tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155990222012-01-27T08:55:25.155-08:00An ever evolving blog, concerning an evolutionary riddle, wrapped in a conundrum of geological time and hosted by an Eocenic enigma. Reason - Rationality - Skepticism - Logic - Secularism - Humanism - AtheismJohn Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comBlogger4321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-19877327666405928592012-01-27T08:54:00.000-08:002012-01-27T08:55:25.166-08:00

Supporting these folks...

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-4008919780054910312011-10-12T11:08:00.000-07:002011-10-12T11:13:16.107-07:00

Someone please explain to me why we use these terms for the first day of summer and the first day of winter? Seems to me that Midsummer should be somewhere around August 4 - midway point in summer, between spring and autumn.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-9053226112390131412011-08-12T15:38:00.000-07:002011-08-12T15:42:43.438-07:00

New vid from PhilHellenes

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-3971369621647380032011-08-06T08:58:00.000-07:002011-08-06T09:07:24.232-07:00

This article is surprising to me only in that it is so close to being an everyday reality. In fact, it's been my belief for some time that the day is approaching when you will walk down the street and and more or less instantly know the identities and other relevant (or completely irrelevant) information about the people walking past you - and they'll know it about you.I wrote more on the issue

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-3880371490185258832011-08-02T21:19:00.000-07:002011-08-02T21:21:28.652-07:00

This guy has been on YouTube for quite a long time, but I just got clued in to his channel. He does some pretty good work.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-43609655802010244982011-07-29T15:07:00.000-07:002011-07-29T15:11:28.438-07:00

I'm currently reading "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson and came across this one:"Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game because they almost always turn out to be—or to be indistinguishable from—self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free time."

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-51536396502900832462011-07-28T20:54:00.000-07:002011-07-28T20:59:44.274-07:00

A year or two ago I posted an atheist rap by GreydonSquare. Guess who's back?Most of my blogger friends are not fond of rap and were largely unimpressed. All I can say is, the guy is a lot more creative than I am. I like his songs.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-13523487474745012442011-07-28T20:26:00.000-07:002011-07-28T20:49:43.652-07:00

I've been trying to change up, whip myself into shape mentally and physically, and do it whether I like it or not. Let me tell you... I don't like it. One of the tasks I've assigned myself is to put something up on my blog on a more regular basis than I have for the past couple of years.If you're one of "The Half Dozen", as I like to call you, then you've noticed I've been tossing up videos by

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-31882362440568552242011-07-26T21:53:00.001-07:002011-07-26T21:53:59.448-07:00

Enjoy!

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-74230336199734159952011-07-21T19:22:00.000-07:002011-07-21T19:27:31.308-07:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-17447398154755820402011-07-18T04:54:00.000-07:002011-07-18T05:08:08.382-07:00

One thing that is true enough about the words I write in this blog and the words I have spoken on YouTube videos - they are just another fucking opinion on the Internet. I’m not an expert in any field and I don’t have credentials to serve as a claim of authority through my deep knowledge of any subject. I suspect this is true for the majority of blogs, tweets, Facebook entries, YouTube videos

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-66731999051925166522011-06-25T11:16:00.000-07:002011-06-25T11:40:21.427-07:00

Just wanted to remind some of our more conservative and/or backwards Americans what they themselves were declaring just 10 years ago!The second most populous state in the Union now gives gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples - like most of the enlightened world. New York is now the 6th state to legalize gay marriage, and California (the most populous state) will again join

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-77042646088342349822011-06-18T14:20:00.000-07:002011-06-18T22:54:47.069-07:00

A friend of mine on YouTube made this video late last year. He has had a fabulous response with well over 800,000 views. I think he will eventually top one million, and thought I'd do a little to help him. Philhellenes is one of the really fine atheist channels on YouTube and I suggest you take the time to watch of few of his other videos. Some of them are even better than this - though this

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-18668426977209421642011-06-05T01:12:00.000-07:002011-06-05T01:22:52.373-07:00

If you find this interesting, you'll probably want to see the earlier video from Scott (TheoreticalBullshit) which led to Craig's weak response to a YouTuber. Actually, early in the video, Scott requests that you go ahead and watch "I Kalam like I see 'em" prior to watching this video. I don't think it's necessary to do it in that order, but however you prefer - I'll link that below this video.I

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-47373719412560881132011-05-10T11:55:00.000-07:002011-05-10T13:11:35.095-07:00

Almost immediately after the death of former terrorist bogeyman Osama Bin Laden, news reports started popping up all over speculating on who would replace him as the Terrorist-In-Chief. Here are a few examples. (a) (b) (c) There is no conspiracy to keep us living in fear of terrorism. It all develops as naturally as any other public issue meme. However, it's undeniable that memes benefit some

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-86827516234577362412011-05-06T18:23:00.000-07:002011-05-06T18:25:29.385-07:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-35256531515244543742011-05-06T09:14:00.000-07:002011-05-06T09:47:30.830-07:00

I was in the hospital last week after going to the E.R. and discovering a blood clot in my right leg, part of which had moved to the lungs. I'm out, on blood thinners and doing as well as ever. I can honestly report that I never said a prayer.There's an article today on LiveScience which talks of a study about men, and how much they think about sex during the day. Seems that we think just as

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-59972502537522260332011-04-16T11:21:00.000-07:002011-04-16T11:42:50.021-07:00

I'm guessing this will be a tad controversial. It's certainly a theory worthy of further studies, at the very least.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-68776917589381399692011-04-09T12:02:00.000-07:002011-04-09T20:14:15.628-07:00

An acquaintance on YouTube who also makes videos on atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, skepticism and science issues sent me a Personal Message (PM) this morning. I change it only in preserving his YouTube identity:Saw your video about deleting a bunch of your videos. Had to notice that it is all your talking head videos that you have taken down. I have never done a talking head video. I never

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-50931029276966226842010-10-17T16:58:00.000-07:002010-10-17T17:02:45.935-07:00

This is another excellent video from QualiaSoup. I did disagree with him on using the term "lack of belief" to describe my position. This is what I wrote in the comments on YouTube:"I agree with all of your points here, QS, I just don't like the use of the word "lack" in a definition of my position. If we look at how that word is used - in just about every instance of the English language, it

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-29064521885659223152010-09-25T06:50:00.000-07:002010-09-25T06:52:28.363-07:00

Prop 8 struck down, A federal judge in CA ruled against Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and now this ruling, in many ways the most powerful of them all.Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-63745173548463583902010-09-04T19:30:00.000-07:002010-09-04T20:11:40.911-07:00

"My grandpappy wasn't a chimp"!Well, err... how true. Every evolutionary scientist in any field would agree 100%. One assumes that the person stating such must know it by this point in the game. To not know would be a case of willful ignorance at best and an outright lying attempt to create a straw man at worst.What is true about our relationship with chimps is that of all the other animals on

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-84622254648682529472010-08-12T12:02:00.000-07:002010-08-12T12:12:10.102-07:00

I've been waiting for this former Christian to deconvert for a couple of years now. I knew he was way too intelligent to come to any other conclusion than the one he articulates quite nicely here:Our roles in the Atheosphere are, by nature, a bit more limited in giving us a chance to observe real people, in real time, deconverting from religion. It has thus always been easy to remain cynical

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-8725225251919505602010-08-09T09:53:00.000-07:002010-08-09T09:58:10.440-07:00

Let's make this great song about getting old an Internet Meme!"For Third" by Gordon Kuhns"Third" is the name of the band that opened for him.His YouTube Channel is a2zdiy

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-22355122946196105482010-05-26T17:13:00.000-07:002010-05-26T17:39:47.857-07:00

This is the longest I've gone without a post in the nearly 5 years of maintaining this blog, but I'm back. (and, yes, I really did "maintain" it even through the long absence. You'd be shocked to know know much spam gets posted in the comments and promptly deleted. The post "The Four Horsemen of Atheism" is a particularly popular target for some reason).Life is constant change and yet many

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-84779900950316268012009-12-22T15:39:00.000-08:002009-12-22T15:42:27.969-08:00

Perhaps readers would like to contact the producer with their own stories of spontaneous remissions and tumbling CD's. Please have the date of the occurrences so they might compare it to other events of the day!

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-62592121703262599052009-12-18T12:17:00.000-08:002009-12-20T00:42:59.594-08:00

So easy, a monkey could do it. I assume a theist can understand.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-37283528868002596802009-12-15T10:43:00.000-08:002009-12-15T10:48:33.363-08:00

What the capital of North Carolina? Riyadh?Give us all a fucking break and stop telling us about "the belligerent atheists" who are demanding we outlaw god. STFU! Seriously.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-13453160343153209272009-12-03T17:34:00.000-08:002009-12-03T17:36:24.944-08:00

Yes, this is a wonderful time of year - for everybody. That's right - everybody. Even Christians.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-18971372907729828022009-11-21T16:26:00.000-08:002009-11-21T16:28:40.225-08:00

Let's kick it off with something we can all agree on. Where's the love? Why, it's right here...

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-70929575497853914742009-11-18T16:02:00.000-08:002009-11-18T16:35:43.742-08:00

You can read more about the theory from The Niels Bohr Institute and physicists Nielsen and Ninomiya here.So what do I think? That they are are in a minute minority of physicists, the LHC will finally get going (starting this Friday, incidentally), many new discoveries will come out of it in the next few years, and we'll all enjoy the fruits of the paltry $6 billion that has been invested so far

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-65614522504934860452009-11-12T13:12:00.000-08:002009-11-12T13:14:31.232-08:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-74125649944416689442009-10-30T12:17:00.000-07:002009-10-30T12:18:19.940-07:00

Finally, the investigative reporting we have waited for, exposing it all.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-89469060917519918142009-10-24T16:38:00.000-07:002009-10-24T16:43:08.612-07:00

I seldom put up a new video so quickly after another one, but this can't wait. In this great year of science, with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the single greatest book of science ever written for both academic and lay consumption; The Origin of Species, we see mentally challenged creationists doing all they can to sully the

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-84543114796099950412009-10-23T23:42:00.000-07:002009-10-23T23:47:11.850-07:00

Then don't say no one ever told you. In fact, you've undoubtedly heard it here any number of times. I know some people who came to the realization rather late. I know they wish it had been sooner. But I say to them, better late than never.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-16216954477402775202009-10-22T13:32:00.000-07:002009-10-22T13:34:18.507-07:00

You be the judge...

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-90658970046427987192009-10-15T14:31:00.000-07:002009-10-15T15:00:12.720-07:00

This might be pretty meaningless my fellow atheists, most of whom did not start out from a fundamentalist Christian belief (The Chaplain being a bit of an exception, but even for her, it was hardly the hardcore born-again religion of many Americans). I find people like this quite interesting. They can speak the language of fundamentalists - in tongues! And that, I would think, makes them a bit

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-13351331023634998362009-10-07T17:58:00.000-07:002009-10-07T18:01:26.180-07:00

Speechless. I'll let David John Wellman do all the talking, other than to say I concur with his conclusion. We're in a fucking asylum.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-46407482613566069652009-09-28T20:07:00.000-07:002009-09-28T22:32:39.073-07:00

Many of us think that as the 10 most important rules of morality, the 10 Commandments are a little off the mark, to say the least. Here you can see how they actually came about. For many other interesting insights into Yahweh's decision making processes, be sure to follow the link below the video back to Mr. Deity and watch past and present episodes. And never let it be said that YouTube

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-28123752212934422282009-09-20T14:27:00.000-07:002009-09-20T14:29:04.900-07:00

From AronRa's series, "Foundational Falsehood of Creationism"

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-1916668296837645192009-09-15T16:16:00.000-07:002009-09-15T16:25:42.219-07:00

By the the outstanding YouTube channel QualiaSoup, maker of the video on open-mindedness posted by Phillychief on You Made Me Say It several months ago.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com81tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-65378971242193505942009-09-06T11:20:00.000-07:002009-09-06T11:21:48.511-07:00

And who's smarter?

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-34793649651709929632009-09-03T17:52:00.000-07:002009-09-03T17:53:38.358-07:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-30482028752436781012009-09-01T19:09:00.000-07:002009-09-01T19:15:40.043-07:00

This bright and good looking guy seems to think so.The links mentioned in the video:Insane Christian woman - Calpurnpiso's channel on religious psychosis - ShwaNerd's video on "delusion" -

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-32430831284997682242009-08-29T14:47:00.000-07:002009-08-29T14:48:23.896-07:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-14015539152942095802009-08-06T09:28:00.000-07:002009-08-06T09:58:58.268-07:00

There have been a number of interesting studies on the intelligence of various members of the crow family. In this latest study, 7 crows were given the opportunity of seizing some tasty morsels with a tool. The catch? The only way to get to the food was by using 3 different tools, in the correct sequence. They were not trained in the use of the tools prior to initiating the experiment. 5 of

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-47524301442385180062009-07-23T18:44:00.000-07:002009-07-23T19:35:43.324-07:00

I'll probably do a video about this, but thought I'd give it a test run here and see how it plays. So, think of yourself as a test subject. I'm really hoping one or two Christians will stop in and comment, because I'd love to read what they have.I'm going to propose some things and ask a few questions. What I hope to show is that the only reason for god beliefs is faith, and that faith is

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-51010850855343681732009-07-12T21:55:00.000-07:002009-07-12T22:13:24.312-07:00

From one of my favorite channels on YouTube - BionicDance. This one goes out to some of my favorite employers of "tortured logic". Think of this as a bit of an add-on to the recent post by Spanish Inquisitor: The Existence of God. If anyone is still unclear what SI meant when asking for evidence, hopefully this can at least clear up those questions.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-61300329519730550282009-07-11T12:47:00.000-07:002009-07-11T12:54:37.742-07:00

Check out Jerry Coyne's contest - and read the responses! Goddamn, free-thinkers are so creative.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-65318673228514686802009-07-10T23:09:00.000-07:002009-07-10T23:15:35.399-07:00

A lot of us have called for an investigation of the Bush administration, but Obama has been tiptoeing around it for six months. It was really looking like it was highly improbable to say the least. And I haven't heard any calls for it yet, but this new information might be exactly what it takes to get the ball rolling. And, I'll guarantee you, if the ball starts rolling - it won't stop until

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-13038826588707827312009-07-08T19:35:00.000-07:002009-07-08T19:39:49.135-07:00

H/T to reader Thorum.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-20055341820399183452009-07-04T11:03:00.000-07:002009-07-10T12:38:23.662-07:00

"Any fact claim unsupported by empirical evidence can justly be treated as a product of the imagination." Is this a fair statement? If it is not, what is the objection?

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-35367461957316083352009-07-03T15:37:00.000-07:002009-07-03T16:10:38.884-07:00

There are many anecdotal examples of former believers who have become atheist or agnostic in the past decade, and many who claim to have dropped faith after reading one of the recent best-sellers on atheism or from online discussions. It feels like you aren't ever getting through to folks, but I've argued for a long time that you can not judge the success of your rational arguments based on the

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-60160993704996685452009-06-28T20:15:00.000-07:002009-06-28T21:30:07.074-07:00

Embrace the term! Why not? We are going to be accused of it anytime we even mention in public that we are atheists. Militant Atheist seems to be the designation. Remember the good ol' days when there were many fewer of us and, I assume, we were just seen as kind of pesky little fellers? We were "angry atheists" back then. As the ranks and voices of non-belief swelled earlier this decade,

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-48886874604648361362009-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:002009-06-18T09:51:36.157-07:00

The mini-epic mega battle among some top names in science continues - highlighted by Jerry Coyne and PZ Myers on the side of telling it like it is, and folks like Ken Miller, Barbara Forrest, Chris Mooney (not a scientist, but famous science writer), on the side of "accommodation" (read: meekly inform theists that science and religion are perfectly compatible.) We discussed all of this earlier

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-49675976232000672762009-06-13T23:42:00.000-07:002009-06-13T23:52:44.847-07:00

Well, fuck it. It's my blog! And if I can't promote my Youtube channel at my own blog, where the hell am I supposed to do it? Anyway, I have certainly pushed a goodly amount of other YouTube channels, and you watched all of those recommendations if I'm not mistaken. I just happen to be a little more proud of this effort than most of my usual bullshit on YT. If you think it's any good, join

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-22528323106118193672009-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:002009-06-11T14:22:30.617-07:00

If you haven't seen the Spanish Inquisitor's hilarious YouTube find on this subject, go check it out. Then come back and watch this additional piece of Holy Book dismantling. H/T to ProfMTH, who makes some of the consistently best videos on YouTube.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-40301376133385431232009-05-29T14:51:00.000-07:002009-06-01T11:39:21.040-07:00

"Ever meet anyone from the city of Hebron"? No? That's because of evil babies.Other questions for those who claim that these were "different times" and god only did things like that back when peoples' understanding was so meager and it was necessary to maintain "order": How come god never actually says that? How come there is no explanation for why he would have had to give such abominable

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-73179693622350178682009-05-21T11:00:00.000-07:002009-05-21T11:09:52.039-07:00

First, watch the video.These people are really too much to stomach. The day will come when people actually start resenting "the protection of the children" even when the cause is just.Meanwhile, the California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8 is due any day. The rumor mill had it that it was going to be announced today but that San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome requested the court defer

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-56352220208955081812009-05-20T13:10:00.000-07:002009-05-20T13:13:58.302-07:00

He never said a word in favor of education. He never even hinted at the existence of any science. He never uttered a word in favor of industry, economy or of any effort to better our condition in this world. He was the enemy of the successful, of the wealthy. Dives was sent to hell, not because he was bad, but because he was rich. Lazarus went to heaven, not because he was good, but because he

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-79074243687517732342009-05-19T19:44:00.000-07:002009-05-19T19:46:51.916-07:00

This is my best shot at it. If you say no, I promise to give up.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-30115398049231958182009-05-17T18:07:00.000-07:002009-05-17T19:38:37.089-07:00

Oh for fucks sake. Does anyone else see what cl is up to? Do you see what he does?He is a theist who knows he can't possibly prove that his belief in god has merit, so he doesn't bother to defend it. Shit, he won't even say exactly what he believes, because he feels the ensuing mockery would completely detract from him being able to make headway with his technique.So what's the technique?

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-6349240363811488272009-05-13T14:02:00.000-07:002009-05-13T14:03:49.638-07:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-72386619734593719772009-05-12T16:01:00.000-07:002009-05-12T16:03:39.101-07:00

Courtesy of BJKeefe:

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-20913991089580023892009-05-09T09:52:00.000-07:002009-05-09T20:04:24.453-07:00

Atheists and agnostics are frequently asked (though its been just as often answered) "where do you get your morals without god"? Let's turn the question around. Where does the Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu etc. get their notions of a god or gods without already having morals? Morals are by necessity a precondition to the societal belief (religion) in any supreme being.A single person could

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-1511373565083237102009-05-07T13:54:00.000-07:002009-05-07T14:16:35.579-07:00

Jerry Coyne has a new post up at his blog, Why Evolution Is True (also the name of his current book, recently purchased by yours truly) - "Francis Collins sees God in quantum mechanics". Certainly you remember Collins? He's the geneticist who helped head up the human genome project and once described the following adventure in his life:I was hiking in the Cascade Mountains on a beautiful fall

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-56723712537142107682009-05-06T17:30:00.000-07:002009-05-06T17:31:16.360-07:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-48655686136628801022009-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:002009-05-03T12:12:44.006-07:00

Yes, long time readers have seen this before. I posted it a couple of years ago. It's a video made by an Australian science journalist who goes by the screen name Potholer54 on YouTube. Go there and check out many other great videos by him. I just wanted to post this again now because there has been some discussion in the comments about bio-genesis vs. "goddidit". There is no powerful

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-61684627398831441032009-04-28T20:21:00.000-07:002009-04-28T20:37:42.738-07:00

On an episode of Another Goddamned Podcast last year, The Chaplain (from An Apostate's Chapel) informed us all that she was highly motivated to become an atheist due to evolution. At that time, I admitted that my own reading of evolutionary materials back in the early 70's was a contributing factor in my atheism.In recent years there has been a rush to assure the religious - "no, no, evolution

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-40786995168422123552009-04-25T13:11:00.000-07:002009-04-25T13:19:59.818-07:00

More on "the Hobbit", this time on the PBS series "Nova" this Tuesday, April 29. This has been the most interesting evolutionary controversy to follow in a long time and if it turns out badly its going to give Creationists more ammo a la Piltdown Man and Nebraska Man. The most recent things I've read have turned the tide back in favor of it being a new species of hominid that lived concurrently

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-31676278570659217722009-04-22T12:43:00.000-07:002009-04-22T12:54:59.047-07:00

I posted my first shot at a YouTube video and received largely positive feedback on it. Today another blogger (xxxThePeachxxx) posted a video that was a very effective rebuttal of much of what I said. It is something from the Non Prophets radio show. As I commented there, let it not be said that I can't admit to being wrong and, as one so disdainful of religion, I should have thought it out at

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-29801880372943955752009-04-20T15:16:00.000-07:002009-04-20T15:31:10.264-07:00

Ex queried in the previous comments section, having noted it in my "Currently Reading" on the sidebar, as to what had inspired me to read Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.My father died in 1960 and left me, among other things, a great many books. Among them were 4 collections of 10 volumes each by Stevenson, Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling and Charles Dickens. The years have passed,

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-41776917264005289902009-04-16T21:43:00.000-07:002009-04-16T21:50:35.306-07:00

I uploaded a video on YouTube for the first time. Find out what I outed myself on! On the right side of the video, in the information box, you can find the videos that I was responding to if interested.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-87226192041756312022009-04-12T23:05:00.000-07:002009-04-12T23:11:55.607-07:00

If you're down in the dumps, as I have been, this might help pull you out of it. If you're not, it should be an additional bright spot in your day. If it doesn't serve either purpose for you, well, you could pray about it - or meditate.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-35893829139576075182009-04-01T20:39:00.000-07:002009-04-01T20:49:06.839-07:00

What a piss-off to British and American nationalists. Those damn French! Not only do they seem to be constantly opposing us but on virtually every issue, they are correct and hold the moral high-ground. At the current G20 Conference on the world economic meltdown, French President Nicholas Sarkozy is in tight alliance with German chancellor Angela Merker in demanding much more of President

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-75516823381082272582009-03-30T12:05:00.000-07:002009-03-30T12:31:20.827-07:00

I've been keeping up with the growing community over on YouTube for a couple of years. There are a lot of interesting characters over there. Occasionally (like today) when I have nothing of personal interest to write about, I'll share one of my favorite subscriptions from YouTube. This one is from Atheistblindchick. It's a nice response to someone who finds atheism depressing - Boo fucking

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-11356466918797640122009-03-26T22:57:00.000-07:002009-03-26T23:27:53.729-07:00

It's a claim I made a couple of posts back and was disputed by commenter "cl" (not of the Hanson variety). I've asked him to give a couple of examples of things science does not explain better than religion does. So far, he hasn't met the challenge. He did offer up the notion (I assume now know facetiously) that religion itself is better explained by religion, than by science. (For instance -

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-23077972394110797642009-03-24T13:59:00.000-07:002009-03-24T14:18:49.874-07:00

I guess they're looking for slogans to replace the first "bus campaign" advertisement. Here are some pretty good ones:Live free or Deity. Religion is the Placebo of the Masses.Bi-ble ... Buy Bull ... clearly pronounced Stop praying for help and start helping Education is Religion's Worst Enemy Why is it that both God and Unicorns are invisible? And my favorite:If faith made sense you wouldn't

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-24151914792042256422009-03-22T01:45:00.000-07:002009-03-22T02:34:50.724-07:00

A couple of posts to the rear, we saw how American "true believers" are much more likely than skeptics to seek aggressive (some would argue "excessive") medical treatments when faced with likely death. If you think you are going to paradise and that it is the most wonderful thing possible, then why not allow nature to take its course? At the very least, it's a bit unseemly that one would go

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-67245919662562059632009-03-21T01:37:00.000-07:002009-03-21T01:45:24.449-07:00

If you are reading this blog, you probably don't need to see this movie. I'll just say you'll probably enjoy it - a lot. And if you can encourage one or two religionists to watch it with you, you'll probably have a great discussion afterward. Available now on DVD.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-67062124490260970342009-03-18T23:42:00.000-07:002009-03-18T23:53:42.975-07:00

This article indicates that religiously inclined people are about 3 times as likely to seek out radical medical solutions to prolong their lives when faced with death. Huh. Now I thought they were looking forward to the afterlife! Isn't this where they get to reunite with dead loved ones and await the joyous arrival of the next generation? Or is it yet another confirmation that the primary

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-57946154605397522822009-03-17T16:49:00.000-07:002009-03-17T16:51:44.930-07:00

H/T to PZ Myers...

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-7037059167483522852009-03-16T11:11:00.000-07:002009-03-25T21:29:27.841-07:00

There are 45 religions in the world, each with at least 1 million adherents. There are scores (if not hundreds) of others with less than a million. They can't all be right. In fact, not even two of them can both be right. But they can all be wrong. Not one of them has a shred of empirical evidence for why it is "truth" while the others (and non-belief, in the form of atheism, agnosticism or

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-57080642296177664352009-03-12T22:50:00.000-07:002009-03-13T00:50:54.918-07:00

Here we are in West Los Angeles. For the uninitiated, the swanky part of town. Observe yourself at the junction of Beverly Hills, Belair, Santa Monica and Brentwood. We're not "in the money", though viewed from South Central or Compton, I suppose we are. We're here by the luck of my genetic draw. My father bought the house I now own, back in 1955 for $11,500. At the height of the housing

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-35904605702954560942009-03-11T12:33:00.000-07:002009-03-11T13:02:01.717-07:00

So says the Vatican.And they are absolutely right - evolution proves god is superfluous.Additionally it proves (as if anyone should really need yet more proof) that any literal reading of the holy texts is sheer silliness.In the early 1800s, the French mathematician Laplace presented Napoleon with a copy of his great five-volume work on the solar system, the Mechanique Celeste (Celestial

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-38173473131964265342009-03-05T15:41:00.001-08:002009-03-05T15:52:07.246-08:00

Can - prove that religion is a worthless pile of crap.A Roman Catholic archbishop says the abortion of twins carried by a 9-year-old girl who allegedly was raped by her stepfather means excommunication for the girl's mother and her doctors.Despite the nature of the case, the church had to hold its line against abortion, Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho said in an interview aired Thursday by Globo

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-6677275232386445802009-03-03T12:05:00.000-08:002009-03-03T12:33:07.946-08:00

Saw him on the Colbert Report. Hasn't lost a thing. Except his brown hair..cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-33041978963411111612009-03-02T23:29:00.000-08:002009-03-02T23:38:43.745-08:00

A few I've come across recently -Atheism - Seeing the rose through world colored glasses.Apologetics - Articulating the reasons for why you are wrong.Conscience (religious) - The little voice in your head assuring you that an invisible man is watching.Life - a sexually transmitted disease with 100% mortality.Wisdom - Knowing what to do, with what you know.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-81855354492383113122009-02-28T19:39:00.000-08:002009-02-28T20:00:03.222-08:00

Given: Most people in the world are religious,And Given: Most people retain the religion of their parents and community,And Given: Most religious people breed at higher rates than non-believers.Therefore: This shit ain't going anywhere, soon.Is it true that in a world of 6.7 billion people, nearly 6 billion believe in some sort of magical causation for the natural world and that if you are among

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-33923886097610901502009-02-26T03:46:00.000-08:002009-02-26T03:59:03.005-08:00

It’s been discussed on this blog previously, but I’d like to go into some depth on the old problem of “Us Vs. Them”. Apparently we are hard-wired for setting up needless barriers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t recognize what we do and fight against it. I’ve identified five ways in which we cause ourselves endless pain. Perhaps you can think of, and add, others. Gender, Sexuality, Race,

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-47133716831187120332009-02-21T16:59:00.000-08:002009-02-21T17:02:32.386-08:00

And here comes Homo evolutis. This is an example of what makes the TED Talks so great.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-88938872946305894322009-02-17T13:38:00.000-08:002009-02-17T14:08:45.177-08:00

Phillychief points out that some Christians are up to their old ways - theft. This time they stole a Darwin sign that had been paid for by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Wasn't one of the guys who was supposedly hung up next to Jesus, there for stealing?No need to get upset over this though. Haven't we all noticed that everytime they go (further) bonkers they simply create more press

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-61427483062461623802009-02-14T17:39:00.000-08:002009-02-14T18:44:53.208-08:00

(And others who embrace fundamental or literal superstitions)It’s heart-breaking that, more than 200 years since the The Enlightenment, a significant majority of the world's population still clings desperately, unrelentingly, to superstition. Secularists have spent most of that time either ignoring the faithful or attempting to use rational discourse in an effort to wean our childish brothers

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-6302426777638170342009-01-25T11:31:00.000-08:002009-01-25T11:33:40.892-08:00

Is this any crazier than Christianity? If so, do explain how.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-64820920607710056572009-01-24T22:09:00.000-08:002009-01-24T22:11:31.383-08:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-52539214345795911722008-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:002008-12-27T16:32:26.495-08:00

I would be among the first to admit that there is some wisdom in the bible (and while I don't know it for a fact, suspect there is in virtually any holy text). So shouldn't these parts of the bible be followed? Absolutely not. Not because it is in a text. Only if it can be shown through the use reason that the wisdom is on target.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-42202754985123054812008-12-25T02:26:00.000-08:002008-12-25T02:44:58.232-08:00

I'm not the least offended when wished "Merry Christmas". I appreciate the the perceived notion of good will and happiness that is being directed toward me. What DOES annoy the hell out of me is that some people think there is a "war on Christmas", that can be easily found every time someone like me dares to utter the phrase, "Happy Winter Holidays", or any similar phrase that fails to include

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-29511600903296360072008-12-23T11:22:00.000-08:002008-12-23T11:27:04.416-08:00

It's vaguely ironic, isn't it, that something called "Dark Energy" is the driving force in the universe?"The team's calculations instead solidify the conventional view that an enigmatic dark energy fills the cosmos and is responsible for the acceleration of the Universe. "Recent advances in data collection have brought us to the era of precision cosmology," says Zibin. "Void models are terrible

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-55772879772514143622008-12-16T09:23:00.000-08:002008-12-16T09:27:39.250-08:00

This is exactly why. It wasn't that I blindly thought he was going to be some savior of America or that I would love everything he would do. But after 8 years of darkness in just about every conceivable area of governance, we will finally at least get back on the right track. Whether the train can actually move and gather steam is yet to be seen.

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15599022.post-82026505864324119082008-12-14T18:01:00.001-08:002008-12-14T18:01:51.514-08:00

John Evohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.com4