Articles written by Jon Eccles - Page 2

What is Helium

About me - Jon Eccles

I am not a brand.

I'm 45, British and a part of the growing international movement to move humanity beyond its early, religious phase. I like a nice turn of phrase, and I like to amuse. My goal is to earn a living by writing.

Between frenzied bouts of sacrilege,

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Celebrations & Holidays > Gift Advice How to green your gifts: 9 of 13
When you give a present, you should always be mainly thinking of the person you're giving it to. Giving someone something you think will do them good isn't a present for them, it's a present for you. Having said that, you can normally find something they like with green overtones.Lots of people like gardening, and they like t... More..
Sports & Recreation > Soccer Fundamentals Understanding the different areas of the soccer pitch: 3 of 4
A football ground is a rectangle. It can be between 90 and 120 metres long, and 45 and 90 metres wide. It must always be longer than it is wide - 90 by 90 is not acceptable.Each pitch is divided into two halves. At kickoff, each team must begin entirely within their own half, and only the team that kicks off is allowed within... More..
Sports & Recreation > Soccer Fundamentals Soccer rules: Offsides: 11 of 14
When a player passes the ball to another player on their team, the player receiving the ball is offside unless two players from the other team are nearer to the goal line at the moment the ball is passed. One of these players is normally the defending team's goalkeeper. The distance is measured from any part of a player's bod... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture Jesus: History is his story: 4 of 5
Hitler and Jesus - a comparative studyHitler ruled Germany for twelve years, Poland for five and large sections of the Soviet Union for two or three.During World War Two, an estimated 63 million died. Millions of those died in the east, though, especially in China. Let's say Hitler killed 50 million people.If each of those 40... More..
Sports & Recreation > Soccer Fundamentals The basic rules of soccer: 11 of 13
The rule that causes people most problems is the offside rule, which works like this.When a player passes the ball to another player on their team, the player receiving the ball is offside unless two players from the other team are nearer to the goal line at the moment the ball is passed. One of these players is normally the ... More..
Sciences > Mathematics Understanding the Pythagorean theorem: 13 of 15
If you draw a right-angled triangle, the side which doesn't touch the right angle is called the hypotenuse. According to Pythagoras' theorem, the length of this side squared is equal to the square of the other two sides.To test this out, draw two lines which cross at a right angle. Mark a point 12 centimetres (or inches, if y... More..
Sciences > Geology & Geophysics A guide to plate tectonics: How continents move: 12 of 13
According to the "flood geologists" of the Bible Belt, plate tectonics works like this.At the time of the Flood, which they place at about 3000BC, the continents of the Earth were still unified in the continent of Pangaea. All the land was covered except Mount Ararat, as this was before the time of the Andes and the Himalayas... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Islam Guide to The Koran: 13 of 14
An infinity of searing painGrubby little hack I may be, or would be given the chance, but I'm an equal opportunities grubby little hack. I did the Bible yesterday, so today it's the Koran.As for those who disbelieve in Our communications,it says,We shall make them enter fire;so oft as their skins are thoroughly burned,We will... More..
Travel > Vacations Great springtime vacation spots in Europe: 22 of 23
Gershwin rhapsodised about Paris, Isherwood just adored Berlin for a while, but I like Cornwall the best. And spring is the time to go.To be honest it can be a bit much in summer, as Britain's industrial centres empty into it a fortnight at a time. If I was Cornwall I would split off from Devon and sail away, but unfortunatel... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Protecting the children from religion: 26 of 26
Typically, we atheists take the position that we'll beat the religious in a fair fight, and that over the generations for every one of us they persuade, we'll persuade ten of them. In particular, we think that if given fair access to children we can reduce the percentage of religious belief in each successive generation. If w... More..