Phi for All

It would be very interesting to adopt the policy that whatever we do in space we do as citizens of Earth rather than citizens of just one country. Since that probably won't happen we'll rely on combined efforts and contracts but I don't know if national fervor will ever reach the pitch it was at during the race for the moon. I think we should start a company that governments can consult with regarding colonization and territory distribution on Mars. Pass our rubric and receive accreditation and a great-looking suitably-framed certificate you can point to with pride. We'll need a list of criteria we're looking for in perspective colonists and developers. I'm not trying to hijack this thread. Shouldn't there be an overall goal for sharing out Mars, a pre-planning phase where we can determine what we're looking to accomplish on Mars eventually? Do we go green or start drilling for fossil fuels (no green Martian jokes please)? Is Mars going to be Earth II or does it have a different structure?

It does seem strange in a country where your meals are generally twice as much as you need. Maybe most bars serve more pitchers than pints. They want you to feel like you're getting more so they put it in smaller glasses.

Why can't you get pasta in bulk? Everybody sells spaghetti in huge packs these days. Ramen has been suggested and it has it's own spices. Carrots are sweeter and may actually make you hungrier. Cabbage is bland but filling. Broccoli is tastier and probably has more vitamins than cabbage or carrots. Do you have to buy all this in advance? Your last gallon of milk will probably go bad after a whole month.

Right, the big Sisy is a real monster, no doubt about it. Makes my knees shake just thinkin' about him. What will become of us? See, I can be sarcastic. In an absurd kind of way.

You can't really make that stick in a court of law. Remember you liked Weezer? Call me later about your damage deposit. Got it. X-box, cheese, *then* SFN. Is it true you'll be staging raids from Rapid City on Detroit to stuff copies of the Watchtower into automobile airbags? Do you realize how lost you're going to be without Cartesian mapping? Do you have to give up technology for this mission and is it true you've been contacted by the neo-Amish? How did the subcutaneous MP3 player implant operation go? Did you know that my sense of humor is considered absurd by at least one online quiz?

Absurd, but that's plainly... absurd.

Welcome all, and sorry if we kidnapped your intro and moved it here. This is where it belongs. Thanks for joining everyone, and I hope you learn to love it here.

I'm testing a drug that will make me look more attractive. I'm using *you*, squealy meat-bag. How am I supposed to know the results if I dont test them on a "living organism"?

Condoleezza Rice did say that she could not have or did not anticipate that jets would be used as weapons was a possibility, despite having been given a great deal of intel on just that possibility. Didn't she prepare the Presidential Daily Briefing that mentioned the possibility and subsequently got ignored? I don't buy into much of the conspiracy but she did trip up on that.

Explain, please. Also explain, please. I've been loathe to experiment using the microwave given my daughter's predilection for independent research but I'm looking to buy a new one soooooo.... (we really need an evil grin in addition to the SEG)

While I don't think this is the process I think *it does happen* with cows. The sheer number that go through the slaughterhouses is pretty staggering and they don't always get the quick kill they want. I just don't think it's supposed to happen. It's a safety issue instead of a humane issue to the slaughterhouses. And if I knew that inhumane treatment was part of the methodology I would object in many ways. Being a meat eater I have to justify it by saying that animals raised for their meat are different from herding wild animals to be slaughtered for the same reason, at least in modern times. And as has been mentioned dolphins are very high in intelligence. Their mass slaughter simply for food serves no porpoise. Culture is not a relevant argument for inhumane treatment of animals but this seems to be an argument of degree and economics. It could be argued that a country like Japan can't provide enough land to raise herd stock the way the US can but using the open oceans as your corral is just plain wrong ("I have the world's largest seashell collection, which I keep strewn across beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen it." -Steven Wright). And I, for one, thank you for keeping it in front of our faces. Apathy fails when we're reminded how much we care.

It forces you to clean your microwave. Fortunately, there's soap right there. Seriously, it expands and puffs up like shaving cream.

Wish I'd said that.

Sounds like it's time to start a web campaign to raise awareness. Hard to believe anyone could treat such a beautiful animal that way. At least cows are ugly and grown for food purposes. This *may* (please note the emphasis) be part of a covert Bush administration plan to curb the growing Chinese middle class by using mercury poisoning. If anyone calls me a conspiracy theorist we'll know who they're working for.

You complained of dizziness before and I'm not sure if that's a symptom of migraine headaches. Are you assuming you have migraines because someone in the other thread recommended a migraine product? It doesn't sound like it and that makes me very sad.

Let's all remember that the Pseudoscience and Speculations forums are our equivalent of unofficial peer review for those members who have no scientific accreditation. Let's steer clear of ad hominem and stick to (civily) attacking the thesis instead of the person posing it. Let's not stoop. And Ladyhelix, I apologize for any seemingly intended rudeness, but the scientific method demands that ideas be subjected to intense scrutiny and experimentation before moving their way up the ladder of acceptability. Much of religion and spirituality falls outside this process since supernatural effects are not, by definition, testable, repeatable or falsifiable. Invisible forces often defy observation and therefore usually fall outside the purview of science. I LOVE the fact that you are challenging us with an experiment. I'm sorry some people didn't understand the parameters but now that you've made it clearer can we get some further clarification? I glued two pieces of construction paper using a small amount of white all-purpose glue. I mashed them together to spread and thin the glue. I wrote today's date on the paper. I will repeat this process on Thursday. Question 1 - Does the type or amount of glue matter? Question 2 - How long do we have to wait to check the two bonds to see which held better? Question 3 - What is the best method for checking the bond without resorting to precise force measurement equipment? I want to make absolutely sure that, if I take the time to run the experiement and discuss it with you that you won't dismiss my results by saying I didn't do it right.

I'll grant that these people exist. Whether they exist as behind-the-scenes manipulators of the human race is still very questionable. *All* royal families (what about King Goodwill Zwelithini of the Zulu nation in Africa?)? *All* religious leaders (the Pope's on your list I bet but what about Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell)? Every government leader (Hugo Chavez?)? Plenty of people from "Old Money" don't have it anymore so do they count? Banking families must be aimed at the Rockefellers and the like. If Nelson Rockefeller knew "the secret" how come he died at 71, a pretty young age for modern times (granddaddy John D. made it to 99 years old)? I'm sure I could get googly and find more banking family members who died young despite supposedly being able to visualize perfect health. It's way too easy to imagine Illuminati using their vast wealth to pull our strings and once you allow them reality they can even more easily be the culprits for every bad thing you can imagine. If they really know some kind of metaphysical Secret it doesn't seem to be something transcendent and all-powerful since they still have to work clandestinely. For most of the people you've listed the "elite secret" seems to be compound interest.

My serious answer to this question is that if we survive until we can start a systematic migration off-planet then the only things that would wipe us out would be something that affects the entire system (or multiple systems if we are able to get to another star). Novae or other large-scale galactic phenomena would be difficult for us to live through, but not impossible. Once we're "out there" I see us spreading like a virus. Evolution is really going to have it's hands full if that happens. If we don't leave there are too many ways to count. Diseases, world warfare, ecological disasters, even racial cleansing (from extra-terrestrial sources). Surviving the first stages of atomic bomb development is a really huge hurdle and sometimes I don't think we congratulate ourselves enough on that. Maybe if it were more widely recognized it would help us be smarter about future stages. We definitely need to separate the bombs from the religious ideologies. When total destruction isn't feared *that's* when I'm afraid.

This is a logical fallacy known as Begging the Question. You are not only assuming "the Elites" exist but you are asking us to proceed on the same assumption. This is a very fragile foundation to base even speculation upon. Even pseudoscience requires that you start from a better position if your arguments are going to be given consideration. I would recommend that if you are going to continue using the Bible as a reference point that you post this same thread over at our sister site (we started it while you were away), Theology Forums. Your username and password here should get you in over there as well.

There is no meantime. Helpful suggestions are NOT proper treatment. Threads like these could easily fill up with advice from well-meaning members (or people who join to urge you to buy products). Please don't look for remedies before you see your doctor. Explain your symptoms, situation (new baby) and concerns over the phone and I'll bet you get a fairly quick appointment. If you haven't done this already please make an appointment to see a professional.

If scientists *had* sound bytes the public would probably have a better opinion. Unfortunately they usually need to explain a lot more than their detractors and the public switches off when it goes beyond their technical threshold.

Umm, which one was the stupid gimmick again?

"Ward" as in protection or "ward" as in hospital wing? I wouldn't touch unknown paper from a hospital with *your* ten-foot pole (mine's being varnished at the moment), even if it was burnt.

I think this is a real stretch. People do silly things whether they're liberal or conservative. Maybe Oprah believes this stuff because she's black. Or because she's lost a lot of weight. Or because "The Secret" is on the bestseller's list and she has a talk show.

I don't like the idea of scientific consensus being considered negative education. And I think encouraging people towards "the truth" is the real culprit here. Nobody (especially deep-seated conservative Christians) likes to hear "truths" that are at odds with what they believe. And I think the only positive way to educate people scientifically (outside of Mokele's total re-education or total annihilation programs) is to lay out the facts, show what conclusions experts draw from those facts, and then *ask* people to decide for themselves. Let them know you're trusting their judgment and you remove the idea that we know the truth and they don't. People are funny. If there is only one palatable dish on the buffet and nine different kinds of crap, they still resent being force-fed the good stuff. Many will choke down the crap on principle.