Are You Kidding Me?

A "cult" in Maryland did something terrible.

"they denied a 16-month-old boy food and water because he did not say "Amen" at mealtimes"

Sounds pretty bad....but it gets worse

"After he died, they prayed over his body for days, expecting a resurrection, then packed it into a suitcase with mothballs. They left it in a shed in Philadelphia, where it remained for a year before detectives found it last spring."

Five members are on trial for murder-including his mother (who goes by the name Princess Marie). The mother claims she is willing to plead guilty to the crime....under one condition. That condition is that all charges must be dropped if the boy is raised from the dead!

The court better not grant her request....not that I think little Javon is going to rise from his grave or anything...

The Funny Thing About Flowers

Do you love it when your husband/boyfriend gives you flowers?

I'm not sure when or where this idea of gifting flowers came from, but there is definitely some interesting irony/symbolism involved in this practice.

Not many people realize exactly what flowers are. Flowers are the reproductive organs of a plant. Flowers contain both the male and female genitalia of angiosperms. So by giving flowers to your loved one, you are giving them a bundle of reproductive organs.

This definitely has some sexual implications, but most people never make this connection.

But perhaps people like to give and recieve flowers because they are beautiful and aromatic...I think that is probably more accurate. I think I'm just completely wrong on this one

The World's Most Terrifying Penis

See the Leopard Slugs in Action

The Monte Carlo Fallacy

If you are getting on a commercial airliner, for safety's sake, take a bomb with you....because the overwhelming odds are that there won't be two guys on the same plane with a bomb.

Why I Like Magic

I am a very skeptical person. I apply reason to my entire life. I could never accept psychic powers or faith healers. When a case of the "supernatural" is presented I immediately look for the trick behind it. I never even consider the possibility of a miracle.

But magic is very different. The magician and the audience both know that this person has no real magical ability. Some magicians claim legitimate powers during their act, but backstage they will be honest and tell you that it is all part of the performance. Because of this, there is a box placed around a magic show that doesn't exist anywhere else (for me at least). When entering a magic show I know it is fake, but for an hour and a half I am able to escape into a world where magic is real and the supernatural is natural. To leave reason behind for just a short time can be an exhilarating experience. It is an escape away from the boring day-to-day and a chance to divulge into a world without limits, a world of endless possibilities.

And after the show one can discuss how the tricks were done and the methods that were used in the performance, but how a trick is done is not the important part of magic. The tricks aren't even the important part of magic. What's important about magic is the falling into a world of possibility and the intellectual revelation that brings one back out.

Woody Allen's Intro Title Sequences

A movie's title sequence seems insignificant, but it is the first introduction a film makes to its audience. It is kind of like a first impression. An intro title sequence can create an emotion in the audience that puts them in the right frame of mind for the particular film.

I don't think anyone can forget the title sequence before Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It tells the audience that this movie is going to be silly and that it's okay to relax, smile and laugh. On the other end of the spectrum we have a movie like A Nightmare on Elm Street. With a little suspenseful music and a cheesy font the viewer is ready to be scared.

My personal two favorite Intro sequences:

1) Citizen Kane
One of the most memorable opening sequence of all time (behind scrolling letters of Star Wars). With his final breath of air, Charles Foster Kane speaks the word "Rosebud." The entire movie is an unforgettable quest to find its significance.




2) Post Annie Hall Woody Allen Films
Allen's simple black and white intros seem to have a power behind them. There is something mystical in the background jazz music, the simple "Windsor" font, and the displaying of the actors in alphabetical order (not in their star power of the current time).

Why Descartes should have stuck to math.

I doubt you will find any argument from any philosopher, scientist, or mathematician that Descartes wasn't brilliant.

With that said, I would like to show why he was merely a subpar philosopher.

The pineal gland is an area of the brain that really wasn't understood until recently, but just because you don't know its purpose doesn't mean you can simply throw your metaphysical theories into it. In "Meditations On First Philosophy" Descartes refers to the pineal gland as the "seat of the soul." Descartes entire philosophy was centered around the soul and the body; however, he was never able to explain how the two coincided.

Out of desperation he looked to the pineal gland to solve his paradox. Its function was unknown at the time, so he decided that it was the perfect spot for the soul and body to interact and "do their thing." Even in this time period most people told him that this hypothesis was nothing more than crap.

This is exactly why philosophy depends on science and not the other way around. Just like how any philosophy about the origin of man, the morality of man, or the purpose of man written before 1859 CE should not be taken seriously and only read to understand the philosophy of an unfortunate, pre-Darwinian era.

Next Time Someone Tells You That Homosexuality Isn't "Natural"

I was recently watching a documentary on gay marriage and the main argument against it seemed to be that homosexuality just wasn't natural.

On a side note, the misuse of the word "natural" really drives me crazy. To me, "natural" simply describes anything that occurs in nature. I just want to scream when somebody tells me that they believe in the supernatural. I usually nicely try to explain that if aliens, psychics, gods, etc. actually exist, then they are, by definition, natural. (Semantics are important to me!)

But back to the main topic.
I did a quick search and found several cases of homosexuality (this is including bisexuality) that occur in nature.

1. Bonobo Chimps

"Homosexuality has been documented in almost 500 species of animals, signaling that sexual preference is predetermined. Considered the closest living relative to humans, bonobos are not shy about seeking sexual pleasure. Nearly all of these peace-loving apes are bisexual and often resolve conflict by the "make love, not war" principle. They copulate frequently, scream out in delight while doing so, and often engage in homosexual activities. About two thirds of the homosexual activities are amongst females."

2. Japanese Macaques

"Males also take to homosexual play but tend to leave their partner soon after, making it what we call in the human world a one night stand."

3. Bottlenose Dolphins

"Homosexual activity occurs with about the same frequency as heterosexual play amongst these marine mammals. Male bottlenose dolphins are generally bisexual, but they go through periods of being exclusively homosexual. The homosexual activities of these mammals include oral sex during which time one dolphin stimulates the other with its snout. Males also rub their erect penises against the body of their partner."

4. Guinan-Cock-of-the-Rock

"Males of this stunning perching bird delight in homosexuality. Almost 40 percent of the male population engages in a form of homosexual activity and a small percentage don't ever copulate with females."

These are just a few of the many examples I was able to find. So, not only is homosexuality natural (by my definition at least) but it also occurs in nature. If nature and natural selection allow for homosexuality, it only seems "natural" that we follow suit.


Here's a video to check out of three male dolphins together....if you want to see it