Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Almost Attacked on the Street

 
Kissy and I went out the other night to meet up with some of her coworkers at a local bar and since it's getting chilly here I decided to wear my logger's hat to keep warm. It's a bit silly looking, I'll be the first to admit. But it matches my sweater, the one that Kissy abhors, and it keeps my ears warm with the handy-dandy ear flaps. All in all, I was bundled up and ready to go.
We exited our building and were just crossing the street when a group of seven or so drunken lads approached us. I was justifiably a bit wary of them since they were trashed, looked like hooligans, and were rough housing with one another. As the first guy came past me he took a swing at my face. Luckily I deflected his punch with my arm and luckily he wasn't trying too hard. It was just a, 'Hey, I'm going to act as if I punch you and if I do, what are you going to do about it?' I bumped into the next guy and Kissy yells, 'What the hell?' So he turns around, immediately taking his shirt half-off in the process, 'You got a problem? Are we going to have to solve it?'
I stare at him for a bit and his friends grab the half-undressed drunken slob as I grab Kissy's hand and pull her out of the middle of them.
And we walk away.
The sad part of this is that this instance was merely symptomatic of Sydney and Austalia. There are constant drunken fights with no provocation. They just want to fight. Hooligan style. And people get seriously injured and die here. And its not that uncommon. A gentlemen was waiting at the Central Train Station after having some drinks with coworkers. While he was waiting alone for his train to take him home, two random strangers came up and started hitting him. He fell and hit his head. At the hospital he went into a coma and died. They still have not caught the two guys that did it even though they have them on surveillance cameras and there is a $100,000 reward for their whereabouts.
So, street ruffians looking to punch out random people is a reality here.
As well as heroin junkies by the alley-full that break and enter and steal everything out of your place. Fair Dinkum.
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Friday, May 1, 2009

Martyr's 72 Virgins - Some Problems



"Ibn Warraq has hilariously argued that in the famous promise of seventy-two virgins to every Muslim martyr, 'virgins' is a mistranslation of 'white raisins of crystal clarity'. Now, if only that had been more widely known, how many innocent victims of suicide missions might have been saved? (Ibn Warraq, 'Virgins? What virgins?', Free Inquiry 26: 1, 2006, 45-6.)" -From Richard Dawkins The God Delusion

I've never really understood how Muslims can be fooled into martyrdom by the promise of seventy-two virgins awaiting them in heaven...
First, why kill yourself in the name of Allah. Secondly, why kill others in the name of Allah?! I know, I know, infidels and all that.
Also, suicide bombing? Don't you think that your 'god' would be somewhat more impressed if you killed so-called 'infidels' without sacrificing his 'chosen' ones? Perhaps Allah would be impressed if one were to use remote-control detonations since he, presumably, gave them brains to think with. (But I don't want to give them any more ideas...)

What I've really wondered is what's the draw about 72 virgins awaiting in heaven? Is it that they get to have sex with a virgin (which they probably are as well), which I think it has been proven, virgins aren't very good at sex. Regardless of that, assuming that sex with virgins is still the draw, what happens on the 73rd day in heaven? You've presumably deflowered the 72 virgins in your first 72 days in heaven, if not sooner, and now you're faced with an eternity of your own-seconds (which is unfortunate since your tastes are solely for virgins which is why you martyred yourself in the first place).

And, if Ibn Warraq is right, won't they be quite surprised to find their reward is, instead of 72 virgins, seventy-two white raisins.