The Ultimate Answer Is...I Dunno Know

Who has the "answer" to the ultimate question(s). What happens after death, real death not near death (and I still haven't written about my NDE here, yet, but I will, I promise) and even before that, what happens at birth, or the infamous how can something come from nothing?" I'll tell you who...no one.

First a little side trackin'. Much ado has been made about Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins in his recent debate with, I believe it was Rowan, when he claimed the true. Papa Bear said he is not 100% atheist and there is a little tiny part of him that is open to the evidence, that is the evidence of something more than this material world and evolution thru natural selection, better and easily known as "God did it."

In the religious magazines and newspapers that I go to (daily) the believers see Papa Bear's admitting the truth, as a point for their side, a victory. "See that, militant atheists, even your very own prophet said so." Not so fast arrogant believers, not so fast.

First of all can the ultimate question ever, and I mean ever, be answered in it's entirety. I believed the most honest answer to that is a definite...no way Jose. Lemmie explain. You got your Joe average priest (molester or not) sayin' that "fo sho there is a God (now gimmie your money...and your boys...young ones)." End of argument. Hell, I dunno fo sho, but does William Lane Craig believe without a doubt that his particular and specific Christian evangelical God exists. Again I dunno fo sho, but my guess is yes. Is that honest or not (not). Ask lil' old me, Team Atheist member, and I'll say," I'm not 100% sure but history tells me that (blank blank) is true.

OK, now some God in the Gaps theory. At one time religion had all the answers: how are people born, why are there erff quakes, what happens after we die and how did the universe we live in come to be (after all it is highly improbable-and that is a truth). Well, then here comes beautiful, critical, honest and scientific...err, science. The common human birth at one time was explained with "God did it." Then scientific/medical knowledge about how reproduction really happens explained those  birds and bees that peeps keep talking about. No one doubts that now. Why do people get sick with colds and flues. Before it was an imbalance of chi, or you angered the god(s). Now...you caught a virus and simple thingies like washing your hands and not touching you face can help in the preventing of catching a virus.

Where "God did it" was the ultimate answer at one time for everything, now we have scientific knowledge that is peer reviewed and independently tested, over and over again. Each time science answers a question, the God of the Gaps gets smaller and smaller (1). One side claims to have all the answers all the time, while the better looking and sexier side claims that Gawd honest truth can change when new and better evidence appears. That is honesty.


OK back to something from nothing and Papa Bear. In his super awesome book The God Delusion, Papa Bear made a 7 point scale of atheism. If your are a 7, then you are undoubtedly, unquestionably, and infallibly, atheist. If you are a one, then the opposite. Papa Bear declared him self a 6 point something (I forgot). He left the door open for evidence (cause he is honest). What believer journalists want you/me/us to believe is that by being honest, Papa Bear is showing weakness. No, it is the exact opposite. 


The smart believers, the ones that have participated in the conversation and know the basic in's and out's of the debate, un-smartly claim that because we (Team Atheist) do not know how something can come from nothing/how the universe began, then we must be totally wrong about everything else and guess what...God did it (create the universe) so shove him in the gap. Forget that history shows that science in its very short existence has answered great question after great question, making the God in the Gaps smaller and smaller. Forget that believers full of faith at one time arrogantly proclaimed that "God did it" when attempting to explain how earthquakes happen, or how babies are born.

An honest person regardless of which side they fall on can only conclude that they/we/us do not know the answers in totality.  How did something come from nothing, or how did the universe begin. Well science said the Big Bang and after that evolution thru natural selection, but what about before the Big Bang-how did something come from nothing. Them=God, Us=I dunno...yet.

Not only do I dunno, no one knows. The difference between the two sides is that one side, the side of belief, arrogantly claims "God did it," while the better looking, sexier and smarter side claims "we do not know as of yet, but we are looking."

Who do you believe? There is one side that says they know without a doubt, but time and time again, their explanation of "God did it" makes less and less sense as peer reviewed and materialistic knowledge becomes available. Simultaneously the other side, the side of science and critical thinking skills says, "we do not know as of yet, but thru cosmology, astronomy and physics, it is our hope to find out."

Here's the breakdown. One side says fo sho they know all the answers all the time and even forever, while the other side says, honestly, we dunno, but let's find out together (and we have been correct time and time again, so trust us).

Who do you believe?


(1) When science is wrong, it corrects itself. That is the beauty of science and that is the arrogance of belief in God did it. God did it never changes, it is the answer for everything everytime throughout the three existences of time (arrogance). The non-arrogance (beauty) of science is that it corrects itself (i.e. ulcers). This honesty is perceived as a weakness to the average believer, but in reality, the ability to change and admit one was wrong at that time...is awesome sauce; while claiming to be correct all the time, but coming up short time and time again is arrogant...and wrong-ville.


* Buddhism, Cosmology and Evolution

* Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins 


* God of the Gaps Theory

"It Came From "Something", Or Not

When I first started the six pack blog just over two years ago, I wuz all like all educational and informative-n-stuffs. This last year I moved to shorter funnier, sarcastic, angry atheist-y and more entertaining post. Today, I will attempt some brainiac-ness in that I discovered sumthin' new and eyez iz gonna try and share it because it is the ultimate question (yes, THAT ultimate question. no not if I'm single).

One of the problems with religion is that...they already have the answers-it's God. It never changes, doesn't want to, it claims to have all the answers and it is totally wrong (that's the sound of the God in the Gaps getting smaller and smaller). Beautiful and wonderful science on the other hand is endless in the seeking of answers. If a question is answered, then a million gazillion will replace that (and that is the way it should be). But what about that endeavor philosophy, the endeavor I honestly and admittedly do not know much about.

Maybe we are one bubble, that came from another bubble...in  a bubble bath with a dog into that has   cucumbers over it's eyes(?).

Robot Voice (Stephen Hawking) in his latest super awesome book said that philosophy is dead concerning the great questions and physics whomps all over it. While it is true that physics has hella answers, and I'll just say it, truths, I do not believe that it can explain everything and not only that, it is not the only vehicle to get us there. Theoretical physics IS looking into that super great question...what came before the big bang (1) and perhaps, just perhaps, philosophy can answer that.

So how do you answer the question...How does something come from nothing? At one moment there was no universe, then the next moment...universe, baby.  To say that God is the answer to that question does not explain any of the philosophy of the "hows" and "whys (the answer of God is more like a statement, not an explanation-which is what an answer is) or the mechanisms of the whole deal-eo.

The really super great The Atlantic monthly delves into this, and very well I might add. How can something come from nothing. Well, one idea is that it  didn't go down like that (there was nothing and then God made something-voila the universe and besides that...2nd law of thermodynamics, yo). Perhaps we came from a different universe, a bubble universe. Perhaps we are like those sands on a beach (this is from my teenage punk rock stoner years) and one grain of sand, produced the next. Maybe we are one bubble in a bubble bath, and we do not even see the other bubbles, or an "atom" within an "atom". Perhaps we a "something" that is within and infinite amounts of "something." Whatevah "it" is..."it" came from something, not nothing (or not).

Sort of looks like a Jackson Pollock painting, but he was tired or sumthin'...or outta paint.

Philosophy, and science for that matter, may never conclusively answer the question...but at least they are trying (as opposed to the audaciousness of religion that claims to already have the answer. Arrogant I tell ya). We live in a physical universe that has physical laws that we all adhere to (that 2nd law of thermodynamics that we keep talking about). So the answer must be within that, right, yes, no, maybe (?). Because the question was never answered, it just keeps coming back, or rather, it never went away (because God in not a good answer).

The thingy about it is, and this is the hard part for believers 1) we do not yet know how the universe came to be, 2) we do not even know what we do not know, 3) only science and philosophy acknowledges #2 and is actively seeking an answer for #1 and #2 and 4) we might never know the answer and that is OK (unless you are a believer) because it is also the journey (that is the admitting and stating the question, then looking for the answer) as well as a destination.

It's a journey to the truth and the truth is we may not eveah find the answer to the question "What happened before the big bang (first cause)", but dagnabit...if you are a carbon based life form and do not subscribe to superstition, literal mythology and are relatively normal in that you use critical thinking and reasoning skills (rather than blind, unquestioning faith), then....it is so human for us to try.

* Check out the interview with cosmology philosopher, Tim Maudlin, in that rag my dead hero used to write for, The Atlantic Monthly. We never met, bro, but I miss ya Hitch (if there is a heaven, then I hope yer up there annoying the shit outta the fraud known as Mother Teresa...and having a couple too many drinks.

* Mama-T (that's Mother Teresa) in SF Weekly.



(1) This is the biggest of biggest questions concerning the God in the Gaps. First they told us that god created everything and we believed it. Then awesome science came along and said, first there was the big bang, abiogenesis happened, then evolution thru natural selection. If this last mystery can be solved, then there will be no more gaps and here will be no more God. The question: How can something (the universe) come from *nothing*.

The young Stevo and hottie wife. OK, I guess I'll be the only weirdo that asks this, even tho everyone also thinks this one...What kinda sex are the Hawkins into. Or just like the question, what was before the big bang, what are the hows, the whys, the 'mechanisms'. I'm not talkin' shit...I was just wondering how they "do it."

Sliced Bread, Centaurs And Inspiration

Admit it, this is the most epic shit you will see today. Right on Centaur Bro, right on.

 In case you haven't gotten that memo that people keep talking about, nerds and geeks are the new sexy (believe me, I know...I'm one of them). The reason is because, what the LOL Cats call da erffs, is going  to hell in a hand basket. We need smart and smarter people to lead us into the future. We need altruism, skepticism and yes, The Mighty (say it in a booming Gawd voice) TEAM ATHEISSSSSSTTTTTT.

For quite a while now there has been a scientific brain drain in the good ol' U. S. of A.. Those kookey Chinese and those super hot Indians (ladies, heellloooo) are whomping our redneck, bible thumpin' arses all over the periodic table, all over the theoretical, all over the...you get the picture, right. That is why this idea is made of awesome.

 A very brilliant man by the name of Bill Willers is having an art show of sorts...in a museum. Sure usually science-y stuffs go into museums, but the sculptor and zoologist Mr. Willers is currently having a show called Mythological Wildlife. The intent is to show the young-ens the absurdity of mythical creatures like my man the Centaur pictured above, or the mythical creature that I always thought was cool, the Griffin.

Surprisingly Willers said that the children are the ones that say, "Hey man, that's not right." While it is the parents that he is worried about (he didn't say it, but it's the biblical parents he's worried about, really.) That kookey endeavor called cryptozoology is sumthin' that Willers wants the young-ens to learn about as well as...real science.

I think the hairy stinky dude is better...funnier.

This has got to be the coolest thing since sliced bread...inspiring the next generation of scientists in a growing world of stupidstition and unreasonable faith. I believe in the future, I believe that as humans we can make the world a better place for everyone-theist and nontheist. But we have to know what we know, that is where scinece and the scientific method come into play. The time for wishful thinking is over and done like the Denver Broncos football season (I guess Jesus hates you, or he hearts the other team better, Timmy) and THE WAY, at least as far as I'm concerned...is 1) science and two...just guess...no, I wuz gonna say 2) Team Atheist, baby.

Let's inspire those kids, folks.

* USA Today.

A Gigantic Fireball Will Destroy Da Erffs

Please Don't Kill Us Giant Fireball. Please.

I just read this and I thought it was funny. Who says science can't be fun...and awesome...f-awesome-n...no. So we just escaped the Harold Camping most recent Doomsdays, both of them, but we can't rest on your laurels because the Mayan 2012 is coming up, remember. Or not.

A press release from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center "reassured" the public that the reports of Earths demise are not greatly exaggerated because of that giagantic solar flare that is coming erffs way. Mmm, of the top of my head I can't recall if that is part of the Mayan 2012 prophecy. Earthquakes, floods or solar flare, OK, I can go for that. Couple of things tho...

First of all, the sun does not have enuff energy to send that killer fireball the million-bazillino-quadrillion miles to the earth. Second the sun goes thru a cycle (11years) so anyone over age 11 has already been thro a similar event (and if you can read this, then you survived). And lastly, this is my favorite one, their numbers are wrong. NASA says that the "killer fireball" will not reach the earth until 2013-14-ish. The Mayan Calandar thingy is totally about numerology-n-stuff and it is called the "Mayan 2012 Prophecy"

Whatevah...If the world ended next year, OK. But I'm not trippin' because just like with Harold Campings three doomsdays that were "predicted" using "calculations", the numerology of the Mayan Doomsday doesn't add up.

* Science Fair

Chicken Pox Party

Wow, that is so attractive.

 I haven't heard the term "chicken pox party' in a long time. It seems that that was the thing to do when I was a kid, even tho I never went to one or knew anyone that went to one (I'm just sayin' that the term was more commonly used). If you don't know what that is it is when one unfortunate kid in the neighborhood gets chicken pox, then all the, well meaning, parents take their kids over there to contract the illness (I guess by hugging the poor pocked person). This is due to the belief that you want to get chicken pox as a child because if you get it when you become older, then you will die (I don't know if that is true or not). I have no stats on this but...the chicken pox party died out because of super awesome science, specifically vaccines.

But as all you kind gentle and very good looking readers know, the celebrity, magic potion, CAM, stupidity endorsers have started and sustained the anti-vax movement. Their world is like Superman's Bizarro world-the opposite is true. To them vaccines do not prevent preventable diseases, no quite the contrary, vaccines cause illness (go fuckin' figure). Needless to say, because of celebrity endorsers like Jenny McCarthy, many well meaning parents skip the vaccinations to, ironically, save their children. What has happened since that movement has proliferated is a lowering of the very important herd mentality and a return of many preventable diseases.

Recently there have been many articles about parents that met people on the Facebook and got them to send loli-pops that were licked by infected kids, or saliva. I guess the hope is that, thru the mail, their children could get chicken pocks at the preferable correct and young age, and then they wouldn't have to trip on it for the rest of their lives.

Once again, I guess it's a good idea, just like, I guess a chicken pox party is a good idea, except the, ya know...you are not supposed to send viruses thru the mail (anthrax anyone) and licking a loli-pop is not a very efficient way to transfer the illness. In fact, now that I think of it, the good idea is not so good anymore...actually, it's quite the dumbness.

I have a better idea. Howz about, and this is for all you well meaning parents out there, you use common sense and ask yourself...who knows more about science and medicine 1) Jenny McCarthey or, gee, I dunno, 2) DOCTORS. All the best intentions are for bullshit if you are making stupid decisions like that. Not only are you putting your child at risk (by not getting vaccinated), but you are endangering the rest of us with your dirty unvaccinated children.

There is a reason why the chicken pox party went the way of the dinosaurs, no not ice age...because there are better ways...like that science and medicine that skeptics keep talking about.

* I had chicken pox when I was, like, ten or so and it was during Christmas time, which is also near my birthday. I was quarantined and it sucked.

* Mom as a bioterrorist.

Double Dog Epic Science Win

 Oh science...why are you so truth-y-n-all. That is why I heart ya so much. What is it about the truth that Team Atheist and Team Skeptic heart so much...THE TRUTH. Fo sho science does not know everything (and no one ever said it will. is that even possible. no) but, I believe, it is the best  and most reliable knowledge out there (compared to, let's say...theology). One of the beauties of science, is that it can change when better evidence is presented (read "change" in a Homer Simpson voice, "Mmmmm, change.")

First up in the Double Dog Epic Science Win is this father daughter duo from one of my favorite cites, B-zerkeley. Richard Muller, of the Berkeley Erffs Surface Study, was a climate change skeptic, but as the sayin' goes...his heart and mind changed...err, due to that pesky evidence that Team Skeptic keeps talking about.

Dude pursued long held climate skeptic theories (remember Climategate) and he analyzed hella data (because that is what scientists do, right) and guess what...no not chicken butt this time...He concluded that the erffs temperature is 1.6 degrees more right now than in the 1950's. This is the best part and this is for Team Prog-Lib. The study was partially funded by those guys, the Koch brothers. And that my kind gentle and very good looking readers makes this particular science victory...even sweeter.

This is a Bay Area two fer, cause next up is the City I was born in...yes, my wonderful San Francisco (baby, I may come back one day, once day. le sigh). This science win has to do with those urban legends that Team Skeptic loves to debunk (ya know, cause we are all thruth-y-n-stuffs) specifically the bronze plaque in the Mission district that claims to be the place of the Cities origin.

Legend states that in June 29, 1776, the first Spanish settlers camped at Lake Dolores (aka Dolores Lagoon). I'm not gonna go all geek creek geologist-n-all (I'll leave that up to the two brainiacs pictured above. thanks), but the latest research claims that "No way Jose. It is physically impossible for those water formations and a canyon to physically exist at these points in the city (read the super good NPR article for, ya know, the real details-n-stuffs).

Fo sho the article has science-y stuffs, but what I wanna point out is this. The people that put the (incorrect) plaque in the Mission district are hella pissed. They did not wanna be interviewed for the article. They spent years researching the topic and dagnabit, they-ze ain't gonna change. What did the scientists say.

"The two creek geologists would like to see the plaque taken down or at least revised. They say there's nothing really wrong with a creation myth, but they'd prefer the truth (NPR)."

Thank you science,

Heart Kriss

* What is this strange feeling welling up inside of me. Let's see, the sun is out, I've been taking my meds (thanks again science), I have supportive friends that love me, my internet presence is killin' it (the six pack blog is back up to 300 hits a day, yippie), and I have the full range of feelings again (both positive and negative)...is it happiness. Fuckin' hope so......

The Fear

I don't fear much, not even death, but I do fear becoming my dad. I'm convinced that Father Asshole Dick Face Abusive Fucker had depression and anxiety (no wonder I have that also) but he didn't get help. The anger that he showed me, my brother and sister was...I can't even describe it. In martial arts there is this legendary, mythical thing called Lion's Roar, or Dragon's Roar. Basically you yell something, anything so loud at a person that something will happen to them (1). My dad was very powerful and hateful. His anger fueled his roar and I fear I have the same qualities.

"Activity in the brain's "hate circuit" is out of sync across the circuit's three regions, leading to self-loathing and other failures to deal appropriately with feeling of hate, research suggests (Sci Am)."

They iMRI'd 37 depressed and 39 not depressed brains to see the parts of the brain that 'lite up' , or not, during certain tasks. What they found was that the connectivity of the three regions associated with the "hate circuit" was not all connectivity-y.

This "hate circuit" (superior frontal gyrus, insula, putamen) in my brain and other depressed brains, basically, is outta wack. New research shows that of the three regions of the brain associated with that "hate" that I fear, in the depressed brain they are not in synch, which researchers are calling an "uncoupling."

"These differing activity levels, which the researchers referred to as an "uncoupling" of the circuit, may explain why depressed people experience self-loathing, they said. Depressed people may not be able to deal appropriately with feelings of hate, and as a consequence, develop selfhatred and withdraw from social situations, the researchers said (Sci Am)."

I'll have some brain, sunny side up please.

Of course when any new research is done, there is criticism. The brain is vast and at this time, not totally understood. Parts of the brain overlap and overlap. So while there is deff. a "hate circuit" (identified in 2008), it is also contains (overlap) parts of the brain associated with, love-n-not hate stuffs. It is exactly like the God region of the brain that Team Atheist wants so badly to find. Basically, there is too much overlap for any one function to be associated with one region of the brain. Still, I think the research is exciting.

My dad's anger (and depression. frackin' gloomy today) was tremendous and so is mine. Dangerous and uncontrollable are two words that come to my mind when thinking about his anger. Another one is irrational. One thing that I have learned about depression is that it doesn't makes sense and if you try and make sense outta it, then you are going down the wrong road. That doesn't mean that we should not try and understand it in the material form with science-n-all that stuffs. In fact, understanding would, at least for me, ease the mind.


(1) I fear that I can do this and what it is, in reality, is that you yell so loud that you can shake that person up. Part of the myth-y part is that you can kill someone with it. I guess. Fo sho I can yell so loud that a person would back up, would have fear in their eyes and an increased heart rate. Those things could lead to a heart attack, so I guess, yes, Lion's Roar can kill someone. I've been so not feeling good the past couple of days I fear that I will explode and roar uncontrollably...the way my dad did to me. I've seen my dad fight grown men, and win. I've seen my dad take on a group of teenagers, all at the same time, and win. I have never seen anger like that anywhere else, and I'm convinced that because of genetics, I have that also. That is my fear.

The Evolved Republican

I have talked before how words change, evolve and eventually get bastardized. Environmentalist, feminist and atheist are words that at one time had a more simple meaning, but now they have grown to imply negative yucky-ness (feminist equates to man hater, really). The word republican has also changed, especially since the emerging of the teabaggers, err, tea party.

Old school republicans are out, they are the republicans of our fathers and their fathers and quite frankly, they are not republican enuff. Where at one time to be associated with the republican party only meant small government and conservative spending, taxation, pro business. Now, the republican party is the party of the answer "no", super religious, like, literal bible religious and because of that, also anti science.

50% of Tea Partier's do not believe in global warming and 51% do not believe in evolution. With that said 100% are uber religious. The current top three GOP candidates are promoting an anti science and pro infallible scripture platform and, "you betcha", they have the mission to use the government to usher in that kingdom of God that they always talk about. As far as I know, only former Utah Gov. John Huntsman has gone on the record and sided with science on evolution and the climate.

I sort of feel sorry for a true, old school conservative republicans the same way I feel bad for good, normal Christians that are not evangelical weirdos. In the past I've made fun of the republican party because they are still debating the scopes monkey trail and Roe v. Wade. Now I'm gonna add to that evolution, climate change and infallible scripture.

Like I said yesterday, if ya don't want us making fun of your silly beliefs, then stop having silly beliefs.

* CNN Belief Blog

Cats and Dogs, Science and Religion

Why are we still debating this. Ugh and WTF with a head shake. Maybe this is why I don't go to Huff Po Religion and Huff Po in general anymore. Usually this writer has really really good articles, but today I have to disagree with dude. In the article Can Religion and Science Coexist dude concludes (thru a survey) that most scientist have no problem with religion. I forgot what that logical fallacy that is when you say "most people..." but I know one when I see one.

 Here's the short of it...no. Science and religion are not compatible. Science deals with the material, the observable and the measurable. If there is no matter, then it doesn't matter to science (I couldn't resist that one). Science comes to conclusion through super rigorous testing, the scientific method, and more peer review testing. Science changes when the best information becomes available (and that is a good thing). Science is the truth as best as we can know it at the moment.

Religion is none of those things. Religion works because of faith (which, if you had faith in anything, the evolved powerful human brain will make those thingies come true). You cannot measure God or the afterlife. You cannot give your God data to a peer for them to independently test it's validity-it is based on belief and faith. Religion never changes, they are always correct (not). Where the scientific method can predict an outcome, religion is after the fact and fudges the truth to comply with scripture. Science and religion are cats and dogs.

The article claims that the scientists that have the most problem with religion are the scientists that see religion in very narrow terms (often associated with evangelical Christianity). The scientists that have a wider view of religion to include meditation-n-stuffs, the survey concludes, are coolio with religion. I get the feeling that the author is poo poo-ing the scientists for having a narrow view of religion. Well poo poo on him.

They often call us (Team Atheist) out on this one, but they are wrong for doing that. To say, that is not my religion, or we don't do that, is, well...dookie. I guess the simple answer is "then I guess we are not talking about you, so shut up." The reason why scientists and the New Atheist call out believers for having a narrow view of religion is because they practice a narrow religion. What is that great saying, "If you want us to stop making fun of your silly beliefs, then stop having silly beliefs." So what that some Christianities accept evolution, good, they should. But to say that we cannot call out Christians that believe in Genesis over evolution, well, once again...that is dookie.

One good thing in the article that was concluded in the survey is that the majority of scientists, whether they were cool with religion or not, are totally against teaching creationism in the science classroom. Well, I'm glad that we can at least agree on that.

* Article Huff Po Religion.

* Update Sept 25th. the last paragraph is the same logical fallacy that I mentioned earlier (but it's cool when I do it. I didn't create the double standard, I just acknowledge it...now...) Awesomeness.

Fallacies Of Conservative Thinking

The conservative faction of this country calls it the lamestream media or the super funny, Jewish owned liberal propaganda machine. I call it awesome sauce, because that is what it is. Is it that NPR has always been this awesome, or am I just now paying attention to it-regardless...awesome sauce.

When lying in bed this morning, I do believe that I heard three news stories that were science-y. Bravo for NPR. That is what the cool kids call killin' it. One article in particular was extra extra good. GOP and Science Skeptics (I paraphrased the title) emphasizes how important knowledge of science will be in the upcoming election, esp on the GOP side.

Recap action...Presidential candidates Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann have said the stupid several times in recent weeks. Perry said global warming has gaps in it, evolution is just a theory, creationism is and should be taught in public schools. Bachmann, or as I heart to call her, Crazy Eyes, well pretty much everything she says is crazy, but the comment about the recent East Coast earthquake and hurricane being caused by God, well, that is just plain crazy. The NPR article correctly states "Bachmann believes something other than physical and biological processes drives events on planet earth. Perry does too."

So we have a choice as voters and as good American peeps. Do we want a GOP candidate that subscribes to that dominionism thingy that everyone keeps talking about. Do we want a president that believes in Armageddon, believes that a 1/3 man, 1/3 god and 1/3 ghost will return to the erffs and literally float into the air with a select few homies. That is just some of their beliefs, what about their thinking, err, their fallacious thinking.

Crazy Eyes made the statement about God causing the natural disasters last week and that it should be a wake up call to worship him and vote for her. But has she said any such statements about Perry's Texas that is currently totally on...fire. Is God punnishing Texas, because Texas is very devout. They brag about having the most churches per capita, and yet they have the highest crime rates, prison population and the state is on fire, litterally on fire. Is God punishing them. I haven't said it in a while but...cherry pickin'.

What about Perry's brilliant thinking. He said that evolution and global warming are theories, not yet proven and that they have holes or gaps in them. OK(?). Well what about genesis. Genesis is not even a theory, it's folklore. The entire thing is a hole. Evolution whomps all over it. Perry said that more and more scientists are questioning global warming. Really, who are these scientist, name them-really. While I can admit that there are fringe scientists that when splitting hairs about the causes of climate change, to say that there is a growing number or even a majority...well, that is a straight up lie.

Science education is going the way of sports and the arts in public schools and that is not a good thing. If American is to remain a force in the global ecomony and the world stage we need to teach real science in public schools, not incorrect biblical science. Japan, India and China are kicking or arses when it comes to science education. If religion is the most important topic for the world in the next decade, then science is a very close second.

Lastly, do we want a president with powers to go to war, invade other countries and the bomb that is not literate in real science and that has a biblical mission, dictated by an all powerful God that does not exist,  to rule the infidels and rule the world. I know I do not.

* NPR

* Sorry about the typo's and bad spelling and stuffs. I'm computer-less and I don't know how to use an Apple. I don't even know how to save a photo. Awesome anyways.

Get Your Vote On

Mmm, I missed this one the other day from the Chicago Tribune. Author James Kirk Wall asks the very important question who should Team Atheist, Team Secular and Team Skeptic vote for in the next election. There are obvious factors that all of American society must consider in this next election cycle like the economy and the environment, but it very well could be that the votes of the nonbelievers could tip the scale either way. We have concerns though.

The first one Wall introduces is...we are here and we are many. One of the great achievements of the New Atheists is that we are now recognized and dagnabit, we want a place at the political table. Our vote counts and it is many. 12% of the population is millions and millions. It doesn't matter if you are blue or red, if you are a nonbeliever that is your team and like I said earlier, we can tip the scales either way.

GLBT rights. The younger generation is so over hating the gay. That is something our parents and grandparents did. It just doesn't make sense to the younger generation to hate on same sex couples. As the numbers of religious peeps diminish, the numbers of GLBT supporters rises. That younger generation that I keep talking about just isn't going to church and they are not adopting the hate of their mothers and fathers.

Creationism in the science classroom, as I have said many times, is the first thingy that look at in a candidate. If you believe that creationism is equal to evolution and should be taught side by side in the same classroom, then you have to be very spectacular in other areas to get my vote. Richard "Papa Bear" Dawkins wrote a very eloquent letter to Gov. Rick Perry on this very topic.

The separation of church and state is violated left and right all of the time and I really wish the media would call politicians out on that (well see if that happens in this next election cycle). Let's see gov. Rick Perry just had his huge faith hoe down and the armed forces continually proselytize evangelical Christianity to the troops in the form of the super stupid spiritual fitness test, rock concerts and bible inscriptions (in place that they don't belong). This is why I keep pumping the idea of a secular society. Secular is for everyone. To promote one religion over another is just so unfair.

It doesn't matter if you want tax cuts or increases, or big government or small government, these secular issues go across the board. The education of the next generation will greatly effect this great nation on the global stage. Do we really want to teach creationism to children that are going to compete with India and China for jobs in science and technology. More than ever our vote, Team Atheist and Team Skeptic, is important and yes...it does count.

* Article Chicago Tribune.

Why indeed.

The War On Science Funding

What happened to the GOP? Fo sho they are the party of "no", but now they are becoming the party of lies, untruths and deception. The war on science, and in this case science funding, has been going on for a while but it is in recent years, with the Christianization of the GOP, that the battle for research funding has become a war.

In these dire economic times politicians justly want to pinch pennies, after all good people are unemployed and families are struggling. But when the propaganda machine is rolled out and voters are deceived, then that is lame-o pants. Recently Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) made the claim that half a million dollars of tax payer money has been spent on shrimps on a treadmill. It would be totally bad...if it were true. The lie is that scientists spent money exercising shrimp, the truth is that shrimp on a treadmill is only part of the research and that the half a million dollars was spent on legitimate research.

Biologist Lou Burnett, "...and it suggests that much money was spent on seeing how long a shrimp can run on a treadmill, which was totally out of context." But voters wouldn't know that coming from the senator.

Another example from the Traditional Values Coalition (why do they always have names like that) claims that researchers spent 9.4 million to study, get ready for this...penis size. OK(?). The reality is that researchers were investigating sexually transmitted disease and no tax payer dollars were spent. Unfortunately once a group makes a statement like that the damage is already done.

The average voter doesn't have the time, or energy or even the want to investigate claims like this. Politics is learned through sound bites, one liners and emotion. The sad reality of it is that people do not even know why they know something (epistemology). They just hear a sound bite and think "yea, those scientists are wasting my money," or "Them dam immigrants are stealing jobs from good red blooded Americans (as if the average American would work in the fields. Right).

I used to have respect for the old school republicans. I was down for agreeing to disagree, but not anymore. When the GOP got hijacked by evangelical Christianity the battle emerged in the science classroom (evolution v  intelligent design), the history classroom (American exceptionalism and founding fathers) and now the battle to fund science.

There is a war going on peeps and we can't lose this one.

* NPR Shrimp on a treadmill.

The Scientists...What Can I Say

One review calls The Scientists the super cliche "A tour de force", which it is and for lack of original words to describe the work by John Gribbon...sure, why not. The thingy about this book is that it is totally epic in scale and scope and why not describe it as such. After all, it is about the history of science and the scientists, as well as the technology, so anything less than a 'tour de force' would be lame pants-and that is not good.

So what is 'lil old me supposed to do, with my lame pants reviewing skills (if you have not read one of my book reviews b4, then, well...it's not very epic or detail-ish), and my not attention to detail...bullet points off the top of my head of course.

* The first thingy I noticed very early in the book is that the church f*cks up the early scientists and poo poo's any knowledge that is not Genesis or in the bible in general...then they kill you.

* The second thing I noticed is that scientists do not do much partying. In fact all they do is....science (which is good for the general public, but not very exciting reading. There was one womanizer but I 4got who that was, and I don't approve of that behavior anyways...).

* The book (aprox 700 pages w/footnotes) is a dot to dot history of everything science. The peeps, their discoveries and their boring lives. Covering 500 years is kinda epic and Gribbon goes over the well knowns and the not so well knowns. Sure well all know the Galileo's and the Kepler's, but dude comprehensively goes thru the dudes that make the smaller discoveries that made the bigger discoveries.  That is awesome sauce.

* They were all sickly and weak, not an athlete amongst them and then they all died early. In fact everyone back in the day died early. In fact they all had hella kids because it was common for kids to die early. In fact in fact, it was common for the wife to die during childbirth and then scientists dude would remarry...because they all died early.

No reason, I just like lemon head kitty. Meow meow.

* The coolio thingy about science is...is that it is self correcting. For a long time they thought this thing, phlogesten (basically chi), was fer real. Later they corrected that, and that is the beauty of science, as opposed to the bible. The bible is etched in stone, it never changes. Science changes with new knowledge, that that is a good thing.

* Technology was toooootalllly a factor. Some things had to wait to be discovered, that is until the technology got better. I'm talking microscopes, telescopes (actually lens technology) and vacuums.

* Did I already say that the church would fuck you up if you came up with something that contradicted what they believed ('cause they did). In fact, sometimes peeps kept the information to themselves because they knew that the info was too advanced for the feeble minded believers of the time (and they didn't want to be killed).

* Money was always a problem. Not only for the research, but for everyday life. Often times the scientists had to take teaching jobs or, nonexistent heaven forbid, they married into money. The division between rich and poor existed back then, as it does now, and not only that...the dollars for research have always been a scarce commodity.

* Germ theory.

Whoa Nelly, I can just go on and on with my vague off the top of my head bullet points, but y'all get the picture. One thingy I notice about the book is that once the ball got rolling, then the discoveries kept coming at exponential rates (what is that called, I forgot). The scientist right now that are struggling to get funding for, let's say, stem cell research, are totally like bro scientist back in the day. The same religious oppression that they experienced back in the day is still happening right now.

Scientists have done tremendous good for all of society (hello, germ theory) while the believers with their bible and set in stone beliefs have held back humankind. Not only is the book The Scientists a tour de force...the endeavor of science is a tour de force.

Thanks scientific homies. Have a beer. You deserve it.

The Historical Adam and Eve on NPR

"Hey was' up baby. Is that the, err, spring/summer fig leaf collection.

 Ya know, kind gentle and very goodlooking readers...we are smarter than other people (believers). So I get really happy when the rest of the world catches up to us. This morning on NPR there was an article about the historical Adam and Eve. I'm not shitting you. As everyone on Team Atheist knows the bible is not a historical document. The stories like Exodus are just that, stories. Years ago when I was taking a biology class we figured that it would be impossible for all the genetic diversity in the world to come from just two peeps (there just isn't enuff time).

In Genesis 2:7 The Lord (if that is your real name) made Adam and then Eve (and by being second all her ancestors are doomed to second class status) and from those two crazy kids in that sic arse garden comes: original sin, all of humanity, the reason why JC had to be crucified, the explanation of evil and suffering etc etc etc...Or not.

Dennis Venema, biologist believer guy, "That would be against all the genomic evidence that we've assembled over the last 20 years. He said that, if we work backwards, there is not enuff time to account for the genomic diversity. Mutation rates just don't happen fast enuff. If you go from Adam and Eve to the present two peeps cannot produce the genetic/genomic variation that is present today and visa versa.

What Venema and other conservative Christian scholars want is for their religion to evolve. He, and others, does not want a literal reading of the bible (nor do I). He wants people to approach it not with history in mind, but poetry, prose and storytelling and metaphor and allegory. I can actually go for those things.

Still, there are the really stubborn ones that do not want to change or accept the evidence in front of them (cognitive dissonance much). If Adam and Eve are not historical characters, then why was Jesus crucified. He needed to be crucified to absolve us of our sins.

Little by little society is catching up to the New Atheists/Team Atheist. The Great Flood never happened, the dying rising God is a myth borrowed from cultures predating Christianity and, now the historicy of Adam and Eve is being questioned....and that is what is called progress.

Awesomeness.

*NPR