Bettina

Hi everyone.

 

My interest is mainly cosmology and i would love your views on its

progress/lack of.

From what i can discover string theory and quantum loop gravity do

not as yet work.

Dark matter and Dark energy are yet to be discovered, (reading between

the lines) Dark energy seems to be an unwelcome addition to cosmology.

The Higgs boson, the graviton ,predicted by some theories remain

undiscovered, (but are ever more constrained). the same with gravitational radiation.

In short it seems every way we try to explain our universe comes up

against obstacles that are as yet uncrossable.

Because we are still in our infancy yet we have come a long way since the telescope.

Bettina

My dad and I switched all the bulbs we could to CFL's this year throwing out the old incandescents. He prefers the 3500K yellowish light while I prefer 6500K. I like pure white light instead of the yellow and it really does make me feel better. Anyway, now my dad is ticked because his X10's don't work since CFL's put too much noise on the line and is adding filters everywhere.

The cost savings are noticeable in our bill.

Bettina

Bettina,

 

I apologise unreservedly for my former harshness. I have been reprimanded and made to see the error of my ways. I am forgetting my manners and at my age should know better.

 

Please do not hold it against me. I'm a nice guy really!

Sorry I didn't see this until now but I've been busy with school. I saw your reply as "passionate and emotional" and took no offense. I am that way too and in fact I was about to "passionately and emotionally" tell you what I think of the middle east and why, but now I won't.

I don't like the fact that you were reprimanded for your comments to me which is why I no longer post here as much as I used to. There are too many policemen, too quick to shoot, which makes me uncomfortable. Your ok with me.

Bettina

This shows that there was no way those sailors could fight back. You do not attack armed speedboats which could presumably call a whole navy to their aid from two inflatables.

 

I'm very glad these sailors made it home safely, and that their commanding officer did not get them killed in useless "heroics".

I don't quite believe that. From what I read, the HMS Cornwall is not only fully capable of attacking targets in the air or on the surface, but its a well defended ship. Its height alone would have prevented a forced boarding.

Don't get me wrong, the British sailors should be commended for their handling once taken to Iran, and no one believes the "admission of guilt" by the sailors to be genuine, except Iran. Once surrendered, they did exactly what I would have done but since the mideast is full of butchers, it could have gone badly leading to their demise. I'm glad their home.

However, if the GPS electronic gear aboard that ship showed me to be in Iraqi waters like the British have said, I would never have let them or anyone else set foot on a British naval vessel which leads me to believe that the Cornwall had orders already in place to surrender if challanged instead of defend.

That weakness gave Iran a political victory which will reverberate for months to come. You stand up to evil, not cower down to it. No one would ever take my ship...

Bettina

Bettina

Bettina, I'm sorry, but none of this has anything to do with women's rights. Was the purpose of your bringing it up to explain the source of the bias that makes you incapable of thinking rationally about the Middle East?

No, I brought it up because abskebabs mentioned how dignified Iran was with this comment: That statement amazes me. Iran, formally known as Persia has a rich history of well over 7000 years.

I had a response but Paranoia beat me to it when he said: Well, they're quite dignified in how they oppress women and endorse racism and hatred. The KKK has a lot to learn from them...

I had no intention of bringing womens rights up until it was mentioned by someone else. (thank you ) I think very rationally of the middle east and I see all the evil in it.

Bettina

Yes, it is. They didn't harm the sailors. They didn't dare turn it in to a "death to the west" situation. They didn't get any meaningful concessions out of Britain - not even an apology. In fact, Britain has maintained through the whole thing that they were essentially kidnapped. Iran, on the other hand, backed down to the point where the only spin they could still manage was that "the British made a 'mistake', which they should really apologize for but haven't, but we're going to be nice to them anyway." That the crazy fiery rhetoric was cowed into reconciliation and "gift-giving" is a HUGE act of backing down. The UK comes out looking strong and reasonable, and Iran comes out looking weak, petty, and irresolute. Yes, you're missing something.

 

 

 

Hardly. The UK didn't cower - they did. What the hell would you consider "not backing down" on the Brits' part? Seriously, I want to know. Full-scale invasion? That's ridiculous. Strength is revealed in not having to use it.

Sorry to differ, but I have eyes. I saw the Iranian president looking very strong and in full control. He dominated the "event" and made the U.K. look weak. Did you see Tony? His head was down most of the time and with few words to say he looked a beaten man.

I didn't miss a thing.

That statement amazes me. Iran, formally known as Persia has a rich history of well over 7000 years. Don't believe me check, it out? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Iran

Persia was the 1st nation by far to ever have a recognisable bill of human rights and the UN has acknowledged this since the 70s. (Sorry for the rant, but this is partly because of my disgust at how Persia was portrayed in the film 300)

 

You really need to stop seeing the world so back and white...

I stand by the statement I made. As a girl, the last place I would want to live is in the middle east. The oppression of women and young girls in the mideast, which includes Iran, is well documented. It is a pet peeve of mine and I have many links if you want to see them. I won't comment further since others have done it for me.

Again, as a girl, I have no love for the middle east.

Bettina

Am I missing something? Where did Iran back down? Iran giving Britain "a gift" is not backing down.

Iran...... Ahmadinejad said he had pardoned the sailors as a gift to the British people and to mark the birthday of Islam's Prophet Muhammed and Easter.

Iran...... I say the Islamic Republic government and the Iranian people -- with all powers and legal right to put the soldiers on trial -- forgave those 15,"

Iran got what they wanted...... plenty of PR and to watch the U.K. cower down.

Tony..... To the Iranian people I would simply say this: We bear you no ill will. On the contrary, we respect Iran as an ancient civilization and as a nation with a proud and dignified history.

What dignified history does Iran have.

Bettina

Its simple to see that this was a test instigated by Iran. They capture British soldiers in international waters like pirates and the British give up their men and their ship without firing a shot. That ship was there legally under a U.N. mandate yet the British let it be boarded.

Tony Blair, acting diplomatically, is laying concessions whether you see them or not and he's showing the mideast that the U.K. is made of paper. Thats what makes me mad, and I'm not even British.

Watch what happens in the next few weeks. Iran and the U.K. will come to an "agreement" where the British will no longer condemn Iran for that action and Iran will claim a victory. Just watch.

Ahmadinejad wins.

Recently one of those so called enemy combatants was released without charge because there was no real evidence against him so I guess it's nice that nobody shot him; btw he was picked up on a business trip in Gambia so shooting him might have been a bit embarrassing.

Nobody paraded the inmates of Guantanamo bay which is why none of us has any recollection of the kneeling prisoners in bright orange jump suits.

 

I think the rest of the quote was something like this.

Suddenly, things like the homeland security act come into force and are accepted by the public as a "wartime necessity" (IIRC income tax was one of those too).

You milk it a little more by getting the West to show the pics of OBL making threatening remarks.

you play clips of leaders saying things out of context, and suddenly you have a whole lot more support. People tend to forget whether their enemy actually did anything wrong."

 

 

I didn't need to change much.

 

It's not that I condone terrorism; I've been too close to being a victim to do that. It's just that I also don't condone governments telling lies to their people about Saddam's WMD being 40 minutes from launching an attack. I don't condone restricting the freedoms of ordinary citizens of the US or UK in the name of a fake "war" on terror. I'm not saying that Iran's government is more ethical than mine, yours or anyone else's.

I don't see the point in ignoring the fact that the other guys have a point of view. They didn't get out of bed one day and start screaming "death to the West" because they are stupid. They do that because they see the West as an oppressor. OK, they have been galvanised into action by political leaders who are after power. Locking a few up without a trial didn't help the West there, but it's great propaganda for recruiting terrorists. Invading a country to get rid of a tyrant (who we put there in the first place) didn't help either. I can't help thinking it would have been better to get a broader international consensus there. As it stands it looks, at best, rather like trying to grab the oil; at worst it looks like cultural suppression.

 

You can hardly blame their political leaders for doing something with rather strong parallels with the behaviour of Messrs Bush and Blair, like taking random individuals as prisoners in order to bolster local support. After all- it worked.

I'm not trying to slam the West; just trying to see both sides. You might want to try that too.

I hope your not comparing The U.S. and the U.K. with Iran. If you want to go one on one your going to lose big time. Bush and Blair aren't nutjobs like the Iranian president.

EDIT: If Iran is that daring without nuclear weapons, what will happen when they get one. You see how fast Tony is caving in.

Bettina

I don't see it that way. I see Iran as a bully and the UK caving in by apologizing for being in international waters under a U.N. mandate.

Iran doesn't care what the U.N. thinks, what the world thinks, or what the U.K. thinks and Bush is right. They are hostages.

Sorry, but I see it like it is.

Bettina

To Bettina,

Our government chooses to do everything diplomatically, we have the SAS but I guess that we choose not to use them.

 

I don't really have any real problem with Tony Blair; it is necessary for our government to maintain a good relationship with your country, any smart politician would do the same but lets be honest Tony Blair doesn't have any major influence in the US whereas over here we do often have to stand by your side in matters of war. For the same reason you mentioned...we're pretty weak comparatively

I don't want to scare you, but diplomacy around the world is not only a failure but it will continue to get worse in the years to come. Diplomacy has to be backed up with strength which unfortunately puts the UK in a non bargaining position. But again, why are you weak?

Why does the U.S. have to assume leadership? I don't want them to.

Bee

Btw, It's good to see americans caring about our guys.

We do.... but more importantly is why the UK is so weak. I don't mean that to be nasty, but they don't seem to have any kind of defense, or any kind of offense to go get their men. And, I like Tony Blair, so don't call him a Bush follower.

Bettina

Out of all the boards I go to, SFN seems to be the most troublesome. What is so different about this one?

Bee

I want to build a home made electric RC Heli, very small and light. I have one of those Mini RC racers, like these and i want to convert one into a heli. They are powered by capacitors, but I don't know If the motor and all can produce much thrust. I can make prop blades out of nylon to keep it light. Does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, or even better; has anyone actually made their own electric micro heli?

If it won't work to make it out of the car, what can I use? I want to use capacitors, because Li-Po batterie cost too much. What motor should I use, etc. Thanks for any advice.

One of my friends is into models and he always goes to this site for advice.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php

Bee

Dolphin

lets say i can see the ice coming so once i know my front wheels are on the ice(assuming the car is front wheel drive) I let off the gas. no slope, flat ground.

I'm going to say your car would not accelerate. The air resistance on the overall car far outways the removal any friction the tires may have had on the road. Just my guess.

Bettina

I put on some tangerine lip gloss and pretended to be the local enternainment. While they were totally confused I...

Assuming I already graduated, I would live my life as a teacher for special education, continue my singing, and volunteering at the park department.

Pretty much it.

Bettina

It's not silly, it's imaginative, aslong as you understand reality from fantasy.

 

I'll make this thread even easier for those who believe exposing such things might be embarrassing.

 

hypothetical - If you were granted by some mystical "thing" the ability to live your life in any scenerio imaginable, what would you choose?

I would have liked to be Truman on the Truman show. I would have stayed there.

Bettina

Normally I'm consevative ,but in this case one is to many I think its time to ..count our losses and get out of Iraq Ithink it was stupid to go in inthe first place if you don't have a plan to get out. sure don't see any of these congressmans and Senaters families volunteering to go and get shoot at or carbombed. How many is to many:

Lets assume we leave Iraq. If we do then we might as well get out of Afghanistan too because the terrorists will simply shift their focus to our forces there. I'm not exactly sure what will happen next, but I'll bet there will be large scale genocide. Shiite women and especially Shiite children will be hunted down, tortured, raped, and murdered by the hundreds. Radical Islam will grow unchecked driving the peaceful ones to join or die. The Taliban will be back in power along with their fundamentalist ideas and their schools will again be filled with boys taught to hate you and me, while girls and women will be banned to their homes...in burkas.

So, all of it would have been for nothing. Terrorism will continue to grow unchecked with scary weapons and they can go right back to hating infidels again. Who will stop them? The other cowardly countries will just sit back and try not to poke the every growing hornets nest.

Bettina

...many modern African Americans such as Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby have commented that they're insulted by the whole thing and refuse to participate.

That statement, from two respected people, says it all and since I am color blind I would not send in any recommendations or participate in black history month in any way, shape, or form. So, you can either take a stand or follow along.

Bettina

I saw both specials...twice. He is a remarkable person not to have let his brutal disability take the center stage of his life. He chose to continue learning even when faced with the initial odds of only two years, where I would have crawled in a dark corner and waited for the end to come. I'm not that brave.

Although I don't see him as being on the same level as Einstein, I blame that on his inability to get things out of his mind and down on paper fast enough. Anyway, I think he is awesome.

Bettina

Hold on to those books! They might become collector's items.

 

Actually I feel that string popularity (with general reading public) should probably be making a come-back this month of February. I am going to watch the popularity index a while more and see if it doesnt get back to around 20.

(or less.) (come to think, maybe even 15.)

Hi Martin,

Even knowing that strings are impossible to test for, if the LHC doesn't find a miniscule support for strings, then I'm going to double my bet.

Bee

Unfortunately, all we win are string books that nobody wants....

Bee

The worst I can be accused of is perceived boorishness. However, I never attacked anyone. I don't have any enemies on these forums. I don't have any problems with anyone. However, I have to say that the way I have been treated here is plain wrong. I am sorry if I am perceived by you guys as being boorish, or rude, or whatever. I still don't think that is reason or justification for me being abused.

Its not, your fine.

What I think is funny is how KU can start a thread and then sit back and watch the action without further comment. I sometimes wonder if he's more than one person. I think I would like to sit with him sometimes and eat popcorn.

Bee