The historic and original "Welcome new posters! Introduce yourselves here!" thread

[Darkhole]

I'm married with two kids.

Welcome all newbies - from an other newbie - and welcome Matt.

Your married with two kids? :eek:

Thats not allowed here in europe. :D

[Mr. Skinny]

Oh, but on the serious side... don't mess with Mr. Skinny. There's still a pillar of salt hanging out in the Original Welcome Thread from 2004, as witness to the last newb who defied the Forum Deity.
Ya know, I honestly don't remember who that was right now - oh, yeah, *snickers* - what a doofus.

[Foolmewunz]

Ya know, I honestly don't remember who that was right now - oh, yeah, *snickers* - what a doofus.

And, lest we forget, it's done wonders for the salmon and cod that Piscivore stores over in that thread. Probably the best use of a newbie, ever!

[arthwollipot]

Well, don't keep us in suspense! Spill.

[amb]

Welcome to the new from the fairly new!
And Hi Mattdick, good to see others who frequent Neurologica and Skepchick!
I’m still hoping someone will bring goat cheese oatmeal brownies! :eek:
~jf
Hang around, and your wishes will be fulfilled. All the oatmeal cookies your little heart desires and enough goat cheese to make you sick.
Yuck.....:) Welcome.

[mattdick]

Your married with two kids?

I'm safe from scrutiny as long as CNN or BBC News never refers to my house as a "compound"...

[fcampelo]

Hi all!
I'm new here, so I guess I should introduce myself: my name is Felipe Campelo, Brazilian, electrical engineer living (with my fiancée) in Sapporo, Japan. I'm in the last year of my Ph.D. in Systems Engineering here, and life is getting crazier and busier every day :p

Looking forward to learn more from the discussions, and maybe add something as well.

Cheers,

[arthwollipot]

Hi there Felipe! Welcome to the boards. I can assure you that life here can be pretty crazy too.

[tim]

Hi all!
I'm new here, so I guess I should introduce myself: my name is Felipe Campelo, Brazilian, electrical engineer living (with my fiancée) in Sapporo, Japan. I'm in the last year of my Ph.D. in Systems Engineering here, and life is getting crazier and busier every day :p

Looking forward to learn more from the discussions, and maybe add something as well.

Cheers,


Welcome!
We have several Brazilians on the forum. I think some from Japan, also. I know of three from China.
We're pretty international around here.............

[arthwollipot]

We have several Brazilians on the forum.I demand evidence!

Oh, you mean "people from Brazil"?

Never mind.

[amb]

I plan a holiday in Brazil soon. To the Amazon River to be precise with my lovely wife.
Do they still have piranha infested rivers there? Oops, :duck:

[Foolmewunz]

Welcome!
We have several Brazilians on the forum. I think some from Japan, also. I know of three from China.
We're pretty international around here.............

Several? Did you consume too much of that double-chocolate-fudge birthday cake?

As of this moment, we only have 16900 members, not even close to one brazillion, much less "several"!

What? Oh, never mind.

(sorry, rewrite of a great Geo. Bush joke)


ETA: Oh, yeah.... Welcome Felipe! I'm one of those guys in China. Can we ask why a Brasilian would be in Japan working on a PhD? Just seems a distant choice and an expensive place to live.

[amb]

George Bush has created enough material for stand up comics to last for decades.
I see National lampoon releasing a movie soon on his Presidency.

Yes, I know, it's off topic. So to get back, a warm welcome to all newbies.
I hope you enjoy your stay.

[eqjase]

Hello everyone, glad to be part of the community.

I am fortunate to be the offspring of a life long skeptic...needless to say the apple did not fall far from the tree.

I am an open atheist and love discussing religion. Especially with the religious :D

I will be attending TAM6 and look forward to all the speakers and events!

[Ryan]

Hello all! My name is Ryan and I would consider myself an amateur skeptic. I got pulled into skepticism by the Skeptic's Guide podcast a few months ago and through Quackwatch while researching an ethics paper on MLM. I am just a regular guy for the most part, working a crappy job, going to college, and trying to live my life without all the woo and other nonsense that always seems to pop up.

[grayman]

Hello all! My name is Ryan and I would consider myself an amateur skeptic...

Wait...you mean I can get paid for this?





Welcome to the forum. :stone028: Want an oatmeal cookie?

[UnrepentantSinner]

Hello all! My name is Ryan and I would consider myself an amateur skeptic. I got pulled into skepticism by the Skeptic's Guide podcast a few months ago and through Quackwatch while researching an ethics paper on MLM. I am just a regular guy for the most part, working a crappy job, going to college, and trying to live my life without all the woo and other nonsense that always seems to pop up.

Welcome from a long time skeptic, regular guy, who graduated college a while ago, is working a crappy job and trying to live my life without woo too. You have a lot of fellow travellers here. :)

[arthwollipot]

Welcome from a long time skeptic, regular guy, who graduated college a while ago, is working a crappy job and trying to live my life without woo too. You have a lot of fellow travellers here. :)Ditoo too. Except for the graduating from college bit.

[Ron_Tomkins]

Hi new members. Welcome, new members. As of today, whithin a few months, you will then become old members. Once you do this, you must come here and tell everyone about this. Also, do not post porn, do not curse and do not provide information on how to hijack computers. Other than that have fun, be safe, and don't post threads about Bigfoot unless you really really really encountered him... and even then, don't.

[amb]

Hello all! My name is Ryan and I would consider myself an amateur skeptic. I got pulled into skepticism by the Skeptic's Guide podcast a few months ago and through Quackwatch while researching an ethics paper on MLM. I am just a regular guy for the most part, working a crappy job, going to college, and trying to live my life without all the woo and other nonsense that always seems to pop up.
Quackwatch is a great site. I also came from there originally after spending a small fortune on chiropractors, osteopaths and such for a what turned out to be a pinched nerve in my back which I cured myself with heat treatment.

[amb]

By the way. A few warnings. Do not bring up the subject of goats, as at least one member has a phobia about them. Then there is another member who tries to bribe you with cookies. [ oatmeal ones I think] Apart from that, this is a great forum, and a very warm welcome to newbies no matter where you come from.

[grayman]

Welcome to all new members.

If you'll follow me, I'll show you where we keep the goats. You may pet them if you wish.



BTW, would you like an oatmeal cookie? :stone028:

[Prazzie]

Hello, I'm new. I've been here a couple of times, just to read, and I read SWIFT every Friday. I saw a thread yesterday that I simply had to respond to, so I registered. It took a day to get my account approved, which I think is rather long. I've never encountered that on any other forums or places requiring registration.

Now I have to get 15 posts in order to respond to the original topic that piqued my interest, so that I can refer the poster to a link, as per their request. Bit of a hassle, really. Oh well.

[The Man]

Welcome from a long time skeptic, regular guy, who graduated college a while ago, is working a crappy job and trying to live my life without woo too. You have a lot of fellow travellers here. :)

Ditoo too. Except for the graduating from college bit.


Ditto three, except for the crappy job part and my last collage graduation was 24 years ago.

[The Man]

Hello, I'm new. I've been here a couple of times, just to read, and I read SWIFT every Friday. I saw a thread yesterday that I simply had to respond to, so I registered. It took a day to get my account approved, which I think is rather long. I've never encountered that on any other forums or places requiring registration.

Now I have to get 15 posts in order to respond to the original topic that piqued my interest, so that I can refer the poster to a link, as per their request. Bit of a hassle, really. Oh well.

Greetings Prazzie, I am glad to see that you decided to join. I hope you get to 15 posts ASAP and I would certainly be interested to learn what thread it was that inspired you to join.

[Prazzie]

Thank you, The Man. The thread that inspired me to vote is not terribly exciting. Paintedbird asked a question about The Secret (in a thread entitled "Law of Attraction"). I happen to have done a bit of a review on it, for much the same reason Paintedbird wants information on it (a friend asked us to watch and review it). Obviously I felt like the kid in the class who knew the answer, but was glued to my desk and with a sock stuffed in my mouth (this has never actually happened to me, but I assume that is what it would feel like), as I couldn't respond in a coherent fashion. I mean, imagine "oh yes, I did this already, you can go check it out at this ridiculously written URL, because I can't post links yet."

I like to abide by rules. As can be discerned from my earlier posts, I think some of the rules here are excessive, but since I do not know the (probably excellent) reasons behind them, I'll follow them. I noticed that some people post links in such a way (three little birds d.o.t c.o.m) that they can overcome the "links after 15 posts" rule. That rubs me up the wrong way.

This will be my 15th post. Beautiful symmetry.

[tim]

Wait...you mean I can get paid for this? {snip}


Of course you can! How do you think we moderators manage to survive?
Welcome to all our new members - have fun!

[fcampelo]

I plan a holiday in Brazil soon. To the Amazon River to be precise with my lovely wife.
Do they still have piranha infested rivers there? Oops, :duck:

Hi! I was in the city of Manaus (capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas) about a month ago to meet with my fiancee's family. The city itself is not very pretty (although they have some few gorgeous places, like for example the Teatro Amazonas Opera House), but the nature is just fantastic. A great place to visit. =)

And yes, they have piranhas there. We even went fishing one day and caught several dozens of them (btw, they taste great). But don't worry, you can swim in the rivers without fear (as I did), as long as you're not bleeding. If I were you I'd be more concerned about another fish called candiru (try and google about it) ;-)


ETA: Oh, yeah.... Welcome Felipe! I'm one of those guys in China. Can we ask why a Brasilian would be in Japan working on a PhD? Just seems a distant choice and an expensive place to live.

Hi Foolmewunz! Sure it is both distant and expensive, but I got a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education (air tickets included) so the "expensive" part was taken care of. As for being distant from Brazil, that unfortunately can't be solved that easily =( But I'm almost finished here, so this will also be fine in less than a year ;)

[COLONEL]

Welcome all you newb's , would you like a nice glass of goats milk to go with the Graymans cookies ?

[LadyMitris]

Hello All,

My name is Dana. I was first introduced to skepticism by Penn and Teller about 14 years ago. For a very long time, I considered myself to be a "Skeptical Christian".

Over the years, I'd visit randi.org every once and a while. I had a lot of respect for James Randi, but I could never commit myself to becoming a member of the James Randi Education Foundation because I didn't feel it fit in with my christian beliefs at the time.

After many years of "soul searching". I decoverted from christianity and have given up religion all together. Once I realized that my faith was gone, I no longer had any reason not to join up with the skeptics community. I am now officially a card carrying member of the JREF and am very excited to be attending TAM 6 this year.

Sincerely,

Dana

[Darkhole]

Hello All,

My name is Dana. I was first introduced to skepticism by Penn and Teller about 14 years ago. For a very long time, I considered myself to be a "Skeptical Christian".

Over the years, I'd visit randi.org every once and a while. I had a lot of respect for James Randi, but I could never commit myself to becoming a member of the James Randi Education Foundation because I didn't feel it fit in with my christian beliefs at the time.

After many years of "soul searching". I decoverted from christianity and have given up religion all together. Once I realized that my faith was gone, I no longer had any reason not to join up with the skeptics community. I am now officially a card carrying member of the JREF and am very excited to be attending TAM 6 this year.

Sincerely,

Dana

Welcome Dana, from a other decoverted christian.

[CriticalSock]

Hi, my name's Matt and I've been lurking here for about a Brazilian years.

Not usually convinced enough of my thoughts to post them, but I've got a sister who I thought was a grounded, rational creature, who has recently thrown me the "I believe in Homeopathy" curve ball and I think it's time to start honing my argumentative abilities!

Oh yeah, I live in the UK and I'm 36. I'm not a big fan of cookies because I have a nut allergy so they're a bit "Russian Roulette" for me... :)

[Flibbit]

New member here. :) I was happy to come across this site while researching upper cervical treatment and the "nervoscope"-- a debunking paper-- and found the nervoscope mentioned here.

Ironically, I'm currently in a class called Science & Pseudoscience in which James Randi has been mentioned a number of times. I was not familiar with him or his work prior to that.

Background:

I am a senior in undergraduate Psychology (graduating this December). I will be attending the University of Louisville for my PhD in Experimental Psych. My research focus is on the autism spectrum and I also have Asperger's Syndrome.

I'm really into research, and therefore skepticism is an important topic for me. I figure this forum is a good way to continue practicing and refining my skeptic skills. :)

[Pauliesonne]

Welcome to a place of eskimo kisses and lubricant.

[Foolmewunz]

Wow, the weekend crop new signings are always interesting!

Welcome all and sundry. We seem to get interestinger and interestinger skeptics before and after the TAMs.

Welcome Prazzie... Hope you stay around after you make your point in the thread of interest. Anyone anal retentive diligent enough to rattle off fifteen posts just to be able to post a link will fit right in around here.

Welcome LadyMitris/Dana. Ya know, we'd have welcomed you when you were still a deist. We actually don't abuse our deists all that much (well, the occasional short-sheeting and a wet willie now and then...). Deists are not to be confused, as a category, with Creationists, IDers, or Anti-Evolutionists. Them we abuse frequently and gleefully.

Criticalsock. And a hearty welcome to you, too. I don't think it would be nice to suggest you give your sister the Do It Yourself TV Repair Cure? But then again, I'm not nice, so ..... just smack her on the side of her head until she comes into focus. Oh, and Grayman doesn't put nuts or nut flour in his cookies, so if you'll just follow along up the corridor....

Flibbit Welcome, you could've figuratively hand-held a couple of us through the NCAAs. Drop in on the NCAA Basketball thread in sports. There's at least one rabid Cardinal fan, and I have to say they're also one of my all time favorites, too. (Rumor has it that they're also playing good football the last few years, but I don't pay any attention to basketball schools' football teams. Basketball is da bomb!) And if you don't like sports, that's okay. Just stand in line and get roundball tickets for RenaissanceBiker (aforementioned fanatic of the Cards) and all will be forgiven.

[arthwollipot]

Do not bring up the subject of goats, as at least one member has a phobia about them.I've told you before, it's not a phobia.

Welcome to all new members.

If you'll follow me, I'll show you where we keep the goats. You may pet them if you wish.See? I just warn people to be careful! You need a certain level of... respect.

Welcome all you newb's , would you like a nice glass of goats milk to go with the Graymans cookies ?And just for the newbies, "milk" here is indeed a euphemism.

[amb]

Welcome all newbies. Don't worry too much about the milk and cookies. I'm offering something far more tasty. A pizza with the works, and a stubby of Crown Larger or Millers Larger, take your choice.
PS. The pizza is wood fired oven cooked to perfection.

Arthi. I'm joking about any phobia.

[Flibbit]

Lubrication, huh?

[LadyMitris]

"Welcome LadyMitris/Dana. Ya know, we'd have welcomed you when you were still a deist. We actually don't abuse our deists all that much (well, the occasional short-sheeting and a wet willie now and then...). Deists are not to be confused, as a category, with Creationists, IDers, or Anti-Evolutionists. Them we abuse frequently and gleefully."

Thanks. I kinda wished I'd joined up sooner. Probably would have made my deconversion quicker.

[Lothian]

Welcome LadyMitris/Dana. Ya know, we'd have welcomed you when you were still a deist. We actually don't abuse our deists all that much (well, the occasional short-sheeting and a wet willie now and then...). Deists are not to be confused, as a category, with Creationists, IDers, or Anti-Evolutionists. Them we abuse frequently and gleefully.Dare I ask ?

[arthwollipot]

Dare I ask ?No. Don't go there.

[arthwollipot]

Arthi. I'm joking about any phobia.Yeah, I know. :D

[Pauliesonne]

Lubrication, huh?

It's not necessary in the winter, but it's nice.

[grayman]

...and Grayman doesn't put nuts or nut flour in his cookies, so if you'll just follow along up the corridor...

Put my nuts in the cookie dough...hmmm :eusa_think:

[Franklin]

Hello, folks.

I actually joined some months ago, made a couple of posts, and changed computers and sort of lost my links. Plus I've been busy. Lately I've been coming around and lurking; I've seen a lot of crazy sites and stuff on the net over the last year, and I would say that the world desperately needs a few more skeptics before our society collapses back into the magical thinking modes I thought we left behind with the advent of the Renaissance.

Scary. Look forward to posting a little more.

[Foolmewunz]

Dare I ask ?

This is the true version of the wet willie. (There's an x-rated one wandering around but I'd never heard of it..)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_prank

[Reynevan]

Hello,

I'm from Czech Republic and I would like you express thank for this forum. Today's world is full of lie and inaccurate information and here i m drawing much important information. My country is full of antiamerican mood and our internet is flooded with much nonsenses like Zeitgeist, Loose chance and below. God bless this forum! :-)

Once more thank you.

TS. Excuse mine English, at school am had to yet teach Russian. :- )

[CryptidFan]

Hi everybody, I'm a fanatic of cryptids, I don't really believe in paranormal though.

[amb]

Hello,

I'm from Czech Republic and I would like you express thank for this forum. Today's world is full of lie and inaccurate information and here i m drawing much important information. My country is full of antiamerican mood and our internet is flooded with much nonsenses like Zeitgeist, Loose chance and below. God bless this forum! :-)

Once more thank you.

TS. Excuse mine English, at school am had to yet teach Russian. :- ) Welcome to the forum. I hope you had nothing to do with that horrible car to come out of your republic, namely the Skoda.
What were your people thinking when they released this monster to the world? Fiats were bad, but this was only beaten by the Russian contribution, the Lada. It was a joke, no? :p

[Reynevan]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you had nothing to do with that horrible car to come out of your republic, namely the Skoda.
What were your people thinking when they released this monster to the world? Fiats were bad, but this was only beaten by the Russian contribution, the Lada. It was a joke, no? :p


Thanks,

No, I have nothing to do with that car. Actually Škoda isnt a Czech car. Now belongs to to the Volkswagen group. I own Spanish Seat.

But watch out ! From y. 1978 to 1995 (!) we're have at home Russian car namely Lada. Famous machine!!! :-) It* started on hundred percent in minus 30C degrees. It dug out of every swamp and never needed repair! :eek:

It was an energetic Russian answer to American imperialists! :-)))

[Reynevan]

OMG! I m sorry. Delete me, please! :scared:

[tim]

Consider yourself deleted!
But only because I drive a Skoda..................

[Syameese]

Hi all, I have been lurking for a while, but have decided to come out from cover.

For as long as I can remember I have been a sceptic (as I learnt to spell it, although skeptic is now widely used in Australia). I do remember working out the Santa Claus "cover-up" at a very early age, but some perhaps instinctive cunning made sure I kept that to myself for a number of years:D

That said, in my teens I certainly was extremely interested in all sorts of seemingly amazing things UFOs, ancient astronauts, esp etc and how cool would it be if one or any of these things actually existed. However, something in my makeup has always made me ask questions about things and of course when you do the houses of cards that these things are made of quickly collapse.

I first became aware of James Randi when his Geller debunking made the news and it gave me great pleasure at the time to explain to my mother that the spoon bending was just a lot of (insert name of skeptical TV show here). Was she convinced, probably not.

What I do think does matter though is that when nonsense claims or beliefs go beyond the entertainment industry and start to infect the intellectual and physical welfare of the community (ID, homeopathy ...etc). That is why I have started to become much more vocal about such things in my circle of friends, will it help - probably not, but I have decided that I cannot let nonsense go unchallenged.

It takes some energy though as I found out recently when talking to my sister who thinks Sylvia Browne and John Edwards have something to offer:boggled:

More strength to truth seekers I say.

[amb]

Syameese, I bet you have at one time read that fraudester Erich Von Daniken's. ''Chariots of The Gods.'' What about George Adamski's tall blond Venusians in ''Flying Saucers have Landed.''

Welcome. You will love it here.

[Syameese]

Syameese, I bet you have at one time read that fraudester Erich Von Daniken's. ''Chariots of The Gods.'' What about George Adamski's tall blond Venusians in ''Flying Saucers have Landed.''

Welcome. You will love it here.

Sadly, I plead guilty to the first, the second - not yet. Thanks for the welcome:)

[SusanB-M1]

Sadly, I plead guilty to the first, the second - not yet.
'Plead guilty'? 'sadly'? Never! They were a good read and certainly they and Velikovsky et al made me think and constantly ask, 'Is this TRUE?' I did rather scoff at Z Sitchin though!

Welcome, too.

[Roadtoad]

Welcome to a place of eskimo kisses and lubricant.

Ummm, shouldn't that have been eskimo pies and lubricant?

[James Fox]

Ummm, shouldn't that have been eskimo pies and lubricant?

Eskimo kissing doesn’t require lubricant. Does it???

[EssenceOfMagic]

Hey dudes, my friend Holly who is also a member here told me about the place and I love it! looking forward to twist my brain XD

[Foolmewunz]

Hey dudes, my friend Holly who is also a member here told me about the place and I love it! looking forward to twist my brain XD

Hmmm? I can't recall any Aussies identifying themselves as "Holly", but then again, it's getting so that you can't swing a dead cat in here without hitting an Aussie, there are so many of you.

Welcome aboard, EoM. It helps if your brain is pre-twisted, of course, but we'll be happy to help out. If you want to get acquainted without taking on world hunger, global warming, or the underlying tenets of faith, there are plenty of conveniently located get-acquainted threads. Humor: We have an Aussies only thread. I don't know what's in there, as I'm a gentleman of the old school and am so honorable that I have never been there. We also have the Rugby and Cricket threads in Sports (being an Aussie, you might want to lodge a protest that there are no Aussie Rules threads, but the AFL fans show up in every thread now and then to decry the brilliance of the game... we all ignore you, of course...).

Wait right here. Grayman will be along shortly with oatmeal cookies. I think he's working up a new recipe - best not to ask...

And on behalf of my favorite mod (because she hasn't admonished me for anything lately), Library Lady..... Have you returned your library books?

[UnrepentantSinner]

I did rather scoff at Z Sitchin though!

That's because the Annunaki programmed your genes so that you won't discover the truth. ;)

[EssenceOfMagic]

Hmmm? I can't recall any Aussies identifying themselves as "Holly", but then again, it's getting so that you can't swing a dead cat in here without hitting an Aussie, there are so many of you.

Welcome aboard, EoM. It helps if your brain is pre-twisted, of course, but we'll be happy to help out. If you want to get acquainted without taking on world hunger, global warming, or the underlying tenets of faith, there are plenty of conveniently located get-acquainted threads. Humor: We have an Aussies only thread. I don't know what's in there, as I'm a gentleman of the old school and am so honorable that I have never been there. We also have the Rugby and Cricket threads in Sports (being an Aussie, you might want to lodge a protest that there are no Aussie Rules threads, but the AFL fans show up in every thread now and then to decry the brilliance of the game... we all ignore you, of course...).

Wait right here. Grayman will be along shortly with oatmeal cookies. I think he's working up a new recipe - best not to ask...

And on behalf of my favorite mod (because she hasn't admonished me for anything lately), Library Lady..... Have you returned your library books?

What a welcoming comment!haha. Well Holly joined November last year so yeah. I'm only 18 by the way so my brain has only been twisted so far- it will be wound more and more as I grow older for sure. And I don't like sport either. Yep, an Aussie who's not a sports nut! :jaw-dropp

[SusanB-M1]

That's because the Annunaki programmed your genes so that you won't discover the truth. ;)
:D No hope for me then!

[arthwollipot]

What a welcoming comment!haha. Well Holly joined November last year so yeah. I'm only 18 by the way so my brain has only been twisted so far- it will be wound more and more as I grow older for sure. And I don't like sport either. Yep, an Aussie who's not a sports nut! :jaw-droppYay! There are a few more of us about then. I think you'll enjoy your stay here. Just don't... approach... the goat too closely, you know what I mean?

[EssenceOfMagic]

"don't approach the goat too closely?" nope, confused :s

I'm enjoying myself very much! :)

[arthwollipot]

"don't approach the goat too closely?" nope, confused :s

I'm enjoying myself very much! :)Well, the goat can be a little bit... forward. Just leave him alone and you won't have to worry about anything.

[HghrSymmetry]

...snip...
It takes some energy though as I found out recently when talking to my sister who thinks Sylvia Browne and John Edwards have something to offer:boggled:




Aye, that they do. Namely, a lighter wallet.
-------

Welcome.

[jaywhat]

What cars does Oz offer the world then?

sorry thia PPLIES TO AN EARLIER MESSAGE??

[amb]

'Plead guilty'? 'sadly'? Never! They were a good read and certainly they and Velikovsky et al made me think and constantly ask, 'Is this TRUE?' I did rather scoff at Z Sitchin though!

Welcome, too. The publishers of Velikovsky's book should be ashamed of themselves for stooping so low for the almighty dollar.
I thought it was hilarious how the planet Venus caused so much mayhem. Why, it even helped the Israelites cross the Red Sea, Noah's FLUDD, ect, ect.
You don't find such comedy in books like that too often. :rolleyes:

[Ennan]

Hi all!

New member (well, duh.. that's what the thread is for) here.. Was reading the JREF RSS for some time now, and while clicking trough the forum i wanted to reply to an old thread about some tv-show in holland ... but that was in the members-only forums, so guess what i did ;)

[tim]

"don't approach the goat too closely?" nope, confused :s

I'm enjoying myself very much! :)


The goat thing is an in joke. Use your imagination, double it and shudder..................
Welcome.
And welcome Ennan as well.
We hope you'll find this forum interesting and entertaining. If you haven't already looked, consider coming to TAM in Las Vegas in June. Expensive, but well worth it.
And just to make you jealous, we have Randi in the UK at the moment............ :p;)

[Ennan]

I saw something of him on photo over at blipfoto :)
But although it's a bit jealousy material, UK is a lot closer then The US of A for me :)

I ofcourse know about TAM, but the trip to vegas alone is a bit more then i want to spend at the moment :)

[grayman]

Welcome new people!

Would you like an oatmeal cookie?





Just pick out any hair you find - mostly harmless. I have discovered that cookie dough is a soothing poultice for chaffed areas.

[Ennan]

O_o

wow .. :)
i'll eeuhm... stick to Oreos i guess ;)

[amb]

Welcome to all newcomers. You have probably gathered by now that if you desire some oatmeal cookies, grayman is the person to see. [ shudder]
Keep away from the goat. They eat anything, so be careful.

[albion]

Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Darrell, I'm a long-time lurker around here. After spending many a moment open-mouthed with both amusement and bemusement at the Million Dollar Challengers and the wonderful cross-section of absolute lunatics in the conspiracy section I couldn't help but involve myself.

I'm relatively new to science after disliking it immensely at school but have grown steadily more fascinated by it.

[grayman]

I'm relatively new to science after disliking it immensely at school but have grown steadily more fascinated by it.

Excellent! May I interest you in being part of an..."experiment"? :stone028:

Just follow me down the hall.

By the way, do you happen to have any allergies to fava beans or Chianti?

[JEROME DA GNOME]

Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Darrell, I'm a long-time lurker around here. After spending many a moment open-mouthed with both amusement and bemusement at the Million Dollar Challengers and the wonderful cross-section of absolute lunatics in the conspiracy section I couldn't help but involve myself.

I'm relatively new to science after disliking it immensely at school but have grown steadily more fascinated by it.


What ever you do here you MUST remember to ignore Jerome as he presents dangerous ideas!!!

:gnome:

[HghrSymmetry]

... After spending many a moment open-mouthed with both amusement and bemusement at the Million Dollar Challengers and the wonderful cross-section of absolute lunatics in the conspiracy section I couldn't help but involve myself.



Aye, you'll find that they are not limited to the consiracy section, but are well represented in many threads/areas. I imagine most skeptical forums are thusly infected.

Welcome.

[AndyD]

Hello. I'm here.

I've been ferreting around skeptic sites for a few months - since I received my latest David Rhodes pyramid scam letter in fact. More recently I've been commenting on some blogs and now I've joined here.

My main interest, currently, is in adding thoughts to the reasons why "skepticism" is misunderstood by the general population. Basically I argue that it's just a crappy word that lost it's true meaning a long time ago and that hanging on to it is a bit like claiming homeopathy is a pretty neat idea.

My favourite recent quote comes from Australian federal member of parliament, Wilson (Ironbar) Tuckey, - a man with a reputation for kicking heads (politically) and a record for hitting someone (actually) with a steel cable. In February this year, the Australian parliament was set to offer a formal apology to the Aboriginal community in relation to historic indiscretions. Tuckey was annoyed by this "Sorry Day" and so recited the Lord's Prayer loudly, then left before proceedings began. He later said:

"I am not in this house for tokenism. I went down there and prayed for those people."

I thought that was a classic comment. And, if that wasn't enough, he added:

"I put in my mind a prayer for those who seriously need help but I heard nothing today that is going to do that’’

Tokenism works in mysterious ways.

[albion]

Excellent! May I interest you in being part of an..."experiment"? :stone028:

Just follow me down the hall.

By the way, do you happen to have any allergies to fava beans or Chianti?

No, but I do have allergies to the films of the hammy pantomime dame Anthony Hopkins ;)

Everyone knows Manhunter is the best :p

What ever you do here you MUST remember to ignore Jerome as he presents dangerous ideas!!!

:gnome:

I'll look out for your dangerous ideas for sure :D

Aye, you'll find that they are not limited to the consiracy section, but are well represented in many threads/areas. I imagine most skeptical forums are thusly infected.

Welcome.

:confused:

[HghrSymmetry]

:confused:

Allow me to translate...

The woos are not limited to any specific area of the forum.
Skeptical forums in general have a significant woo ratio.

[HghrSymmetry]

My main interest, currently, is in adding thoughts to the reasons why "skepticism" is misunderstood by the general population. Basically I argue that it's just a crappy word that lost it's true meaning a long time ago and that hanging on to it is a bit like claiming homeopathy is a pretty neat idea.



Welcome AD.

Part of the reason is that many people take skeptiscism as a threat to some pet belief system. Defenses go up and the excuse machine pegs to the red-line because a skeptic asks for evidence.
There is usually some non scientific viewpoint/belief that is being protected and if it were to honestly be examined by the believer, the entire belief system may evaporate quicker than a drop of water on a red hot stove.

[Bedford]

What's too bad is eventually so many messages are posted people stop trying to look for interesting ones at all.
Only self discipline can change this; on the part of each new poster at the time of posting.
I'm cynical enough to think this will never happen. Or maybe Orwell's 1984 will occur when computer become the property only of the sincerely curious!!!

[AndyD]

Part of the reason is that many people take skeptiscism as a threat to some pet belief system. Defenses go up and the excuse machine pegs to the red-line because a skeptic asks for evidence.

I think it's far simpler. People here and on fundamentalist alternative forums know what skeptics "really" are (although each would describe them differently) but I'm talking about the mums and dads who aren't committed alties posting on forums but are easily convinced to believe some weird stuff. Knowing that someone labelled a "skeptic" disagrees with that belief doesn't sway them because to the average person, skeptic does not equate with "serious thinker", it just means cynic.

It's just something that's irked me since I started sniffing around for blogs dealing with all this stuff. I know it's not a new concern, theres a thread in the general forum and I've seen it in an Australian Skeptics magazine but I'm not seeing anyone seriously suggesting the term be dropped and replaced with something better. Maybe it just isn't feasible, I don't know. But, even knowing now what skeptic means I can't feel positive about a word I've only previously seen used negatively.

So, what chance is there of getting a positive response from someone who isn't actively searching out information but is just watching news reports where one person is boasting their psychic powers and someone else is described as skeptical about it. Whoopie do, they're skeptical. Not very convincing to the non-skeptics out there.

[UnrepentantSinner]

My main interest, currently, is in adding thoughts to the reasons why "skepticism" is misunderstood by the general population. .

Hell, it's misunderstood by some of very sincere and rational skeptics on this very forum. :) They think it's an entrenched position, when it's actually a process and a worldview.

Glad to have you on the forum.

(and wow! there have been around 16,000 people who have registered between when Bradford did and Andy did)

[amb]

Hello. I'm here.

I've been ferreting around skeptic sites for a few months - since I received my latest David Rhodes pyramid scam letter in fact. More recently I've been commenting on some blogs and now I've joined here.

My main interest, currently, is in adding thoughts to the reasons why "skepticism" is misunderstood by the general population. Basically I argue that it's just a crappy word that lost it's true meaning a long time ago and that hanging on to it is a bit like claiming homeopathy is a pretty neat idea.

My favourite recent quote comes from Australian federal member of parliament, Wilson (Ironbar) Tuckey, - a man with a reputation for kicking heads (politically) and a record for hitting someone (actually) with a steel cable. In February this year, the Australian parliament was set to offer a formal apology to the Aboriginal community in relation to historic indiscretions. Tuckey was annoyed by this "Sorry Day" and so recited the Lord's Prayer loudly, then left before proceedings began. He later said:

"I am not in this house for tokenism. I went down there and prayed for those people."

I thought that was a classic comment. And, if that wasn't enough, he added:

"I put in my mind a prayer for those who seriously need help but I heard nothing today that is going to do that’’

Tokenism works in mysterious ways.First of all a warm welcome.
Wilson Tuckey in my mind has always been to right wing for my liking, but in this matter I have sent him an e-mail congratulating him on his theatrics.
This apology thing has sent my blood pressure through the roof.
We have nothing to apologize for. In fact, it's the aboriginals who should apologize to us for their behaviour. 80% of the prison population is aboriginal.
We give these people billions of our hard earned dollars each year, for what?
So they can buy tons of booze and bludge on the system.
I will never ever vote for Labor as long as I live. And that's coming from a lifelong Labor voter. Not to mention the most arrogant Premier this state of W.A has ever had in history is also Labor. If any Labor politician ever knocks on my door they will be assaulted, I swear.

[Matlatzinca]

OK, New here and just starting to look around. On the one hand, it seems like a curious place to discuss a lot of politics. On the other, there is such a lack of critical thinking in politics that it is proper to discuss these topics.

C U around.

[MaryCBW]

I finally decided to join. I've been lurking here for at least four years.

[billboy]

hello people

[grayman]

I've been lurking here for at least four years.

I know. I've been watching you. :stone028:

Want an oatmeal cookie?

[amb]

hello people
Hello billboy. Welcome to the forum. If you want some cookies see grayman.
If you want advice on the best beer to drink, see me.
If it's goats you are interested in, see arthwollipot. :p

[Prometheus]

When did arthwollipot gain custody of the goats? Does this board have some sort of goat-sharing arrangement that I'm unaware of?

:welcome2

[grayman]

When did arthwollipot gain custody of the goats? Does this board have some sort of goat-sharing arrangement that I'm unaware of?

It's sort of a menage-a-baa. :goat

[Prometheus]

It's sort of a menage-a-baa. :goat

ROFL. Nominated.

[laarree]

What's this about sharing goatse? :eye-poppi

[Skeptiger]

Hi All,

I found the UK Skeptics Forum a week or so back after seeing Randi speak in London, and was naturally led here to yet another rational, intelligence group of people. It is all rather heartening. I live just outside of London, UK and I came to skepticism about 6 months ago when I stumbled across The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast from the NESS. After working my way through more than 100 back episodes, I was hooked and have since seen my personal library swell with science books, my RSS reader fill and my iPod nearly max out for podcasts.

I come from a scientific family although my bent was always the arts. Could I say I have been looking for an answer for years? Probably true, but the only thing that ever made logical sense to me in terms of life and the world around me was science. It took me a lot of years, but I got there in the end.

Skeptiger

[amb]

When did arthwollipot gain custody of the goats? Does this board have some sort of goat-sharing arrangement that I'm unaware of?

:welcome2 You weren't meant to find out, it's been all hush hush.
But now that the secret is out, yes. Next week it's my turn with the goats.
Don't count on getting them all back because a 'capretto' is delicious roasted in a wood fired oven, yum, yum. :D Beats lamb chops on the barbie as well.

[tim]

Welcome, Skeptiger!
I was there last week as well! In fact there was a large contingent from this forum there - we met at the Penderel's Oak pub beforehand.
Keep you eyes open - the forum has regular meets - every couple of months or so. In fact we're about due one now. Whereabouts do you live? (roughly).
We've had meets in London (obviously), Cambridge, Birmingham, Leicester and, erm, Biggleswade. At our house. 20+ skeptics......... :eek:
Any ideas for a venue?

[Skeptiger]

Hi Tim,

I am actually in Twickenham, in SW London so London is the easiest for me (although I do have a car which I am rather fond of driving so I won't rule anything out) I have friends just near Biggleswade but it is a bit of a hike from down this side of the M25...

So do let me know when the next meet is - I would love to come along.

[articulett]

(tee-hee.... there's a place called "Biggleswade"...)

[tim]

(tee-hee.... there's a place called "Biggleswade"...)


Yes. It's named after a local worthy of the nineteenth century, a chap called Leslie Charleton Wade. He ran a chain of butcher shops - about thirteen of them, as I recall. His sausages were renowned far and wide. Mr Wade's problem was that he couldn't resist his own wares, and he died at the tragically early age of thirty-seven, weighing in at 31 stone - over 400 pounds. It took eight people to carry his coffin. People round here still remember Big Les Wade.................

[articulett]

We have a forum member named Big Les... do you think it's a reincarnation the legendary "big les wade"?

(Say, aren't we supposed to refrain from mentioning the goats in the welcome thread--because, it might scare away new members and such? You guys are baaaad.)

[Prometheus]

I thought we were just supposed to avoid talking about the origins of the goats here.... :)

[articulett]

oh yea... origins...

I always get origins confused with organs.

(and sometimes organisms)

(and occasionally orgasms).

(you know... all that "ori/orgy" stuff)

[Prometheus]

And you say we're baaad!

[tim]

Don't talk about the goat!
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_882481380b1c0841.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=11927)

[articulett]

Awww... that is just sooo precious, Tim... is that your pet? He's got the most unusual forked tongue, I ever did see!

[amb]

(tee-hee.... there's a place called "Biggleswade"...)
That's nothing. There's a town in Austria named ***********.

[amb]

Don't talk about the goat!
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_882481380b1c0841.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=11927)
How the hell am I supposed to fit that in an oven. Not to mention, it would be tough as leather. That's no ''capretto'' :D

[articulett]

How the hell am I supposed to fit that in an oven. Not to mention, it would be tough as leather. That's no ''capretto'' :D

It looks like it comes with it's own oven...or at least the heat necessary for a nice flambe'.

[amb]

You have no lived until you try 'capretto' in a wood fired oven. Or on the barbecue roasted medium rare. Then, every time you see a goat you will wonder how old it is.
If too old, their not suitible for roasting, only suitable for a soup or cooked in a steaming pot just like hogget. That image looks way to tough to eat even if it does come with it's own oven. It would take a day to cook. :p

[zorro99]

My name is Zorro. I was born and raised in Texas, now living and working in the Green Zone of Baghdad.

When I was younger I had an interest in the paranormal and conspiracy theories. I've since matured and have discovered that real life is far more interesting and exciting - although I still enjoy a good old fashioned ghost story.

Looking forward to participating in JREF.

[Paulhoff]

My name is Zorro. I was born and raised in Texas, now living and working in the Green Zone of Baghdad.

When I was younger I had an interest in the paranormal and conspiracy theories. I've since matured and have discovered that real life is far more interesting and exciting - although I still enjoy a good old fashioned ghost story.

Looking forward to participating in JREF.
I like Harry Potter, but it is good know where magic ends and where real life begins.

Air Force 1968-72, 462 bomb loader of nukes in So. Dak. and conventional bombs in Thailand on B52s.

Paul

:) :) :)

[articulett]

Welcome Zorro-- we have a few military people here...

I'm sure you'll feel right at home.

[arthwollipot]

This apology thing has sent my blood pressure through the roof.
We have nothing to apologize for. In fact, it's the aboriginals who should apologize to us for their behaviour. 80% of the prison population is aboriginal.Hoo boy. Am I going to touch that comment in the Welcome thread? You bet I'm not.

You better come collect the goat. I'm not a delivery service.

[COLONEL]

Hey everyone don't forget to wish the graman happy bithday next Sunday the fourth of May .Oh and welcome all you newbies . I have goats milk for you to go with the cookies

[amb]

Hey everyone don't forget to wish the graman happy bithday next Sunday the fourth of May .Oh and welcome all you newbies . I have goats milk for you to go with the cookies
Hey! how did you end up with the goats? I have a courier heading to arthwollipot's to collect my goats and it ends up that you beat me to them.
I was so looking forward to having them as my guests for the week too.
In fact I received a recipe from a chef on the best way to roast one on my barbecue. :p
:D

[jhaas]

Hi all,

I've listened to the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe and Skepticality podcasts since they began, pretty much, though it's taken me this long to finally join the forum discussions here and at SGU. I've been a skeptic since I was a kid... I grew up in Alabama, but by the age of 12 or so had figured out that religion was just a big game of make-believe for adults. That's not to mean I'm great, just lucky to avoid the kool-aid, and lucky to have great parents who didn't force-feed me delusions.

Today I'm a professor of geology and geochemistry. I teach courses on the evolution of life and on environmental science. I'm interested in emergence-of-life research and exobiology, and I'm working towards offering a course in scientific/skeptical thinking at the university where I work. Also I'm going to my first TAM meeting this summer. :D

[mdpbl]

Ok, new guy here. Old fart (58) other than that I'm just a run-of-the mill international man of mystery, gentleman scholar, genetic hybrid government assassin and an overall jeenius. Hope to meet some of you.

David

[ottUp]

Hello folks.

New member Richard here. I live in Ottawa, Canada. Old fart, computer scientist, and amateur astronomer. And skeptic of course.

I'm coming to TAM6 (my first TAM), so am looking forward to the experience, especially to meeting some of my favourite podcasters (SGU, Skeptoid, and others). See you there, and see you here.

- Richard

[Corpse Cruncher]

Welcome both of you. Now please sit in this nice new pot so I can show you all around this place, properly. :D

[amb]

Whatever you do don't sit in Corpse Cruncher's pot. He has ulterior motives which are too terrible to contemplate.
Welcome to the board.

[Corpse Cruncher]

Whatever you do don't sit in Corpse Cruncher's pot. He has ulterior motives which are too terrible to contemplate.
Welcome to the board.
And you need to pay a visit to the hot room- pronto. He indeed! Swings handbag and totters off in a girlie huff in very high heels.

[amb]

Ladies don't place innocent souls in pots. So you can understand the misconception.
Do I need to apologize?

[Corpse Cruncher]

Ladies don't place innocent souls in pots. So you can understand the misconception.
Do I need to apologize?
I do, what is wrong with the consumption of a few possible innocent souls? Yes you do need to beg forgiveness. It is that or you shall find me stalking you around the forum; brandishing a granite rolling pin and swinging it upon your bonce for my posterity.:D Believe me I can hide in the weirdest places and launch attacks quicker than a flipped pancake.

[BloodRoses82]

Hello there! I have been lurking for several months now, ever since I randomly ran across StopSylviaBrowne.com and followed a link to the JREF forum. The discussions on here are always lively and intelligent, so I couldn't resist jumping in!

[HghrSymmetry]

Hello there! I have been lurking for several months now, ever since I randomly ran across StopSylviaBrowne.com and followed a link to the JREF forum. The discussions on here are always lively and intelligent, so I couldn't resist jumping in!

Welcome BR.

As for the lively and intelligent discussions......well, I wouldn't use the word "always", but maybe "often."

;)

[mdpbl]

Thanks all for the welcome... Hey!! What the hell is in this pot??

[Mr. Skinny]

Thanks all for the welcome... Hey!! What the hell is in this pot??
Somebody's got pot?

I've sorta been neglecting the newbie thread lately (mom's been sick) but I thought I pop in and give a warm welcome to all the new folks. Always good to have new knowledge and experiences.

Welcome all!

[BenHad]

Hi all,

I've listened to the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe and Skepticality podcasts since they began, pretty much, though it's taken me this long to finally join the forum discussions here and at SGU. I've been a skeptic since I was a kid... I grew up in Alabama, but by the age of 12 or so had figured out that religion was just a big game of make-believe for adults. That's not to mean I'm great, just lucky to avoid the kool-aid, and lucky to have great parents who didn't force-feed me delusions.

Today I'm a professor of geology and geochemistry. I teach courses on the evolution of life and on environmental science. I'm interested in emergence-of-life research and exobiology, and I'm working towards offering a course in scientific/skeptical thinking at the university where I work. Also I'm going to my first TAM meeting this summer. :D
A big welcome from a native Michigander!
Do you teach at Kalamazoo College or the school that used to be Western..... to the south (I think) of Kazoo C? I grew up NW of there and put in 2 years at Kalamazoo College before migrating to S. Calif.. Finished at UCLA (Math) after part timeing for 8 more years while working full time (+ military duty). Now retired in Oregon. :)

[BenHad]

Ok, new guy here. Old fart (58) other than that I'm just a run-of-the mill international man of mystery, gentleman scholar, genetic hybrid government assassin and an overall jeenius. Hope to meet some of you.

David

Welcome David from an older fart (71), retired senior software specialist, amateur airplane builder and flyer, long time skeptic, have to kill you if I told you what I worked on my last ten years before retiring :cool:

[BenHad]

Hello folks.

New member Richard here. I live in Ottawa, Canada. Old fart, computer scientist, and amateur astronomer. And skeptic of course.

I'm coming to TAM6 (my first TAM), so am looking forward to the experience, especially to meeting some of my favourite podcasters (SGU, Skeptoid, and others). See you there, and see you here.

- Richard

Welcome Richard. Old Fortran software engineer here. Retired 16+ years ago tho and took up flying and building aircraft. :eye-poppi

[BenHad]

Sure is quiet tonight. Hello to any newbes I missed.
Almost got my first 50 posts!:rolleyes:

[Jolly 11]

Howdy,
I've been a skeptic for most of my life (though I didn't always know it.) I found this site one day after getting into it with 9/11 truthers on another forum. On a whim I decided to register here. This seems like a neat enough place that will serve to hopefully broaden my intellect. Or at least my typing skills.

[arthwollipot]

Howdy,
I've been a skeptic for most of my life (though I didn't always know it.) I found this site one day after getting into it with 9/11 truthers on another forum. On a whim I decided to register here. This seems like a neat enough place that will serve to hopefully broaden my intellect. Or at least my typing skills.Perferably both! Welcome. You'll find oatmeal cookies on your right and goats on your left. Don't get them confused. There's nothing worse than a confused goat.

[amb]

I do, what is wrong with the consumption of a few possible innocent souls? Yes you do need to beg forgiveness. It is that or you shall find me stalking you around the forum; brandishing a granite rolling pin and swinging it upon your bonce for my posterity.:D Believe me I can hide in the weirdest places and launch attacks quicker than a flipped pancake. Mistress I beg your forgiveness. I will lick your feet for a month if only you forgive my transgression. :eek: :D

[amb]

Sure is quiet tonight. Hello to any newbes I missed.
Almost got my first 50 posts!:rolleyes:
Your congratulation medal is in the post. Don't let it go to your scone though, OK? :)

[UnrepentantSinner]

Welcome to our recent registrants. Please don't be put off by some of the quirky greetings offered by older members because they seem to have forgotten that as lurkers, you didn't previously have access to the Members Only section. :p

[BloodRoses82]

Welcome BR.

As for the lively and intelligent discussions......well, I wouldn't use the word "always", but maybe "often."

;)

Yeah, well- I may have jumped the gun on that one... ;)

[mdpbl]

Welcome David from an older fart (71), retired senior software specialist, amateur airplane builder and flyer, long time skeptic, have to kill you if I told you what I worked on my last ten years before retiring :cool:

If I asked for a hint could you just maim me a little?

[arthwollipot]

Welcome to our recent registrants. Please don't be put off by some of the quirky greetings offered by older members because they seem to have forgotten that as lurkers, you didn't previously have access to the Members Only section. :pOf course, that's where all the good stuff happens.

[Corpse Cruncher]

Thanks all for the welcome... Hey!! What the hell is in this pot??
You, obviously. :D

What on earth do you expect to be in the pot, aliens? They were in there last week, well I had to hide them from the scientists; and what better way than alien pie?

[Corpse Cruncher]

Mistress I beg your forgiveness. I will lick your feet for a month if only you forgive my transgression. :eek: :D

Oh I like you. You shall go far, far to the end of the queue for licking my feet. Should I ever feel the need to have my feet licked, I shall call upon this particular service offered by said individuals, of said queue. I expect you, as I do of them, to drop everything immediately and serve my need without so much of a, "what can I at least wipe my..." :D

[amb]

You, obviously. :D

What on earth do you expect to be in the pot, aliens? They were in there last week, well I had to hide them from the scientists; and what better way than alien pie?
Them poor [censored] came billions of km to end up as a pie? :eek:

Welcome to newbies, ignore the warped humor. Only some of us are nuts. :D

[arthwollipot]

The rest of us are merely seeds.

[allieallie]

Hello...glad to be here with all of you. And who is the dominatrix whose feet we have to lick? *wink*

[FredfromRVA]

Hello all,

I've been reading posts on this site for a week now and look forward to becoming a regular. You seem to have quite a collection of brainiacs and insaniacs here. You may call me Fred, and I hail from the capital of the Confederacy. Critical thinking may not be in abundance here, but we sure do have alot of statues.

[laarree]

Hello all,

I've been reading posts on this site for a week now and look forward to becoming a regular. You seem to have quite a collection of brainiacs and insaniacs here. You may call me Fred, and I hail from the capital of the Confederacy. Critical thinking may not be in abundance here, but we sure do have alot of statues.


Welcome, Suthna', from one newbie to another. :)

I have 28 posts now, I guess I'm still a newbie, eh?

[amb]

Hello...glad to be here with all of you. And who is the dominatrix whose feet we have to lick? *wink*
Oh, that's Corpse Cruncher. Watch her, she has a granite rolling pin she's willing to swing at any unsuspecting victim who offends her.
I got out of it lightly by licking her feet. It could be worse. She could tell me to lick her bathroom floor clean. Now that is stuff that nightmares are made of. :jaw-dropp
Jokes aside. Welcome.

[Foolmewunz]

Welcome, Suthna', from one newbie to another. :)

I have 28 posts now, I guess I'm still a newbie, eh?

Well, now you're up to 34, and yep, you're still a Noob. Mr. Skinny (our forum deity with no upper case letters) still calls me and others at or around the 5000 post level "Noobs".... so you've got a way to go.


Welcome, all. Nice to see the seniors getting in here for a breath of fresh air. It beats lurking around the school yard in a trench coat asking "Psst, little girl... wanna piece of candy."

I'm also a very young 58 (getting younger every time I retouch the photo or touch my mate's pregnant belly), and thought I was the resident delegate from the retirement home. It's not that I have anything against the youtes of today, but I like a few people who at least experienced a few of the same presidents, and who don't say, "There really was a Mickey Mouse Club on TV fifty years ago? I didn't even know you had TV back then!"

Oh, I see the really old codger is from Canada.... So, I guess instead of Mickey Mouse Club, I should throw in references to Mr. Dressup? Nice place Bytown. Well, except for that freeze-your-a**-off part. I spent five years there one winter.... the infamous winter of '70-71 when you had something like 6 metres of snow. Amurricans... I kid you not, that's like a katrillion inches or sumfin! It was in piles up to the tops of two-storey houses.)

Welcome one and all, set yerselves down a get comfy. Pay no attention to the Aussies.... They're acting up because it's been over a week and no new Antipodeans... I think we have the entire sceptical population of the Edforsaken island here, now.

Oh, and if someone mentioned Grayman's Birthday Celebration, you might want to pencil in something (anything!) else important to do on that day. CorpseCruncher's doing the catering, and what with her Noobie Stew and Grayman's Unmentionables Oatmeal Cookies, well, you've been warned (think "Sweeney Todd Street Meets Night of The Living Dead").

[amb]

Well, now you're up to 34, and yep, you're still a Noob. Mr. Skinny (our forum deity with no upper case letters) still calls me and others at or around the 5000 post level "Noobs".... so you've got a way to go.


Welcome, all. Nice to see the seniors getting in here for a breath of fresh air. It beats lurking around the school yard in a trench coat asking "Psst, little girl... wanna piece of candy."

I'm also a very young 58 (getting younger every time I retouch the photo or touch my mate's pregnant belly), and thought I was the resident delegate from the retirement home. It's not that I have anything against the youtes of today, but I like a few people who at least experienced a few of the same presidents, and who don't say, "There really was a Mickey Mouse Club on TV fifty years ago? I didn't even know you had TV back then!"

Oh, I see the really old codger is from Canada.... So, I guess instead of Mickey Mouse Club, I should throw in references to Mr. Dressup? Nice place Bytown. Well, except for that freeze-your-a**-off part. I spent five years there one winter.... the infamous winter of '70-71 when you had something like 6 metres of snow. Amurricans... I kid you not, that's like a katrillion inches or sumfin! It was in piles up to the tops of two-storey houses.)

Welcome one and all, set yerselves down a get comfy. Pay no attention to the Aussies.... They're acting up because it's been over a week and no new Antipodeans... I think we have the entire sceptical population of the Edforsaken island here, now.

Oh, and if someone mentioned Grayman's Birthday Celebration, you might want to pencil in something (anything!) else important to do on that day. CorpseCruncher's doing the catering, and what with her Noobie Stew and Grayman's Unmentionables Oatmeal Cookies, well, you've been warned (think "Sweeney Todd Street Meets Night of The Living Dead").
I demand a bit of respect damm it. I'm 1 year your senior.:D So that's what you think of us Aussies, Antipodeans . Well us Aussies sometimes have somthing important to say. Like, which beer to drink, which meatpie is the best, avoiding doing the housework and gardening, ect, ect. What are New Zealanders good for apart from [censored] sheep. :p

[Foolmewunz]

I demand a bit of respect damm it. I'm 1 year your senior.:D So that's what you think of us Aussies, Antipodeans . Well us Aussies sometimes have somthing important to say. Like, which beer to drink, which meatpie is the best, avoiding doing the housework and gardening, ect, ect. What are New Zealanders good for apart from [censored] sheep. :p


Harrumph!

(Sorry others... this is the old geezer idea of a debate.)

:spjimlad::spjimlad:

[SusanB-M1]

Oh, I see the really old codger is from Canada....
I noticed that post from the newby of 71 the other day, so I feel that I should just drop in here and mention my seniority at 72!

I always read this thread. May I add my welcome to all the newcomers.

[Paulhoff]

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/4880481caeb48be35.gif (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=12007)

Paul

:) :) :)

[articulett]

As you see, Paulhoff does things to peoples' avatars.

If you are very, very good...
or very, very bad --he may do something to yours.

Guess which category SusanB-M1 falls into?

[articulett]

Hello all,

I've been reading posts on this site for a week now and look forward to becoming a regular. You seem to have quite a collection of brainiacs and insaniacs here. You may call me Fred, and I hail from the capital of the Confederacy. Critical thinking may not be in abundance here, but we sure do have alot of statues.

I think statues beat woos in the critical thinking continuum...

You, no doubt, will be instrumental in spreading reason throughout the land. Welcome.

[HghrSymmetry]

Hello all,

I've been reading posts on this site for a week now and look forward to becoming a regular. You seem to have quite a collection of brainiacs and insaniacs here. You may call me Fred, and I hail from the capital of the Confederacy. Critical thinking may not be in abundance here, but we sure do have alot of statues.

Yes, welcome Fred. Enjoy the forum.

And on behalf of many of the members, please accept my apology in advance for the contingent of "non-critical" thinkers on this board.

Engage for laughs, irony exercises, and general entertainment, but don't expect too much rationality from the woo faction.

[amb]

The contingent of 'non-critical' thinkers can do their own apologising.
I refuse to apologise for deluded ranting religionists spewing forth poison.
One day they may see the error of their ways and truly apologize to all free thinking rational people for their transgressions.[ Pigs might fly too.]

[SusanB-M1]

I have just rung Carole-next-door to confirm that the picture on the link is the one with he flashing lights... which of course was great fun and which she confirmes. I ought to mention too I suppose, for the benefit of the newbies reading this, that the feet are not my own!

[HghrSymmetry]

The contingent of 'non-critical' thinkers can do their own apologising.
I refuse to apologise for deluded ranting religionists spewing forth poison.
One day they may see the error of their ways and truly apologize to all free thinking rational people for their transgressions.[ Pigs might fly too.]

Noted.

Though that wasn't quite the gist of my meaning. I am apologizing to our newer members for the inanity they will probably/most likely encounter.

As for the perpetrators..., no I'm not excusing their behavior, but simply acknowledging that many humans through evolutionary and memetic developments are not capable of letting go of irrationality.

Of course, it would be nice if people could overcome that, yet hundreds of thousands/millions of years of selection pressure combined with indoctrination is a hurddle most can not clear.

[articulett]

Rest assured... if a forum member is rubbing you the wrong way, he/she is probably having that effect on many others. Thicken your skin and volley or put them on ignore.

We all have freedom of speech... but you aren't expected to let people inflict their opinions and beliefs on you. We do get all sorts of woo here who like to engage skeptics because if the skeptics can't change their mind... (and we seldom can), then they believe that their pet delusion has "withstood" skeptical scrutiny--thus affirming their faith in it. But others learn even if the woo don't. Judicious use of the ignore feature can make this forum seem utterly brilliant. There are a lot of great writers here... they just tend not to be the "self appointed" experts inferring that you should be more like them.

[articulett]

I have just rung Carole-next-door to confirm that the picture on the link is the one with he flashing lights... which of course was great fun and which she confirmes. I ought to mention too I suppose, for the benefit of the newbies reading this, that the feet are not my own!

Hey, twinkle-toes, you can download paul's doctored avatar and use it as your own if you like. Many members would be glad to tell you how to do it. They may be your neighbor's feet... but the sparkle is all yours.

[Perihelion Xanateris]

Hi.

I'm not a skeptic, I'm here because:

1. I think Randi is a nasty piece of work who uses the JREF M$C as a way to make innocent people trip over themselves for his own amusement by raising the evidence requirements to impossibly high levels.

2. As a Wiccan - and a psychic - I feel the need to defend against undue blanket accusations (eg. "all mediums/psychics/etc are frauds") by impossible skeptics who seem to take delight in labelling anyone who doesn't conform to strict "established scientific thinking" rules as "woo woo" or something equally harsh.

3. I'm tired of all the exclusivist atheists who don't seem to understand that their behaviour and words puts them in the exact same league as fundie Christians.

4. Same as #3, but for the impossible skeptics who put themselves in the same league as Intelligent Design advocates.

That said, I'm from Australia (Tamworth, NSW), and blessed be.

[Normal Dude]

Hi.

I'm not a skeptic, I'm here because:

1. I think Randi is a nasty piece of work who uses the JREF M$C as a way to make innocent people trip over themselves for his own amusement by raising the evidence requirements to impossibly high levels.

2. As a Wiccan - and a psychic - I feel the need to defend against undue blanket accusations (eg. "all mediums/psychics/etc are frauds") by impossible skeptics who seem to take delight in labelling anyone who doesn't conform to strict "established scientific thinking" rules as "woo woo" or something equally harsh.

3. I'm tired of all the exclusivist atheists who don't seem to understand that their behaviour and words puts them in the exact same league as fundie Christians.

4. Same as #3, but for the impossible skeptics who put themselves in the same league as Intelligent Design advocates.

That said, I'm from Australia (Tamworth, NSW), and blessed be.

Welcome. I can promise your stay here will be nothing short of exciting.

[arthwollipot]

Welcome. I can promise your stay here will be nothing short of exciting.Indeed. I'm looking forward to your contributions in the Paranormal subforum.

Corn dogs for everybody!

[Prometheus]

2. As a Wiccan - and a psychic - I feel the need to defend against undue blanket accusations (eg. "all mediums/psychics/etc are frauds") by impossible skeptics who seem to take delight in labelling anyone who doesn't conform to strict "established scientific thinking" rules as "woo woo" or something equally harsh.


Welcome. Of course not all psychics are frauds; many are merely deluded. But then, you knew I was going to say that, didn't you? Please rest assured, I'll be pleased to admit I'm wrong the moment you post a verifiable shred of evidence that you are in fact psychic. Anyway, welcome. Have some cookies.

[SusanB-M1]

Hey, twinkle-toes, you can download paul's doctored avatar and use it as your own if you like. Many members would be glad to tell you how to do it. They may be your neighbor's feet... but the sparkle is all yours.
Yes, please, I would like to know. I'll send you a pm.

[Perihelion Xanateris]

Welcome. Of course not all psychics are frauds; many are merely deluded. But then, you knew I was going to say that, didn't you?

As a matter of fact, I had a feeling someone was going to make a smartass comment to that effect. :D

[HghrSymmetry]

Welcome PX.

Impressive display of audacity.

Well done.

[arthwollipot]

As a matter of fact, I had a feeling someone was going to make a smartass comment to that effect. :DDon't let it bother you - this is a skeptic's forum after all. :)

For the record, I have no problem with wicca. It sounds trite, but in this case it's literally true: some of my best friends are wicca. But you will be challenged on your claim of being psychic. I hope you are prepared for it. Some posters can be a bit... impatient.

[Prometheus]

As a matter of fact, I had a feeling someone was going to make a smartass comment to that effect. :D

Well met! You definitely deserve a cookie. :)

Don't let it bother you - this is a skeptic's forum after all. :)

For the record, I have no problem with wicca. It sounds trite, but in this case it's literally true: some of my best friends are wicca. But you will be challenged on your claim of being psychic. I hope you are prepared for it. Some posters can be a bit... impatient.

You do not. :p

[amb]

I have just rung Carole-next-door to confirm that the picture on the link is the one with he flashing lights... which of course was great fun and which she confirmes. I ought to mention too I suppose, for the benefit of the newbies reading this, that the feet are not my own! Nevertheless, beautiful......er....... shoes!:)

[amb]

Hey, twinkle-toes, you can download paul's doctored avatar and use it as your own if you like. Many members would be glad to tell you how to do it. They may be your neighbor's feet... but the sparkle is all yours. Jezus H Christ, you can flatter people when your in the mood. I like that trait in a woman. :D What a pity I'm in Australia.:p

[COLONEL]

Happy Monday all you newbies and welcome . Please wish the Grayman a Happy belated bithday ( It was yesterday ) He might give you a cookie if you do .

[amb]

Happy bath day Grayman. Dare I ask how old? May you have many, many more anyway.
I'm probably the only person in the world who feel birthdays are a reminder of our approaching demise, therefore no reason to celebrate once we become adults.
But, I suppose, any excuse will do to party.

[articulett]

Jezus H Christ, you can flatter people when your in the mood. I like that trait in a woman. :D What a pity I'm in Australia.:p

I'm very "mercurial". :)

[HghrSymmetry]

Ah yes, dark hair and brown eyes.

This knowledge is part of the quantum connectedness.
I think professor Einstein called it "spooky action at a distance*."



(*Something our very own Santa can relate to, btw...)

[carolenextdoor]

Hey, twinkle-toes, you can download paul's doctored avatar and use it as your own if you like. Many members would be glad to tell you how to do it. They may be your neighbor's feet... but the sparkle is all yours.

Regretfully, the above mentioned "feet" do not belong to me:o
These feet are of an unidentified person ( presumably female), donated by a forum member as Susan's avatar:cool:

[RedRatSnake]

Hi

I'm from Cape Cod MA, Mechanic for 30 plus yrs, Hobbies include, Reptiles, Mountain biking, Fishing, Whale Watching, Hiking, Crypto Animals, 50's SiFi,


Peace
Tim

[grayman]

Happy bath day Grayman. Dare I ask how old? May you have many, many more anyway.



Old enough to know better, young enough not to care.

I'm probably the only person in the world who feel birthdays are a reminder of our approaching demise, therefore no reason to celebrate once we become adults.
But, I suppose, any excuse will do to party.[/

You reminded me of this (http://www.gocomics.com/pricklycity/2008/05/02/).

And thanks for the bath day wishes. :stone028:

[Jersh]

Hello. My name is Josh. I like music a lot. I look forward to learning a lot of things on this forum. Thanks.

[arthwollipot]

Hi Josh. How much do you like music?

[Jersh]

Well, those things are hard to quantify but listening to and studying music is probably the most important thing in my life. I do a little bit of writing and playing but not professionally. I almost always have something playing.

[Gene L]

Gene L here, and I am, of course, a new member. I'm glad to be here among you all.

I live in Georgia, USA. I am a law enforcement officer of about 30 years experience. I have a BA in History and also in Sociology (wow) and a MFA in creative writing.

Having lurked for a while here, I can see there are a lot of interesting topics, and I look forward to adding my voice to these.

[articulett]

Happy Birthday Gene... a nice Day to join, I'm sure.

[DrASK]

Hi everyone. I'm new-ish. I've been lurking on the forums for a bit. I've been to every TAM save #1 and the recent 5.5. I tried to post my piccie in the TAM6 - what do you look like? thread, but *apparently* you need to post 15 times before you can post a URL. Huh. Well, only 12 more to go! :rolleyes:

[hcmom]

I've been horridly remiss in my welcoming duties, so if anyone wants a very special welcome, they can just pm me...

:halo:

[arthwollipot]

Well, those things are hard to quantify but listening to and studying music is probably the most important thing in my life. I do a little bit of writing and playing but not professionally. I almost always have something playing.Just starting conversation. :) Your intro was pretty brief.

Hi everyone. I'm new-ish. I've been lurking on the forums for a bit. I've been to every TAM save #1 and the recent 5.5. I tried to post my piccie in the TAM6 - what do you look like? thread, but *apparently* you need to post 15 times before you can post a URL. Huh. Well, only 12 more to go! :rolleyes:I recommend heading over to the Community (http://forums.randi.org/forumdisplay.php?f=26) and Humor (http://forums.randi.org/forumdisplay.php?f=28) subforums and posting in a few of the completely (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=12746) pointless (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=51801) threads (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=110535) that exist only to increase your post count.

[amb]

Old enough to know better, young enough not to care.



You reminded me of this (http://www.gocomics.com/pricklycity/2008/05/02/).

And thanks for the bath day wishes. :stone028: That little girl is a poet. And boy is she right. So even if it is just a cartoon, there's other people out there who think like me. Glad to see I'm not the only one. :p

[amb]

Well, those things are hard to quantify but listening to and studying music is probably the most important thing in my life. I do a little bit of writing and playing but not professionally. I almost always have something playing.
As long as it's not Phil Collins or the Beach Boys. Welcome.:p :eek:

[lateralusreality]

Hey everyone, my name is Geoff and I am kinda new to the forums. I made a post in the conspiracy theory section about chemtrails if you feel like checking it out.

I'm from Lancaster, PA. I'm a college student at Millersville University majoring in Business Management.

I hope to have a nice time here.

[Prometheus]

I've been horridly remiss in my welcoming duties, so if anyone wants a very special welcome, they can just pm me...

:halo:



Is that offer only available to newbies?

[UnrepentantSinner]

I'm from Cape Cod MA, Mechanic for 30 plus yrs, Hobbies include, Reptiles, Mountain biking, Fishing, Whale Watching, Hiking, Crypto Animals, 50's SiFi,

Howdy. My maternal ancestral homeland is the Cape Ann area. Always good to have another person into Cryptozoology here.

I live in Georgia, USA. I am a law enforcement officer of about 30 years experience. I have a BA in History and also in Sociology (wow) and a MFA in creative writing.

A cop with a BA in History and a Masters in writing? You should fit in fine around here.

Hi everyone. I'm new-ish. I've been lurking on the forums for a bit. I've been to every TAM save #1 and the recent 5.5. I tried to post my piccie in the TAM6 - what do you look like? thread, but *apparently* you need to post 15 times before you can post a URL. Huh. Well, only 12 more to go! :rolleyes:

PM it to me and I'll post it for you if you want.

[amb]

Hey everyone, my name is Geoff and I am kinda new to the forums. I made a post in the conspiracy theory section about chemtrails if you feel like checking it out.

I'm from Lancaster, PA. I'm a college student at Millersville University majoring in Business Management.

I hope to have a nice time here.
The conspiracy theory section is comedy, good for a giggle. Hey, I sat next to Elvis at a Burger King the other day. I recognized him and he didn't deny it was him. He autographed my napkin which I'm thinking of selling on E-Bay.
Unless some suck...er....fan places an offer first. :D

[Foolmewunz]

Yes, please, I would like to know. I'll send you a pm.


Ah loves me some twinkling feets!

One of Paulhoff's better results!

[DrASK]

I recommend heading over to the Community and Humor subforums and posting in a few of the completely pointless threads that exist only to increase your post count.

I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion. I suppose I could always reply to your post as well.

[petra10]

Welcome DrAsk, please do come over and post in the pointless threads.Dont listen to Arthwollipot some of my most intellecial posts are made in there them threads. :)

[Persephone]

Hey, my name is Persephone. I'm 15 and I live in Shanghai, China. I've recently found this forum and I really like what I see here.

I'm ethnically Chinese with BNO passport (I'm from Hong Kong). Here, pseudoscience is rampant. My own atheistic mother believes in fortune telling and clairvoyance (pretty scary, but my logical analyses don't stop her). She also believes in Chinese Astrology and warns me not to give away my precise birth information in prevention of malevolent witchcraft; yet I've given it away freely. Nope, no witchcraft yet.

[articulett]

Welcome Persephone!

I wish I had your intelligence (and this forum) when I was 15. Oddly enough, those who don't believe in witchcraft never have it inflicted upon them. It's amazing the nightmarish experiences you can avoid by not "believing in" demons and the like. And it's empowering to put such fears to the test.

It's great to know that you brain can learn and thrive and share with others without having to unlearn superstitious ways of thinking. You are, no doubt, leaps ahead most kids your age... and all those who believe in malevolent witchcraft, astrology, and so forth. Whatever your mother's faults, she sure has done something right to have produced such an intelligent kid.

[amb]

Hey, my name is Persephone. I'm 15 and I live in Shanghai, China. I've recently found this forum and I really like what I see here.

I'm ethnically Chinese with BNO passport (I'm from Hong Kong). Here, pseudoscience is rampant. My own atheistic mother believes in fortune telling and clairvoyance (pretty scary, but my logical analyses don't stop her). She also believes in Chinese Astrology and warns me not to give away my precise birth information in prevention of malevolent witchcraft; yet I've given it away freely. Nope, no witchcraft yet.I agree with all articullet has said, but wish to add, your mum is far from atheistic. Perhaps with your prompting she may one day see reason and become a true atheist. Good luck and welcome to this best of forums on the net.....Angelo.

[trodas]

As I was reading this thread, I got somewhat pesimistic about it's purpose ;)
It should serve as the thread where new users say their first "hello" (so, hello :D ) but from what I reading there it looks more like that in last 3 pages this it did not happen that often, as regulars having chat ;)
But this is good anyway.

Anyway, hi and warm welcome to Persephone - 15 years? What a talent ;)

Anyway, something about me :p Well, I'm 32 years old guy from ex-commie (or at least so the west seems to believe?) country in the middle of Europe - Czech republic. I'm not only atheist, but more like a radical atheist who strongly believe that each any every religion is only a tool that is used to keep the social order - eg. to few rich at the top dictate the living conditions of wast majority and promoting myths on witch other myths seems to proliferate.
Come to think that there is so many of them that the Homo Saphiens name sounds like a yet another hoax.
How the hell I get in this forum anyway? I was searching for some picture (found itelsewhere) and THIS thread pop out:
hxxp://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=54405&page=2
...and I wanted to add some comments and perhaps even pictures, but let's first check the rules if posting such material is possible :p

Come to think, many regimes or religions declare something as "Sacred Cow", however usually they end up acting quite oposite. The best example is human life. Nearly every decent country pretends that life is Sacred Cow.
Two problems, tough.

First at all, you can't name price on Sacred Cow. I mean - if there is some compensation for person death, then it should either define the price of life - or was not exist at all. Because everyone would agree on me that it did not work as usual rule the other way around - eg. you can't give the state say 1 million bucks and go and kill one person and no questions from state asked ;)

Second is, that almost every state on one point or another - while still preserving the Sacred Cow of human life - send their citizens that (sometimes agreed on such crazy thing and sometimes even not) that are now called soldiers - off to killing other people and dying in the process. Usually this is called war-something. Sometimes it is just an occupation or other interesting names are invented, such as "spreading democracy" (50 years back commies "spreading communism" and fashists did the very same about 75 years ago) but the principial problem is, that state force citizens to accept some Sacret Cows, while state itself never even consider them to be Sacret Cows.

But I quess I rather start a new and separate thread about it that pollute this one :D

[Foolmewunz]

Hey, my name is Persephone. I'm 15 and I live in Shanghai, China. I've recently found this forum and I really like what I see here.

I'm ethnically Chinese with BNO passport (I'm from Hong Kong). Here, pseudoscience is rampant. My own atheistic mother believes in fortune telling and clairvoyance (pretty scary, but my logical analyses don't stop her). She also believes in Chinese Astrology and warns me not to give away my precise birth information in prevention of malevolent witchcraft; yet I've given it away freely. Nope, no witchcraft yet.

Hi there and welcome. We have three* waigworen posting from China, but no ethnic Chinese, so A BIG HEARTY WELCOME. I alway tell westerners that I'm living in the land of woo. The range of superstitious beliefs is mind-boggling.... from calling in the feng shui master to align your furniture to overcrowding of the maternity wards for caesarean sections on "fortuitous days". Nice to hear from the next generation that some people are applying critical thinking skills.

China shows up in a lot of different threads... from politics to business to the members only sections.... It'd be nice to hear from a "local".

Oh, and I just spoke to the entire city, here. Come home. You can't get any decent dim sum in Shanghai, and you know it. (Taiwanese dumplings, though... that's another story. There's this little place in Pudong...)


*Myself, Wollery, and Wolfman. So now we're four... out of 1.4 billion... we're taking over, I can tell.

[Foolmewunz]

And welcome, also, to Trodas. We have a few Eastern and East-Central Europeans on board. Always good to hear things, as I mentioned to Persephone, from a local point of view. If you've got a thing about "sacred cows", you've come to the right place for discussion. Pop into the Religion or General Skepticism sections. The Slaughtering of the Sacred Cow Ceremony takes place every day at noon, right after the Bursting of Balloons Brunch.

As to this thread... actually, we were requested (if you can refer to a request from a forum deity as a mere "request") by Mr. Skinny to drop in and make some new person feel welcome once a day, if possible. Being a bunch of born again volunteers, we sometimes pop in and there's no one new to speak to, so we just wanna show our camaraderie, and will settle for picking up a comment in any old post, whether it's by a noobie or not.

Welcome. Have fun.

[amb]

As I was reading this thread, I got somewhat pesimistic about it's purpose ;)
It should serve as the thread where new users say their first "hello" (so, hello :D ) but from what I reading there it looks more like that in last 3 pages this it did not happen that often, as regulars having chat ;)
But this is good anyway.

Anyway, hi and warm welcome to Persephone - 15 years? What a talent ;)

Anyway, something about me :p Well, I'm 32 years old guy from ex-commie (or at least so the west seems to believe?) country in the middle of Europe - Czech republic. I'm not only atheist, but more like a radical atheist who strongly believe that each any every religion is only a tool that is used to keep the social order - eg. to few rich at the top dictate the living conditions of wast majority and promoting myths on witch other myths seems to proliferate.
Come to think that there is so many of them that the Homo Saphiens name sounds like a yet another hoax.
How the hell I get in this forum anyway? I was searching for some picture (found itelsewhere) and THIS thread pop out:
hxxp://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=54405&page=2
...and I wanted to add some comments and perhaps even pictures, but let's first check the rules if posting such material is possible :p

Come to think, many regimes or religions declare something as "Sacred Cow", however usually they end up acting quite oposite. The best example is human life. Nearly every decent country pretends that life is Sacred Cow.
Two problems, tough.

First at all, you can't name price on Sacred Cow. I mean - if there is some compensation for person death, then it should either define the price of life - or was not exist at all. Because everyone would agree on me that it did not work as usual rule the other way around - eg. you can't give the state say 1 million bucks and go and kill one person and no questions from state asked ;)

Second is, that almost every state on one point or another - while still preserving the Sacred Cow of human life - send their citizens that (sometimes agreed on such crazy thing and sometimes even not) that are now called soldiers - off to killing other people and dying in the process. Usually this is called war-something.[quote] Sometimes it is just an occupation or other interesting names are invented, such as "spreading democracy" (50 years back commies "spreading communism" and fashists did the very same about 75 years ago) but the principial problem is, that state force citizens to accept some Sacret Cows, while state itself never even consider them to be Sacret Cows.

But I quess I rather start a new and separate thread about it that pollute this one :DNot at all. The only polution we get here is from some theists sometimes. Welcome. Sacred Cows sometimes taste better than ordinary cows, thus the reason politicians love them so much. Again a warm welcome.:)

[arthwollipot]

I think you might be missing a close quote tag somewhere in there.

Seriously, do people not preview their posts any more?

[Mr. Skinny]

Welcome to all the new members! As usual of late, we have a real variety of people joining this forum. It's hard for me to keep up, even with my god-like powers.

Foolmewunz is correct. I did ask the forum regulars to help welcome the n00bs because the forum has really been growing rapidly the last year or two and we were getting several new members a day. I'd like to thank those old-timers that responded.

Many of you have been exposed to the goat, cookie, and other forum memes. There are several more to learn (ask LeFevre about Skinnematics!).

Hope to see you all around the forum.


Skinny

[Foolmewunz]

Noobs... ignore the info in the spoiler... it ain't for you. I mean it, okay! You're on your honor(honour).



Hmmm? The new guy's post got me to thinking (yeah, I've been known to think from time to time)... Maybe we need a little self-discipline in this thread. If the impression is that it's often a bunch of insiders chit-chatting, then it may be skearing away the shyer forest animals.

I, for one, will make an effort to just reply to Noobies. May I humbly request that others consider the same? ( I ain't naming no names... just do think about it, please. I'm rather concerned about the declining ration of Active Posters to Membership. Maybe we're appearing to be a bit of an In Crowd.)

[Rick Abrams]

5-13-08 Hello

So what's there to say?

It is I, but who is the real "I" and why do I call myself "me" when I know "I" is right and "me" is wrong?

[Mr. Skinny]

5-13-08 Howdy.

As to the rest, ask the grammar Nazi's (or the philosophers).

Regardless, welcome to the forum, Rick.

[amb]

5-13-08 Hello

So what's there to say?

It is I, but who is the real "I" and why do I call myself "me" when I know "I" is right and "me" is wrong?

:)

[amb]

5-13-08 Hello

So what's there to say?

It is I, but who is the real "I" and why do I call myself "me" when I know "I" is right and "me" is wrong?
:) :D

[kidder]

Hi, I know nothing, therefore I ain't.


Good afternoon.

[fatewilleatyou]

Hello everyone. My name is Salvatore and I'm truly excited to be on this forum. I've posted a version of this in the TAM section, but I figured I should say hello here as well.
I'm a recent "official" skeptic, but it was only a slight shift from from my lapsed Catholic religiously ambiguous self.
I already can't remember what was the catalyst: The God Delusion, Skepticality, or Penn's radio show. They were all early influences.
I'd like to admit right away, that I'm a regular dumb guy. I have little academic background. I was top of my class in elementary school. A relocation in Jr. High but me into slacker mode and while I was kept in top classes due to my "potential" I guess I was both an inspiration to my teachers as well as a disappointment. I spent many years being a pothead on and off, drifting through life, making out OK, but not wealthy or anything. I dumbed myself down a lot to cut a cooler figure with my friends, but now I'm pushing to get back into an active intellectual life. I'm starting college finally, and hope to really start exercising my 'potential.' Let's hope it's still there.
Personally, I'm a irreverent, funny, sometimes silly guy. I'm rather shy and may come across as standoffish, but that's just my bad way of trying to look relaxed. It's a Philly thing maybe. On my best days I can be the life of the party, other times I may sit back and be voyeur. But I'm really very friendly and always up for a debate on most anything.
My interests tend to be associated with pop-culture: TV, movies, toy collecting, punk rock history. I'm, from time to time, an obsessive fan of Siouxsie (of Banshees fame)
I like playing with Photoshop, everything from photo repairing and retouching, to psychedelic patterns. I do some time on the PS2, but more often am on Scrabulous.

Well, I guess that's more than enough for my first post.
I'll post some pics when I can, but since I'm a new member I have to clear some benchmarks. You can check out my myspace page if you'd like, it's slash salvatore.

[Foolmewunz]

Slash Salvatore. Great name for a band. (Or an uncle of mine who did bad things for a living.)

Welcome aboard. I'd say "Make yourself at home.", but with 18 posts, you're obviously finding your way around.

I think there was a scrabulous challenge match going on in one thread. Maybe some kind soul will direct you to it. (Try a tag search.... should work, as the tagging team is pretty active.)

Philly? Every off and on, one thread or another devolves into a discussion of best cheese steaks. Everyone's got a different favorite (I can't remember the name of the place I used to stop into, so I always insist that I win since no one can go verify.)

If you need to ratchet up your post count, there are a number of threads in humor and community just for that purpose.

Most important, though.... Welcome and have fun.

[matty.the.damned]

Hi!

I'm Matty the Damned, but most people just call me Matty. I'm from Australia and I've been atheist/skeptic/free thinker since my middle teens. :)

I joined the forums just the other day and I've been taking my time reading before opening my fat mouth. :D

Regards,

MtD

[Paulhoff]

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/4880482b9c3bc3986.gif (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=12206)

Paul

:) :) :)

[arthwollipot]

Hi!

I'm Matty the Damned, but most people just call me Matty. I'm from Australia and I've been atheist/skeptic/free thinker since my middle teens. :)

I joined the forums just the other day and I've been taking my time reading before opening my fat mouth. :D

Regards,

MtDAlways best to avoid :footinmou

Welcome!

[amb]

Hi, I know nothing, therefore I ain't.


Good afternoon.You ain't what???? Of course you are, you wouldn't be punching your keyboard with your fingers if you weren't.
Welcome to the coal mine. :p

[fatewilleatyou]

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/4880482b9c3bc3986.gif (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=12206)

Paul

:) :) :)

Thanks for the "blinged out" avatar.
It's now bursting with energy!

[grayman]

Paulhoff is the forum blinger. You know you've arrived when he tricks out your avatar.

[Corpse Cruncher]

Thanks for the "blinged out" avatar.
It's now bursting with energy!
Great avatar and what a great name. We shall get on famously, so long as you don't eat those here marked with little CC's menu's to be brandings. :D

[amb]

Great avatar and what a great name. We shall get on famously, so long as you don't eat those here marked with little CC's menu's to be brandings. :D
His name is Salvatore, which means he is Italian, just like me. The point?
He must be a great guy. Most of us are. Forget Mussolini, he was a buffoon.
:D

[Winston]

Salutations!

A friend recommended that I would enjoy this site. After lurking around reading threads off and on for several weeks, the decision to join was mostly derived from a desire to place my own thoughts here too.

Hopefully I will contribute more than I harm. Its the minimum goal...

Looking forward to knowing many of you better,

Winston

[Mr. Skinny]

Greetings, Winston. Pleased to meet you.

I await your slightly positive contributions.

In the knowing you better mode...where ya from? Wadda ya do?

[grayman]

Careful Winston. Who knows why Mr. Skinny is pumping you for information.


Just follow me down the hall here.

Watch out for the goat, we'll let you pet him later.

Would you like an oatmeal cookie? :stone028:

[articulett]

Paulhoff is the forum blinger. You know you've arrived when he tricks out your avatar.

Totally... He's the star of "pimp my avatar"-- heck we have a whole thread devoted to appreciating him here!

[Old Hermit Dave]

I am a 74yr old extreme liberal atheist. I write and recite poetry in laid back Ocean Beach California. I also do stand up comedy as Sacreligious Dave. I am well known on Delphi Forums as D610 and have a forum there. I write articles on iReports under old hermit. Comment on CBS and BBC under the same name. Got booted from ABC news and still trying to find out just why. Wow you people have a lot of rules. I ain't much for silly rules but OK.

[Roadtoad]

When you get the chance, Dave, drop me a PM. I get down towards Ocean Beach more often than I'd like.

Welcome.

[HghrSymmetry]

I am a 74yr old extreme liberal atheist. I write and recite poetry in laid back Ocean Beach California. I also do stand up comedy as Sacreligious Dave. I am well known on Delphi Forums as D610 and have a forum there. I write articles on iReports under old hermit. Comment on CBS and BBC under the same name. Got booted from ABC news and still trying to find out just why. Wow you people have a lot of rules. I ain't much for silly rules but OK.


Welcome OHD.

You got booted from ABC news? Hmm, perhaps you cut a few one liners about an invisible sky spook something or other that the staff thinks they know personally.
Mighta offended 'em. That or may your cologne wasn't popular.

Anyway, welcome,... you'll find plenty of fine posters here as well as the usual woo infection, so don't mind those. Unless of course, you enjoy engaging em' for entertainment and/or exercise. The brain dead do offer some amusement.

Oh, and watch out for that cookie eating goat thingy.

[learner]

Hello all, My name is martin, Not quite an Athiest, the god of fishing is real of course!
Looking forward to contributing where i can and learning all i can.

[articulett]

Hello all, My name is martin, Not quite an Athiest, the god of fishing is real of course!


No, he's not.

(oops... I thought this was the argument thread): http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=99648&page=5

carry on.

[learner]

im afraid he is real, prayed for a bite many times, always works,,ish..maybe sometimes..well once anyway, and it wasnt coincidence

[amb]

You can easily prove if this ''fishing god'' of yours is real. Pray to ''it'' for a bite of fish that doesn't exist anywhere near your location. If you can manage to catch at least three in a row, you have proven ''it'' exists. Miracles have to happen in threes to have any credibility.

[grayman]

You can easily prove if this ''fishing god'' of yours is real. Pray to ''it'' for a bite of fish that doesn't exist anywhere near your location. If you can manage to catch at least three in a row, you have proven ''it'' exists. Miracles have to happen in threes to have any credibility.

And thus begins the beatification of "Saint Learner". ;)

[learner]

Well that didnt work. oh well, fully atheistic now. might improve my fishing. ;)

[Prometheus]

You can easily prove if this ''fishing god'' of yours is real. Pray to ''it'' for a bite of fish that doesn't exist anywhere near your location. If you can manage to catch at least three in a row, you have proven ''it'' exists. Miracles have to happen in threes to have any credibility.

Holy Mackerel!

[articulett]

Well that didnt work. oh well, fully atheistic now. might improve my fishing. ;)

WAIT! ... perhaps you didn't have enough faith...

[Prometheus]

WAIT! ... perhaps you didn't have enough faith...

Is that some new type of bait that I've not heard of? :rolleyes:

[articulett]

Is that some new type of bait that I've not heard of? :rolleyes:

oh no... it's the oldest bait on the hook
the oldest trick in the ("good") book

[Persephone]

Welcome Persephone!

I wish I had your intelligence (and this forum) when I was 15. Oddly enough, those who don't believe in witchcraft never have it inflicted upon them. It's amazing the nightmarish experiences you can avoid by not "believing in" demons and the like. And it's empowering to put such fears to the test.

It's great to know that you brain can learn and thrive and share with others without having to unlearn superstitious ways of thinking. You are, no doubt, leaps ahead most kids your age... and all those who believe in malevolent witchcraft, astrology, and so forth. Whatever your mother's faults, she sure has done something right to have produced such an intelligent kid.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and ambnp, I meant 'atheistic' as strictly 'no personal god', so in that sense, she would be an atheist (or she claims to be. She burns incense for the Buddha. I don't get it). I doubt she can 'unlearn' religion or superstition at her age. Memes, you know. I was actually raised to be Buddhist (theistic Buddhist. I would have no problem with atheistic buddhism). When that didn't work, I was sent to a Christian youth group. My mom chose the wrong time though. I thought of the Bible as something akin to Grimm's fairytale; only I thought it was terribly boring. I didn't need to think before answering affirmative when asked: "Do you believe in God?" by my Church leaders. Then due to relocation I stopped attending (I was about 9 or 10), and I've been an implicit atheist then. My first contact with atheism was actually when one of my good friends, a Christian, wrote on her MSN screen name that God is punishing us through the 2004 tsunami (I was 11). I thought that was ridiculous and got into a huge argument with her about why that's irrational; I don't know why that struck me as exceptionally illogical, and I had little contact with the art of debate or logic for that matter. Then yes, I've been 'discovering' my religious stance ever since.

[amb]

Persephone, you are one hell of a smart kid. You remind me so much of my experiences around your age, but you have the advantage of a world wide web now. In my early years there was no such thing. In fact computors then were as big as a large room and Microsoft was a distant dream of Bill Gates who if born was just a kid.
Again, I wish to welcome you. You will achive much in your life with that brain of your's.

[learner]

As you know from my recent posts ive shook of the last god...or so i thought! It transpires that if sit on your little stool with a sandwich ( cheese and tomato) on one knee and a hot cup of soup balanced on the other, youre pretty much guranteed a bite. Float went under, sandwich in river and burnt knee all in one inelegant movement. And to cap it off i let out an involuntary woooo!! That will teach me to doubt.

[Darth Rotor]

I live in Georgia, USA. I am a law enforcement officer of about 30 years experience. I have a BA in History and also in Sociology (wow) and a MFA in creative writing.

Having lurked for a while here, I can see there are a lot of interesting topics, and I look forward to adding my voice to these.
Looking forward to reading your stuff.

I sense a possible TLA winner. The prose force is strong in this one.

DR

[grayman]

Looking forward to reading your stuff.

I sense a possible TLA winner. The prose force is strong in this one.

DR

Yeah but it don't mean nothing if he ain't got no grammar skills there.

[Ramblinnerd]

I guess today is my day to come out of lurk mode on the forums I read, so, greetings!!

I am a skeptic and atheist in Denver, and I am looking forward to getting to know you all.

[Prometheus]

Welcome Ramblinnerd! I haven't been to Denver in years, but I remember it fondly. Have fun here.

[smellincoffee]

Greetings, all! My name is Stephen. I was raised in a Christian cult (Oneness Pentecostalism) but left it when I was nineteen for a variety of reasons. When I did so, I gave up religion altogether, and quite happily. A few weeks before my 20th birthday, I found a forum for Ex-Pentecostals. One of the subforums was for "Freethinkers and Humanists". I looked those terms up and found that I was a humanist and found that freethought sounded brilliant. Three months later I began associating atheism with my own beliefs and became involved in a number of similar forums (Ex-Christian.net, Internet Infidels, RDF, ThinkHumanist, CFI's forums). At the time I was still living with my fundamentalist parents and still being forced to go to their church. That is thankfully no longer the case.

I enjoy listening to a variety of podcasts, and found this forum via an interview with Randi on one of those. I look forward to future discussions with you all.

[UnrepentantSinner]

You wouldn't happen to be from "LA" would ya Stephen? :)

[Roadtoad]

Gene L here, and I am, of course, a new member. I'm glad to be here among you all.

I live in Georgia, USA. I am a law enforcement officer of about 30 years experience. I have a BA in History and also in Sociology (wow) and a MFA in creative writing.

Having lurked for a while here, I can see there are a lot of interesting topics, and I look forward to adding my voice to these.

Damn. Who let the BEARS in here?!?!

Welcome, Gene.