bombus

I think calling the Democratic party Left is stretching it a little. Slightly less Right would be more accurate. There are no left wing parties (with any hope of getting elected) in the US.

The middle east isn't to blame as its a region made up of many innocent individuals trying to live like everyone else in the world. The leaders are to blame for some things, but remember, most of them were put in place by the West - including Saddam Hussein! The reason why the West hates Iraq is because they overthrew the western puppet (the Shah) and replaced him with someone they wanted who was extremely anti western (the Ayatolloh), because the west had toppled Mossadegh and stirred up anger. I am no fan of either the Shah or the Ayatollah, but it was the West that toppled Mossadegh who led to them both. Its a mess the west created - as usual. So, who is really to blame? I'm not anti american, I'm anti capitalist as just leads to wars and suffering. I'm not a communist either mind! Loads, and it would take up most of this site! But hey, you should be finding this stuff out, not getting me to tell you! Why not subscribe to New Internationalist magazine or something - really! Yup, the american people (your average joes) are just as messed about as anyone else. Your taxes pay for these wars and the profits go to the rich. It's a con and the US citizens are being conned too. Americans are among the most sincere, kind and caring people in the world, but are in general kept in the dark about what's really going on (as most in the west are). It's your leaders that are to blame - and it's not like you're given much choice in those. Yup, and make even more when they own even more oil fields. The rich ARE the US Government! That's the point. You could do some research on the backgrounds of all your major politicians! You'll be surprised... I don't blame the US. I blame the companies, many of which are multinationals, but they have the power to manipulate Governments. Firstly I do. Secondly, its the application of occams razor anyway. Look at the situation and try any explanations you like. This fits perfectly, and we know its been done before, (in Central and South America, in Korea, in Vietnam and Cambodia, in Afghanistan, etc etc etc) so why stop now? The US is unfairly blamed when it's really just capitalism, but the US is the most capitalist and powerful economy (for now) and so has the most influence. It's a bit like in riots when they always target McDonalds as a symbol of all that's wrong with capitalism. On your other point, what about Northern Ireland? What about the London bombings? All home grown, Brits killing Brits. Its not about a free pass. Its just that you have to look at why the situation is what it is before you can really make judgements about what should be done. Well, like I said, the governments of many of these countries were put in power, or sustained by the West. The people of the middle east are really nice too in the main, and they get ripped off too. However, one thing. Saddam Hussein was an evil bully, and ruled Iraq with an iron fist, but life for most citizens was actually OK so long as they kept their heads down and didn't try to overthrow him. Not ideal I know, but miles better than what they have now, and no different to Franco in Spain in the 1970's - and we didn't bomb madrid, no, we just went on holiday there and drank Sangria!

Iran aren't really hostile to us Brits. Cold maybe (and with good reason) but not hostile. The politicians have very little say. Its their advisers who are unelected and stay even when the governments change that have the real power. They plan a long long way ahead. e.g. the plan for the american 21st century - that Rumsfeld and his pals developed. This Iraq situation started in 1990 - its the same war. Appeasement an option with Hitler. If we had been more diplomatic and 'nice' to Germany after WW1, he'd never have risen to power.

No, it's not in any way ludicrous. Its absolutely possible, and actually the ultimate end point of capitalism. My arguement is just that it is where we came from. Socialist ideas did good stuff (first from Biblical teachings in Victorian times, and then from the Socialist movement) like set up pensions, health service, public utilities and all that, but this is all now being reversed by unbridled capitalism. Forward to the 1840's! I was once speaking about anarchism and this ultra young conservative piped up, saying how he was in favour of anarchism as it was the perfect situation for capitalism to thrive. Scary stuff!

Evil? This isn't Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings!

They are in no way heroes! They weren't even in any danger, and were bound to be released, I can't understand what the fuss was all about. The Western public are just being buttered up for war agaist Iran, in about 10 years time, once sanctions bite and their army is to weak to fight - just like what happened in Iraq.

That makes two of us in this mad world. I think we are copying the USA though, they've had this system for years!

Some would argue that women in the West are victims of their own oppression. I can't be bothered to explain to you why, find out yourself. To say you have no love for the middle east when you know so little about it shows just how niaive you are. I assume you have been brought up on a diet of anti Iranian news, and you probably aren't aware of the other side of the story. Did you know (for example) that in the 80's the USA shot down an Iranian civilian airliner killing all passengers - and never apologised? I think you are a good example of why scientists should stay out of politics! Sorry if I sound a little irrate - I am!

If diplomacy, restraint and mutual respect had been in place after WW1, Hitler would never have risen to power. Once he was in power, war was invevitable. What the West is doing in the middle east is creating the conditions for extremist leaders to thrive. We are creating the conditions for War. Why would any sane Government want to do this? Well, the answer is PROFIT There was a lot more going on than just slavery issues that caused the American Civil War, as I'm sure you know. And what is slavery anyway? - A manifestation of a lack of respect for other people. Also, it was a war that could actually be won (like WW2) involving essentially two 'states' with armies, generals etc etc etc. The current wars we are involved with can never be won (unless we kill all the civilians as well!) because they create new recruits on the enemy side faster than they are killed. But, of course, that suits the war profiteers just fine!

Oh yes you are! It's no conspiracy, it's just plain fact! The companies rule the USA. They own your president, all your services and your media. Your government is nothing more than the standing committee for the companies, and your military is the armed wing of the companies. You have such poor democracy in the USA that you have only two parties to vote for, and they are both virtually identical albeit with a few frilly fringes of difference. And even when elections are lost, they can be won by manipulating the results! The USA is a good example of why totalitarian regimes needn't bother! Just set up a sham democracy and the public will never realise they have no say, except in the most trivial of issues! Not that the UK is much different mind you, but as we are less powerful the effects are much less. Don't you know what the the current Iraq war is all about? And don't say 'oil' - its far more worrying than that!

That's fine. You're just wrong that's all.

Wrong! Everyone wins.

To resort to force or the use of force is real weakness. To say that diplomacy is a failure is completely wrong. It is war that is the failure. In case you are too young to remember, there was a civil war going on in Northern Ireland for 30 years. It solved nothing and led to misery for all involved. Diplomacy, restraint and mutual respect has lead to peace, and will maintain peace into the future. The USA resorts to warfare because it is a country controlled by those that profit from war. It's a common misconception that the USA 'run the world'. They mess up the world actually. It's only the power of the dollar (because of its use in the oil business) that maintains US 'dominance'.

What little you trust Iran indeed! You have no idea what you are talking about! You have no idea how the world is run, and what it's all really about. I suppose you have no idea that the USA prior to this kidnapped eight Iranian diplomats and is holding them with absolutely no charges and no legal aid, or even access to the outside world! I suggest you read more sonny!

Yeah of course it would work. It's called feudalism and serves the rich and powerful very well. The rest of us, however, would be forced to eat sh*t and like it.

Kiwi in Denmark eating a, a, um...an Ilex berry...(ahem)

Well, if time travel (back and forward) is possible this 'complexity' would be needed in order to prevent 'problems'. You could of course be right, and time travel is simply impossible, but if it is possible, it would probably need this 'complexity' to work. Its also similar to certain theories on reality and conciousness that stem from Quantum Theory - I'm sure I don't have to explain why, you guys know all of that stuff don't you...

Neurons might operate at the quantum scale (or the microtubules might at any rate) - in fact that is exactly what Hammeroff and Penrose are suggesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_consciousness IMHO Conciousness is the ability to affect the movement/states of sub-atomic particles - it's a micro form of telekenisis. It's this ability that gives us free will. Of course I cannot prove any of this!! Either that or we're just in it for the ride - a horrible thought!

The AAH is part of the story. There is ssooo much evidence supporting it, I can't be at all bothered to start listing it here, but the point is, and it has been well made above, is that the AAH does not in any way exclude the other theories (Savannah and Neotenic), and in fact supports them too as it explains the things they don't. I guarantee in 50 years time it will be one of the most accepted theories...

The proboscis monkey has a flap over the nose to prevent water entering via the nostrils when swimming. It has become a sexy to other proboscis monkeys! Actually the proboscis monkey is heralded by AAH supporters as evidence for the theory.

I've only just moved from a place half way up a mountain that only had an open fire! I had to wear thermals and woolly hats indoors in winter - but you are right, you do get used to it and now I can't stand really warm houses. I don't want to still have numb fingers when i type though! I will take the advice though, boiler on low and radiators on high. Thanks!

Dominant species? What does that mean? There were always far more insects and even more bacteria etc etc, and what about plants? Anyway, that aside, it could be argued that dinosaurs didn't all die out. Birds are really a form of dinosaur. In fact its very difficult to determine exactly what separates the birds from the dinosaurs. Maybe dinosaurs were partially warm blooded i.e., on their way to developing full warm bloodedness, and a cooling climate (or a bolide impact) helped lead to their demise as they got too cold. I.e., reptiles survived because they could go into torpor and don't need much energy to survive, birds could fly to food sources, were small and were totally warm blooded and insulated by feathers, but dinosaurs, stuck in a half-way house, died out. Also, genetic experiments on bird embryos shows that they still have the genes for teeth, it's just that these genes are turned off, so when global warming hits home and temperatures rise to what they were in the Jurrasic Period, it might favour dinosaurs again and not mammals, and they may come back (from birds).

This is exactly what I thought, but I have been told by a central heating guy that it is best to have your boiler on max (so that it heats the water as quickly as possible and then turns off) and the radiators on as low as they can be to produce the temp you want. The thing is both answers seem credible! My central heating system is quite old and non-pressurized and there is no thermostat in the house - I'm not sure if that makes a difference to the answer. When it packs up I'll replace it with a condensing boiler system, but the question would still remain - which is the most efficient??

OK Chaps, can you apply your knowledge to something practical? Is it more efficient to have ones boiler on high and the radiators on low, or the other way around. Apparently the answer isn't as straightforward as one would assume. Bombus

I disagree. The question is not whether you can go back in time and kill your father (I'd say yes), it is whether after doing so can you go forward in time to the same place you left (I'd say no!) If you went back in time and killed your father, you would live in a universe where you went back in time and killed your father, who would never live and never have you, but you'd know that he did once and you were born, enabling you to go back in time, except that all the necessary events would no not occur, but you would still exist as you would know the true 'history'. I see time and events like branches of a tree - infinite branches on an infinitely long tree! Time travel would be a totally personal experience. You'd know the truth but of course wouldn't be able to prove a thing!