Posts by Abaddon

You are absolutely correct. It is our fault. I will never say otherwise. We will rue the day that we (as a collective--you are aware I didn't support the war) invaded Iraq. However, you guys are in the thick of it with us. Instead of getting grumpy with the American people, maybe you should direct some of that ire at Blair.

How, in responding to a sentence where I specifically mention the Bush Administration, and say I mention it so people won't think I am being anti-American in general, you can then ignore I said that and make out like I said it about you? Step away from the sceen Robdar, you're so into lashing out you ignore I make it obvious I'm not having a go at you or Americans in general.

And I could bore you silly with ire about Blair, thank you.

This: " Oh joy, what pearls of wisdom shall this observation hearald?" tickled me so much I have yet to stop laughing. Thanks for the belly laugh.

I'm glad you're laughing, I sometime worry you take this too seriously. Don't worry, you make me laugh too.

86

Stupid Brits!

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

we can take it!

c'mon tell us why we're so stupid, it can't be that difficult we elected tony blair for god's sake!.

.

Abaddon

Robdar

Of course you can take it, a Brit started this thread. You might not find it so funny if, say, a Frenchman started it.

Go on then Robdar, if you're so determined to prove the average Brit is as sensitive as some Americans are, go to it. Try and be mean. No one will ever accuse you of being anti-British. You're just joining in what we probably do better and know more about than you, trashing our own country. Maybe you should start a thread trashing the US to show how well you can take it when you start such a thread, as that seems to be your argument.

We don't have to be like some American's are. Britain doesn't have to be best at everything and uncriticized for Brits to feel okay about themselves. Saying we are shit is okay, especially if it's funny and at least partially true.

You DO take this stuff seriously though! Relax!

37

I walked out in the middle of the Watchtower Study yesterday............

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

i'm down to 1 meeting per week and that is even becoming difficult to attend.i read blondie's excellent reviews of the weekly watchtower study and that keeps my sanity when reading the weekly study.

yesterday,i walked out in the middle of the study and went home because of some comments that were made after the reading of paragraph 5.here is blondie's study article and one comment that was made at the meeting.. .

clearly, jesus was concerned that his followers too could become distracted by satan's world, even to the point that they might "return to the things behind.

Abaddon

blondie

Yes, Winston Smith works in MiniTru (the Minstry of Truth) re-writing history as party faithfuls lose their position and political allegancies are changed. I love that book, really hit me when I read it afterward, can't think what I was thinking of when I read it first at school, not to get it.

86

Stupid Brits!

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

we can take it!

c'mon tell us why we're so stupid, it can't be that difficult we elected tony blair for god's sake!.

.

Abaddon

Every year, it is sunny for three days in a row, and we declare a drought. Every year, we have an inch of snow and the country grinds to a halt. This happens every year, as if we had never seen snow or sunshine before.

Classic...

Where do I start? How we are far more liable to lock up woman for offenses a man won't serve jail time for, even if this destroys a family? That's stupid.

Lighter hearted... in Holland and I believe in the US there are electrical sockets in the bathroom, and light switches. In the UK, the light switches has to be one of those string pulls or outside the bathroom, and only shaver sockets are allowed. Despite the 'safety' this give the Brits, I have yet to see plies of bodies of people who got electrocuted turning on a light-switch with a wet hand in Holland. There's this insane 'nannification' treating people like they are idiots (because even in Britain we have idiots, LOL).

We pretend like we are still a world power. Our nukes were only ever aimed at France anyway...

We try hard to ignore all the shitty thing we did in days of Empire.

We prevaricate, excuse, justify and apologise for stuff that could be fixed if we were bothered enough, or avoid doing anything about it by reminiscing about the Blitz spirit or sucking down some newspaper fabricated scare.

We allow obscene intrusion into celebrity's private lives.

Most of us read 'newspapers' I wouldn't put under a cat. Although American journalism can be just as biased, apart from the usual suspects (National Enquirer et. al), it really is better quality on average than any of the traditional tabloids.

We put up with joke politicians and the divorcing of the voters from any real say in day-to-day politics.

We pretend we aren't part of Europe, like if we close our eyes and breathe quietly it will go away.

Despite the fact we know more about other countries than some nationalities, when we visit them we still tend to either be condescending, drunk, surprised at climatic extremes lower than 35 degrees F (0C) and over 70 F (21C), sun-burnt, indolently expectant of everything being like it is at home, combinations thereof or otherwise embarrassing.

We let Tony get away with it.

We say sorry too much.

We suck at at sport every sport we invented. Football. Tennis. Cricket. Rugby. Boxing.

We don't invest nearly enough in our future (education, research).

We vote in governments that slash tax for 17 years so we can afford a second car and then wonder why the schools, public transports networks and health service are in such a bad state. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

You know the Elgin Marbles? That's nothing. If the pyramids at Giza had been a little smaller, we'd have shipped them to the British Museum lock block and mummy.

I am so traumatised by this list I have to skin up...

Oh yeah, idiotic drug laws... that too...

61

Stupid Americans

by Mackin in

jw
friends

watch this and weep.. .

edit: for the benefit of americans, the interviewer is not john howard, the austrailan prime minister.

:-) .

Abaddon

Robdar

So you do have anti-American sentiments and you are self righteous about too. No surprise there. It is as I thought and you prove my point.

Slight problem with that. You don't have a point, QED. If you can distort 'anti-bad things' into 'anti-American' it is YOU who are making the causal link.

Remeber your sense of humour, Abaddon. You know, the sense of humor you are always telling Americans to have. Looks like you can't laugh at yourself but feel fine about passing around advice to others. Typical.

Ah, I see, someone with no sense of perspective telling me I took it out of proportion. I think you guys call that 'cute'.

I use stupid and gave my meaning. I can type out 'uninformed, 'insular', etc., but in this rare instance I favour susicintness. Funny how someone earlier said Americans 'get it' if they know it is meant to be funny, and you're at work (unfunny environment).

Either way, since the English are involved with us in Iraq and in the Middle East, I have to wonder why they are so self righteous and pissy and acting like it's all the fault of the US.

Robdar... it IS the fault of the US. Specifically the Bush administration, just in case you think I'm being anti-American in general. A subject for another thread maybe, but I'm surprised you can still think otherwise. Bad things may have happened anyway, but if a company was run like the US has run the Iraq invasion, the share-holders would bring in new management.

And I will probably agree with every negative thing you have to say about the UK being in Iraq, and never accuse you of being anti-British. Yes, I am rather proving a point, just not the one you thought.

Abaddon is English, correct? An English man living in the Netherlands.

Oh joy, what pearls of wisdom shall this observation hearald?

Ross

(in his usual verbose manner)

I ramble, therefore I am. So call me sesquipedalian. The 't' on your keyboard is sticky by-the-way ;-P

Love and kisses to you and your love from me and Kate.

And, aye laddie, I'm English, ya' mad wee kilty you. An I've nert te be afrai' o' with yon fine Hadrian's Wall confounding the devices o' the wee Picts living in the wilds beyond.

One thing I've never got Ross. How come the Scots (stereotypically) have this massive grudge against the English? I mean, you guys WON. Your King became our King, hard to see it any other way than as a total victory for the Scottish. I think the Scots Parliament should start taxing England... ooh, they do ;-)

Welsh during Rugby. English by simple dint of birth and upbringing (although I was almost born in Naples, or Australia) and quite happy with it I suppose, British by nationality, living with Dutchess (and kid) in Clogland on a bog in a windmill, wearing clogs and eating cheese and herring in between consuming massive quantities of drugs and porn, before a bracing walk around the red-light district... (sorry, Robdar has to write her own post, mustn't spoil her fun).

sammieswife

When Tony Blair ends his speeches, how does he end them?

Something along the lines of 'goodbye'. Currently a very very very long-drawn out goodbye. Like a five year-old playing cowboys and indians and not playing dead when he gets shot. No 'god' branding, or 'the UK and god are best buddies' sentiments.

When the Queen gives her speeches to the country, how does she end them?

Dunno, never watched one through to the end. What Ross says is far funnier than any likely reality though.

When talk show hosts end their broadcast on television and radio, how do the sign off?

Tune in again please, or words to that effect.

We used to play the National Anthem in cinemas and theatres, years and years ago. Dunno if they do it at football games normally, don't think so anymore.

The US stereotypical attitude is 'best place on Earth glad I am American don't disrespect me or mine I am proud of it'.

The UK stereotypical attitude is 'good god what a dreadful place, still some bits are lovely and I'd rather be here than anywhere else', and as slagging Britain of is a major hobby of the British will probably buy you a (warm) beer if you start to.

79

'THE DAWKINS DELUSION' New book responds to Dawkins 'The God Delusion'

by nicolaou in

in the wake of richard dawkins bestseller 'the god delusion' (which i and many others here have read) there has been a good deal of rebuttal from the 'faith' community.

now a new book is out published by alister mcgrath, professor of theology at oxford university.

it is entitled 'the dawkins delusion'.. has anyone read it or ordered it yet?

Abaddon

Ya know if someone jumped up and critiqued religions the way Dawkins does, but did so from the viewpoint of enlightened pantheism as distinct from atheism, got a following, set up a religious group, churches, etc., sort of New Age Unitarian...

... people wouldn't be that bothered. Oh, another religion, great. Yeah, they slag off other religions, but they sincerely believe in their 'god', so they can.

Dawkins critiques religion and religious belief.

He does so without pandering to the opinion of such groups that their opinions are somehow worthy of greater respect because 'god' is wrapped up in it, according to them.

Why on Earth should he talk with respect and reverence of the beliefs of followers of Thor, or Mohamed or Jesus or Joseph Smith or Ron Hubbard?

Because they think so?!!

It is a silly idea, it would be like talking to a rapist as if his opinion woman say no when they mean yes meant anything. You might not like that example, but YOU would find such a person delusional as he could not justify his beliefs to you, and because you cannot justify your beliefs to him, Dawkins thinks YOU are delusional too. I stress, you don't have to like it.

Of course Dawkins can look at it from the point of view of those who take umbrage. He's perfectly aware they expect 'special treatment' for their personal opinions about god, probably because they make such a racket when they don't get them people pander to them most of the time as it is easier.

But he keeps his own standards, not theirs. He isn't going to condescend and pretend he believes in stuff that is (to him) patent nonsense, treat them like silly little religious people who are stoopid or something, and will think he believes in god or is a nice chap anyway as long as he dresses it up all purty and puts a bow in its hair. He just says it how he thinks it is. Refreshing honesty... maybe that is what is so startling.

Shock!! Horror!! Nasty man doesn't believe in MY personal version of the ultimate invisible friend,,, OR anybody's!!!!!!

And then he has the nerve to say there isn't any evidence, and that all the claimed personal internal experiences are perfectly explicable with our knowledge of how our body's work... and that as none of the proceeding is rocket science, anyone who doesn't act in line with the facts is delusional.

How very dare he!!!

What next? Going back to "S'truth" and "Zounds" to avoid offending a random passing fundy? Complaining about some Danish cartoons of the great Pophet Mo', as some one had their feelings hurt??

LOL

Now, watch the reverse game; provided someone doesn't sink to base ad hom, lying or otherwise misrepresenting an atheist's beliefs, the atheist is probably not going to give a flying act of coitus if you think he is silly, stupid, delusional, whatever, on account of his or her beliefs.

Time to skin up, this is soooooooo fricking funny...

48

Creation scientist resources

by hooberus in

http://www.creationresearch.org.

http://www.icr.org.

http://www.icr.org/research/index/researchp_papers.

Abaddon

Don't get me started on sexual selection Derek!

It is a fave subject of mine (and I do mean in evolutionary biology as well as elsewhere!).

Not only is it likely the form of the human male's penis is the product of female sexual selection, sexual selection is a good candidate for being a main factor behind the development of intelligence as displayed by humans. The peacock had its tail, the giraffe perhaps its neck, and homo erectus (maybe) had its charm and GSOH - all of course mediated through the progressive development of language. This was a major plus as far as the ladies of the time were concerned, the genes selected were (thank god) not sex specific.

We cannot have developed intelligence as a result of the environment or environmental change, as we have ample evidence that intelligence is not necessary to survive any environment of environment change.

Our brains are vastly bigger than our ancestors needed, and require a ridiculous amount of the body's energy. They're simply not efficient as a survival tool.

However, sexual selection can force gross inefficiency; it's likely the big elk you guys had died out as a result of it all going horribly wrong, but there's good examples of inefficiency in putative sexually selected characteristics like the peacock's tail and maybe giraffe necks (after all, if being tall and all were such a great efficient way to survive, there would be more tall animals, just like if being intelligent like us was such a great efficient way of surviving they'd be other species with intelligence like ours). It's 'okay' to be inefficient at surviving if only the ones with the (inefficient for survival) sexual characteristics the chicks dig get to breed, as efficiency is precisely no good; imagine a peacock trying to persuade a peahen his drab tail was okay as it meant he got eaten less often... she'd be off after the next piece of real tail in a flash...

See, I told you... I got on one... a spliff and sexual selection... what more could a hippie nerd ask?

61

Stupid Americans

by Mackin in

jw
friends

watch this and weep.. .

edit: for the benefit of americans, the interviewer is not john howard, the austrailan prime minister.

:-) .

Abaddon

Robdar

That's because the world isn't out to get the Kiwis, Ozzies and Brits.

Oh my god! How paranoid can you get?! Or is it conceited?

How much anti-Kiwi sentiment have you run into lately?

See ME watch the Rugby World Cup when the Kiwi's play Wales and you'll have enough for a lifetime. When a country effects you in a negative way, you are liable to have anti-that country entiments. Doh. You're smart, stop knee-jerking and think woman!

How much anti America?

It isn't anti-America (sic), it is;

1/ anti telling a bunch of lies and invading a country using those lies as a justification and then ballsing up the invasion so badly the invaded country is an open sore on the face of the planet.
2/ anti stupid American politicians who, whilst they may not lie MORE than other (non-American) politicians, by benefit of the power they wield, have the most damging lies.
3/ anti stupid American companies raping the Earth's arse who, whilst they may not rape the Earth's arse more frequently than other (non-American) companies, by benefit of their size, do the most damage when they do.
4/ a failure to accept that American's on average are terribly ignorant about the world and are thus likely to make themselves idiots when dealing with the outside world. I've been asked by American students AND teachers (whilst teaching in American schools) "what language do they speak in England"!! Argh!!!!

However, given the above which is all caused by ACTIONS, and the same actions carried out by another country would result in the same reactions, it is not anti-American. It is anti-whatever the harmful/stupid behaviour is.

Apart from a small number of religious idiots who hate Americans as that is that they have been brainwashed to do, most people around the world don't have major issues with particular Americans unless a particular American does something unpleasent to them. The poor level of knowledge about the world Americans frequently demonstrate makes them funny sometimes, but finding American's FUNNY sometimes is NOT anti-American.

To reach that conclusion you must be drunker than most other English men

Oh, poor dear. There's a difference between being catty and PERSONAL and taking the piss out a generic group of people. Well done at bringing it down... your 'sense of humour' is a matched set with Bush's foreign policy.

Littletoe

Nationalism is a serious business, and you'll be hard pressed to find an American who can consistently take the p*ss out of his own country with you, without him eventually getting his feelings hurt by taking it personally. I think it's to do with social conditioning from birth.

Yup, but wait for the denials made by (typically ignorant about the outside world) Americans that they are no more nationalistic than many countries (which typically Americans haven't visited). LOL.

And Jeff, dude, are you so eager to assume the title of this thread meant all Americans? You're too smart to think there are NO stupid Americans... why didn't you assume this thread was about those American's who ARE stupid, rather than a statement that ALL American's are stupid? Oh,hang on... okay... I get it...

61

Stupid Americans

by Mackin in

jw
friends

watch this and weep.. .

edit: for the benefit of americans, the interviewer is not john howard, the austrailan prime minister.

:-) .

Abaddon

I have to agree... how over-sensitive can you get?

Think about it American posters... you got out of a cult, therefore you are probably NOT stupid.

Please note 'stupid' is being used in its everyday usage where it can refer to lack of knowledge as distinct to a poor level of intelligence..

As this is the case one has to point out;

Only 37% of young Americans can find Iraq on a map—though U.S. troops have been there since 2003.
6 in 10 young Americans don't speak a foreign language fluently.
20% of young Americans think Sudan is in Asia. (It's the largest country in Africa.)
48% of young Americans believe the majority population in India is Muslim. (It's Hindu—by a landslide.)
Half of young Americans can't find New York on a map.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/findings.html

And there's this;

Before chalking up this line of questioning to knee-jerk anti-Americanism at an avowedly left-wing gathering, consider the facts: Americans notoriously fail tests on geography and international issues. Most recently, Americans ages 18-24 placed eighth out of nine countries (beating only Mexico) surveyed in a 2002 National Geographic study on the topic. Fewer than 15 percent of US respondents could find Iraq or Israel on a map.
All of the other countries also scored better on identifying the US population than did its own citizens; nearly a third of Americans thought the country had between 1 billion and 2 billion residents. (The correct answer is about 300 million. But young people abroad didn't only know more about the United States, they also "had a stronger grasp on some issues that are beyond their own borders compared with Americans." Sweden, Germany, and Italy took top honors. Why? Their high levels of international travel and foreign language abilities, which the study found were predictive of a good score, are obviously easier to achieve within Europe for logistical reasons. Still, the disparity is depressing. Whereas 89 percent of young Swedes speak at least one other language and 92 percent reported having traveled abroad in the previous three years, two-thirds of their American counterparts are monolingual, and only 21 percent reported leaving the country in the last three years.

A 2001 study by the American Council on Education found that in terms of both international knowledge and interest, "travel abroad had the strongest positive impact on international knowledge," more than studying a foreign language or following the news.

According to a Stanford University report by Leon Panetta, a former member of the President's Commission on Foreign Laguage and International Studies and former White House chief of staff in the Clinton administration, "as citizens of a historically and geographically isolated giant, Americans remain far behind nearly every other nation's populace in their foreign language abilities and in their knowledge of the world around them."

http://www.irincarmon.com/lettheworldseeyou.html

If in doubt, take Oprah's test;

http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_2002/tows_past_20021105_quiz.jhtml

So comments about American ignorance of the world are as true as the male human:sheep ratio in New Zealand or of the fact Australian men from Queensland consioder a clean T-shirt formalwear, or the fact that the English say sorry a lot.

The difference is that the Kiwi, the Ozzie and the Brit don't take themselves so fricking seriously and would agree and laugh... they wouldn't immediately assume the rest of the world didn't like them and was out to get them...