The Refuge of the Toads

[screwtape]

Fuck Jim, you were doing so well. And on the day Phil took you off ignore. Sad.

No coincidence. His tactic was to "lovebomb" us into thinking he was harmless. He came here to convert. He even told us from the beginning. #notallba'hai

Yikes, I'd better be careful then, as I am feeling vulnerable right now. I'm really bummed about that time-share I bought with my reverse mortgage. And both my naturopathic physician AND my chiropractor think I might have a depression due to my chakras being out of alignment. Hard being a Leo sometimes.

Yeah, and especially since being a Taurus I'm supposed to be skeptical. Good job all my crystals are working for me today, along with the micronutrients!

Actually, the only chemistry working for me today is some Kodak HC-110 with some (discontinued but frozen in the meantime) Plus-X. Black and white film still rocks!

[CommanderTuvok]

Are people here keeping up to date the latest on that Rolling Stone journalist who jumped the gun on "Jackie".

Quite a few sites are commenting on the emails that seems to show the moment Erdely's cognitive dissonance was punctured, and she realised Jackie might be a bit of a Billy Liar. I like moments like that. Like the moment a murderer realises they are going to be arrested. I wonder if the like of Amanda Marcotte still believe "Jackie"?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/gra ... th-jackie/

Quite a few gleeful people on Twitter talking about it. Of course, Carrier's accusers might be "Jackie's", but in the case of Carrier, I don't think so.

[Malky]

And both my naturopathic physician AND my chiropractor think I might have a depression due to my chakras being out of alignment. Hard being a Leo sometimes.

I had my chakras removed. Like wisdom teeth, they can be more trouble than they're worth.

But I just had them whitened!

There's your problem - I'm not sure they should be white :lol:

[Shatterface]

I was talking about this to my 25 yr old daughter last night, who is normally reasonably sensible. She had no idea who Caroline Aherne was or seen the Royle Family, so we watched an episode. She thought it was awful for middle-class people (aka Aherne) to make fun of poor people like that. And her Mrs Merton line about "So what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?" was sexist. :roll:

Aherne's father was a railway worker. Ricky Tomlinson's working class roots are pretty well known. Maybe you should show her the work he did with Ken Loach or Jimmy McGovern.

Its a very accurate portrayal of working class life, especially my own. We have that same sofa.

[Billie from Ockham]

For Phil and his countrymen:

[youtube]G5JGSFcA__Q[/youtube]

[screwtape]

The anti-Muslim propaganda that's popular here is ludicrous, and displays a pathetic lack of critical thinking.

Ah. Back to ignore, then.

Thank you, Phil. I'm relieved to know that a diet of frog's legs doesn't destroy one's brain. BTW, you would have loved the gigantic bullfrogs I visited today. There we have it frogs' legs - less dangerous to your brain than Islam!

[Kirbmarc]

According to a leading Saudi cleric (a true muslim), Bahai have some juicy secrets:

8 – They forbid their women to wear hijab, and they regard mut’ah (temporary marriage) as permissible, and they promote the sharing of women and wealth. It is very clear that this is a religion that strives to destroy moral values and spread permissiveness and immorality.

No wonder Jim doesn't want to discuss the details of his cult. They sound almost as naughty as the Columbus Circle polycule bunch. :oops:

I know that your post is at least in part satire, bur Saudi clerics are in no position of judging the sexual morals of anyone. You might as well quote what Ted Bundy said about the damaging effects of pornography. :lol:

[Kirbmarc]

Just a quick reminder that we're an atheism-schism board, and as such readers have selected a place where most folks don't think God wrote no book, so all those preachers and imams are liars and worse than neutral.

Of course. But some liars are worse than others. Bill Clinton is a known liar ("I never had any sexual relationship with that woman" :lol: ). Ted Bundy was a big liar, too ("Pornography turned me into a serial killer!" :lol: ). Clinton is much better than Bundy.

[HunnyBunny]

Actually, the only chemistry working for me today is some Kodak HC-110 with some (discontinued but frozen in the meantime) Plus-X. Black and white film still rocks!

My husband has a stash of Kodachrome 64 in the freezer, in the vain hope that one day, someone, somewhere will be able to process it. I offered him some small, lemon scented paper napkins for refreshment during the wait.

[Kirbmarc]

The underlying problem is that Baha’is are required to believe the Baha’i administrative order is infallibly guided by God in all its decisions. This means that questioning or ignoring even the smallest statement of a Baha’i institution is tantamount to disobeying God Himself, and can bring accusations of “weakness in the Covenant” which is a harsh spritual judgment and veiled threat of discipline.Any Baha’i who openly criticizes any plan or policy of the administrative order (especially a “Plan” published by the UHJ) is regarded as a dangerous influence on “the Friends” and will be pressured by leadership to conform and remain silent, even if his or her ideas make sense. Slander and backbiting will often follow if the critic persists, followed by official discipline and sometimes culminating in expulsion or excommunication.

https://bahaimirage.wordpress.com/2008/ ... th-a-cult/

Is this true, Jim? Sounds to me like you belong to a full-blown cult. The fact that you refuse to discuss your faith also tells me that there is something very wrong with it.

Yup, it's a cult. They're the Muslim Scientology. It's a sad state of affairs that these days they're not the worse that Islam has to offer.

[Guest_9bffa78b]

I'm a working class Brit from the north of England. Working class people in general loved the Royle family precisely because it was not making fun of us. They got it spot on and it was nice seeing ourselves on TV in a way that wasn't mocking or making us all into criminals like Shameless did.

CaughtUpLockedOut

[Matt Cavanaugh]

Uh oh -- Jimbo's happy pills are wearing off.

Or else maybe the all the nectarines and bananas I had this afternoon.

Well, cathartics are the way to go when you're completely full of shit.

[Lsuoma]

I'm in Phil mode: just cooking a bollock-burning chili with my nice new Henckels Zwilking knives (first time out!) and while I was chopping th Scotch Bonnets, I slice a piece of a fingernail off, plus a bit of flesh underneath because I was too lazy to make the claw. Well, fugger me, but those Scotch Bonnets burn like fuck. Plus I was stupid enough to put my finger in my mouth.

:burn: :burn: :burn:

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

I'm in Phil mode: just cooking a bollock-burning chili with my nice new Henckels Zwilking knives (first time out!) and while I was chopping th Scotch Bonnets, I slice a piece of a fingernail off, plus a bit of flesh underneath because I was too lazy to make the claw. Well, fugger me, but those Scotch Bonnets burn like fuck. Plus I was stupid enough to put my finger in my mouth.

:burn: :burn: :burn:

Ouch. Teaching my kids to cook, the mantra with knives and slicing is "fingers tucked, or you're fucked."

[johnself]

I'm in Phil mode: just cooking a bollock-burning chili with my nice new Henckels Zwilking knives (first time out!) and while I was chopping th Scotch Bonnets, I slice a piece of a fingernail off, plus a bit of flesh underneath because I was too lazy to make the claw. Well, fugger me, but those Scotch Bonnets burn like fuck. Plus I was stupid enough to put my finger in my mouth.

:burn: :burn: :burn:

Fucking hell. I didn't think you needed to slice something like a Bonnet (just put it in whole and take it out after an hour or two)?

[DaveDodo007]

Once you go BMW, you never go back - and that's coming from an ex-serial Jaguar nut.

My current whip:

http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a61 ... uxzncd.jpg

Had it for years and even though I'm forever saying I want to upgrade to an M5, I just can't bear the thought of parting with it. Nippy, comfortable and very, very reliable. Handles like a dream too.

Pity though that in a short while, the British roads won't be able to carry European cars anymore.

I always think it is nice when BMW drivers allow us other drivers to use their roads.

[ERV]

:twatson:

[MarcusAu]

I'm in Phil mode: just cooking a bollock-burning chili with my nice new Henckels Zwilking knives (first time out!) and while I was chopping th Scotch Bonnets, I slice a piece of a fingernail off, plus a bit of flesh underneath because I was too lazy to make the claw. Well, fugger me, but those Scotch Bonnets burn like fuck. Plus I was stupid enough to put my finger in my mouth.

:burn: :burn: :burn:

Ouch. Teaching my kids to cook, the mantra with knives and slicing is "fingers tucked, or you're fucked."

I bet they are glad it is you and not Saville teaching them to cook.

[Easy J]

I'm in Phil mode: just cooking a bollock-burning chili with my nice new Henckels Zwilking knives (first time out!) and while I was chopping th Scotch Bonnets, I slice a piece of a fingernail off, plus a bit of flesh underneath because I was too lazy to make the claw. Well, fugger me, but those Scotch Bonnets burn like fuck. Plus I was stupid enough to put my finger in my mouth.

:burn: :burn: :burn:

Way to bumblebrag about the Henckels. Some folks out there can only dream of taking that much finger off with a small slip up.

[ERV]

That hashtag is just a themed cringe dump.

:twatson:

[johnself]

That hashtag is just a themed cringe dump.

:twatson:

I'd love a picture of the crowd!

[Steersman]

Just a quick reminder that we're an atheism-schism board, and as such readers have selected a place where most folks don't think God wrote no book, so all those preachers and imams are liars and worse than neutral.

Of course. But some liars are worse than others. Bill Clinton is a known liar ("I never had any sexual relationship with that woman" :lol: ). Ted Bundy was a big liar, too ("Pornography turned me into a serial killer!" :lol: ). Clinton is much better than Bundy.

Marginally; leopards and spots and all that:

[Gumby]

That hashtag is just a themed cringe dump.

:twatson:

I'd love a picture of the crowd!

iStock_000000456917Small.jpg

(602.14 KiB) Downloaded 239 times

[Guestus Aurelius]

Are people here keeping up to date the latest on that Rolling Stone journalist who jumped the gun on "Jackie".

Quite a few sites are commenting on the emails that seems to show the moment Erdely's cognitive dissonance was punctured, and she realised Jackie might be a bit of a Billy Liar. I like moments like that. Like the moment a murderer realises they are going to be arrested. I wonder if the like of Amanda Marcotte still believe "Jackie"?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/gra ... th-jackie/

Quite a few gleeful people on Twitter talking about it. Of course, Carrier's accusers might be "Jackie's", but in the case of Carrier, I don't think so.

Hope I'm not ninja'd. The best part:

“The fact that her description of the assault itself had evolved from a ‘bad run in’ to forced oral sex to vaginal penetration did not concern me, nor did it cause me to doubt Jackie’s credibility,” Erdely wrote. “To the contrary, I found this to be entirely consistent with the behavior of a victim of sexual assault or other trauma. In my experience writing about trauma victims and sexual assault victims, I know that their stories can sometimes evolve over time as they come to terms with what happened to them and work through their own shame and self blame, and that this process can result in the victim revealing new or different details over time.”

[Malky]

The anti-Muslim propaganda that's popular here is ludicrous, and displays a pathetic lack of critical thinking.

If you have any criticism to make based on critical thinking I for one would be glad to hear it.

All I want to do is try to help you understand what I meant by "anti-Muslim propaganda," if you would like to. I've posted about that in the "Islam and Islamists" thread.

Jim your fundamental problem with Islam is that it is a religion that does not accept outsiders or any insiders who do not believe in the literal truth of the Koran. As the literal reading is set in the 7th century and reflects 7th century mores it cannot possibly fit into a modern enlightenment valued world without serious tweaking and reinterpreting accepted by the majority of mainstream Muslims who will shout down and close off the fundamentalists who do take it seriously. As a result while there are many individual Muslims who will fit this criteria the ones who matter from a political perspective are the regressives who are supported even if in silence by the majority. The Pew surveys on Islam attitudes bear out that the more western the society the more likely it is that enlightenment values are accepted, otherwise fundamental Koranic beliefs are more important. While this remains anyone who is not a Muslim has every reason to be chary of Muslims particularly since they practice taqqiya. This is not propaganda but a sensible line of approach.

[dog puke]

That hashtag is just a themed cringe dump.

:twatson:

"Bitches get shit done"

So much truth in only four words. :twatson:

[free thoughtpolice]

Where did Jimbo go? I thought he might want some anti-islam propaganda so I found this Ramadan Bombathon scorecard, apparently doesn't yet include the 160 dead in Baghdad in the latest bombing.
Has Whamblamadan ended yet or are they just slow on the update?
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

[Gumby]

Hope I'm not ninja'd. The best part:

“The fact that her description of the assault itself had evolved from a ‘bad run in’ to forced oral sex to vaginal penetration did not concern me, nor did it cause me to doubt Jackie’s credibility,” Erdely wrote. “To the contrary, I found this to be entirely consistent with the behavior of a victim of sexual assault or other trauma. In my experience writing about trauma victims and sexual assault victims, I know that their stories can sometimes evolve over time as they come to terms with what happened to them and work through their own shame and self blame, and that this process can result in the victim revealing new or different details over time.”

Yes, changing the story until the desired reaction is achieved is perfectly normal, and in no way impugns a person's credibility, as long as that person is a woman and she's talking about raep.
:roll:

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

And both my naturopathic physician AND my chiropractor think I might have a depression due to my chakras being out of alignment. Hard being a Leo sometimes.

I had my chakras removed. Like wisdom teeth, they can be more trouble than they're worth.

But I just had them whitened!

Wrong shak(i)ra?

[youtube]pRpeEdMmmQ0[/youtube]

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

That hashtag is just a themed cringe dump.

:twatson:

"Bitches get shit done?" What the hell as any of those panelists done? I know Marcotte and Watson, and the most they've done is undermine real liberalism and stirred up shit for profit.

[Steersman]

Actually, I'm not sure how popular anti-Muslim propaganda actually is here. I can only think of a few people that I've seen promoting it. Maybe my feeling that it's popular comes from not seeing any opposition to it, except from Kirbmarc, and even that looks very weak to me. All in all, it created doubts in my mind about how much critical thinking anyone here has done about it.

While we're forming our critical thoughts about Islam, why don't you regale us with the scientific and cultural accomplishments of Muslim-run countries to help us get a little perspective?

I shouldn't have said anything about critical thinking. I forgot that "critical thinking" doesn't mean the same thing to most of the people flying the banners of skepticism and critical thinking, that it does to me.

Considering your earlier insistence that "the words of the Koran are the words of God Himself", I think you've pretty well proven that you haven't foggiest idea what is entailed by those concepts. You talk a great game about "examining your own views for possible fallacies" yet you pointedly, and rather obnoxiously, refuse to consider that that claim about "the words of God Himself" constitute a rather odious and problematic fallacy.

As I said in that first comment, crazier than shithouse rats, the lot of you - with, at a stretch, the possible exception of those who don't take the Quran literally - i.e., not the word gawd but written by quite fallible if not psychotic men. Women might take some satisfaction in not being tagged as contributing authors to that decidedly odious and barbaric tome.

[BarnOwl]

A Pee Bidet Pitizens!

And Many A Pee Returns!!

[fuzzy]

'Bitches get shit done' would be a good logo for a scat gif.

[johnself]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cmd-EhKUIAErl5W.jpg:large
"heightened .. intellectually .. security", lol.

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

'Bitches get shit done' would be a good logo for a scat gif.

Or a brand of feminist laxative.

[jimhabegger]

According to a leading Saudi cleric (a true muslim), Bahai have some juicy secrets:

8 – They forbid their women to wear hijab, and they regard mut’ah (temporary marriage) as permissible, and they promote the sharing of women and wealth. It is very clear that this is a religion that strives to destroy moral values and spread permissiveness and immorality.

Is this a joke? free thoughtpolice quoting a Muslim cleric as an authority?

Just in case you're serious, I've never heard of any Baha'i authority forbidding women to wear a hijab. Divorce is allowed, if that's what you mean by temporary marriage. Apart from that, I've never heard of any Baha'i authority saying that temporary marriage is permissible. Baha'u'llah, whose writings are the supreme authority in the Baha'i Faith, said that a man can have two wives, but the person that He appointed as His interpreter interpreted "two" in that context as "one."

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

*Sigh*

[free thoughtpolice]

In rampant islamophobia news: Last week CBC news reported a muslimah wearing a hijab was assaulted by a woman in a supermarket. I recall the CBC announcer talking about this as a probable hate crime and mentioned that the assailant pulled at the hijab that the woman chose to wear (with special emphasis on the word "chose"). This story ran at the top of news hour for about three days and went silent soon after a suspect was charged.
Here is a follow up from the not always reliable rebelmedia:
http://www.therebel.media/exclusive_med ... his_be_why

[CaptainFluffyBunny]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cmd-EhKUIAErl5W.jpg:large
"heightened .. intellectually .. security", lol.

I imagine it's still okay to "kill all white men".

[Really?]

A picture of one of the many poly units at Skepchickcon:

Graham is self-loathing.

Fuck learning some new shit about HIV or whatever. This is science:

And of course, no Skepchickcon would be complete without a ton of inhibition-reducing booze. After all, what's the point of establishing complicated and arbitrary sexual conduct policies if you can't enforce them?

[dog puke]

In rampant islamophobia news: Last week CBC news reported a muslimah wearing a hijab was assaulted by a woman in a supermarket. I recall the CBC announcer talking about this as a probable hate crime and mentioned that the assailant pulled at the hijab that the woman chose to wear (with special emphasis on the word "chose"). This story ran at the top of news hour for about three days and went silent soon after a suspect was charged.
Here is a follow up from the not always reliable rebelmedia:
http://www.therebel.media/exclusive_med ... his_be_why

Yeah, I have really mixed feelings about Rebel Media, but they are spot on about this. Haven't heard a peep from Pravda the CBC or other big time media.

[jimhabegger]

The anti-Muslim propaganda that's popular here is ludicrous, and displays a pathetic lack of critical thinking.

If you have any criticism to make based on critical thinking I for one would be glad to hear it.

All I want to do is try to help you understand what I meant by "anti-Muslim propaganda," if you would like to. I've posted about that in the "Islam and Islamists" thread.

Jim your fundamental problem with Islam is that it is a religion that does not accept outsiders or any insiders who do not believe in the literal truth of the Koran. As the literal reading is set in the 7th century and reflects 7th century mores it cannot possibly fit into a modern enlightenment valued world without serious tweaking and reinterpreting accepted by the majority of mainstream Muslims who will shout down and close off the fundamentalists who do take it seriously. As a result while there are many individual Muslims who will fit this criteria the ones who matter from a political perspective are the regressives who are supported even if in silence by the majority. The Pew surveys on Islam attitudes bear out that the more western the society the more likely it is that enlightenment values are accepted, otherwise fundamental Koranic beliefs are more important. While this remains anyone who is not a Muslim has every reason to be chary of Muslims particularly since they practice taqqiya. This is not propaganda but a sensible line of approach.

I'm not sure you're interested in what I think about any of that. If you are, let me know, and I'll respond to it in the Islam and Islamists thread.

[free thoughtpolice]

Jim wrote:

but the person that He appointed as His interpreter interpreted "two" in that context as "one."

Maybe that muslim scholar just interpreted Bahai scripture differently. Sounds like interpreters get lots of leeway in the Bahai faith.

[Sunder]

Hope I'm not ninja'd. The best part:

“The fact that her description of the assault itself had evolved from a ‘bad run in’ to forced oral sex to vaginal penetration did not concern me, nor did it cause me to doubt Jackie’s credibility,” Erdely wrote. “To the contrary, I found this to be entirely consistent with the behavior of a victim of sexual assault or other trauma. In my experience writing about trauma victims and sexual assault victims, I know that their stories can sometimes evolve over time as they come to terms with what happened to them and work through their own shame and self blame, and that this process can result in the victim revealing new or different details over time.”

Yes, changing the story until the desired reaction is achieved is perfectly normal, and in no way impugns a person's credibility, as long as that person is a woman and she's talking about raep.
:roll:

It doesn't even require any overt intent to deceive. The longer the time between an event and a recollection, the more the subconscious will self-edit.

Again, good old Bigfoot Skepticism to the rescue. Anyone at all familiar with alien abduction stories and ritual abuse scares brought on by "recovered" memories would be suspicious of shifting narratives.

[Parody Accountant]

:twatson:

BWAHAHAHA

[AndrewV69]

The anti-Muslim propaganda that's popular here is ludicrous, and displays a pathetic lack of critical thinking.

Example(s)?

[fuzzy]

[youtube]PHfjdxN1URI[/youtube]

[jimhabegger]

... you pointedly, and rather obnoxiously, refuse to consider that that claim about "the words of God Himself" constitute a rather odious and problematic fallacy.

Was that another one of your implicit questions, where you forgot to put a question mark at the end? If so let me know, and I'll respond to it in my closet thread.

[Parody Accountant]

A picture of one of the many poly units at Skepchickcon:

Graham is self-loathing.

Fuck learning some new shit about HIV or whatever. This is science:

And of course, no Skepchickcon would be complete without a ton of inhibition-reducing booze. After all, what's the point of establishing complicated and arbitrary sexual conduct policies if you can't enforce them?

What the fuck?

Is this guy for real?

[johnself]

Jim, are you a member or otherwise associated with the Bahai fait/organization?

[MacGruberKnows]

My wife has decided she might like an ex demo (1000km) 2016 Mini S soft top identical to below.

We have an 8 yo Honda CRV with all the bells and whistles. (L). It probably only worth about 7-10k.

The plan is to get a second car, keep the Honda for son and daughter to learn and drive on, down size for the smaller per journey numbers now in play and use the Honda when a full load is required.

The Mini would be a big extravagance used daily but only in local area.

It's not an S (ie it's a 1.5 turbo) but is optioned up. Wife has always had a sporty car like this on her bucket list as long as I can remember. She test drove it today and loved it.

Deci$ions. Anyone had any experience here.

Please.

http://resources.carsguide.com.au/style ... le-(4).jpg

You have a very, very feminine wife.

[Parody Accountant]

who is the shirtless centurion? Is this a skepchick thing?

Why do they not cringe? I cringe for them. All of them. It's so loopy.

[jimhabegger]

Jim, are you a member or otherwise associated with the Bahai fait/organization?

I posted a response to that in my closet thread.

[Mr. X, Indeed]

And of course, no Skepchickcon would be complete without a ton of inhibition-reducing booze. After all, what's the point of establishing complicated and arbitrary sexual conduct policies if you can't enforce them?

Canned pineapple juice and what appears to be a drink mix out of a bottle. They aren't perfecting anything. That looks like a drink for a frat party.

[jimhabegger]

The anti-Muslim propaganda that's popular here is ludicrous, and displays a pathetic lack of critical thinking.

Example(s)?

See my post about that in the "Islam and Islamists" thread.

[jet_lagg]

I've had to work all weekend, and all I want to do is listen to my 90s playlist on youtube, but I'm inundated with these fucking Always feminist ads that want to teach me about the importance of keeping a girl's self esteem high even if she's a fat, unattractive, boorish, physically and emotionally inept failure at life. FUCK man. Just play my goddamn music so I can finish this data entry in peace.

I need another scotch.

[youtube]XjJQBjWYDTs[/youtube]

[Really?]

who is the shirtless centurion? Is this a skepchick thing?

Why do they not cringe? I cringe for them. All of them. It's so loopy.

I noticed something else...I guess Heina was there, but are there any other brown people around?

[AndrewV69]

Actually, I'm not sure how popular anti-Muslim propaganda actually is here. I can only think of a few people that I've seen promoting it. Maybe my feeling that it's popular comes from not seeing any opposition to it, except from Kirbmarc, and even that looks very weak to me. All in all, it created doubts in my mind about how much critical thinking anyone here has done about it.

We all know that the Salafis/Wahabi have declared war and are busy slaughtering everyone else including other Muslims who are not Salafi enough. That is not anti-Muslim propaganda.

Well, we have one outspoken person who would quite happily "nuke Mecca from orbit" but apart from that?

[BarnOwl]

Accessibiliy???

:twatson:

[Ape+lust]

http://imgur.com/An1vhxL.jpg



One of them will always steer discussion back to the time Richard Dawkins wronged her. But yeah, most people think she's a woman.