Science also says that there is no god and a big bang happened.Something has to come from something.Science really can’t prove wheather it’s true or not.Just because scientists can’t prove wheather there are such a thing as demons or not doesn’t mean it’s not true.That is something people are gonna have to figure out for themselves. Science can’t prove wheather God does or doesn’t exist.That doesn’t mean he does or doesn’t exist though.That is why we call it a belief system.Nothing can prove or disprove wheather it happened or not.That is why we have one study that says the earth is a million years old,and another saying it’s seven million years old.Both are scientific studies but one must be wrong.Just because it’s a scientific study doesn’t always mean it’s true. [quote]Flop Hat wrote:
Are you really suggesting than someone do spells to prove the validity of your book? What century are we in? I hate to break it to you, but spells don’t work. If they did all of the witches wouldn’t have been burned at the stake.
I don’t care what you belive. If you want to sit in a circle with your friends and chant magic “spells” feel free. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However, you are not entitled to your own facts. And all of the scientific evidence to date points to magic not being real in any way, shape, or form. If you can really cast a spell you can earn a million dollars. Check this site out:
good luck, champ.
Cthulhu wrote:
That is your opinion.It is a made up book based on findings and history.You can’t say it’s either real or fake because you don’t know what aspect one is coming from. Go and find the orginal text and do the spells from it.Then come back and tell me if it’s not real(Pss!!!Don’t tell your family.Your mother has a problem with controling her emotions).There are plenty of people who have gone crazy from this kind of stuff.There are plenty of facts.Just because you don’t believe in these evil things doesn’t mean they don’t exist.You have your own beliefs,I have mine.Don’t be so ignorant where you’re scathing upon ones beliefs.
Science does not say there is no god. Science is the observation and expanation of nature. God would be outside of nature. Science dosn’t deal with the supernatrual. Science dosn’t “say” that a big bang happened. Scientist have a big bang theory that a way to explain the evedince that astronomers have collected. And don’t get confused by the word theory. It has a different meaning in the scientific community then it does when ordinary people throw it around lightly. People get mad because science has taken away some of our ancient mystical beliefs. Lightning used to be caused by Zues throwing the bolts from mount olympus. We know that this is not correct. We understand lightning now. One less power for the gods. The fact of the matter is that spells, magic potions, crystal power, and out of body experiances are all psudo science garbage. They are easily disproved by basic science. If spells were real, you could break the laws of physics using toad legs, bat eyes, and cat urine. But you can’t. I noticed you didn’t take on the one million dollar challenge. Cast one of your spells. If it works you are rich. But I know you won’t do it because SPELLS DON’T WORK.
Now stop arguing and start paying attention in science class. Read “demon haunted world” by carl sagen then read “the short history of nearly everything” by bill bryson. After you are done let me know. You have a lot more to do to get your critical thinking skills up to par.
ps There are no studies showing the earth to be either one million or seven million years old. The earth by ALL evedince is 4.5 billion years old. No argument among scientist. Only young earth creationist doubt it, but they have no evidence!
[quote]Cthulhu wrote:
Science also says that there is no god and a big bang happened.Something has to come from something.Science really can’t prove wheather it’s true or not.Just because scientists can’t prove wheather there are such a thing as demons or not doesn’t mean it’s not true.That is something people are gonna have to figure out for themselves. Science can’t prove wheather God does or doesn’t exist.That doesn’t mean he does or doesn’t exist though.That is why we call it a belief system.Nothing can prove or disprove wheather it happened or not.That is why we have one study that says the earth is a million years old,and another saying it’s seven million years old.Both are scientific studies but one must be wrong.Just because it’s a scientific study doesn’t always mean it’s true.
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Try Stephen Kings the Dark Tower books. There is 7 all together. I hate reading, but I couldnt put these books down. I had to wait a year for the last one to come out. But, it was well worth it. Very good series of books IMO.
This web site give you an idea of what it is about. Doesnt really do it justice though.
I’d suggest “I hope they serve Beer in Hell” by Tucker Max
check out tuckermax.com for a preview, I rarely read books, i’d rather be online reading something up to the minute but this one cracked me up cover to cover.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, (which I just started) is hard to put down. It’s a first person account of a travel writer and his friend who attempt the Appalachian Trail with no real preparation.
Also I would very much second a suggestion I saw here of Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman. Anything by or about Richard Feynman is just fascinating and fun, that was the first thing of his I read and it was wicked funny.
[quote]C Dizzle wrote:
badboybody wrote:
Stranger in a strange land - heinlein
Friday - heinlein
Enders Game - o.S. Card
Inca’s Gold - Cussler
Harry Potter - Rowling
Dude if you liked the Harry Potter books, I would recommend the fuck out of the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman. They masquerade as kids books, but there is some amazingly powerful stuff in them about religion and spirituality. Leaving the hippy shit aside, they are just awesome books.
To the main thread, above recommendation stands. What I’m reading at the moment: “The House of Morgan” by Ron Chernowski A great book about JPMorgan, used as a parable to document the history of banking. Then again if you’re not interested in finance avoid like a case of syphillis.
“Super Foods” by Stephen Pratt, I picked this up after TC’s “Power Foods” article recommended it. It’s an interesting read but I think TC’s article did a good job synopsising it and was funnier. Now if only I could get my hands on the other book referenced in that article…
I agree with the Economist as your non T-Nation regular reading and also recommend Fortune if you like business.
Alwyn Cosgrove summed it up best though when he said “No book I’ve read has made me dumber” or whatever that quote was.
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I just wanted to second your reccomendation of Pullman’s trilogy. Some damn good reads.
[quote]Natural Nate wrote:
Oh come on. I could write for pages about how the last 3 books sucked. But if I did it would be full of spoilers.
The story got way too bloated with new characters and situations that the reader doesn’t care about (those stupid animal things and vampires), what was innovative in the first 4 books became boring and repetitive (going back and forth to NYC and Maine over and over . . .) and the ending sucked beyond all belief.
I know King was making a big statement and he wanted this series to be the center of his “universe” where all his other works mix with it. Well he certainly mixed them all right. And produced vomit.
It pisses me off too because The Waste Lands and Wizard And Glass were amazing books. Story telling at its finest.
doogie wrote:
Natural Nate wrote:
Only read the first four, before it turned into a total crapfest.
Michael570 wrote:
The Dark Tower series (7 books) by Stephen King
Total crapfest? WTF? Turn in your nuts at the office on the right on your way out the door.
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I thought book 6 was pretty bad but once I got past the opening of 7 I thought he finished strong. At the very least 1-4 are a good read, especially Wizard and Glass (4).
I have to agree with everyone who suggested Tipping Point, Blink, and Freakonomics.
Why I Am Not a Christian : And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects – by Bertrand Russell. A very interesting read and well written (especially since many of the essays were written in the 1920’s and 30’s). I will definitely be reading more Russell in the near future.
Crimes Against Logic by Jamie Whyte. A very easy book to follow about logic and arguments.
In Defense of Elitism by William A. Henry. A very T-man like book, ideas very similar to Ayn Rand.
Fiction:
I am very surprised that no one on any of the posts that I have seen has recommended reading anything by Hemingway (I apologize if I overlooked anyone’s). It doesn’t get more of a T-man theme then Hemingway, So far I have read and recommend “The Sun Also Rises” (Bull Fighting), “From Whom the Bell Tolls” (about a American bomber in the Spanish Civil War), and “The Old Man and the Sea” (Fairly short book about a old fishes battle against the catch of a lifetime). I plan on reading “A Farewell to Arms” as soon as I have a longer break between my midterms and then read a collection of his short stories (most seem to be about big game hunting in Africa) this summer.
Also if you haven’t noticed there is a post on Catch 22 by Heller which is a must read. Such a funny and witty satire on everything from big business, medicine, government, religion, and of course the army.
Not really sure if it is considered fiction or nonfiction, but he is my favorite author. For a light and fun read look into anything by Chuck Klosterman. He worte “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs” (a very funny and different look at Pop Culture), “Killing Yourself to Live” (It is as if you are the passenger in his car driving across the country and he is having a conversation about Rock’n’Roll and relationships with you), “Fargo Rock City” (His first book that I did not read yet but will start in about a week or so), he also writes for Page 2 on ESPN about once a month as well as Spin and some other magazines. I couldn’t put his books down and when I did I went searching on the Internet for everything he wrote.
“The Miracle of St. Anthony” by Adrian Wojnarowski. I came across this one through a Jim Rome interview. An inspiring true story about a high school baskeball coach doing it for the right reasons and the love of the game.
“Seven Story Mountain” by Thomas Merton or “Thomas Merton: Spiritual Master” ed. Lawrence S. Cunningham. The latter is a collection of Merton’s writings that lead me to read the former.
A lot of it deals with Christian spirituality, but Merton has a lucid message about cutting out the crap in our lives that can apply to everybody. Try “Learning to Live” it will definitely give you something to consider.
And especially for you Canadians out there, Pierre Berton is a compelling author when it comes to relating Canadian history. Try his two books on the War of 1812 or his book on Vimy.