Phi for All

He was against going to war in Vietnam. He wanted to keep the US involvement covert because of China's interests. He authorized Robert McNamara's plan to stage sabotage raids and high-level kidnappings in North Vietnam but didn't want to commit to an invasion.

I encourage you all to PM our new Admin, Dr. Evil, and ask for more smilies. He added these yesterday for me and now I want him flooded with requests.

But smokers can quit smoking. It's a voluntary thing. There's no "patch" to help you stop being a minority. You don't have a choice. I think that's where the discrimination begins and ends.

Yes, but the oily versions were only for Private Massaging.

Ever the optimist.

Stop reading Sex and the Single Nerd.

Trash inside the restaurant isn't my concern. They have employees who clean up anything that doesn't make it to the cans. Why do they have to put each piece in it's own wrapper or box? The food is most likely going to be eaten within minutes of leaving the drive-through (ever had a burger half an hour old? Yuck!). Why are the fries in a box inside a bag? Are they trying to be ascetically pleasing so their customers can then toss their bag out the car window when they're through?

What is it you're afraid they'll do? Are you afraid of being stung or bitten? Does your fear have a focus or is it mostly irrational? I hate the sound of fliers buzzing too close to my ear. I used to jerk my head violently to the side and then try to see what made the sound. I began to rationalize this fear by imagining I was bothered as an infant by a buzzing insect (bee?) when I was too small to run away (maybe I was strapped into a stroller?). I gave this fear a bit of rationalization, an explanation that made sense to me. Presently they still annoy me but my reaction is no longer that heart-pounding head-jerking that used to destroy a good mood. This story is not meant to take the place of professional help, but it helped me to explain why it was happening to me and slowly gave me the tools I needed to lessen the reaction. What makes you fear flying insects (but not mosquitoes and houseflies)?

Perhaps we were a bit harsh on psycho1. I get the feeling he's just a young kid looking for attention and something to do when the playground is closed. Let's try to avoid insulting the freak.

For the detriments, don't forget all the extra trash and the throw-away attitude fast food generates. I just organized a cleanup of a greenbelt walking/biking path near my home and virtually every piece of trash we picked up was fast food related. I would even go so far as to equate some of the need for "convenience" with laziness since many of the cups, bags and wrappers were twenty feet away from a trash can. Btw, here is an archived formal SFN debate on fast food that may help you.

That's the problem when you clean house, it just gets dirty again.

I have the forums page bookmarked. I use the New Posts (Last 12 Hours) link in the morning, then I keep checking Last 6 Hours throughout the day. Faf sleeps with the chordata.

"Anti-War" seems much more specific and focused than "Religious Right". And let's be honest about this, if you're going to label it it should be "Anti-Iraq-War". I'm not sure that same crowd would be against every war, just the ones they feel are unjustified. Religious Right seems more like a platform from which to launch many attacks (abortion, drugs, prostitution, etc.) while the Anti-Iraq-War campaign is just one attack. At this point I don't think you can equate the two. I could easily see an Anti-War platform taking shape from the left, with the idea that corruption from mega-corporations and politicians escalates when we're at war and the country is spending billions that can be "patriotically justified". I personally hate the dichotomy of wanting a strong country but being at the mercy of defense contractors and arms merchants in order to get it. And the dichotomy that we need to be informed of why our country wants to go to war but since we're just civilians they have to keep secrets from us in the name of security. But I would also hate the idea that we should NEVER go to war at all, ever. War can be justified. A leftist platform of opposition to any war would be foolhardy. I think diplomacy should be higher on the list of options, but I want to at least *have* war as an option, even if we never get to that point.

We don't let first-time posters try to lead us offsite. Too many chances you're being paid to spam us or scam us. Stick around, discuss some other subjects and then post this question again, just so we know you're legitimate. Thread Closed.

Wow, I revisit this thread after a while and it's changed from the Psychology of Jerks to Let's Throw ParanoiA Under the Bus. Sorry you had to defend yourself alone big guy, but you did quite well. I thought those House calls came out of left field but you had your glove up at least. People can be such jerks! I don't know House but I remember Dabney Coleman as Buffalo Bill. What a jerk! He was so wrapped up in himself. There was a great scene from Buffalo Bill I tried to recreate in an acting seminar with the great Cliff Osmond, but I just couldn't pull it off. Bill (Coleman) shows up at his girlfriend's place (Geena Davis) and uncharacteristically hugs her and tells her how much it means to him to have someone loving he can count on in times of stress and need. He really seems to pour his heart out to her, then breaks the hug and says, "Got any nuts?" as if the last minute or so never happened. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to be that callous and uncaring, even when acting.

Maybe. Things have been known to happen, Cap'n.

Must be a brand new thing at work here. My home in Colorado is about 16 years old and has copper supply throughout. I'm sure there are plastics that can withstand the pressure over time (although I would be really leery about female fittings cracking after many pressure changes) and I suppose there are glues that will hold up. I'm sure at times copper is going to be more expensive but I just can't see plastic being the better bargain in the long run. And as oil prices surge I'll bet copper will become popular again.

You mean, without pointing their head up? How would they see the moon to howl at it? Or spot a squirrel in a tree?

I hope it's fortified with braided metal mesh or something. I really don't like the idea of the pipes under pressure in my walls and ceilings being made of plastic. Something I learned a long time ago is to never use the plain rubber supply hoses they sell for washing machines. Some friends had asked me to housesit for them and their hot water hose burst as I was watching TV. It was a mess to clean up but can you imagine the mess if I hadn't been there? They were gone for six days.... Since that time I've spoken with contractors who specialize in renovating water damaged buildings and they all say that metal mesh reinforced washing machine hoses have taken a bite out of their business. Outside of those areas that get a lot of sub-zero temperatures, those plain rubber hoses are the biggest culprit for water damage by burst plumbing.

Not for supply water. Plastic is only used for waste, the gray and black water not under pressure (sinks and showers produce gray water, toilets produce black). Any water that might supply what you drink comes into the appliance via copper pipe. I've never had a problem with the new solders. Just replaced a hose bib this last weekend with a couple of tricky overhead joins in a tight space. As wilgory mentioned, clean and flux properly and there shouldn't be a problem (I never wipe the hot solder with a cloth though, and the joins are always fine). The solder isn't as much of a problem as keeping your torch hot enough without setting wooden joists afire.

Positive thinking opens you up to higher probabilities of positive things happening to you, imo. You usually find what your keeping an eye out for. Think of the opportunities you miss when you're thinking negatively. This is different from critical thinking. I know a lot of people who confuse the two. Many people think negatively while trying to think positively (I won't crash the car, I will get out of debt, I won't be plagued by jerks today) so they sort of short-circuit themselves. You have to try to attract what you want rather than trying to repel what you don't want. I've often wondered how you would devise a test for positive thinking. Since it's a state of mind it would be difficult to measure the subjects. How would you measure results from positive or negative thinking?

No, but it helps if you know how to read construction documents done in CAD. If you're freelance you have to get by on your credentials or your reputation to get work so even if you're a carpenter it helps to have good credentials so you can have a shot at earning a good reputation. The architect's construction documents go into extreme detail in many cases. A plan may call out a "detail" that shows how a wall is supposed to meet and attach to the flooring. Section cuts will show a cross section of the building or it's walls to show how they are put together. It's the contractors who actually build the building, but a good size chunk of an architect's fees (average 25%) goes to construction administration where the architect makes sure the contractors are reading the plans right. It's a collaborative effort but the "figuring" is done by the architects and engineers, while the actual building is done by the contractors under supervision.

An architect designs a building based on many factors including cost, municipal codes, owner / developer requirements, community style, etc. A civil engineer usually consults on the structural integrity of the design, but isn't required in many instances if the architect is willing to use his own stamp of approval on the plans. Some extremely typical buildings only require the stamp of a civil engineer (instead of an architect's stamp) for permit approval. Electrical engineers and physical engineers can act as consultants for incorporating mechanical, electrical and plumbing information into the building's plans. A contractor is someone like a carpenter, plumber, HVAC installer, electrician who actually does the construction of the building under contract. A general contractor is often hired to act as overseer for the construction and to plan for scheduling of all construction (you don't want to clad a wall before the plumber puts his pipes through it, or pour cement on the same day the electrician needs to install a breaker panel in the same area). Most architects don't have an engineering degree but they do have to know a great deal about structural methodology. They have architectural degrees and have to be licensed (in the US) in each state they intend to design buildings for. They must maintain compliance with all applicable building codes in the various municipalities as well. Civil engineers are often all that's needed when the building has a simple structural intent (such as a warehouse) and requires no elaborate design. And architects rarely design bridges unless there is an ascetic or political business driver involved. Civil engineers design the bridges and may bring in an architect as a consultant for something artistic, just as an architect often uses a civil engineer to give approval to elaborate structural designs. When both engineers and architects become licensed they are issued a stamp they can affix to drawings to signify that they are guaranteed not to fall down. They pay Errors & Omissions insurance the same way doctors pay malpractice insurance.

We've argued this many times before. Calling mustard gas and sarin gas "weapons of mass destruction" is just wrong. They are crowd dispersal weapons. They are used to flush the enemy from their hiding places so you can shoot them, or to deny them access to an area you've captured. They are deadly by themselves only when the victims can't leave the area (crowded subway train, locked building, etc.). Iraq used them quite effectively against the Iranians (and the Kurds they claimed were helping them). It's pretty effective to toss in the gas and shoot whoever pops up choking. And if you don't pop up the gas will get you eventually, but does that really fit in with the WMD classification? You could get almost the same result from ordinary smoke (which kills more people in a fire than the actual fire does). When the media says "nerve agent" most people start thinking about thousands of urban victims walking along and suddenly dropping dead when a molecule of sarin touches them. This is not the case and if you can exit the area where the gas is being used it's not fatal, as long as there is no one waiting to shoot you.

As others have mentioned, you make a big mistake saying that two physicists are representative of all physicists. In fact, if you meet another physicist and assume he's insulting and arrogant, *you* will be the one who is discriminating. I'm sure those teachers you mentioned are as bad as you say, but that doesn't make all physicists or even all teachers that way. Many teachers are waiting for those few students who really want to learn and they often get frustrated with the majority who are just there to pass the class. Never let a teacher dull your interest in any subject. Especially in college, there are always other teachers. Find one you get along with and learn. Well, everyone knows that *all* mathematicians are cool people. They can leave their sunglasses on while people like me need to see their fingers to count past three.