Latest Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution

@rosborne979,

Quote:

I always like to go into my Doctor's office and tell him he's an idiot too.

Ivan Illich did that to the lot of them. I know others who think doctors are idiots, and worse.

There are plenty of people as well who also think that somebody has to stand up to these experts. I daresay most people would if they thought about it for a while. And they are mainly young people.

Maybe a watered down version of the Stockholm Syndrome applies to doctors as people get older.

And anyway--you can't be criticised for praising doctors unreservedly in polite circles.

Mariah sells her journalistic soul by using "piped". And not "Mr McLeroy".

The Editor ought to be looking out for his reputation better than that. His peer-reviewers will notice it if ros doesn't.

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It's Sunday and pub hours are 30 mins earlier than usual except for Th, Fri, and Sat when they are 60 minutes later or even later than that on certain occasions. Hence I'm off there now.

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Spendiouse has the S and the I and the N in his name... Now that must have some deep religiosity in it, don't you think ???

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@farmerman,

Quote:

Define sin.

I suppose in your case fm it would be whatever you felt ought to be eradicated in your re-education camps. Other names are of no importance.

Sin is whatever it is that the authority over you at any particular time says it is and which can't be legislated for. It has a graded scale of disapproval to which is attached a spectrum of retribution.

Such a scale of retribution in the next life doesn't seem to possess the negative aspects of schemes in the here and now. The retribution in the former case is deferred and thus might be said to lead to a more easy-going regime.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that if adultery wasn't a sin, which it couldn't be if there is no such thing as sin, it wouldn't be half so much fun.

And it being a sin has the additional advantage that those who can't get any adultery can claim that it is because it is sinful rather than being the result of unfortunate personal dispositions.

It being a sin is also useful for generating fees.

And if adultery was not a sin think of the tasks we men would be required to do.

The phoniest aspect of Brave New World is its ridiculous portrayal of the female sex which would have shocked and outraged Henry Fielding. For one.

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@spendius,

so youre not able even to define something that you toss about like pistachio husks

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@spendius,

spendi wrote:

Quote:

Sin is whatever it is that the authority over you at any particular time says it is and which can't be legislated for. It has a graded scale of disapproval to which is attached a spectrum of retribution.

That's sin? ROFLMAO

I was positive he wouldn't be able to define it. He said zilch, and thinks he's answered the question.

spendi, Define sin?

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@cicerone imposter,

You weren't expecting something warped, self-indulgent, and against any known religion?

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@tenderfoot,

Is that what people call a "freudian slip?"

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@farmerman,

Instead of sitting back asserting that I didn't define sin, like any 10 year old can do, argue with definition. ci. had insisted that I covered all religions.

You recently likened our football to basketball, a game not played here seriously, and your football to chess. Another soft assertion.

Our big match ended 1-1 and your's ended 51-45 with almost every possession resulting in a score. It's pretty obvious from that which game is more like basketball. And your approach to the Eagles game is too embarrassing to recount.

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@spendius,

I think that I picked Dallas, even though I live in Iggles territory. I did make a few bucks on that game by betting against the spread. I felt that Dallas was, as I sid many weeks ago, not to be counted out even when their backs were to the wall. The eagles had nothing in offense.

We award points in hexadecimal amounts. The fact that offensive and defensive strategies are accomplished in short plays (unlike soccer which is a pure melee between hispanic men), speaks to the strtegy involved. Its easy to pick up and enjoy the whole spectacle without needing skill in a second language(like cricket).

Weve tried soccwer and it just doesnt seem to catch on save a few enclaves of barbarian Irish or Mexicans. Ive attempted to watch soccer and, must say, despite their claim of strategy, all plays are opportunistic based upon where the ball winds up (and most often not by design)

How are your picks doing in the playoffs? I suspect that , based upon upsets,the avergae slate will be like 3 to 2 . Which game ended in a 51/45 score? I pnly watched the Eagle Dallas game on Sat and was otherwise occupied yesterday. This is the week in which the losers played for bragging rights.
Can Dallas continue? Depends on the spreads and the opportunities.

As far as your definition of sin. You didnt even make a decent attempt. You assumed that what you said was what I wished to hear. Thats just idiocy on your part Try some honesty and do go on and define or I shall justdrop the point and move on from your occasional spoor and only discuss sports picks if youre not worthy to afford us a more reasoned post. WHen your poor attempts at cleverness exceed your care for intellectual honesty, I tire quickly of you , since youre just like some drunk lying on a buildings heating grate yelling out at passersby.

You seem to be prepossesd of some opinion that I am waiting for your next attempt at humor and Im really not. Youre mostly pitiable to me since your entire MO on A2k is to hardly ever engage in communication but to lower yourself to engage in insult and contrarian flippant (mostly senseless) tripe. I thin everyone has heard your pet theories over and over. You dont put out anything new and what you write is usually poorly edited and merely attempts to contradict the peron immediately above you. DOnt you get tired of being the constant asshole in threads that dont require a pair of dice?

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Quote:

I did make a few bucks on that game by betting against the spread.

You'll have to explain that fm. From what I saw advertised the spread was 4 start for the Eagles. They lost by a lot more than that. 20 I think. Which on our spread betting is a loss of 16. Even with your fanciful 9 start for the Eagles the loss was 11.

As for the rest of your ranting invective it comes from the same bag as that football rubbish comes from.

You have still not disputed any of the points in my definition of sin. I assume therefore that you accept it but don't like doing and can only vent your speen in frustration. If Christians are frightened of defending their religion on this thread for fear of being addressed in that manner you are unjustified in believing it works with me. I welcome it as it demonstrates how important it is to avoid anti-IDers coming to power.

It is well accepted by psychologists that militant atheism in Christian societies derives from bad experiences in childhood or adolesence at the hands of people associated with religion. It has nothing to do with science. Science has nothing to say about religious beliefs except in regard to the consequences of them.

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@spendius,

Quote:

You'll have to explain that fm. From what I saw advertised the spread was 4 start for the Eagles.

You can bet degrees of "spread". The line was Dallas +9. I bet against the line and picked +11. (Gutsy but I felt fairly confident).

AS far as the rest, Im moving on and will not be revisiting your tripe on this subject of sin. YOU ARE AN INTELLECTUAL COWARD SPENDI

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On the subject of sin, there is a story about Calvin Coolidge attending church with his wife. She asked him afterwards what the sermon was all about. He replied, "It was about sin." She then asked him what the pastor said about that. Coolidge answered, "He said he was against it."

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@farmerman,

Quote:

YOU ARE AN INTELLECTUAL COWARD SPENDI

Another bleeding heart assertion with general application to all opponents who you haven't the nonce to dispute with at any other level.

What do you dispute in my definition of sin? It is you who are the intellectual coward for failing to dispute it and hiding yourself away behind another ridiculous and pointless blurt. And you must be pretty damn stupid to think that is not obvious to readers here whether they dare admit it or not.

Perhaps, if you wish to test your own intellectual fibre, you will take the trouble to study Professor Vitz's book on Freud's Christian Unconscious with special reference to the latter's The Future of an Illusion in Chapter 7 where the emotional energy sources of militant atheism are discussed.

At the time of writing the author was Professor of Psaychology at NYU and holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

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@farmerman,

Quote:

You can bet degrees of "spread". The line was Dallas +9. I bet against the line and picked +11. (Gutsy but I felt fairly confident).

Drivel.

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@spendius,

Here is what you said--

Quote:

Im only going to watch the Philly/Dallas game. The line is still 9 points and I think that its worth a bet on Philly. I dont expect them to win but they will beat the spread this time.

You bet on the Eagles to not get beat by more than 9 which was a figure inflated by yourself anyway. They got beat by 20. A loss of 11. The real market figure was 4. A loss of 16.

And at 2 cents a point it was hardly "gutsy".

You're talking to an ex-bookie here and not a roomful of dizzy co-eds.

1 Reply

@spendius,

I actually bet on Dallas at +11. So whats yer problem. Now youre an ex bookie? Wow. I believe you not much.

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@farmerman,

Before the game you wrote-

Quote:

I think that its worth a bet on Philly.

When the result came in you wrote-

Quote:

I actually bet on Dallas

I don't give a shite whether you believe I have been a bookie. Put $50 grand on it and I'll pay your air fare over here and show you.

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Quote:

Two killer whale types identified
(By Jody Bourton, BBC News, January 5, 2009)

Scientists have revealed that there is not one but two types of killer whale living in UK waters.

Each differs in its appearance and diet, with males of one type being almost two metres longer than the other.

The killer whales could be at an early stage of becoming two separate species, the researchers say.

The international group of scientists has published its results in the journal Molecular Ecology.

"It's exciting to think about two very different types of killer whale in the waters around Britain," says Dr Andy Foote from the University of Aberdeen, UK, who undertook the study.

"Killer whales aren't really a species that we think of as being a regular visitor to Britain, but in fact we have two forms of these killer whales in our waters," he told the BBC.

Scientists have found different forms of killer whale that occupy particular niches in the Pacific and the Antarctic, but this is the first time that they have been described in the North Atlantic.

Dr Andy Foote undertook the study along with colleagues from universities and museums in Denmark and the UK.

Killer whales ( Orcinus orca ), otherwise called orcas, live in family groups called pods.

As the largest member of the dolphin family, killer whales are known for their intelligence and range of hunting behaviours.

There was very little prior to this study to suggest that different types of killer whale would be found in the North Atlantic.

However, Dr Foote and colleagues studied teeth from remains of killer whales stranded over the past 200 years and found a difference in tooth wear.

"We found that one form, which we call 'type 1' had severely worn teeth in all adult specimens," explains Dr Foote.

"The other form, 'type 2', had virtually no tooth wear even in the largest adults."

In the wild, killer whales that "suck up" herring and mackerel display this tooth wear.

Knowing this, the researchers suspected a difference in diet and ecological niche between the two groups.

Using stable isotope analysis that gives clues to the orcas' diet, the scientists found that type 1 is a generalist feeder, consuming fish and seals.

Type 2, on the other hand, is a specialist feeder that scientists suspect exclusively feeds on marine mammals such as small dolphins and whales.

This specialisation for alternate ecological niches has also resulted in a difference in shape and appearance.

"The two types also differed in length, with type 2 adult males being almost two metres larger than types 1 males," Dr Foote says.

The researchers also found that colour, pattern and number of teeth vary between the groups.

Dr Foote says the fish feeding type 1 killer whales are found across the North East Atlantic and around Britain.

The cetacean hunting type 2 killer whales are regularly seen off the west coast of Scotland and Ireland.

Genetic analysis indicates the two types belong to two different populations.

"Type 1 specimens were from closely related populations, but the type 2 whales were more closely related to a group of Antarctic killer whales," Dr Foote explains.

Comparing the findings with studies on killer whales around the world shows that killer whales have radiated to fill different ecological niches.

"It's similar to how Darwin's finches have adapted to different ecological roles in the Galapagos, but on a larger scale," Dr Foote notes.

He suggests this could be an important discovery for the future of the animals.

"They seem to have occupied completely different ecological niches and have started to diverge morphologically. This divergence may eventually lead to the two types becoming different species."

He also recommends the two types be considered "evolutionary significant units" and monitored separately in order to more effectively conserve one of the oceans most charismatic animals.

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@farmerman,

He belongs to an exclusive, snobby book club -- he thinks he is therefore, a bookie.

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