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You may recall our old friend, Dr Andrew Wakefield and his research team who seem to have spent years fruitlessly trying to find something to back up their 1998 claims about measles vaccination and autism. In 2002, his team published a study (full text here if you can access it) apparently...

Yes this belongs in the political section, but since we had a "What are you" thread here already, I thought we could take a step further. Apologies if it's been done before. http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html

It goes like this it is in ancient down town Bekaaa Valley aramaic which is way it has taken 2000 years to interpret: All the characters and events in this book are entirely fictional and do not represent anyone living now or dead, or any events past or present. We hope you enjoy our...

I'd heard of women with a very high incidence of breast cancer in the family, and a clear family genetic marker, opting to have their breasts removed to prevent breast cancer. I certainly didn't think it would go farther than that.... Cousins Give Up Stomachs after Genetic Testing...

In response to the article appearing in most major newspapers across the country concerning the $8.4 billion profit reported by Exxon. Concern over profits by this oil company has brought about accusations of gouging the American consumer. According to the article, "CEOs from Exxon and its...

This came up in some pointless thread or another. When you use the term "Europe" do you include the UK in the word or do you think of the UK as distinct from Europe? I am not talking about answering a question in geography class but how the word is defined in day to day speech.

evolution is false?

Well up to now, I have tried to be generous. But this was by far the worst. It was 38 minutes into the hour-long programme before we get any numbers whatsoever. Up to then it was all ooh-ah personal testimonials. Even then, most of the interesting results weren't mentioned. As an assessment...

An issue very dear to me: The preservation of history. Our history. Mine, yours, ours. It tells us who we are, where we come from. And, possibly, where we are going. Stonehenge. The Pyramids of Egypt. Angkor Wat. The Colosseum. Sure, a doozy. Big tourist attractions. A quick-and-dirty way of...

So the republicans are/have started their black list again! Monitoring and violating the privacy of US citizens by the NSA and keeping "lists" of war protesters without warrants was OK'd by our fearless leader. Of course this morning, while dodging anything resembling an answer ◊◊◊◊◊...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1841254,00.html The Times October 25, 2005 Foreign Editor's Briefing Bush can't change direction despite this grim milestone By Bronwen Maddox " . . . In the same way, you might now be doubtful that success in Iraq would make the...

This is the second part to an earlier writing about education in the United States. As you may recall, I advocated for the privatization of all schools from kindergarten to graduate studies. This piece will focus on the curriculum that needs to be followed. Everytime I encounter someone...

What is the name of the theory that our universe is only a atom, which makes up a larger atom, which makes up another, and so on and so on? Does anybody ever think about this theory or its possibility?3 EDIT: sorry...meant atom. Good catch.

Several months ago I began a thread (not as Mariah, but as SherryA) on Unitarian Universalism. I had just begun attending one and was quite impressed, but was concerned about woo lapping at the edges. I received many thoughtful, helpful responses. Listening, Upchurch? You were especially...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hardtalk/4483221.stm Interview- http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/progs/05/hardtalk/kaku22apr.ram Well, myself from a first impression, I thought the idea of the universe connected to a parent multiverse, perhaps through a theoretical umbilical cord at one...

Well, we've had the Geneva Convention, we've had the UN charter, and we've even had the US Constitution. So let's have the Declaration Of Independence. A bloody war was fought betwen my country and the USA because of --- well, because of many things. You could allege mere greed on both sides...

[continued speculation] What if you had never heard of the concept of a mathematical savant before, and someone claimed "Present to me two 10-digit numbers. Upon seeing them I will transmit them mentally across the Great Barrier to the Spirit World whereupon Udu the Magnificent (who knows all)...

I'm interested in the fuzzy border that lies between extreme woo-woo and hard, established scientific fact. What is considered "paranormal" -- what is considered "Gee, if we'd actually spent time studying this unusual phenomenon we'd realize it's perfectly normal under the right circumstances...

I think Ann Coulter makes some valid points in her column today. Now I know that Ann Coulter engenders some very strong emotions and not necessarily without cause. However this thread is not about Ann Coulter. By all means attack her logic (assuming there is any) but keep to the point (assuming...

I find it very funny that whenever a hurricane does not hit Florida (for example), resident loudmouthed evengelists like Pat Robertson like to take credit, insisting that, without doubt, the hurricane's course was altered because God answered their all-powerful prayers. Of course, when a...

I've heard Dubya talk about "privatization of social security", and I dont know what this means. So, I ask a few fundamental questions: What on earth is the privatization of social security, what will it solve? And if its such a good idea, why doesnt everyone embrace it? (And it would be...

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/11/1097406493918.html?from=storylhs Still more information on this topic I have raised before. The Western policy on making Russia capitalist was just too much too quick. previous thread...

After the debates between who Rush Limbaugh calls the "French-looking John Kerry" and the often rumored "chimp-like George W. Bush", Pa Yahweh said to me "thats the difference between a Democrat and Republican". I say "what? To avoid answering the tough questions?" Pa Yahweh says "Democrats...

I dont visit this particular area of the JREF Forum too often because I'm simply ignorant of most political issues. Add to that, of the things I do know, I am disappointed that politics is one of the areas that strong critical thinking really lacks (I watch the Newshow's "talking points" every...

http://www.tedlarson.com/robots/video/mbtarget1.wmv (video, 3.2 MB) From this page http://www.tedlarson.com/robots/balancingbot.htm

A federal judge in Los Angeles has struck down a provision of the post-September 11 USA Patriot Act, saying it was unconstitutional. The court said a paragraph that prohibits providing "expert advice or assistance" to designated international terrorist organizations is a violation of the First...

Why? Because its fashionable atm and I haven't done one yet.

We will also be adressing planes and military aviation in the second of our series on my fascinating bar conversations. In this episode, My conversation with my father on the phone leads to an interesting fact about Radar systems and missiles that can lock on targets using various combinations...

So, I'm getting a good drunk on Saturday night, and the bar has some WWII movie playing on the tube. The movie shows some dramatic dog fighting footage between prop driven planes...I dunno, maybe Mustangs, or some such. (Which Is odd because I thought the first air-to air combat took place in...

General Premiss: People are stupid. Specific Conclusion: Bush will get reelected for four more years. Evidence: Bill Moyers - Tax Justice Summary: Alabama’s governor, a fiscal conservative, decided to reform the regressive tax structure replacing it with a more progressive one. Under the...