Video: Lawrence Krauss vs. Hamza Tzortzis: Islam or Atheism – Which Makes More Sense?

Finally this debate is available online, after some controversy at the commencement of the seminar when Professor Krauss realized the audience was to be segregated (Professor Krauss’ protestations here). This is not one of my favorite debates, as it was infuriating at times, especially when you listen to an obnoxious speaker such as Hamza Tzortzis.  He emphasizes the use of sophisticated and complicated words and portrays that he is well-read, but the end result is that his arguments are useless. For instance, his example of linking the Arabic language to the language of the Quran and then suggesting that they are not the same!  This makes no sense at all!! What do you mean exactly? Are you saying that no one who speaks Arabic can understand the Quran, or no one actually has properly interpreted it? Does your argument lead to the conclusion that each individual person will have his or her own interpretation of it? He depends on the same argument over and over in most of his other talks such as the infinity argument, which Professor Krauss painted out as “wrong science”. Krauss, who was confident, blunt and strong in making his case (from the start of the debate before it even began) pointed out that the actual question of the whole debate is inappropriate. And this is, that unlike Islam, Atheism is not a belief system, it is common sense. If you have the patience, I recommend watching the whole debate. Enjoy!

Video: Richard Dawkins and Ricky Gervais on Religion

Articles: A Holiday Message From Ricky Gervais: ‘Why I’m a good Christian’

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The Billboard: Richard Feynman

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Research: Death Penalty – عقوبة الاعدام

Music: Ani DiFranco – Crime For Crime

No human being willingly or intentionally likes to kill, steal and hurt another human being unless she/he is a psychopath or mentally ill. Think about it for a minute before you disagree with me. Humans have evolved to be social and to work together to get more protection, food and back up from other fellow humans. If you kill someone, you know immediately that you will be punished by your family, society and your country. Having said that, no one has the authority or the power to kill another human being. I think the best way to punish criminals is by locking them up in facilities where there are specialists, who can analyze the situation and rehabilitate them to go back to their lives. This way you create more jobs and add value to society’s nourishment. Sadly, our prison system in Kuwait and all over the world, is the worst place to be. It is the easy way out. Humans are treated like undeveloped animals, which makes them worst then what they were. This is a controversial topic and I tend to simplify things so if you have questions or comments please send them through and I will add to your point. I dedicate this song to people who still believe in death penalty. Enjoy!

Video: Daniel Dennett – Free Will, Determinism and Evolution

Beautiful lecture by the scientific philosopher Daniel Dennett, simplifying the magical myth we associate with free will. One of his slides include three key elements to his speech.

  • Evolutionary theory, not physics, is the key to understanding the phenomenon of freedom.
  • It explains how we can be free, when our parts aren’t free.
  • It explains why people get so anxious. Freedom does evolve, and it could go extinct, if we aren’t careful.

I think free thought is how freedom evolves. Enjoy!

The Billboard: Paradise

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Articles: Moon Myths: The Truth About Lunar Effects on You

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Video: Our Story in 1 Minute

The Billboard: Rowan Atkinson

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Video: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins – The Poetry of Science

Articles: Women Make Better Decisions Than Men!

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Video: The Universe – Brian Cox Lecture

You can’t speak about the universe and not mention Richard Feynman and Albert Einstein.  These two great men discovered two main principles in physics. Einstein dedicated his life to understand the world of the very big, general relativity and Feynman focused on the world of the very small, quantum physics. In this lecture, Brian Cox beautifully describes the role of scientific thinking and how these two men changed the way we think about the universe up until this day. Enjoy!

Photography: Iber and Teton. Schnauzers. 2013

Meet my two schnauzers. Iber, the Giant Schnauzer, age 4 and Teton, the Standard Schnauzer, age 1.4. Having two black dogs in Kuwait is not easy. Having two black dogs with beards is even more of a hassle.  Some people think Iber is a horse or a goat. The heat also plays a big factor but luckily they both like to swim. Those two make me active and outdoors most of the time, even in the summer. I have discovered so many places with them. They give me unconditional love and always happy to see me no matter what. Some studies show that playing with dogs for half an hour can increase oxytocin level which is a chemical responsible for happiness. I love those two and you will see more of them in this blog.

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Articles: David Attenborough – A Life Measured in Heartbeats

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The Billboard: Carl Sagan

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Video: Imagination

Taken from simple tom

Articles: Why Are Human Brains So Big?

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Interest: Icons For Icons – Gucci Book. 2013

Gucci and Canvas magazine have collaborated to produce a book featuring portraits of a selection of Kuwaitis. Icons for Icons is a coffee table book. It was a pleasure working with Nadine Kanso, the photographer, and the team behind the photot shoot.  The location was at my late father’s library at home.

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