john5746

This may prove difficult' date=' since the universe as we know it doesn't allow going below zero. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_zero We can imagine going 100 times faster than the speed of light, etc. That doesn't mean it is possible.

It isn't so much about how the "world" feels about us, it is about if our actions will be justified. If we cannot justify our own actions, we may end up hating ourselves. It looks like Iran has a stupid leader who is saying very stupid, outrageous things. So far, this is talk, so it should be handled with talk. I would be asking all these other Arab countries to condemn the SOB and his comments.

This topic was much more important to me when I was a teenager. I think I was concerned about the girl having more experience then me. I don't think I was more attracted to a virgin, but I didn't want to marry a slut. Insecurity in both cases I think.

When a girl becomes a woman, she menstruates. That is a clear signal that she can conceive and is a virgin(or should be?) ready to be mated. When the hymen is broken, there is blood - another indication. This is true in all cultures. It behoves the culture to peacefully pass virgins off as soon as possible to a male for mating, you then have marriage so there is less fighting between males. So, it might not be best for an individual male, who would want to screw every female, but it would be best for society, where the number of males satisfied are maximized

That would make sense to me. I was looking for a real physical attribute that would make the female more attractive. I don't see cavemen worrying about their great-great-great-great...grandson becoming the President of the US, there would need to be a physical spark. If men are more attracted to virgins instinctively, I think that it is the effect from some other cause, not the other way around. I guess I can see it being instinct, but I can also see it being cultural. Is being suspicious of a used car instinct or culture?

Yes - society, i.e not instinct. Now, if we were running around examining hymens then maybe that would be an argument.

Swansont answered it: Your genes get passed on with your offspring. But, I don't think pre-historic man or other mammels would be concerned about their genes getting passed on or a women's virginity. I think the obsession with virginity is completely social, it isn't very apparent physically as to wheather a woman is a virgin.

You'll find similar results in the Soviet Union also. I think people have the perception that under a dictatorship or communism or theocracy that everyone just feels oppressed all the time. I think on the most part, people just try to make a living and get by as best they can. A fat belly is more important than a say in your government for most I think. It looks like things are getting better, but for many, maybe not as well as three years ago. Hey, that is true for some in the US. As long as we are there, we will be blamed for the problems, but will get no thanks for anything good. Isn't that how government is perceived in the US?

I voted no, since we have learned from Iraq. But, if there is another terrorist attack, and it can be blamed on Iran.... who knows. I would look to see if the Admin tries to blame more problems in Iraq on Iran. If the situation starts to clear up in Iraq, then we might find ourselves trying to defend Iraq from Iran!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/3515308.html http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175842,00.html It happens, but I would say the chances of that happening and the chances of an innocent person being executed are in the same ballpark. Given the choice, I would opt for the convict doing the killing, rather than the state. I don't think the death penalty deters murders, but I think it sure does deter other crimes - who is going to sneak drugs into Singapore? But, that is very heavy-handed IMO. I doubt it really helps the surviving victims in the long run either. So, I am left with economics. I hate the idea of these guys living off of my money. So, I would propose that all maximum-security convicts have to do some sort of work or community service. Writing children's books would qualify.

I think Arnold made the correct decision. When the jury passed the death penalty, it wasn't passed with a loophole for good behavior. He was allowed time to redeem some of his deeds and find purpose in his life, that was mercy enough IMO. I understand the arguments opposing the death penalty and would have no problem getting rid of it completely, but see no reason to give him special consideration.

I think increasing armed Air Marshall's has probably been the best deterent to a repeat attack. It is costly, so hopefully they can reduce the number as more countermeasures are placed into action. A bullet hole will not explosively decompress and airplane - that is a myth. From the articles I have read, I think the Marshalls acted correctly. The woman should be charged. That man was a threat and should never have taken the plane. Maybe they could put a big red tag on mentally sick passengers, but the mentally sick would sue and a terrorist would probably try to utilize this method to get in under the radar. I see no real remedy, people need to understand that they must listen and obey police and not take a flight if they are not under command of their mental capacities.

As stated previously, many genes are involved. We have replaced instincts with learning in some cases, allowing flexible adjustments to environment within a generation, but I don't see how this would be beneficial with sex. The goal of sex is pretty simple, to procreate. You might as well expect someone to have to learn how to breathe or pee. Not a distinct advantage there.

Yes, journalism has joined other media in the dumbing down trend. Talk radio and talk shows started the trend. Many people think ALL news is slanted one way or the other, so they watch THEIR side of things. They place PBS as far left as Limbaugh is right. Then you have shows like Crossfire, Hardball, Hannity and Combs, etc. where you have people "interviewed" by a biased person. They try to make every issue a black and white opinion, so they can slam the other side and pull in the viewers. It is harder to draw emotion to complex ideas and issues. That is why politics in general has become so vitrolic. Most political races, issues, etc become an "us against them" deal. Emotion trumps intellect anytime. As mentioned in other posts, we should strive to be congenial in our arguments, but this also requires being congenial in listening to arguments. If you look to be offended by a differing opinion, it will most surely happen.

Memos like that give you a glimps into how he might read the constitution, but most people tend to slide toward individual rights when they get on the Court. He doesn't come across as an idealogue to me, sure he will have opinions ands votes I dislike, but seems to be reasonable.

Meanwhile, the kids go home, sit in front of the TV and eat fast food.

I agree with the transportation, but this is government size, not method. I still think the foundation should be for the individual not society. In America, we focus too much on the individual and in China, maybe they focus too much on the society. So, both systems compensate for their weakness. I don't think a Google or Dell will be created as readily with the system you are promoting. Yes, the pie may be shared more equitably, but the overall pie will be smaller. I think of government as analagous to inventory. Inventory is a waste, pure and simple. It is a necessary waste, to insure things go smoothly, but should be minimized not maximized. In fact, inventory covers up production problems, which makes them harder to detect and solve. By reducing inventory, we can easily detect bottlenecks and other problems. The same with government. You do need it and reducing it too much or too fast can throw some real kinks in the system, but the goal should be to reduce and keep it to a minimum. I think someone else posted that we don't seem to care enough for our fellow man these days. This is true, but an even worse problem is some don't even know or want to care for themselves.

A watched society is a polite society? One problem with cameras is they retain a history. 10 years from now, someone can claim you are on tape with so and so, etc. People who are under protective custody might have an issue. They can't shoot you by mistake though. Public domain is not private. People shouldn't be harassed, but this isn't harassment. I think the benefits far outway any potential problems.

The income tax system is better, percentage increases as your pay increases, so you pay more % to the "state"(i.e. community) as your pay increases. It is much easier to manage, no need to forecast quotas, etc. Also, you would find quality of those "extra" units to be much better than the quota units. This provides fair taxation without suppressing drive.

Oh, that was a tongue-in-cheek remark as to a solution. As in chinese men can import mail order brides, instead of the other way round. I think the causes are well known.

Mail order brides?