tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225Tue, 25 Mar 2025 02:43:35 +0000religionidiocyrantcrapcomedythoughtsliberalsocietyarchivebigotrypoetrydeathnewsreconciliationThis space left blank.http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)Blogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-5821564925680632663Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:13:00 +00002010-01-01T23:13:50.133-05:00Now, back to business.Here is an article from the Huffington Post (i.e. Pseudoscience Central) by one Robert Lanza, MD.  Why did I need so desperately to tear into it?  The title is the hilariously misleading but oh so provocative  "Does Death Exist?  New Theory Says 'No'".  You'll find the title to my post a bit more accurate. Many of us fear death. We believe in http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2010/01/science-disproves-death-by-disproving.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)166tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-3875940847024820722Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:18:00 +00002009-12-31T21:18:42.880-05:00Wow.   Time really does fly.  If I didn't know better, I'd personally swear that it was still 1997 if I didn't vaguely remember celebrating a new millennium popping up at some point in the not so distant past.  So, maybe it's 2002? Anyway, enough about my inability to keep track of what year it is.  What can we expect to see in the years ahead?  Do we expect Obama http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-end-of-decade.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-7031523005129315702Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:25:00 +00002009-12-06T12:25:56.125-05:00Sorry.  Been in a coma for a month.  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it...) Anyway, global warming.  I haven't been keeping track of when this whole hacked e-mail debacle began, but I fairly certain that it happened around the same time that merry hordes across the internet and the media began to huff and puff about how some profound revelation was made by exposing these http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/12/e-mails-global-warming-soap-opera.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-996564024672378276Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:47:00 +00002009-11-05T16:47:25.341-05:00Good news everyone!  The tyranny of the majority has ruled against fairness and inequality in the name of their own personal disgust at people different from them yet again!  Everybody celebrate! Maine voters repealed a state law Tuesday that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay rights movement a heartbreaking defeat in New England, the corner of the country most http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-marriage-for-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-3777825036837854149Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:39:00 +00002009-10-30T20:39:35.971-04:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c For Fox Sake! www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis This segment really says it all. http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/10/fairly-unbalanced.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-2976575665031456215Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:24:00 +00002009-10-20T00:31:47.068-04:00 So, on the New Humanist website I took a quiz to figure out what kind of humanist I am (technically not one, that may be the problem here).  The options are Happy, Hedonist, Hounded, or Hardline.  From the options for some of the questions, you can tell which questions would result in you getting a result of "hardline":  ridiculous overreactions to anything the slightest bit http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/10/im-in-it-for-that-sweet-sweet-coveting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-3211335978431410374Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:14:00 +00002009-10-09T00:22:32.069-04:00[Why else would they feel compelled to construct an explicitly conservative Bible?] I first heard about this at (where else?) Pharyngula.  That bastion of all that is sane and rational about modern day American conservative known only as "Conservapedia" has decided to make a conservative translation of the Bible.  If that sounds ridiculous to you, good.  It's about to get http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/10/so-conservative-christian-was-oxymoron.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-8838113984064907399Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:13:00 +00002009-10-05T10:49:47.891-04:00Ahhhh, politics.  Things have been getting crazy ever since Obama got into office.  Collective political discourse is becoming more hysterical, irrational, and...whatever you would call Joe Wilson (surlier?).  Most of the blame, I place firmly on the shoulders of the Republicans.  Well, actually, it's not really blame.  All of the things described before are a clear sign http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/10/liability-to-your-own-side.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-2413616358716463159Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:38:00 +00002009-10-03T15:38:06.079-04:00Okay, in the next few posts that I manage to make I'm hoping to deal with some major religious...things.  Too vague?  I can't really come up with an all-encompassing term to describe them.  The idea of free will, the argument that the universe is fine-tuned (for...something...), the various implications that using naturalism/empiricism/whatever means that you are excluding "other http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/10/real-miracle-will-be-if-someone-can.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-8268358059666513400Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:11:00 +00002009-10-02T16:14:23.548-04:00I don't know...could be...it's not impossible... [furtive movement of eyebrows] All right, some explanation:  a new internet meme arose recently which involves insinuating that Glenn Beck raped and murdered a girl in 1990, often by mentioning it in the form of a question or using other such underhanded tactics.  This is to lampoon Mr. Beck's own use of such tactics.  Just read http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/10/did-glenn-beck-rape-and-murder-girl-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-735231845386920113Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:40:00 +00002009-08-26T00:50:25.033-04:00Let me state the bottom line of this at the very beginning. When you frame an argument as if it were a counterargument against a popular idea and, in fact, construct your own rendition of it in a manner parallel to the popular form, except slightly nudge it to show that the same reasoning can be applied to reach alternate conclusions, it is then dishonest to turn around and discuss this http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/08/amazing-pointed-counterpoint.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-211218045992920870Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:49:00 +00002009-08-02T12:28:00.382-04:00Today's topic is the afterlife. The one offering up the case for it is a man named Peter Kreeft, in a short essay here. It's entitled "The Case for Life After Death". I wonder if he actually made it, don't you? Let's see.Whenever we argue about whether a thing can be proved, we should distinguish five different questions about that thing:Does it really exist or not? "To be or not to be, that http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/07/life-after-end-of-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-4551464709925890920Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:19:00 +00002009-07-13T00:23:39.258-04:00The place where I occassionally "work" often has a local radio station playing. Much of it is just varied genre songs which, save for the token 2009 releases, are usually pretty good. But, recently, I have been hearing more advertisements on the station. As in, they are drawing my attention more. And one recurring ad in particular caught my ear. The advertisement was for a church (or http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/07/saying-one-thing-doing-another.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-5686061645750422086Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:51:00 +00002009-07-04T17:14:40.018-04:00Back a few posts ago, I alluded to a post about a website alleging to have a proof for God's existence I made and to PZ Myers of Pharyngula fame making a post about that same website almost a year after the fact. Well, apparently the person responsible for the site is a well known internet crusader named Sye TenB, and he is a bit of a one trick pony. The lines of argument illustrated on the http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/07/on-absolutism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-3404509986294236720Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:32:00 +00002009-06-25T11:51:03.529-04:00This post will be an examination of the first chapter of Michael Savage's book The Enemy Within: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on our Schools, Faith, and Military. The first chapter is called "Freedom: The Savage America," which serves effectively as a brief introduction to the other eight chapters of the book, which each address in more detail the eight areas that he mentions where http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/06/in-which-i-politely-take-exception-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-1967283658219908762Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:33:00 +00002009-06-20T17:48:07.607-04:00A once in a life time event has occurred: PZ Myers has put up a post covering something that I have already blogged about! I am the victor! Beat him by over a year, too! Anyway, since I don't have much else to say right now, to anyone who happens upon this post: do you have any interest whatsoever in seeing a chapter by chapter critique of Michael Savage's The Enemy Within (published http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/06/finally.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-4471234609414995893Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:01:00 +00002009-06-10T08:35:27.258-04:00A long, long time ago, in a galaxy that should look rather familiar to you, a young PZ Myers gave unto the world a label for a certain kind of argument that was hence forth known as a "Courtier's Reply". And there was much rejoicing. But, since it only functions as a label, it is important to know what errors, if any, are involved in the argument that fits the criteria and whether being a "http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/06/examination-of-courtiers-reply.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-3405964193575828971Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:41:00 +00002009-06-06T17:09:37.075-04:00This is the cover meme, which I was tagged with via Sunny Skeptic at Sunny Skeptic.  Rules:  name the worst and best covers done for a song , and tag 4 other bloggers to do the same.   I imagine it is like some sort of strange ponzi scheme, except with more Marilyn Manson.There are oh so many options, that I can scarcely bring myself to choose.  So, I'm pretty much just going to come up with the http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-am-familiar-with-all-internet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-6627515490204067124Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:14:00 +00002009-06-03T14:21:02.221-04:00The death of late-term abortion provider George Tiller at the hands of a pro-life fanatic (who once tried to bomb an abortion clinic prior to the murder) has revealed a particularly nasty streak in some members of the pro-life movement. No, I am talking about the killer himself.  I am talking about the people who refuse to say a bad word about him. First up, a published comment on the part of http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/06/worth-of-man-spoilers-less-than-fetus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-941011498420688793Sat, 30 May 2009 20:20:00 +00002009-05-30T22:44:24.763-04:00Okay, as a prelude to a long post, I give unto you, my adoring audience, a youtubular present.I truly do love myself some rap music.Anyway, for this post, lovingly crafted at the very end of a month in which I have posted next to nothing, I have decided to delve into the same Christianity Today article that was brought up over at The Pharyngula.  It is an article authored by philosopher Alvin http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/05/everything-you-believe-is-convenient.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-5509141513716309109Fri, 08 May 2009 23:28:00 +00002009-05-08T22:36:47.794-04:00Sure, many people have been warning us about it from the outset, and yet there was only a single case for the longest time.  And then, suddenly, bam, 2009 and its running rampant, spreading from state to state with incredible speed and much fear and outrage in its wake.  It has yet to be seen whether it will become a pandemic, or if it will be fought off.  But, nonetheless, it has happened:  http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/05/outbreak-and-paranoia-treatment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-4362584442098138091Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:52:00 +00002009-04-28T14:05:40.583-04:00I give to you a video that is in much the same spirit as a variety of internet chain letters.  Go ahead. Play along.I think that this video has a message that we can all agree with. Except, I like playing games, so I am mildly offended!  I kinda wish that it was a serious video, so that I could either try to determine if they had a novel trick in getting a predictable response [like using the http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-day-afternoon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-1917832136503688688Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:14:00 +00002009-04-23T23:55:45.036-04:00For whatever reason, be it because of having a culture that makes the word "elitist" into a slur, or due simply to a pathological desire to see victories for the underdog, there seems to be a lot of stories, fictional or otherwise, focusing on the conflicts between professors and students.  Usually, the student is portrayed as being in the right, and either finds a way to outwit oppressive and http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/student-vs-professor-timeless-battle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-7030114976674611497Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:18:00 +00002009-04-20T20:11:32.835-04:00It's Hitler's Birthday!  In celebration, here's another Hitler singing routine:It's the anniversary of the Columbine Massacre!  In celebration, here's some KMFDM:It's 420!In celebration, here is THE TRUTH.It's the beginning of Ridvan! In celebration...what the hell is Ridvan?Okay, okay...I'll stop now...http://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/its-420-you-know-what-that-means.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5533081609065951225.post-1104150012200684008Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:10:00 +00002009-04-18T22:33:14.600-04:00Now, normally I am not afraid to be partisan:  I am not embarrassed to be liberal, and I will insult conservatism in American culture freely and with minimal remorse.  But, you see, in light of my recent post on Tea party protests, I felt like my images may have been unfair and misrepresented the protests by showing the most extreme views.  Well, actually, no, I don't care.  That was just a claimhttp://madmansparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/this-blog-is-now-officially-nsfw.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Asylum Seeker)9