Religion creates another atrocity, god is great, eh?  Listen Muslims and Christians... stop the fighting.  You're both wrong, it's time to act like rational grown-ups and throw off your archaic belief system, you are destroying civilization, and will continue to do so until we're gone.  Abandon your superstitous nonsense, and evolve already!  Ask yourself, what solid proof to you have to believe in your God.  If what you have is a holy book, remind yourself that hundreds of holy books exist for hundreds of gods, and you don't believe in any of them, so obviously a holy book is not sufficient proof.  Throw off your superstitious nonsense, and embrace things you know exist like humans for example.  Make no mistake, today millions of folks around the world who have no belief in a god are sad for the people who were affected by this needless loss of life, just as we've been sad about all the other atrocities committed in the name of religion throughout the ages.  Our thoughts are with the billions who have been negatively affected by religion since the dawn of time, and always are.  In fact my life is dedicated to ensuring these sorts of things don't continue to happen, you can start by breaking the cycle... throw religion off today!  

Quote:Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 11 people before being shot and wounded by police at Fort Hood, had said Muslims should "rise up" and attack Americans in retaliation for the US war in Iraq, a former army colleague said.  Col Terry Lee, a retired officer who worked with him at the military base in Texas, alleged Maj Hasan had angry confrontations with other officers over his views.  Maj Hasan was reportedly fighting orders to be deployed to Iraq at the end of the month, claiming that he was the victim of harassment and insults because of his Arab background and his faith.

The major is a psychiatrist who had been treating soldiers returning from Iraq for post-traumatic stress and alcohol and drug abuse problems. "He was making outlandish comments condemning our foreign policy and claimed Muslims had the right to rise up and attack Americans," Col Lee told Fox News.  "He said Muslims should stand up and fight the aggressor and that we should not be in the war in the first place." He said that Maj Hasan said he was "happy" when a US soldier was killed in an attack on a military recruitment centre in Arkansas in June.  An American convert to Islam was accused of the shootings. Col Lee alleged that other officers had told him that Maj Hasan had said "maybe people should strap bombs on themselves and go to Time Square" in New York.

He claimed he was aware that the major had been subject to "name calling" during heated arguments with other officers.

source

Quote:FORT HOOD, Texas -- The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded.  Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have pushed Hasan, an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.
Cone says Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk.

Hasan was shot four times during the rampage. Cone says he is hospitalized in stable condition and that military officials will interrogate him as soon as possible.

source

Quote:

Hasan's aunt Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Virginia, told the The Washington Post that her nephew had been harassed about being a Muslim in the years after the September 11 attacks and he wanted to leave the Army.

"Some people can take it and some people cannot," she said. "He had listened to all of that and he wanted out of the military."

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

Investigators had not determined for certain whether Hasan was the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

source

Quote:

Hasan had been telling his family since 2001 that he wanted to get out of the military, said a spokeswoman for his cousin, Nader Hasan. Hasan told his family he had been taunted after the September 11 attacks, the spokeswoman said.

"He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy," his cousin told the New York Times. "He had people telling him on a daily basis the horrors they saw over there."

---

Hasan would also ask the owner whether he planned to attend Friday prayers. The owner would say he was too busy.

Hasan said he would be deployed to Afghanistan soon, the owner said. 

---

A former neighbor of Hasan said he lived in a highrise apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, with another man, apparently his brother, and that the two appeared friendly.

"They had some Arabic signs out there, and I asked them what they meant," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. The other man, who routinely wore a chef's outfit, told her it was a prayer, she said. "They seemed like they were nice people," she said.

The two men moved out three or four months ago, which she noticed because the Muslim prayer had been removed from their door.

"Honestly, they seemed like very cool, calm guys, and religious guys," she said. "It's kind of strange."

According to military records, Hasan was born in Virginia, and a federal official said he was a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent.

Military records show Hasan received his appointment to the Army as a first lieutenant in June 1997 after graduating from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a degree in biochemistry.

source

Today is the day, on the Don Imus show Bill Maher referred to himself as an atheist very explicitly for the first time that I am aware of.  

Here is his page on Celebrity Atheists with the update: http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Bill_Maher

NOVEMBER 2009 ON IMUS - MAHER REFERS TO HIMSELF AS AN ATHEIST

November 1, 2009 on Imus, Bill Maher finally accepts that the term atheism describes him best when relating to Richard Dawkins and his atheism lacking absolute certainty:

"Neither me nor my girl believe in God or marriage, so there's not gonna be a big church wedding... I always say I don't know. Even Richard Dawkins a man whose name has become synonymous with atheism says he puts a scale of 1 to 7, 1 being absolute certain there is a god and 7 being absolutely certain there isn't, and he says even he's a 6.9. Because no one knows for sure what's out there. He says yes there could be a god and there could be a spaghetti monster out there, but it doesn't look like it. To me it was always great fodder for comedy. There isn't a week that goes by that there isn't something hysterically funny if it's not tragic, having to do with religion. My recent favorite example was at the Michael Jackson Memorial Stevie Wonder said 'we needed Michael but God needed him more.' And I thought really God needs people, God needs singers, God is up there saying 'Jesus, nothing on, get that Michael Jackson up here.'

Imus then asks if Hitchens is a 7. Bill Maher responds "he may be, I think we're just talking semantics at some point, we are all atheists (referring to Dawkins, Hitchens, and himself), which means we don't believe in a deity, we don't believe in a magic spaceman, and we think people that do, have a neurological disorder and they need help."

And on religion in general he said "When I hear from people that religion doesn't hurt anything, I say really? Well besides wars, the crusades, the inquisitions, 9-11, ethnic cleansing, the suppression of women, the suppression of homosexuals, fatwas, honor killings, suicide bombings, arranged marriages to minors, human sacrifice, burning witches, and systematic sex with children, I have a few little quibbles. And I forgot blowing up girl schools in Afghanistan."

The following is a repost from Hemant Mehta the Friendly Atheist.

Go, LAPD!

The Los Angeles Police Department wants to stop working with the organization that runs its Explorer program for youths because the group is linked to Boy Scouts of America, which bans gays from becoming members.

The organization, Learning for Life, was spun off from Boy Scouts of America.

A department official told the Police Commission Tuesday that the Boy Scouts policy is “inconsistent” with the city’s policy of non-discrimination. He suggested that the department manages the Explorer program itself.

Learning for Life officials say the organization does not discriminate and does not take funds from the Boy Scouts.

They ban atheists, too, even though that’s not mentioned in the piece above. And that that last comment from Learning for Life officials skews the truth. There may be no funding from the Boy Scouts directly, but there is definitely a connection with them. READ MORE »

I feel the need to highlight the recent trials and tribulations of Sunsara Taylor with the Ethical Society of Chicago as she is a friend of mine, and this issue is of obvious importance to her.  Sunsara has given me the fuel to give brief mention to a past issue I feel that the Ethical Society of Philadelphia helped hinder the advancement of non-believer unity in Philadelphia.  If you can believe it Sunsara is even more of a rabble rouser than I am, while she staged a scene, I quietly backed away and just pretended it never happened.  Today I speak up, because of Sunsara.

About two years ago a group was formed called PhillyCor, I'm close with quite a few people involved in the forming of the group.  The group was formed to connect local freethought and humanist groups, and RRS is based out of Philadelphia. Being that we had the largest global presence of any of the groups in Philadelphia it made sense for us to be involved, and we would've embraced the role.  We would've adapted to fit within the groups model, we would've helped raise money, and most importantly spread the word on a much larger scale than the group was capable of.  In fact this is the first time I ever link to the group, because when the opportunity arose for RRS to be in the group, the Ethical Society essentially stated it's us or them.  

If you're from the Philadelphia area you'd know well that the Ethical Society of Philly owns a gorgeous building in the center of town that is frequently used for freethought gatherings by the groups currently in PhillyCor, and this was considered to be an important piece of the puzzle.  In fairness, this wasn't the only issue, there were also some rumors that muddied that waters, the point is I didn't find their ethics to be those I'd share.  While it may seem understandable to exclude a confrontational group, it's not understandable that they never asked us to address their concerns which I believe were based on lies and misrepresentations made about us.  Their action spits in the face of the inclusive nature that the group was designed for.  It's hard to have a coalition when you exclude the largest and most recognized group from your target area.  Today I'm actually glad I'm not part of the COR considering the recent acceptance of money and connection to Greg Epstein that is permeating COR groups.  If you don't know about Greg see here: Humanist chaplain Greg Epstein wants you to join him, asshole - Greg Epstein ≠ humanism - Greg Epstein seeking further embarrassment?

Now with that little story out of the way, I bring you Sunsara's most recent blog on her issues with the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago.  

Cameraman brutally arrested while filming Sunsara Taylor making a statement Sunday 10:30 a.m. at Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago 

On Sunday, November 1st, plainclothes and uniformed police who had been called in earlier by officials of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago (EHSC) dragged out, maced and arrested a man for videotaping Sunsara Taylor as she stood near her seat and made a statement before the start of that morning’s program about the shameful cancellation of her long planned talk to EHSC that day on the topic “Morality without Gods.”

The shocking incident took place at the insistence of the president of EHSC. About 40 people witnessed the videographer being brutalized by the police in the foyer of the facility. An attorney demanded that the police stop brutalizing him when five officers piled on him as he lay face down on the floor. 6 police cars arrived within minutes.

The day before, during a workshop on the same premises which the president and other board members of the EHS were at, Sunsara explained very clearly that she would be attending the opening of the EHS's Sunday gathering and giving the EHS the opportunity to do the right thing and allow her talk to go forward, up until the last minute. If the EHS still refused to let her give her talk, she explained that she would leave and give her talk in “exile” at the nearby home of one of the EHS members.

The statement can be viewed here.

Also see Sunsara Taylor undeterred

In her brief statement at the EHS on Sunday morning, Sunsara Taylor challenged the very wrong decision to cancel her speaking engagement and pointed out how this is contributing to a chilling atmosphere in society as a whole and has happened all too frequently to people who challenge the dominant narrative (like Ward Churchill, Noman Finkelstein and the director of Milk who was recently “disinvited” from Hope College, etc.). Taylor stated that while the group had the “bureaucratic right” to disinvite her, it didn’t make it any more “right” than the voters in California passing Prop 8. She also invited those who wanted to hear her speak to come to her “talk in exile” at the home of a member of the EHSC.

At no point during her brief statement was Sunsara asked to stop speaking or to leave the premises. And at no point was anyone who was there to support her, including the photographer, asked to leave. It is telling that the only person singled out by the police, at the request of the president of the Society, was the man documenting what Sunsara was saying.

The videographer was simply trying to document and guard the truth of what Sunsara was saying in her brief statement. Sunsara’s words had been grossly distorted and taken out of context by some members of the EHSC who were the driving forces behind canceling her speech.

What kind of ethics and morals is the EHSC upholding and modeling through the great lengths it has gone to in suppressing Sunsara Taylor’s talk on Morality without Gods? A number of their own members expressed disagreement with the cancellation and a number of prominent people from around the country wrote statements in support of Sunsara’s speaking and called on EHSC to rectify its wrong-headed decision. Instead, the board fortified and increasingly defended its decision and created an atmosphere of anti-communist hysteria, fear and rumor-mongering that had no relationship to reality.

The EHS had no legitimate basis to feel the police needed to be there in the first place, except for the rumors and hysteria that they themselves had created. Then, by choosing to set the police upon the person filming they went after the one person who was documenting the truth of Sunsara's words and the fact that Sunsara and others there to support her were acting in no way to disrupt the replacement talk the EHS had planned.

What kind of Ethical Humanist group would create a situation that led directly to the brutal arrest of someone simply for filming Sunsara giving a statement at that point with simply a cell phone? In their zeal to suppress Taylor they went repeatedly against the stated purpose of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago which includes “the supreme aim of human life is working to create a more humane society...Our commitment is to the worth and dignity of the individual and to treating each human being so as to bring out the best in her or him.”

This attack was in stark contrast to the day before at the EHSC where Sunsara led a well-attended and lively discussion with much audience participation on "Women’s Liberation and the Emancipation of Humanity." This whole program was videotaped by the same volunteer photographer.

To call upon the EHSC to drop charges against the photographer and to continue to express their disagreement with their decision to dis-invite Sunsara Taylor contact: eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%6f%66%66%69%63%65%40%65%74%68%69%63%61%6c%68%75%6d%61%6e%2e%6f%72%67%22%3e%6f%66%66%69%63%65%40%65%74%68%69%63%61%6c%68%75%6d%61%6e%2e%6f%72%67%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b'))  847-677-3334

To find out how to make contributions to the legal defense, contact: eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%73%75%6e%73%61%72%61%74%6f%75%72%40%79%61%68%6f%6f%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%73%75%6e%73%61%72%61%74%6f%75%72%40%79%61%68%6f%6f%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b'))

Hey, this is Brian Sapient here posting some views from Margaret to her blog. I should take this moment to inform you that to the best of my knowledge Margaret hasn't blogged on this site and she currently uses her facebook page to communicate with people. A few supporters and I have posted her views to this site on her behalf with her permission.

I recently approved a comment to be posted on this site that I found to be hateful, but indicative of the type of behavior I've seen from "True Christians" over the years. I don't like comments of this nature to go without a response as an uninformed reader may be led down the wrong path. I asked Margaret to comment and the following is the comment and her response.

Original comment:
I am so glad that bitch lost
Submitted by Modious on Fri, 2009-01-30 22:26. READ MORE »

Below is a sample of the letter I wrote to all school board members (printed on my letterhead):

August 10, 2009

Dr. Brian T. Binggeli, Superintendent
Brevard County Public Schools
Fax: (321) 633-3432

Dear Dr. Binggeli:

Please allow me to introduce myself through this email message. I am the founder and president of the Anti-Discrimination Support Network (ADSN). ADSN is a watchdog organization established to act on complaints of discrimination against the atheist community. ADSN has tracked the activities of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since reports of discrimination were first received in 1991.

It has come to my attention that on Tuesday, August 11. 2009, the Brevard County School Board will be discussing whether or not the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will be allowed to hold a recruitment drive through the Brevard County public school system. READ MORE »

My letter of complaint to American Airlines:

My husband and I always use American Airlines to travel and have had wonderful experiences until the April trip.

We flew on a red eye from Kona, Hawaii to Los Angeles, California. We flew first class for more comfort and service. We awoke to music playing and the lights coming on when the pilot announced that we were about to land. The music was a shock to me in that it was specifically Christian music. The words of the song being played praised Jesus and God and instructed listeners to pray and "adore him."

The next song was even more religious. I said to the stewardess that the flight had become a church service. She ignored me completely.

The next song was also an overtly Christian song, this time with a message about the "glory and the power of God."

In total we had to listen to three songs about a religious doctrine we find disturbing. I'm sure that a Jewish family, a Hindi family and nontheist people such as my husband and I were equally offended that American Airlines was promoting the Christian doctrine in a space that could not be escaped from. We were a captive audience! READ MORE »

From the Orlando Sentinel, Sunday, November 18, 2007

Disabled Scouts Left Without Troop
Group loses charter after leader’s discrimination suit

By Kate Santich - Sentinel Staff Writer

Perhaps the Scouts of Titusville's Unit 700 don't quite fit the historic mold. Perhaps, they admit, you couldn't picture some of them strapping on a rucksack and hiking through the wilderness. After all, one has cerebral palsy. Another suffers from the effects of a rare childhood stroke. Several have learning disabilities or asthma.

In Unit 700, though, they seemed to thrive. One of their leaders was a strong-willed woman in a wheelchair. But after the woman filed a lawsuit charging the Boy Scouts' Central Florida Council with violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, things began to get very, very unpleasant for Unit 700. READ MORE »

Joke 1

Murphy approached Mulligan's bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. On the step outside he was accosted by a nun, Sister Marie, who said:

'Surely a fine man like yourself is not going into this den of iniquity? Surely you're not going to waste your hard-earned cash on the devil's brew. Why don't you go home and feed and clothe your wife and children?'

'Hang on, Sisters,' spluttered Murphy. 'How can you condemn alcohol out of hand? Surely it's wrong to form such a rash judgment when you've never tasted the stuff?'

'Very well,' said Sister Marie. Till taste it just to prove my point. Obviously I can't go into the pub, so why don't you bring me some gin. Oh, and just to camouflage my intent, maybe you should bring it in a cup not a glass!'

'OK,' said Murphy and into the bar he breezed.

'I'll have a large gin,' he said to the barman. 'And can you put it in a cup?'

'My God,' said the barman, 'that nun's not outside again is she?'

Joke 2

The first says: "Aye, this is a nice bar, but where I come from, there's a better one. At MacDougal's, you buy a drink, you buy another drink, and MacDougal himself will buy your third drink!" READ MORE »

This is the story of a bunny born in the backyard of the Weisman home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Weismans’ only child discovered the baby bunny on a star-filled night while the three Weismans’ were out for a walk.

Because Bugsy was such a cute little bunny, he was taken to a pet store in Nazareth, Michigan. The pet store displayed Bugsy in its storefront window. Little children came to worship the very sight of him. Bugsy found his first disciples (Markie, Lukey, and Johnny) at that pet store.

It was a miracle, but all the bunnies escaped from the pet store when an employee carelessly left the door to their cage unlatched. “Lettuce prey,” were the first words spoken by Bugsy when he and the others escaped.

After escaping from the pet store, Bugsy and his disciples went on a wild adventure. They taught children the joys of dancing the Bunny Hop, coloring eggs and hiding them, filling up baskets with candy, and wiggling their noses.

It was said that Bugsy once multiplied five chocolate bunnies and two marshmallow goodies to give away five-thousand treats. There was also a story about Bugsy magically turning chicken eggs into jelly beans. READ MORE »

I. Thou shalt be devoted to growing beautiful roses--maybe even joining a local Rose Society.

II. Thou shalt purchase the best rose plants available. Try to find "Grade 1" plants that have at the very least three strong, lively shoots. A plant that has a paraffin coating is not a good plant.

III. Thou shalt plant in a location that will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. The location must also have good drainage.

IV. Thou shalt dig a 18"deep by 24" wide hole using a soil mix with lots of nutrients. Space between plants should be 36"-42" from the center of each plant. Plant only what you can manage--no more--no less.

V. Thou shalt take time to fertilize.Roses need frequent fertilizing after pruning. The best recipe includes organic and chemical fertilization. Feed your rose bed at least every two months.

VI. Thou shalt treat your roses to disease and pet control protection. Roses are subject to fungus diseases tht can be avoided by applying chemicals that will prevent spores from developing. When insects appear, use insecticides. Control of diseases lies in consistency. Extreme care must be taken when applying toxic chemicals. READ MORE »

Lori Stephens author of Alpha Omega recently asked me if I wouldn't mind sharing her book with the users of the Rational Response Squad website.  As always purchases made on this site via Amazon, help support this site.

Product Description
A defector from a cult called Omega has bled to death for no identifiable reason, and the only clue is the book he’s clutching: the Librah Vae-ta, the holy scripture that the Omega cult founders created a century ago, unaware of its dangerous power. Dr. Gatsby Donovan resolves to help solve the mysterious murder. As she spirals deeper into the danger zone of spies and assassins, she realizes that the Omega script is based on the languages of ancient holy texts. Through an action-packed story, Alpha, Omega challenges readers to rethink the agendas of large religious organizations and how they have become global superpowers. With despotic cults, religious scriptures, ancient languages, neuro-addiction, murder, betrayal, revenge, and ultimately, love, Alpha Omega is a rollercoaster tale with a message that cannot be ignored, and readers may even suspect that their own Bible may contain more than maxims for moral living.

Reviews
Review by Decia Rowland, PhD, Scholar of Religion
Cults have never been good news for the religions they parallel. Evil fairly drips from this story of a PTSS victim who now must face her boogeyman again as a scientist-detective delving into the religious psyche of the Omega group. I read this book in one sitting, convinced that as a believer, I would find something to roar about in Ms. Stephens' gripping portrayal of a nasty man and his nasty companions. Nothing good could come out of self-serving religion, the author seems to say. But I was caught by the emotional struggle of her two protagonists to create a real relationship, in the rawness of the present, in the hope of something honest. While The Da Vinci Code asks the question, "Is our eschatological symbol for goodness who we think he is?" Alpha Omega asks "Come on now, what does it really mean to be human?" 

Alpha, Omega
Review by Katy McElroy
Can you trust what you read? In this thrilling adventure, Lori Stephens explores the potential language has to influence our beliefs and actions, and how dangerous the knowledge of this potential can be in the wrong hands. When a strange book is connected with a grisly murder, Gatsby Donovan is selected to help decode its cryptic language. But as she deciphers the strange syllables, she discovers that there is much more to this text than just the words on the pages--and even she may not be able to resist its power. Alpha, Omega will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow Gatsby along the path of an investigation which soon consumes her life, ultimately forcing her to confront her own hidden, painful past. 

We've restored the content on both the old Way of the Master watchdog site, and Ask The Atheist.  

I'm currently looking for people that are writing articles, have written articles, or are willing to write articles exposing Kirk Cameron, Ray Comfort, Todd Friehl and any of the other loons that work with the Way of the Master organization.  That site had been taken down quite some time ago, and is now available here: Way of the Master Watchdog

The OLD Ask The Atheist site is now in archive format only attached to our site as a subdomain: http://asktheatheist.rationalresponders.com 

You can log in to both of the above sites to post a comment with your RRS login and password.  

If you're interested in being a thorn in the side of the WOTM team (seriously it's easy, it just takes a little time and energy) please let me know.  The best way to let me know is to read a few of the posts on the Way of the Master Watchdog and get a vibe of what we were trying to achieve, and to submit a story to me that you think is worthy of posting.  I'm currently in need of a few good stories involving Ray Comforts destruction of "The Origin of Species."  So if you're interested in coming up with a post or two per month about the current whereabouts of the con-men at Way of the Master, let me know.

Oh... and if you want to check out the current form of Ask the Atheist it's available here.

Check tonights World Series for a live performance of my current favorite song...

Over the last few weeks just about the only song I listen to when in the car is the new Jay-Z song Empire State of Mind from the Blueprint 3 Album. I do love New York, think it's a great city, and really love both the vibe and message of the song.  Songs that inspire are my thing.  Not to mention that I think Alicia Keys is one of the five most musically talented women alive, and honestly the overwhelming reason I like the song is because of her chorus, and this live performance...

Of course now that the Philadelphia Phillies are playing the NY Yankees it brings a slightly different feeling for me when listening to the song.  Apparently the same came be said for the artist NeeKo who recreated the song with lyrics appropriate for Philadelphia with Deana Marie singing the Alicia Keys part.  The Philly version is great if you're from Philly, if you're from somewhere else it seems the sole purpose of the song is to remind you of how talented Jay-Z and Alica Keys are.  I hope the Phillies let the lights inspire them and go up 2 in the series tonight!  And yes the lyrics do make sense to a Philadelphian, here is the NeeKo version:

Below is the cheat sheet for all the rap illiterate folks out there...

Lyrics Empire State of Mind Jay-Z

Yeah,
Yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn,
Now Im down in Tribeca,
Right next to DeNiro,
But i’ll be hood forever,
I’m the new Sinatra,
And since I made it here,
I can make it anywhere,
Yeah they love me everywhere,
I used to cop in Harlem,
All of my dominicanos
Right there up on broadway,
Brought me back to that McDonalds,
Took it to my stash spot,
Five Sixty Stage street,
Catch me in the kitchen like a simmons whipping pastry,
Cruising down 8th street,
Off white lexus,
Driving so slow but BK is from Texas,
Me I’m up at Bedsty,
Home of that boy Biggie,
Now I live on billboard,
And I brought my boys with me,
Say wat up to Ty Ty, still sipping Malta
Sitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives,
N-gga I be spiked out, I can trip a referee,
Tell by my attitude that I most definitely from…

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York

[Jay-Z]
I made you hot n-gga,
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game,
Sh-t I made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can,
You should know I bleed Blue, but I aint a crip tho,
But I got a gang of n-ggas walking with my click though,
Welcome to the melting pot,
Corners where we selling rocks,
Afrika bambaataa sh-t,
Home of the hip hop,
Yellow cap, gypsy cap, dollar cab, holla back,
For foreigners it aint fitted they forgot how to act,
8 million stories out there and their naked,
Cities is a pity half of y’all won’t make it,
Me I gotta plug a special and I got it made,
If Jesus payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade,
3 dice cee-lo
3 card marley,
Labor day parade, rest in peace Bob Marley,
Statue of Liberty, long live the World trade,
Long live the king yo,
I’m from the empire state thats…

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York
Welcome to the bright light..

Lights is blinding,
Girls need blinders
So they can step out of bounds quick,
The side lines is blind with casualties,
Who sipping life casually, then gradually become worse,
Don’t bite the apple Eve,
Caught up in the in crowd,
Now your in-style,
And in the winter gets cold en vogue with your skin out,
The city of sin is a pity on a whim,
Good girls gone bad, the cities filled with them,
Mommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out,
Everybody ride her, just like a bus route,
Hail Mary to the city your a Virgin,
And Jesus can’t save you life starts when the church ends,
Came here for school, graduated to the high life,
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight,
MDMA got you feeling like a champion,
The city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York

One hand in the air for the big city,
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty,
No place in the World that can compare,
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeaaahh
Come on, come,
Yeah,

In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can’t do,
Now you’re in New York,
These streets will make you feel brand new,
The lights will inspire you,
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York
 

______________________________________________

Lyrics Ill State of Mind NeeKo  with Deana Marie

Ill State of Mind, a Philly version of Jay’s Empire State of Mind.

yeah im talkin b hop
more like a balboa
never been to my city
come on wit me ill show ya
home of the fresh prince
jazzier than jeff is
back in the day doc j rock a 76
jersey just across the bridge
betsy ross walt whit
benjamin franklin
1776
state our independence
high as kites ever since
sayin you from philly
you reap nothin but the benefits
plus its always sunny here
just in case ya unaware
citizens be bankin in
can we get another year
yeah im talkin repeat
heat like hamels
utley amazin
charlie wrote the manuel
broad street bullies
nothins flyer than a flyers fan
missin all his teeth
bobby clarke still smilin
rocky on the first step
headin to that top one
yeah thats me
we go hard where
im from

chorus
In philly
concrete jungle where dreams are made of
theres nothin you cant do
now youre in philly
these streets will make you feel brand new
these lights will inspire you
lets hear it for philly x3

back when we had sly bacon
whoops i mean cunningham
right after jaws
and right before the running man
so much wit
prolly get it from the cheesesteaks
i been out all night i just wanna sleep late
young crowd olde city
tell me where the party at
meet the girl on south street
better rock ya party cap
cruisin down city ave
headin to the boulevard
coulda grabbed the El
but they told me that it wouldnt spark
this where im comin from
who knows where we goin to
i feel like im in line for a ride
when im at tony lukes
we could lose all the trees
but we still got the roots
plus we got beans
and an eve that doesnt opt for fruit
green blood in the tube
if we need it transfused
when the mets come thru
youre gonna hear our fans boo
this is the city of the brotherly love
and if youve never been here
i suggest that you come to

chorus

In philly
concrete jungle where dreams are made of
theres nothin you cant do
now youre in philly
these streets will make you feel brand new
these lights will inspire you
lets hear it for philly x3

now that we got vick
i think we need the vet back
tougher than a stitch
on a mitchell and ness cap
liberty bell crack
walnut chestnut
aint justa ill track
more like the best of
215
yeah i covered all of that
from way back to the future
with this almanac
illadelph artifax
love park heart attacks
always on the grind till i die
spillin all the facts
yeah the way im writin
youd think that im a titan
the way my penns landin
the crowd is left standin
d e mandin
chantin
one more encore
whos the new kid i never heard em before
so reggie white wit a mic
bringin hits all night
cant afford this flow
a praise for no price
they call me neeko
this is for my people
ill state of mind
everywhere we go

My son just had his current grades sent home, and he's doing amazing as always.  He's got straight A's with the exception of one B.  The B is in science.  When I heard the grades, I smiled, told him how proud I was, and how he was doing great.  But then I told him how it's a bit ironic that science was my favorite subject, it's my best subject, and if he were to excel in one specific course I'd love it if it were science. 

As I was sitting there contemplating how I could convey to him how science is used in essentially everything we do, and in almost every action we make, he says "I don't think I'm gonna use science when I grow up."  Aside from my heart sinking, I realized his lack of fundamental understanding as to how science is applied and it's common use.   So I spent the last 30 minutes giving him fun examples of how he constantly uses science.  For example he presses the power button on a computer to turn it on, rather than tap the sides of the computer with a stick.  When he plays his Lord of the Rings game he uses weapons on certain enemies he deems appropriate based on past experiences.  He doesn't use weapons that he has knowledge will fail and expect a positive result.  We went through a ton of fun examples on practical usage of science, and he gets it, but I'd like to build some interest as opposed to just "getting it." 

Anyway... I was snooping youtube trying to find a very basic video on how science is important to just about everything we do and I couldn't find one.  So I was wondering if any of you either know of a good video (or three) or would want to search for one.  I figure whatever is found and posted could be a good reference point for Christians who like to discount science whenever it suits their religious arguments.  Ideally I'm looking for that video that makes you realize how prehistoric we'd be without science, and it's application.

So feel free to post your videos explaining the importance of science, preferably in terms that a 12 year old could understand (not for my son... for the theists).

Thanks for the help in advance,

Brian

P.S. Yes I know this was just a cheeky way to brag about his good grades.

As you may already be aware, recently the Atheist Foundation of Australia and the Global Atheist Convention websites were the target of a significant DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack, which began on Monday 19 October.

This is a call to all non-believers and advocates for freedom of speech to join us in a global co-ordinated minute of prayer with the aim of inundating God (in this context, the Christian god, God, as distinct from the Greek god, Zeus, the Egyptian god, Ra etc etc) with so many useless prayers that it causes his divineness to go offline as as result of our own DDOS ('Divine' Denial of Service).

The prayer minute will be at exactly 8pm (Eastern Standard Time) and 9am (Greenwich Mean Time) on Sunday 8 November 2009.

The prayer can be about anything you want (but say it as frequently as possible in the minute we have assigned to ensure DDOS is achieved) or to whomever god you want. Its mostly directed at the Christian god so as to ensure we don't get too many return to senders from other gods.

Join the facebook group here.

I must've heard the words "an atheist can do no good" hundreds of times in the last few years.  It must be so hard to imagine how atheists can do good without the upstanding moral code imparted to us in the Bible or the Quran.  Sure I wouldn't sell my daughter into slavery, or kill a man simply for being gay, but I can do other good things instead. 

I'm proud to donate clothes to Goodwill and give money to charity.  But I take a bigger sense of pride in atheist volunteers which was created to unite and showcase acts of goodness by the men in black who apparently can do no good.  Well the door to that argument is being shut more and more everyday as atheists aren't as scared as they once were to show their face (we have religion to thank for our original fear).  We used to do acts of kindness simply because we liked doing acts of kindness.  But after being accused so often of being no-do-gooders some of us decided to show off what we've been doing all our lives while letting others know we don't believe in a god.  We believe good deeds are the work of men.  If good deeds are the works of god, well certainly bad deeds are as well.

I'm particularly excited about the recent developments in Austin with Texas American Atheist President Joe Zamecki at the helm.  He and his crew have been hitting the streets to hand out supply packages to the homeless.  Some interesting video has been shot along the way.  It's interesting to hear how often the homeless use the name Jesus or God in a positive manner while receiving free goods from a non-believer.  You'll have to check it out for yourself.  Details of the Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless are here.  (you can digg and stumble that page)

Thanks Joe, you're a blessing from your mom and dad!

The site is zippier now than it was earlier today and for the last few months.  Oh and I'm still back.

Hey folks, if you have facebook you might want to check my profile over the last few days.  I've spoken about Kelly and I breaking up for good about 3 weeks ago, and have recently started a dialogue addressing any rumors that people might have been convinced of over the last few years.  Generally when a claim was ridiculous I would ignore it as I deemed it as too stupid to respond to, however Rook persuaded me via phone tonight to answer my friends on any rumors that they were curious about.  I started the conversation on facebook because I wanted to see what actual fan/friends want to know about as opposed to the enemy types who just want to ruffle feathers.  A few questions were in fact asked, and I was rather thorough.  If the conversation continues well there, I'll likely post the relevant rumor answers on this site soon.

Here's the thread: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?&new_box_added_id=2448182852#/note.php?note_id=170805010311&ref=mf

If you want to find me on facebook, look up "Brian Sapient" and send me a friend request.  If you are new to facebook or you have to wait for me to accept your friend request you can make a post below with your facebook name, if I recognize you from this site, I'll approve you.

I don't have the joke yet.

An atheist, evangelist, born-again, and youth pastor enter a bar...  [YOU FINISH IT]

This weekend I'll be spending some time with an evangelist, born-again, and a youth pastor.  We'll likely not be discussing religion, although it could come up.  The situation seems like a joke I've heard before, or at least wish I had.  Is there a joke out there that could be edited slightly to fit the bios of the men?  Can you come up with a joke for it?  If your joke doesn't work in a bar, feel free to change the location.  

Hit me with your funny.