Sweetheart, I'd rather you marry a muslim

For everybody who thought homophobia and racism were the big ills of our society, check out this survey from the University of Minnesota. It turns out us Atheists are the most hated group in the country! Sorry Gays and Blacks, we're number one!

Now of course, it's a lot easier for us to blend in without getting noticed, and I have never been rejected for a bank loan because of my beliefs, so I am not one to play the victim. I just find it hilarious that parents would rather have their daughter marry a Gay guy than an Atheist.

Well I have no daughter yet, so it will be a while before she is of marrying age. However, I admitedly have some prejudices myself and have already decided she will be forbidden from marrying anybody who does that YMCA dance in public.

The warm and fuzzy religion

My self imposed break has been cut short by those nutty Thai buddhists! Yes practitioners of the same religion endorsed by all those influencial liberal folks like Allen Ginsberg, Goldie Hawn, Oliver Stone, Brad Pitt, and that loveable Richard Gere are in the news. As it turns out, islam, christianity and judaism aren't the only religions that teach violence is the way to solve problems. If you dare to smash up a statue at a Bangkok shrine don't try to use mental illness as an excuse, your days are numbered! (Yes it's just two guys, but I lived in Thailand for almost a year and I don't think it's a stretch to say that many of their fellow countrymen view them as heroes right about now)

Pictured above is a photo I took of the statue in question when I was in Bangkok last summer. The shrine was erected on the request of an astrologer and is supposed to give those who visit it good luck. Now that it has been damaged astrologers are forecasting bad luck for the country. (Hmm, not sure how much worse your luck could get than to have a tsunami smash into your country, and the statue's good luck field was supposedly operating just fine in December 2004)

But who am I to argue with good luck. Since I visited the Erawan shrine, I got a good job and got engaged to the greatest woman in the world. So what else could possibly be responsible? It might have something to do with the fact that I'm a great guy, but that is just as unprovable.

In front of the Erawan shrine are plenty of lottery ticket sellers. If somebody really seriously wanted to establish proof that there is some magic in the air around the place they would compare the percent of tickets that are winners sold right outside the shrine with those sold at some other location. This semi-scientific study would be rather easy to do and if the good luck claim is correct it would now be proven (well further studies would have to be done to impress me of course) and the visitors to Erawan would quadruple overnight.

I'm sure the operators of the tourist trap are in no hurry to prove anything. They are happy to leave everything wide open and rely on anecdotal evidence to bring in the bucks. This year my car was hit by a Thai woman here in Seattle, I don't think it has much to do with my visit to the shrine, but perhaps she was paying it forward for this post.

I like to think I respect different cultures but there are so many things about Thai culture that I have absolutely no respect for at all and today I just don't feel like giving them the benefit of the doubt. I respect Thais as individuals of course and hopefully my friends from the Land of Smiles will forgive me for this, but sorry you all need to go cold turkey on astrology and buddhism and flip your brains into the on position.

The only comments we have heard from leaders in Thailand following this disgusting murder is the governor of Bangkok saying he will be sure to beef up security around the city's shrines. Uless I hear a quote from the PM or the King pretty damn quick about how killing this man was an "untolerable act" you won't be getting any more of my tourist dollars anytime soon.

Oh Ricky you're so fine

Normally there is a 20-year waiting period from the time I am first aware of somebody until the time they are eligible to get into the skepticklish hall of fame. But the newest member is a person who probably a year ago, I didn't even know his name.

The gentleman in question has already been a household name for several years in the UK and with the hipper people around the world because he created the show The Office. Apparently, in my household I just recently got around to watching the show as well as his other recent hysterical TV effort: Extras. Both available on DVD from Amazon if you follow the links.

Of course I am talking about Ricky Gervais. To my fellow Statesiders who don't know who he is, there is no room for any more excuses. He will soon be on an episode of The Simpsons, and boy will you feel embarassed if your kids know Ricky before you do! Not only is he a comic genius, he is a big supporter of science and reason and is always outspoken about his skepticism and Atheism.

He recently began hosting a podcast which quickly went into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most downloaded show ever in that new medium. The show basically consists of Gervais and his partner Stephen Merchant reacting to the completely ridiculous theories of their friend Karl Pilkington. Listening to Karl it quickly becomes obvious that the USA has not completely cornered the market on stupidity.

The first dozen shows were free to download and should still be available on iTunes or at Guardian Unlimited, he now has decided to make a bit of coin and is charging one quid per episode. It does seem a bit steep, but I imagine the routine with Karl will get old after a while so he is cashing in while he can. However, even with a popular spokesperson like Gervais, I still think we have quite a wait before critical thinking becomes hipper than the alternative