voted me captain of the team (quite an honour). He also encouraged the guys to address me as 'Captain.' Not everyone is a psychiatrist/psychologist, and it must be very difficult to address someone with depression (looking back, there was a lot of walking on eggshells). Calling me 'Captain' was his way of showing his support and encouragement for me. To this day, the guys still call me that. Thanks coach.

I got mine, now go get yours. So get out there you loner angry atheist. Our team is on the correct side of history. We will prevail in the battle for secular society. Along the way, it is my hope that the other parts of your lives are full filling and bring you pleasure and joy. Really Team Atheist, let's prove them wrong.

Heart, Kriss

* Funny note. Before the coach insisted that the team address me as Captain, my nickname was Buddha Head. I was a Deadhead and smoked a lot of weed at the time. Awesome.

I've Been Thinking About You...I Miss You

"The sun looks beautiful in the horizon." "No baby, You look beautiful in the horizon" Then we both laugh.

I've been thinking about You so much lately. I'm going through that thing that we used to talk about all the time, that thing that ultimately destroyed us. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry. As I look back, I now feel that I could have been a better person to You; I could have been there and not left. Earlier this week when I was crying uncontrollably on the bathroom floor, when I should have been working, I thought about how I walked away from you...when You were crying. I guess you reap what you sow. There was no one there for me and I felt every bit of that: sobbing uncontrollably on a dirty floor, obviously not enuff serotonin in my stupid little brain and no one there for me.

This is my favorite of favorite poems that I have written for You in the past couple of years.

The Space Between
I will meet you
in the moment between dawning and dawn
(or) where the ocean accepts the river

In the garden of union
where that which pollinates
hovers about your nectar face

I will meet you
in that indefinite period
when seeds turn to tree's
when eventide cedes to night

In the space between
i grow smaller and wait     (Fri Dec 18, 2009 )

I miss the coolness of walking on trails along the river. I miss You.

I wish I still had that book that You gave me years ago, "When Things Fall Apart." I always thought the title should be When You Fall Apart, because that is what it feels like. First it is a nervous tension and you think "maybe I need to stretch or something." Then it starts to well up inside and the mind starts to obsess. At first it's slow, but very soon-too soon-it starts racing and racing. If there was a way to stop it I certainly would. I know, even after all these years, if You could stop it You would. I can hear Your voice say, "I hate to see you like this, is there something I can do?"

I wrote this one for You also. I like it because it's short and simple, but it's meaning transcends time and everyday atheist materialism. Believers have hijacked "letting go" (among all the others things), but we can let go too. I'll let go of the fear that it is going to happen today, that when my eyes well up with tears someone will see and think I'm weak (yes baby, I still have that fear). I know it's going to happen, again and again, so I might as well let go, then face it while I'm feeling it.

I haven't written to You in a while, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about You-because I have, esp. this week. I hope everything it OK. The truck and the (remaining) dog must be getting old. I know You have fears of their demise-I know You. I miss my dog-bro...I miss You. I just wanted You to know that I've been thinking about You. I still love You after all these years.

Heart, Kriss

Falling

I am falling, like an autumn leaf
through the space between worlds and stars

Your song is the whisper through the tree's
it is deeper than the deepest root

Endlessly, I am falling
falling for you

* Inspired by Autumn, Infinity and You (thanks baby) (Fri Dec 4, 2009)

That Thing I Could Never Do

I've never claimed to be mature and I've never claimed to have self control. After all, I'm just human.

Even thought I'm a full fledged card carrying member of the super awesome Team Atheist, I, admittedly, still cling to parts of my yucky Catholic upbringing: I do not have casual sex and I would never cheat on my g-friend. If it ever came down to that situation I would 1) try and work it out and 2) or wait until the relationship was totally over until I went there. Well try telling that to the plethora of politicians, mostly the Family Values GOP, that have more sex than a Las Vegas sex worker on pay day. Recently, the most famous case of infidelity is the Governator and Maria (who I saw one time at the concert in the park and I was going to talk to her, but my homies convinced me not to. "Dude, that guy looks like CIA, or something." Really, I was just going to go over to her and say hello...and if she thought my six pack was awesome.). So why do supposedly happily married people, people that are supposed to set the example for the rest of us 'do the deed' with someone that is not their significant other?

The most recent of high profile spouse cheating is between the powerful Governatior and Maria. They, seemingly had everything that normal everyday people could want, but the Governator decided he needed an additional conquest, a notch on his belt full of great accomplishments. So why why why.

"When it comes to making decisions about love and betrayal, logic and reason have a difficult time competing with our emotions for control. So from time to time, our emotions influence our behavior and lead us down paths we had no intention of traveling (The truth about deception)."

Not only that, scientist have discovered a risk taking gene (DRD4). People with an elongated DED4 engage in high risk activities like skydiving, gambling and infidelity. These are the people that invest in risky investments because the potential reward is quit tremendous. They might street luge in the X-Games Olympics, take drugs and when the opportunity presents itself, they will offer the comfort of sex to a married person, either them or someone else.

The situation has a lot to do with being close or interdependent on someone other than one’s spouse. There are many others.

• Being around someone who is sexually interested
• Spending a lot of time one-on-one with someone else
• Not feeling close or connected to one’s spouse (e.g., feeling lonely, being upset or angry with a spouse, etc.)
• Situations that create the sense of opportunity - the feeling that one will not get caught (e.g., meeting someone in private, out of town trips, etc.).
• Situations involving alcohol or drugs

The one that sticks out and calls to me is not feeling close to someones spouse. Relationships are difficult at best and it takes a lot of work. The people involved may have gotten married at an early age and have grown apart. As a dude, I can admit that there have been situations where I either could not offer proper support or I didn't want to (I have never cheated, but (      ) I forgive you. I was not attentive to you needs Please forgive me. I do not blame you at all and I'am sorry*). When couples are in this situation I think that they should seek help and try and iron things out. To go and secretly cheat is despicable and hurtful. I have no respect for peeps that engage in this activity. If your needs are not being met, then take the steps and try, frackin' try to make things better. Cheating is not good in academics or sports and in relationships, well...there must be a better way.

In early human history when a child's life expectancy was low, I can see the need to do Gods work and have as many babies as possible with as many partners as possible, but we are not at that point in history. Sex is not just for reproduction anymore. It has many traits associated to it: power, conquest and yes, there are needs, wants and desires that may be met with a romp in the park. I have no problem with consenting adults having sex. The problem I have is when it destroys lives, when there is deceit, secrecy and manipulation. I believe that humans are better than that.

So once again Gods Party has shown us "Do not do as I do, do as I tell you (like Bristol "teenage prego mom" Bristol Palin who currently workd for an abstinence program). These are people that are supposed to be leading by example. Take the Newt. He is running on fiscal conservative spending, but he has a 500,000 dollar line of credit at Tiffany's (many in his home state do not even have homes worth that much) and he is on his third wife. Sheez. John Edwards, former VP candidate tried to cover up his affair by paying her off. Sadly his wife died a year or so ago to cancer. What is it with these people.

I have no respect for people that cheat on their spouses and families. Many of these people are leaders and looked up to in their environments. If things are not well, then they should get help or get out. After that then they will be free to do what it is that they please. Personally I've been crushed by infidelity and to this day I have a deep hate in my heart that is beyond forgiving-instead it makes me more and more angry, even after all these years. What makes me the most mad is that the GOP are leaders in infidelity when they should be leaders in making this country better and great. Hypocrites like that make me want to spit in their cheating faces.

I'm just human. If I were in this situation I would be so scared of what I could do.

* The science behind politicians who cheat.

* Making the decision to cheat.

* The risk taking gene.

* Perhaps my next post. How to tell if you partner is cheating.

Brand Loyalty, Gangs and Senseless Violence

Gang life is just like religion, it is learned and passed down from parents to child.

I'm struggling to understand why on the opening day of this years baseball season the suspect Giovanni Ramirez randomly beat up Giants fan Bryan Stow (currently in a coma) with an accomplice and getaway driver. The San Francisco Giants and the LA Dodgers have a storied rivalry, often times a very intense one. Dude was just going to a baseball game to enjoy himself and support his gang, the Giants, but what he got was jumped. What drives people to to such horrible things to another human being? It has to be more than just cheering for your favorite team...right?

Humans have evolved to support the group dynamic through time. Where we were once singular, we are now part of a team. This group mentality is what has ensured humankind's survival. Back in the day hunting in groups both increased safety and the likeliness of getting dinner. There are many benefits to the gang/group/team, but to belong to that community one must subscribe to a kind of brand loyalty. If you want the safety of numbers and dinner, then you must believe what the group believes-subscribe to the brand and the beliefs.

Modern society is relatively safe compared to the days of hunting and trying to capture and kill that dinosaur steak the group wants and needs so badly. Now we have new types of groups whether they are called gangs, team spirit, a religion or even brand loyalty. Recently researchers have discovered a relationship between religion and the loyalty of Apple users.

"They compared MRIs of Apple fans' brains to those of people who call themselves "very religious" and found that Apple and religion light up the same part of the brain. This means that Apple triggers the same feelings and reactions in people as religion."

It turns out that the Cult of Apple really is a cult. Who wooda thunk? It turns out that even though in 2011 we do not have to worry about predators and safety in numbers, we still participate in the group dynamic. the article didn't say this, but I imagine that part(s) of the brain that are active when thinking about religion or Apple products, still light up with group affiliation (maybe).

It looks to me that Ramirez belongs to many groups. He has gang affiliations, which is common in the southern half of California, and part of what the gang does is protect the turf. He is on parole which (and this might be sort of a stretch) tells me that he has religious affiliation*. He was wearing Dodgers gear so he defiantly had team spirit (and the home team is always trying to protect the home field advantage) He is a minority and we usually come from big families. Are those groups worth fighting for? Yes, no.

Indoctrination into gang culture is just any other. Geography and parenting play an important role. If his parents were bloods/crips , then it is very likely that he was introduced to that culture at a young age. In LA, sometimes, there are families that are three or four generations deep in gang affiliation. The same goes for education, or lack of. Generally, in the ghetto street smarts are coveted over book smarts. Where lack of education reins, usually, the prominence of religion also takes place. The parents religion, by default, is also the child's religion. The same can even apply to team spirit. Naturally, because I live in Nor Cal I root for all Nor Cal teams and I suspect that it is the same for Ramirez and the LA Dodgers.

Could the seemingly random beating of Stow be associated with Ramirez's group affiliations? (Perhaps) through his upbringing and geography he learned the violent way of street life. In the ghetto you can get jumped for looking at someone the wrong way. Might is right, even when it's wrong. Back in dinosaur times the alpha male, the strongest one, was probably the leader of the group and in the jungle called the ghetto the same still applies. Groups evolved and became prominent to increase safety, but it came with a price: subscribe to our core beliefs, wear our colors, stay out of our/their territory or there will be an arse whoppin'.

In the big picture, in the whole wide world, are not religion, politics and team loyalty the same. Believe what we believe or we will jihad you. The Crusades, both past and present, is just brand loyalty. Believe in this product (religion) or we will make you believe and if you still don't believe, then we will kill you and take your turf, take your land. There is safety in numbers only if you can be counted on to support the group and tow the line.

So why did Ramirez beat up Stow on the first day of this years baseball season? As of now, we do not know. If it is brand loyalty/team spirit/group association, I wouldn't be surprised, after all we have seen it so many times from the original gangs...organized religion.

The original gang, DJ JC and the 12 Pos-Crew.

* Religious affiliation: US of A has a very high prison population compared to the rest of the world. Latin peeps make up 20% of the prison population but they are only 13% of the general population. It has been demonstrated over and over that the majority of people in prison have religious affiliations. The number of atheist in prison is teeny-tiny.

Article SF Chron

Understanding gang mentality.

The brand Apple is a religion.

Religious indoctrination

The American prison system
--------------------------------------------------

Does this post even make sense? It took so long to write, I didn't use any of my notes and because my brain is scattered, I feel like my writing is scattered. I'm so fucking anxious, I feel like my writing is also. Still, I follow my rules: just write, then publish. If it doesn't come out as well as i would like, then chalk it up to experience. Thanks.

Bro Crush: Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins

This is one of the first docs that I checked out from Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins. I haven't watched it in a while and I forgot how good it is. If you or someone you know is a newbie to the super awesome New Atheists, the arguments-n-stuff, then this is a good place to start. My previous post was about faith healing and in this doc there is a pretty good section on the (supposed) healing powers of the dirty, stinky, bacteria filled water of Lourdes of France. Enjoy.

Something To Quack About In Oregon

Actually if this happened I'd give Gawd some credit.

The state of Oregon has taken a step into the modern era and away from the Dark Ages. A new bill proposes mandatory jail sentences for parents whose child dies as a result of faith healing, or as the sane, cool kids call, child abuse. In recent years Oregon has had several cases of children dieing because religious parents, protected by the law, have chosen to skip medical procedures and instead pray away the illness.

Many of these child abusers come from Followers of Christ Church. On trial this week are parents of the year candidates Timothy and Rebecca Wyland. Instead of choosing doctors, ya know with their crazy medical knowledge and medicine, they chose to pray and anoint with magic oils their 18 month old daughter, Alayna whose eye had a mass (hemangioma) that could have blinded her. The court intervened and the child's condition improved, but the parents now face charges of first degree criminal mistreatment.

Previous cases from the same church include one 2nd degree manslaughter charge, which ended in one not guilty and one conviction of criminal mistreatment (60 days in jail), while another case for criminal negligence resulted in a 16 month prison term. The current bill is so important in protecting the children of Oregon from their parents abusive beliefs; beliefs that thus far have been protected under freedom of religion.

The quaint English accent makes docs more credible...and evidence.

Team Skeptic poo poo's faith healing as a combination of the evolved human brain, the body's natural ability to heal itself and the placebo effect. In many of the cases the patient wants to be healed and before the healing has even been attempted they have already accepted the treatment as successful.

"Christian Scientists are best known for not using  medicine. They believe that illness is an illusion caused by faulty beliefs and that prayer heals by replacing false thoughts with spiritually true ones. "Christian Science practitioners work by trying to argue the sick thoughts out of the person's mind. Consultations can take place in person, by telephone, or even by mail. Individuals may also be able to attain correct beliefs by themselves through prayer or mental concentration" (Barret). These consultations are not free but they are tax deductible (Skeptics Dictionary)!"

The state of Oregon is quite quacky.

While it is true that there have been cases of miraculous healing, that does not mean that the reasons are stupid-natural, err, supernatural. In the documentary The Root of All Evil, Prof. Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins shows that the numbers just don't add up. Of the million gazillion peeps that have traveled to Lourdes of France for its miraculous healing waters a ridiculously low number of pilgrimages have been cured-like three or five, really.

I'd like to personally welcome Oregon for taking a small step into the modern day world of 2011. now all y'all have to do is make the bill a laws and save some lives...if that is not too much to ask.

* Article Religion News Service.

* Watch The Root of All Evil

* Faith Healing Skeptics dictionary.

* Quackwatch Faith Healing

What The World Needs...Super Heroes

Riiiiight. It's either a miracle or a hoax. Wait, that's the same thing.

I'm just as geeky and nerdy as any other skeptic out there (except with fantastic hair, a hunky bod and tooootaly humble), so when I heard the news of a real life Magneto, I thought that was awesome pants. After all, who doesn't like the X-Men (or as I call them X-Peeps) and the world as it is certainly needs it's super heroes. Could 6 year old Ivan Stoiljovic of Croatia be a modern day super hero?

"Not only is Ivan the Magnet Boy supposedly able to stick up to 55 pounds of metal stuck to his torso, but his family also claims that his hands can emit heat and his mysterious ability has also given him healing powers (Huff Po)." 

Our little cherub also has incredible healing powers? That is awesome sauce. The baddass heat emitted from his grubby little hands, as the story goes, has cured his grandmother of her stomach pains and healed his neighbor who was in a tractor accident. Is your skeptic meter going off? Remember our mantra, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

Our very own Professor Xavier, the Amazing James Randi, said this, "The boy attracts attention better than metal." Well yes, and not only that but aluminum pots, copper and silver coins...and media attention, all of which are not under the powers of magnetism. Years ago Randi investigated a Chinese dude that made the same claim.

"[He] even stuck a porcelain toilet-lid to his own son’s chest to prove how magnetic his whole family was," Randi said. "I dusted father and son with talcum powder, and their powers evaporated."

Ouch, reality hurts. The savage beast is soothed by music, Achilles has his stupid weak-ass heal and our modern day Magneto is taken out by common talcum powder. Notice that in all the photo's and the vid the Croatian Magneto has no shirt on. Common sense tells us, or at least it should, that Ivan is just a typical 6 year old, dirty, stinky boy. But all is not lost...he has a Facebook page.

In the tradition of Spartacus some fellow Croatians have started We Are All Magneto Boy/Girl (and they were gender neutral which I think is very cool). On this awesome page you can view other magnetic peeps that have stuff placed on their skin and the best part, you can upload your own pictures of stuffs stuck to your skin because you have placed it there. Isn't the interbutz wonderful.

From the WAAMBG manifesto...

"But, why the deceit and the lies...Why is a clearly obese kid not being helped but paraded about like a circus monster? Do parents want to make easy cash from their sick child, and, if so, why are the journalist not scorning, but supporting this lunacy?"

Why indeed.

How disappointing. First we didn't have the Rapture, which means all those annoying Christians are still around and now, just like those bananas peeps keep talking about, yes we have no super heroes. Well, except for the skeptics.

Do yourself a favor, have a laugh and watch the vid. It is soooooo funny. Awesomeness.



Update: Tuesday July 12, 2011 Not to be outdone, a stinky and equally sticky boy, this time in Brazil, miraculously has the same power. Truly amazing. Thanks Huff Po.

Calling Dr. Pac Man

Ouch, that has gotta hurt.

As y'all know, I heart me my beautiful Philippines and I heart me the National Fist, Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao. Pac Man, currently a governor of the southern provinces while simult. the best pound for pound boxer in the world, really does do good for the peeps; and as of now he's not the typical corrupt politician. The (true?) story of him getting the Muslim rebels of the south and the Christian/Catholic government forces of the north to lay down their arms for a day and, get this, play some basketball together just brings tears to my eyes. Unfortunately very recently, Gov. Pac Man did the 'no no' that I have mentioned many times before.

Celebrity endorsements are what the cool kids call 'dookie.' Really now, a person that was born with good looks knows more about medicine or science than...doctors and scientists. Yuck, soooo bad. The danger, as I have written about before ("Unprotected 'tantric' sex makes you a better athlete") is that celebrities can reach hella peeps totally so fast with an incorrect message (Dr. Jenny McCarthy anyone), when the real doctors and scientists have a totally huge backlash hill to climb to correct the 'dookie' science. Pac Man, ya know I heart you man and please don't punch me for saying this but, bro you are in the wrong.

One day, one day. Le sigh.

The Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines, I believe, can be a step in the right direction to cure many of the Islands ills: mainly women's health and over population. Recently Gov. Pac Man came out with the uneducated blast of...

"God said, ‘Go forth and multiply.' He did not say, ‘Go and have just one or two children."

I may have said something about the RHB and over population here and here and perhaps here. The thingy about the Philippines is that it is a third world country. They didn't need a global meltdown of the economy to be in a recession, they were already hella poor and over populated. For Pac man to quote Genesis is stupid pants because they were already doing God's work; that is (part of) the reason why it is a third world country in the first place.

The Reproductive Health Bill is opposed by, guess who, the Catholic Church. Being a predominately Catholic country (Islam is second) that is a no brainer. Still, the homie on the street, it seems, supports the RHB, the President (P-Noy) supports the RHB, the Filipino Freethinker's support the RHB and women's rights groups support the bill. In fact, because President Aquino (P-Noy) supports the RHB he has been threatened with excommunication from the Catholic Church. Hows that for God's love.

Pac Man is the sh*t in the boxing ring, and ya know, he's probably an OK governor (for all I know). The thingy about it is that he's in the wrong when it come to the Reproductive Health Bill. In a time when the economy is reeling and over population is strangling the land and the people, the Philippines needs the Reproductive Health Bill more than ever before.

Good luck P.I., you need it.

* There are a lot of good articles on Filipino Freethinkers about the RHB.

* Good piece on the RHB on the always awesome Al Jazeera.

Update: Interview with Lea Salonga. If you are an Americanized Filipino like me, then you will only understand half of this. Hat tip to "K". Thanks.

The Glad We Made It Edition

New Atheists...You Light Up My Life. Really, I heart you guys so much which leads me to ask, "Would there have been all this Rapture Madness if in 2004-ish the super awesome New Atheist did not simultaneously appear on the much needed scene (thanks Four Horsemen). I think there would have been a lot of media coverage, but it would have been more like Y2K instead of ridicule. So hat's off to the New Atheists.

The title says it all, "Harold Camping flabbergasted world didn't end." Of yea baby, guess who is mentioned in the article. Wish I could have gone to the American Atheist Convention...and drank too much beer with my homies. Awesome.

The Sad Stories of Believers uses a quite pathetic photo of a dejected woman. Sort of feel sorry for her. Sort of. I didn't hear much about peeps selling all their stuffs and waiting for him before Saturday, until now.

If I read another believer quote the biblical line that no man shall know when dude comes back, I'm gonna puke. But it's cool if the epic Salon does it in their 'excuses article'. Anyways...Blond Nonbeliever has a way around that (read till the end, it's original).

In sort of related news...for Camping's followers that are disgusted and are looking for a new religion, da da daaaa, Apple is a Religion. Neuroscience, religion and the awesome evolved human brain. Check it out.

In more serious news...Let's take a look at politicians, very powerful peeps, that do believe in End of Times scenarios. I'm not surprised at all to find that the Barracuda is on the list. Oh Sarah, le sigh.

Slate is so cool, not because they always have Christopher "Our Hero" Hitchens articles, but because they have 144 Reasons America is Going to End. After reading the entire list I vote for all of the above, or not.

And lastly, 73 y/o Joseph Brooks, sadly, has committed suicide. Brooks wrote the hit song "You light up my life" which was super popular when I was a kid (1973), and no wedding has been the same ever since.  I guess he didn't want to face rape and murder charges. Go figure.

Well I'm glad that we all made it and I'm glad it's all over.  Now let's get down to that business of secular society. Awesome peeps. G-nite, Heart Kriss

This is what heaven looks like...boring.

OK one more Rapture post then I'm going home to mow the lawn...and drink beer. Throughout time there have been many doomsday predictions and I'm actually glad that there is so much coverage over this particular doomsday prediction. I hope that it brings mass attention to the belief that there is one true religion out of the many many, that there have been many such predictions throughout time, that certain peeps (chosen people) will literally rise up into the air (ascension) to meet their particular God while the rest of us (including very devout peeps of the not chosen religions) suffer here on Erffs and the real reasons why the world will end one day (but not because of God) and maybe some lessons learned.

In 1806 there was something called the Prophet Hen of Leeds. This little chicky was squirting out seeds, eggs that said Christ is coming. Pretty miraculous dontcha think. Not so fast. I don't know how they did this, but some gentlemen caught the hen in the act of laying one of these heavenly eggs. They determined that the farmer inscribed the egg(s) himself and placed (read shoved) the penned eggs back where it came from (gross). Huff Po has this example and 5 more equally wacky end of the world predictions. Check it, yo.

This...this is, err, mmm, I don't know.

The Brick Testament is totally cool.

I really, really, really like this photo...whatever it is. In 2009 I wrote the post 10 Wacky Doomsday Cults. While rereading this post I came across the realization that 1) there always has been and always will be these super crazy Rapture predictions and 2) even back in 2009, I used the word 'wacky'. Pretty wacky, hugh.

One of the doomsday cults was created by a 64 y/o virgin that was prego with the messiah (God loves him some virgins). Practitioners of this religion, errrrrr, I mean cult, were not supposed to have sex or eat chocolate because, drum roll please...they were created by aliens. If you think that is awesome, then check out the rest of the post.

Is it some kind of evolutionary trait that compels humans, with our awesome evolved human brain(s), to create/make up these end of world scenarios. It seems to be world wide-y in that all cultures have this kind of folklore, and ya know what, it's not entirely wrong.

The world will end one day and that is just how it goes. Although it won't be the Great Surveillance Camera in the Sky that destroys the Erffs, it will be the Great Lightbulb in the Sky, the sun. Astronomers have calculated that the sun will go bye bye aprox 1 billion years from now. In case ya don't know...when the sun goes, we all go. Thanks Christian Science Monitor, really.

The super awesome and mighty Debunking Christianity chimes in with prophetic excuses the Harold Camping camp will use after the not destruction of the world. Camping miscalculated his 1994 prediction (and admitted it) and "J.L." predicts that he will do it again. He also mentions the "your prayers were answered" excuse but he doesn't go over my favorite one: it's not the end of the world, it's just the beginning of the end of the world.

@vjack over at Atheist Revolution has a nice post on the lessons that could be learned from all this wacky end of times stuffs. Really, all the publicity has so much good atheist making potential. At the very least I hope that it makes peeps think about what they believe and why they believe. Yesterday a xtian dude was trying to explain to me why Camping is wrong and the whole time-as I held my tongue and wished I was a militant atheist*-I thought why doesn't dude apply the logic and reasoning he uses to refute the Project Caravan crew...on himself. Why, why, why...why.

Dude was bible spouting on me which was dookie because I already knew about Mathew 24:36 which states that no one can know the date or time of JC coming back to save a select few before his dad kills everyone else. You know what I'm going to say, right...cherry picking. Camping used select bible verses to come up with the numbers and the reasoning that 'X' amount of days after the Great Flood, which is May 21, 2011, is the day JC comes back. Using a select bible verse to refute Camping, like this dude was trying to do to me yesterday, is just as bad as Camping using bible verses to justify his biblical numerology.

If Christians worldwide can easily dismiss the Camping crew as wacko's, then why can't they turn the critical eye on their own beliefs. If they can confidently state that Camping's version of Christianity is not the true Christianity, then why do they believe that theirs is the one true Christianity. Their motivated reasoning ensures the survival of their particular splinter cell of belief I guess. Is it lack of even wanting to examine one's own beliefs, after all, religion doesn't exactly inspire peeps to question or motivate one to be skeptical. It is built on faith and faith is encouraged and praised over questioning.

Tomorrow we get to read all the post-not-Rapture articles and listen to all the excuses offered.OK, beer o'clock. Nite all.

* I'm not a militant atheist (in fact, there is no such thing). I'm what my very own peeps (Team Atheist) call an accommodationalist.  

** I forgot to add this article of wacky and failed end of times thingies.

The Life Of No Regrets

What can I say about the most recent fakey fake end of the world prediction that hasn't been said already. Nothing. OK, thanks for stopping by y'all, you know I heart me some good statistics (for some reason Saturday is always a poor day for this blog, number wise). Say something, something, write what you know, bla bla bla, OK here we goooooo....

Oh Maureen, I'm necessary. ..and hunky (you deserve me baby, treat yourself).

When facing our mortality, like we are now, one cannot help but think and wonder about life; the life lived and what remains. Would I have done anything different, besides not come back when I ran away as a teenager. Fo sho I have issues, and the old saying certainly applies to me, "even my issues have issues." I could have finished college while still living under my parents roof, but instead I became a Deadhead, then a raver, then (insert rock-n-roll lifestyle here), bla bla bla. I could have done a lot of things.

Word around the old dojo was that I was 'in line'. Mr. (blank, blank) used to call me the Prodigal Son 1) because I often went AWOL and 2) because I always came back. It has been about ten years since I left the old school and it kind of boggles my mind how much I would now know, how 'good' I would be (and also how unhappy I would be living like 'that.'). The Old School is a lot like the two loves of my life-I turned them down and I turned them away (no offense ladies, it's me not you).

There is something I like about 6ft tall, muscular, blond, multi millionaire, female tennis players, but I can't 'put my finger on it.'

What about the tennis, what if I continued to play competitive tennis. My old teammate is back in town and it seems that tennis has provided him with a good life. I believe that I could have eked out a living on the Futures or Challenger tour/circuit, or became a coach,, and maybe, just maybe, I would have made it. I'll never know because I put it down.

After I was confirmed (Catholic) at age 17 I made the choice to not go to church anymore (and it wasn't until years later that I became a deist, agnostic, then da da daaaa, full fledged member-Team Atheist). The (fake) Rapture is upon us, so what to do, what to do. Repent and choose Gods love, maybe, but which one there are so many. Statistically, because there are so many choices, it is a gamble. On one hand the born again-zzz believe that they are correct, and on the other hand the Pope says that only Catholicism is the true Christianity. And that is not to mention all the different religions. Woody Allen questioned in one of his movies, "What if the Hari Krishna's are right." What if indeed...

If I learned one thingy from that one splinter cell of Buddhism that I used to practice is this...Live the life of no regrets. We have choices and we make them. We make mistakes and we live with them. Forgiveness has been hijacked by the believers (one of the many thingies hijacked by religion) but everyone is capable of doing that. To live the life of no regrets is to forgive yourself, in time and eventually.

I've lived the life and will continue to do so. I've made mistakes and guess what, I'll make more. On this eve of the final countdown, I guess I could look at the what if's and the I could-a's and should-a's, but what the hell fer. I'm fortunate to have such a great life and I appreciate it.

 What if it does all end tonight (6pm West Coast )? Then it all ends tonight, but it ends with no regrets on my part.

* Live blogging of the end at Greta Christina's blog. Also, end of the world parties going on in the City. Wish I lived there. Rumor has it that there is a slumber party with some peeps that I would like to meet. If I lived in the City I would ride my bike over there with a big bag of Espresso Metro chocolate chip cookies, a 12 pack of beer, and as I always say, then we'll see what happens (wink wink).

* Earth Bound Pets, check it out if you haven't. It's such a good idea that I wish it was mine.

* The Buddhism that I used to practice. I believe that this is clergy organization that split from the lay organization, and that tells you all you need to know. Sheez.

* Hey super awesome atheists...don't change a thing. I heart you the way that you are. Be safe tonight and do everything that I would do.

Apocalypse Owwwww

When 'it' happens, do all dogs go to heaven...much less prairie dogs. I wonder.

If you have been living under a rock as of late I have a surprise for you. The world is gonna end tomorrow...at 6pm, or not...probably not...err, definitely not. Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping used numerology (and bad math) to come up with the date May 21, 2011....6pm as the end of days. While the super awesome atheist blogosphere, and I'm happy to report-the general public-has been joking about Camping's prophetic vision for weeks, some are not joking at all.

I was a Deadhead in 92', so I guess I missed it.

Actually it is a very sad story (thanks ExChristian.Net).

AUSTIN — Herbert Washington, whom co-workers at Significant Plastics Inc. say was unduly concerned with the rapture and the second coming of Christ, suffered a serious heart attack when co-workers pretended they'd been caught away without him.

Last Tuesday, they lay work outfits on their chairs and hid in a supply room, and when Herbert came back from the restroom, he thought the rapture had occurred. The janitor, an outspoken Muslim, pretended to have witnessed everyone disappear and ran around the office feigning panic. Herbert fell to the ground clutching his heart and screaming, "I knew you'd forget me, Jesus! What did I do wrong?" He was taken to a local hospital. The employees emerged, sobered, from the supply room and gathered up their extra clothes.

"We didn't mean to scare him to death," said one woman. "He's just always talking about it, so today we decided to turn the tables on him."

Washington underwent bypass surgery and is recovering well and "digging into the Bible like never before," says his wife.

Is Blondie still alive...I think so.

 My skeptic meter is going off. Is this a real and true story. It kinda sounds too good to be true. If it is true, then this is wrong on so many levels. Often peeps ask Team Atheist why do we do this, why do we care, or what is the harm. Well, this is the harm. Dude's absolutely ridiculous belief, not in God but in the Rapture, led to his heart attack. He made an agreement with Jesus and he felt that Jesus let him down, and left him behind. Mr. Washington (if this is a true story) was ready to go meet who he believes is his maker in a place where there is no evidence of existence. He was ready to leave a life here on earth, a life that as far as I can tell, exists, and go to a place called heaven.

I'd dookie in my pants if the Rapture happened, and be really surprised.

Mr. Washington's wife said that he's really, really, really reading his bible now. Dam girl, if I wuz you I'd throw that bible away...he was ready to leave you and go to heaven. I don't know, I'd be jealous. Again, if this is a true story, then what kind of dude was Mr. Washington...

He was a bible thumper. He talked about his lord at work, all of the time. That is why they played the joke in the first place. How did that make the Muslim janitor feel? Was Mr. Washington an eloquent defender of his faith, or did he have what I call a Childlike Faith. I can only imagine how horrible it was to work with a bible thumper. Yuck.

Seriously, I would look for another job if there was someone like that at my work. It would be horrible. Anyways, I hope y'all are going to cool Rapture parties and if it does happen, ya know the end of the world and all...then I'll see you in heaven.

* Check out Earthbound Pets.

* End of the world thingies that didn't happen.

Christopher "Our Hero" Hitchens

When I need encouragement, I watch this. Bro-crush is to lite a word to describe how I feel about dude.

If I studied everyday for eight hours a day, for ten years...I would not have the game that Hitch has. Not that I'm not skeptic, or atheist, smart, I'am, I certainly am. It is not about how educated I'am, it's about how awesome educated that Hitch is. Not only that, he is a debaters debater. As the cool kids say, he can debate till the break of dawn. On his book tour for God Is Not Great he toured the very Christian (Baptist) South and went into churches and took on their very best*. I could never do that.

I fancy myself a writer, but when I compare myself to his books and the weekly essays in Vanity Fair and Slate, then what am I (and it's not that I don't have confidence, I do)?

Collusion is a very good debate, and the production quality is very good. His debates with D'Nesh D'Souza are classic, soooo good. The one with Rev. Al Sharpton in the NY Public Library is OK, deff worth watching, but it is not the best of the debates.

Hitch is so funny and witty and dagnabit, the information is correct. I do not agree with everything that he says, but I do see in the big picture, in this battle for secular society-a society for everyone, including religion-that what our religious opponents wrongly call Militant Atheists, we need peeps like Christopher "Our Hero" Hitchens.

1:48 into the video, "I rest my case." I heart you bro, Kriss

* He didn't win the game of debating everytime, but that doesn't mean that the information was not correct. I think that it is absolutely courageous to go into the Den of Lambs and challenge their best theologian, their best debater. That is heroic.

I'll Pop Your Lips Now (Apocalypse Now)

If you see THIS, be very afraid.

WTF. As I look around, all I can say is What The F*ck. First of all I slept in. I never sleep in. If I'm laying in bed and Colin Cowherd (ESPN) comes on the radio then I know half the day is over because it's 7am. Sheez. So while I was R.E.M.-ing there must have been pigs flying, there must have been. Why, just look at the news.

Yesterday, Religion News Service went to the presses with a story about the 1.8 million dollar study commissioned by the nations Roman Catholic Bishops. Since the horrible horrible, unimaginable Catholic Abuse Scandal broke out conservatives have blamed gay priests, while libertards have blamed the all male celibate culture. According to the study both are wrong because obviously the culprit is...Woodstock. Look out the window now, pigs flying(?). Yes, the 60's, 70's, and into the 80's, with their sexual revolution, civil rights, feminism and all, the reason(s) why adult leaders put their adult peepers into mostly young boys is the counter culture of that booming baby generation.  They could have given me the money. I can make up crap also.

It's spring time and yes, I have spring fever. Maria..."M" baby, it's me Kriss. Give me a call. You deserve me (and that is a very good, muscular, kind and gentle thing). Sozzzz, go buy a six pack, come over and we'll see what happens (wink wink).

Back to the news...Pigs flying, focus, Kriss...don't look at that picture. Anyways...One of the signs of the apocalypse, or as I call it "I'll pop your lips" is disasters left and right, both natural and manmade. Let's not forget that whole thingy in Japan. While American media has the attention span of about a month, international media does not and is still reporting on the Fukushima Plant. HNK News Japan is really good and so is Al Jazeera and their crew of hotties (Ouch and hello).

Mother Nature is getting revenge right now and that is not a good thing. Peeps in Mississippi are staying in shelters and losing land, homes and their livelihoods to a mighty river that is taking it's flood plane back. The decision to flood smaller communities and sparing the larger ones is toooottttaallly Would You Kill The Fat Man. Should we make a sacrifice for the sum total of happiness. Apparently so. Good luck Mississippi peeps.

Don't forget that all this End of Times madness was brought to us from that wacky Christian radio broadcaster in Bezerkeley. Check out his wacky site, but also...What about all the End of Times, throughout time, that didn't end anything. Team Atheist you have to check this one out, after all, We Can Know.

I'm not near a window right now, but in my heart, I know, I know, there are pigs flying. This time it is because of that abusive mom that gave her 8 year old daughter botox injections. Dramatic pause...shake your head WTF...take a deep breadth, OK here we go. Mommy of the year reasoned that it will prevent wrinkles in the future and it will help her win beauty pageants and become a star later in life. This is why everyone should know science, in this case genetics. If the abusive mom knew genetics then she would know that because she is fat (let's call it like it is), then her daughter will be fat. Really.

Finally, the real reason why this is a Flying Pigs inspired post...here it comes, steady, steady...exploding watermelons.



The signs are all around, we just have to open our eyes. I know I'm supposed to be on Team Skeptic and all but I'm starting to have my doubts-I'm getting scared (Maria, I need to be held.). I think it's just like believing in God. All the signs are there, we just have to open our eyes and put aside all that intellectual-y stuffs. If we do that, then we can have God as an answer...and, we'll be able to detect Russell's Teapot, and the best part, we will be able to see those nasty dirty flying pigs. Not.