Bill Nye vs Ken Ham
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Mmmmmmm ..... Dunno about popping a child's belief in Santa Claus
I think its best to let kids figure it out for themselves as they do eventually. I can still vaguely remember the Christmas that I figured it out for myself. I was about 5 but think I played along as it was a great way of getting nice Christmas presents 
If I remember correctly the same happened with my daughters but I still ask them if Santa delivered to this day!I very much doubt that mankind will ever get to the bottom (or top) of things. If he does, surly he would then be a 'God' but then again the Bible does say that mankind was made in the 'image' of God!
Of late I have been reading what Robert Lanza has to say for himself. I find his ideas Biocentrism difficult to understand but am getting there.
BIOCENTRISM
*How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe
“Like “A Brief History of Time” it is indeed stimulating and brings biology into the whole. Any short statement does not do justice to such a scholarly work. Almost every society of mankind has explained the mystery of our surroundings and being by invoking a god or group of gods. Scientists work to acquire objective answers from the infinity of space or the inner machinery of the atom. Lanza proposes a biocentrist theory which ascribes the answer to the observer rather than the observed. The work is a scholarly consideration of science and philosophy that brings biology into the central role in unifying the whole. The book will appeal to an audience of many different disciplines because it is a new way of looking at the old problem of our existence. Most importantly, it makes you think.”
– Nobel Prize Winner E. Donnall Thomas*...... I'd say Mr Donnall might have said, it makes you think VERY hard! Here is Robert Lanza's site, http://www.robertlanza.com/ Well worth a visit
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@unknownuser said:
@solo said:
My eldest is busy doing the application process for West point and it seems he will have to say he is of some Christian denomination as the recruiter advised that his chances of entering will to slim to none if he says he is non religious regardless of his almost perfect SAT scores and other requirements.
That's ... weird.
Actually I'm fairly sure it's a violation of the US constitution, which makes it rather more serious than simply 'weird'. There has been a long running scandal at the airforce academy in Colorado along similar lines. Not a few of my friends and colleagues that are alumni have become very disturbed enough that several of the colonels and above have sent pointed notes.
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@derei said:
I'm not sure that anyone should take this debate too personally. As I can recall after watching it, it looks kinda "staged" meaning that they prepared this talk-show to be spectacular, knowing what will happen in the end. And mostly Mr. Ken Ham knew that his arguments will be invalid in the end, but still agreed to "play" this, for the amusement of the audience, let's say.
Just look at each other presentations at the beginning which contained references to the opponent's speech.
So, at least partly, this was a little staged. I won't argue here the things told in the debate (unless your name is Ken Ham, one simply CAN'T argue that
), but I will say this was a show for masses. And it had its audience. I enjoyed it.
Just don't shred your passports
))I'm sure it was staged. Attendance at Mr. Ham's creation "museum" has been dwindling over the last four years, and it is in financial trouble. They've had to nix the Noah's "Ark Park" they had planned on adding. He needed something to try to foster interest in it again.
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@daniel said:
I'm sure it was staged. Attendance at Mr. Ham's creation "museum" has been dwindling over the last four years, and it is in financial trouble. They've had to nix the Noah's "Ark Park" they had planned on adding. He needed something to try to foster interest in it again.
I read about the project here, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/us/06ark.html?_r=0
Its a pity that its not going ahead. I would have liked to see the Creationists fitting two of every kind with the exception of hermaphrodites of course. I'd be happy enough seeing it done virtually. At least it would generate some 3D work for someone
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Mike, I for one am glad it is not happening. My understanding was that they had planned on using live animals (could they really acquire two of every animal?). I don't have anything against properly designed and run zoos (I did one as my thesis project in architecture school), but to fit so many animals in their "ark" would require rather small pens, and that wouldn't be right. Plus, I have to admit I am biased against their "museum." Passing off creationism as science is just wrong, and unfortunately there are a lot of people gullible enough to belief their pseudo-science speak. Everyone has a right to believe what they want, but they misrepresent facts.
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@unknownuser said:
My understanding was that they had planned on using live animals
Wonder where they planned to get the dinosaurs.
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They don't need dinosaurs, they are a trick of the devil!
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@box said:
They don't need dinosaurs, they are a trick of the devil!
I kid you not, last week at the pub this topic was discussed with some mates and one of them who is pretty hard right wing mentioned this and he was adamant that bones and fossils of dinosaurs were placed by the devil to confuse Christians, the sad part is this guy is a doctor.
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Glad to see you embrace a wide variety of friends.
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@tim said:
@unknownuser said:
@solo said:
My eldest is busy doing the application process for West point and it seems he will have to say he is of some Christian denomination as the recruiter advised that his chances of entering will to slim to none if he says he is non religious regardless of his almost perfect SAT scores and other requirements.
That's ... weird.
Actually I'm fairly sure it's a violation of the US constitution, which makes it rather more serious than simply 'weird'. There has been a long running scandal at the airforce academy in Colorado along similar lines. Not a few of my friends and colleagues that are alumni have become very disturbed enough that several of the colonels and above have sent pointed notes.
probably not a violation (or a prosecutable one) as it sounds more like an under the table deal and i highly doubt they'll leave official traces of someone being denied entrance due to religious background.
sounds nutz nonetheless.
personally, i have problems with authority (i guess that's how it would be described by an authoritarian figure).. i'd never make it past day 1 in a military type academy ..or, i'd never make it in because in this instance, when they start asking about religion etc, i'd be "why do you want to know that!? why is that important? etc"
hammond- application denied! -
Jeff
I agree, like the recruiter said, it would be in his best interest if he did have a religion, he did say you do not have to be a practicing one, just say you are one for the sake of a smooth application process.
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Nye will continue his crusade against misinformation this Sunday on "Meet the Press" with a debate against proud climate change denier Marsha Blackburn, the Republican congresswoman who serves as the vice chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee.
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Wow! just wow.
1 in 4 Americans Don't Know Earth Orbits the Sun. Yes, Really.
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@solo said:
Wow! just wow.
1 in 4 Americans Don't Know Earth Orbits the Sun. Yes, Really.
Another way of looking at it might be that 1 in 4 Americans don't care about such facts!
This is more,
Americans surveyed: misunderstood, misrepresented or ignorant?
"In 2003, a US Strategic Task Force of Education Abroad report concluded that America’s ignorance of the outside world was so great as to constitute a threat to national security"
Then again, maybe they subscribe to, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth_Society
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lol, south pole exploration must be some fun in that version of the world...
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@unknownuser said:
Another way of looking at it might be that 1 in 4 Americans don't care about such facts!
It has nothing to do with interests or what one cares about, these are 3rd grade facts surely there is no excuse for not knowing the earth rotates around the sun every 365 days.
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@solo said:
It has nothing to do with interests or what one cares about, these are 3rd grade facts surely there is no excuse for not knowing the earth rotates around the sun every 365 days.
True !
The pig also doesn't care of that, but only of its meal... but then, it gets slaughtered.
Doesn't mater if it doesn't help you to get your next-day meal, there are some common-sense things that anyone who has access to basic education should know. Otherwise one is purely ignorant and from my part he should be made sausages -
@derei said:
@solo said:
It has nothing to do with interests or what one cares about, these are 3rd grade facts surely there is no excuse for not knowing the earth rotates around the sun every 365 days.
True !
The pig also doesn't care of that, but only of its meal... but then, it gets slaughtered.
Doesn't mater if it doesn't help you to get your next-day meal, there are some common-sense things that anyone who has access to basic education should know. Otherwise one is purely ignorant and from my part he should be made sausages
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@solo said:
@unknownuser said:
Another way of looking at it might be that 1 in 4 Americans don't care about such facts!
It has nothing to do with interests or what one cares about, these are 3rd grade facts surely there is no excuse for not knowing the earth rotates around the sun every 365 days.
I thought it was 365 1/4 days.
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