Comments by severalspeciesof

51. It came from outer space: Fireball streaks across Canadian Prairie, crashes

Comment #289863 by severalspeciesof on November 24, 2008 at 10:23 am

54. Comment #289761 by aquilacane:

Size doesn't matter!

Are you sure?

Comment #289855 by severalspeciesof on November 24, 2008 at 10:10 am

Late to this party,

Rachel (158. Comment #289804),

Great link you gave (sorry to horn in)...

I think I can spot exactly where the break between critical thinking and the irrational occurs:

For every complex cause, there needs to be an intelligent force acting behind it.

Without that one statement, most of what is said afterward can never be said...

[Edit: well, it could still be said, but...]

53. I'm Not One Of Those 'Love Thy Neighbor' Christians

Comment #288225 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 11:13 am

Comment #288224 by decius

I always wondered why Steve looked tired, now I see why: doing two jobs, living a double life...

54. I'm Not One Of Those 'Love Thy Neighbor' Christians

Comment #288219 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 11:00 am

A woo-woo moment here...

After all this space travel stuff, I've come across this web site: http://www.rudymaxa.com/
Look at the upper left photo...

So Steve, I see traveling is your forte...

And you have an alias...

55. I'm Not One Of Those 'Love Thy Neighbor' Christians

Comment #288205 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 10:31 am

If only JanChan would read this thread...

He would see how a good debate can be had...

56. I'm Not One Of Those 'Love Thy Neighbor' Christians

Comment #288194 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 10:19 am

Steve Z, et. al.,

Just thinking out loud here, and ignore me if this makes the conversation too complicated (sorry to horn in)...

What about dark matter with regards to Fermi's Paradox. We are just now starting to figure that part of our universe, yet it supposedly makes up at least 80 or 90 % (set me straight here if you will) of the universe. Couldn't advanced civilizations be using that? If so, how would we know it?

57. I'm Not One Of Those 'Love Thy Neighbor' Christians

Comment #288180 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 9:49 am

ty90,

I'm late to this party, but if you're still looking for advice...

Get a cat...

Bet the rest of you didn't see that coming... ;-)

58. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288156 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 8:35 am

Comment #288149 by decius

Skylark actually likes to spin...

in mid-air, while leaping at things only cats can see...

59. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288155 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 8:31 am

*awk...awwk...yaawwkkk...kawwww!!!*

Tez,

How'd you know?

60. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288143 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 8:13 am

Titania,

All better, besides, the dunce cap comment was meant for me, but if you want to wear one, fashion statement and all... ;-)

I would like to go to the Palin thread, but Skylark at this time, forbids me to do it...

It's a cat thing... ;-)

And you're right about the kid, wish I could be as concise...

61. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288137 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 8:00 am

Titania,

Now you've done it, infecting this thread with the Palin thread might not get the results you want, even though you attempted to correlate it to this thread...

Weird things might happen now...

And. also...

(Dunce cap moment, maybe...)

Who is AIR?

62. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288111 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 7:00 am

Now for some OPINION based talking points,

This is what can happen when when an administration is hell bent on bringing in theological reasoning...

God just wouldn't [let us] destroy the earth NOW, would he???

[EDIT: And NOT before I'm raptured away...]

Except AFTER he comes back again... :-)

63. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288107 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 6:55 am

121. Comment #288093 by hungarianelephant

JanChan, dear chap.

You are making an arse of yourself. If you want to have a science discussion, you need to do it with actual science, not political slogans....

Why not have a cup of tea and come back with some facts?

I do hope he comes back with some facts...

He won't be a mouse in Skylark's mind then...

Too many mice...

64. Bush set to relax endangered species rules

Comment #288095 by severalspeciesof on November 21, 2008 at 6:38 am

JanChan says, in the order of pronouncement:

Those EPA laws have been a joke from the beginning and is screwing up America.

...the stupid EPA laws are a big cause of our trade deficit.

Ozone depletion is a greater threat than Global Warming (so much greater is the threat of ozone depletion that it can only be measured in terms of a logarithm scale).

...the ozone layer is the only reason why it's possible for life on land.

...endangered species laws are bad Science, bad for Economics, and bad for the people. The only thing it's good at is making good politics.

All I said is that scientifically ozone depletion is of much more concern to us than global warming is.

...I repeat again, ozone depletion is magnitudes of times greater in importance than global warming for the survival of life on land. ANY life on land.

...I said, not act to protect the environment at the expense of ourselves.

ESA (endangered species act) is protecting almost nothing at our expense.

Ozone is the single thing that is keeping every single land organism alive.

But this last one is a jewel...

I came here for a Science discussion

Then discuss, but don't 'preach from the pulpit'...

If you're talking science, use science, not statements of opinion, whether true or not...

I won't 'spin', but I might slash...

65. The battle rages on in Texas

Comment #287523 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 9:58 am

CaptainMandate

...would like to be a fly on the wall

and you'd still have more intelligence than the creationists!

66. God enough

Comment #287488 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 9:02 am

Tyler

Hmmm...
Forgot about that ;)

And as a 'deist' might say, god hasn't stopped resting...

67. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #287487 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 8:58 am

Quetz,
If TWP hadn't forgiven you, Skylark would have taken care of the situation, so never worry...

68. God enough

Comment #287485 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 8:55 am

Godnapping?

Didn't know God was capable of sleep... ;-)

69. God enough

Comment #287474 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 8:37 am

Ed-words

Is one arrested for stealing Communion wafers charged with grand theft?

I believe they should be charged with kidnapping ;-)

70. Richard Dawkins: An Exclusive Profile

Comment #287471 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 8:34 am

gf ferre,

I proclaim you a mouse, and a lying one at that...

now scurry off...

71. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #287458 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 8:06 am

127. Comment #287447 by CaptainMandate,

I get your drift on this, but...

I can't think of one "sin" that is actually bad for society

murder isn't bad?

Or would you say that murder isn't a sin, but it is bad

(edit: changed for clarity)

72. God enough

Comment #287453 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 7:59 am

Wosret,

I think I understand...

and I value that ;-)

Thanks...

73. God enough

Comment #287449 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 7:48 am

364. Comment #287443 by Wosret

I think that there can be universal evaluations. Or at least pretty damn close to universe.

That's an interesting thought. Are these evaluations subjective to oneself, or to the 'thing' being evaluated...

Forgive me if that question doesn't make sense to you, I know what I mean, but have trouble sometimes in relating that meaning to others...

74. God enough

Comment #287444 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 7:39 am

After rereading the article again...

a not so final word here,

Kauffman is not a supernaturalist, and uses no terms that point exclusively to supernaturalism...

Kauffman allows the idea of dualism to creep into the meaning of what he is saying by using loaded terms such as sacred and saying that 'consciousness is a thing', when in reality it's more of a description, in about the same way that in the phrase 'two apples' 'two' is a description and not a thing...

Please feel free to rip this apart, and I'll do my best to not do a DP on everyone here... ;-)

75. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #287434 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 7:17 am

Comment #287421 by CaptainMandate

Sin is what you make it,...

So true, that's why the ' ' marks ;-)

76. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #287431 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 7:14 am

Philip1978,

Easy, God!

Damned you're smart! ;-)

77. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #287417 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 6:47 am

Regarding the whole Genesis thing. What I want to know, is where did sin come from...

We know who 'sinned'...

We know who made Eve 'sin'...

We know who created both the 'sinner' and the 'sin causer'...

But where did 'sin' come from?...

78. God enough

Comment #287413 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 6:37 am

Quetz,

Hmmmm...
delusions of grandeur...
Does that come with any real perks?

79. God enough

Comment #287412 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 6:34 am

Comment #287354 by Steve Zara

There is meaning. It is something we experience in our brains. To say there is no meaning is like saying there is no such thing as pain, or happiness.

Comment #287368 by Brian English

There is no meaning, we just invent it, like morality.

Maybe there's long term meaning and short term meaning. On an individual level, it's short term, but out in the universe, it's long term...

And I’m serious with that comment…

Really.

80. God enough

Comment #287408 by severalspeciesof on November 20, 2008 at 6:27 am

Quetz,

Worrying about "universal meaning" is a little pointless, IMHO. If you can create meaning for yourself, then that's enough. Let the universe worry about itself.

What if you create “universal meaning” for yourself? ;-)

81. God enough

Comment #287005 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Damned time constraints!!!,

I have reread the entire article, and it's more frustrating now than before. I can't seem to pin it down, but I still think Paulson is playing a sleight of hand here. He's a dualist (IMO), but he doesn't want to admit it, or can't...

Yet I agree with what Steve Z, et. al. are saying...

and that's the frustrating part...

what I should do is read his book...

well, I am in a library now...

got to go...

[EDIT: Good grief, I meant Kauffman, not Paulson]

82. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286817 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 11:22 am

Carto:

Umm, actually it was probably supposed to be 616, according to the earliest papyrus copies of the Book of Revelations from Oxyrhynchus in Egypt...

I've also heard that 615 and 667 are brothers of the beast...

*grabbing my coat, picking up Skylark...*

83. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286810 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 11:18 am

13. Comment #286780 by Caudimordax

SSO - It's always amazed me that the people who claim to be the surest of an afterlife are most afraid to die.

Ditto here...

It makes me wonder if most believers really and truly aren't believers, only wishful thinkers...

84. God enough

Comment #286790 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 11:06 am

From the article:

Well, Dawkins does not want to bridge that gap. He wants to convince those religious believers that they're wrong.

Absolutely. But I think Richard is wrong. Not that there's a supernatural god. I think that there's something else. I think the creativity in nature is so stunning and so overwhelming that it's God enough for me, and I think it's God enough for many of us if we think about it. You see, Richard's view, and those of the new atheists, is simply not going to reach out and persuade those who hold to the standard Abrahamic religious views to consider something else. Whereas I hope what I'm saying may help create a new kind of sacred space.

-Emphasis mine.

Dualism anyone?

People who don't believe in god only need to point out the 'wrongness' of god belief, if they want to. Non believers need not 'reach out'. And there is no 'new kind of sacred space' between non-believers and believers which 'reaching out' seems to imply...

85. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286777 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 10:52 am

Sciros (9. Comment #286766) pointed out:

On his Web site, he has something called the Rapture Index, a calculation based on signs and prophecy of the proximity of the end. According to Strandberg, any number over 160 means "fasten your seat belts." Obama's win pushed the index to 161.

Wouldn't "fasten your seat belts" actually be the very opposite thing to do if one believed in the rapture? I mean you would think that one would want a quick trip outta here if the rapture were imminent, and unfastening your seat belt could slow your rapture progress down...

Guess they really don't think too well... ;-)

86. Is Obama the Antichrist?

Comment #286760 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 10:33 am

Caudimordax:

It's unclear whether the writer is paraphrasing Staver or stating her own beliefs, but I'd like to know what that person's definition of "nuts" would be!

The writer is not stating her own beliefs, as Staver probably did say that. He is/was Dean of the Liberty University school and heads a very conservative religious ministry called Liberty Counsel. Staver doesn't believe those people are nuts, just wrong, because he himself probably believes in an Anti-Christ.

87. Giving Up on God

Comment #286748 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 10:20 am

Good article and I completely agree with this statement:

Meanwhile, it isn't necessary to evict the Creator from the public square, ...

I for one DO want the Creator in the public square, in order to expose the Creator for what it is: a sham, a meaningless obtuse diversion of the reality of life...

I feel better now...

88. Richard Dawkins: An Exclusive Profile

Comment #286736 by severalspeciesof on November 19, 2008 at 9:51 am

gf ferre,

Pulling quotes out of context makes you a mouse...

You really don't want to be a mouse around here...

now scurry off...

Unless you are willing to be forthright and honest...

89. Puncturing the Acupuncture Myth

Comment #286312 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 1:27 pm

What's up with the Jared Diamond bashing'

decius is channeling info from another thread (I forget which), to which I can play that game...

I'm channeling DP...

From the article:

Apparently some patients choose TCM because it is all they can afford: despite being a Communist country, China does not have universal health coverage.

*puts coat on, makes mad dash to the exit...*

Remember Skylark folks, don't hurt him... ;-)

90. Religion's Misguided Missiles

Comment #286239 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 11:38 am

Religion as the elephant in the room...

I'd also add ignorance, topped off with irrational, uncritical thinking...

Which religion seems to favor...

91. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #286229 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 11:12 am

*Skylark scampers off to look at other threads... got bored*

There are other threads, right?....

92. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #286226 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 11:01 am

Oooo, ooo...

Diacanu,

I just had brilliant idea...

If DP and DG ever did get together, fill the room with helium and then listen in...

93. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #286219 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 10:50 am

*purrrrring*

Skylark is enjoying the cat and mouse antics...

or should I say: multiple cats and mouse antics...

94. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #286207 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 10:19 am

Diacanu:

We have GOT to hook DP up with DG.

Two major-league bullshitters in the same room??

The sexual heat between them would pour off the screen.

I shudder to think...

*hairs on Skylark rise up in anticipation*

95. Interview with John Lennox

Comment #286163 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 9:00 am

A flicker of hope for paulb?

From paulb himself (285. Comment #286050 by paulb):

will make us realise that we must have been designed by something/someone else (whether a process or a designer)

96. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #286154 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 8:51 am

DP:

...Poor people don't have cars anyway so it wouldn't affect them, unless they put wheels on a cardboard box or something. Then they get charged.

You're joking... right?

97. Atheism, a positive pillar

Comment #286123 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 7:53 am

203. Comment #285955 by MPhil & 209. Comment #285969 by MPhil

MPhil,

For what it's worth (and my apologies for horning in on your conversation with Steve Z.)...

From what you are saying about emergent characteristics, would this analogy be sufficient?--

Let’s consider the evolution of the brain as a lever. The environment it’s fulcrum. Change the position of the fulcrum (different inputs) and you get different outputs. The material hasn’t changed, in other words, evolution remains economical, but the results can change drastically…

98. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #286104 by severalspeciesof on November 18, 2008 at 7:17 am

Oh dear,

DP,

I seem to be receiving a mixed message about your school taxation proposal...

One the one hand you stated:

...Yes we should get taxed to have public schools...

then later it was followed up with this odd comment:

Well its also me being realistic because there is no way we would get rid of public education in this country...

as though you don't want public education but are resigned to the fact of it's existence...

Am I misreading you?

And regarding your stance about paying less taxes if you don't have children, Roger Stanyard put it quite nicely with this:

Why? I benefited from state education, why shouldn't I pay regardless of whether or not I have children. Business benefits from state education. Why shouldn't it carry part of the costs?

99. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #285808 by severalspeciesof on November 17, 2008 at 4:33 pm

Just a drive by here...

DP:

2) Schools is another one. Yes we should get taxed to have public schools but we should be allowed to send our children where we please. The child should have a check with him and schools should have to fight for them to attended their school. I also believe if you have no children then you should have to pay less in school taxes.

In the interest of civility, kudos to you DP...

I actually agree with you here except the paying of less taxes from people with no children...

I think I felt an earthquake... ;-)

100. Atheism, a positive pillar

Comment #285598 by severalspeciesof on November 17, 2008 at 11:07 am

Steve Zara,