Ignus Fatuus

There was in every hollow
A hundred wrymouthed wisps.
—Dafydd ap Gwilym (trans. Wirt Sikes), 1340




Yes kiddies, its that time of year again. Break out your cloaks (those of you who dont wear them year round) and dust off your wooden brooms, its time to prep for all Hallow's Eve. It is one of your eridute writer's favored past times to steep in the rich water's of holiday lore before the main event. I wanted to talk about Jack-O-Lantern's, yes again. Dont roll your eyes at me sis. After ruminating upon the topic I realized that there was a very important and related legend that we need to touch upon, that of Ignus Fatuus.

Other names you have heard Ignus Fatuus referred to as:
The Lambent Flame
Will o' Wisp
The Hobby Lantern
Jack the Lantern
Corpse Fire
Irrlicht
Foxfire
Friar Lantern

and thats just to name a few...

So what is this mega-awesome Ignus Fatuus all about? Well let me tell you. They are gaseous eminations from flatulant Scottish men. No no, not really. They are floating and drifting lights, usually found in swamps and bogs. With no apparent source of energy, they drift about as they please.

Gaelic and Slavic legend tell that they are mischevious/malevolent spirits. They are manifestations of a non-human, possibly dead intelligence. Legend also has it that they like to lead travellers to dangerous situations, or treasure if the person is brave (or foolish) enough to follow. Sometimes they even use illusion to appear in the form of luminescent mortal creature if one peers deeply enough into the light.

Another claim is that these wisps are doomed souls. Human souls who are trapped between heaven and hell, forever locked out of the world of the living. They trudge restlessly about the earth. Only able to manifest for short times at night. Why would they lead travellers astray then? Perhaps doing so might help them on their mission for final rest. Or maybe they just like fucking with people since they are screwed anyway. Whatever the motivation is, they dont seem to kill mortals. So if you encounter one, and follow it, you could end up being in a messed up situation. You will probably live though, unless you do something dumb to get yourself dead.

Now, another claim is that they are methane gas created by rotting vegitation, which does make a reasonable kind of sense. That or that they are phosphoretted hydrogen. There seems to be no documentable scientific evidence to conclude what they are. It is rare that these things occur in the modern age, nor can their effects be produced in a lab. You may want to draw your own conclusions. If you do end up following one, and live to tell the tale, do let me know.



To better arm you for any possible encounters you may have with these nasty little lights, I will list two charts below with corresponding data and reference documents for your perusal. Happy Hunting!

Note: Click on the picture to get a better view of it!

Bicyclers = HULK SMASH!

Not every bicycler in the world mind you. If someone is riding on a bike trail, or a sidewalk, or even designated bicycling areas, then that's fine. When they are riding down a narrow street, that happens to always have heavy traffic then it is not ok. Especially when they travel at something like 10 mph and drivers have to swerve/brake like mad just to avoid killing them. You would think that these people might get a clue and use different streets or something.

Instead, the driver has to follow their slow ass for miles until traffic allows them to swerve into the other lane to pass them. Which is just maddening by the way, God forbid they try to be conscientious of the people in 1-2 ton vehicles who could flatten them at any minute. What is worse is when the rider is so physically wide that you cant even pass them on the off chance you might clip their backfat or something. Which would send them careening to their death.

I don't buy this "they have a right to be on the road too" malarky. They should know better.

Disturbing things...

Congressional resolutions that have no binding enforcement on the war in Iraq.

The dollar dropping in value so fast that gravity has to catch up to it (and what that represents).

Pictures of Bea Arthur naked.

People who mistreat good gin.

Little bits of cartilage that sometimes ends up in ground meat.

Pictures of Bea Arthur naked.

Amerikan cinema pisses me off sometimes

Everytime I see a movie talk about "Freedom" I want to wince. For some reason this term is so popular that people want to put it in movies as some generic rallying cry. They don't explain what "Freedom" actually means to the ones who proclaim how much they love it though. It's just some fucking random ass flag that is supposed to make people feel good and have the sympathize with the 'good guys'. I am so tired of hearing about "Freedom". I'd rather hear about how they want better lives, better jobs, more food for their kids... but fucking "Freedom"? I'm sorry, I just don't buy it. It's too generic, too market researched. They and their "Freedom" can kiss my ass until they explain what that means in their minds.

Oh, and another thing... what's with these assholes in medieval movies drawing swords with a 'shclliing!' noise? That means that their scabbard would have a metal rim that they draw the sword through. Dragging a sharp blade through a flat metal rim would dull a weapon to the point that any hero would die a quick death because his blade is too dull to punch through armor. Yes it is more dramatic, but c'mon, they can't think of anything better than that? Oi! Where has realism gone in cinema? I just want a little. BY ODIN'S RAVENS HUGIN AND MUNIN! GIVE ME SOME REALISM PEOPLE!

Citizenship is not only a benefit but it’s also an identity

I was reading this article and I thought hey, finally they are getting something right. Well perhaps not right but definately better. Yes better is entirely subjective, and since this is my blog I can be as subjective as I fucking want to be. :)

That being said they decided to strike these questions...
Can you name one of the country’s longest rivers?
A Native American tribe?
What makes Benjamin Franklin famous?

Given that most Americans couldnt answer all of these questions, I dont see how asking these of immigrants is somehow creating ties between them and the idea of what it is to be an American.

The new exam asks why the flag has 13 stripes and what the Constitution does. I think it might have been better to also ask, "What does the Constitution mean to you?", or something along those lines. It is a start though. Being able to name a river or indian tribe means nothing if you dont understand the context of why those questions are being asked. Im glad they are finally getting that fixed. Now we just need a requirement to speak fluent english...

If you want to see how well you would do on a citizenship test that immigrants would take click here.

Yay! I got 95% right! I just missed number 8. Im ok with that, I think that was the only one I wasnt really sure of anyhow. They should have added the question: What is the most important amendment in the Constitution? The obvious answer of course, is the 21rst amendment! Which, by the way is an excellent bar in the downtown area.

An excellent watering hole

This is exactly what I need...

get your mind out of the gutter sicko, I'm talking about the bar. I recently went to the city (San Francisco) and visited my sister's local bar. This place is a pit that is full of salty scum the likes that you would only find in an inner city libation nexus. It is the kind of place where you would need to consider getting a tetanus shot just from putting your arms on the bar. It is the kind of place where packs of dogs (literally) run amok through throngs of inebriated cutthroats. It is the kind of place that parents would not take their kids. Where guys with names like 'spider' or 'gentle brandon' or 'mad-dog mary' would be found slaking their unending thirst. In other words, it is a great place to be.

Cheers to superior watering holes!

Sensationalism

In this modern age we have public figures who behave in extreme fashions simply for the sake of gathering attention. Ann Coulter, Al Sharpton ect.. They take these crazy ass extreme positions, simply to promote their own celebrity. To what purpose? So that they can continue their jobs as public figures? The sad part is that our society promotes and rewards this behavior. The extremist gets rewarded with ratings regardless of whether they are liked or disliked, or how many lives they destroy.

Media outlets are encouraged by this sort of thing. Yet what does this say about our society and the kind of decay we are suffering? These people should be exposed for the hatemongers they are and ostracized from the general list of acceptable public figures. Yet here they are in full ink, slandering other people with no fear of consequence. Seeking out controversy to get their names yet one more time in the news. The truly sickening thought is that we are all to blame for allowing this to continue.

Sewage on your trans-atlantic flight

Sewage flows down aisles of trans-Atlantic flight...
Video...
When I first read the intro headline I was thinking how much that whole situation must have sucked. Seven hours on a plane with raw sewage flowing down the isles. Despite myself, the article had a video and I just had to see the travesty with my own eyes. Oh and before you go on, make sure you watch the video in the upper right corner of the page, dont even bother with the article.

Article and video here

Ok, you watched it I hope, because my opinion wont be quite as understandable if you didnt.

So this flowing of raw sewage was just one still image. Not a video, the video was of a stupid newscast. Ive been had! Not only that, it was this tiny trickle which was all dry. Then they show this whiny bitch who is 'offended' because he was asked not to drink too much when the bathrooms were busted. Oh... im sorry, did the whiny bitch skin his knee? They should have just thrown him off of the plan at 34,000 feet if he couldnt handle a situation that was out of their control.

Im guessing Continental didnt plan to have the sewage system break. Im also guessing that the flight attendants and pilot felt pretty bad about the situation. What has happened to people these days? Couldnt this guy just tough it out and get his fucking voucher? Maybe bitch about it to his friends later. No, instead our media seems to embrace this culture of offended wimps trend. I bet there were old ladies on the plane who toughed it out better than this loser. Eh.. it just makes me sick.

When Squirrels go bad...

An aggressive squirrel attacked and injured three people in a German town before a 72-year-old pensioner dispatched the rampaging animal with his crutch.

Squirrel Article

Now how is that for copy? You hear about rampaging bulls or vice presidents on duck hunts, but not squirrels. I didnt know they were capable of going on a town rampage. What I wonder is, would people watch it if it was a reality tv epsiode?

Even nature is against our leader

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c28_1180051991

What are you supposed to think when the beasts of the field send you this clear message about your leadership?

Sisters, cousins and proms

Sisters and girl cousins, all of which are younger, are not supposed to grow up. They are supposed to stay little sisters forever. But then I hear stuff like they are going to proms with their boyfriends. THEN I recieve pictures of them where they have the temerity to look like girls!

What the frig is this? Since when are they supposed to grow up and be all... mankiller-like? I had to deal with this with one sister already, and now its a cousin AND a sister. I have this ingrained older brother trait that I need to get past I think. Basically, realizing that my younger close female siblings are no longer kids and are now young adults. That is hard to do.

I threatened to sit on the porch with a shotgun at my other sister's prom and I really would do it for my youngest. I even scared a guy when I was casually holding a hammer once and was talking about how precious my sisters were to him. Ms. Rose probly remembers that. Anyhow, as is usual, my oldest younger sis totured me with stories of my youngest sis growing up. Then, I had to hear about my cousin in the same manner. It's maddening I tell you. I'm proud of them, im happy for them, and I just have to accept the fact that they arent kids anymore. Sigh... My family rocks.

In closing...

The e-mailer

Have you ever encountered one of those people, you know... the ones who like to e-mail? Now, I admit it, I use e-mail. I use e-mail when I have something to say and I dont want to use snail mail or texting. But SOME people go wayy overboard. You know what im talking about.

They send you a quick e-mail asking you some random inanity. So you answer right? Then they respond with a fucking book in your inbox. And if you dont respond to EVERY POINT in that goddamn book of an e-mail they bitch about you not being responsive on e-mail.

It makes me want to kick these people into a well and force them to have to only communicate by shouting up to the people at the top. Either that or spamming their inbox until their mail server crashes. The well sounds more fun though.

Thoughts of the day

Ok kiddies gather round uncie smitty and let him tell you some important things to ponder.

Today we are going to talk about AWARDS





The Shenanigans Award

This one goes out to our very own paragon of justice in America. You got it kids, Gonzo himself! He got caught lying about the lawyers, he cant run his own department, but he can come up with ways to violate the geneva conventions. Now his own party is calling Shenanigans on him. Someone want to give Alan Specter a gun to pistol whip him with?


The Go Team Award

The National Academy of Sciences has concluded that windmills wont stop acid rain. The also might endanger some bats and birds and drastically reduce coal emissions and other environmental pollutants. Now, we havsto protect the birdies. Its ok to slash and burn the forests for coal mines. Killing countless animals with coal based pollution and habitat destruction, eh... par for the course. But dont let those birdies get whacked by a wind turbine. Might as well just scrap the whole clean energy initiative and spend 20 more years thinking of 'alternate energy solutions'. GO TEAM!




The We Love our Executive Branch Award

Yay! Do I really need to elaborate?






The Happy Townie Award

The Murphy's won the BCN awards. The Sox whooped Yankee ass. That one homeless guy isnt molesting total strangers in the common anymore. Life is good for a townie.





The... well uh...

I dont know who the fuck these guys are, what they are supposed to be dressed up as, or what the hell they are doing... what the fuck ARE they doing?





Well thank you for viewing the awards, dont say I never did nothin for ya.

Epiphenomenalism and Qualia

In the neverending war for minds. You still find the dualists and the physicalists waging their jousts. Only they wage it in this field as well. I say that there is some room to count qualia among a viable theory. Though in what sense I still am at a loss to account for... yet.

I dont know why these make me laugh

Yo mama so fat she has been declared a natural habitat for Condors

I think its the mental image that makes me laugh.

Yo mama so fat she fell in love and broke it.

This is an old one but i couldnt stop snickering when i heard it the first time.

Yo mama so ugly when she joined an ugly contest, they said "Sorry, no professionals."

Yo mama so ugly just after she was born, her mother said "What a treasure!" and her father said "Yes, let's go bury it."

Heh.

The Midnight Ride

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.

the Mystic, being the Mystic river.... It is one thing to read this poem when you are a kid. Another to spand in the very spots that are touched upon in the Poem, Paul Revere's Ride, of which the above is just an exerpt. One could close his mental eyes and look back, and see the events take place in the very spot he stands. It is a powerful spectre if a person is open to it. To imagine the cold night, the sleeping soldiers, the misting air and sleepy farmers in these very real places. It's a strange feeling, to be in the spot where legends were born. I get caught up in all the news of political games that go on in our country today, then I go to these places and feel grounded.

Somewhere in the world, a pharmacist cries...

So there I was, in the L street pub. I had met up with some friends from far far away and we had finally gotten out to a local bar. The L street is the pub that all the townies went to in goodwill hunting. I figured it would be a good spot to visit for their first pub in boston, especially since it was already kind of late. So we roll out to the L street and we belly up to the bar.

Like Viking warlords we lay our proverbial axes on the bar and order a manly drink. A drink that our fathers and grandfathers demanded in the days of their virile youth. We would like two manhattan's barkeep. The bartender blinks at us in disbelief. Then asks us if we are sure. "Fuckin-A right we are sure" we reply, with bravado borne of those who have seen the darkest depths of the tankard and emerged to tell the tale. The bartender thinks for a long moment, then slides down to the other end of the bar. He beings to concoct the opus of his drink mixing career. Drawing upon his years of previous experience to provide us with a drink that has never been ordered in all of his time at the L street.

He slides the drinks over to us. The drinks have legs that would make a broadway dancer jealous. After a brief hint of the bourbon aroma we admire the presentation of the drink. An artful lemon, a marachino cherry, and sweet vermouth mixed with god's own bourbon. This was the drink we were given. The kind of drink that ballsy world leaders would have gladly bellied up to any bar for. The bartender had an anxious look in his eye as we tasted our drinks. With a respectful nod we informed him that he earned the stripes on his bartender uniform that night.

After our Manhattan's, my friend suggests that he has the perfect drink to order. A Scotch and Coke. I look at him for a clue that he is fucking with me, but he seems to truly believe this is a good drink. Being that I havent seen him in a long time, and he is a very astute pupil of libations, I order it despite my reservations. When I do so, our eridute bartender looks at me like I just asked him for a Zima. I blink for a second, look at my friend, look at the barman, look at my friend, and decide to trust my comrades judgement. BIG MISTAKE!

So there I am with a Scotch and Coke in front of me. With some gay ass straw and a goofy lime attached to the side of the glass. I go in for a taste... and it I realize a donkey's ass might taste better than this shite. When I inform my friend of his egregious error he sits there and thinks about it for a few minutes. Then he blurts out he meant whiskey. That fucking bastard.

Minister protests same-sex union ban with a halt to all weddings

"An Episcopal minister will stop performing all wedding ceremonies to protest the denomination's prohibition of same-sex unions.
Article Tools

"We are called to join the fast that our homosexual brothers and sisters in Christ have had to observe all their lives," said the Rev. Robert Hirschfeld, rector of Grace Episcopal Church.

Several members of the congregation say they support Hirschfeld's move, which he announced in his Sunday sermon. Others said they were concerned that that the move might add to the polarization of an issue that has already divided Episcopals.

Erica Winter, of Northampton, said working for social justice often involves giving up something.

"I'm so proud to be a part of this," Nina Scott, a congregant from Amherst, said. "It's a step that needs to be taken."

Two priest associates at Grace Church, the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and the Rev. Burton Whiteside, also said they won't perform marriages."

*blink* *blink-blink* *blink* *blink*

What? This is one of the most absurd things i've heard of recently. To show that they support gay marraige they are going to ban straight marraige? Or at least make a weak half-hearted attempt to. You would think these people want to encourage people to support gay unions. If they did, denying straight couples the chance to marry probably isnt the way to go. But who am I to comment on this? Obviously, "It's a step that needs to be taken.", right?

Hey, what a keen way to support peoples civil rights. You take everyone else's civil rights away! Hooray! My position is a bit over the top, sure people can just go to other reverends to get married. Can you imagine if all of them supported that sort of thing though? I think that these rev's are just being drama queens. They know that this is just symbolic gesture that has no real weight. It's too bad. Maybe they should do something... you know... meaningful, to support this cause instead.

Digging Deep

Hello boys and girls!

Today we are going to talk about sacrifice. I would talk about Libby or the up and coming Plame case but I am satisfied with the progress of that so far.

When promoting the most recent troop surge Bush in his wisdom told us we would need to sacrifice and let those 20,000 soldiers go to war. Yet what are WE sacrificing.

What's does our president have to say about this topic? "I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night."

An excellent point. In those brief moments where my tv displays the news when im flipping between reruns and soft porn, I can get watered down news of the war. Boy that really breaks up my day. Now I will admit that it bothers me when I think of my friends in danger over there. But that is not sacrifice. Sacrifice is going without meat for three years because you willingly put yourself on war rations. It is giving up all spare rubber and metal products and changing your way of life to support your nation's cause. It is not "Spending more" as our dear leader would have us do.

What pisses me off is that the perversion of terms like Patriotism and Sacrifice is an insult to those who have made real contributions to those ideals. My friends being sent to Iraq isnt us making a sacrifice. Its me blithely accepting that they could be martyred for a war our nation does not support. If sacrificing my friends is what is being asked for, I think id rather not. At least not until the cause is worth it.

Miracle or medicine?

Baby is clinically dead for 30 minutes, then comes alive

You can find the article relating to it here: Dead baby article

The idea of a miracle is that some agent of God's (or God himself) comes in and contravenes natural law. Thus making the event special enough to be called a miracle. At least that was Hume's definition of it, and most philosophers would try to force you to use this assessment.

A baby was dead for 30 minutes, and then came alive. Hume himself said such a thing was impossible. A person coming back to life would defy the laws of nature as we know them. Yet, with the advance of technology, we now know that there is clinical death, and biological death.

What other forms of death will we discover and defy in the future?

Will we have to redefine our concepts of the laws of nature as time progresses? Is that definition of a miracle appropriate given our mindset and society we live in? Ideas like "little miracles" are pervasive throughout theist society. Could God interceding through natural laws be construed as a miracle? I just felt like putting my thoughts down for a moment. I will leave drawing conclusions to a later post perhaps.

Yes I poached this joke, but its funny

In light of recently being bombarded with news of that ridiculous circus (that involves human vultures fighting) over Anna Nichole Smith's corpse, I think the following joke is overdue...

Q: What's the definition of necrophilia?
A: The urge to crack open a cold one.

Off colour, not mine, but I laughed.

Movie Review: Lady in the Water

I know it has been a while since I have reviewed anything. So I said to myself "we must review it precious, we must!"

The Good

So much to choose from. I suppose I will start with Paul Giamatti.

Dude kicks ass in this movie. He plays a man who has hit bottom. Even so, his character is still helping others. I cant think of a lot of actors who can look so... normal. He did an excellent job at seeming like a caring, messed up (emotionally) guy. He found greatness at the end, but only by letting go of everything he had been holding in.

Even though this is a children's story, it resonates on many different levels. It...

touches on the theme that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things

displays that regardless of one's personal rut, a reawakening can turn things around

treads upon the theme of belief

illustrates the idea of letting go to become whole

alludes strongly that everyone is connected

shows that annoying movie critic get his ass chewed off

All good things. :)

Next we have Bryce Dallas Howard. Im not really down with the name. But she did an excellent job portraying her character in this quirky nymph out of water story. Get that double meaning? I amuse myself.
Just get an eyeful of that girl. In the words of Bob Barker, "I don't want a piece, I want the whole thing!".









Despite the pacing, the characters are interesting enough that I enjoyed following them through the movie. Like the movie critic guy, what an effete bastard. I love it.














Or the guy who only works out one side of his body. Who thinks up this stuff? After I stopped laughing I totally dug it.

I also love the fact that this movie is deeply rooted in reality. The fact that the Scrunt couldnt be seen unless it wanted to. Or by those chosen to see it, helped reinforce that this was a real world fairy tale. The old lady and her daughter were hilarious too.




The Bad

The pacing was a wee bit slow, but like i said, the characters and the story were good enough that this didnt kill the movie. It was mixed up enough to keep me quite interested.

This kid comes off as a smartass little puke and that pisses me off. I did not believe him in this role. In fact I havent seen him play any role that I liked. Jeffrey Wright (the guy who played his dad) on the other hand, was fricken awesome. I think it was a disservice to pair him with this kid. I didnt feel the empathy between father and son.

The monkeys at the end.. why didnt they kill the buff guy? Continuity error or am I missing something?

I'll leave the part of about M. Night casting himself as the visionary that has a revolutionary message for the world alone. The media already beat him to death over it far more eloquently than I could.

I dont want to ruin the plot, you should watch this movie. GO WATCH IT NOW! So I will go right to...

The Rating
This movie gets a solid 9 out of 10. For those of you who dont like it, I think you just didnt get it. There are so many different thematic threads in this movie that you could watch it multiple times and not catch all of them. It was well acted, excellently directed. Dogs with grassy fur, chicks who dont wear pants, badass monkeys, giant eagles, spiritual rejuvination, pool parties, what's not to like? Well done M. Night Shyamalan!

Living

I suppose there is being, and living. I think most think of being as living, so i will use that word. I just heard something that really gave me a minor shakabuku moment. We, on average, or if we are lucky, get 75 years in life. 75 winters, 75 summers, which doesnt seem like that long when one thinks about it.

Now, this leads me to think... well shit, i got to get out and do stuff cause i dont want to waste that time. But then, I dont think it means i should listlessly muck about wasting energy. I think living is doing that which you enjoy, or trying to pursue your dreams. If not instantly then at least earnestly. I think if one does that, then I think their time is not wasted.

Little infuriating decisions

You people... who make the following decisions. I want to pimp slap your lips off!

You who...

* Decided that you would package hotdogs and hotdog buns in different numbers.
Yes, it forces me to either waste hotdogs or buns. Or continuing buying new ones until i can mathmatically even them out.

* Thought it would be a good idea to NOT put the usb converter cable in the printer box.
So that not only do i have to buy the printer, but i have to go out and get the fucking cable too. Or buy it from you at an overinflated rate. Bastards.

* Sell battery operated products and then dont include the batteries.
How hard is it to create a synegistic partnership with a battery company and increase both of your profit margins? You would think if you are going to make a product you would assist the user in the initial means of utilizing it. But no. You lazy fucks. You could say it is lazy of me not to just go out and buy batteries. I assert that I shouldnt have to! It would be like buying a dead cell phone and not having a charger. What kind of product is that? When you buy a car they dont sell it to you without a god damn battery. Its like buying a caravan thats got no fucken wheels.

Pricks.

/rant off

Tenets from the Rule of St. Benedict

* Everyone needs to perform some manual labor
* All things in moderation
* Spiritual life should be reflected upon daily, it is a daily process/struggle
* Accept others, do not change them
* Community exposes us to internal and external improvement
* All created things are god-given
* Treat things with care


Its funny how many of these could and do cross over into secular life. Even as we strive to escape some of them, like community, we still gravitate towards them. Only, they are found in a different fashion. Whether online communities, or friends at a local pub, or academic circles. Community, Umma, Relational associations, whatever you want to call them still live strongly today. Strangely though, they say individuals feel much more sequestered from the world in mordernized nations than they did a century ago. For a guy who lived 1500 years ago, St. Benedict had some good ideas.

Even with manual labor, there is a different sense of accomplishment. One could almost say a wholesome (for lack of a better word) feeling comes from it. As well as strengthening the body as a whole. Sure you get sweaty, dirty and tired, but there is more one achieves from the process than the whole of its negative aspects.

Richard Dawkins is a boob

Of course, so are many of those he detracts from. It is really entertaining to watch them battle it out. I am also forced to concede that the fact that he is out there and has a reputation, and has enemies to joust with is respectable in and of itself. I shall say i dont revere the actor, i dont revere the act, but i respect the action. It is hard not to nod ones head to conviction.