Quag

Ok here goes: Christmas eve: fish and chips at my sisters followed by tobogganing Christmas: usually turkey at my in-laws New years eve: whatever changes all the time (i worked this year) Thanksgiving AKA Turkey day: happens about 1 month sooner up here than you americans Mothers day: split the weekend between my mother and my mother in law Fathers day: the BIG one, my home town has its annual fair that weekend. Ther eis a 5 mile fun run that my bro and i do every year, he always wins but as long as i'm not dead last i'm happy. and of course fireworks that are well not the greatest but sure is fun to watch as a whoel family. Oh yeah and we buy my dad hot dogs at tbefore the fireworks.

Pretty darn cool way to sepend some free time. please post any more you do.

onetruth i have to agree with you on that. All my teacher friends complain that whenever there is a problem with a child at school and they call in the parents, they always get the same reply. Oh No not my Johnny or janey, they would never do that! It must have been the other kid, or the teacher, or someone else who caused the problem. again the kids aren't dumb they are learning just fine. Their parents are teaching them that it is always someone elses fault. Ill say it again, I dont think the younger generations are dumber, they are just having most incentives to try harder removed from them. Anything that comes without effort will be given little value. If we give everything to our children without requiring any effort then naturally they will value nothing. Now please dont get the impression that i think all kids are apathetic. I think we make them so in misguided efforts to "help" them. However a few, a shinning few, overcome all the obstacles we place in their way and learn the worth and reward of effort despite us.

I dont think dumb is the right choice, i think we are teaching our children to be apathetic at best. about 15 years ago here where i live some really "smart" people decided it would be bad for childrens egos to have to repeat a grade. now fifteen years later the drop out rate is astronomical. the same "smart" peopel keep thinking well if we make the tests easier and get rid of some of the harder classes the drop out rate will go down. What they have completely failed to realize and what all the teachers already know is that if you fail a grade but move ahead you have even less chance of passing next year. multiply this over 15 years and some kids eventually realize what they do in school makes no difference. eventually they are so far behind they enter high school without being able to read at a fonctional level and just drop out to find a crappy job or go on welfare as they realize they can never do anything else. the system has utterly failed them. they were "taught" that applying themselves and effort makes no difference. Unfotunately when they get older and realize that this is a dead end way of thinking it is too late they cannot catch up as they are way too far behind. They have finally admitted (partially) that this is a mistake and now you can fail every other year! still will have a bad effect on kids. of course this only is a partial explanation and only affect where i live (Quebec) and there are many other factors but it is such a huge one here i thought it should be mentioned. Also when i was in school i was in advanced math/science this were discontinued by the govt. they also got rid of the lower levels. well everyone had to be the same HEEELLLOOOOOO!!! despite the oft quoted and completely misunderstood phrase that all men are created equal (which aplies to the law only) we are not all exactly the same cookie cutter copies of each other. In the end i did my last year of high school math illegally and passed my final exams at the college we shared a campus with so i got lucky. after that govt. even close that loophole. End result: more advanced students arent challenged. those who are behind arent getting extra help and everyone is basically encouraged by the system to not give a crap as it doesnt make any diffence.

Merry christmas all, regardless of religious belief i think (hope) we can all agree to try and love our neighbours at least for a little while.

[spoiler=merry xmas ]1.silent night 2.jingle bells 3.hark the harold angel sings 4.12 days of christmas 5. frosty the snowman 6.walking in a winter wonder land others Oh holiday vegetation (oh christmas tree) the small percusion child (little drummer boy)

gvg: If an event is truly random then it cannot have been destined to happen, otherwise it wouldn’t have been random. If even one event is random nothing can be predetermined thus nothing can be destined to happen as that one random event can cause a veritable tsunami of unpredicted/unpredictable results. thus killing off any hope of destiny to exist. Now if destiny doesn’t exist than that means our actions are not predetermined and we can make choices that, not being predetermined, affect the outcomes of events. Also known as free will. Hope that’s not too confusing, but ill try to summarize. random event means no destiny, no destiny means free will.

Izzy dont remember much about quantum physics but seems to me something may just appear random because we do not understand it fully yet. If you can show me proof of randomness id love to see it. and if it does exist then free will has won out. fyi i am on the free will side. I like to think i have some control over my future and that it isnt set beforehand.

didnt see the helicopter stuff so no comment on that. This latest wikileaks stuff is silly on their part. frank assesment by diplomats of other foreign leaders/dignataries/policies etc., is, has and will always be something that all countries will keep secret. Lets face it sometimes/often govts have to deal with other govts that they do not like either due to political differences or sometimes just personality clashes. If a diplomat publicly states what he/she is willing to say in private to their own leaders they will become completly innefective as diplomats. dip·lo·mat   /ˈdɪpləˌmæt/ Show Spelled [dip-luh-mat] Show IPA –noun 1. a person appointed by a national government to conduct official negotiations and maintain political, economic, and social relations with another country or countries. 2. a person who is tactful and skillful in managing delicate situations, handling people, etc. please note #2 have to check out the helicopter stuff, as that seems like a case where i would be for the posting of the info on wikileaks, though from what ive read here it seems it is a bit disturbing.

yeah the hand raise bet doesnt really prove anything. But if you can somehow prove that even one truly random event can or does exist than free will wins out over destiny. Dont ask me how to prove something is truly random though i have no clue

Condolences to you and your family. Lost an aunt and a grandmother in last 2 years to this horrible disease. I had to make the choice of going out to see my grandma before she died or wait and go to the funeral. (She lives on opposite side of the country) I chose to see her one last time, Tough to see her like that, even worse to have to bring my mom back home knowing the she would never see her mother alive again. Haven't contributed to this thread as I know next to nothing about medicine but I sincerely hope cancer will be beaten soon.

Well discussing religion and the mysteries of the universe is kinda like discussing riddles. On a side note for some strange reason i cant seem to put in spoilers here at my work computer. Yes i use brainden at work, but not when im actually working. Kinda sucks when i think i have the answer to a riddle but cant post and have to read other peoples spoilers, then invariable discover i was wrong anyway

We are warm blooded, ie we generate heat. if the temperature is at or near our body temperature we cannot emit our excess heat into the atmosphere thus we feel hot.

EDM you should be proud, if you were ashamed it would mean you didnt really believe your beliefs (weird sentence but you get my drift i hope) GVG multiverse or infinite # of unis doesnt have any effect on god(s) existence(s) if one can be made why not all, it is a pretty unimagible task either way, then again if no god(s) exisists then i dont see any argument against multiverse on that level either. Philosphers may think it is a science but most actual scientists dont. philosphy thinks about things but neve actually proves or disproves just thinks science tries to prove or disprove As for limit on knowlege heres one for ya There is a limit to human intelligence but no limit on human stupidity we all do something stupid sometimes but very few of us do anything brilliant. Yes as well as being an agnostic I am also a cynic they seem to go hand in hand.

Oh yeah here is a good definition of deism. I have a small problem with the use of wikipedia as it is prone to error and bias –noun 1. belief in the existence of a god on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation ( distinguished from theism). 2. belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it.

GVG You just keep going the way you are, it is after all a belief, so dont let others tell you what to believe just think about it and whatever you come up with is good for you. If at some point later in life you change your mind that is ok as well. If you change your mind again still ok, time after that is fine too. but after 5 or 6 changes it just means your indecisive, buck up and make a choice and stick with it! lol just kidding you can always change your belief system. *Note* about not letting others tell you what to believe doesnt mean you cant/shouldnt listen to others but doesnt mean you have to believe what they say. Listening is always good, espcially with a good cup of hot chocolate and some cookies. I like cookies. and the church doesnt hate physics they just disagree with certain points. also it depends on what "church" were speaking of.

GVG i Understand your comment but I have no leaning one way or the other. I just went for the agnostic leaning against god because i do not believe in Christ and most of the pro god people on here seem to be christians (5 christians Vs 3-4 others depending on if you count agnostics who are pro god). I neither believe nor disbelive in any sort of god, I do not know and do not see any way shape or form of a god(s) existence, where worrying about him/her/it/them makes any difference. I fit very will into the just plain agnostic category. Atheist –noun a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings. Agnostic –noun 1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as god, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience. 2. a person who denies or doubts the possibility of ultimate knowledge in some area of study. Just to add actual dictionnary definitions to the terms And yes you left out Islam and also Taoism and Bahai the bit about god is science sounds like a lot of peoples version of god. ie set the universe in motion and let in unfold. But come to think of it, every religion accepts that god created the laws of physics, as far as i know. So that would actually pretty much include every religion.