January 2012
3 posts
The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English →
Ailurophile A cat-lover. Assemblage A gathering. Becoming Attractive. Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks. Brood To think alone. Bucolic In a lovely rural setting. Bungalow A small, cozy cottage. Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye. Comely Attractive. Conflate To blend together. Cynosure A focal point of admiration. Dalliance A brief love affair. Demesne Dominion, territory. Demure Shy and reserved....
December 2011
1 post
October 2011
1 post
September 2011
3 posts
1 tag
3 tags
Rabble: Sex Ed 101: How does someone get pregnant?... →
rabbleprochoice:
Okay, so the above is an amazing artist’s representation of a vagina. The green bits are the ovaries, the purple are the fallopian tubes, and that thing in the blue? That’s the cervix.
People who have ovaries do not continually produce eggs during their lifetime. They…
Pretty good, but three corrections.
1. “It is important to note, however that eggs can be...
August 2011
2 posts
July 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Debt ceiling crisis
"Professor and a student" story is a myth, people
This has been making the rounds on tumblr lately, with or without the reference to Einstein. It's a myth. This never happened, with Einstein playing the role of the student, or with anyone else. It's a made up story to make religious folks feel superior. Einstein was not a Christian, nor would he have ever answered that question in the affirmative. http: //www.snopes.com/religion/einstein.asp
Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'
The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says..
'So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely. '
'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes'
'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly.. 'Aha! The Bible! He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'
'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'
'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'
The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er..yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
'Then where does Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'
'Yes, sir..'
'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'
'Yes'
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
'No sir.. I've never seen Him..'
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not..'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes'
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?'
Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'
'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God.. There is no evidence, only faith.'
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat? '
' Yes.
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit d own to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy.. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't.. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'
You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed..
Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'
The professor sat down.
PS: the student was Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in 1921...
June 2011
1 post
March 2010
3 posts
DIYnot: Ada Lovelace Day: Women in Science →
“Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to the achievements of women in technology and science. Women’s contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised.”
“Ada Lovelace was one of the world’s first…
DIYnot?: Squirrels are smarter than we are →
We have two bird feeders hanging from trees in the back yard. Every day, squirrels help themselves to the bird seed, despite several attempts at foiling them. Once, a squirrel actually knocked the larger feeder off its wire and really had a picnic.
Matt hung small trash lids (painted green)…
February 2010
1 post
1 tag
December 2009
10 posts
Dentist happs
allthingsalishan:
Dental hygenist, Dawn: Boo, you’ve got gingivitis*
Me: What!? What the fuck is that!?
dhd; Your gums are swollen. Have you been flossing daily?
Me: Have you been flossing daily, Dawn?
dhd: Girl, stop playing
Me: No Dawn. I haven’t been flossing. I can’t lie to you.
dhd: What the hell Alishan!? Your shit is going to straight fall out. Teeth as pretty as yours should not be...
2 tags
Let's review the health care debate of 2009
think4yourself:
southpol:
Open Left:
Democratic base: We demand X.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: That’s dead on arrival.
Democratic base: There’s strong support for X.
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: I don’t support it and there aren’t enough votes anyway. Maybe I’ll consider a Jiggered X.
Democratic base: We can’t accept a Jiggered X. How about an opti-X?
Sen. LieberNelsnowe: We need to slow down and get...
2 tags
as if the Snuggie could not become more of a... →
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SYTYCD top 10
My reaction to tonight’s show, as paraphrased in each judge’s vernacular:
Cat: It’s down to you, America. What did you make of it?
Nigel: It was absolutely terrific. I’m watching everyone grow week on week, and I couldn’t be more proud of each of you.
Mary: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAHHHHHHHH! Are you crazy, IJUSTLOVEDIT!
Adam Shankman: If I could find...
November 2009
42 posts
2 tags
Street itself is boundary
OWNER: China Panda.
ELAINE: Yeah, I'd like to place an order.
OWNER: Yes, what you like?
ELAINE: This Supreme Flounder, it says first time served in America. Is that true?
OWNER: What number?
ELAINE: 47.
OWNER: Yeah, first time. What else?
ELAINE: That's it.
OWNER: Address?
ELAINE: 78 West 86th Street, apartment 3E.
OWNER: That's southside. Sorry, we don't deliver below 86th.
ELAINE: I'm not below.
OWNER: Yes you are. Street itself is boundary.
ELAINE: Your guy can't cross to my side?
OWNER: If we deliver to you, then what? 85th Street, Wall Street, Mexico, 84th Street?
Buying fingers in a jar is super creepy, I don't... →
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Rerun wishes
I wish Northern Exposure reruns were on TV regularly (one shows up randomly on my TiVo from time to time, but not with any predictability). What show do you miss enough to long for reruns?
2 tags
The gender pay gap
Full article
“Paying taxes is like going to the zoo. Admission is twenty bucks. You can’t walk...”
–
Jon Stewart, demolishing the rationale behind the Stupak Amendment. (via alcaniglia) (via absurdlakefront) (via apsies) (via kaytee) (via shinyredballoon) Just straight up logic, folks. (via buildingaladder)
I have to pay a lot of taxes toward killing people in wars that I think are morally...
Can you name a TV show, other than L&O, that...
dawnowar:
sparklepants:
faithandbegorrah:
sparklepants:
Bones? No. Who’s the Boss? No. I can’t be bothered to think of other ideas, back to sipping.
30 Rock.
I don’t really see that as a clear partnership, more of an ensemble thing. Maybe I’m just contrary.
Murphy Brown
Well not yet on Bones (unless that was a spoiler, in which case, hey! some of us are on the west coast!). But...
Watchchriscantwell:
Four out of five doctors agree: Lady Gaga is the most audacious thing currently in existence. Watch this, if only for a skinned-polar-bear-as-train-of-a-gown moment.
She is very strange. I have some thoughts.
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Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
Watch the video
Thoughts: 1. Those shoes disturb me. 2. She might be slightly completely crazy, but it’s also possible that she’s a marketing genius. Or both. 3. She must do a lot of cardio, but little/no resistance training. 4. I have never seen her entire face before. On the one hand, she’s not particularly pretty, so maybe that’s what prompted her to cover up with...
3 tags
why leaves really fall off trees →
(via mattbarron)
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“You think abortion is wrong? Don’t have one. I think killing people is wrong, so...”
– GlobalComment » Hey Stupak, women’s bodies are not bargaining chips, by the kickassed Sarah Jaffe (via pcquotes) (via novazembla) (via thesmarttart)(via clingtomymouth)
Damn right.
(via rabbleprochoice)
(via letstalkequality)
2 tags
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Dennis Kucinich is my hero
No one in Congress can hold a candle to Dennis’ integrity. He doesn’t play political games, doesn’t cave to pressure from Repubs or Dems, sell out to special interests, or any of that other crap that everyone else seems to view as the unfortunate but unavoidable reality of political office. He says and does what he believes is in the best interest of all Americans. Thanks,...