Blasphemy?

G’day all. I’m back from Cyprus and I find that yesterday was World Blasphemy Day.

‘Anti-blasphemy laws exist throughout the world. In many parts of Europe and North America they have been overturned, although there are anti-blasphemy laws in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Iceland, the Netherlands, San Marino and the UK. There are also “religious insult” laws in 21 European nations.

The Republic of Ireland passed the “Defamation Act 2009” in that year, which states in part, “A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €25,000.”

Finland has been the setting for a number of noteworthy blasphemy trials in the 2000s. The Finnish linguist, political blogger Helsinki City Councillor and subsequent member of parliament Jussi Halla-aho was charged with “disturbing religious worship” because of internet posts in which he called Muhammad a pedophile, Halla-aho was fined €330.

In some countries, blasphemy is punishable by death, such as in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.[citation needed]
Six US states (Massachusetts, Michigan, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wyoming) still have anti-blasphemy laws on their books, although they are seldom enforced.

My question is this; I am an atheist. I don’t believe in gods, fairies, leprechauns, djinns, or any other mythical creature, so, whatever it is, it’s not my god, so how can I take it’s name in vain?

Fair ways and foul

Victory for Europe in the Ryder Cup yesterday afternoon was sweeter for its achievement in the face of the unsporting behaviour of the Chicago mob, egged on by some of the USA golfers themselves. And the resilience of the European players faced with a mountain to climb (from 6 – 10 down) was inspiring. They had to take eight of the 12 singles to retain the Cup and went a half better to win it outright. Tiger Woods’ bogey at the 18th typified the American collapse from their pomp of the first two days.

Well done, lads! Great entertainment!

British Psycho

Dexter raved and drooled whenever he had something on his mind. Cleopatra’s, the new eatery on Floyd Avenue was the hottest place in town according to his sources. We’ll hit the place at lunchtime, he said. Parking the car round the bend we headed for the entrance.

“Not today, gents.” our way was blocked by an imposing male, impeccably dressed.

“We have a reservation.” pleaded Dexter. Continue reading “British Psycho”

Gossip makes the best history

I’m reminded of this fact by Christina’s frequent anecdotes which round up all sorts of facts of every imaginable kind. Christina, you’re the Herodotus of the modern age! A strange comparison you may think, but akshully (thanks, Furry) the father of European history displayed an encyclopedic memory for both the valuable and the trivial, be it politics, geography, family life, war or mythology. He called it his ‘enquiry’, a record of his travels around the known world in the middle of the 5th century BC. “Ἡροδότου Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἱστορίης ἀπόδεξις ἥδε” – “This is a presentation of the enquiry of Herodotus of Halicarnassos”.

This was fun….

Mrs FEEG and I have just returned from a short sojourn in Madeira, where we consumed much good food and wine. Amongst the fun things we did there was to have a toboggan ride from the village of Monte, down the hill to Funchal. The toboggans are made of wood and wickerwork, and are steered by two fit young lads, pulling on ropes and steering by dragging their feet. It was great fun! I had to pinch a video from You Tube as I did not have my video camera with me!

Closing time in Iran

The game of bluff adopted by President Saddam Hussein of Iraq to confuse nuclear weapons inspectors of Iraq’s nuclear capability didn’t work. The toppled and deceased Hussein brought invasion on his land and no weapons were found; the dictator was playing with an empty hand. It begs the question, what game is Iran playing at? Are they also full of bluster or more sinisterly have they an ace up their sleeve?

Secret papers smuggled out of the Islamic Republic of Iran by a dissident scientist reveals the truth behind Iran’s nuclear program. Continue reading “Closing time in Iran”