tvp45

It depends on your definition of racism. Many anti-racism groups (NAACP, YWCA, e.g.) have long used the definition that racism is prejudice AND the power to do something about that. And, that's the definition I use; that means, for example, that even though Minister Farrakhan might be a flaming bigot, he is not a racist because he has no power to harm White people. I recognize that many, many people dislike this definition and will not use it.

I didn't think I would be agreeing with you on this topic but I am. There is a difference between prejudice (perhaps you simply don't like Black people) and racism (this requires having an advantage or power because of that prejudice). So, a person could be prejudiced (doesn't like Senator Obama because he is Black) and yet not racist (votes for Senator Obama anyway since he is the best candidate). I doubt there are many such people in America but there must be some. That's a lot of hair-splitting, but I can live with it for now.

I say it's prejudice because there is no even remote evidence that Senator Obama is Muslim. I assume you mean Shawn Green?

Well at least I gotta admire you for being honest about your prejudices.

No, the skill of balance is learned, just as the skill of interpreting sounds is learned. The sense of balance is innate as is the sense of hearing. Both involve the same kinds of inputs to the same organ and are carried along the same nerve. The actual number of senses remains up in the air, but more than five is over a hundred years old in neurology.

I did not make an excuse. I simply offered an explanation. In a similar vein, you might have difficulty explaining to an 80 year old European Jew why Israel should give up land. I've always found it useful to understand where people are coming from. I quite agree racism is inappropriate today and I wish it would stop.

I have a dear friend who, at least once a year, delivers a new version of her "Why I hate White people" speech when I'm within earshot. I always assume it's not aimed at me and go on with whatever I'm doing. Likewise, I didn't agree with everything Rev. Wright said, but it didn't seem to be aimed at me personally so it was no skin off my nose. But you have to listen to his sermon in the context of a prophetic voice. When he says "God damn America", he's not cursing America, he's asking God to put a curse on America, and there's a difference. As I noted earlier, read a little Amos and imagine you're an Israelite listening to it. As an aside, if I were to defend the man, I would just note his age and tell you that he is from an angry generation. If you have a couple hours, read Soul on Ice for a perspective on that anger.

You make a good point. Most White Americans have never attended a Black church service and, apparently, were quite taken aback by the fiery style of preaching which is common in both the Black church and Pentecostal White churches. It is worthwhile to remember the role that the Prophets - Isaiah, Amos, Micah, Elijah, etc - play in the Black church. If one opens Amos to, say, the third chapter and imagines Amos standing in a square yelling this at the Israelites, the effect must have been about the same.

Be careful about diagnosing yourself as having narcolepsy. Depending on your residence, you may be reported to the authorities and lose your driver's license. If you have a serious concern about it, you should see a sleep doctor. There is a fairly straightforward test to determine if you do have it and there may be therapies available.

No, balance is not learned. This is standard neurology stuff.

First thing to do is get a notebook, the kind that have sewn in, numbered pages. (This'll set you back about $10). Write out a complete description of what you have. Make sure you don't skip pages or leave big blank areas. Date every page and sign it. Do this in ink. When you've finished, show it to somebody smart enough to understand it. Have them sign it with a little description of what they've witnessed. Now you have a legitimate claim as to when you invented this. Now, some of the hard facts of life are these: Most patent assistance companies are a waste of money. Contact the US Patent Office yourself. Go to their website. You can file your patent application yourself. You're gonna need probably between $1000 and $2000 in fees. It is quite possible your idea has already been patented or it may not be patentable (the test of what a "reasonably good mechanic" could do). You need to do a search. Again, go to the patent office website. Most patents do not make people rich. Often, people don't even break even. The money is in marketing and sales. Good luck.

Domestic swine are not always cute and cuddly. They will readily kill and eat small animals and, if provoked, attack humans. Both their teeth and hooves are pretty lethal.

Resha, Your comments jogged my neuron (down to 1) into a supporting thought. A portfolio of undeveloped patents would make a company ripe for a hostile takeover since those patents would not affect the share price, yet would have tremendous potential for the raider. Of course, a privately held company would be immune, but those would rarely have such a portfolio IMHO.

This is mostly a case of not using primary source(s). One has to look at the original Greek to get a clear meaning of Revelation. The phrase "in the hand" was from cheir [sorry, I can't find the accent mark for the e] which conveys the idea of grasping. Likewise, the word "mark" was charagma meaning basically a badge or stamp. The closest we would come to this today is getting your hand stamped as you enter a concert, or perhaps carrying a ticket stub. Religious fundamentalists tend to treat the King James Bible as though it were a primary source; it is not.

Actually, I was talking about utility patents. I wouldn't even bother to muck with a design patent - that's for people with industrial design expertise.

I've patented inventions, not patented others, and have made legal "copies" of patented products. In most instances, the patent process does not hinder progress and benefit to mankind. The patent applications must describe how the invention works. Those applications are freely searchable. Any competent engineer, biochemist, or whatever specific technologist is required, should be able to, given a decent lab and budget, be able to understand the original process and then devise an alternative that does not violate the original patent. This is commonly done in industry. There are, of course, exceptions but those are few and far between. The main argument for patents is that an invention is property - no different than any other save that it is intellectual. I might, for example, own a perfectly restored 1953 Buick which the city of Flint wants for a public display. If I refuse to sell, does Flint have the right to simply take my car, paying me a fair price in the process? The central question, then, is what is called eminent domain where private property can be taken in a forced sale when the public good overwhelmingly transcends the private interest. If I were sitting on a cure for AIDS, a government might legitimately seize that invention, paying me a fair price. But, to do that for an improved battery would really be a stretch. But eminent domain will always be fluid and heuristic as conditions and public sentiment change. It's messy, but the lack of law is far more so.

I think that if you consider hearing a sense, you have to also consider linear acceleration and rotational acceleration as senses.

Willie Peter? Is there a context?

Read the newspaper story. It says he held the magnet in his hand. “One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to come up to you and show you a nice brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken, and this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the Jack of Spades jump out of the deck and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not bet this man, for as sure as you are standing there, you are going to end up with an earful of cider.” Damon Runyan in Guys and Dolls

You might contact the American Diabetes Association in Salt Lake City to see if they have resources available for uninsured testing.

Anybody do yoga? Deep inhalation quiets and stills the body. The technique has been used since the old half second exposure cameras.

So, I take it you don't round gravity off?

A good way to think about this is that so long as you are quite below terminal velocity, the drops are separated by equal time intervals. So, since y = gt^2, what does that say about the space intervals?

No, I agree. I'm trying to not read anything at all into it. We have no way of knowing whether it's a rudder (which is not parallel to the direction of motion), zebra mussels on one side, or a sea anchor that keeps the barge in the middle. And, of course, you are completely right - if the horse slows down to munch some clover, you'll need some fenders on that side. My question was meant to be of a Socratic nature: if the horse pulls on the barge with 400 lb, what prevents the barge from accelerating toward the horse?

I disagree. It is important to the question if you use cos (theta). Calculation turns a very simple question into a complicated one that you just need to think about for a minute.