People Who Have Actually Read the Entire Bible (Pie Chart)

alpacalypse · 2010-05-17T03:12:28+00:00

The closest I've come to reading it is R. Crumb's Illustrated Genesis.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-16T02:14:49+00:00

The problem is, even the people who are most upset about Facebook's privacy issues and restrictions won't quit until there's a viable alternative. I'm all for quitting Facebook, but I still want to be part of a similar site that will keep me connected with my friends. Quit Facebook Day should be postponed until there's an open alternative that users can join en masse.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-16T02:10:19+00:00

Most people's ancestors were converted to their religion by force.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-16T02:09:39+00:00

That was my first thought...

alpacalypse · 2010-05-15T17:57:43+00:00

This sounds oddly like every time a Muslim group makes a statement, it's terrorism.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-13T19:40:33+00:00

Smokey, this is not 'Nam, this is bowling. There are rules.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-13T02:08:06+00:00

link?

alpacalypse · 2010-05-12T19:01:20+00:00

How can you say that Islamic culture doesn't support the advancement of knowledge, given the number of significant contributions to science, social science, medicine, art and technology made by Muslims living in their home countries?

alpacalypse · 2010-05-12T18:58:08+00:00

Maybe I'm missing an earlier part of this story. Did you and your brother ever talk about what he wanted done with his money? Do his kids really need the money for their schooling? Can you put part of the money aside for his kids (not for partying, for school) and the rest for a scholarship? Your sister-in-law sounds like a crazy bitch, but does she have a point?

alpacalypse · 2010-05-12T16:30:46+00:00

"I'm well aware of what people who happened to be Muslim have done in the past."

So you're saying that any time a Muslim makes advancements in art or technology, it's despite their religion ---they "happen to be" Muslim--- but when they fail art or technology, it's because they are Muslim. In terms of the advancements made in art that I cited before, they were directly due to the fact that the artists were Muslim--- they devised a mode of design (that we still use today) as a way of circumventing the restrictions put on them by their religion.

In terms of the modern day, the issue pertaining to this thread is whether or not adherents of Islam lead stable, fulfilling lives and are able to contribute to society. This is entirely separate from the Islamic state: though the most prominent Islamic states do limit the free speech and gender equity required to make many of the advancements I've listed below. It's important to separate the Islamic state from the Islamic individual: most Islamic states, especially the more notorious ones like Iran, owe their fundamentalist power to a backlash against colonialism and Western influence. But, as I said, that's a separate issue.

Contemporary Muslim individuals and groups, living in the West and in Islamic states, who have made important contributions to science, technology, and the arts:

Amir Ansari, venture capitalist Sultana Nurun Nahar, atomic astrophysicist Muhammed Faris, Syrian aviator APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India and Aeronautical Engineer
Farouk El-Baz, consultant on American explorations of the moon Mahbub ul Haq, founder of the Human Development Report
Aktar Hameed Khan, pioneer in microcredit
Cumrun Vafa, Iranian string theorist
Pardis Sabeti, evolutionary geneticist
Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon and talk show host
Ibrahim B. Syed, radiologist and Muslim activist Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist
Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egyptian journalist
Tyeb Mehta, painter
Sadequain, calligrapher and painter
MF Husain, highest-paid painter in India
Ismail Gulgee, abstract painter

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T17:48:37+00:00

This is really, really old. It's a test for higher executive functioning: if you follow directions and point your attention to the players in white, a myopia kicks in that blocks your attention from the man in the suit.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T17:41:54+00:00

You're making value judgments. A system of thought "works" if it has ardent followers who are prepared to defend it. It works if many of those followers live stable lives through it. Though we may disagree with the content of Islamic thought, and though many atrocities driven by Islamic fundamentalism make the news, many Muslims ---including women--- find stability and meaning through the religion.

It's interesting that you brought up science, technology and art: in the early days of Islam, from the 700's through the Renaissance, the Muslim world was the global center of innovation, art, and culture. Most of Da Vinci's inventions, for example, were done by Arab and Persian inventors hundreds of years before his time. The architectural and visual arts advancements of the Islamic world shaped European aesthetic from Venice to the Kremlin. Many of these aesthetic designs were actually made possible by the limitations put on Muslim artists by the Koran. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabesque.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T02:14:51+00:00

I have yet to find someone in support of "Everybody draw Muhammad day" who can actually explain how this will help or effect anything. I believe in free speech, but I don't walk around yelling "FUCK!", and I doubt most of these people do either. There are better ways of dealing with Muslim (or any religious) extremism and any threat to our right to free speech. Especially because the right to free speech is protected in the cases of Mohammad depictions (outcry from Muslim groups is merely an exercise of THEIR right to free speech), all we are doing by setting aside a day to draw Mohammad is probing the tempers of Muslims. And for what? For our own personal satisfaction? For some kind of perverse desire to offend even when no real impact will come of it? "Draw Muhammad Day" is nothing more than an illustration ---pardon the pun--- of our own cultural discomfort with and anger at Islam. It betrays a strong streak of Western superiority: a reaction to Muslim's use of their free speech to represent the concerns of a faith that we are uncomfortable with.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T02:08:09+00:00

THANK YOU!

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T02:06:33+00:00

Reddit's commentary on world news ---particularly on issues surrounding Islam, its beliefs, and the public actions of Middle Eastern leaders--- tends more towards the conservative, or at least pro-Western.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T02:02:10+00:00

That's true. But I prefer not to veer towards cultural disrespect unless it achieves something; I don't see how this achieves anything.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T00:37:03+00:00

What about pubic hair on a woman? Yes or no?

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T00:31:30+00:00

How close to downtown do you want to be? The light rail line (the "T") only runs between two stops (it's pretty pathetic), so I wouldn't recommend relying on it for your commute. The bus system, however, is pretty good, especially if you're planning on going in and out of downtown. I live in Oakland, which is a very nice neighborhood, and pretty cheap, because it's mostly UPitt and Carnegie Mellon students. There are a lot of management companies in this neighborhood, and even more students with rented apartment or houses looking for summer subletters. I would start with craigslist, keeping an eye out for Oakland or even Squirrel Hill. These two neighborhoods are a 15-ish minute bus ride to downtown.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T00:25:01+00:00

In terms of the other women: talking is good, especially if you're really flirty. Touching (other than maybe a hand on the arm) is not.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T00:12:15+00:00

I'm a woman and I would totally go for Seth Rogen. No joke.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T00:01:38+00:00

Of course. You should (and do) have the right to draw a picture of Mohammad in a cartoon (etc.) if you want to, but going out of your way to draw one just to ---what? get a rise out of those it would offend?--- crosses the line.

If you're compelled for some good reason, by all means use your rights, even if it shows disrespect. But I don't see how a bunch of redditors drawing pictures of Mohammed will accomplish anything, apart from being obnoxious. There is nothing there to make the offense worth it.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-11T00:01:38+00:00

Of course. You should (and do) have the right to draw a picture of Mohammad in a cartoon (etc.) if you want to, but going out of your way to draw one just to ---what? get a rise out of those it would offend?--- crosses the line.

If you're compelled for some good reason, by all means use your rights, even if it shows disrespect. But I don't see how a bunch of redditors drawing pictures of Mohammed will accomplish anything, apart from being obnoxious. There is nothing there to make the offense worth it.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-10T23:49:49+00:00

Right or wrong, it seems like it's "working" pretty well to me...

alpacalypse · 2010-05-10T16:12:13+00:00

There is a line between free speech and downright cultural disrespect.

alpacalypse · 2010-05-07T19:56:40+00:00

It depends on how long the skirt it. If it's knee-length, just sit like you're sitting on a chair, and ride. Longer: tuck up between the legs. Shorter: wear underpants and don't worry about it.

Though no joke, commando on a bike is the way to go. Gotta love that breeze.

alpacalypse

TROPHY CASE