Fucking freaky kids.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/u...gcrew.html?_r=1

That is all sorts of bizarre. I'd never heard anything like that, but they used to come around here in the summertime. I don't trust anyone - including the Federal agent about a neighbor, but that's another story. I really think this needs a lot of publicity. Crazy.

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"Anybody who claims to have understood quantum mechanics clearly hasn't understood it"

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I never said I understood what stands in the book But some stuff in there is pretty interesting e.g. how our whole galaxy is just a huge electronic wave or how there are uncountable paralell universes

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Funny thing is though, that as you learn the mathematics you get a kind of quantum intuition that you can flip on and off; replacing (x,p) with dxdp>=h-bar/2. It's a weird little world down there.

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So just when do you flip it off, Amadeus? I didn't think you'd find it possible.

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wtf? I never would have guessed that.

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I must inform everyone that I had a dream that was so fucked up and disturbing that I almost threw up when I woke up. First time that has ever happened. Girls were getting fucked by other girls with saws and blades and they were purposefully cutting themselves open and there was blood fucking everywhere. They all had sharp objects glued to them as well, which would cut them open further. One girl tried to get out of being forced to do these terrible things by making an enormous gash on herself that left a huge chunk of her skin hanging off with blood gushing everywhere.

FUCKED UP. Nearly ran off to the bathroom because I was so nauseous.

lol?

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Probably just need to stop watching the SAW series

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Or have never seen any of this

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You know that's pretty weird. I saw a Dr. Phil last week, and I don't normally watch it, but there was a mom on there that was using some extreme measures to discipline one of her adopted sons. His brother was okay, but she was using worse than boot camp tactics trying to get him to behave. I think the kid was about 7 or something like that. But that night I was dreaming and there was a little shirtless boy with a word like "abused" or "pain" - something like that -written on his chest that looked like it had been done with a blade. He was just playing and talking to everyone else that was there, but that's all I remember of it.
Moral of the story - Dr. Phil causes odd dreams.

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In line with the christmas spirit:

How are you folks doing??

Anyone seen the new AMC series 'Walking Dead'? I fuckin' love it. It reminded me of metaltabs in a weird way so I decided to drop by.

I watched this film and the only thing which kept me watching this thoroughly retarded and pretentious nonsense was the fact that I was laughing out loud at most of the more extreme scenes. When the guy has the other guy in the headlock, and a woman is forcefully sucking him off and them makes him cum on her face, I was crying with laughter. Films like this make me genuinely resentful towards art; it makes me want to burn every book and piss on every painting, because they're rendered worthless when a hollowed-out turd like this movie floats to the surface and is technically made of the same stuff. If you gave a reasonably-sized budget to a band of first year drama students this is the kind of wank they'd produce. FUCK me I hate drama students. Not amateur actors, but drama students. Die drama students. Die of putrid, gurgling, rotting cancer.

Saló is the movie A Serbian Film wanted to be, kinda like when a Downs syndrome child puts on a Spiderman costume.

Joe, with regards to your dream I think it's clearly a manifestation of your repressed homosexuality and more specifically your repressed desire to eat my meat. It's also indicative of your misshapen penis which has a right-angle kink in the middle of it, making it difficult for you to penetrate anyone/anything without some sort of shoehorn being involved. My advice: cottaging.

Dr. Phil is a mind-paedo.

Shush now. Just look at this before you go to sleep and everything will be alright.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LokO...feature=related

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Its fucking metal, thats what it is. Only time I had that kind of reaction to a dream is when, in the dream, I was tearing off a hangnail but it - ugh, I can't even fucking write this without shuddering - it, it.. it kept going. Like it tore all the way down my hand and up to my shoulder. It was utterly horrifying. Fuck. I fucking hate hangnails.


Oh fuck, another Def!

Yeah, I've been following it. Its alright. Not the zombie marathon I wanted it to be, but its not bad. Probably won't give it any more time though. Its too drama-y. I want a horror show, not a soap opera with zombies.


Hahaha, you're the gift that keeps on giving, Pads. I was interest in watching this, but I can totally imagine it being just as you described. I've been told there is a scene with a child getting raped and when the dude pulls out a huge Shining-esque torrent of blood flows out. That peaked my interest and I bet I know why you watched the entire thing.

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Watch A Serbian Film and Antichrist back to back if you want a really gut-bustingly good time. They say that if art inflames, and if it provokes debate about what qualifies as "art", then it has succeeded on some level. If that's true, then this is even more arty than those interminable movies:

http://notasexoffender.deviantart.com/#/d2c7qp6

I'm not a philistine when it comes to these kinds of films; I genuinely liked Saló even though it contained much of the same ideas. I'm just extremely sceptical about the artistic credentials of a confirmed cunt.

Serbian Film made Antichrist look like a children's movie.

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Looks funny(sex&death) but also boring ("story")

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Only so much one can put in a trailer, I read that it was a really, really, fucked up film. So I'm probably not going to watch it.

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Tell me if anyone can relate to this:

Let's imagine you're watching something with another person - say, a snuff movie, a porno, or something really dramatic and/or harrowing - and then suddenly and without warning the other person will point at the screen will yell "Oh look! Those are the cupboards I wanted for my kitchen!".

Has anyone else experienced - or indeed said - something like that? It's a very weird moment, because you instantly become acutely aware of the other person's deep psychopathy and the fact that they'd probably be quite indifferent to seeing you boiled alive in a giant cooking pot they've had on their Amazon wishlist for the past 6 months.

Not exactly, but you DID help me figure out a weird situation a few years back. We were watching the latest edition of Texas Chainsaw massacre, and I just remarked at one point something like "I don't get why he's running around with that old trashcan, and what's up with that blade? Would be a total drag, just get in the way and get stuck everywhere. What he should do is get, say, a Husqvarna 3-46, maybe 3-52, and just put on a good old 13 inch blade. This is just silly.".

Thanks Paddy dude, you've explained a lot.

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Uhm I`d be totally confuzzled if the victim in the snuff would be saying that. Otherwise : ULTRA RIOT! HORDES OF CHAOS! EVERYONE AGAINST EVERYONE

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I had a hand to mouth moment followed by a fit of laughter. I HATED the movie "Kill Bill," but the kitchen remains one I dream about. When hubby was watched it again recently -while I was on the computer- I looked up to see the kitchen once again and again said, "oh yes, someday you will be mine." Of course, without all the blood and that stuff, but yeah. I do that quite a bit. I'm on a quest.

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Remind me never to piss you off, which is obviously impossible because I'm a fuckin' man of the people.

Hahaha now that's an interesting thought. Beheading videos would be so much more gut-wrenching if the victim's head rolled off his chest, stared into the camera and started passing comment on your interior decorating choices. Or, as I think you were suggesting, just before the cutting begins he compliments the executioner on his bootlaces. "Ahhh if I wasn't about to die I'd DEFINITELY get me some of those!"

Gomers, you have much to teach me about thinking like a mentalist.

I was trying my hardest not to be stereotypical or sexist, but yeah, it's always mums who say shit like this. Sometimes my mum says stuff like that in normal conversation, but in a really overly enthusiastic way. I remember I was with her at her friend's house and they were discussing gardening, and they went to the window to look out into the garden to see what her friend had done over the previous few weeks, and she screamed at the top of her voice "OH MY GOD LOOK AT YOUR POTATOES!" I was buckled over with laughter, and then I ejaculated.

See, women often say they have dream kitchens and this has to be evidence that they enjoy cooking and related activities, so why is it that it's considered bad taste to buy a skillet for a woman's birthday? To me that's like buying a guy a new power drill. It's has no uses outside of DIY and torture, but there's no dodgy sexist stigma attached to getting him one for Christmas.

Ahhh women. Can't live with 'em...not that I'd want to.

Paddy, you ignorant twit, you know I'd LOVE a power tool for Christmas or my birthday or any day really except I bought my own DeWalt industrial grade power drill years ago. I was thinking of a jigsaw actually, but hubby says there's another type that's multi-directional that's easier to change directions with. I can't remember what it's called and it's not a Dremel. I have one of those, too.

Hubby gets irritated when gunfire on tv doesn't match the actual weapon and he tells the tv about it. *ding* Speaking of, he heard about 15 sequencial gunshots a couple nights ago which I slept through. Nobody's heard a thing about it so we don't know what was going on. Last night the neighbor's were shooting off fireworks though so I suspected that. He said nope, twarn't that.

The potato thing cracked me up. Your mom is cool.

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Fuck me, my dad does the same thing (i.e. discussing at length the gunshot sounds in movies). A weird little kink of Northern Irish people of his generation is that pretty much everyone is something of a semi-professional when it comes to identifying gunshot calibres and weapons, just by hearing the various shoot-outs which used to happen every night. In countries where gun ownerships is legal and commonplace I guess the skill isn't all that impressive haha.

I forgot you're a handywoman, although the only tool I remember you using (careful...) is a blowtorch, which you used to callously and maliciously murder untold thousands of furry caterpillars. PETA weren't happy about it at all when I handed them my dossier. They said "that's not a dossier, that's a cupful of your semen and spit" and then I just ran out of the building.

Hmmm before that you should know that my lessons aren`t for free

See I made a ---> <--- smiley which is funny because now you think I mean something sexual or money or penguins with rocket launchers.
Yeah I totally brainfucked you.

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haha It must have worked because the only gypsy moth caterpiller I saw this year was one crawling across mom's driveway and I stepped on it. I had no form of the critters on any of my trees. Of course, there was an abundance of pileated woodpeckers close by the houses so they might have helped.

You'd be surprised how many unarmed people there are over here. My husband grew up in the country and guns were just commonplace for deer hunting and varmit shooting. There were critters that would try to get at his dad's farm mink so that was another reason to have them. He qualified for marksmanship in the Navy, too.

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Oh yeah, and happy Thanksgiving to all you little darlings, too.

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And that skill is the only thing standing between him and the BATF as they plan a second Waco at the bottom of your driveway.

"B"-ATF?

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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, aka The Crispy Koresh Brigade, aka The Firebugs, aka The Waco Flame-thrower Massacre II: If You Can't Stand the Heat Quit Cowering in the Kitchen with Your Children and Let us Shoot You Instead.

Man, that's some sweet satire right there.

Yea yea, I know of Waco, 'twas just that I've always only heard them mentioned as ATF. I must have laughed a full minute when I realized what that last scene in Postal 2 was about.

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I think it's always important to give these kinds of outfits their full title. Kinda like when a serial killer or assassin is caught and the media always addresses them by their full name. John Wayne Gacy, James Earl Ray, BATF.

Postal III is lookin' pretty shit from what I've seen so far. I think Running with Scissors will be hard pushed to outdo Share the Pain, despite its age!

Although I did always find the absence of chainsaws to be a distinct weakness in STP.

Heading down to Brussels in a few days. Anyone wanna bet on how many minutes it will take between meeting our parliamentary group and me bringing up, for example, the carousel back and forth between Brussels and Strasbourg, or, or this idea that all actions on the net will be stored for six months?

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You need the "A Week in Paradise" mod. It turns the STP and Apocalypse Weekend games into one long game but best of all it includes LOTS of new weapons, including a fuckin' gnarly chainsaw. Probably the best video game chainsaw I've ever seen.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/awp-a-week-in-paradise

You need cheats to get the chainsaw, though. Here's the AWP cheat list (they're different from the "vanilla" Postal 2 cheats):

http://kamek.piiym-net.com/phpBB3/v...c.php?f=5&t=422 [Second post]

Seriously, this mod gives the game about 500 more hours of replay value. Fuck, I'm gonna install it now!

Patrick and Patrik, this is NOT the game thread. Behave or I'll rap your knuckles with a yardstick.

BATF, hmm. I was thinking of BANF. I think they made tapes. No wonder it made no sense. You said "postal."

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There is no postman.

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So I`m suffering of emetophobia (that`s where this psychosomatic shit came from [stomach pressure etc. I think I told you guys about my way] that brought me into the deepest depression I`ve ever had, yeah whatever I`m done with that ). So I went onto this website where people can talk about this phobia and guess what. All the members on the forum are damn sexy chicks. Dunno why but I just had to tell ya guys. Why aren`t all of you some goddamn-ggodlooking chicks?

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You have a fear of vomiting?

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yep. isn`t it just crazy in how many different ways your subconscious can fuck your mind?

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The mind is the cause and solution to all of our problems.

When did you develop the phobia? Have you always just had it? Since you were being physically affected by it, were you always afraid you'd see someone vomit or that you yourself would? I remember you saying awhile ago you had those stomach problems 24/7 for awhile.

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So you are your biggest enemy. Fascinating!


Hmm as far as I analysed my problem with the help of a psychotherapist it was about 10-11 years ago so at the age of 6 or 7. The time before that I can`t remember. I actually was aware that I have a phobia based on a traumatic moment, because I still know every single detail of the moment that brainfucked me so hard, that it is actually affecting my life.


Yes and yes. The thing is I can deal with puking people as long as I know they are vomiting because of alcohol or something that can`t effect me. I haven`t puked since that last time 10-11 years ago but the fear is always there and a year ago I arrived the peak of it. That was when all the psychosomatic stuff kicked in so I was nauseas several months(!) long and had panic attacks like half of the day long becuase my main thought the whole day long was just "please everything but just don`t let me vomit again" and I swallowed every fuckin pill where the packing said: "Gut relaxing". Man I still would rather die then vomit again.


Man that was a hard time for me. This was like a devilish circle. It all starts with a thought or feeling i.e. :
pressure in guts because I ate beans or something like that --> thinking about that --> psychosomatic gut pressure and nausea kicks in --> panic --> still the pressure --> try to ignore it, so your mind is developing more pressure --> panic --> sleep if you`re lucky --> and again gut pressure and then have another nice day!

I speak out a hail to every single god out there that I`m through that and St.Johns` is helping me to deal with it.
I still remember the last time someone puked in our house. That was my father when he had a bacterial infection in his leg thet spreaded through his whole body. I literally ran away, I even left my bike at home. Speaking about that makes me feel like I`m a total douche because this is just such a stupid phobia. I`m afraid of a fucking protection mechanism. Insane in the membrane.

BTW this is my longest post ever

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Shit, Gomli. You have a genuine phobia, there! People throw around the word "phobia" a lot but I don't believe a lot of them realize what a real phobia actually does to people.

Good to hear you finally got all of that sorted out as diving into anxiety's catalyst can be pretty frightening. Pretty impressive that you haven't thrown up for 7-8 years! Shit, I wish I had that record. You must be pretty careful with what you put into your body.

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TOO LONG DIDN'T READ.

Baaaaaaahahaha!

Gomers, I didn't realise your stomach troubles were caused by a psychological problem. It's good to know you're going through therapy, I don't want my little Pokémon to be afraid of anything (except what I'll do to him if he leaves me).

Don't feel bad about running away man, you have a phobia. It's like fear x 100. But like you said, vomiting is a natural bodily function and shouldn't be feared, even though it sucks and tastes like fried piss, but that's why it's a phobia - it's irrational, and knowing that and developing coping skills with the help of a shrink is the way to go, fo' shizzle.

What sort of work have you been doing with the shrink? Will you be watching videos of puking to gradually desensitize yourself to it? I highly recommend at least one viewing of 2 Girls 1 Cup a day. It certainly cured my phobia of Asians.

Good luck for the future mate

He isn't

Just can't get anything past you, can we Spud?

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Speaking about vomiting, I tried Minecraft for the first time today. At first it was fun, I built a little structure and decided I was ready for more.

So I joined a public server, and it was a mistake. Right away I fell through the transparent blue cubes they call water, for what felt like two miles until I hit the lava blocks. The whole cube structure just makes me feel sick, but at the time I kept playing. After I finally got out of hell, I visited some user made structures and it made me feel even worse. Then some douchy block man appeared and started removing cubes beneath my feet and tried to send me to hell again, so I quit.

Something about those cubes just make me want to throw up, I like the whole concept of Minecraft but it visually gives me a headache.

I would say that is more of server's population causing the issue since the game is filled with vandals going around and half destroying shit. Just looks horrid.

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Well, Gommers, you'll never be anorexic or bulimic then. I'm glad it's figured out though. Hopefully knowing that will be the greatest help. But, I'm really baffled how that can give you such trouble when you're here so much. I mean, this place makes me want to lose my cookies at least a few times a week.

And I am a hot chick. Just not an available one.

EDIT: Oh yeah. If the St. John's is St. John's Wort don't share it with anyone on birth control pills because it keeps it from working. You don't need that while you're dealing with everything else.

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From what I hear about Minecraft the people that play play single player for that reason exactly, DQ.

Swans are playing in CA. Fuck yeah and fuck you, Rich. I looked up the set list you saw at that show and it looked good. I can only hope for a few more from Children of God. On that note, I went on Amazon to buy Gira's book, The Consumer, and it was $90. Fuck that. Heard its awesome though.

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Not if it smells like ham.

I watched a few YouTube vids of this game after hearing that it was kick-ass and I was nearly sick from the disappointment, as well as the 1993 graphics!

I'd rather play with Lego, to be honest. Fuck me I wish I had some Lego...

How many times?? It's GOMERS! ONE M! LIKE HOMERS, OR FOAMERS, OR SHMOMERS! The way you spell it makes it sound like Gawmers or Lawmers. It's NOT RIGHT. He's my little chipolata and I won't have him disrespected on this forum, even if he is German.

You're wearing too many cardigans. Remember, you're not a homeless bag-lady anymore, you don't need to wear all of your clothes all the time.

That explains Jr. What about the other one?

No, Paddy. St. John's Wort doesn't affect condoms. High speed boinking did that.
And it's winter! I need my cardigans! And I like Gommers!!! That's what it started as and that's what I'm sticking with so don't tell me what to call him!
It's Legos. I have Duplos, too. Some have wheels and you can hook them together like a train. OOOOOOO!!!! That reminds me! I have Lego train out in the garage! Maybe that can go around the tree this year. Thanks!

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*Repeatedly smashes face against wall* nope, the image is still hanging in my mental gallery like a giant gob of Salvador Dali's molten ejaculate. Thanks. As if my mind doesn't have enough harrowing, screeching horrors to keep me up at night.

Keep me up? Fuck, I'll never be "up" again.

You're wrongness is so severe that you've come right through the other side of it and have ended up back at the beginning, which is where you first started being wrong, so in essence you're not any closer to being right. "Gomers" is how it was first spelt, and it was me who started it. ME, PADDY McMACKATTACK. Behold, the earliest mention of the word Gomers:

http://metaltabs.com/forum/showthread.php?p=618116 [Note Gomers' response 2 posts below it]

Search for the word yourself if you don't believe me. I bet you will, and then you'll feel terrible for not trusting me. Whatever the case may be, I'm right and I'm magnanimous in victory, ya loser loser big fat loser-balls.

http://www.lego.com/

Oh, what was that? Ahh, it was just me being Mr. Correctly Correctington Ph.D for a second time in one post.

You still have that? Take some penicillin and stop drinking from the toilet bowl.

Sounds like it's back to boinkin' again.

You say Gomers. I say Gommers. How do I know that's officially the first time that was said? Maybe he was called that somewhere else. Somewhere that you've never been. Somewhere Germans gather. Sooomewheeere over the rainbooooow........

I think you need a beaten with a hefty beatin' stick.

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These are really cool pictures. http://melodymaker.posterous.com/am...icroscope-shots

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I have to say that I`m actually fine with both versions of my name. Spell it however you want to

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And whatever made you think that you have any say in the matter, Dances-With-Pokemons?

Still trying to figure out what's wrong with me. I clicked a link on MT, a link following the line "These are really cool pictures".
But yea, electron microscopes are pretty damn cool. I'm learning the theory behind building one in the quantum mechanics course I'm taking right now... not bad, not bad at all for a bunch of monkeys with ideas above their station.

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There is nothing wrong with you that a little spontaneous combustion won't address. The reasoning behind has been edging into my brain from reading about various mineral contents reactions to water so I'm wondering that if it really does exist if that's the logical explanation for it.

I figured someone here would like it. I think it's cool especially since I'm blind as a bat without my trifocals. I couldn't even see the diamonds in the earrings my hubby gave me years ago or that my legs were still hairy after I shaved them until I finally got glasses. Whodathunk? Whole new worlds out there.

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Frredom of speech ohkey?!


If the link is posted by L'B then you`re safe. Any other member posting links = hell naw.

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Whoa there man, this is Europe, where the EU reigns. No silly little outbursts like that, and you'll be fine.
Seriously though, this whole thing about monitoring and storing every single search done on then net for six months is pissing me off. It's so awfully stupid. At least I have an outlet in knowing enough people to help cause a bit of a ruckus about it here, but that only goes so far.

I don't know about the safety of LB's links. I've always suspected she's just biding her time. Like all women. Nothing but pure, unadulterated evil in their hearts.


Ha, wow. Owing to a chain of circumstances I ended being the single tenor in the entire choir for the gig with the choir at city hall today. That was interesting. Funny thing is, it actually worked, way way better than I dared hope. HELL YEA!

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This is better: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/20...all_worlds.html

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Insects look so fucking disgusting through electron microscopes. always make me shiver

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THEY'RE ALL OVER YOU!

Anyone know a program that lets you transfer music from your iPod onto your computer? I remember using one a few years back, but it fucking sucked and renamed all the tracks with some kind of coding.

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Tried this one?

http://chadaustin.me/ipodextract/

I was tempted to start a software discussion/tech-help thread, with the top post being a directory of must-have free programs, as well as links to other more comprehensive freeware lists. Then I remembered that I don't like posting new threads or typing huge blocks of text.

Oh...

I'll start work on it later, but without tables tags (I'm surprised these tags aren't included by default) it's difficult to know how to arrange the post so that it's readable/tidy. If anyone has any ideas about how to combat that particular problem that'd be just swell. Keep in mind that the MT forum software is as primitive as you can get, and it's unlikely that tables or similar tag functionality would be added for the sake of one thread, so we'll have to be creative.

Fucking THANK YOU. Oh god, thank you.

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<3 You know me too well. One of these days.....

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Yea. Like today, I was picking up a number of girls that were hitching a ride with me into town for the gig. At one point I very nearly missed a turn, so I stepped on the breaks. Winter being what it is here, a neat skidding ensued, topped off by a really cool sliding left turn, perfectly getting on track on the proper road. And what did all those mean minded little gals do when I proposed to repeat it when we were going home? They voted me down. They actually voted me down. What's up with that?
EEEEEEEEVIL. That's what up, all the way to the top of the flagpole.

Just for the record, I do have really good tires, ABS breaks, it was a straight road and I knew that the road was clear for hundreds of meters in both directions. Just kinda realized how the above might have looked.

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If there's ice it doesn't matter if you're driving a tank. BUT you missed a perfect opportunity for a closed vote. At least one of those girls enjoyed the panicked effect. Hell, I even smiled. See? <-- We used to go to a big parking lot down the street just to purposely do things like that. If you had front wheel drive it was real interesting because you have to do it backwards. That was also before ABS though. Darn buzz kills. But yeah, as long as there's no cliffs on the side all's well.

....and memories of delivering Christmas presents in a '72 Pontiac Ventura with glass packs and a lift kit at 113 mph in the snow danced through her head......

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Fuck, Christopher Hitchens has terminal cancer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDYbNIHyN0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DpUeKwleyw

I guess he'll find out soon enough if he's been right for all these years.

Yeah, last time I heard him talk about his cancer about a month ago he didn't sound too hopeful.

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I didn't know Hitchens had cancer - terrible news.

I take it you've both read God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything?

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I only made it about half way through, unfortunately. I found it to be a bit "dense" for my soft, pink brain to absorb, and I was kinda irritated by how much time he spent debating the validity of religious texts. To me as an atheist that's like having a heated debate about whether or not Grumpy the Dwarf from Snow White might have had Aspergers syndrome; it kinda overlooks the fact that it's fiction.

Loved the Cargo Cult chapter, though. You can't really argue with that particular phenomenon, you know?

The God Delusion was more up my street, plus Dawkins writes for a more general audience so I didn't feel too overwhelmed by it, whereas I think Hitchens revels in opacity.

I've always thought of "God is not great" as aimed specifically at religious people, not atheists; that's what makes all the textual analysis relevant. Not to mention, he is a literary critic. And Hitchens. It follows.

Actually, this is one of the moments that I'm really, really happy about the internet. Even if he snuffs it in a week, thousands of clips with him will still be around on youtube, texts, transcripts from debates and so on.

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Can't really argue with the last paragraph, but I did enjoy Hitchens' rather more florid approach. Where Dawkins wins is his dismantling of the "proofs" for a god's existence - very entertaining.

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Gonna buy it soon I guess.

Watch this and get horny :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ3I...feature=related

be sure to watch all the parts if you want to see Blair getting his ass kicked.

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It's a shame that the one topic for which Blair should be publicly eviscerated is the one which Hitchens regularly sucks his cock for (i.e. Iraq and the War on Brown People).

So I saw Roger Waters perform The Wall last night. I almost cried 3 times.

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Did they have that crazy clear screen with 3D animations on it behind him?

I've only heard stories.

They had plenty of projections and actual stage antics. The Wall was built and that served as the medium for most of the animation. It was one of the most breathtaking sights ever.

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I bet that was awesome. I can imagine live anything remotely Pink Floydish would be, but that sounds cool as heck.

While you guys are reading stuff denouncing God's existence, which is what you believe so it's up your alley, try reading something about his existence. If nothing else than to be more well rounded in opinion. I don't mean over zealous Bible thumpers that are all hellfire and damnation, but just mellow writers who share what they believe. Some of them even make me ill.

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I personally have had enough of that side of the debate. I'm always willing to listen to new ideas about God's existence/non-existence but I didn't hear any substantive arguments for atheism until I was in my 20s. In other words, I spent the whole of my life up to that point hearing that he exists and the only time arguments against it came up was when someone was rolling their eyes and waving their hand dismissively.

After 17 years of going to mass every week without fail and observing all of the holy days the Pope could fit into his calendar, as well as my entire school life having religion threaded through it (not just part of the curriculum, but prayers every day and the like), and with atheism getting a passing mention once or twice the entire time, I think it's a little unfair to say that I'm being one-sided in my views on God's existence when I choose to read books from Dawkins or Hitchens; I've only been hearing sound arguments from that side of the fence for a few years.

I'm not being flippant or making generalisations here, but when I discuss religion with a believer, or when I watch debates between Dawkins and a Rabbi, eventually the entire argument gets whittled down to one thing - personal feeling/experience. It's a "personal relationship with Jesus", or "a private experience I once had which revealed God to me" or whatever. I'm not saying that they're lying or deluded, but you can't really argue with it by definition, so why bother? That's one of the main reasons I don't like reading about someone's rebirth into Christianity after they saw a rainbow or when they were ready to commit suicide and said "OK God, give me a sign and I won't do it" and then someone walks by and smiles at them and they take that as evidence of God's infinite love, or whatever the fuck. If it's all about what goes on internally, and if it can't be adequately explained or articulated to other people, then there's nothing to discuss.

I'm sure it makes for interesting reading though, but so does Lord of the Rings!

Actually, I take that back.

I'm with Pads on the exploration of religion and atheism. The majority of schools in the UK are faith schools and so atheism isn't even discussed in the religious education curriculum never mind counternanced. Most UK schoolchildren, if their parents are religious, will not come across atheism until at least their teenage years.

It still amazes me how my school insisted that one of my chosen GCSE (exams sat at age 16) courses HAD to be religious studies. Personally, I'd have much rather chosen history in its place and not wasted two hours of my week.

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I should have left my disclaimer in. - Paddy, this does not apply to you because I know of your hideous Irish background. But noooo, I deleted it before I posted.
I have to say that those cliche lines may be just that, but so is "I love you" and Lord of the Rings, but sometimes those things just are right for melting the complex into the simplistic. I've heard stories that made me wonder what the heck priests and ministers were talking about condemning other people who might have gifts that might be perceived as beneficial when all they could see was rejection. I have many different ideas on why those thoughts might have come into their minds, but I do not agree with them at all. Maybe the rejection was from inability to cope with another's mindset. I don't know, but when I hear things like that and realize what Jesus did and who he hung around it really irritates THE HELL out of me that people "of the cloth" would do such things.

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In Northern Ireland the idea of segregating kids in faith schools in accordance with the religion of their parents is a wholly terrifying and depressing prospect, and because of the sectarianism that goes on here someone's profession of atheism is almost always attributed to disillusionment in religion because of the hatred and the bigotry it apparently inspires, so it's rarely taken seriously when it comes from anyone under 30, and even then...

I accidentally passed two GCSEs (accidentally, because I did precisely fuck-all coursework/revision). One was art and the other was religious studies. I'd be less ashamed if I hadn't passed at all. Having those two qualifications is like winning the bronze in the monkey Olympics.

Irishness is indeed a recognised disability, so you were right to disclaimify your post!

Contrary to what Hitchens says, Jesus' example can't really be argued with in terms of its validity. Even as a heathen I gotta take my hat off to the guy, whether he's fictional or not. I think "WWJD" is just as good a mantra as "do unto others as you would like them to...do...umm...how is that worded?". The hypocrites you speak of definitely don't help matters, but I wouldn't ever suggest that Christians are like their "representatives" in the funny outfits. It's intellectually lazy if nothing else.

GO JESUS!

This whole forum should be renamed "Paddy and LBXXX".

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As long as it's in that order.

To be quite honest I'm not overly impressed with the thoughts handed down from Jesus. The sermon on the mount is really just a long winded list of mainly bad advice, given in what might be one of the most overrated speeches of all time. But whatever.

I'd just like to let you know, Paddy, that whenever you feel your Irishness become too much of a strain, there's always a Swede ready to help out.
ZING!
http://www.clipsource.se/fb.php?sit...d46&rand=167203

Seriously though, if my prime minister and party leader could just be as sensible in matters regarding surveillance and the internet, this country would probably explode from all the balanced reasoning.

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Already done. I think that`s why I can judge about my view on religion To me it`s one of the roots of all evil which came over mankind BUT I know there are some people who really get help and power from the one beyond our beings. In that case if it makes people happy OKEY no problem with that. But it`s all going too far if religion gets involved into politics (like the lovely Christian-Democratic-Union in Germany. Bastards).
AND OH FUCK WHO GIVES ANYONE THE RIGHT TO SAY YOUR BELIEVES ARE WRONG!? Wars because of someone you can`t even see, touch, hear etc. Nope thanks not my business. Good night everyone I`m going to get drunk now

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The Sermon on the Mount had some good stuff but a lot of it can only make sense if you believe in an afterlife and the like, which I obviously don't, but I prefer his overall neighbour-loving/forgiveness/cheek-turning ethos. I know what Hitchens thinks of those things, but I also know that he gets a hard-on when an alleged Iraqi insurgent eats a tank round in a war he felt was both long overdue and not nearly destructive enough.

Lending money to a bunch of Irish people? Are you mental?? I've seen a man being beaten to death because he was carrying a 10% discount coupon for fabric softener, do you really think you'll see a single dime of this loan ever again?

I can't wait until we get this bailout cash; we're gonna use it to install a massive outboard motor onto the edge of the island and sail the fucker to the Bahamas.

It could be worse. Crazy Swedes giving Ireland money. I know better than that. Tell them the country of Bobbiopolis needs a bailout - hopefully before Christmas. Just thinking of the children, of course.

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Oh I'm quite sure we can work out some sort of agreement, ey fella, bada-bing-badaboom, right? It's Europe. It's family.

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/fixed to REALITY!!1
political relation ftw!

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Probably the only relations Paddy would have - away from you, anyways. badda bing

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Blessed are the Irish, for they shall inherit large sums of money from retarded Europeans.

Hey, whatsup? haven't been here in a while.

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Up yours!! Just kidding. How's tricks?

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'Sall good. Been working, playing shows. PLayed one last night, have practice tonight, then I'm playing a a friend's house for some guy's birthday party.

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This is the creative, out-of-the-box type thinking that's making Ireland the big bailout bucks.

Most vocal atheists have done their share of reading about faith and belief, if only because it's extremely rare that somebody is actually raised into atheism, but rather end up coming to that conclusion after an initial, if sometimes shallow, foray into organized religion and faith. It's not always a very mature decision, but it usually comes after at least some sort of research and exposure to information on both sides; Paddy's experience is much more typical than somebody living in a vacuum, reading Richard Dawkins, and jumping headfirst into Atheism.