Got to luv this,,,a good chuckle

Must read the comments,,,some excellent points are brought to light concerning the origins of the -golden rule. All-in-all is still a good chuckle!!

Where Did the Golden Rule Come From?

The last line says it all

The original article was posted at Myth: Atheist Critiques are Simplistic, Don't Understand Sophisticated Theology. Where Austin Cline asks the following question "Should Atheists Study More Sophisticated Theology to Address God, Religion?"

In my mind's eye I find this question to be almost rhetorical. I was/am a ex bible and theology major and last I knew religious, belief was, well religious belief. As Cline says, "This sort of response allows believers to imagine that somewhere out there is a sophisticated, complex, and wonderful set of religious beliefs which is just too much for atheists to handle."

Cline then goes on to point out:

The most sophisticated version of a bad idea doesn't rescue that idea from being bad; the most sophisticated belief in something false doesn't rescue that belief from being false. Even if we grant that there are indeed genuinely sophisticated theological ideas, arguments, and beliefs, none of that matters if the ideas and arguments are bad and beliefs are false.

In all reality tho, I think a comment left at The Damned in reference to the above article sums it up the best:

You can’t talk about 2nd base until you demonstrate there is a 1st base.

Writing Voice,,,what's mine?

For those interested in writing, this author offers some great insights into the process. Who hasn't' dreamed of writing a best seller, I know I have,,,lol.

After the third time I had taken the class I realized that it was a matter of trying to tap into a source inside me and write from there, speak from there, discover from there. This voice was both familiar and new, but it wasn’t mine until I wrote it down and worked with it.

Ah the ole writing voice,,,I've never been good at this aspect of my writing, or have I?? I can be serious or light I guess it depends on the topic of interest. One thing I have discovered through the course of my blogging "career" - just be me. I have found that if I just let things flow I get more production (for lack of a better word). I do not edit much except for the occasional typo and maybe wordiness, but other than that, what you see is what you get.

The one fly in this delusional ointment was the fact that sitting down to write something engaging was much more difficult than I could imagine,,,To find my voice, I needed to spend more time writing. I began thinking about writing all the time,,,

Isn't that the truth!! I have about 20 post started but not yet finished. They are a bit "deeper" than my usual rants and raves. My problem tho is more to do with quality time to write. And yes, I think about writing all the time, is why I keep a note book with me, if not I would have many napkins laying about.

The single greatest lesson I’ve learned is to write what I feel inspired to write, and to accept the fact that only about one tenth of what I produce will make it into print. In some odd way this has taken the pressure off me to hit the nail on the head when I write something. Instead I can focus on trying to convey a thought or a feeling, and allow myself the luxury of rewriting it until my voice is as clear as possible.

Some articles I read spark a nerve, ie. issues surrounding mental illness, and I can spend an hour or two writing. Others, need a bit more kindling and may take two or three sittings. And then there are the duds, no matter how much I want to write, nothing comes out.

In the grand scheme of thing, I write what I do because it hits a nerve in some way. It interest me, and I hope those of you who visit my blog. I have fun doing this, and learn some new things in the process.

Do I want to publish a book? You betcha, I actually have two outlines and one rough draft written. I just don't have the quality time I need to do it properly. Some day tho, but in the mean time y'all get my rants and raves.


Finding Your Writing Voice without Losing Your Mind | World of Psychology

Oh Sweet!!

Call me crazy but I love shit like this. There is nothing like a good debate and I love learning. I have one of those jobs that allows me to listen to musics or whatever floats my boat, so listening to pod casts on various subjects fits the bill.

Thank you Luke Muehlhauser of Common Sense Atheism for making this list available and John W. Loftus Debunking Christianity for directing us heathens to this list.

[Luke also mentions another blog Agnostic Popular Front - Debates. A blog devoted to/about debates about theism, non-theism, creationism, evolutionism, etc. I haven't had time to explore that site yet but am definitely going to dig into it soon.]

1,500 Reported Missing as Teams Search Tornado Wreckage

This is just horrid or any other adjective you may think of to describe this situation. Hoping that those unaccounted for are found safe. My thoughts to those that are struggling to deal with the mess,,,PEACE!!

1,500 Reported Missing as Teams Search Tornado Wreckage - NYTimes.com

Searching 2??

Found this whilst flipping thro Debunking Christianity. Some great info here for those interested in some heavier research or reading materials. There are some more tips in the comment section: Debunking Christianity: How to Get Academic Papers for Free

The original posting for this article at Common Sense Atheism How to Get Academic Papers for Free, again check out the comments.

Some great stuff thanks to both sites for publishing said information.

Update

Just a quick update--added a new page to blog that will highlight non-theistic blogs and sites I visit. If you have any suggestions feel free to drop me a comment,,,please make mention as to why you like the blog/site you would like to include. I have many in my list to add but will take time as I would like to highlight the site(s) as best as possible.

I enjoy blogs/sites that deal with a person's de-conversion and how they have come to see reason.

Ugh!! Why do I read the news,,,

"If you're going to try to make me feel bad, you're not going to do it," Fick told WNEM-TV in Saginaw on Monday.

And that folks is what is so infuriating. Regardless of what the federal guidelines say or don't say, which has me baffled, what this man is doing IMHO is morally wrong. Also, if he is in need of food stamps why is he buying lottery tickets??

$2M Michigan lottery winner defends use of food stamps

Update: Another WTF moment

My original posting Another WTF moment.

The saga continues, IMHO nothing this woman says should be trusted. But what of the culpability of the media?

Personally I find these beauty contest disgusting. No good can come from them and nothing a person can say will change my mind. And while we are at it, $200?? WTF! What else would this mother(f*cker) sell for that amount, pathetic to say the least.

'Botox mom' recants story she injected daughter

This is not making me smile one bit

Altho I am no longer on medication for my bipolar. I find this article a bit disturbing and feeds into my "paranoia" as to why I don't use medication.

A bit of back story into my decision to not medicate.

Diagnosed in 1997 as bipolar, rapid cycling and mixed states with psychotic tendencies,,,perscribed paxil, lithium and zyprexa,,,paxil dropped after 17 days due to acute manic state. Lithium helped stabilize my condition but over time developed temors and what I can only describe as a "black hole" in my emotional affect. Switched to depakote in 1998 and continued until 2001; I believe this is also when I stopped taking zyprexa as well. I did very well on the depakote the only downfall, massive weight gain--111 pounds in less than 6 months. I also still had tremors tho not as acute as with the lithium. I also suffered from acute muscle fatigue making walking difficult especially after the weight gain. [I have since lost 95 pounds but re-gained 40, took 10 years to get that amount of weight off. I am not happy about the recent weight gain but am working at losing it again.]

After consulting with my psychiatrist and my general doctor I decided to stop my medication altogether (2002?). I could no longer handle the continued weight gain and I was experiencing unexplained pain in and around my liver area. Also about this time is when many medication where being blackboxed or completely pulled off the market. The final straw for me was the "alleged" link between psychotropic medication and diabetes, I was diagnosed in 2004(5). At this point every medication I had been on in the last 5-10 yrs fell into the blackbox/pulled category, including my medication for arthritis.

My decision to stop my medications was an informed one and not a delusional one. In other words I didn't just quit taking it because I felt I was better and didn't need them. I stopped because I felt as if my medication was killing me. It was not an easy decision, it has forced me to be in tune with what my body was telling me and to realize my limitations.

So whay does this article upset me:

Abilify (aripiprazole) is an atypical antipsychotic medication commonly used to treat schizophrenia and acute mania. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder – to prevent the recurrence of mood episodes. Unfortunately, evidence proving the effectiveness of Abilify as a maintenance medication for bipolar disorder is scarce and questionable.

An article published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine (Tsai et al) looks critically at the scientific evidence that supports such widespread use of this medicine for maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. They found only one blind, randomized, controlled trial to support the use of Abilify in the long-term maintenance of bipolar disorder.

This whole story is a travesty for the medical profession – and for psychiatry in particular. We are prescribing a medication in massive numbers with woefully inadequate scientific research to support it,,,

And that folks is why I no longer take medication for my bipolar!!

[On a side note: I also discontinued my initial diabetes medication after 10 months due to the same issues. It wasn't until last year that I re-started a different med combo. So far so good. I am lucky tho that my GP is very open minded, she understands my issues and didn't poopoo it away. We were able to find medications that I was comfortable with taking and also work well to control my sugar levels. I learned the hard way that messing with diabetes is not a good thing as it nearly killed me.]

Abilify | Aripiprazole | Bipolar Disorder | Maintenance | Bipolar Beat

It's all about money

I have wavered back and forth,,,include this article or "ignore" it. Not that it's highly inflammatory, but because it comes out of nowhere so to speak. What I mean is that the article, IMHO, appears to assume that you know who David Barton is and what he exposes on a daily basis. For the sake of brevity I am going to assume that y'all do know who David Barton is.

The author of this piece bring a very interesting thought to the table as noted in the title-- "Selling the Idea,,,":

Some of that is because of the skill of Barton and his organization WallBuilders at ideological entrepreneurialism. Barton’s intent is not to produce “scholarship,” but to influence public policy. He simply is playing a different game than worrying about scholarly credibility, his protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. His game is to inundate public policy makers (including local and state education boards as well as Congress) with ideas packaged as products that will move policy.

The Christian Nation “debate” is not really an intellectual contest between legitimate contending viewpoints. Instead, it is a manufactured “controversy” akin to the global warming “debate.” On one side are purveyors of a rich and complex view of the past, including most historians who have written and debated fiercely about the founding era. The “other side” is a group of ideological entrepreneurs who have created an alternate intellectual universe based on a historical fundamentalism. In their drive to create a usable past, they show little respect for the past as a foreign country.

I must admit it is a different take on a complex problem. Altho looked at from the authors viewpoint there is no problem, there is no debate--it's all about money.

Selling the Idea of a Christian Nation: David Barton’s Alternate Intellectual Universe

The blame game

This piece makes some excellent points,,,the only thing that I would add educate yourself. IMHO that is so important.

Bipolar Disorder: Blame the Illness Not the Person

Searching??

Some basic search tips that may come in handy. Always good to have reminders.

Stop Wasting Time - How to Search Like a Pro

Scary sh*t

Wow!! is all I can say. Normally I wouldn't even comment on something like this but this "power-duo" needs some more looking into. I try to avoid political stuff so as not to cause any discord, but these two are scary. Bachmann is fairly well known but this Dean/Smith character I have never heard of before reading this article. May have to do a bit of digging.

Michele Bachmann’s Head-Banging, Gay-Bashing BFF

Can humor and Hitler be used in the same sentence?

Found this quite interesting--

Dead Funny: Humor in Hitler's Germany by Rudolph Herzog

Pretty sweet,,,

I'm not a huge Idol fan tho do find the music enjoyable. Think this was a neat thing that Josh Turner did,,,a win-win in my book!!

Scotty McCreery Surprised By Josh Turner At Homecoming Concert - Reality Rocks

Another WTF moment

Mom Defends Decision To Give 8-Year-Old Daughter, Britney Campbell, Botox (VIDEO)

Books by Frank Herbert

This was originally posted in one of my old blogs. At the time I was attempting to acquire the remainder of Frank Herbert's fiction as hardbounds with a "dream" of maybe getting my hands on a few first editions. [I had all his novels as paperbacks but wanted to upgrade.] Recently I was in conversation with a fellow chatter who expressed interest in Herbert's works other than the Dune chronicles. So here goes:

Original Dune Chronicles (not including those published by his son Brian with Kevin Anderson)

Dune
Serial publication: Analog December 1963–February 1964 (Part I, as "Dune World"), and January–May 1965 (Parts II and III, as "The Prophet of Dune")
First edition: published by Chilton Books, 1965

Dune Messiah
Serial publication Galaxy, July–November 1969
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1970

Children of Dune
Serial publication Analog, January–April 1976 "Children of Dune"
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1976

God Emperor of Dune
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1981

Heretics of Dune
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984

Chapterhouse Dune
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1985


WorShip novels

Destination: Void
Serial publication: Galaxy: August-1965 as "Do I Wake or Dream?"
First edition: Berkeley, 1966 (revised in 1978)

The Jesus Incident (with Bill Ransom)
Serial publication: Analog, February-1979
First edition:

The Lazarus Effect (with Bill Ransom)
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1983

The Ascension Factor (with Bill Ransom)
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1988

ConSentient novels

Whipping Star
Serial publication: Worlds of If, January–April 1970
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1970

The Dosadi Experiment
Serial publication: Galaxy, May–August 1977 "The Dosadi Experiment"
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977

Other novels

The Dragon in the Sea
Serial publication: Astounding, November 1955–January 1956
First edition: Doubleday, 1956
Also titled: Under Pressure and 21st Century Sub

The Green Brain
Serial publication: Amazing, March-1965 as "Greenslaves."
First edition: Ace, 1966

The Eyes of Heisenberg
Serial publication: Galaxy, June–August 1966 as "Heisenberg's Eyes"
First edition: Berkeley, 1966

The Heaven Makers
Serial publication: Amazing, April–June 1967
First edition: Avon, 1968

The Santaroga Barrier
Serial publication: Amazing, October 1967–February 1968
First edition: Berkeley, 1968

Soul Catcher
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972

The Godmakers
Serial publication: Astounding, May-1958 as "You Take the High Road" Astounding, February-1959 as "Missing Link" Astounding, May-1959 as "Operation Haystack" and Fantastic, February-1960 as "The Priests of Psi"
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972

Hellstrom's Hive
Serial publication: Galaxy, November 1972–March 1973 as "Project 40"
First edition: Doubleday, 1973

Direct Descent
Serial publication: Astounding, December-1954 as "Packrat Planet".
First edition: Ace Books, 1980

The White Plague
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1982

Man of Two Worlds (with Brian Herbert)
First edition: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1986.

A true hero!!

There is nothing that I could add to this story. RIP Lt. Murphy, may your family find solace and peace in your honor and valor.

Navy SEAL honored with warship bearing his name

I'm hoping this is just satire

After reading this I think I need to add a new category,,,WHAT THE F*CK!! Enough said, it's too early in the morn to lose any sense of positive thought.

Sunday World

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Thanks to The Damned - Atheist Blog Collective for the heads up on this article.