ajzepp

I can't remember ever saying this about another dude, but I wanted to just head over to the house and give Ben a big hug the other day...lol The noms are definitely interesting...BB sort of has you explain the basis for your noms, and if they feel like it's not a good reason they can admonish you to put more thought into the decision. The show just feels completely different day after day...there is always something new they're having the housemates do, and so many of the cast are just great fun to watch.

That's awesome, I'm so glad she's watching it! I had never really thought of using youtube like this until recently...the quality of the shows isn't great, but it's more than watchable. I totally agree with her about the blondes lol...the funniest thing for me is this guy Caleb, who is the Aussie version of a California surfer dude...he gets so excited whenever they come and sit on either side of him...the guy cracks me up! And yep, the size of the house is just unreal! Every time you think you've seen it in its entirety, another room opens up. It's also really neat how they keep them active most of the day. Unlike the US version where there is a lot of sitting around, these folks have all sorts of ongoing interaction with Big Brother and it seems like it would be much harder to become bored in this version of the game. I'm so glad she's watching!

I dont know if this is accurate, but I heard on the sports station that the difference was that he didn't just deny use (until he admitted it) but he actively obstructed the investigation

wow, how can something like that possibly be missed? What else did they leave out?

Rico sighting!

lol, that's very close to what I twitted/tweeted to Gervais the other day...and again, I LOVE this guy's humor...he's extremely quick-witted, has perfect timing, and is very original in his material a lot of the time. If I didn't feel that way I wouldn't care that he's become obsessed with promoting atheism and/or, as you asserted, being an arse. I basically said to him almost verbatim what you just said above...his crusade is becoming almost as annoying as all these hard core Fundamentalist Christians who just want to beat you over the head with their propaganda. It's kinda the same with Penn, just not to the same degree. I really love his work on a professional level and he just seems like one hell of an interesting guy...but my primary interest with both of these gents is entertainment, and call me crazy, but I just don't find it entertaining when they mix in all the religious/political stuff on top of it. Fair enough...I appreciate the feedback/discussion

Not intentionally, anyway.

I've completely fallen in love with the BB Aussie cast. These are some of the most fun, caring people I've ever seen on a reality show. I just want to pack a bag and join the house just to hang with 'em. The BB USA cast look like complete pieces of crap compared to the Aussies. I love youtube...they have three people posting the BB AUS episodes daily. I'm so glad people take time out of their day to do that. I've really been enjoying this show.

I have to admit, I'm getting a bit tired of Channing Tatum. He's not nearly as annoying as Shia LeBouf, but it is starting to seem like he's in every movie. Now, Mila Kunis on the other hand...I WISH she was in every movie Mrs Beerball was a real champ during that time...I can't believe that was a few years ago...we were really worried about you man! I'm glad you found your inner Neo!

Well said. I don't know if it was the music that enhanced this for me, but the scene where Jim Sturgess has returned from his voyage on the ship and lays out his intentions to his father in-law, and then the father-in-law (Hugo Weaving is excellent...) gives him just a raw, honest assessment of where it will lead him, just really impacted me. And then his response on top of that was just like, wow...that was a big moment for me. And I agree about the Fabricants...that was definitely tough to watch at times. It's weird cause for some reason that relationship was the one that was the most believable to me. When she began looking at the pop up screens and soaking in as much of it as she could, it's like I could understand why He-ju (whatever his name was) was so smitten and willing to go to such lengths to save her. I've been thinking about it quite a bit since it ended...it really stays with you. There is a LOT to sort through!

Sounds like we just approach it very differently. I don't personally equate mutual respect for one's viewpoint to be a circle jerk...I think when you take the emotion, resentment, butt-hurted-ness, and all that stuff out of the conversation it becomes much more productive. Seems to me that way too many people get way too caught up in an identity first and then work to justify it after the fact. All too often I find it's hard to really have an open and honest conversation about the foundation of one's belief system. The only times it's really happened was with people who weren't really settled on how they identified yet. I love those conversations cause you don't get nearly as much "schtick". There's nothing for them to defend or justify, so they can talk openly and honestly about where they stand. Maybe I'm weird because I truly am interested in the experiences of others as it pertains to the topic of religion, God, atheism, etc. I have no desire to convince anyone of anything or defend my own position on the issue...I just enjoy the process of understanding.

Brilliant...thank you. I was hoping you'd chime in. It's funny cause I find that even as a person of faith I don't really fit in to many of the sub-segments of this population. I tend to be very ecumenical and more logical in my beliefs than many (most?) of the other Christians I come across, especially here in the south. One of the most enlightening experiences I ever had was reading "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis. It had none of the "rah rah" nonsense that I find really bothersome and it focused on those who wish to think through their faith as opposed to just regurgitating Bible verses or repeating what others tell you to believe. My search is more for authenticity than anything else, which is why I think I am seeking to learn more about Penn's actions. I have much more in common with an atheist who has come about it honestly than I do a Christian who has adopted someone else's belief system blindly.

What I'm getting at is the motivation behind the action. To actively organize some sort of video campaign where fellow atheists speak out about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, it's probably not because they just have nothing better to do. There is a motivation behind the action that stems from their position as an atheist, and that's why I'm seeking feedback from others who may share a similar viewpoint. Is it just that the attacks from the Christians have gotten so tiresome that they feel the need to act out in return? And if so, is it some form of retaliation where it's specifically meant to offend or at least "bother" those who believe in God? Or is it more that it's a visible affirmation to give other atheists the confidence to embrace their viewpoint? That's pretty much what I was thinking, as well...It was just sort of weird seeing an "active" atheism, you know?

Yep, I've read what I wrote a few times over...I don't know how to make it any more clear than I have. If I haven't articulated myself well enough for you to have any sort of response, I don't know why you feel the need to go on about how it's a stealth post of some sort. It's not.

I'm really interested to learn more about his position since I consider myself a fan (lower case "f") of his. I listened to his podcast a few weeks ago and, much like Ricky Gervais, it's almost like a constant mocking/bashing of religion/God. Maybe I just got him on a bad day, but sometimes it just seems like it's something they either just can't let go, or they are going for "shock effect" by going at it so hard. It's gotten to the point where if you look at Ricky Gervais twitter account, quite literally every day it's multiple posts about the topic. It's to the point where it's frustrating for me as a fan because I find the guy incredibly funny, but it's getting so annoying that he just can't get off the God thing. I'm sure a big part of it is because he's getting antagonized by Christians and others for his beliefs...I get that. But then the next thing you know he can't even get through the golden globes or whatever show he hosted without getting all into it again. I figured at some point someone would take it there...this is partly why I find it almost impossible to have a meaningful discussion about the topic because everyone is so cynical.

Exactly...that's where the disconnect is for me. This is apparently some sort of "challenge" where they go beyond, as you stated, admitting lack of belief, and purposely attempt to "blaspheme" based on their understanding of what the Bible says. I think it's becoming clear to me why I'm interested in this...my personal belief - and one that I often have "Bible Christians" attacking me over - is that God will present everyone with whatever evidence they require to know clearly and without question that He exists. At that point, they can either choose to accept God or reject God, but it won't be based on some guessing game. When I see people doing this sort of thing with these videos, it's almost like what they're saying is that "even if I knew God existed, I'd still choose to reject". I can't really say if this is how they mean it or not, which is partly why I'm curious in this topic. Is it basically saying, "my belief is so strong that there is no God that it doesn't matter what I do or say", or are is their position more like "I dont' believe in God, and even if there WAS a God I would still choose to denounce Him and blaspheme against the HOly Spirit". Hopefully that makes things a bit more clear in terms of what I'm trying to figure out....I dunno lol

This is really missing the mark of what I'm getting at. And nothing has me upset, I'm just curious if someone would have better understanding this than I do. As I said, I have a lot of respect for atheists and I value the intellectual "arm" of this population to further my own understanding of certain things. I'm not anti-atheist and I'm not meaning for this to turn into some sort of pissing contest. I don't know if this is the actual video that the article I read was referring to, but assuming it probably is...

Yeah, I've heard that quite a bit about the Pagan thing

Great question. With me, EVERY option is always on the table. I'm a man of faith, and I've come by that faith honestly by searching it out. But faith is not the same thing as knowledge, and I operate with the full understanding that my faith my one day be proved misplaced and that there, in fact, is no God. I think that's why I'm so taken aback by this. I consider my openness to the possibility of being wrong to be LOGICAL. The possibility exists, so therefore I acknowledge it. So when I come across an atheist that I consider to be highly intelligent up and does something as bold as this, it really makes me want to know more about what they're thinking. Even Stephen Hawking has, at least at some point in time, acknowledged the possibility of God. I believe his current position is consistent with atheism, or something along those lines, but I don't believe he's been in that camp his entire life. But yeah, my objective point of view is that it's not possible to KNOW with 100% certainty if God exists at this point in time, so I cannot say I am 100% certain that my faith is justified. lol....I did consider that it may just be that they're dicks, but I've always found Penn to be a well thought out, cordial person...at least in terms of his celebrity persona. Obviously I don't know the guy personally. I haven't seen the videos to be honest...I read it in an article. I'll try to find it and post a link. And I think you're probably correct that it's not really possible for them to actually do what they're intending, especially if they're non-believers...I'm just going on the assumption that they don't care either way. lol, I realized as I was writing that that I wasn't exactly asking a direct question, but basically I'm asking WTF is wrong with these people.

First let me ask that anyone willing to respond not bring an agenda into the conversation and derail it. I'm really interested in SPECIFIC responses to my question below. I know this topic can trigger a lot of divergent views and long-held passion, but I'm really curious to hear sincere answers to the question I'm posing. Okay, so here's the thing. I've always found those who consider themselves agnostic or atheists to have arrived at that position very honestly. Let's face it, even for those of us who do believe in God, it's not an easy thing to come by sometimes. I came across a new expression of atheism recently that honestly has me really wanting to bring it up as a discussion and to get the perspectives of those who share in this mindset. I have always been drawn to intellectuals, mainly for selfish reasons. I feel a day without learning or exploration is a day wasted, and intellectual types offer an endless buffet of opportunities to do exactly that. One of my favorite celebrities has been Penn Jillette. He's clearly functioning on a very high level not just with his humor or magic, but also with his politics and other areas. I found it interesting recently to hear him say that he did not have a position on global warming because "there is not enough evidence". This was interesting to me because I've always known him to be an atheist, and it would seem that it would be far more difficult to gather proper evidence to come to a conclusion on God and the hereafter than it would global warming, yet he's certain on the former while being undecided on the latter. This led me to look a bit further and I found that he, along with other atheists, have started going on youtube and making a public declaration to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. They do this because they are so certain there is no Judeo-Christian God that they are focusing on the one "unforgivable sin", per the Christian Bible, and committing it for all to see. So here is my question: There are things I do not believe in at all, say for example Voodoo and Mummy curses. But if I found myself among those who practice Voodoo or if I were on some excavation in Egypt attempting to recover mummified remains, there's absolutely no part of me that would purposely do something antagonistic or defiant. Even though I feel quite strongly that these things are not legit, there is still a part of me that respects the fact that I cannot know with certainty that my position is valid, no matter how unlikely or absurd the idea of it being real may be. If I were atheist, I cannot possibly imagine that I would ever be so bold in my assumptions that I would feel the need to commit an act that so many millions of people would view as heresy. It's not like we're talking about the Easter Bunny here...we're talking about GOD...something that people all over the world have dedicated their lives to, whether it be through the practice of faith, erudition, pastoral or clergical duties, whatever. I can understand a lack of faith and/or belief. But a lack of faith or belief has no bearing whatsoever on whether something is true or not true. What could possibly be to gain from this sort of act? How can there be NO consideration given to, "what if I'm wrong?" It just doesn't strike me as something an intelligent person would do, and that's why I'm interested to hear some feedback from others who may have more insight as to why an atheist would even bother himself with something like this? PS. If anyone woudl like to respond privately, please feel free to PM me. I will respect your privacy and not disclose your comments to anyone else.

Finished up Cloud Atlas...overall I felt it was a very engaging film once I got accustomed to the structure. After the midway point I started anticipating each return to the various story lines. I think I was looking for more connections from story to story than were actually there. I'm not sure the reincarnation aspect was clear to me, but it's clear which themes were present throughout and the way each story was linked to the others via some sort of carryover through a medium, whether it be film, a diary, etc. I definitely was affected by it on an emotional level, particularly as things came to a conclusion, and I feel like I'm taking something away from seeing it. Overall, a beautiful film that is a helluva ride once you adjust to it. Easily the most ambitious movie I've ever seen.

It's beautifully shot, that's one thing I've noticed about it. I'm streaming it via my AppleTV in 720p and it looks beautiful. Makes me wish I would have fired this one up on the projector, but we have company this weekend

You guys were right...I gave it another hour before I hit the sack and I started putting the pieces together. I'm off today so will look forward to finishing up the rest here later this afternoon.

lol, nice... I see...one of the things I did when I was thinking I had a dispute was to review the online feedback for this apartment complex. People were naming one office supervisor in particular and saying some pretty intense things about the way she handled their moves. People getting screwed over (according to them, anyway) with excessive charges when they moved out, stuff like that. I've been here nearly four years, so unless I went with the Bowery method, Id like to try to remain on good terms with them. But at the same time, I have an attorney who is always a phone call away in the event I ever needed him, so I'd like to think I could handle any situation similar to how you handled yours and not worry about any sort of retaliation or antagonism if I ever moved away.

What about getting a reference from them in the future? Does that come into play at all, or do you have confidence that even if you pissed them off that they'd still refrain from giving a bad reference since you showed some firepower?