Ten oz

History and position in society matter. For example some women may have negative biases against men and perhaps are even vocal about them. That is less threatening or insulting than a man doing the same about women based on history and power. Throughout history men have raped, murdered, and abused millions of women. So comments made by men toward women carry a much heavier meaning. Men are not and have not had any reason to feel oppressed by women. Same goes for any number of issues. If the German Government participated in holocaust denial it would be even more disgusting than Iran doing it. And yes, because of slavery and segregation (which just ended formerly in the 60's) whites in the U.S. have earned a little more scrutiny when it comes to racism. Plus whites are the majority, have the most money, hold the most positions of power, and so on.

I do not understand how the idea of a creator helps simplify anything. All it does is add an all powerful entity to the mix. The universe is still the universe but then add to it an entity that's even more complex and far less observable. How is that helpful? It doesn't clear anything up as it fails to explain where that powerful entity came from or how it controls time and energy. By virtue of those open questions it also fails to explain the universe or life.

I accidentally gave the OP A neg rep point. Can someone please assist me with or direct me in how to remove it? I don't think OP's deserve neg reps points. People should not criticized for sharing a thought.

Some people would dismiss iNow's numbers by saying that blacks are arrested and imprisoned at higher rates because they commit more crime. Yet a look at the most crime ridden states in the United Stated does not reflect direct relationship between crime and race. Top 5 States most crime: 1 - Tennessee 17% black (10th ranked black population in the country) 2 - Nevada 9% black (23rd ranked black population in the country) 3 - Alaska 4% black (34th ranked black population in country) 4 - New Mexico 2.5% black (39th ranked black population in country) 5 - South Carolina 28% black (5th ranked black population in country) Crime by state - http://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/85649-fbi-releases-figures-for-top-10-states-for-violent-crime State demographics - http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html States with most blacks - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_African-American_population The 3 states with the highest population of blacks are (in order) Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia. None of the three are in the top ten states for crime statistics. Despite that all 3 are in the top ten for incarceration rate with Louisiana and Mississippi being #1 and #2. There are only 2 states that are even on the both lists (crime rate and incarceration rate) Florida and South Carolina. So there isn't even a direct connection between crime rates and incarceration rates. incarceration rate by state - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_incarceration_rate Of course for the sake of making an argument some might try to put the goal post on wheels and demand a comparison between counties, cities, individual neighborhoods, specific city streets, or even specific housing complexes in an attempt to find favorable numbers. However if there is a direct relationship statistically that relationship would need to be consistently shown across the country and not merely in a handful of carefully selected spots.

The cover up of JFK......of course not. I was referencing climate denial and billionIre suppurt of fake movements as examples of wealthy powerful people conspiring to minipulate the public. I was not imply the political right as it exists today had anything to do with JFK's death. I was explaining that I believe conspiracy is possible. I don't really have the information to make any claims about the JFK assassination.

Yes, this is a science forum and a comparative look at policing in the United States vs other countries reveals that the United States has a far more intrusive system. The Police shoot and kill far more people per capita than any country in the E.U.. The United States has far more prison inmates per capita than any country in the E.U.. Yet there is not far more nor are the police in far more dangerous than countries in the E.U.. Then there is the fact that blacks make up disproportional percentage of those killed or arrested within the United States system which is provable bigger and more active than elsewhere. It becomes undeniable that there is something going on. It is undeniable the U.S. system is more harsh on blacks than what other "free" people worldwide are experiencing.

@ Willie71 The first forum I every joined back in 2003 was a political one. It started off fairly moderate but quickly became conservative. They took the whole place over. I stayed long as I could but I eventually started questioning my own sanity for wasting my time. They were in there to burn the place down and lord over the ashes. So I stopped posting. What I took away from my many exchanges was that they are not interested in what's real, helpful, or logical. To them it is like war or a fight where life and death hangs in the balance. They strive to spare themselves injury the way any of us would if being physically threatened. They apply that most basic fight or flight instinct to ideas and theories. Mexicans, Atheists, Scientist, and etc are things that they feel threaten their existence. So any argument that they feel is clever will do. Name calling as sarcasm serves as a legit debate long as they all team up in support of it. Through it all I never found any of the rhetoric sincere. Their wants are sincere their reasoning isn't. They just want what they want because they want it.

I have never given the JFK conspiracy serious thought. Though the older I get the more all conspiracies seem possible. A modern example would be the way conservative media can blatantly lie and distort the truth without any blow back. The depth of the people involved is amazing. Whether it is finding scientist to write BS research papers or getting billionaires to fund birth certificate scandals the right has an infrastructure able to place huge amounts of energy behind anything they choose. Surely they aren't the first incarnation of that. There must have been others and must be others still.

I think intelligence is a very subjective thing. Humans are the understood champions of intelligence and yet we are knowingly and willfully destroying our own habitat putting the safety and stability of our species in jeopardy. Just as research is most reliable when reviewed by many perhaps our scale for intelligence will be a better gauged when something other than just humans have a say?

@ Dekan, here in the united states there are several sporting, travel, and food channels on TV that show people hunting, fishing, farming, and preparing animals. If you want to see animals being killed by humans you'll have no problem finding several shows 24/7. Move over in U.S. politics it is normal for candidates to do photo ops of themselves hunting animals to appeal to voters. Killing animals for sport is that popular. Bizarre Foods for example is a very popular food show where the host regularly drinks the blood of freshly killed animals, eats live fish/reptiles, and the death of animals is repeated shown episode after episode. As for movies the media has changed over the years. To make movies more entertaining animals have become more interactive. Modern special effects now allow humans to do combat vs animals. So rather than seeing a hunter just go out and shoot a slow lumbering animal we see duels where men do battle vs Bears, lions, sharks, crocodiles, and etc. the Humans still prevail and the animals still die. Jaws, The Edge, Anaconda, The Ghost and the Darkness, and Lake Placid are but a popular few movie title where humans duel and ultimately defeat animals.

@ Dekan, The argument that animals kill each other there for it is ethical for humans to kill animals is a weak one. For starters predators in the wild are rather discriminating. Nothing in nature kills the range of life humans do. Animals also almost exclusively kill out of necessity. Not for fun or experiment. And as Physica has already pointed out there are any number of things that happen in nature that would be unethical for humans to do like rape. As for the OP's question about experimenting on animals; I am on the fence. We (humans) are able to engineer the design large and complicated vehicles, structures, and equipment virtually as it would be too expensive and impracticable to just build 10 different Golden Gate Bridges to figure out which one works. Of course over time we experience failures and learn from them. It we can do that with engineering why can't we do that with animal testing? It would seem it comes down to money. If the cost to experiment on animals was equal to the cost of building a full scale prototype jet fighter I think people would be more careful and organized about how it was done. Perhaps even finding alternative tests to run so to not need animals at all. So while I am not against animal testing out right I would like to see many more restrictions put in place that force those seeking to test on animals to do so in the most efficient way possible.

I think it is worth pointing out that while the media would lead us to belief there is an ongoing war on the streets between black youths and police where police are being targeted and have no choice but to response with overwhelming force. The truth is Police haven't been safer in decades.

Lets just agree that we mostly agree?

^^^^Which is why I posted that the ones that believe the rhetoric are ignorant. Though you just made a compelling argument for insane.

It you follow the Stock Market you know that across the board nearly every stock that has anything to do with Cuba went soaring following Obama's announcement. That is a reflection of an anticipation of more business. http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/12/17/stocks-with-cuban-exposure-jump-after-obama-moves-to-restore-relations-with/ an example of how it matters: "Toronto-based Sherritt is the largest independent natural resources company in Cuba and operates the Moa nickel mine in the eastern part of the Caribbean island state. Due to the Cuban origin of its nickel and cobalt, the company is currently unable export to the United States, even though the metals are refined in western Canada. "If the embargo were to be lifted, we could export some of that nickel and cobalt into the U.S. market, which is obviously one of the biggest markets in the world," CEO Pathe said in an interview. "It would also give us access to U.S. suppliers for mining equipment and supplies and services for our oil and gas industries." The company derives nearly three-quarters of its revenue from operations in Cuba and about 95 percent of its revenue from its metals business. "Opening banking and diplomatic relations between Cuba and the U.S. could lift a layer of uncertainty off Sherritt's operations in that country," TD Securities analyst Greg Barnes said in a note to clients." http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/17/sherritt-intl-cuba-idUSL3N0U150120141217?type=companyNews Being able to use U.S. investors and buy U.S. mining equipment with allow this Canadian company to produce more and at a cheaper price. This impacts there position globally.

I never implied the U.N. had a moral high ground. My point is that our (USA) embargo of Cuba is not over Human Rights. I never said that trade was zero. I said that USA greatly influences what that trade looks like and it does. I already supported my position. Canada and the EU would have even more trade if not for the Embargo and Helms-Burton which is why both countries bother to protest it. If it was/is as toothless as you suggest there would be no point on fighting over it. I am not implying the United States is abusing Cuba. I am simply saying that the I believe the embargo has run its course. It was put in place in a different era based on Cuba's proximity to the U.S. at a time when the cold war was at its hieght. It no longer serves a useful purpose and is a thorn of disagreement between the U.S. and the U.N., E.U, and the WTO.

I am an athiest because I do not know of a single good reason to believe in a god(s). Does that mean I have proof that there isn't a god, of course not. However lack of proof against something is not in of itself proof of anything. As for the whole right place and right time thing I see it as a fallacy. Life will always be best suited for the enviroment where it is born and involved. It defies logic to imagine otherwise. So it is not mind blowing that life on earth is best suited for earth. It is a given. As for why earth is its size, in its orbit, and etc those are all meaningless qualities. They only seem special because you (we) evolved here. Also with trillions of planets in the universe it is not difficult to imagine the earth's current circumstance being amongst them. There are planets of all sizes, ages, and orbits out there.

It is unfortunate how tied to money humans have made everything. As a thought experiment tried to imagine contructing the best cabin I could imagine. Free of any concerns about costs. I was not able to do it. I continuously caught myself considering various materials as impractical becasue of their cost. While certian key infrastructure decisions seemed almost impossible to make without considering future or reoccurring costs. Money governs all. The greatest technological discovery in the world will only be cared about if it can make someone lots of money. As technology has made many things easier for humans we have made things needless difficult for ourselves. Soon as we find away to relieve 2 hours of work from our 8hr work day we are arguing about how to to fill that 2 hours with more work. The issue isn't really Jobs; it is money. Technology easing human labor would be a universally acknowledged great thing if not for the income loss to workers. Perhaps in the furture less people will work. Perhaps pay will be higher to accomidate that. Perhaps humans will be free to invent, study, and be altruistic.

@ the OP, I recently started a thread about consciousness as well. Mine was centered around the biology of it. It didn't generate any interest however. It appears the philosophical angle is more interesting to members. http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/86989-consciousness/ The Why am I here question is an interesting one. I do not agree it is the question anyone (I assume you meant anything) with sufficient self awareness asks. I don't believe asking questions goes hand in hand with consciousness. All life is conscious in that all life reacts to its surroundings displaying a modicum of awareness of an external enviroment. Yet we don't assume many life forms other than humans ask "why am I here". Certianly all the various mamals in the tree of human evolution were conscious. So when did the question first get asked? And if only a small minority of only the highest of intelligent animals are even capable of such a question how do you define "sufficiently self aware"? I would argue that humans uniquely self aware to the point of a God complex. We are so aware of ourselves that our existence in and of itself drives a belief in something even greater still. Why am I here is a narcissistic question. Perhaps self importance is a trade mark of a certian level of intelligence? This is not an attack. I am commenting on all humans not merely your question. As a human I too am a big fat narcissist compared to other life forms.

I think the impact of the embargo is not fully being addressed in these responses. Cuba can trade with countries other than the United States however there is pressure put on countries not to do so. The Helms - Burton Act for example: "is a United States federal law which strengthens and continues the United States embargo against Cuba. The act extended the territorial application of the initial embargo to apply to foreign companies trading with Cuba, and penalized foreign companies allegedly "trafficking" in property formerly owned by U.S. citizens but confiscated by Cuba after the Cuban revolution. The act also covers property formerly owned by Cubans who have since become U.S. citizens." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helms%E2%80%93Burton_Act . "The EU challenged the embargo in 1996, launching a trade dispute at the World Trade Organization against the U.S. Helms-Burton law, which took aim at non-U.S. companies that did business with Cuba. A panel of adjudicators was appointed but the EU suddenly backed down, a decision WTO experts say was prompted by fears that Washington would invoke the national security defense -- a legitimate WTO get-out clause that has never yet been used." http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/us-cuba-usa-wto-idUSKBN0JW26G20141218 The United States is a global economic and military power. Our allies and trading partners don't just ignore our restrictions and openly trade with Cuba. We (USA) have outlined what is and is not acceptable in regards to Cuba and the world follows. Cuba is not a large enough place for anyone to risk damaging their relationship with the U.S. over it. So dispite objections from the WTO, U.N., and the E.U. most us our (USA) restrictions are respected. We (USA) play a major role in all trade in and out of Cuba. It is not simply a matter of the United States not trading with Cuba but outside of that the world community can do whatever they want. As for the human rights side of things. The United States does business with countries like Saudi Arabia where children are executed, women do not share equal rights under law, guest workers are treated akin to slaves, and so on. http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/saudi-arabia?page=3 Meanwhile the the world community views our (USA) embargo against Cuba as a human rights issue in itself. The United Nations has voted numerous times that it violates international law and is a Human rights concern: "The UN General Assembly has, since 1992, passed a resolution every year condemning the ongoing impact of the embargo and declaring it to be in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.[2] Human rights groups including Amnesty International,[2]Human Rights Watch,[14] and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights[15] have also been critical of the embargo." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba

I personally see the recent shootings as a gun and mental health issue no more related to the "hands up" & "I can't breathe" movements than James Holmes was related to the production of the The Dark Knight Rises. When the 2 neo-conservative supporters of Cliven Bundy killed 2 police officers in Las Vegas earlier this year it did nothing to change the national dialogue surrounding the political issues of those militia groups. These shootings (NYC and Tampa) should not be confused with the ongoing protests.

^^I agree but have a caveat. I would like to know how DNA is created. I think such would have huge technological potential. Another thing I think is missed and believe you may have alluded to is that whether or not life happens is one in a trillion or one in ten is irrelevant. Fact is it has happened.

We (USA) still follows the monroe doctrine to a large degree. We (USA) view the Americas as exiting under our purview. It is why our Coast Guard operates around the entire continent and we freeze relations to countries like Cuba or Venezuela who partner with nonamerican world powers. The embargo started because of Castro's relationship with the former Soviet Union. "President John F. Kennedy issued the Cuban embargo on February 7, 1962 after years of tense diplomatic relations and Castro’s increasingly close relationship with the Soviet Union. White House lore has it that just before authorizing the embargo Kennedy purchased 1,200 hand-rolled Cuban cigars for himself. The Cuban embargo is seen by some as a relic of the Cold War, but also as the result of an overly aggressive adherence to the Monroe Doctrine." http://harvardpolitics.com/world/reexamining-cuban-embargo/

Just read through this whole thread and am glad to see that acme and Moontanman brought DNA into the discussion. When people say life has never been created by science in a lab DNA is the keystone they are referencing whether they realize it or not. Amino acids and proteins have been created in a lab however without DNA to organize and structure those organics there isn't life. So all the back and forth about chemical reactions and proteins are somewhat meaningless. Random versus nom-random too is a bit of a bottomless pit as everything has a pattern (weather, moon cycles, the earth's , etc). So randomness can be tricky to define in this conversation. The real question here imo is how does RNA then DNA form from scratch? I think science has already accounted for the rest of what is necessary for life.

I am glad to see U.S. and Cuba relations improving. The embargo has been hard on the people living in Cuba. Regardless of communism or any other attribute applied negatively toward Cuban leadership it does not justify denying a sovereign nation the right to self governance and fair global competition. There are many countries in the world who through the mistreatment of women, labor , and neighbors are far worse human rights abusers than Cuba. Human rights and the welfare of Cuban people is not and has not been what the embargo's about. It's about the monroe doctrine and Cuba's proximity to the U.S..