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March 31, 2009

Ohio making impressive news....

In this photo released Tuesday, March 31, 2009, by the Newark ...

Ohio man charged with drunken driving on bar stool

NEWARK, Ohio – Authorities in Ohio say a man has been charged with drunken driving after crashing his motorized bar stool.

Police in Newark, 30 miles east of Columbus, say when they responded to a report of a crash with injuries on March 4, they found a man who had wrecked a bar stool powered by a deconstructed lawn mower.

Twenty-eight-year Kile Wygle was hospitalized for minor injuries. Police say he was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he told an officer at the hospital that he had consumed 15 beers. Wygle told police his motorized bar stool can go up to 38 mph.

Wygle has pleaded not guilty and has requested a jury trial.

What happened to common sense?

I'm beginning to seriously wonder what happened to common sense. Where did all this garbage come from? What makes people believe in these ghost stories and fairy tales? What makes a rational person believe in resurrection, devils, gods, spirits, angels, and the like? When did it become acceptable to put your own tinfoil-hat shit-house-rat-crazy beliefs above the health of your own child?

I won't be around for it, but it will REALLY be a much nicer world when we all finally outgrow this religious nonsense in another thousand years or so. That is, if religion doesn't kill us all first.

Md. mom's starvation plea pegged to resurrection

By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Writer

BALTIMORE – Prosecutors agreed to some unusual terms to win a guilty plea from a former religious cult member charged with starving her 1-year-old son to death: If the child is resurrected, her plea will be withdrawn.

Ria Ramkissoon, 22, also agreed Monday to testify against four other members of the now-defunct religious group known as 1 Mind Ministries. All four are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Javon Thompson, whose body was kept in a suitcase packed with mothballs and fabric softener sheets long after he died.

Ramkissoon's lawyer said the resurrection clause Ramkissoon insisted on shows that she is still "brainwashed" and needs the psychological treatment that is planned as part of her sentencing.

According to a statement of facts, the cult members stopped feeding the boy when he refused to say "Amen" after a meal. After Javon died, Ramkissoon sat next to his decomposing body and prayed for his resurrection.

Ramkissoon's attorney, Steven D. Silverman, said Ramkissoon believes the resurrection will occur. She agreed to plead guilty only after prosecutors said they would drop the charges if the child comes back to life, Silverman said.

"This is something that she absolutely insisted upon, and this is indicative of the fact that she is still brainwashed, still a victim of this cult," he said. "Until she's deprogrammed, she's not going to think any differently."

Full Story Here . . .

EDIT - Excellent take on this story at The Friendly Atheist....check it out.

REALLY funny stuff....

Catholic bishops in US ban Japanese reiki

Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
The Guardian, Tuesday 31 March 2009

Reiki, an alternative Japanese therapy with a growing band of followers in the west, is "unscientific" and "inappropriate" for use in Catholic institutions, according to America's bishops.

Guidelines issued by the committee on doctrine at the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops warn healthcare workers and chaplains that the therapy "lacks scientific credibility" and could expose people to "malevolent forces".

The document also claims that for a Catholic to believe in reiki presents "insurmountable problems".

Reiki means "universal life energy" and was developed by the theology professor Dr Mikao Usui at the turn of the 20th century, from Buddhist beliefs and Sanskrit teachings. The client lies on a couch, clothed and relaxing, while the therapist's hands rest lightly on the body in a special sequence. Clients often report heat and tingling sensations.

The church's guidelines state: "A Catholic who puts his or her trust in reiki would be operating in the realm of superstition, the no man's land that is neither faith nor science. Superstition corrupts one's worship of God by turning one's religious feeling and practice in a false direction."

The document goes on to state that since reiki therapy is incompatible with Christian teaching and scientific evidence, "it would be inappropriate" for Catholic institutions, such as healthcare facilities and retreat centres, or people representing the church, such as chaplains, to promote or provide support for it.

Full story here . . .

Did they REALLY just say that this would put a poor Catholic in "the real of superstition".

Call it god.

March 30, 2009

2 Year Old Girl Answering Questions About Islam! [Must See!]

More sick indoctrination.

Children ARE NOT born with a religion. They can't be, because it's completely man made.....not to mention extremely harmful.

Excellent quote found at the blog Quicksilver Dream.

"Our government is being run by men and women who believe that the entire human race is condemned because a woman in a mythical garden let a talking snake convince her to take a bite out of a magic apple. We’re in deep shit! ” -- Stephen Van Tuyl

ACTUAL Church sign.

March 27, 2009

Sick indoctrination

From THE LANCET . . .

The Lancet rebukes Pope Benedict

The following is and editorial from the highly respected British medical journal The Lancet.

Excellent straight shooting here from the scientific and medical community.

'The Vatican felt the heat from an unprecedented amount of international condemnation last week after Pope Benedict XVI made an outrageous and wildly inaccurate statement about HIV/AIDS. On his first visit to Africa, the Pope told journalists that the continent's fight against the disease is a problem that "cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms: on the contrary, they increase it".'

'The Catholic Church's ethical opposition to birth control and support of marital fidelity and abstinence in HIV prevention is well known. But, by saying that condoms exacerbate the problem of HIV/AIDS, the Pope has publicly distorted scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue.'

'The international community was quick to condemn the comment. The governments of Germany, France, and Belgium released statements criticising the Pope's views. Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society, called the comment "irresponsible and dangerous". UNAIDS, the UN Population Fund, and WHO released an updated position statement on HIV prevention and condoms, which said that "the male latex condom is the single, most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV". Amidst the fury, even the Vatican tried to alter the pontiff's wording. On the Holy See's website, the Vatican's head of media, Father Federico Lombari, quoted the Pope as having said that there was a "risk that condoms...might increase the problem".'

'Whether the Pope's error was due to ignorance or a deliberate attempt to manipulate science to support Catholic ideology is unclear. But the comment still stands and the Vatican's attempts to tweak the Pope's words, further tampering with the truth, is not the way forward. When any influential person, be it a religious or political leader, makes a false scientific statement that could be devastating to the health of millions of people, they should retract or correct the public record. Anything less from Pope Benedict would be an immense disservice to the public and health advocates, including many thousands of Catholics, who work tirelessly to try and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide.'

William Crawley

March 26, 2009

No reading for you

Portia De Rossi's PSA

Fun Bible Facts

Great entry from author Jeffrey Mark's Amazon Blog . . . . .

Make sure to check out his new book as well.

Here are some things I cover in my book, Christian No More.Did you know:

Of the 31,000 verses in the Bible, Hell is only mentioned in 62 of them?

When combined, all the verses that give reference to Hell barely fill a single page?

What we know of as Hell actually referred at times to graves and at other times to a trash dump?

The name Lucifer is only mentioned ONCE in the Bible and it refers to a Babylonian king?

The story of a beautiful angel falling from grace is also actually referring to a Babylonian king?

The word "Satan" actually refers to an angel who is an adversary to God and by no means the devil figure we know of today?

And thus there is no Devil as we know of it mentioned anywhere in the Bible, and our ideas of this "devil" actually come from a novel written long after the Bible?

The story of the Garden of Eden is almost identical to an earlier Babylonian myth which Christians today discount as myth?

The early Hebrew people had multiple gods just as other people did and were hardly "monotheistic"?

That many of the names of these other gods are common with other myths from the area, showing a clear overlap of religions?

Instead of halting belief in these other gods, they were simply demoted to "demons" and many still believe in them today?

One Canaanite god in particular, Baal, was absorbed by the Hebrew religion and even mentioned in the New Testament?

The opening verse to the Bible in its original Hebrew was plural: In the beginning the gods created the heavens and the earth?

The Bible mentions God interacting with the other gods?

The God of the Old Testament probably originated as a child to a Canaanite god named El?

The Bible says dragons, unicorns, satyrs, giants, talking donkeys, and other odd creatures exist?

Many themes in the Bible (seven day creation; the flood) are copies of earlier, more ancient myths from other religions?

In the Bible the God character at times appears frightened of the people?

There is no physical evidence whatsoever of any of the supernatural events of the Bible?

A competing religion developed around the same time as Christianity which worshipped a man named Mithra who was shockingly similar to Jesus?

There are places where the historical events in the Bible place the supposed events at the wrong time?

The earliest copies of the gospels make no mention of the virgin birth or the resurrection, and these were only added later to add familiarity with Greek religions featuring such themes?

The concept of Original Sin is never mentioned in the Bible and the idea was invented in the 4th century AD?

The Christian Bible instructs followers to kill nonbelievers?

Prior to the last century, almost all Christians took the Bible literally, and only now that we see contradictions with science are people inventing their own "interpretations" of the Bible?

There are actually two sets of "Ten Commandments" and most people conveniently ignore one of the sets, and few people believe in the punishment for violating any of the two sets?

March 24, 2009

But I thought the earth was only 6,000 years old?

Gang of Juvenile Dinosaurs Discovered

Robin Lloyd
LiveScience Senior Editor Tue Mar 24

Three juvenile Triceratops, a species thought to be solitary, died together in a flood and now have been found in a 66 million-year-old bone bed in Montana, lending more evidence to the idea that teen dinosaurs were gregarious gangsters.

Triceratops were ceratopsids, herbivorous
dinosaurs that lived until the the very end of the Cretaceous Period. They have been found in enormous bone beds of multiple individuals, but all known Triceratops fossils up to now have been solitary individuals. In fact, Triceratops is one of the best-known of all dinosaurs, with more than 50 total specimens discovered, so it looked pretty certain that they were anti-social and avoided hanging out with their own kind.

However, the new discovery of a jumble of at least three juveniles in the famous Hell Creek Formation suggests that the three-horned Triceratops were social, or at least the juveniles were, revealing something about their behavior - a feature that is notoriously hard to discern from fossils.

Full story here . . .

Most entertaining pope ever....

Vatican insiders declare the Pope a 'disaster'

The Holy See is struggling to contain international anger over the Pope's claim on his first official visit to Africa that Aids "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems".

The Pope's remarks about condoms, and a recent furore over his lifting of the 20-year excommunication of a British bishop who has questioned the Holocaust, has left him looking isolated and out of touch, prompting calls for a radical shake-up of the way the Holy See delivers its message.

The Pope is isolated and fails to adequately consult his advisers, said a Vatican source with 20 years' knowledge of the Holy See.

Another Vatican insider described Pope Benedict's four-year-old papacy as "a disaster", recalling the pontiff's previous inflammatory remarks on Islam and homosexuality.

"He's out of touch with the real world," the Italian insider said. "On the condom issue, for example, there are priests and bishops in Africa who accept that condoms are a key part of the fight against Aids, and yet the pope adheres to this very conservative line that they encourage promiscuity. The Vatican is far removed from the reality on the ground."

Full story here . . .

March 23, 2009

Observe and Report

Jody Hill's cult film "The Foot Fist Way" is without a doubt the funniest thing you have never seen. It barely got a theatrical release, but did garner some praise, mainly due to Will Ferrell talking it up every chance he got.

Jody's new film Observe and Report is getting a full theatrical release next month. The trailer is one of the more perfect examples of how to sell a movie I've ever seen. A perfect blend of comedy highlights, along with great music and some fantastic editing.

Variety saw an early screening, and has a rather interesting review on their website.

Much like the cruel and clueless martial-arts instructor in Hill's breakthrough debut feature, "The Foot Fist Way," Ronnie is more complex, and much scarier, than the kind of self-deluding boob auds usually encounter in comedies of this sort. With the invaluable aid of Rogen, who's never been better, Hill sustains an impressive degree of tension between seemingly contradictory elements. In fact, time and again throughout "Observe and Report," it may strike some viewers that, with just a few tweaks of the script, the scenario could have been played straight as a psychological drama in the vein of "Taxi Driver" (even though the ending plays more like "The King of Comedy").

Possibly the coolest guy alive....

HUH? Quote of the moment

"So many of them are living in fear of spirits, of malign and threatening powers. In their bewilderment they even end up condemning street children and the elderly as alleged sorcerers," - Pope Benedict 03/21/2009

Apparently the pope would like to see Africans turn from witch doctors to
Christianity. Yeah, that will help.

This coming from the head of an organization with an "official exorcist" to help cast out.....uhhh.....spirits with threatening powers. Wow.

March 19, 2009

For Agnostics

The waiting is the hardest part. . .

A fool and his know the rest

Stupid, stupid, stupid

What's next, a PHD in Astrology? Advanced degree in sorcery? How about a degree in the study of leprechauns?

Creationism is not science. It has nothing to do with science. It is, simply put, the study of fairy tales.

Bill Would Allow Texas School to Grant Master's Degree in Science for Creationism

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 By Nora Zimmett

A Texas legislator is waging a war of biblical proportions against the science and education communities in the Lone Star State as he fights for a bill that would allow a private school that teaches creationism to grant a Master of Science degree in the subject.

State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) proposed House Bill 2800 when he learned that The Institute for Creation Research (ICR), a private institution that specializes in the education and research of biblical creationism, was not able to receive a certificate of authority from Texas' Higher Education Coordinating Board to grant Master of Science degrees.

Berman's bill would allow private, non-profit educational institutions to be exempt from the board’s authority.

Full Story Here . . .

Welcome, intelligent, common sense news from the White House. It's amazing what good ridding ourselves of the previous cluster of dunderheads is bringing. Expanding stem cell research funding, sensible drug enforcement, slowly pulling out of Iraq, etc. Obama is not perfect by a long stretch, but these are policy maneuvers that give some hope.

Attorney general signals shift in marijuana policy

WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a change on medical marijuana policy Wednesday, saying federal agents will target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state law.

That would be a departure from the Bush administration, which targeted medical marijuana dispensaries in California even if they complied with that state's law.

"The policy is to go after those people who violate both federal and state law," Holder said in a question-and-answer session with reporters at the Justice Department.

Medical marijuana advocates in California welcomed the news, but said they still worried about the pending cases of those already in court on drug charges.

California law permits the sale of marijuana for medical purposes, though it still is against federal law.

Full Story Here.....

March 18, 2009

Free speech is sacred !

The biggest laugh I've had all week...

With thanks to the always great J-Walk Blog....

Catholic priest worry about rampant curses in society

Reverend Monsignor Thomas Manu, Vicar-General of the Konongo-Mampong Catholic Diocese, has expressed concern about the spate of invocation of curses on people by aggrieved persons.

He said such an evil act being perpetuated by people including Christians had negative effects on humanity and it was time efforts were made to discourage people from such practices.

Addressing members of the Saint Anthony Catholic Church at Ejisu on the effect of curses, Monsignor Manu attributed the increasing rate of deaths and suffering to the invocation of curses and other evil spirits on people by aggrieved persons including Christians.

“Invocation of spirit is even condemned by traditionalists, then how come that Christians of today have started embracing it?” he asked.

He said he was surprised at the way even some prominent politicians were using invocation to defend their political statements.

Monsignor Manu advised Ghanaians, particularly Christians to put an end to such negative behaviour to make Christianity more attractive to others.

Viva La France !

They are right about Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen. They are correct here as well.

France is criticizing comments by Pope Benedict that condom use is aggravating the AIDS problem in Africa.

A French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Eric Chevallier, said Wednesday that while it is not up to France to pass judgment on church doctrine, it considers such comments a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect life.

A Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombari, says the pontiff's comments are in line with the Catholic Church's doctrine, which opposes the use of contraceptives.

On Tuesday, the pope said AIDS cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms. He said that condoms only increase the problem.

That contradicts the advice of many health officials, who recommend condoms as a way to prevent the spread of HIV, which causes AIDS.

About 22 million people are infected with HIV across sub-Saharan Africa, which reported three-quarters of all AIDS deaths worldwide in 2007.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict met with Cameroon's bishops Wednesday and urged them to defend the rights of the poor and the values of the traditional African family.

Earlier, he met with Cameroon's President Paul Biya. No details of the talks were released.

Pope Benedict will spend three days in Cameroon on his week-long tour of Africa. He travels to Angola on Friday to celebrate Mass and meet with religious leaders.

Now there is a headline you don't see every day....

I'm all for freedom of speech and the like....but this guy is obviously an assclown just looking for attention. If that attention comes in the form of eggs being lobbed at would seems par for the course. Of course, the fact that he apparently is walking around armed (and apparently crazy) is somewhat disturbing.

Local Nazi Causing Controversy

March 17, 2009

A local man is causing a stir in Tuscarawas County.

Corek Rankin, a self-proclaimed Nazi, has been seen protesting in several different parts of the county including Dennison, New Philadelphia, and Uhrichsville.

On Monday he had an egg thrown at him, and police departments through out the county have received calls about Rankin's protests.

Dennison police received a call about a concern with Rankin carrying a gun.

News9's James Jackson asked Rankin why he carried a loaded gun with him.

"For my own safety, as I said, people react violently. I refuse to put myself in harms way with out protecting myself," he said.

"It's just not very often you see a Nazi flag displayed. I think it's First Amendment rights, which is fantastic, but it's also potentionally inflammatory which is why I stopped," a man from Columbus driving past the Tuscarawas County Courthouse during Rankin's protest and commented.

I could do that.

March 17, 2009

Penn Says . . .

Jackass quote of the week....

....and it is only Tuesday !

"You can't resolve it (AIDS) with the distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane heading to Yaounde. "On the contrary, it increases the problem." - Pope Benedict XVI - 03/17/2009

Yet another update from Brazil....

I saw this coming a mile away.

The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil decided that the child's mother acted "under pressure from the doctors" who said the girl would die if she carried the babies to term.
Dimas Lara Barbosa, the body's secretary-general, told reporters the mother therefore could not be excommunicated. "We must take the circumstances into consideration," he said.

As for the doctors, there was no clear case that they should be expelled from the church either, he said, contrary to the position taken by Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, who announced the excommunications.

Barbosa said only doctors who "systematically" conduct abortions are thrown out of the church.

Full Story Here . . .

New Scientist article

Very interesting article at the New Scientist....

How Your Brain Creates God by Michael Brooks

Religious ideas are common to all cultures: like language and music, they seem to be part of what it is to be human. Until recently, science has largely shied away from asking why. "It's not that religion is not important," says Paul Bloom, a psychologist at Yale University, "it's that the taboo nature of the topic has meant there has been little progress."

The origin of religious belief is something of a mystery, but in recent years scientists have started to make suggestions. One leading idea is that religion is an evolutionary adaptation that makes people more likely to survive and pass their genes onto the next generation. In this view, shared religious belief helped our ancestors form tightly knit groups that cooperated in hunting, foraging and childcare, enabling these groups to outcompete others. In this way, the theory goes, religion was selected for by evolution, and eventually permeated every human society (New Scientist, 28 January 2006, p 30)

Full Story Here.....

Happy St. Patty's Day

March 13, 2009

Gervais + Elmo = Hilarity on 'Sesame Street'

More laws

How do they plan to enforce this exactly? Why do we keep coming up with new laws and legislations for drivers? Why isn't eating while driving a crime? Why isn't smoking while driving a crime? What about juggling kittens while driving? Don't we need a law on the books for that! Certainly it is dangerous!

More legisaltion is just silly at this point. If a police officer seens someone driving recklessly (weaving, speeding, crossing the center line) they should just pull them over, asses the situation, and act accordingly. New laws won't change anything. Enforcement of the current ones will.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go jump in the car and pound down some fries, smoke a menthol, make a call, and take the cat to the vet.

Ohio, West Virginia Look To Ban Texting While Driving

From highways to railways, an increasing number of traffic deaths are being blamed on drivers who took their eyes off the road to text. State lawmakers now want to send their own message. Ohio and West Virginia introduced new legislation to help put an end to unnecessary accidents caused by texting.

Something law enforcement loosely refer to as driving while "intexticated,” there is very little officers can do about it. The main reason, there's no law that currently prohibits it in the Ohio Valley. Washington and New Jersey are the only two states that already have bans on texting while driving.

Some proposed ideas for Ohio and West Virginia include prohibiting use of all handheld cellular devices, whether for texting or calling. Until then, officials still agree that the best option is to put away the phone before heading down the road.

'Great sex, God's way'

Heh heh......he said 'inserted in the mix'.

March 12, 2009

Big Love

How hard is it to annoy a crazy religion? Apparantly, not all that hard. The Mormon church is getting it's magic underwear all in a snit about an upcoming episode of HBO's BIG LOVE. I've never watched the show myself (although I'd like to). Apparantly the show will feature a recreation of an"endowment ceremony".

And even though it's a, you know, FICTIONAL TELEVISION SHOW.....the church is angry and says "Despite earlier assurances from HBO, it once again blurs the distinction between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the shows fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices,".

Because people are too stupid to know the difference between real Mormons and television Mormons.

Considering the Mormon Church only recently decided it probably shouldn't remain a racist organization (although being a sexist one it's still ok with), believe Joseph Smith Jr. was divine, preach that God was once a man who lived on another planet, believe Jesus hung out with Indians in America, and on and on and on.

Not to mention how they treat family and loved ones who leave the church.

But it's nice to know they are keeping a close eye on a fictional television show on pay per view cable.

Good work fellas.

It is official....

The Vatican has made it official.

The life of a fetus is more important than that of a nine year old rape victim.

Classy fellas. Real classy.

No surprise at all...

Remember - To deny two people the same rights two other people enjoy is discrimination. There is not one single good reason to deny gay couples the right to marry.

Experts: Gay Marriage Won't Hurt Kids

Burlington, Vermont - March 9, 2009

Vermont's leading mental health and human service organizations joined in support of gay marriage Monday.

The Vermont Psychological Association, the Vermont Psychiatric Association, the Vermont Association of Mental Health Counselors, and the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, all say legalizing gay marriage would help the children of same-sex couples. The group says allowing gay couples to marry validates their relationships, could reduce discrimination and increases benefits for the families.

Opponents have argued that gay marriage is detrimental to children. But mental health experts say studies show that's not true and that opponents are instead misrepresenting studies about divorced parents.

"We felt it was important for us to set the record straight about the scholarly literature in our field and we have lots of different families and the best thing to do for all children is to support parents the best way we can," said Jackie Weinstock, of UVM Human Development & Families Studies.

"It hurts children in the relationships to be part of this new thing," said Craig Benson, who opposes gay marriage. "And yet we are told it's no big deal and it won't make a difference."

The mental health and human service organizations will testify in support of gay marriage next week at the Statehouse.

March 11, 2009

A rather spirited debate with yours truly going on over at JUSTINESPIRED. A very classy looking and interesting local blog.

Check it out and dip your toes in the water.

How Thomas Aquanis and the Egyptian god Horus got drug into an post about a Catholic movie, I'm still not sure how.......but it's been fun.

From a Q&A with blowhard Pat Robertson....

This is right up there with Billy Graham's answer about 'cults'.

Nothing funnier than a Christian pointing to another religion and being amazed at how 'wrong' they are. This one is stone cold classic.....and the funniest thing you will read all day.

Q: I’m the pastor of a ministry to international college students. Many of my leaders want to study the Koran to be able to understand Islam. I don’t think this is wise. They’re really fighting me on this issue. I think there are plenty of Christian resources out there to get information on other religions. What do you think?

A: Kelly, it won’t be wrong if somebody studies Islam, but they need guided study, because somebody needs to go along and point out the incredible inconsistencies in that book. And if you have a guided study of the Koran and see how much in there is just repetitious, how much comes out of the Old Testament and the New Testament, how much is just plagiarism from the Bible, etc.?.

If you will go through it with them, I think it would be a very helpful exercise. But I doubt very seriously by reading the Koran they’re going to get converted to Islam. I wouldn’t worry about it. But I think they need to see it. They need to see what is in there. Many people who are Muslim don’t know what the Koran says. And when you begin to tell them, they say, “Well, I don’t believe that.” And you say, “Well, it’s in your sacred book. It’s supposed to be holy words.”

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Florida Panthers: Shootout [3-10-09]

Finally Tonight, Jesus...!

Couldn't have said it better....

Read this great piece this morning about Obama returning Science and Reason to Stem Cell research. From the blog "Take The Green Pill"......

March 10, 2009

Update from Brazil

Since THIS story seemed to garner such an "interesting" response, I thought I would go ahead and put up some updated information.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil has come forward and spoken out about the ugly decision by the Catholic Church to excommunicate the medical staff and people involved with saving the life of a nine year old rape victim. Good for him.

The Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, said the excommunication would apply to the child's mother and the doctors, but not to the girl because of her age.

But his actions were criticised by President Lula, who said: "As a Christian and a Catholic I deeply regret that a bishop of the Catholic Church has such a conservative attitude.

"The doctors did what had to be done: save the life of a girl nine years old.

"In this case, the medical profession was more right than the Church," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

The girl, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, was allegedly sexually assaulted over a number of years by her stepfather, possibly since she was six.

The abortion was carried out on Wednesday.

The fact that the girl was pregnant with twins was only discovered after she was taken to hospital in Pernambuco complaining of stomach pains.

Her stepfather was arrested last week, allegedly as he tried to escape to another region of the country.

He is also suspected of abusing the girl's physically handicapped older sister who is now 14.

Billy Graham......comedian.

The funniest thing I've seen all year.

Billy Graham answers readers letters for a Kansas city newspaper.

I almost spit my coffee out all over the monitor....

DEAR BILLY GRAHAM: Why do people get involved in cults? My cousin has gotten involved in one, and no matter what we say to him, he refuses to listen. He says we are the ones who are in the dark, and he alone in our family has found the truth. — S. McM.

DEAR S. McM: One characteristic of cults is that they strongly believe they alone are right in their beliefs and everyone else is wrong. Thus they reject the central truths of the Bible that Christians have held in common for almost 2,000 years and substitute their own beliefs for the clear teaching of Scripture.

Why do people get involved with cults? One reason is because they have a deep spiritual hunger, and, for a time, they think they have found the answer to that hunger.

Ahhh......Billy. Always good for a chuckle. I still remember THIS gem from this supposed loving Christian.....

"A lot of Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me, because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth, but they don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them." - Billy Graham to Richard Nixon in a taped conversation in 1972

March 09, 2009

A good reminder as to why "god" or any type of religion in general should be kept OUT of government and the rule of law.

Saudi court sentences 75-year-old woman to lashes

CAIRO – A 75-year-old widow in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in jail for mingling with two young men who are not close relatives, drawing new criticism for the kingdom's ultraconservative religious police and judiciary.

The woman's lawyer told The Associated Press on Monday that he would appeal the verdict against Khamisa Sawadi, who is Syrian but was married to a Saudi. The attorney, Abdel Rahman al-Lahem, said the verdict issued March 3 also demands that Sawadi be deported after serving her sentence.

He said his client, who is not serving her sentence yet, was not speaking with the media, and he declined to provide more details about the case.

The newspaper Al-Watan said the woman met with the two 24-year-old men last April after she asked them to bring her five loaves of bread at her home in al-Chamil, a city north of the capital, Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islam prohibits men and women who are not immediate relatives from mingling. It also bars women from driving, and the playing of music, dancing and many movies also are a concern for hard-liners who believe they violate religious and moral values.

Could "Yahoo's Most Popular News" have more fantastic stories today?

I don't think I could handle it. Just keeps getting better and better.

A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out o of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.

Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.

Report highlights from J-WALK BLOG

86% of American adults identified as Christians in 1990 and 76% in 2008.

The historic Mainline churches and denominations have experienced the steepest declines while the non-denominational Christian identity has been trending upward particularly since 2001.

The challenge to Christianity in the U.S. does not come from other religions but rather from a rejection of all forms of organized religion.

The U. S. population continues to show signs of becoming less religious, with one out of every five Americans failing to indicate a religious identity in 2008.

Science and Logic WIN !

Obama's best move yet

Between seriously working on getting the troops home, and now THIS.......he's already done more good than the last eight years of inarticulate retardation. But THIS....this is truly important. Furthering science instead of bowing to pressure from fringe whacknut groups and ancient meaningless texts.

I am loving this presidency.

Obama to Restore ‘Science Integrity’ as Part of Stem-Cell Shift

March 9 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama will reverse the U.S. government’s ban on funding stem-cell research today and pledge to “use sound, scientific practice and evidence, instead of dogma” to guide federal policy, an adviser said.

Harold Varmus, co-chair of a science advisory group to the President, said Obama will ask the White House Office of Science and Technology to create guidelines to incorporate ‘scientific integrity’ into decision-making by U.S. agencies. The action on stem cells, which can grow into any kind of tissue, may help speed research into cures for major illness.

An "URGENT" Message

Holy roller whackjob Dave Wilkerson warns us that an "earth shattering calamity" is coming our way. Sigh.

I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

Assclown of the week

Hunter safety instructor removed after ordering 'liberals' from class

By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer

Published: 3/6/2009

Thirteen-year-old Lane Dunkley just wanted to go hunting with his grandfather. What he got was a lecture on politics. Dunkley and his father Daniel Reddy, who live in Tulsa, went to Broken Arrow Tuesday night for a hunter safety course normally required to get an Oklahoma hunting license. The class was a reward of sorts. Dunkley, who wants to go hunting with his aging grandfather, was told he could only if he brought his grades up. So he did - to a B-plus average.

But when father and son arrived at the lesson, the volunteer instructor, Kell Wolf, asked if any of the students voted for President Obama.

Reddy, a transplanted Californian - and ex-Marine - raised his hand. According to Reddy and others in the room, Wolf called Obama “the next thing to the Anti-Christ” and ordered Reddy and Dunkley from the room. When Reddy refused, Wolf said he would not teach “liberals” and would cancel the course if Reddy didn’t leave.

March 06, 2009

Sid the Kid

Nothing like Christian compassion.....

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." ~Luke 6:37~

RIO DE JANEIRO — 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 television.

"The law of God is higher than any human laws," he said. "When a human law — that is, a law enacted by human legislators — is against the law of God, that law has no value. The adults who approved, who carried out this abortion have incurred excommunication."

Doctors said the girl was 15 weeks pregnant when the abortion was performed Wednesday in the northeastern city of Recife, where Sobrinho is archbishop. Health officials said the life of the girl — who weighs 80 pounds — was in danger.

Full story here......

March 05, 2009

Der Axe

Christian Anti-Gay Workshop

Hemant Mehta from the website Friendly Atheist went to a “homosexual activism in the public school" workshop by the Illinois Family Institute. His report is a fascinating look into the minds of some seriously twisted individuals.

For example...

The speaker told the crowd that speaking out against homosexuality was not hate speech. Her argument for this? “Homosexual supporters speak out against polygamy and pedophiles all the time. Is that considered hate speech? No. So neither is our anti-gay speech.”

Not for the first time that evening, she compared gay people to pedophiles.

Check out his full report here....

Gve up txt 4 lnt

Instead of spend their time quietly moving pedophile priests from one Parrish to another, or arranging meetings where men in dresses contemplate why women aren't evolved enough to do their job......the Vatican has decided to tackle an IMPORTANT topic.

Urging followers to give up text messaging for lent. Because, you know, THAT'S important.

I'm pretty sure that Jesus (not that he existed outside of literary fiction) would never stop furrowing his brow at the strange behavior done in his name.

Catholics are urged to give up texting for Lent

ROME (AP) — Roman Catholic bishops in Italy are urging the faithful to go on a high-tech fast for Lent, switching off modern appliances from cars to iPods and abstaining from surfing the Web or text messaging until Easter.

The suggestion goes far beyond no-meat Fridays, giving a modern twist to traditional forms of abstinence in the five-week period Christians set aside for fasting and prayer ahead of Easter.
And it shows the Church's increasing focus on technology's uses — with many of the Lenten appeals posted on various dioceses' Web sites.

Dioceses and Catholic groups in Modena, southern Bari and other cities have called for a ban on text messaging every Friday in Lent, which began last week with Ash Wednesday.

March 04, 2009

Bad Barbie

You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. We have every local company laying off people right and left. Also broken down roads, bridges, building, and houses. Local delegate Jeff Eldridge thinks its much more important to go after plastic dolls that may make girls feel bad.

What country, exactly, is this assclown living in? Banning a DOLL because HE THINKS it's offensive to some people? Really?

I wish this was from The Onion, but sadly it's not.

Proposed Barbie Ban Going Too Far?

WHEELING, W.Va. -- A proposed ban on Barbie and similar dolls has many people wondering if West Virginia lawmakers are wasting state resources on non-essential items.

Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge of Lincoln County proposed a bill Tuesday to ban sales of the iconic Mattel doll and others like her.

Eldridge said such toys influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development.

Many local people said it's a waste of time to be targeting a doll that's been around for 50 years.
"It's definitely a waste, particularly with the economy the way it is right now. I think they should be spending more time on that and focusing on issues that really mean something," said Michelle Singleton, of Wheeling.

Eldridge isn't the first person to take a stab at Barbie. But, as the 50th anniversary of the popular doll approaches, people say time has shown she's not going anywhere.

Workers at Deluxe Toy & Hobby in Martins Ferry, Ohio, which attracts many customers from West Virginia, said they couldn't believe the details of the ban. Other people said lawmakers should focus on issues like the economy and job creation rather than debate the influence of a toy.

"I think there's more important things for them to worry about," said Jean Wurezbacher, of Valley Grove.

March 03, 2009

Neil deGrasse Tyson: Bible in Classroom

What If God Disappeared?

synecdoche, new york

Just caught up with Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut last night. What an amazing, dense, puzzle of a film. Scenes, moments, images, and characters still churning around in my head as I contemplate it all. Possibly one of the most surreal films to come out in a out Lynch's David Lynch and then some.

My own interpretation is that Caden IS Ellen. We are seeing a portrayal of Ellen until the real character steps forward (and even directs his/her own death). And this only scratches the surface of the layers in the film. The burning house, the military precense, the tattoos, the psychological labels......

Look closer....

Here is a speech from the latter portion of the film, where the play Caden/Ellen is producing has all but taken over all we are watching....

"Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make. You can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years! And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce...

"And they say there's no fate, but there is, it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead, or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain wasting years for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right, but it never comes. Or it seems to, but it doesn't really.

"So you spend you time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along, something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel cherished, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is is, I feel so angry! And the truth is, I feel so...fucking..sad. And the truth is, I've felt so..fucking..hurt for so..fucking..long, and for just as long, I've been pretending I'm okay, just to get along!

"I don't know why. Maybe one wants to hear about my misery...because they have their own. Well...fuck everybody. Amen."

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Closet Poles

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Small Backyard Vineyard

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Saturday, July 7, 2012

Many Lessons for USA to Learn from Spain

In defeating Italy 4-0 in a thoroughly dominating performance that could have yielded an even wider final margin, the Spanish national team demonstrated not only its superiority in Europe, but also that conventional soccer wisdom might well be on its death bed.  For soccer fans in the U.S., that could be either welcome news or a sign for concern.

Playing without a striker, in the face of much media criticism in Europe, Spain demonstrated that there is no one set approach to fielding a team.  One would have thought that this already had been demonstrated by the Dutch with its successful inter-changing positions approach, but apparently that was not the case.  In the wake of Spain's complete dismantling of Italy, however, it now should be evident that the primary requirement for maximizing team talent in soccer is utilizing the talent on the team in a manner that best meets the circumstances.

For Spain, utilizing talent in the 2012 Euros when Fernando Torres was not on the field, meant playing with a collection of fullbacks and mid-fielders.  It helps that Spain has some of the top mid-fielders in the game, particularly deserved Euro MVP Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas, and David Silva.  But the true key was in resisting the label of mid-fielder cum mid-fielder.

As Spain brought the ball up field, they controlled the ball on the edges and in the middle with foot-to-foot, one-touch passing around defenders until the ball was at the edge of the box.  From there, Spain picked its spots, with all but Iniesta testing the box.

This was not long-ball soccer.  It was not counter-attack soccer.  It was not set-piece soccer.  Rather, it was soccer as soccer was designed to be played but as it rarely anymore is played in some quarters in favor of a "waiting for the opponent to make a mistake" approach--the kind of approach that made WC 2010 the bore that it was.

With several promising young players and a roster loaded with experienced talent only now in its prime, Spain has made clear that the conservative, pack-it-in style of soccer is not a logical course of play for any team reasonably hoping to win a title.  Now, as Italy was forced to do in the Euro final, teams must take their chances and open up play.  That's not just great news for the likes of Spain and Brazil, but even better news for the world of soccer.

The news is mixed for the U.S. men's national side, however, as it offers a contradiction.  On one hand, the U.S. needs to rethink its formation model and who plays where.  That might mean playing Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley at fully new positions or even using three strikers, three backs, and four mid-fielders.

On the other hand, current head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is a product of a German side once regarded as among the most traditional of the traditional teams, with a set spot on the field for each player and set zones of play for each player.  There are signs that things are changing in Germany, permitting the Germans to keep pace with teams such as Spain, but Klinsmann is not necessarily part of this movement.

At a minimum, however, Klinsmann has the U.S. squad passing to feet and in space far more often and far more impressively than the team ever did under either Bruce Arena or Bob Bradley.  What remains far too often lacking for the U.S., however, is a sense of direction in this sub-game.  For Spain, short passes and back passes are all designed to set-up the defense and convince the defense that the next series of passes will be in one direction when they really will be in another.  This is all by design and well rehearsed.  The U.S., at present, too often appears to be passing for the sake of passing.  That must change, or the U.S. will be merely fortunate to keep pace with the likes of Spain.

Up Next:  More Qualifiers.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Stability - in terms of Coaches & QBs, as filtered thru the Redskins and 49ers (since 1981)

Got to thinking pretty hard about the whole concept of "stability" in regards to a football team, with thoughts of fired Son Shanahans swirling around my head, and the goofball weirdness of there being an actual "quarterback battle" between Rex Grossman and John Beck. Chris Cooley's comments about remaining patient had me thinking about stability in a nerd ass context, so rather than work on editing a short story for a book deadline I've got at the end of the month, I dorked out with the internet, cross-compiling head coaches and starting QBs, to see how many games they worked together (thus showing stability), and how they did in the playoffs, when applicable. And being the Redskins are hosting the San Francisco 49ers - another storied franchise - I decided to do it for both teams, starting in 1981, when Bill Walsh won his first Super Bowl with Joe Montana, and Joe Gibbs coached his first year in the NFL.
So first, let's look at head coach/starting QB combos that won Super Bowls...

10349ersBill Walsh/Joe Montana'81-'88, 3 Super Bowls won
8549ersGeorge Seifert/Steve Young'89-96, 1 Super Bowl won
68RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Joe Theisman'81-'85, 1 Super Bowl won
62RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Mark Rypien'88-'92, 1 Super Bowl won
2849ersGeorge Seifert/Joe Montana'89-'90, 1 Super Bowl won
14RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Doug Williams'87-'89, 1 Super Bowl won

First off - and perhaps I'm a homer for this - but you have to give Gibbs some daps for what a feat it is to win the Super Bowl with all different QBs. Actually, the further we go through this nerded out statfest of mine, the more apparent that'll be. But even with only 14 games together for Gibbs/Williams, you have to remember that's almost a full NFL season, as I'm only counting regular season games in that first column. And actually, the further we go through this, you'll see how rare THAT actually is. But let's then go through head coach/starting QB combos that made the playoffs since 1981 for these two teams (not counting the Super Bowl winners above)...

49ersSteve Mariucci/Jeff Garcia'99-'02, 1-2 in playoffs
33RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Mark Brunell '04-'06, 1-1 in playoffs
3349ersSteve Mariucci/Steve Young'97-'99, 2-2 in playoffs
31RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Jay Schroeder '85-'87, 2-1 in playoffs
27RedskinsNorv Turner/Brad Johnson '99-'00, 1-1 in playoffs
649ersBill Walsh/Steve Young '87-'88, 0-1 in playoffs
3RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Todd Collins '07, 0-1 in playoffs

Two very interesting lines from these that prove the stability factor... First off, a pair of Hall of Famers in Bill Walsh and Steve Young, when together, did not even win a playoff game, though they did make it. And a pair of career mediocrities in Norv Turner and Brad Johnson, when given enough time together, actually won a fucking playoff game. I don't even remember that one. I must've been passed out drunk in glee or something. But now let's look at head coach/starting QB combos that worked together for 10 games or more that never made the playoffs...

46RedskinsNorv Turner/Gus Frerotte'94-'98
32RedskinsJim Zorn/Jason Campbell '08-'09
3049ersMike Nolan/Alex Smith'05-'07
20RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Jason Campbell '06-'07
2049ersMike Singletary/Alex Smith '09-'10
16RedskinsSteve Spurrier/Patrick Ramsey '02-'03
14RedskinsNorv Turner/Trent Green '98
14RedskinsMarty Schottenheimer/Tony Banks'01
1449ersMike Singletary/Shaun Hill '08-'09
13RedskinsNorv Turner/Heath Shuler'94-'95
1349ersDennis Erickson/Jeff Garcia'03
13RedskinsMike Shanahan/Donovan McNabb'10
1249ersDennis Erickson/Tim Rattay'03-'04
10RedskinsRichie Petitbon/Mark Rypien '93

First thing that jumps out at me from this list is out of ten coach/QB combos that have combined for 10 games or more for San Francisco since 1981, half of those combos went to the playoffs at least twice, and three of them won the Super Bowl. For the Redskins, you get over 10 games together, and that combos gone to the playoffs about 40% of the time, winning the Super Bowl 20% of the time. However, you get above 20 games together, since 1993, and that's happened for the Skins five times, resulting in a whopping two playoff appearances. Zorn/Campbell had two full years together, and I have no idea why the fuck Norv Turner/Gus Frerotte got so much opportunity and never amounted in even a playoff game. Not even a token wild card berth one year along the way. But there are four combos for the Redskins since 1994 that were together for a full regular season (at least 16 games) that never made the playoffs. And actually, just with those four combos it's 114 total games (just over 7 full seasons) dedicated to coaching/quarterbacking tandems that never even made the playoffs. Seven whole fucking seasons, lost.
(Also, it is shocking how resilient Alex Smith has been, and equally shocking that the 49ers have not been able to get into the playoffs since the early 2000s. The NFC West is a terrible division.)
But now let's take a stroll down the memory lane of the damned, through coaching/QB combos for these two teams that never amounted to shit, not even 10 games together. And be forewarned, this is a terrible list full of the failures of the past decade, for both franchises...

949ersGeorge Seifert/Elvis Grbac
8RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Patrick Ramsey
849ersMike Nolan/J.T. O'Sullivan
8RedskinsMike Shanahan/Rex Grossman
7RedskinsSteve Spurrier/Shane Matthews
749ersDennis Erickson/Ken Dorsey
749ersJim Harbaugh/Alex Smith
649ersBill Walsh/Jeff Kemp
649ersGeorge Seifert/Steve Bono
649ersMike Nolan/Trent Dilfer
649ersMike Singletary/Troy Smith
5RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Stan Humphries
5RedskinsSteve Spurrier/Tim Hasselbeck
4RedskinsRichie Petitbon/Rich Gannon
4RedskinsNorv Turner/John Friesz
4RedskinsSteve Spurrier/Danny Wuerffel
449ersMike Nolan/Tim Rattay
3RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Ed Rubbert
3RedskinsNorv Turner/Jeff Hostetler
349ersSteve Mariucci/Steve Stentstrom
3RedskinsTerry Robiskie/Jeff George
349ersMike Nolan/Ken Dorsey
249ersBill Walsh/Matt Cavanaugh
249ersBill Walsh/Mike Moroski
2RedskinsRichie Petitbon/Cary Conklin
2RedskinsNorv Turner/Jeff George
2RedskinsMarty Schottenheimer/Jeff George
249ersMike Nolan/Cody Pickett
249ersMike Nolan/Shaun Hill
2RedskinsMike Shanahan/John Beck
149ersBill Walsh/Bob Gagliano
1RedskinsJoe Gibbs/Jeff Rutledge
149ersSteve Mariucci/Jim Druckenmiller
149ersSteve Mariucci/Ty Detmer
149ersMike Nolan/Chris Weinke

Really, there's a lot to make me want to put a pistol in my mouth off this list, but the two (or three) to highlight are Shanahan/Grossman (which has been deemed a failure at 8 games), Shanahan/Beck (way down the list at 2 games, so yes perhaps more patience is needed), and Harbaugh/Smith at 7 games, but will most likely be at 16 by the end of the year, and jumping up to the combos that have made the playoffs. In one season. Which goes against the argument for patience, as all these lists make it pretty clear that even if you remain patient, it's pretty evident pretty early on whether we're onto something that's going to work or not. But when you look back up at those 7 whole seasons of total games wasted on combos in D.C. that never made the playoffs, it's easy to see why maybe Redskins fans have lost their patience. We're not talking a one week reaction here - we're talking a long and painful history of either terrible combinations of talent/brain trusts, or allowing ones that never achieve any on-field successes to go on and on and on.
But wait, while I'm wilding the fuck out with the calculator, let's take every current head coach/starting QB combo going into this weekend, and break them down by games together, into the categories of Have Won Super Bowl, made the playoffs, and just trying to find a way...

150PatriotsBill Belichick/Tom Brady
'01-'11, 3 Super Bowls
110GiantsTom Coughlin/Eli Manning
'04-'11, 1 Super Bowl
87SaintsSean Payton/Drew Brees
'07-'11, 1 Super Bowl
66SteelersMike Tomlin/Ben Roethlisberger
'07-'11, 1 Super Bowl
54PackersMike McCarthy/Aaron Rodgers
'08-'11, 1 Super Bowl

71ChargersNorv Turner/Phillip Rivers
'06-'11, 2-4 in playoffs
55RavensJohn Harbaugh/Joe Flacco
'08-'11, 3-3 in playoffs
53FalconsMike Smith/Matt Ryan
'08-'11, 0-2 in playoffs
38JetsRex Ryan/Mark Sanchez
'09-'11, 4-2 in playoffs
38BearsLovie Smith/Jay Cutler
'09-'11, 0-1 in playoffs
18EaglesAndy Reid/Michael Vick
'10-'11, 0-1 in playoffs

62TexansGary Kubiak/Matt Schaub
32BuccaneersRaheem Morris/Josh Freeman
21LionsJim Schwartz/Matthew Stafford
20BillsChan Gailey/Ryan Fitzpatrick
8PanthersRon Rivera/Cam Newton
749ersJim Harbaugh/Alex Smith
7BengalsMarvin Lewis/Andy Dalton
7TitansMike Munchak/Matt Hasselbeck
7CowboysJason Garrett/Tony Romo
7CardinalsKen Whisenhunt/Kevin Kolb
7BrownsPat Shurmur/Colt McCoy
6JaguarsJack Del Rio/Blaine Gabbert
5ColtsJim Caldwell/Curtis Painter
3DolphinsTony Sparano/Matt Moore
2VikingsLeslie Frazier/Christian Ponder
2RedskinsMike Shanahan/John Beck
2BroncosJohn Fox/Tim Tebow
1SeahawksPete Carroll/Charlie Whitehurst
0RaidersHue Jackson/Carson Palmer

Super Bowl winners are pretty apparent, but also of note is Aaron Rodgers had not even won a playoff game until last year. But there was already a long history between he and Mike McCarthy.
Playoff teams are interesting in a couple points. Firstly, you can see why Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez, who sometimes catch shit for not being elite, are able to rest on their laurels, because both have sustained success in the playoffs. Much like his stint in Washington, I really have to wonder how the fuck Norv Turner still has a job in San Diego, being they've had that nucleus together for a long time with really nothing to show for it. But even when you get lower on the playoff teams list, with the Bears, Chiefs, and Eagles, it seems that persistence at QB and coach does equal eventual success, even if it's only a wild card berth into the playoffs.
Then you look at the combos that have not made it. The four that have more than a full season together are all contenders this year. (But how the fuck has Kubiak/Schaub kept their job, when you look at comparable combos?) But a lot of the young combos (Panthers this year, Jets, Chiefs, Ravens, Falcons, Lions in recent years) have a coach and QB come in together, to sort of philosophically usher in a new era. I guess that's what Donovan McNabb was supposed to be last year for the Redskins. Somebody must have forgot to kick the tires on that dude though. Was it Bruce Allen or the Shanahans? Or was Snyder still involved? I don't know. But it set us back.
Other seemingly successful combos, such as the 49ers or Bengals, have either had a stable head coach or stable QB (somewhat I guess in regards to Alex Smith). Mike Shanahan, at this point, can't be considered a stable coach in D.C. So maybe you give him more time. But the model you're emulating by drafting a new QB, after time spent already on a new coaching regime, is the Bengals, who are a contender for the playoffs, sure, but nobody sees them as an actual championship team. But at this point, that's what we're hoping to philosophically emulate by letting the Shanahans stay on next year and get a new QB and start over.
I think the ultimate point of what has ultimately been a waste of two hours of my life is, yes, you are right noble counterpoint, that stability and patience is necessary to building a good team. But in the case of the Redskins, they don't necessarily have a good track record of showing they've acquired a good brain trust nor quarterback to have patience in. And Shanahan/Beck/Grossman - regardless of what a dumbass Dan Snyder is - has not really done anything to earn that respect. If Beck gets some games in and starts to tighten up towards the end of the season, sure, go get 'em next year bro. But even if John Beck doesn't suck, I have a hard time believing Mike Shanahan is going to stick with that guy as his QB for this team going into next year. Which means after two years here in D.C., basically Mike Shanahan will just be the latest guy to waste my fucking time as a Redskins fan, because he's going to be looking for a new QB, and the past two years ultimately have meant very little towards building stability or an actual playoff caliber team. That is highly frustrating, and that's why Redskins fans are pissed. It ain't gonna get fixed in a week, or two weeks, or even by next spring. And from all this statistical hoo-ha I've just thrown out at you, it's easy to see why we don't really believe it's going to get any better any time soon. History supports our anger.

Miguelito said...

Holy balls, dude. My brain just exploded. Now I'm going to have to make up my own science shit.

Raven Mack said...

Too many people don't realize science is a creative process.

Neil said...

On the one hand, I am sad that the Redskins have fried your brain, Raven. On the other hand, it seems to be inspiring an epic run of madness, which let's face it, is what lies at the heart of every epic Armchair Linebacker post.

Also, everyone who says we aren't men of science can get fucked because this proves that we are men of deep learning. Fuck, we're damn near doctors and not lame ones but the cool kind like Dr. Gonzo or Dr. Death.

Raven Mack said...

Oddly enough, the Mickey Rourke video from deadspin has now convinced me the only true path for this team moving forward is the Cannon of Sex. We may go 5-11, but one of those wins will be like against the Patriots or something stupid like that.

Miguelito said...


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text:
Atheist group targets Muslims, Jews with ‘myth’ billboards in Arabic and Hebrew
The American Atheists' president acknowledges that the pair of new billboards will likely cause a stir.
March 1st, 2012
05:00 AM ET

Atheist group targets Muslims, Jews with ‘myth’ billboards in Arabic and Hebrew

By Dan Merica, CNN

(CNN) – The billboard wars between atheists and believers have raged for years now, especially around New York City, and a national atheist group is poised to take the battle a step further with billboards in Muslim and Jewish enclaves bearing messages in Arabic and Hebrew.

American Atheists, a national organization, will unveil the billboards Monday on Broadway in heavily Muslim Paterson, New Jersey and in a heavily Jewish Brooklyn neighborhood, immediately after the Williamsburg Bridge.

“You know it’s a myth … and you have a choice,” the billboards say. The Patterson version is in English and Arabic, and the Brooklyn one in English and Hebrew. To the right of the text on the Arabic sign is the word for God, Allah. To the right of the text on the Hebrew sign is the word for God, Yahweh.

Dave Silverman, the president of American Atheists, said the signs are intended to reach atheists in the Muslim and Jewish enclaves who may feel isolated because they are surrounded by believers.

“Those communities are designed to keep atheists in the ranks,” he says. “If there are atheists in those communities, we are reaching out to them. We are letting them know that we see them, we acknowledge them and they don't have to live that way if they don’t want to.”

CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories

Silverman says the signs advertise the American Atheists’ upcoming convention and an atheist rally, called the Reason Rally, in Washington next month.

Atheists have long pointed to surveys that suggest atheists and agnostics make up between 3% and 4% of the U.S. population. That number increases when Americans unaffiliated with any religion are included. The Pew Center’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey found that 16% are unaffiliated, though only a fraction of those are avowed atheists and agnostics.

Silverman acknowledges that the pair of new billboards will likely cause a stir.

“People are going to be upset,” he says. “That is not our concern.”

“We are not trying to inflame anything,” he continued. “We are trying to advertise our existence to atheist in those communities. The objective is not to inflame but rather to advertise the atheist movement in the Muslim and Jewish community.”

The billboards will be up for one month and cost American Atheists, based in New Jersey, less than $15,000 each, according to Silverman.

Mohamed Elfilali, executive director of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, laughed when he learned the Arabic billboard would go up in the same town as his office. He says he’s surprised that someone is spending money on such a sign.

“It is not the first and won’t be the last time people have said things about God or religion,” Elfilali says. “I respect people’s opinion about God; obviously they are entitled to it. I don’t think God is a myth, but that doesn’t exclude people to have a different opinion.”

But Elfilali bemoaned the billboards as another example of a hyper-polarized world.

“Sadly, there is a need to polarize society as opposed to build bridges,” he says. “That is the century that we live in. It is very polarized, very politicized.”

The Brooklyn billboard is likely to raise eyebrows among Jews, in part because Orthodox Jews don't write out the name of God, as the billboard does.

“It is an emotional word, there will be an emotional response," said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, dean of Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future. "People will look at it in a bizarre way. People won’t understand why someone needed to write that out.”

To get around the prohibition, Jews usually use only one Hebrew letter in place of the word. In the Torah scroll, though, the word is found and it is pronounced Adonai, which means “my master.”

Rabbi Serge Lippe of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue was more dismissive than outraged about the billboards.

“The great thing about America is we are marketplace for ideas,” he says. “People put up awful, inappropriate billboards expressing their ideas and that is embraced.”

But Lippe acknowledged that there are a lot of agnostic and atheist Jews. A recent Gallup survey found 53% of Jews identified as nonreligious. Among American Jews, 17% identified as very religious and 30% identified as moderately religious.

“When you have two Jews in the room, you have three opinions,” joked Lippe.

American Atheists have used the word “myth” to describe religion and God on billboards before. Last November, the organization went up with a billboard immediately before the New Jersey entrance to the Lincoln tunnel that showed the three wise men heading to Bethlehem and stated “You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason.”

At the time, the American Atheists said the billboard was to encourage Atheists to come out of the closet with their beliefs and to dispel the myth that Christianity owns the solstice season.

The Christmas billboard led to a “counter punch” by the Catholic League, a New York-based Catholic advocacy group. The Catholic League put up a competing billboard that said, “You Know It's Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus."

Silverman says his group’s billboard campaigns will continue long into the future.

“There will be more billboards,” Silverman says. “We are not going to be limiting to Muslims and Jews, we are going to be putting up multiple billboards in multiple communities in order to get atheists to come out of the closet.”

- Dan Merica

Filed under: Atheism • Islam • Judaism • New York • United States

soundoff (5,946 Responses)
  1. Yosef

    Woopty doo. Someone knows the word "myth". They've proved absolutely, positively nothing.

    Yod – He – Waw – He
    Yod (י) – Arm, Hand, Work, Throw, worship
    Waw (ו) – tent peg, hook, add, secure, nail, establish, connect
    He (ה) – Behold, Look, Reveal, Breath

    Hand Behold Nail Behold
    or "Behold the hand that was nailed [to the cross]"

    May 29, 2013 at 11:58 am |
  2. ElDorado501

    Atheist attempt to hijack science with the symbol of atom makes me laugh! Atheism is belief in nothing, including science LOL

    March 3, 2013 at 8:59 pm |
  3. Deb

    "You know it's a myth...and you have a choice" Yeah, you have the choice to go to hell or not. I choose not, thank you.

    August 13, 2012 at 5:52 pm |
    • Atheist in Texas

      Hey Deb, if you are so religious, you must have read Lamentations 3:31-32

      December 12, 2012 at 2:10 pm |
  4. Mark

    forcing achild into ANY RELIGION IS CHILD ABUSE

    July 14, 2012 at 3:06 pm |
  5. Mike

    I do not think that we have to fight about the extistence of God.We have so many issue to take care of.I personaly believe in God who asks us to be good and love all humans.If we,humains had been good with straight conduct,we would not have needed prophets nor religions.The humans themselves altered everythings by politizing religions to serve their own interests and get more power.All three monotheist religions are the same but humans rewrote the Books in a way to make them become conflicting and different.

    June 13, 2012 at 10:31 am |
    • rob

      I agree with you Mike man has made God into his own IMAGE!

      June 13, 2012 at 2:04 pm |
  6. Gabe

    Ha, it's good to see the Catholics have a sense of humour! But yeah, I'm atheist, but I don't go around bashing other people. If you believe in something, more power to you. But what I can't stand is when people push their belief on others, regardless of what it is. The American Atheists just bring the rest of us a bad name.

    June 13, 2012 at 9:34 am |
    • rob

      Yes they do Gabe they turning into DOGMATIC FUNDEMENTALIST just like the religious people they oppose

      June 13, 2012 at 2:07 pm |
  7. zeus_z

    eulogy1337- how do you claim God doesnt exist? No one can disprove Jesus, the prophesies before him about him- and everything he did.

    People were killed and torutiured after his ascension spreading the word as he told them. His ressurection was the foundation of Christianity.

    Again this all comes down to you, and many like you think you know better than God. I am someone who believes, and I know I will be judged harshly for being a sinner.

    June 13, 2012 at 9:30 am |
  8. Matt

    Well that's rather combative and unnecessary

    June 12, 2012 at 11:23 pm |
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    May 15, 2012 at 5:43 am |
  10. Jack

    Atheists are the most disrespectful and arrogant people ever !

    April 28, 2012 at 11:31 am |
    • eulogy1337

      It's because we don't see anything worthy of being respected. What is respect-worthy of believing in something that has no good evidence? And I do mean religion, not people who happen to be religious.

      Religion, minus people, is disgusting. It attempts to enforce a closed system of thought, that must reject conflicting claims regardless of which is the more logical conclusion – if it simply accepted evidence when it was due, it would lose all credibility, because the "word of God" cannot be considered fallible. This is prime irrationality, and irrationality coupled with voluntary ignorance is the root of most evil. You perpetuate the idea that faith is a virtue, which provides justification for extremists. You tell people that God can talk to you, when there isn't really any god that is talking to them. Stress can cause invasive thought, and since it is so out of the blue, could it be mistaken for God's voice, in the mind of the convinced?

      Dogmatic belief, that is, a system of ideas that demand to not be challenged – how can you not see the harm in that? If I had absolute PROOF that your God didn't exist, you'd completely ignore it! How can this be regarded as a good thing, that you disregard new information on emotional grounds rather than logical? How can we continue to progress if conflicting evidence can't be accepted simply because it is conflicting with your beliefs?

      What is the difference between a religion, and a cult? Nothing, except for in some definitions of 'cults', they simply have less mind-slaves.

      I'm sorry if I come off as arrogant, but if you were an atheist you'd understand. When 99% of the people around you are delusional, and you understand why they are delusional, it can be really depressing. Sometimes, I feel like the only sober person in a car full of drunks, that refuse to let me drive.

      June 13, 2012 at 2:47 am |
    • rob

      I believe in God but your statement is not true The FUNDEMENTALIST INTOLLARANT Christians are just as BAD!

      June 13, 2012 at 2:11 pm |
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About this blog

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.