It’s pretty bad. It’s still not as bad as Pat Boone. Way to go protesters! If you’re in the area, think about making a horrible noise at another Pat.
Can you hear us now, @PatMcCroryNC? #AirhornOrchestra #HB2 #WeAreNotThis pic.twitter.com/yL9frBoylb
— Gavin O'Hara (@gavinohara) April 13, 2016
I am now going to put on Metallica at ear bleed, and I may still never recover from the mental mind fuck of…
If you value your sanity, don’t click. Seriously.
Abraham Father of Atheism: The logical course of action smart atheists should take is now in a book. There’s a video at that link, but I don’t recommend watching it as it’s very poorly done and simply self serving. On to the website!
…but unfortunately, given the fact that scientists are only 99 percent sure that there is no Creator, shutting believers up with such an answer doesn’t seem to be an effective solution to me. At the end of the day, you are a one percent gambler….
…I agree with you that Muslims, Christians, and Jews should not be considered, by any means, to be useful people, because the world would simply be better without them. However, there is a story about a person called Abraham in their scriptures. His story, believe it or not, is of great significance to you as a non-believer because it can still provide you with the opportunity to justify your disbelief. Consequently the one percent probability is realized and the so-called Big Boss does exist, you will still be a winner.
I admire you; and highly appreciate your disbelief, but you should improve how you justify it in order to free yourself from the jaws of the pliers. In this book, I will teach you how to do that in a way that doesn’t result jeopardizing any afterlife, just in case the so-called Creator does exist.
There’s a wealth of material at the site, and from what I’ve skimmed, I’d be willing to bet this person wants to be the next Chopra. As for me, I can only take so much before the 3rd cup of tea. All I have to say right now is:
BOLLOCKS!
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s roof garden is perennially one of the most popular spots in New York City during the summer, in part because it’s a lovely venue, but also because of its fantastic, often-immersive outdoor exhibits. This year should be no exception: For the 2016 season, the roof garden commission is British artist Cornelia Parker’s “Transitional Object (PsychoBarn),” which is indeed a replica of the creepy home featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic Psycho.
Becky Schear, Instagram.
Parker says she was inspired not just by Hitchcock’s iconic film, but also by the work of artist Edward Hopper, who was known for painting rural landscapes punctuated by the odd barn or rambling old house. In fact, the Bates home in Psycho was allegedly inspired by Hopper’s painting House By the Railroad, and Parker’s piece shares similar characteristics. It’s covered in reclaimed wood, which comes from an actual barn; she’s stated that she wanted to contrast the “wholesomeness” of that image with the creepiness of the Hitchcock film.
Cornelia Parker’s “Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” on the roof of the Met Fifth Avenue. Photographed by Alex Fradkin, Photo courtesy Cornelia Parker
The exhibit opens today and runs through October 31st. Curbed and Out have the story.
I don’t do television these days, but even when I did, I didn’t watch SNL anymore, because I seldom found it funny. They do get it right now and then though, and the God Is A Boob Man sketch was one of those. (PZ has the video, but it is uStates-centric). Pat Boone (Do people younger than a dinosaur even know who he is?) is thoroughly riled up about it, and he’s certainly giving the skit a whole hell of a lot more power than it actually has.
Pat Boone
Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Pat Boone is calling out NBC and Saturday Night Live for allegedly being anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, cowardly, “diabolical” and even demonic for a skit over the weekend that parodied God’s Not Dead 2, the actor-singer’s latest movie.
[…]
Boone called NBC and SNL cowardly because executives and creative talent know they can pick on Christians without fear of reprisal, whereas political correctness dictates that some other groups are off-limits.
“This skit was outright sacrilege. They know if they did this to Muslims they’d have to be put into the witness protection program,” he said. “There’s nothing sacred at SNL — except maybe the words ‘Mohammad’ or ‘Allah.’ They’d never take those names in vain, but when they called God a ‘boob man,’ they took his name in vain.”
There’s just the little problem of ‘God’ being a placeholder. It’s not the actual name of your god, so maybe it’s taking a placeholder in vain, but I don’t recall that being a specific no-no.
Oh my. We’ve never heard that line of reasoning before, oh no. Full rant here.
A common cause for complaint among artists is the high cost of supplies. It’s not unusual to spend thousands of dollars a year on supplies. It’s this cost that leads a lot of artists to abandon art as a career. It’s this cost which also makes a lot of people complain about the cost of art works. While most artists can recoup the cost of materials in selling a piece, they often have to cut the price of their labour down to the bone. A good example of supply cost is turpentine – both of these cost $10.00:
The small bottle is Winsor & Newton distilled turpentine, 2.5 ounces / 75 ml. Ten bucks. Is it better? Yes. At least it used to be, it has become increasingly suspect (mostly detected by smell. It no longer smells pine-y fresh). What it has is a name, one established enough that they can stick any price on their products, and people will buy it. (Obviously, I’m included there – I bought it.) I don’t use turpentine a great deal, so it’s easier for me to go with the cheap stuff. The temptation to cheap out is always there, but that is problematic too, because you do get what you pay for. An example:
Prismacolor coloured pencils, and Derwent blender and burnisher. Prismacolor is my preferred colour pencil, and they cost $2.00 a piece. That might get a shrug from most people, and if all you needed was one pencil, that might be an appropriate response. When you need 5, 10, 20, or more pencils, well…it adds up quickly. What about a set? I should mention that I don’t shop at Amazon or Walmart, but even at Walmart, a set of 150 Prismacolor Premier pencils costs $163.50. (The list price is $312.00). Online art supply – Dick Blick, the set is $151.00 + shipping. Same with Jerry’s Artarama. Prismacolor is far from the most expensive in coloured pencils, too. I won’t even look at Caran D’Ache ($292.00 for a set of 76 luminance). The pricing is the same when it comes to drawing pencils. I have an assortment of pencils, Staedtler, Koh-i-noor, Faber Castell, Derwent, and Sanford to name a few. And yes, all those pencils have specific attributes and effects, so going cheap on pencils isn’t an answer either. The price of good quality markers is very high, for a limited amount of colours, usually in the neighbourhood of $40.00 to $50.00 for 24 markers. I don’t want to even discuss the cost of brushes – that alone can utterly break you, along with the cost of canvas and, oh, paper. I love paper, and a lot of it I just dream about. The cost is prohibitive, especially for things like large size, single sheet Arches 300 lb cold press.
Quality matters, so the next time you’re contemplating buying an art work, please keep in mind that artists aren’t just mindlessly putting an ‘outrageous’ price on their work. We should be able to earn a living wage and be able to continue buying supplies.
Robby Romero and Red Thunder, Makocé Wákaŋ.
I have a great fondness for Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), and we used to have a good population of them on property. Then the Eurasian Collared Doves (Streptopelia decaocto) arrived. The Collared Doves are considerably larger, and serious bullies. I’ve been missing the Mourning Doves for around a year and a half now, but they are coming back, and I’m so happy about that. I hope our nesting mums come back too, it’s a wondrous thing to watch baby doves outside my studio window. Click for full size.
© C. Ford.
Peony (Paeonia). And a lacewing.
Photos © C. Ford
I managed to get the used plastic somewhat clean, and now that it is dry, I’m going to keep that pile for future art work. Since it’s damn near impossible to destroy plastic, it should last me a very long time and I don’t have to feel so guilty about it. The last piece done with the plastic:
Šúŋkawakaŋ (Horse). © C. Ford.
From spreading the ‘good news of theism’, he is now propagating the ‘gospel of atheism’ and from being the ‘Saul’ of charismatic Christianity, Keith, a former pastor from Namibia in Southern Africa is now a fire brand ‘Paul’ of skepticism and an unrelenting apostle of freethought in his country. Recently I had a brief chat with Keith and asked him why discarded theism and embraced atheism.
[…]
“Africans are still enslaved by these religions. Killings, maiming, raping and many ills are still continuing no matter how religious Africans are…Atheism and science to me are therefore the answer to the world’s problems”
Really? I only hope so. Keith further explains how the family reacted to his decision to ditch god for good:
“Well, I had been a skeptic while a preacher…you know reading the Bible more and more exposed itself that it’s ‘hoax’. Towards the end of the year 2013, I drew the line and decided not to be a hypocrite any longer and made known my true feelings. Of cause it wasn’t received well by family members and peers. The hardest of all were my immediate family (they are all charismatic born again members). Although they heard my story and respected my decision, it did not go down well with some of them. They still have this feeling that I would repent and join them again. They are still praying and fasting for that day to come. Wishful thinking and wasted prayers I guess. My mind is made up particularly now that I am having more knowledge about science and atheism’.
Related, Using Atheism To Reduce Maternal Mortality In Nigeria.
Tennessee’s anti-transgender “bathroom bill” has gone down the drain again — and it will apparently stay there for at least a year.
In March, a legislative committee had delayed action on the bill by sending it to a summer study session, but the committee, under pressure from the far-right Family Action Council of Tennessee, revived it in early April. Today, though, its sponsor in the House of Representatives, Susan Lynn, said she would withdraw the bill until next year, reports Nashville paper The Tennessean. Full Story Here.
“We must take a stand against prejudice,” says a statement on the band’s website.
The members of Pearl Jam say North Carolina would be a better place without its new anti-LGBT law, so they’re canceling this week’s concert there and asking fans to support a repeal of the measure.
“It is with deep consideration and much regret that we must cancel the Raleigh show in North Carolina on April 20th,” says a statement posted by the band on its website Monday. Full Story Here.
The iconic classic rock band announced today that it is refusing to play any shows in North Carolina in protest of an anti-LGBT law.
Boston, known for classic ’70s hits such as “More Than a Feeling,” has canceled three shows scheduled for May in North Carolina in protest of House Bill 2.
Tom Scholz, the founder of Boston, apologized to fans who bought tickets in a statement posted on Facebook. “The removal of the shows from our schedule is a major disappointment. It has always been my wish to inspire people with BOSTON’s music,” Scholz wrote. Full Story Here.
Skye Thomson was supposed to meet with Pat McCrory before he signed House Bill 2. The confab never took place, but the trans ninth-grader still has something to say to the governor.
While Thomson, a trans boy attending high school in eastern North Carolina, spoke to two of McCrory’s staff members, a promised meeting with the governor never took place.
In light of HB 2’s passage, Thomson wrote an open letter to the governor, pleading with him to actually sit down and meet with him and other trans youth. Read the message below, via the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Dear Governor McCrory:
My name is Skye Thomson. I am 15 years old, I live in Eastern North Carolina, and I am a transgender boy. That means I was born a female and identify as a male.
I was in Raleigh for the debate on House Bill 2 on March 23. I was the only transgender student who got a chance to speak out against HB2, the so called “bathroom bill” that is supposed to keep everyone safe in bathrooms. But it doesn’t keep everyone safe, especially people like me. Imagine yourself in my shoes, being a boy walking into a ladies room. It’s awkward and embarrassing and can actually be dangerous. By putting this law in place you’re putting kids like me in danger.
Fox news got wind of the proposal for a National Day of Reason, and the stupid is on tap.
Two congressional representatives are sponsoring a resolution to create a secular alternative to the National Day of Prayer. No big deal right? Wrong! The nice Fox News Christians on Outnumbered say that this is another attempt, by “mean” atheists, TO DESTROY OUR CHRISTIAN AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE!
Sandra Smith continued to pimp the patented Fox anti-atheist agitprop: “Can’t they just leave our National Day of Prayer alone?” Doing some concern trolling, Harris Faulkner that her “biggest problem” is that this “causes a day of judgment” because it causes folks to ask others “why aren’t you into the Day of Prayer, why are you only into the Day of Reason.”
When Baker quipped that he liked her idea of a day for judging, Andrea Tantaros, with her comment about how “every day is a day for judging,” actually described Fox News! She “joked” that it is “rich” that those in Washington are calling for reason. Devout Christian Tantaros worked in the propaganda coup-de grace: “I think atheists in our culture have caused this culture to become so secular, so coarsened, and so godless. I think the atheists have won a lot of battles and they get most days in this country. Let the Christians have the National Day of Prayer, I mean really.”
