Colrom

Probably lawful evil.

Good for you that you put it outside, Lucius. Better to keep it for tests if the bite broke the skin - in case of disease. But since it didn't there is no problem. There will likely be more though. Just for you here is a big :D !

I agree that they need some training. They should get that in school or from their parents. They will likely also get some from each other. If they arn't getting some training that is a problem. I had two friends with whom I practiced baseball regularly - hitting and catching flys and practicing fielding grounders. It was fun. I agree that when kids play together it is not always perfectly organized or fair. The business abouot switching balls was both true and also meant to show that there are some sly tricks that are played in kids games. There are also some fights. I got memorably kneed in the kilzigs in an altercation during one of those games. That's just the way it is. Learning how to deal with stuff like that is part of growing up. You know, thinking back on this stuff I realize that lots of my childhood was really alot like the movie "Stand by Me" up to and even including walking the tracks and finding a dead body - who in our case was really just dead drunk.

What is it with you and your derrogatory personal characterizations - which - so far - have been laughably consistently completely wrong?! Foolishly responding: 1. I was speaking from personal experience. I was actually thinking of a particular game from my youth. 2. I have also raised two boys and had occasion to see them play by themselves and suppervised on teams. 3. I have also coached soccer and baseball so I have some experience at the other end. 4. They wouldn't be by themselves if I was watching, would they? Kids do well enough playing by themselves when they have a reasonable sized community of others nearly their own age to draw upon and when they have had some training from school or from others. When those conditions arn't present then it seems constructive for adults to take some steps to try to facilitate things a bit. Having the adults actually run leagues and teams and games is probaly helping too much though.. There is merit to having the adults step away and look away as soon as practical.

I just want to close up the discussion on Newton's "laws" a bit. The problem with Newton's "laws" is that the underlying assumptions are wrong about the character of space and time - and hence the character of momentum and mass. Folks didn't realize that what they took for granted about space and time was just a theory - and one that was wrong as well. What a crazy idea it would have seemed to Newton that a radioactive material would have a longer apparant lifetime when moving faster! Due diligence done. :D

Good night.

Actually a "law" is a word usually used in science for definitions of terms or a special simple case of a "theory" or model. Newton's "laws" are largly just definitions. For exampe the law which says that the quantity of motion is the product of the mass and the velocity is a definition of momentum. The law which says that the force is equal to the time rate of change of the quantity of motion is just the definition of a force. I suppose the law that every force has an equal and opposite force might really be a theory - although it seems a particularly trivial case - given that tables and chairs don't spontaneously fly apart. Every scientific theory really stays a theory indefinitely. There is always the possibility that in the future there will be some deviation measured from the predicted results (subject to quantum mechanical limitations - thank God). The "gas laws" are special cases. They also are innacurate. Better models exist - which are also innacurate - but less so. Kinetic theory is used to build them. Good enough. It is not a good idea to get overly hung up on the words. Especially since scientists are often sloppy about their vocabulary. Shame on them.

The test results which led to the development Einstein's special theory were already in place when he developed his theory. The development was quite simple. Anyone might have done it! (Well, maybe not just anyone!) Take the test results as true and out comes Einstein's theory pretty much by force. Einstein's brilliance was in accepting reality. (Which, however, he later had trouble doing with regard to quantum mechanics.) His hypothesis was that there was no Ether and the speed of light was always the same for all observers, no matter how they moved relative to each other. That was what the tests had shown. E=mc^2 and a bunch of other stuff just followed from that. In any case there is a difference between a belief as in a hypothesis and a belief as in a matter of faith. The folks who belong to PATH seem to have faith based positions about the origins of homosexuality.

I would prefer that children's sports be organized and run by the children themselves. "Hey Mom, Can I go out play baseball? OK, Ill be home before dark. Thanks. Bye." Gather players at friends houses. Duke out teams. Play with soft rubber ball. Lots of singles and doubles and few HRs. Winning 34-17. Lose soft rubber ball and switch to tennis ball. Lots of HRs and few singles and doubles. :D Play some more. Win 38-24. (w00t) Go home. No parents. No coaches. No problem.

Further internet searching suggests that PATH members insinuate and advocate themselves and their views onto forums and blogs quite frequently and especially to dismiss the findings of scientific research about sexuality which do not conform to their beliefs.

I have no starting opinion on this group and no interest other than for general understanding of religious and scientific views. So I did some (very) quick research on Google. Many sources on the net seem to think this group reflects the views and furthers the agendas of several religious groups which many consider extremist. Here's an article describing one of their activities. Group Prepares Legal Challenge to 'Born Gay' Theory By Lawrence Morahan CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer October 29, 2003 (CNSNews.com) - A coalition representing former homosexuals is developing a legal strategy to litigate on behalf of people who challenge the proposition that individuals are "born gay." The group also is seeking to promote the idea, particularly among schoolchildren, that people can overcome unwanted homosexual attractions. Arthur Goldberg, president of Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality and co-director of Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality, said the coalition intends to stress the concept of diversity, a concept he said homosexual advocacy groups have misrepresented to promote the concept that people can't change. "We want to make sure that people understand the diversity, that this is an open forum. We want toleration of those who have been able to successfully change and get their rights recognized as real rights," Goldberg said Dr. Warren Throckmorton, a professor at Grove City College, Pa., and a supporter of the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, or PFOX, said the coalition aims to correctly portray the current state of research concerning sexual orientation. "There are two broad views about the origins of homosexuality - one being related to environmental factors and one being primarily related to genetic factors," said Throckmorton. "The truth is, the science on the subject is so unclear that we can't really say with certainty that we know what the role of any of those factors are." Since homosexuality cannot be identified by immutable genetic traits, such as skin or hair color, spokesmen for the coalition said policymakers should be allowed to hear that thousands of people who used to consider themselves homosexuals now are living as heterosexuals. Coalition members also want to see an end to what they consider reverse discrimination by institutions. Since homosexuality is no longer considered a disorder, neither should recovery from homosexuality be considered a disorder, they said. Goldberg described so-called ex-gays, who he said are fighting a two-front war, as "the most repressed minority in the world." "They're fighting an internal battle with their own unfilled emotional needs on the one side, and on the other, they're fighting society, which is telling them to accept it," Goldberg said. Indeed, institutions that suppress the message could put themselves in legal jeopardy. According to Goldberg, schools and universities that tell questioning individuals homosexuality is genetic may be liable in lawsuits if clients endanger themselves or others by engaging in sex acts on the advice of school counselors or psychologists. Data show that an individual's environment clearly plays a role in forming sexual attitudes, Throckmorton said. Also, there may be some factors that would be loosely called genetic that influence sexual choice in some way. "But to say that we have any kind of clarity about the way that would occur is just wrong," Throckmorton said. The message that homosexuality is determined genetically could give homosexual advocacy organizations more ammunition in calls for special legislation and enactment of hate crimes laws. Conservative groups said they would use same-sex marriage as an issue to rally voters in the 2004 presidential election. Mark Mead, a spokesman for the Log Cabin Republicans, a homosexual advocacy group within the GOP, discounted the message that homosexuals can change and claimed telling people they can is not likely to be helpful. "Most of the people I know who claim to have changed usually end up getting caught in gay bars or in gay relationships. I think that message has been dismissed by most folks with common sense," Mead said. But Throckmorton said the coalition's primary objective was to reach policymakers, particularly in the field of education, "because so much of what the schools are teaching concerning sexual orientation is really suspicious from a scientific point of view." Many school authorities have adopted the "born gay - gay gene theory" as fact, ignoring a considerable scientific controversy over that theory, Throckmorton said. "Not just among evangelicals and secularists, but within the scientific community, there are many people who simply don't accept that the data support that theory," Throckmorton said.

Moving on from BG-2 to BG-TOB. I never finished it the first time.

He hasn't gotten his blow job yet! http://www.ericschwartz.com/ClintonBJ.mp3

My experience is that things which are done are sometimes not installed until later because once installed they make it more difficult to work on things still under development. Even if the auto cover is finished it doesn't make sense to put it over the car while the mechanics are still tuning the engine. That may be a factor. Don't know.

(w00t)

Do a google on "Had an interesting conversation with a lady of Hispanic origin last >week. She told me that she planned to come down to St. Mary's". You will get lots of hits. Part of a chain mail hate mongering program. Usually can't chase them back. But, using the NSA's network analysis capabilities - (Excuse me, can I borrow that for a minute or two? Heh.) - we might figure out what political persuassion it is circulating in. Useful political info there.

Wow! Some ethical problems goin on. Statements mischaracterized. Quotes altered! Yikes!

If many monkeys are typing isn't it possible that one of them might type something that is functionally identical to Shakespeare although the letters might be different? Perhaps the monkey inadvertantly is using a substitution code, for example. Or using a different language, for example. Or maybe a substitution code in a different language! Or maybe a more sophisticated code which never-the-less can be deciphered by an expert crytographer and language expert to be Shakespeare. When information theory is applied to the question it becomes more likely! And more interesting! :D

Dark Moth, I never said anything about "for no reason". That is your mischaracterization. Of course there are rationalizations. It's just that the reasons given in public may not be the real reasons or all the reasons. If you want reasons the General provides some. Keep in mind though, that every punk thief and killer has a reason for what they do. Also, I never said anything about "in times of peace". That is also your mischaracterization. Yikes. In fact some people might consider that a major problem in the Middle East is that all promises are broken and all peaces are ended with treachery. Hence, in so far as the inevitable beginning of hostilities is always on their mind, there really is no peace of mind for anyone. They need to build their skills at waging peace. They could start by building bridges - real and figurative!

Well, Dark Moth, do you prefer this phrasing and this author better? "JERUSALEM ISSUE BRIEF Vol. 3, No. 16 3 February 2004 21st Century Threats Facing Israel Maj. Gen. Dan Haloutz Commander of the Israel Air Force Israeli society is the first place where legitimacy is needed for military actions. Many of the questions raised regarding our actions come from the Israeli people. Being raised on democracy and pluralism, being raised as an open society, Israeli society asks questions that we must answer with the right answers. Low-intensity conflicts are continuous, compared with full-scale conflicts that are usually shorter, sharper, and with an end result to the conflict that is much clearer. Continuous conflict is a kind of war of attrition, not only between military forces, but also between societies. It comes down to which society can endure more, which society is capable of bearing the conflict and continuing their lives at the same time. Our neighbors are now dispersing their military forces as part of a new doctrine calling for a

Utility theory, us versus them, and ex post facto arguments are often used to justify actions like drag net monitoring. I prefer that those who think illegal acts are the only way to secure the nation suffer the consequences when they are caught violating the law - like everybody else does - sort of like guys who charge the machine gun to save the squad. Having these behaviors be illegal helps a bit to weed out the honest patriots from the deceitful power hungry scum. If there is reasonable cause to suspect a crime they can always get a warrent - even a day or so late if necessary. PS - I have a question: do long distance calls within the US ever leave the US for a short time to go to a satallite or anything like that? I ask that question because it seems to me that some folks in the administration have been parsing their words very carefully so as to allow a possibility such as that. Hmmm.

There is this idea about deterence/neutalization using continuous or periodic destruction or disruption. You may notice that Israel, and recently the US as well, periodically destroys the surrounding Arab culture's airfields and bridges and power generation systems and chemical plants and all those infrastructures that lead to social advancement. One of the benefits to Israel is that international firms are not inclined to invest in the surrounding Arab countries and the citizens of the Arab aountries are therefor more available for a song to work in the factories the firms build in Israel instead. This is certainly a policy. Too bad huh! Nothing good can come of it.

I am more concerned with losing freedom and life rather than with just losing life. Unrestricted power will not lead to good government. As a practical matter democracy cannot survive unrestricted and secret survellience of citizens and their political groups People who will torture and kill when they think they need to will torture and kill when they want to.

Yes. I am also relatively old. I hope that's OK. I personally find it annoying, but I can't do anything about it.

Have you read 'The Cartoon History of the Universe". It is funny and puts history in perspective. While plans are good some historians say they can also be confining. My wife and I sleep better at night knowing ( ) that neither of us has contingency plans to kill the other. :D