Phi for All

I think "Country First" can't really happen, because each person wanting what *they think* is best for the country is really no different from partisan ideology, it's just wearing more patriotic clothing. Partisanship stinks, imo. It forces people to draw a single line where there should be many lines, and makes them think in terms of black and white instead of many shades of gray. It makes a great idea (a true country-first idea) more difficult to sell to one group if it came from the other. And too often, in a world where time is so precious, it limits access to a broader range of ideas - a partisan tends not to even listen to what the other side is saying, assuming it won't be acceptable. Do partisan Republicans call their party to task for supporting illegal wiretaps which seem to run afoul of the anti-big government platform? Do partisan Democrats cry out when their party deregulates more of the media industry than any Republican administration ever has? Political parties, like countries, should never automatically assume they deserve our trust and support. Like us, they need to earn it every day.

The biblical account of the flood claims it's a global event, and covered the earth to a height of 8 meters above the mountains (Genesis 7:20). To believe this, you need to allow God to break His own physical laws, quadrupling? the amount of water on Earth for a period of forty days, then making the excess drain away somewhere. Without resorting to omnipotence, the global flood from the Bible is not possible.

It's been funny to watch both sides now have to attack the things they praised, or praise the things they attacked, just a short while ago.

I think Newt's cheeks got reddened a bit when Stewart pointed out that Palin was adamant that her daughter's choice to have her child was hers to make and we should all respect that... so that her party can insure that that same choice and respect will be taken away from *your* children.

"Paint my porch," she asked. I did, but it's not a porch. It's a mercedes. ---------------------------------------- When something is pretty but worthless inside, they say it's *gilded*. ----------------------------------------- It's Haiku Potshots! Who's the fairest in the land? A girl named Gilded! ----------------------------------------- "Red Bull gives you wings!" Which makes your sweater look so funny in the back. ----------------------------------------- There's no wrong answer, so I'm just going to say, "Buffalo candle".

I'll bet Viagra was angry Chevy took the slogan, "Like a Rock!" --------------------------------------- Any port in a storm, so they say, but not a really stormy port. --------------------------------------- I'm in a hurry! Will hurling you help you out of my way faster? -------------------------------------------- Those are my donuts. Don't even think about it. This coffee is hot. -------------------------------------------- We need to talk, man. How long you had that sweatshirt? Change is in the air. -------------------------------------------- Wouldn't it be nice if one morning you woke up and I was all rich?

If Country First means putting the good of the US over that of either major party, then I'm all for it. If it means America: Love It or Leave It, then count me out. My country, just like me, has to earn its respect every day. We must deserve our victories. We have a lot to cheer for, and we have a lot to change. I'd be scared if we had too little of either.

Are you sure... Because I thought all of science was about proving a theory wrong. All theories being innocent until proven guilty. Current theories are backed up by lots of predictions, experimental success and relevant data. For a claim which hasn't undergone this process (yet) to usurp the place of an actual theory that works, the claimant must show why it should be so. You need to back up speculations with at least some reason and any supportive evidence you can think of, otherwise the critical answer will always be the same. It shouldn't be hard to see why an established theory gets precedent over an untested idea. Hypotheses work hard to get to the theory level. This isn't about two theories with equal chances of being "innocent".

THERE ARE NO MORE NUTS (not like no more *anywhere*, just here at my place). --------------------------------------------- Dartboards designed to use indeterminacy leave holes in your walls. --------------------------------------------- You made me so mad! I'm calm now that the brick has been heaved. Turn around!

When the new kittens are loose, you can just forget privacy at lunch. ---------------------------------- Speechless at the store. Did he say what the total was? Oh, no he DIDN'T!! ---------------------------------- McDonald's is gar bage. Conveniently revolt ing. It's just not right.

Ride, Haiku Cowboy! All the syllables fit in your ten-gallon hat! Prairie poetry, wheezing and squeezing out of your harmonica. Don't throw your lasso at the saguaro cactus you don't needle that.

My question too. What is the purpose of this paper, to write on, to wrap things with, to wipe more poo on or something else? At a certain point, your market for such a product is going to be very limited, even if you're the only one using it. How much effort would need to go into making such a product inoffensive enough to use?

When you copy/paste an answer directly from another source, please cite the source so we don't think you're trying to plagiarize another writer's work. http://hypertextbook.com/facts/KathrynTam.shtml

That's what the Englishlanders *want* you to think. You must have read some of their early propaganda.

It could go either way, but I think choosing Palin will mean it will go either way by a lot more than if he'd chosen Pawlenty. Palin could swing a lot women voters, but would Hillary supporters like her anti-abortion stance? She isn't a Washington insider and she's got integrity but she's younger and has less experience than Obama, one of the key factors among Obama detractors. She's a good mix for McCain just like Biden was a good choice to balance Obama, but McCain would be the oldest president ever elected to office, making Palin a likely candidate for the highest office within the next four years.

Really gutsy move. I was gonna be worried if he picked Pawlenty. It would have improved the chances of an even split, imo, something we really don't need in any case. With his choice of Palin I think it's going to put a few more percentage points between the two campaigns.

Out of order like there's no power, out of order like you can't make calls, or out of order like ever since you ran over it with your car it doesn't make any noise unless you shake the bag all the pieces are in?

Green liquid, absolutely. And you get the glow with one of these stick anywhere lights stuck to the inside bottom of the beaker.

It can be argued that people who are single (and many intend to stay that way) don't have as much need for funding a child's education through public schools, or for dependent social services, so their tax burden should be less. It can also be argued that education and social services benefit everyone (we all appreciate it when the people we deal with in the marketplace are educated enough to give correct change, or can read the writing on the warehouse carton) and should be taxed across the board. I'd rather pay taxes for programs that work as opposed to taxes for subsidies on products I use very little of (coal and sugar come to mind). Besides, the whole US tax system is weird. Where else besides Internal Revenue can you get 30 different correct answers to the same math problem?

I think we were hoping the rest of you would change to our system, the way you did with English. Even the UK bowed to our mighty will on that.

You know what they say: "Curiosity killed the liver".

We said the same thing about the metric system. Now I know where Americans get our stubborn streak. Being the most sciencey guy I know, I hold you personally responsible for my confusion. [/tongue out-sticking]

I've always hated the pound. Besides being hard to convert, it has such bad connotations. Pounding someone means you're beating them up. Someone pounding on your door is never bringing good news. Stray dogs are taken to the pound, where they're destroyed if they aren't claimed quickly. And the abbreviations for pound are "lb" (two letters that aren't even in the word) and "#", a symbol that most people also equate with "number" or the button that annoys you most when leaving a voice mail. How confusing is *that*?!

My best moment today was actually yesterday afternoon. I was working in my front yard and I saw a girl of about twelve walking her bike down my street. She wasn't from my neighborhood and I'm normally a bit hesitant to approach kids who don't know me, times being what they are, but it looked like her chain had slipped off. I asked her what happened to her bike and she came over and told me she had fallen on her way over to her friend's house. I could see that her knuckles were bloody and her elbow and knee were scraped up on one side. I offered to bandage her up but she said her friend's house wasn't far, so I asked if I could take a look at her bike. Her chain was easy enough to fix and her brake cable had been unseated in the fall so I fixed that too. She was grateful and I was happy for the chance to help out a kid who has probably been inundated with warnings about how evil big strange men are. So often we can't stop to help those in need because we're busy dealing with our own stuff so if felt great to be able to do something positive.

Oh hey, guess what? The technology advances which you seem to be arguing against have already diminished this concern: http://my-solar-panel.blogspot.com/2007/11/solar-panels-for-cloudy-days.html I'm *so* glad there are people out there who are thinking beyond current costs and obstacles like no-sun days. Prices are still quite high TODAY, but we've already covered how mass-production due to increased demand creates competition which lowers costs. Oh hey, guess what? Costs are being lowered in other ways besides mass-production! Who would have thought that human ingenuity could be so ingenious?: http://www.biosolar.com/view_news.php?id=29 I think it's great that, despite whisper campaigns, negative-message marketing and naysayers in general, solar technology moves ahead. I look forward to GMs efforts to produce EVs like the Volt. It's a good transition vehicle and sets the stage for a future in which innovation isn't stifled by the limitations of internal combustion.