If you interpret Lucifer/Satan as the morning star - bringer of light and enlightenment, driven and independent, then I'm completely ok with him (as a fictional character).

So in answer to the original question, maybe, but it depends who you ask.

Coming back to something mentioned earlier, does religion form the basis of ethics?

My first instinct would be to say "no, empathy does", but I say that after growing up with some religious framework imposed by the world around me, if not at home.

Zarban is banned from poker.

Personally? Trying to ensure FIYH stays a bit special.

There are a million places on the web with this discussion - often far more "robust". It's a topic that by it's very nature is deeply personal and emotive. "We're all adults" also voted for George Bush, Tony Abbott, and Thatcher. Making the bar for entry a number isn't setting it very high.

It's an interesting discussion, but when it starts to look a bit personal to a non-aligned third party, well, the kittens come out.

And then everybody wins.

Is there a history of substance abuse? It seems like terrible decision after terrible decision - is anyone giving him advice at this point?

I'd suggest it goes a little deeper than that; assessment and evaluation of experience is an important part of learning. If reasoning doesn't match experience, it could be time to assess what led to the error reasoning, and reevaluate. I think that this is what Mike's discussing here - an argument can change an atheists position if it provides a more rational, evidence-based reason for an action or effect.

I'm open to the idea of a god, or multiple gods, but have yet to find a compelling argument in their favour. I don't accept that I'm simply not looking hard enough, or listening well enough, in fact I'd argue the opposite.

Squiggly, how much Tintin had you been exposed to prior to the movie?

If the answer is none or very little, it wasn't for you. You could argue that every thing should be made for as wide an audience as possible, but that's a position I don't agree with.

I am a huge fan, both of the graphic novels and the magnificent 2011 film.

Returning to the earlier posts about it, I'm not sure there's anything specific I could mention that didn't work - given the familiarity with the source material. I never felt it hit the "uncanny valley" with the characters - rather sailed right over and on to the other side.

We didn't gorge on Christmas eve, but for Christmas lunch we had family over and prepared:

Turkey with lemon, parsley, and garlic.
Lemon, parsley, and garlic are mixed with butter and smoothed between the skin and breast meat of the bird. remaining mixture smoothed over the exposed skin, then drizzled with olive oil to prevent the butter from burning. Stuffed with onion, lemon, bay leaves, garlic cloves, then put into a high heat oven to sear and brown for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the turkey is removed from the oven and covered with streaky bacon, then olive oil. This keeps the meat tender, and will be used later in the gravy. Put the bird back in the oven for about 35 minutes per kilo, basting every 30 minutes.
For the gravy, remove the bird from the pan and put aside to rest (rest for as long as the bird was cooked, ideally). Remove (but keep) the onion and lemon from the cavity, and the bacon from the skin. Cut any bits from the bird nobody will eat (such as the tail and wings), and put aside. Drain the excess fat from the roasting tray and put the roasting tray on the stove and turn on the heat. Cut up the bacon, onion, and lemon, and add to the roasting tray with some rosemary. Add some chopped tomatoes, and the trimmings and bits from the turkey which won't be eaten. Add about a litre of dry apple cider, and add the resting juices from the turkey. Reduce the liquid by about half, crush the bits in the tray, and add chicken stock. Reduce some more, then strain the contents of the tray into a pot - squashing the bits to extract the goodness.

Ham with marmalade and cinnamon glaze
We don't like a glaze which is too sweet, so there's no maple syrup in this. Score the fat of a ham cooked on the bone, and stud with cloves.
Add marmalade, honey, and apple cider vinegar to a pan and heat slowly. Add some bay leaves, ground allspice, pepper corns, and a cinnamon stick. Continue to warm so the glaze infuses, but don't burn.
Glaze the ham, and put into a moderate oven. Re-glaze every 20 minutes.

Grilled trout on potato mash
Cut up your potatoes into smaller bits and put into a pot with cold water, don't be tempted to cheat and use hot water from a kettle - the mash won't be as good. Separate into multiple pots if you're making a lot. Cook from cold until the potatoes are soft, drain, and mash with a good quantity of butter, full cream milk, pepper, and salt to taste.
Trout fillets. Cook 'em lightly. Put it on a dollop of velvety potato mash which you've spread with the back of a spoon. Serve with asparagus and olive oil.

Garden salads, Greek salads, prawn and cucumber salad, broccoli, garlic, and sliced chilli salad.

We served with a selection of local boutique apple, and apple and pear ciders, steam ale, red ale, and pilsner.

For desert we made fruit mince biscuits, and served fruit cake and cherry pie.

Then we went to Mum's for dinner.

So, this is going well.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/171945 … date.jhtml