If you guys haven't seen Smithsonian magizine this month you should take a look. It is an interesting coincidence that Abe Lincoln and Chuck Darwin were born on the same day and there are several articles in Smithsonian that delve into their shared desire to see humankind lifted above the tragedy of slavery.
Alpaca
JoinedPosts by Alpaca
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Charles Darwin's research to prove evolution was motivated by his desire to end slavery
by hamilcarr incharles darwin's research to prove evolution was motivated by his desire to end slaverycharles darwin, the scientist whose theories have become a corner stone of modern biology, was motivated to carry out his famous research by a desire to rid the world of slavery, according to a new book.
"origin of the species is a classic scientific work as it has no obvious social agenda, although when you read the journal of his voyage on the beagle it becomes clear he was horrified by the slavery he saw and how it weighs upon him.".
by richard gray, science correspondent .
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Alpaca
There is nothing better than a good marriage and nothing worse than a bad one.
I was married for 21 years to a great woman--we just weren't right for each other--and I was really unhappy for 21 years (starting the first week after the wedding). How can you possibly know if you're compatible if you can't have sex before marriage. Never again.
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Global Warming Is Irreversible, Study Says
by Alpaca inwe are in for a very rough ride in the coming decades.. this was reported on npr:.
all things considered,january 26, 2009 climate change is essentially irreversible, according to a sobering new scientific study.. as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, the world will experience more and more long-term environmental disruption.
the damage will persist even when, and if, emissions are brought under control, says study author susan solomon, who is among the world's top climate scientists.. "we're used to thinking about pollution problems as things that we can fix," solomon says.
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Alpaca
Actually, the caption should read: "Bush says 'You're hired.'"
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My Brother In Law just died tonight.
by AK - Jeff inhe was 51. we had not been close in the past few years.. he suffered from a rare ailment called sarcoid.
it can afflict several organs of the body, but in his case, it affected his brain.
it caused swelling, and subsequent issues from that.
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Alpaca
Sorry Jeff.
Any time someone dies, especially when it is someone we know, it makes you appreciate how fleeting all of this is.
Enjoy the love and the family and the good things around us whille you can.
All the best,
Alex
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Why do ex-Dubs become either liberal or conservative?
by Alpaca ini am just curious about what factors have made you find your niche in either the liberal or the conservative mindset.. for myself, even when i was a dub i almost always found liberal arguments much more persuasive than those of conservative thinkers.
i attributed it, in part, to my dub-shaped thinking...i.e., the desire to see people living in peace, the fair distribution of resources and wealth, enough food, clothing and adequate housing for all, etc.. personally, i think that liberal thinking is more mature thinking.
here is why: i believe that liberals are generally willing to look at a bigger picture of things and peer down the road to anticpate the tomorrow's ramifications for the things we do today.. some of the discussions on this board, where it is impossible to escape taking a stand as a liberal or a conservative, have turned into bizarre screaming matches between the participants.
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Alpaca
John Doe,
By the title of the thread, I did not mean to categorize ex-Dubs as only residing at one end of the philosophical spectrum or the other. Of course, there are middle-of-the-roaders.
I am just fascinated at the what causes ex-Dubs to settle into the mindset that they do. I am curious about how everyone got to where they are now.
Thanks.
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Why do ex-Dubs become either liberal or conservative?
by Alpaca ini am just curious about what factors have made you find your niche in either the liberal or the conservative mindset.. for myself, even when i was a dub i almost always found liberal arguments much more persuasive than those of conservative thinkers.
i attributed it, in part, to my dub-shaped thinking...i.e., the desire to see people living in peace, the fair distribution of resources and wealth, enough food, clothing and adequate housing for all, etc.. personally, i think that liberal thinking is more mature thinking.
here is why: i believe that liberals are generally willing to look at a bigger picture of things and peer down the road to anticpate the tomorrow's ramifications for the things we do today.. some of the discussions on this board, where it is impossible to escape taking a stand as a liberal or a conservative, have turned into bizarre screaming matches between the participants.
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Alpaca
jaguarbass,
Thanks for the thoughtful commentary. Even though I am a registered dem, I would like to see a strong 3rd party emerge. I voted for Nader in 2000, more as a protest than with any real expectation that the vote would effect any change.
Anyway you cut it, unless we get the lobbyists and the special interest influence out of Washington, nothing is going to change. And BTW, the foregoing suggestion is never going to happen.
Sometimes I despair about how the future of our democracy will unfold.
Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is a bad form of government....unfortunately, it's the best thing we've got.
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For the Atheists... I Need some Answers....
by AllTimeJeff ini proudly admit at the start of this that i am very non supportive of organized religion, the bible, worshipping jesus and the like.
i have frequently argued against theistic themes, joining atheists in their arguements.
i view most religion as a cynical system of power for their religious leaders.. yet i am not an atheist.
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Alpaca
The theist and the atheist are the same person looking at each other in the mirror.
There is no way to prove or disprove the existence of God or whatever other label you want to put on the subject of the debate.
I don't think you can really do any better (if you are being thoroughly honest) than agnosticism. We weigh the evidence for there being a god...there isn't any...we put the results on the shelf...and there it sits...
I think about this stuff every single day. There is more evidence that god doesn't exist than evidence that she/he does exist. The best I can do is place myself on the continuum of doubt--the evidence shows that there is about 98.5% chance that god does not exist. However, it would be presumptuous to say that there is a 100% chance that god doesn't exist--how could I possibly know that?
Bottom line: All I can claim is agnosticism--not enough evidence one way or the other, but a strong indication that god probably does not exist.
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New Archimedes writings discovered. Calculus existed in antiquity.
by BurnTheShips ina palimpsest discovered.
the ancient greeks had a grip on calculus.. pretty amazing.. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/8974/title/a_prayer_for_archimedes.
bts.
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Alpaca
This is acutually a little dated info. About 2 to 3 years ago PBS had a NOVA special devoted to this subject. It was fascinating and if you have a chance to watch it you should.
One can only speculate where technology would be (at least 2,000 years ahead of where we are now) if the concept of calculus had not been buried for so many centuries.
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Why do ex-Dubs become either liberal or conservative?
by Alpaca ini am just curious about what factors have made you find your niche in either the liberal or the conservative mindset.. for myself, even when i was a dub i almost always found liberal arguments much more persuasive than those of conservative thinkers.
i attributed it, in part, to my dub-shaped thinking...i.e., the desire to see people living in peace, the fair distribution of resources and wealth, enough food, clothing and adequate housing for all, etc.. personally, i think that liberal thinking is more mature thinking.
here is why: i believe that liberals are generally willing to look at a bigger picture of things and peer down the road to anticpate the tomorrow's ramifications for the things we do today.. some of the discussions on this board, where it is impossible to escape taking a stand as a liberal or a conservative, have turned into bizarre screaming matches between the participants.
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Alpaca
Many of the issues that confront the human species have some scientific component.
Science is a search for the truth...period. Sometimes I don't think conservatives appreciate that.
In the purest sense, for a scientist there is no agenda, no "position" to defend, science just wants reasonable answers to reasonable questions.
Does this mission get subverted? Of course it does. But, in the end science and the quest for truth prevails and our understanding of the world and its processes continues to grow.
It is interesting to see the differences in how liberals and conservatives weigh scientific information.
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Global Warming Is Irreversible, Study Says
by Alpaca inwe are in for a very rough ride in the coming decades.. this was reported on npr:.
all things considered,january 26, 2009 climate change is essentially irreversible, according to a sobering new scientific study.. as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, the world will experience more and more long-term environmental disruption.
the damage will persist even when, and if, emissions are brought under control, says study author susan solomon, who is among the world's top climate scientists.. "we're used to thinking about pollution problems as things that we can fix," solomon says.
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Alpaca
Hemp lover,
The Republican attack on science (see Chris Mooney's book) waged in the media and begun before the Bush administration's tenure, has had a far reaching effect on the mindset of many who don't bother to actually investigate and weigh the science.
I feel your frustration.
Alex