Thursday, December 22, 2011

Hmm, what an interesting point RICHARD DAWKINS

"Men on a lower level of understanding, when brought into contact with phenomena ofa higher order, instead of making efforts to understand them, to raise themselves up to the point of view from which they must look at the subject, judge it from their lower standpoint, and the less they understand what they are talking about, the more confidently and unhesitatingly they pass judgment on it. ...From the basement one cannot judge of the effect of the spire. But this is just what the learned critics of the day try to do. For they share the erroneous idea of the orthodox believers that they are in possession of certain infallible means for investigating a subject. They fancy if they apply their so-called scientific methods of criticism, there can be no doubt of the conclusion being correct. This testing the subject by the fancied infallible method of science is the principal obstacle to understanding the Christian religion...for so-called educated people."

- Leo Tolstoy, The Kingdom of God is Within You, 1893, p. 67, 71

The New Atheists: 118 years late to the game.

Further reading (from a communist, no less - recommended by the great Kenny Gradert).

PS: I've finished Islam Without Extremes by Mustafa Aykol, and hope to review it here soon. Now I'm working on this Tolstoy book. More insights as they come.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Alvin and I's Still Untitled Podcast

My housemate Alvin Shim and I have been making podcasts. Alvin's the brains behind the operation. He picks the topic, poses the questions, edits the audio and writes out the transcript. I just run my mouth off. But it's a lot of fun.

Anyway, if you're inclined to have a listen, I'd love to hear what you think. In this episode, we talk about Rick Perry's new Iowa ad, "Strong."

http://alvinshim.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/podcast-perry-strong-dec-9-2011/

And here's the ad itself, in all its glorious condescension.

What Rick Perry says:



What Rick Perry means: "I think Iowa Republicans are stupider than potatoes with mouths."

Prove him wrong, comrades!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Levant is Not Enough

This graphic, courtesy of the the insightful and talented Adam McClure:


video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

Etiquette note to this oh-so-cultured and Western president: Don't LAUGH when you're talking about the murder of 4,000 of your countrymen.

(Bonus quote from the interview: "We don't kill our people. No government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person.")

Podcast!