Atheism weak and strong

Yes I know it's too early in week for a Thursday rant, but Penn and Teller are two of my gods. Hooray for their clear thinking, if slightly foul mouthed, humanity. They were even on West Wing on cable last night making a well-needed point about liberty!

The Vatican seems, for the most part, to be peopled by intelligent types trying to balance their beliefs with the, increasingly uncomfortable, idea that everything their eyes tell them seems to contradict at least several of those beliefs.

So the Intelligent Design camp (amongst other religions) has collectively said "stuff that" and, instead, has taken up the position that their beliefs are paramount and anything that contradicts them must be wrong. Barking mad obviously, but such unshakable self-belief makes them very dangerous indeed!

If the ID'ers *really* want equality Throgmorton has the answer: Strong Atheism should be given equal time in religious ed. classes in all schools... tee hee :-)

"Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.

... Believing there is no God means the suffering I've seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn't caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn't bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future.

No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future." - Penn Jillette

Update

Christian fundamentalists are suing the University of California for having a pro-evolution website. Good grief!!!

Sooo cuuuuuute

Pan Galactic Bank is truely a nice place to work.

One of the guys - yes GUYS - just brought in his new lickle-ickle baby to show off to the rest of the teams. All the men in the office had big silly grins on their fizogs, but only the women got to cuddle the baby. Ah well, one step at a time I suppose towards true equality.

Ps. and the baby only started crying once it was put back the pram to be taken away. Aaawww

The train on platform 3

2nd of November! Woohoo, half way through the ban - and what have I learnt about public transport?

It sucks.

Except when it doesn't, when it's rather good.

If you want to go inter-city, and you can plan a week in advance, then the train is really fast and pretty cheap. And through-ticketing has to be the one thing that makes it work: I recently did a weekend trip half-way up the country and back and must have used 5 different train companies at mad times of the day and night – all on one ticket! The house of Lords did a superb job when they stitched up the Dark Witch Maggie about that one. Hurrah I say!

But take out a mortgage if you want to travel now, be prepared to leave waaaay before the end of any nightlife if you want to get home – even in London - and give up completely if you just want to go to the next town along... *

I've been way too busy with the new job and Opera rehearsals to blog much recently. So go buy tickets and normal service will be resumed after the show...

* except for some very decent friends to whom I owe a lot.