George Aar

Yeah, being a liquid I found that the stuff disappears quite rapidly. And, being as it's not exactly cheap, I don't buy the stuff anymore. Well, to be honest, I never did buy any. But when it showed up at the house, I'd use it, and was never all that impressed. It's too difficult to deal with the liquid aspect. Much easier to use bar soap. The good Doctor did make bar soap too, but it disappeared as quickly as the liquid stuff. "Long lasting" was just not part of his design criteria, I guess...

O.K., So how much larger a percent should one include in the "plus or minus" of the margin of error of isotope dating? Or should we just disregard it completely because it's not accurate enough?

"It doesn't take a leap of faith to consider that the Ark was possible." Uh, yes it does. The largest wooden boat ever built was nowhere near the size of the supposed "Ark", and even those ships - some 300 feet long or so, had to have extensive chains and iron rods for reinforcement, just to hold together. A ship the size of the Ark would have had to have some incredible engineering, if it's possible at all. It may well be beyond the capabilities of wood construction. And so many of the practical issues you haven't touched on, save to say that "Well, if God wanted it to happen, it surely would." Which, sorry to say, I don't find as much of a defence of some really outlandish ideas. What did Noah do to keep natural enemies from eating each other, how did they find the time to feed and clean up? Where did all that water come from? And where did it go? There's just too much of it to have been held in the atmosphere. But, yes, God could do it if He wanted to. And what would have happened to all the sealife and freshwater life after having been subjected to such a radical change in depth, pressure, salinity and sunlight? Well, God could take care of that too, if He wanted to, yada, yada... And so could Superman, I guess, at least, maybe with the help of the Super Friends. And were it not for this fable being recorded in a book that a few Theologians baptised as "holy" a couple of millenia ago, NOBODY would be arguing the point. We'd recognize it for the quaint little morality tale that it is, and that would be that. And why do I care about it at all? I dunno. Religious tenets tend to be dangerous left unchecked, I guess. Unthinking obeisance to nonsense is an unhealthy way to live, I think, and not just for those who are the "believers"...

"Maybe they kept them in cages, maybe God shut the lions mouth, (happened for Daniel) maybe the carnivores ate watermelons. If we're following the creationsit arguement, all animal kinds were vegetarians originally anyway." Yeah, and if "ifs" and "buts" were candied nuts, then we'd all have a Merry Christmas. So we just make it up as we go along, is that it? If God had to make all these accomodations anyway, why didn't he just make all of His evil creations simply vanish and save a whole lot of effort? And please, leave the old bumblebee canard lay, would you? There seems to be scant evidence that anyone ever said - except in jest - that a bumblebee couldn't fly. And we're quite aware of how it does. Why do I find it difficutl to believe that you're actually a "grad" student? Is this one of those correspondence schools? Just curious...

And a few more, Given the tens of thousands of species of animals and the millions of different insects that would have had to been on the ark, wouldn't it have taken a staff of at least hundreds of attendants to feed and clean up after all those critters? And, where and how did they store all the specialized food for the different animals? Fresh bamboo for the pandas and such? How did they keep the lions from eating the springbucks, or the crocodiles from eating the potbellied pigs? For that matter, how did they have enough meat for the carnivores when the animals must have been on board for what, 10 months or so? Nevermind how long it would take to just gather up all the animals, but how long would it take just to simply herd all those animals on board and get them into their proper stalls? And wouldn't Noah have had to be sure he had all the bacteria and virus germs on board as well? Were all the people and animals sick as dogs during their boatride to be sure to have those precious disease germs in the new world again? And then there's that really nagging question, just how loving is a God who'd drown just about everybody and everything 'cause He wasn't happy with the way He'd made them? Sounds maybe just a tad petulant to me...

Why yes, that type of behavior is EVIL! Or course pimping for Herr MOGster, molesting, drugging, or sexually assaulting young girls is just one of those human foibles that should be overlooked. After all, he taught us THE WURD! Oh gawd, it's the Bizarro World of Wayfer logic...

Yeah, I often tried to read the label. The author didn't make it too easy though. Lordy, the text was nigh unto impenetrable. "Six billion strong and we're all one, exceptions eternally, absolutely none!" and such like, didn't make for a quick read. Never mind the fact that the print was the size of a mustard seed. NPR had a review of this on this morning. Gee, his sister had him committed to an institution. Who'd a thunk?

On the contrary, I think Groucho is simply stating the obvious. And, even if he's entirely wrong, it's not like it's normal people he's slandering. It's the pondscum of WayWorld leadship. I don't much care if their names and reputations get dragged through the mud, thank you very much...

Yeah, and - believe it or not - that IS my real name.

I loved visulizing the parking space. The "Law of Believing" always worked every bit as efficaciously for me!

Most of yas probably already know this, but I've always been intriqued by it. On July 4th, 1826 our second president John Adams, and our third president Thomas Jefferson, both died, fifty years to the day from the time they helped found our country. While I'm not a believer in synchronicity or other such claptrap, sometimes coincidences can be kinda remarkable, huh?

I don' know nuthin' bout 'nuthin, But I find it amazing that there are still folks around who are willing to spend so much time and effort defending a long-since failed and utterly discredited sham like WayWorld. A quick perusal of excie's link just made my head swim. Lordy, there's folks that STILL give a s#%& about that flakey outfit? Remarkable!

QUOTE(oldiesman @ Jul 3 2007, 10:33 AM) "The Word of God is the will of God" Perhaps the most powerful of VP's quotes. "E=MC2" Perhaps one of the most powerful quotes in modern science. "Sometimes I sits and thinks. And sometimes I just sits" Perhaps the most powerful of Popeye's quotes.

I think in this rare instance I may be a bit more of an optimist than Cowgirl and Abby. I think with the utterly UNLIMITED market for such a drug, it's only a matter of time before somebody at Big Pharma comes up with a successful treatment for lardassism. Take a look around you, EVERYBODY in North America is a potential customer. I hardly know of a single person who couldn't stand to lose a few pounds. Most folks could stand to lose MANY. I'm not sure that this particular treatment is gonna be the one, but rest assured, something will be along shortly. Of course, the first few drugs to hit the market will undoubtedly have all sorts of nasty side-effects (phen-phen anyone?) - increased armpit-hair growth or chronic flatulence or something like that. But that won't stop the desperate. Personally, I think I'll let somebody else play the guinea pig. But I'll be waiting patiently for the results to come in, no doubt...

And as religions go, Wayferism was a pretty pathetic excuse. Lots of cheap, home-cooked aphorisms, even more appeals to one's greed and ego, and even a small hint of common sense from time to time. But overall it was a pretty cheesy MLM with no real product to even sell, other than false hope and a bloated, baseless sense of superiority. The fact that we were gulliible enough to buy doesn't speak very highly of us, I'm afraid. Well, we did eventually get over it, that's something...

(Best to you and the future Missus)

I got 84% (a B). I think I would've done better, but it took a few questions before I remembered how to take a multiple guess test. You sort through the answers, one is always palpable nonsense, then two others will usually be at the extreme ends of the possiblities, and the magic one will be sorta "normal" sounding. Hey, it got me through High School (college was a whole nuther kettle of fish, though)

I can't really think of too much that's all that bad about Marijuana, well, except for the munchies and the short-term memory loss. Other than that I think it's fine, well, except for the short-term memory loss. So I don't know what the big deal is about it. It's pretty much harmless, well, except for the short-term memory loss...

I gave up praying several years ago. I used to pray quite often. Every morning, whenever some big event was unfolding in my life, whenever I was stressed, whenever I was unsure of things. Prayed all the time. Nothing much ever came of all that prayer, near as I can tell. Maybe I just wasn't doing it right, I dunno. But since then, no prayer, and life goes on pretty much like it always did. Somedays are great, some are awful, and there's a whole bunch somewhere in between. So if prayer is all that powerful and earthshaking and mountain moving like we've always said, why is it that I can't measure it's effects with a gieger counter? Or even a micrometer? You'd think if I was utilizing a tremendous tool of Godly import that 1. I'd have noticed some kind of changes by doing it everyday, and 2. I would have noticed some sort of dropoff of good stuff in my life after I quit. But, no. Life just goes on. Draw your own conclusions...

While you're in New Orleans, if you have a little time, take a tour of the Ante-bellum plantation homes. The San Francisco is cool and Oak Alley ( a few miles out of town near Tiboudeau) is way cool. Watch yerself in the "quarter". It's always been on the seamy side, but it's getting downright dangerous. Crime is on the upswing all over town, so keep your eyes open...

Good question, and one thats driven me crazy over the years even contemplating. Infinity just doesn't process well in my brain. But religion doesn't seem to have any good answers here either, it just ignores the question, it seems. But with probabilities it's the outcome that skews our perceptions I think. Nobody spends a lot of time marveling at the fact that Venus is the only planet in the solar system where you can melt lead at it's surface temperature do they? Why? Because maybe we don't view melting lead as the "right" outcome. But life on earth seems like it was the "right" thing to happen to us doesn't it? Gee, I wonder why that is? So human life developed on a planet that had the necessary elements to support human life. Wow! Remarkable! But not as remarkable as if human life developed on a planet that couldn't support it, now is it? And yes, if you agree with the concept, the logical fallacy is the entire basis of the film... oh, and there's this tidbit from The Skeptic's Dictionary:http://skepdic.com/refuge/funk45.html

These kind of accounts are only difficult to figure out if you hold to the idea that Almigty God is the sole author, and that the Bible is inherently and inerrently accurate. Once you give up on that bit of baseless superstition, all the "difficult passages" become very easy to explain.

I feel a whole lot more like I do right now than I did when I first got here...

I've seen the video (an exWayfer friend of mine still tries his best to evangelize me from time to time - though no doubt out of the best of intentions), and was, uh, unimpressed. There's a logical fallacy they commit with a vengence throughout the film. I think the term for the LF is "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc", or something like that (maybe some of you logic grads out there can help me out?). Anyway, the gist of it is, taking what already exists and then try to figure out the odds of it happening. Uh, you can't work it from that end of things, sorry. Like if you're dealt a hand in Poker and you get a Royal Flush. WOW! That's incredible! Do you know what the odds are of getting a hand like that? Well, yeah, they're exactly the same odds of getting my usual hand - a two of clubs, a six of clubs, a nine of diamonds, a four of hearts and a Jack of spades. Nobody gets a zero hand and marvels at the odds now do they? Yet, if you figure out the math, the odds of getting any particular hand are astronomical. But the odds of getting dealt some hand are certain, if you're playing. The odds of any individual winning their state's lottery twice in a year are beyond miniscule, yet a lady in New Jersey did that awhile back. But if you figure the amount of people playing the lottery nationwide everyday, the odds that SOMEBODY would do that are almost certain. You just can't figure out who it'll be, till after it happens. There's also a lot of stuff in the film sorta like "Wow!, if the mold we made this vase with was any different, this vase wouldn't look like this!" Uh, yeah...

Prepared or not, I'm pretty sure that death will overtake us all, sooner or later. Geeze, what if I'm not prepared and I wake up one morning and find myself dead?