- Welcome to Happy Atheist Forum.
Just be happy.
Recent posts
#61
Sports / Re: World Cup - 2026
Last post by Recusant - July 07, 2026, 04:42:52 PMTrump has an affinity for dishonest people, demonstrated by going out of his way to issue presidential pardons to a wide array of swindlers and grifters. His impulse to cheat and game the system came to the fore in leaning on the infamously corrupt Infantino to meddle with the red card. It was good to see his flabby strongarm tactics fail to produce the result on the pitch that he was hoping for.
#62
Politics / Re: Keir Starmer
Last post by zorkan - July 07, 2026, 03:52:18 PMLatest to resign is Nigel Farage, leader of Reform Party and great friend of Donald Trump.
Allegedly for pocketing money from a convicted US fraudster.
Is it time to switch to a party which opposes "Mass immigration, economic collapse, woke ideology, and the relentless creep of radical Islam – everywhere you look, this country is in decline..."?
Quote from The Restore Britain Party, led by Rupert Lowe who had been thrown out of Reform.
At this rate there will soon be no politicians left.
Allegedly for pocketing money from a convicted US fraudster.
Is it time to switch to a party which opposes "Mass immigration, economic collapse, woke ideology, and the relentless creep of radical Islam – everywhere you look, this country is in decline..."?
Quote from The Restore Britain Party, led by Rupert Lowe who had been thrown out of Reform.
At this rate there will soon be no politicians left.
#63
Sports / Re: World Cup - 2026
Last post by zorkan - July 07, 2026, 11:35:54 AMPrecedent Trump's actions backfired as it spurred Belgium on to victory.
Give him the red card.
However, I now expect Starmer to get England's red card rescinded from the game against Mexico.
https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/06/keir-starmer-colleague-suggests-pm-may-intervene-england-stars-red-card-29061470/
Just a bit of background here.
The system of red cards started when certain players deliberately appeared to want to injure the opposition.
In England, among others we had 'Chopper' Harris (Chelsea) and Norman 'bites yer legs' Hunter (Leeds United).
While some might deem a challenge just to be mistimed, it helps to keep players safe from injury and potentially career ending.
I guess you will never keep football out of politics and even religion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_and_politics
In Glasgow there is protestant Rangers and catholic Celtic.
Quite a rumpus once when Celtic signed a protestant player, even though their greatest manager (Jock Stein) was a protestant.
Give him the red card.
However, I now expect Starmer to get England's red card rescinded from the game against Mexico.
https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/06/keir-starmer-colleague-suggests-pm-may-intervene-england-stars-red-card-29061470/
Just a bit of background here.
The system of red cards started when certain players deliberately appeared to want to injure the opposition.
In England, among others we had 'Chopper' Harris (Chelsea) and Norman 'bites yer legs' Hunter (Leeds United).
While some might deem a challenge just to be mistimed, it helps to keep players safe from injury and potentially career ending.
I guess you will never keep football out of politics and even religion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football_and_politics
In Glasgow there is protestant Rangers and catholic Celtic.
Quite a rumpus once when Celtic signed a protestant player, even though their greatest manager (Jock Stein) was a protestant.
#64
Sports / Re: World Cup - 2026
Last post by billy rubin - July 06, 2026, 01:38:35 PMwhat it means is that no matter how well the us does, any football victory will be tainted as having been fixed.
there is a telling consistency with trump, though. trump is always focused on the prize, not on the process. possessing the title is all that matters-- deserving to possess thetitle is irrelevant. this is easily seen in his pride in possessing the latest nobel peace prize medal, even though the prize itself was awarded to someone else. to him, or look at how a fat 80 year old man keeps winning golf tournaments at his personal golf clubs. possessing the gilded cup is what matters, not having earned the achievement.
so keeping the american player in the compettion is what is important, not following the rules of the game. a legitimate victory is no different than an illegitimate one, in trumps eyes
its strange to an adult man so clueless about so many things, but at least we re only a blood clot away from being rid of him./
there is a telling consistency with trump, though. trump is always focused on the prize, not on the process. possessing the title is all that matters-- deserving to possess thetitle is irrelevant. this is easily seen in his pride in possessing the latest nobel peace prize medal, even though the prize itself was awarded to someone else. to him, or look at how a fat 80 year old man keeps winning golf tournaments at his personal golf clubs. possessing the gilded cup is what matters, not having earned the achievement.
so keeping the american player in the compettion is what is important, not following the rules of the game. a legitimate victory is no different than an illegitimate one, in trumps eyes
its strange to an adult man so clueless about so many things, but at least we re only a blood clot away from being rid of him./
#65
Sports / Re: World Cup - 2026
Last post by Recusant - July 05, 2026, 10:45:45 PMIt's reported that Trump called the FIFA president to get a red card issued to a US player (Balogun) overturned. Yeah that's a good look for all concerned.
#66
Current Events / 250 Years
Last post by Recusant - July 05, 2026, 06:38:53 AMThe sound of amateur fireworks. It's possible to escape it, but you may have to travel a bit.
For a long time, having read American history relatively closely, it was difficult for me to claim pride in the nation. Yes, I was one of those assholes. I remained seated in solidarity with my Navajo brother when the national anthem was played at baseball games.
Note that I said it was difficult not impossible. While acknowledging the inexcusable things the US has done, I don't forget there are also positive things, and am not reluctant in inhabiting the place.
Of course I read more than American history, and understand that while the US isn't a piker when it comes to sordid actions, it's not particularly unusual in that respect either. So cheers on 250 years of existence.
For a long time, having read American history relatively closely, it was difficult for me to claim pride in the nation. Yes, I was one of those assholes. I remained seated in solidarity with my Navajo brother when the national anthem was played at baseball games.
Note that I said it was difficult not impossible. While acknowledging the inexcusable things the US has done, I don't forget there are also positive things, and am not reluctant in inhabiting the place.
Of course I read more than American history, and understand that while the US isn't a piker when it comes to sordid actions, it's not particularly unusual in that respect either. So cheers on 250 years of existence.
#67
Sports / Re: World Cup - 2026
Last post by zorkan - July 04, 2026, 01:05:25 PMNext for England is Mexico, but probably only after scenes like this from a section of their fans from outside Ecuador's hotel.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BnXrSSSKt7M
Well done to Cape Verde, nearly bringing off the biggest world cup shock ever against the holders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNomjgxfrPU
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BnXrSSSKt7M
Well done to Cape Verde, nearly bringing off the biggest world cup shock ever against the holders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNomjgxfrPU
#68
Science / Re: Re: How Life May Have Firs...
Last post by Recusant - July 04, 2026, 03:43:52 AMEnter SpudCell, not a true living cell yet, but something that demonstrates several of the characteristics of living cells. They better cut it out or YHVH is going to be upset. On the other hand, maybe all they need to do is pray over it a bit and YHVH will deign to endow their experiment with that divine spark. 
"For The First Time, Scientists Say They've Built a Synthetic Cell From Scratch" | ScienceAlert
A preprint (not yet peer reviewed) version of the paper is available:
"A Chemically Defined Synthetic Cell Capable Of Growth And Replication" | bioRxiv
"For The First Time, Scientists Say They've Built a Synthetic Cell From Scratch" | ScienceAlert
QuoteScientists from the University of Minnesota say they have created the first-ever synthetic cell built entirely from scratch, and seen it go through an entire 'life' cycle – including reproduction.
"This is the most fascinating and important thing I've ever done in my work, and the realization that it's actually happening was rather slow to sink in," synthetic biologist Kate Adamala, a co-lead on the project told ScienceAlert.
"We've replicated in chemistry what only used to be possible in biology: the complete set of behaviors of a cell. It proves that the most fundamental functions of life, like growth and replication, do not need a mysterious magical spark," she says.
The project is called SpudCell, and it has a genome of just 90 kilobase pairs (kbp). For comparison, the human genome is about 3 million kpb, and biologists previously assumed that a living cell would require at least 113 kpb of genetic data to function properly.
According to Adamala and her colleagues, SpudCell appears to stretch these limits, though their research is yet to be formally published and has not been peer-reviewed.
[Continues . . .]
A preprint (not yet peer reviewed) version of the paper is available:
"A Chemically Defined Synthetic Cell Capable Of Growth And Replication" | bioRxiv
QuoteAbstract:
Cells are the fundamental unit of life. Yet there is no natural cell for which all its life-essential functions are understood.
Here we demonstrate a complete cell cycle for a synthetic cell undergoing selection, with genome replication, growth, resource acquisition via feeding, and genetically encoded division. The cell is encoded via a 90kb genome that includes functions needed for resource uptake, transcription, translation, growth, genome replication, and division.
The resulting synthetic cell is sufficiently encouraging to support routinization of synthetic cell engineering workflows, and will ultimately underlie diverse applications across all of biotechnology.
#69
Politics / Re: Duke of Bullshit: "The" Do...
Last post by Recusant - July 04, 2026, 03:22:58 AMGot sucked in by the pop science site there. I know that they sometimes recycle stories, so should be more careful. The instance above is from February of this year. Seems like it never did make it to the mainstream news.
#70
Religion / Re: Pope Leo and Friends
Last post by zorkan - July 03, 2026, 12:55:39 PMThere was a time when people who did not go to church were suspected of being in league with the devil.
There were churches close to each other to allow the elite classes to be kept separate from the lower classes.
Churchgoing was so popular once but go into any town centre in England today you may see more churches than churchgoers.
Times change and Scotland leads the way.
From 2021:
"The five local authorities with the largest proportion of those who identified as holding no religious beliefs were all located in Scotland: Shetland Islands (62.75%), Fife (60.55%), Midlothian (60.54%), Aberdeenshire (58.96%) and Clackmannanshire (58.33%).
In Wales, the highest proportion was in Caerphilly at 56.70%.
In England, the highest proportion was in Brighton and Hove at 55.20%.
In Northern Ireland, the highest concentration was in Ards and North Down at 30.63%".
There were churches close to each other to allow the elite classes to be kept separate from the lower classes.
Churchgoing was so popular once but go into any town centre in England today you may see more churches than churchgoers.
Times change and Scotland leads the way.
From 2021:
"The five local authorities with the largest proportion of those who identified as holding no religious beliefs were all located in Scotland: Shetland Islands (62.75%), Fife (60.55%), Midlothian (60.54%), Aberdeenshire (58.96%) and Clackmannanshire (58.33%).
In Wales, the highest proportion was in Caerphilly at 56.70%.
In England, the highest proportion was in Brighton and Hove at 55.20%.
In Northern Ireland, the highest concentration was in Ards and North Down at 30.63%".