What is the intrinsic value of a human soul? Perhaps the better question is, what is your own soul worth to you? Do you even believe you have one? Some people (like me, for example) believe that their soul is their most valuable possession and that it is priceless, meaning it is not available for sale, no matter how much wealth is offered in exchange. Notice that I said wealth, not money. I may not be the smartest person on earth but I'm not stupid, either. A lot of people don't grasp the true concept of what money really is -- a colored piece of paper that only has value if everyone else agrees. If you don't believe me, the next time you're going to the grocery store just reach into your Monopoly game and grab a few hundred dollars, and see how much you can buy with it. Hint: you won't leave the store empty handed. The store manager might allow you to leave with the "currency" you brought with you if he/she believed the ruse was just a prank, but you also could also end up sporting a pair of shiny silver bracelets provided by law enforcement and arrested for counterfeiting and fraud if the management has no sense of humor. But one thing is certain--you can't even buy a bottle of water with money printed by Milton Bradley. So what, you say? So history--after World War I in the Weimar Republic, hyperinflation caused the Papiermark to become worthless. People literally needed a wheelbarrow full of useless currency to buy a loaf of bread. The British probably would have won the Revolutionary War if their plot to destroy the value of the Continental dollar hadn't … [Read more...]
Greatest sports songs of all time
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: none of the songs on this list will be specific to a certain team. So there will be no "Glory, Glory to Old Georgia", "Hunker Down Hairy Dawgs", or "Georgia On My Mind" songs on this list just because I personally like them because then the list would get unmanageable and require acknowledgment of songs such as "Sandstorm" which I can't stand. The only omission that was a difficult choice was "Rocky Top" because I love the disturbing lyrics, but for the sake of consistency, it won't be here, either.] It's almost Christmas, which means it's also almost bowl season for college football. I don't want to antagonize the atheists in my audience by their personal religious beliefs (or lack thereof) during the holiday season and politics isn't exactly in the spirit of the holiday, so I've decided to do something a little more fun and different, and that is to make up a list of the best, most appropriate songs that could be during any game in any sport. So without further ado, let's start at the bottom of this short list and work our way up to the top, shall we? The song on this list that lyrically makes the least sense is Gary Glitter's somewhat catchy tune officially known as "Rock n Roll part 2", but usually referred to as the "Hey" song for obvious reasons. All you have to do is shout "Hey!" on the right beat, so it is something of a crowd pleaser. Drinking heavily before or during the game does increase the degree of difficulty in getting the timing down, though. And timing is everything, especially in sports. After all, you don't want your team to … [Read more...]
The problem of evil
A headline at The Drudge Report made an absurd claim: "Mankind's belief in evil 'caused by disease'." The headline of the actual article in the UK Daily Star was slightly more ridiculous--it prefaced the unbelievable claim with "Scientists discover..." Both headlines are nothing more than click-bait; the substance of the article doesn't come remotely close to justifying the claims of that sensational headline. In fact. if you actually bother to read the article found at the Daily Star claiming that "Scientists discover mankind's belief in evil caused by disease" what you, the reader, will discover is that scientists haven't said they have discovered any such thing. The only thing Brock Bastian and his team of researchers from the University of Melbourne have actually said is that there seems to be some sort of correlation between geographic locations where diseases were known to be more common and a cultural belief in the existence of demons and evil spirits. Once you get into the real "substance" of the article, you'll find the bold declarations have been considerably watered down by the use of all sorts of conditional words...the backpedaling begins with the article's subtitle that says "A potentially-massive breakthrough in our understanding of evil may have been found." Well, which is it? Has this amazing breakthrough been found, or hasn't it? You won't know for sure unless you read beyond the headline. The headline itself is nothing more than a hook to lure readers into learning about what amounts to simply a secular version of a false cause fallacy based on a … [Read more...]
Transgender bullies
James Younger The Babylon Bee satire website has been on fire lately with any number of hilarious articles such as this or that poking fun at the transgender "issue." I'm guessing they've decided it's better to laugh than cry at what seems to be a growing collective insanity. Once upon a time, I tried to show compassion for the transgender crowd because a social media "friend" who was a biological male but also claimed to be a hermaphrodite had convinced me that he was born that way and had transitioned to become female because he felt more like a she. Because I tend to be a somewhat sympathetic person and didn't want to be labeled transphobic I gave that person the benefit of the doubt, only to eventually see my good will abused and personal religious beliefs attacked. I've always tried to get along with other people and try to show respect for their opinions. I'm also cognizant of the fact I'm not always right, and the possibility exists that I can learn from people with whom I currently disagree. Therefore, my approach to friendship on social media to this point has pretty much been "anything goes." Personally, I'm pretty conservative in my politics, and a Christian according to my faith. But I have "Facebook" friends who are atheists, devout Christians, liberal, conservative, gay, straight, you name it...basically if you want to be my friend, all you have to do is ask. We don't have to agree; we only have to be willing to listen to each other. The scientific facts in regard to the transgender phenomena are rather simple, straight-forward, and inarguable: … [Read more...]
(It’s not) The End of the World as We Know It
Remember seeing these guys at Tyrone's for a $1 cover charge? I am being half-serious when I say it might be my fault that the Georgia Bulldogs lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks last Saturday between the hedges in Athens, Georgia so if you really feel the need to vent your anger at somebody, you can direct it at me. By my own estimation, I committed the cardinal sin of any true Dawg fan (and especially an alumnus) of the University of Georgia--I took a game against an SEC opponent for granted. I was so sure that Georgia would easily win the game that I decided to leave for Savannah and listen on the radio instead of watching it at home, as I normally would. Because I'm old enough to remember the pure joy as a child of listening to Larry Munson's famous call of the 80-yard touchdown pass from tight end Richard Appleby to wide receiver Gene Washington on the "end around" pass, the idea of listening to the game "live" and then watching the highlights on replay had some appeal to me. I guess I was feeling a little bit nostalgic. The bottom line is that I had a choice, and in retrospect I chose unwisely. I probably should have stayed home and watched the game, and drove to Savannah later that night. Should have, would have, could have. I should have known better. Because I have played sports myself for much of my life, I've always been a little superstitious about sticking to a routine on Game Day. On the other hand, sometimes you just have to accept that some things are a little more important than who wins or loses a football game and it's important to keep our … [Read more...]
