Wanted penguin briefly sighted

Hi all!

Not all of you know me, and some may be agnostic with regard to my existence, alizziest even, but I do exist and I’m so sorry I’ve been an absentee landlord for so long!  Life got impossibly difficult, and I’ve been barely keeping my head above water for quite a while!

However, light is definitely visible at the end of the tunnel, and I have good (belated) news which his that Vincent Torley and DNA_jock have kindly agreed to join the admin team at TSZ.  Thanks so much, Vincent and DNA_jock!

And I do hope to join them as a no-longer-sleeping partner before the year is out at least!  Semi-retirement from my full-time job should commence on 1st November, at which point I hope to get my life back!

110 thoughts on “Wanted penguin briefly sighted

  1. It’s good to see you back here.

    Semi-retirement from my full-time job should commence on 1st November, at which point I hope to get my life back!

    That’s what I thought, until I went to semi-retirement. I found that I was busier than ever. And now, at full retirement, I am even busier.

  2. John,

    Hey, that’s The Wrong Trousers, isn’t it?

    Speaking of which, I finally tried Wensleydale over the holidays — the version with cranberries. Man, that stuff is good.

  3. Elizabeth: I have good (belated) news which his that Vincent Torley and DNA_jock have kindly agreed to join the admin team at TSZ.  Thanks so much, Vincent and DNA_jock!

    Great! Now the admins will bicker among themselves as much as the rest of us!

    Welcome back, Lizzie, to bring balance to the farce!

  4. Good to see you. We’ve acquired some first rate experts, but otherwise the never-ending argument is pretty much were you left it.

  5. Welcome back. Your famous for not having been here. anyways its sad to hear you have had trouble but hopefully its looking up and will be better. Promise!
    Creationism has been roundly knocking the other side here for a while and they need help. Its almost over since someone is wrong and the wrong can’t stand the attrition of ivestigation by way of discussion after all. Debating really does work after all!

  6. Robert Byers:
    Creationism has been roundly knocking the other side here for a while and they need help. Its almost over since someone is wrong and the wrong can’t stand the attrition of ivestigation by way of discussion after all. Debating really does work after all!

    That continues to be the level of about a third of the discussion here.

  7. Robert Byers: Creationism has been roundly knocking the other side here for a while and they need help. Its almost over since someone is wrong and the wrong can’t stand the attrition of ivestigation by way of discussion after all. Debating really does work after all!

    Does making sense work after all?

    Glen Davidson

  8. Hi Elizabeth,

    Before your return to TSZ, you may want to reflect on the actual purpose of your blog and what it was supposed to accomplish and what it has actually accomplished over the last 8 years or so.
    From what I have observed, TSZ served 2 purposes: the support of materialism, which no doubt you are a big fan of, and the support of Intelligent Design, which you no doubt are not very fond of, just to put it mildly…

    This brings me to what in my view the true purpose of TSZ should have been.

    Since most of your OPs were almost always one-sided; to support of your preconceived ideas that materialism, spontaneous origins of life, evolution etc. must be true, all your criticism has been directed at ID because you believe it must be false. Without proceeding further into the motives behind such an activity, as they are all well know and were well known before you started TSZ, all I have to say is that your blog is meaningless because doesn’t serve any true purpose other than to support the materialistic assumptions I have already mentioned at the outset.

    Instead, in my view, to serve a noble and true purpose, TSZ should have encouraged the seeking of truth, wherever it leads, and not just the support of the preconceived ideas, just as a goal of scientific research is, or at least it should be…

    BTW: Maybe you should conduct a survey and find out how many converts TSZ has produced, if any, since its inception…
    UncommonDescent.com for example made me very skeptical about the majority of so-called “Christian” teachings…

    J-Mac

  9. J-Mac:
    Hi Elizabeth,

    Before your return to TSZ, you may want to reflect on theactual purpose of your blog and what it was supposed to accomplish and what it has actually accomplished over the last 8 years or so.
    From what I have observed, TSZ served 2 purposes:the support of materialism, which no doubt you are a big fan of, and the support of Intelligent Design, which you no doubt are not very fond of, just to put it mildly…

    This brings me to what in my view the true purpose of TSZ should have been.

    Since most of your OPs were almost always one-sided; to support of your preconceived ideas that materialism, spontaneous origins of life, evolution etc. must be true, all your criticism has been directed at ID because you believe it must be false. Without proceeding further into the motives behind such an activity, as they are all well know and were well known before you started TSZ, all I have to say is that your blog is meaningless because doesn’t serve any true purpose other than to support the materialistic assumptions I have already mentioned at the outset.

    Instead, in my view, to serve a noble and true purpose, TSZ should have encouraged the seeking of truth, wherever it leads, and not just the support of the preconceived ideas, just as a goal of scientific research is, or at least it should be…

    BTW: Maybe you should conduct a survey and find out how many converts TSZ has produced, if any, since its inception…
    UncommonDescent.comfor example made me very skeptical about the majority of so-called “Christian” teachings…

    J-Mac

    This is a strange way at looking at a blog. i disagree.
    the search for truth is presumed. Its powerful right to make a blog to argue/defend your stance.
    Nothing on the internet in discussions, which must be used by millions in all subjects, would exist if some advocate didn’t make the effort to start a discussion with the objective of prevailing.
    J-mac you got this very wrong and very out the ball-field.
    Converts? In these matters only the OFFICIER corp has the smarts or guts to get engaged and bu definition all sides are the most difficult to persuade.
    Truth will prevail in these matters and these discussions lead to that result.
    changing the others officiers to your side was never needed in any battle/war.
    Just sharpen your own presentation and prevail. No excuses!
    you can tell when you do well because the other side tends to complain about your character more then your arguments.
    keep it under your hat!

  10. J-Mac:
    Hi Elizabeth,

    Before your return to TSZ, you may want to reflect on theactual purpose of your blog and what it was supposed to accomplish and what it has actually accomplished over the last 8 years or so.
    From what I have observed, TSZ served 2 purposes:the support of materialism, which no doubt you are a big fan of, and the support of Intelligent Design, which you no doubt are not very fond of, just to put it mildly…

    This brings me to what in my view the true purpose of TSZ should have been.

    Since most of your OPs were almost always one-sided; to support of your preconceived ideas that materialism, spontaneous origins of life, evolution etc. must be true, all your criticism has been directed at ID because you believe it must be false. Without proceeding further into the motives behind such an activity, as they are all well know and were well known before you started TSZ, all I have to say is that your blog is meaningless because doesn’t serve any true purpose other than to support the materialistic assumptions I have already mentioned at the outset.

    Instead, in my view, to serve a noble and true purpose, TSZ should have encouraged the seeking of truth, wherever it leads, and not just the support of the preconceived ideas, just as a goal of scientific research is, or at least it should be…

    BTW: Maybe you should conduct a survey and find out how many converts TSZ has produced, if any, since its inception…
    UncommonDescent.comfor example made me very skeptical about the majority of so-called “Christian” teachings…

    J-Mac

    Feel free to leave TSZ and start your own blog. No one is stopping you.

  11. Mung: It’s on my bucket list.

    What would realists call a bucket list?
    How about pre-death list?
    If one has no hope after death, should it he/she call it the end bucket, and no list?

  12. J-Mac: What would realists call a bucket list?

    Most of us call it ‘Bernard’, but I don’t think it’s absolutely required. Not sure why one would call a bucket list ‘the end bucket’ –but I don’t think I’ve seen an actual prohibition.

    If you want, I could try it and see if there are any adverse consequences from Headquarters.

  13. Semi-retirement from my full-time job should commence on 1st November, at which point I hope to get my life back!

    Ever the optimist!

  14. And I do hope to join them as a no-longer-sleeping partner before the year is out at least! Semi-retirement from my full-time job should commence on 1st November, at which point I hope to get my life back!

    I’m sure it is worth it….

  15. Let’s keep this post featured until Elizabeth returns. I’m sure it will be in our lifetime.

  16. Mung:
    Let’s keep this post featured until Elizabeth returns. I’m sure it will be in our lifetime.

    Why are you using Corneel’s avatar?

  17. dazz: Why are you using Corneel’s avatar?

    I was wondering whether that was some glitch on my machine or whether others were seeing that too.

    @Mung
    This is a bit creepy Mung. You are not going to tell me you are my #1 fan or something, are you?

  18. I just noticed today that they are the same, lol. I was looking for something to change my avatar to and just happened to choose that one. It was pure coincidence.

  19. Mung:
    I just noticed today that they are the same, lol. I was looking for something to change my avatar to and just happened to choose that one. It was pure coincidence.

    The probability of you picking precisely that avatar amongst all the possible avatars is astronomically low…. oh my gawd! jeebus did that!

  20. dazz: The probability of you picking precisely that avatar amongst all the possible avatars is astronomically low…. oh my gawd! jeebus did that!

    More proof of intelligent design.

  21. BTW, I checked and the uploaded file Mung had as an avatar was the same as Corneel’s, so Mung set Corneel’s pic as his avatar. Why lie on something so silly and unimportant?

  22. dazz: Why lie on something so silly and unimportant?

    Why accuse someone of lying based on your own personal ignorance of the facts?

  23. Go to The Skeptical Zone -> Dashboard -> Profile

    Click on the Choose image button.

    The avatar I chose is right there in the first three rows.

    What are the odds.

    It had nothing to do with Corneel.

  24. Mung: Go to The Skeptical Zone -> Dashboard -> Profile

    Click on the Choose image button.

    It opens a file browser to pick a file from my local drives

  25. Mung:
    Click on the tab that says Media Library. And you’re welcome.

    So you just happened to have the same image in your hard drive, in a file also named “marsman”?

    EDIT: ok, you mean wordpress’ media library… I don’t see that tab here but all clear now. You just picked one of the images available there

  26. dazz: You just picked one of the images available there.

    Bingo. And one that was readily available because it was right there at the top of the available images. Lazy yes. Liar no.

  27. dazz: Why lie on something so silly and unimportant?

    Is lying objectively wrong? Why do you think your own personal subjective morality ought to be binding on me or anyone else?

  28. Mung: Bingo. And one that was readily available because it was right there at the top of the available images. Lazy yes. Liar no.

    Fair enough, sorry about the lying part. Care to share the link to the media library please? just curious because I don’t have the tab here on W7 + chrome

  29. Mung: Is lying objectively wrong?

    I think so, generally speaking

    Mung: Why do you think your own personal subjective morality ought to be binding on me or anyone else?

    Dunno, because I’m an evil atheist?

  30. As atheists, aren’t we expected to think that our moral values should be imposed on others? [sarcasm font] Unlike theists, who have never tried to impose their values on others. [/sarcasm font]

  31. So atheists believe there is a moral ought in what they say that obligates others to believe what they say because theists do?

    Can’t you all get your own religion?

  32. Mung: So atheists believe there is a moral ought in what they say that obligates others to believe what they say because theists do?

    Theists believe others have to believe what they do? I was unaware all theists believed all the same things.

  33. Mung:
    The religious fervor is rising as we eagerly await the return of our savior.

    At a fever pitch as witnessed by the outpouring of comments.

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