Sunday, May 29, 2011

Covers of the Week - Poker Face (Lady Gaga)

"There's a fine line between a generic person from the 80s and Janice from the Muppet Show, and Lady Gaga dares to ride that line" (Molly Lewis). 
What can you say about Lady Gaga (playlist)? She is becoming the quintessential pop icon for today's generation. Poker Face is one of my favorite Lady Gaga songs and has the diverse set of covers to make it fun.

Molly Lewis (youTube) has fun with Lady Gaga


Sunday, May 22, 2011

Covers of the Week - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

Last in our Crazy May trio is Gnarls Barkley's (playlist) Crazy which came out in 2006 and is a fun one. With loads of great covers that make you head bob, foot tap, butt squirm and your whole body rock out to a great party song.

Starting off with Nelly Furtado(playlist) absolutely awesome version


Atheism as a Religion

hear it on youTube
This is a response to the youTube Videos: "Atheism is a Religion"...? by BionicDance  and An Atheist Calls Atheism a Religion by GrapplingIgnorance.

When people argue about whether atheism is a religion or not, they are almost always arguing against  2 different usage (definitions) of the word atheism/atheist in society.

First off there is the classic dictionary definitions ...  namely that atheism is the lack of a belief in god, the disbelief in God, and or the belief that god does not exist. As such it gives no other restrictions on the beliefs of atheists other than to say that they share a single belief about god. Religion or religious beliefs, on the other hand, is the set of beliefs and practices by which a person or group identify themselves or by others. Reality is atheism, theism, and agnosticism are really just a way we group or categorize a broader set of beliefs which can be typically sub divided into specific religions/religious beliefs. You would not claim that theism is a specific religion or religious belief.  Even deists in general usage  has a set of beliefs and share a common identity that defines itself as a religious belief. Under this definition atheism indeed cannot be a religion.

The second usage of atheists/atheism references the collection of people that call themselves atheist. People who use this definition tend to see atheism as more than just a group that shares a single belief but instead sees a community who share a whole suite of beliefs about skepticism, naturalism, science, and rational advocacy that dominate the popular atheist movement. While I have yet to see this usage in a dictionary, some atheists, most notably PZ Myers, do tend to advocate this usage.  Moreover many atheist will chastise other atheists who stray from orthodoxy of their "atheism" especially as it relates to tolerance and support in various forms of nonsense.  Depending on your definition of religion, you could easily argue that this group would constitute a religion or at least a set of religious beliefs in that they share a common set of beliefs, doctrine, and identity; and are loosely organized (all be it in a very decentralized manner) and have established and recognizable leaders and advocates.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Covers of the Week - Crazy (Seal)

Released in 1990, Crazy by Seal (playlist) is an awesome song.  Being the middle sister of our Crazy trio, it may not get the recognition of the other Crazys and indeed Alanis Morissette  is the only big name to cover it but it has some great covers with a diversity of styles.

Alanis Morissette (playlist) great version


Monday, May 9, 2011

The Anti-Pascal Counter Wager.

hear it on you Tube
If you believe that God exist and you're right, the odds are that you will not believe in  the right god so your life time of servitude and debasement to a god will mean nothing since your ancestors picked the wrong god and you will be punished with the rest of the non believers.

If you believe that God exist and you're wrong, then you have wasted your life subservient to a being your ancestors made up, and all the bull shit you put up with was for nothing.

If you believe that God does not exist  and you're right, then you are free to make the best of your life,  share what you learn in life, and pass it on to the next generation.

And if you believe that God does not exist and you're wrong, the odds are that you will have the same fate as all those who believed in the wrong god (which should be most of them) but at least you tried to do the best you can.

If it made any difference to god if we believed in him, then it would seem quite reasonable that those who believed wrong would share the same fate. If god wanted us to believe in him, then we would know who the right god is... since everyone does not share the same belief about god, then you probably believe in the wrong one.  In the end its a suckers bet to believe in god.

Covers of the Week - Crazy (Patsy Cline)

The Crazy Trilogy -  First one up from 1962 is the truly classic and tender Crazy written by Willie Nelson (playlist) and made famous by Patsy Cline (Playlist). One of the few country songs that I really love and it goes way back to my childhood.  Maybe its the deeply melancholy lyrics that I seem to have a fascination for.

Norah Jones (playlist)


Sunday, May 1, 2011

Covers of the Week - Smells like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

This week I've chosen a modern classic that I have enjoyed the diversity of performances for years.  Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (playlist) is one of those songs that define a generation. This song some of the bet diversity of performance and any other in my collection of covers.

Tori Amos (playlist) version is a classic unto itself as she throughly "torisizes" it.