iNow

That, my good man, is a very powerful and profound question that deserves a solid answer.

Interesting speculation, pioneer, but I believe you are wrong. Try looking up alcohol dehydrogenase instead. Perhaps also how people genetically predisposed to compulsive tendencies exhibit greater addiction rates relative to the rest of the populace. Also, I'd like to remind you AGAIN that the human body and human mind cannot be adequately explained using computer metaphors and analogies.

Further, working out makes your muscles stronger, so there is greater compression strength being exerted on the bones and joints. So, while you and your bones are getting stronger, there is more force pushing on both (so whether it be air or Synovial fluid or whatever).

Did anyone notice how there was bipartisan agreement on the plan BEFORE McCain showed up in Washington, but then things fell apart once he got there?

Pangloss - For the love of Thor, man... The guy is a Democratic strategist, and it even says so in the quote you shared. Of freakin' course he's partisan, yet you act as if he's perpetrated some serious wrong for not being completely neutral and even handed in his comments.

I'm confused then. Should he listen to what YOU just told him?

He's nothing since Leo died. line[/hr] This is too funny! Sarah Silverman is one hilarious chick: <contains adult language> h/t

We move forward in time at a rate of one second per second.

The difference here is that the effects of those particles can be measured and predicted, and nobody asserts they are true based on some 2,000 year old text written by barely literate people... people who didn't even know about germ theory, the reasons the stars shine, or the reasons why it rains or what causes clouds to form. Overall, though, I agree with you that "just because something cannot be observed" does not mean it has little significance in scientific discussions. That wasn't, however, Phi's point (AFAICT), and unfortunately, your celestial dictator suffers from many more troubles than just being unobservable.

I, too, am very concerned with this same thing. I'd MUCH rather something be done correctly than quickly, especially on something like this. It appears that constituents are flooding their representatives with letters and emails along these same lines. Let's hope that yet another bad policy doesn't get forced down our throats. This is too important to screw up...

My next move would be to have you provide a universally agreed upon definition of god then. Further, truth is not decided by popularity, so god is truly no different than purple unicorns just becasue "more people believe in it," but we've gone too far already. I'll just concede your point so we can move on.

If it was an "explosion," what was it exploding into?

You are a wise man, Phi, and yes, others have pointed out to me in the past how my abrasiveness on these subjects is often perceived. To be frank, though, I don't care. While my opinions are often informed by science, they are still my personal opinions, and in my mind, a belief in god has zero distinguishable difference from a belief that unicorn farts cause erections in leprechauns. My points are all still valid, despite the fact that some may take issue with the tone of their presentation or the way they belittle the people to whom they are directed.

While we both share a right to free speech, neither of us has a right not to be offended. So really, that's just tough noogies. Actually, the implication is true. You seem to live in a rationalized dichotomy of mind whereby you study physics and you study other sciences so call yourself a rational and critically thinking person (which, in those instances, you are), but then you also believe in iron age fairy tales and purple unicorns and somehow expect us to transfer the previously ackowledged rationality on to these other topics. Sorry. It just doesn't work like that when it comes to my own judgements. I also concede that the above are just my opinions. What interests me is how insecure you seem to be about your belief system, and how deeply my (a stranger on an internet forum) words offended you. Suck it up. If your beliefs have merit, then there is nothing to be ashamed of and you should be immune to my harsh criticisms, and in fact be able to respond with rational ways to support those beliefs. Yep. That doesn't make their belief in god any less silly. There are lots of really bright people all over the planet who do and believe some really stupid nonsense, but that doesn't make the stupid nonsense in which they believe and on which they act any more reasonable. I think you might be misrepresenting this concept of the "god gene." The idea is that there may be a genetic predisposition for the wide spread belief in higher powers. I'm fine with that. It seems to stem from the fact that at birth we rely heavily on guidance from our superiors, from our parents and tribal elders to teach us, protect us, and guide us. Those who did not listen to their superiors were much less likely to survive and pass on their genes to offspring. Therefore, selection pressures favored those offspring who put greater trust in authority, and who took the teachings of their elders seriously. It's no surprise that as this trait became stronger and stronger in the genome that the emergent property of "ultimate parent" or "first elder" such as the god concept came to be. Either way, what's your point? This still isn't related to morality, nor is it related to Pioneer and his whacky posts he farts out all over the internet based on logic rooted in false and inaccurate premises. I said search the site, not the thread. I can appreciate your desire to protect people, but you're very much missing the context of my comments to Pioneer and clearly have little idea how badly he misses points and how consistently he spouts gibberish. Just because you have never heard about it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. That is known as an appeal to incredulity. Under Sharia law, it is illegal to kill a female virgin. Therefore, in many executions and murders, the woman is first raped by the prison guard or the person performing the killing so they are not going against their religious teachings. This happens in tribal areas, this happens in urban areas, and this happens in prisons. Unless your "muslim friend" has spent decades researching it, then he is likely no better informed than you are on these issues. I encourage you to wake up and open your eyes to the ridiculous crowd you've chosen to hang out with by having this belief in iron age fairy tales. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia

Technology - Hands down, Japan wins. Science, however, is China all the way. China has been making scientific advances since before the Roman Empire, and they continue to do so today. I also believe they are catching up to Japan in the technology sector, but Japan still supercedes them technologically as of right now. However, if you want to throw a monkey wrench into all of this, consider Singapore in your equation. A very business friendly nation that is...

Now a bailout is coming for the auto industry. Robbing Peter to pay Paul comes to mind...

Obamas comments yesterday after McCain announed his plans to suspend campaigning:

Pete - Do a search on Pioneer's posts on this site (and on others where he posts as HydrogenBond) and you will quickly see the reason for my harshness. Context, my friend. I'm not shooting with a flame thrower, just a laser. I'm going to leave alone your comments about god because god is bunk, and has no place in a discussion among rational and critically thinking people, accept perhaps when discussing history or psychology.

Letterman opens well despite the cancellation, and I think was motivated a bit by it. Watch below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E But something's going on here... something doesn't smell right. This is not the way a tested hero behaves. You know, somebody's putting something in his Metamucil.

It may be time for you to reconsider your beliefs and check them for accuracy. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS275&q=genetic%20components%20of%20alcoholism&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws

That's not true at all, zebbygoss. There are people who work in these fields who have studied these things who can offer their own insights and experiences. Sometimes hearing of the first hand experiences of others can impact our own decisons tremendously. Blackhole - There are many things you can do. Since you are so interested in so many things, you have several options. I didn't decide what I wanted to study until I got through my 3rd year in college, and even then, I didn't know what I wanted to do when done. Sometimes, life "bounces" us into the right path, so don't fret. Maybe some other members here who work in biology or chemistry can offer more solid examples of jobs, and talk about their experiences. Good luck.

HydrogenBond Pioneer has demonstrated time and again that he severely misunderstands evolution, and that he has little to no desire to correct those misunderstandings.

Well, some of the comments in this thread seemed to suggest otherwise, hence our posts.

Nothing. Anti-particles don't "go back in time." They can, however, be described perfectly well using math exactly the same "regular" particles if you reverse the time direction.

I still dismiss this a complete political grandstanding and it annoys the living crap out of me. Lots of Senators going to be there at 9PM on Friday night trying to tie this down, are they? Too many games from John McCain, not enough clarity and leadership. How appallingly obvious it is that he's trying to score points, not solve issues.