Royston

Hehe, I'll remember that for tomorrow morning, trouble is my managers pretty attractive...imagining her in my bedroom 'whip cracking' hmmm, thanks ! Can't wait.

I do feel privileged having access to this 100% accurate, model of prediction...but what if this all-powerful insight falls into the wrong hands. Amod, I think you should be very careful whom you divulge this information to.

I'm not sure if anyone else has the following problem, or if there's some scientific explanation for it but nevertheless it's annoying. Since working full time (roughly 10 years now) I wake up on a weekday to go to work, feeling like I really need more sleep for the first ten minutes to half an hour of getting up. My alarm wakes me during the week, and it's turned off at the weekend. When Saturday morning comes around, I wake up roughly round the same time, bright and alert and ready to embrace the day. I don't understand, I certainly don't dread going to work, (in fact I look forward to it most days) and I'm getting less sleep over the weekend...and when I could really do with a lie in, I seem to have bags of energy. I wish I could somehow reverse the way I feel when waking up on a weekday, to how I feel when waking on a weekend. During the week I have to shove my head under a cold tap, and have an oversize cup of tea to get going. Any ideas why this is ?

Boooo, I have a penis that agrees with health and safety issues, how boring. As for the dog tails, it does seem incredibly daft for the reasons you stated, but it's not really through belief of one sort or another, so it's not such a sensitive issue (no pun intended) by disputing it. I think the problem is putting this whole thing in perspective...I'm quite suprised at some people attacking Jewish practices (it seems acting on emotions.) I have to agree with Ecoli...to an extent, it's not that big a deal. I don't think I've ever heard anyone being bothered about not having a fore skin...and as for Bascules comments, I can guarantee sex is no worse with or without a foreskin, otherwise I think there would of been some pretty hard evidence (no pun intended, again) that this is the case.

Sorry for going off topic, but why are people cutting dog tails off...are they trying to palm them off as some rare breed of manx dog ? Is this due to a certain belief ?

I think the quicker men and women realise that they act very similar in relationships to any given situation the better. One example, I remember listening to women at work complaining about their hubbies moaning about being ill, then 5 minutes later they're the ones complaining about minor ailments they have...men and women seem to moan about exactly the same things, and moan about the other half moaning about exactly the same things. I'll just throw another moan in for good measure, make that two...moan. I know that's a huge generalization, but to me there seems to be an element of truth there. Sorry to Transdecimal for going off topic, and good luck ! Hope your infatuation isn't unfounded.

Thanks Martin, I'll be sure to check the conference out. I had a sneaky suspicion string-theory was losing popularity, IIRC there were some new findings concerning dark-matter which threw a spanner in the works to. Though the details were too technical for me to understand why this was so. I've been too busy with study to of followed recent developments in physics, and although it'll be a while before I can understand any technicalities, it's good to get a flavour of which direction we're heading, and what theories are gaining a good reputation. Sorry for going off topic, GrandmasterK.

Oh dear, how did I miss that, it was in the post above mine.

Carbon

Of course, how stupid on my part I just turn cold whenever I look at papers on string theory. I also don't like the fact they'll never be observed (though also true of the inside of black holes), but hey, that'll be something to live with, if string theory becomes a reality.

I think the line of reasoning is that being circumcised hasn't really harmed 'anyone.' I don't agree with inflicitng pain on anything, but it's a matter of putting things in perspective. You can't draw a line on suffering, it's impossible. As I grew up I had bandages on my hands and legs because I was constantly bleeding, I had open sores all over my body...I don't now thank God, but I thought nothing of it at the time. I just got used to it. I was an 'innocent' kid, and as much as it pained my parents, that's what I was used to. The OP was saying is circumcision 'right' and personally I can't see anything wrong with it. It's done me no harm, and because 'I would never inflict pain on my son or daughter' is such a moot point, because you don't know when your inflicting 'real' pain on your siblings...so a few seconds pain that they'll forget means nothing.

Neither do I, a few seconds of pain, then it's all over...what's the problem. Just because it's been inflicted through a belief it's caused contention, but so what, there's much more intense suffering that has no aim whatsoever. We don't live in a world of pillows, so I don't understand why such a quick operation that a child probably doesn't even remember is an issue.

But I don't, like I said it's relatively quick, and compared to some religious practices it's really nothing to worry about...even beneficial. I think you'll be shocked if you googled infibulation, then tell me circumcision is inhumane. There's a whole myriad of ways of dealing with physical pain, I grew up with a severe skin disorder where I woke up most nights with blood all over my bed...I thought nothing of it, but my parents were mortified with what they saw. It all depends how you look at it.

Oh...sorry, though I did say certain religions, I wasn't specific as to which ones. Perhaps I should of given some examples.

Circumcision isn't limited to the Jewish religion.

Well I'm not sure of the strength of string theory at the moment...there's a part of me that wants it debunked when I finish my degree, because A. the maths are completely over my head, and B. strings can never be observed, and I'm wondering if maths can be manipulated to a point that they can fit observations without actually being the true picture.

I'm not entirely sure what your question is, but if your noodle is being over cooked, google 'dark energy' and the 'cosmological constant', it may explain a few things. As for cause...nothing then something, well there's plenty of theories for that, they're all debatable but feasible, but for now it's outside of science.

There's a life size model at the 'Natural History Museum' in London, if you want to get the size of a blue whale in perspective...they're HUGE. I'm not sure I buy that they've eaten giant squid, they've adapted to feed on plankton and daphnia...hence their teeth, they act as filters.

I'm sure that's what I had as a baby, when robbed of the bishops hat. I think the contention is, in certain religious practices there's no use of anaesthetic. This seems unnecessary if you ask me, but compared to infibulation it's relatively harmless, and quick.

There's now a half eaten sausage roll in the bin next my desk.

If you are truly infatuated, yeah...stay away. It's more than likely (although I don't really know you) that you'll come across as dependant on that person, which'll scare 'em off...wait for the feelings to pass so you can think rationally about it. There was a time recently where I wanted to ask a girl out at work, the more I put it off the more I seemed to like her...until I was this gibbering wreck everytime she was in the same room as me. So through my cowardice I became almost infatuated with her...I did ask her out in the end, but she had a boyfriend, and now I don't have a clue what I saw in her. If I hadn't built things up in my head so much, I would of been fine. Ok, that kind of contradicts what I said, but if you give it some time you'll probably see things a little clearer...and not turn into the ravenous beast I turned into.

Dave, Cap'n Refsmmat, thanks for looking into it so promptly.