airport-noo

Not gonna lie to myself -- I was never proud when I was fat.

Didn't like how I looked, didn't like how I was easily out of breath.

I'm more proud that I got out of it and that took a long time.

While I won't criticize someone for being happy with it,

its not something I'd wish for a loved one.

Your body your choice, right? Well the baby's body is not your body. I don't even care about "sin" since I'm agnostic.

A doctor explains how its done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZXQBhTszpU

If you want to visualize it (good thing its just an animation):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgw4X7Dw_3k

There may be billions of planets in our galaxy, but they are unreachable. Milky Way is 100,000 light years wide. The reachable part is very small.

Earth started emitting radio waves only in the last 100 years. Radio waves travel at the speed of light. Our signals have only reached 100 light years so far. It's a very very tiny dot.

In order for aliens to detect our signals and send a reply, the round-trip has to be half = 50 light years. Within that radius there are only ~10 exoplanets in the habitable zone.

The chances that one of those planets have intelligent life and radio technology is extremely improbable.

If you're applying for your first job, don't apply for one job opening at a time. It will take too long to get an ideal job offer. Send out 10-20 applications, or more if you can manage it. Make that 50. Not all job openings are advertised. If you want to work for a company, send them a letter.

Not all of them will reply but every reply that you get will benefit you one way or another. Why? Because job interviews and exams are free. Going to the interview site will give you an idea about the daily commute. You will also get to see the insides of the offices and see what the employees are wearing. Use that knowledge to choose your business attire.

Make it your full-time job to send out applications, attend job interviews and take job exams. Don't let a week go by without having any. Use that experience as practice. You will get better after a few tries. The exams and interviews become easier after you get the hang of it, because they ask the same questions and make you write the same essay.

Once you've had a few job offers it will come in handy when the interviewer asks: "Do you have any job offers?". If your answer is Yes, the next question will be: "How much did they offer you?". That means they are deciding how much to offer. Your previous offers can make your next offer higher.

It's the distance and speed limit of light.

If an alien scientist from Andromeda (the closest galaxy from us) points its telescope at Earth, it will be seeing dinosaurs. It will take another 2 million years from today before any Andromedan will ever know that there is an intelligent civilization in our solar system.

So that means the only way any alien race could detect us, is that they will have to be inside our Milky Way galaxy. But our galaxy is 180,000 light years wide, while our civilization is only a few thousand years old. So that narrows it down to only a tiny spec of the galaxy that can see human civilization from a thousand years ago.

Imagine a planet 1000 light years from Earth seeing today how humans lived 1000 years ago. Will they try to send us a message and assume we would have the technology by now? Maybe they will. Or maybe not, after seeing what we do to fellow humans during that time. Will they try to contact us? Even if they did, their message won't arrive until the year 3018.

How about we narrow it down further. An alien looking at us from 73 light years away will be seeing World War II. Will they send us message? Hmmm, this Hitler guy looks like he could win. Let's point the telescope somewhere else.

When you narrow it down to 30 light years there's only a handful of exoplanets that can be inhabited. Too few are that close. The rest are too far.

Assuming there are a handful of alien races that are close enough to see us in our recent history, you still have to narrow it down to a specific alien race that has progressed far enough to solve the speed & distance problem (i.e. wormholes, etc.).

Madami talagang namimilit ng kanilang paniwala. From both sides.

I have to admit I know a few atheists who are very argumentative. I just avoid triggering them and change the topic when it starts going in that direction. Meron talaga mga ganun ESPECIALLY sa pulitika. Buti may ganitong thread para may outlet tayo. Iwas ako pag usapan ang mainit na topic kapag mainitin ang kausap ko. Lalo na sa inuman!

I've also met some "preachy" believers who don't know when they are starting to get pushy and judgemental. I know they mean well, but being such strong believers, they don't notice it when they are disrespecting the other person. Dahil hindi kami maka-Diyos madalas kami palabasin na immoral at masama. Buti pa sa Muslim iwas sila maka-offend, pero samin mga "infidels" o "gentiles" acceptable lang yun tratuhin na mababa.

Ganun lang talaga hindi natin maiiwasan na pag-isipan ng kababawan ang kabilang side. Kapag may naunang mag draw ng first blood -- talo-talo na yan hindi matatapos sa magandang resulta. Kaya ang best policy para sakin sa public gathering ay iwasan o ibahin ang usapan.

I drank my favorite sports drink a while ago, and took a peek at the Nutrition Information. Lo and behold the fine print is misleading.

It says 15g sugar "per serving" which to me is already a lot. That's almost 4 tsps of sugar. But wait, there's more -- it also says 2 servings per package -- so the bottle contains 30 grams of sugar, or close to 8 teaspoons.

Conclusion: coulda shoulda just drank water.

Many so-called "health foods" have lots of sugar. Look at the fine print. Most of them are loaded. Something that looks so small like a pack of yogurt usually has 4-5 teaspoons (16-20grams) of sugar. If you buy a lot of processed food in packages like drinks & snacks -- it's easy to reach 40 teaspoons of sugar per day every day.

Watch the documentary "That Sugar Film". You'll be surprised how the filmmaker easily reaches 40 teaspoons in the middle of the day.

If your goal is to burn fat, do it before breakfast.

After the overnight fasting (i.e. sleep) our glycogen levels are low, so the body will turn to fat for energy.

If you do it after breakfast, you will just burn the carbs you just ate (unless you didn't eat any carbs for breakfast).

That's his belief but you're accurate in pointing that this is indeed an agnostics & atheist thread. However, truth is independent no matter the belief or non-belief. But what is truth? Or Truth?

The stronger the belief, the more the word "belief" becomes interchangeable with the word "truth". What to do with conflicting beliefs? They all have a share of believers. Even within a single religion like Christianity there are many opposing denominations that don't agree on the most important dogma. They can't all be true, right? But everybody claims to be on the side of truth while any opposing belief is "false". Well, everybody except agnostics.

But what if the Pope BELIEVES in those things?

Ok

But what if the Pope knows a lot more abberations than just unicorns?

Is that the answer to "what's the point?" Hehe sorry if I didn't get it.

I'm just curious what's the point of asking someone about a topic he doesn't believe in. Take note that we know the person doesn't believe in it. We are also aware that he knows other things (or aberrations). But we're not interested in those things that's why we didn't ask about them.

Eto na lang ang isipin nyo, sa other side of life, at may huhusga sa atin (path 1 heaven or eternal peace at path 2 hell or eternal suffering) saan sa tingin nyo ang bagsak nyo? Peace yow

Peace din bro, pero assuming alam mo kung ano ang atheist at agnostic: I'm curious why would you ask us this question?

If it's something you care deeply about, and you know that this group either don't believe or don't care about it, then what's the point.

I could ask the Pope whether he thinks the unicorn is male or female, but what's the point when I know he doesn't believe in the unicorn.

^ Differences in definition. The word "meditation" has a broad set of meanings to different people. I suggest to my fellow unfaithfuls that we use a different word that is more physically descriptive. Take Wim Hof's "breathing technique" for example - some say it is very similar to Tibetan Tummo meditation. While the monks practice it to reach a higher state of consciousness, Wim Hof does it to perform stunts with ice.

Since wala nang plasma, dapat yata ibahin na ang topic to comparison of LED panel types:

IPS vs. VA vs. Quantum Dot vs. OLED

Be conscious of hidden sugars in commercial products. Those small packages of fruit juice, yogurt, and other products have 20-30g of sugar in them. One teaspoon of sugar is only 4g. Download and watch the documentary "That Sugar Film". At first he thought 40 teaspoons of sugar per day was hard to reach. Then he realized how hard it is to eat less than 40.

INC has alway been radical in their belief. What with the block voting, kailangan INC asawa INC... BUT religion IMO has alway been the building block of morality. After all really there are no aetheist school, and all schools have religion in their curiculum... I am pretty sure all aetheist here are not born aetheist so I think you have the idea of morality thru teachings from religion classes.

Could go the other way too: the need for order and morality is the building block of religion. I imagine Moses leading refugees from slavery to the promised land; and having no other means to enforce law and order other than the Commandments. In that sense religion is the law.

Anyhoo, I don't see a need to dispute the idea that non-believers (atheists, agnostics and believers of other religion) are lesser human beings -- when it is coming from a believer of a belief system that teaches that. I mean it's pretty common for belief systems to apply an "us & them" distinction, and for that distinction to be favorable to "us" than "them". Even non-believers do the same.

^ Didn't say we were happier though. There are more suicides pa nga di ba. Lack of violence doesn't necessarily mean happy. More suicide in Singapore/Japan than PH. Anyway I fully expect a religious person to insist that non-believers are immoral. To some people morality can only come from God. I used to have an officemate who said that those who don't belong in INC are "angkan ng kadiliman" - and that includes catholics and protestants...

Hehe binundle sila satin. I thought that was strange since they worship the same God.

Other than that one time he called everyone in the room "angkan ng kadiliman" he's really a good guy and respectful. When I heard it, I thought: "wow judging people he doesn't know". But it's Ok, things like that tend to come out when the topic is religion. He probably learned those words in his place of worship because I've heard similar comments before. "Nabulungan ni Satanas kaya... fill in the blanks". Some people say that expression in the group I used to attend.

Any specific link? TIA.

Try Phil Zuckerman's research. He's a sociologist who specializes in secularism and atheism.

can I inquire for the source of this statistic? It has made me curious

The Global Peace Index is often cited. Just look at the countries at the top and at the bottom. But I don't take it too seriously as proof of anything though. For all we know the cause and effect might be in reverse, i.e. they are more religious because there is less peace, rather than there is more peace because they are less religious. One other thing you might be interested in is that there is more suicide in secular countries. In any case, these results don't necessarily mean that one side is true and the other is not. That's my agnosticism kicking in.

^ I'm happy for someone who turns around because they found religion. That's why some of us don't evangelize our lack of belief. But I don't generally credit or blame religion for someone's character. Some high-profile serial killers were religious, and some of today's top philanthropists are atheist. So it does not necessarily follow that one's religion leads to goodness, or that the lack of religion leads to evil. But I do appreciate most of the good intentions.

I don't consider myself evil, but in some countries people will cut my head off (and probably yours, too) -- simply because we don't follow their religion. Yet strangely these people think its the right thing to do = so it is "good". In less extreme situations, people still discriminate against people who don't belong in their religion but aren't aware that they are discriminating or passing unfair judgement.

May I?

...if you dont believe in heaven or hell, what keeps you from doing moral things. I mean how would you explain to your daughter not to have pre marital sex, or what would stop you from banging your neighboors wife if she wanted you to? Or how do you get inspired to give more to people who have less than you?

(1) what keeps you from doing moral things?

Empathy, upbringing -- Take the love of your parents for example. If you're lucky to have experienced it, you know they love you NOT because they were instructed by commandments, nor because they were given an incentive (heaven) nor a threat of punishment (hell). They just love you, period; and it feels good. The opposite, like pain and suffering -- feels bad.

The laws of our society -- If you lived long enough, it becomes common sense that everybody is better off when everybody is following the rules. The "rules" aren't just 10 things that were decided thousands of years ago, but is constantly evolving and being adjusted to make society better (well, some of it anyway)..

(2) I mean how would you explain to your daughter not to have pre marital sex, or what would stop you from banging your neighboors wife if she wanted you to?

Everything we do has a consequence -- Pre-marital sex: You can get pregnant, your education takes a backseat, then you'll have a hard time becoming financially independent. Of course they're too young to look that far ahead, its easier to threaten them with pain. Try banging your neighbor's wife and see if you can get away with it without any complications.

(3) Or how do you get inspired to give more to people who have less than you?

The results of the act is the reward itself. If you do it sincerely with compassion (see Empathy), you don't need to be instructed or offered Heaven as a reward. It's not obedience that drives people to do it.

Have you lived in a non-Christian and non-Muslim country? People love their children, too. Statistically, the more secular and less religious the country, the more peaceful it gets. They have less wars and less violent crimes. We were taught that humans are evil by nature. Maybe we were 2,000 years ago; but we do have memories, and we study our own history, and we strive to be better.

Need a little help from you guys in terms of understanding my stand in my faith:

 

I was raised as a christian and for the longest time i blindly believed in my church's ideologies. But as of recent, i'm starting to think that everything is not what it seems and that the idea of a supreme being that will take notice of a tiny speck in the face of existence (humans) is starting to elude me.

I still believe in Jesus' teachings and in most of the Christian faith, but I'm also starting to believe in a myriad of gods and pantheism, yet I also believe that what we know as humans is limited and we are yet, if impossible, to comprehend things beyond the material realm. I also believe in Galileo's quote that science and mathematics are the language in which God has written the laws of the universe.

 

Can I still call myself a Christian, or am I an agnostic that hopes for a god to believe in?

Don't worry about it. We don't wake up one morning and suddenly become one or the other. It takes a great deal of reflection over a long period. Einstein, Lincoln and Beethoven agrees with you at some point in their life. They're not evil satanists and neither are you. You said you believe in Jesus' teachings and in most of the Christian faith. That's good enough for me but probably not good enough for others. What we think of you and how we label you are irrelevant. It's the people you care about that matters. If some of them think you don't belong in their church, well tough luck for us we can't force ourselves to believe what we don't believe.

what? You lost me! I'm not in any shape or form holding you to a standard that believers have for themselves! Where did that come from?

 

I'm holding you to a standard that governs non-believers, which is Reason! Atheism is borne out of reason! If it wasn't, then it becomes no different to believing in God.

 

Now, if you don't find it unreasonable that you participate in religous ceremonies and what not, then fine by me. I consider you as one of those non-believers without the intellectual need to be logically self-consistent. And I find that incongruence amusing. I couldn't care less if you find it ok at all.

Yes, but your idea of reason in this instance is different from mine. Basically it is just your opinion of our level of intellect. Doesn't really affect the person much if you think they're dumb (+ carnal, lame or pathetic) for going to a ceremony. Those are your character judgement of the person. That is expected from some believers.

'Certain' standard? REASON is what you guys often claim as the basis of your non-belief. It's reasonable then to use reason as the yardstick on how well you're doing as an atheist. You can't cry foul when someone (like me) ridicule your logical inconsistencies when you yourself dismisses God because such a thing is illogical and unreasonable.

 

Or are you now saying that your non-belief is not based on reason but rather a whim? ...that you chose not to believe 'just because'? In that case, such non-belief becomes equally as arbitrary as believing in a God and is no different to having a religion. Like I said, this isn't more wrong than practicing religion. But please, never ever say that religious people are illogical for believing in a God that they couldn't see. Never ever say 'science this, science that' bullshit when your lack of belief is just as arbitrary as religion.

 

To sum up, if you claim to have used reason to conclude that there is no God, then be consistent with that claim and live in the realm of reason and logic, devoid of any religious elements that you attest as illogical. And if you have become an atheist 'just because' (like you just want to justify your carnal life and not hold yourself to the dictates of morality rooted in religions), then you just accept it as that...no need to distinguish yourself from people who worship a tree or God since for all intents and purposes, you're no different from them. And frankly, this version of non-belief is a lot lame compared to having faith. at least the latter has structure

I see nothing unreasonable about being physically present in a church while not believing the dogma of that church. You want to hold non-believers to a standard that believers hold upon themselves. But let's face it -- we do not share that belief. You have a problem with it but we don't. If I was invited to a wedding or baptism by a close friend, the logical thing is to attend. It's even reasonable enough to the person who made the invitation.

If that's not reasonable to you, then I will leave you to deal that problem, as it is not a problem for me or any of my friends. As far as I'm concerned I didn't suddenly become a believer because I was there, but you're free to believe otherwise if that sounds logical. Yes, it's lame and pathetic to some believers; we know. But that's not gonna change anything, so why bother?