The13thMan

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I agree, with all of this actually. It's not a science so it has no place in the classroom. And the last bit... I've seen that all too often. Like you said, it tends to mess up their sense of logic. I've always understood that religion is more about faith than science. So to try and teach something as fact when it's not... big mistake in my opinion.[/QUOTE] [FONT="Trebuchet MS"]It's no fun when people agree... or when the few that disagree are too afraid to respond. I don't think it's right to accuse the material being taught for hindering a person's sense of logic. It should be the person doing the teaching that is held responsible. The parent or religious figure in the child's life. I do believe you can teach religion while enforcing critical thinking and logical skills. Should i ever kids i fully intend on teaching religion to them while enforcing these abilities alongside with the possibility of no gods existing or even the sort of agnostic nuetrality. Well, what do you consider to be fact? If i were to ask if any one religion were fact i wouldn't be able to say. Perhaps one is, perhaps they all are, and maybe none are. There's no way of knowing. And what of science? There are so many "theories" in science that you could very easily not consider any of it "fact" without injecting some small portion of doubt. My point is it's not whether something is fact or not that makes it valueable. It's the methods we as a people used to gain the information. The theory of evolution came about through very rigourous testing by thousands if not millions of scientists. It's tested almost constantly. Whereas religion, depending on which one, isn't up to that sort of scrutiny. Certainly people may argue about religion, but there's no methods of proving your point through any sort of experimentation. That, in my opinion, is why science is so valueable. [/FONT]

[quote name='DeathKnight'][color=crimson]This opinion may or may not involve Jesus, Ahura Mazda, YHWH, Allah, Brahma, and other deities mixed and matched with eschatology and dogma to produce a highly organized system of, still, having an opinion that, depending on the religion, defines who/what God is, God's intentions, God's history, God's personality, and criteria for God accepting you and possibly rewarding you with paradise/heaven/blessings.[/color][/QUOTE] [FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Is that all one sentence? My my, what a mouthful! I think perhaps you're being a bit too harsh on those with faith. It's based on more than you're leading on. But perhaps i misunderstood you and it just came off as mean to me. [/FONT]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Sorry for bringing this one back, i know that's frowned upon here, but i just found a video today that debunked the 3rd video that the threadstarter posted. It's a little corny, but i really like it. Here it is: [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3te1wBjbYe0"]Ghost girl debunked[/URL] [/FONT]

[quote name='Chabichou'][color="#004a6f"] However, I don't think the theory of evolution has proven to be fact yet. Yes, there is a lot of evidence to support it, but we don't know for sure, so I do have problems when it is presented as though it is fact. It has been proven that species can evolve, so at least that part is a fact. But it has not been proven that all species came from one common ancestor, so I don't think that concept should be presented a a fact, just as a theory.[/color][/QUOTE] [FONT="Trebuchet MS"]I've heard this before, and i can understand how a person would feel this way, but i think most people feel this way unjustly so. I'm going to say "most people" here because i don't want to single you out. I don't know what you think beyond what you told me. But most people i'd say have this same sentiment often times because of a misunderstanding of the word theory. When people say theory in everyday use it usually is held to mean something that a person is unsure of to a fair degree. My theory on the disappearance of my pinky finger while i was asleep last night is finger gnomes. Something like that. But when the word is used in the context of science it has a different meaning. Theory isn't a word so easily thrown around. The theory of evolution is such a highly tested and successful theory that most people would state it as fact because it almost certainly is fact. Evolution has been so thoroughly tested it's ridiculous. And all it would take to break down the theory of evolution is one weird little fossil or maybe piece of genetical evidence that contradicts it. To this date, ever since the theory of evolution was first brought about by Darwin and his peers, the theory has proved successful. Let me ask you this, would you consider gravity to be a theory or a fact? Most people would consider this to be a fact. But technically speaking, and within the world of science, it is still a theory, just like evolution. It would still only take one apple mysteriously floating back up into the apple tree to completely debunk the "theory" of gravity. And as for the common ancestor deal. You're right, it hasn't been PROVEN. But there have been a number of experiments dealing with the supposed condition of the earth before life that has produced the remnants of life. There is an episode in Carl Sagan's Cosmos that goes into this deeper than i can or will. I believe it's the 2nd episode... not sure. [/FONT]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"]You have nothing to be afraid of in high school. People are people, for the most part. I know that when i was a senior in highschool if any freshman asked me a question, maybe where a certain class was, i'd gladly help out. Certainly not all people are like this, but i would say most are. It shouldn't be too hard to spot out the mean ones. Really i think fear was the only real thing holding me back in highschool. Fear of what my peers would think of me for asking a dumb question or perhaps for standing up above them in any way at all. You have to get over that sort of stuff. In four years you'll never see those people again. Don't you want to be able to look back and think to yourself, "Yeah, i was fearless. I really got the most out of my highschool experience." And if none of that helps... maybe think about finding a map of the school. My highschool had one in its planner, i think. Aha![/FONT]

[quote name='Drizzt Do'urden']Though I do fully believe there should be high school theology classes that teach ID.[/QUOTE][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]I don't agree with the idea of a high school theology class. This is because i believe religion should be taught more at home or should be persued by the individual. But i wouldn't fight it too much if it were, say, an optional and well structured and fair class. If it were to study theology objectively from more of a historical standpoint i'd be ok with that. But i think this is all besides the point of this thread.[/FONT] [quote name='Drizzt Do'urden']I do have to agree with 13th man when he says that it should be taught so younger children can make their own choices in life. [/quote] [FONT="Trebuchet MS"]It's still a very dangerous thing to teach stuff like this to young people because of how impressionable they are. It would be a tough job to teach them fairly and unbiased, but if it can be done i think it should be. I'm not rock solid on this point, but it's where i stand now.[/FONT] [QUOTE=Drizzt Do'urden] Now quickly summing up, I am an "IDer", I believe it should be mentioned as a theory since it's not viable to have a theology class in high school, support the constitutional rights of seperation of church and state, most high school students dissapoint me.[/QUOTE] [FONT="Trebuchet MS"]You think it should be mentioned as theory in a science class because there are no theology classes in high schools? That logic seems flawed to me. Why teach something in a science class that's not science just because it's not taught in theology or any other class? And are you saying that ID is a theory? If you are you should say why. [/FONT] [quote name='DeathKnight']I'm not certain why we even preach secularization when it is almost a dirty word to be an atheist running for office. [/quote] [FONT="Trebuchet MS"]It's based on a number of dirty misconceptions people have on atheists and nonreligious types in general. It really is frustrating...[/FONT]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Evolution vs. Intelligent Design I just started classes yesterday at the University of Tennessee. This is my third year and I?ve decided to move back into the dorms for a year, for various irrelevant reasons. I?ve got a brand new roommate who happens to be a freshman. So here I am, college man, with this fresh blood, young-gilled, first year. The first real discussion we have involves evolution vs. intelligent design. I take the side of science and reason (evolution), where as he takes the side of faith and religion (intelligent design). I?d say it was a pretty good discussion, though I think if a third party were to listen in they?d say I somewhat blind sided him, as I?ve been following the topic relatively closely for over a year. And thus I decided to bring the discussion over to OB! ?Partly because there?s nothing interesting going on in the lounge right now. As usual I don?t want to get too deeply into the subject on the introductory post. I much prefer that somebody else jumps into the shallow end before I do. But I will start it out. Firstly I?d like to briefly explain what intelligent design is. I may not do a great job, as I don?t support it. If anybody here wants to expand on my definition of intelligent design I welcome them to. Intelligent design makes the assumption that the world as it is is too complex to have been created by an undirected process such as natural selection. Instead they claim that the world must have been created with an initial design in mind by some vague and unnamed supernatural force (god?). Intelligent designers claim that it is a scientific theory and should be taught as one. My main beef with intelligent design (which will be henceforth abbreviated as ?ID?) is that it tries very hard to disguise itself as science. This is because it wants to be taught alongside evolution in the high school science classrooms. IDers complain that ID should be taught with evolution as a counter-theory for fairness, after all why shouldn?t both theories be taught? They say that students should be presented with ?both sides of the story? so that they can make up their own minds on the issue. And I happen to agree that both sides should be presented to a young person so that they can think on their own and come to their own conclusion, the problem with what the IDers want is that they want it taught in the science classrooms. ID is not science, therefore it has no place in the science classroom. It has no testable hypothesis and cannot be disproven, therefore it is not a true scientific theory. Instead it is simply creationist propaganda. I want to also provide some links for you guys to check out: This first one is the wikipedia definition of intelligent design. I've only read the first bit of it but it already seemed a bit biased against it. [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design[/URL] This link is paper written by Steven Novella MD. It's anti-ID and a good read if you're interested on the subject. [URL="http://www.theness.com/articles.asp?id=31"]http://www.theness.com/articles.asp?id=31[/URL] This last link is a link to the Discovery Institute's main page. This is the headquarters of intelligent design and a website i'm not very familiar with. [URL="http://www.discovery.org/"]http://www.discovery.org/[/URL] [/FONT]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I owe some money to the Turkish mafia in 7 states, most likely my debt will transfer over to my family. My dad's a coal miner and most certainly won't be able to afford the substantial sum of money i've built up in the minus. I'd also be remembered for my huge cock. [IMG]http://www.manbottle.com/pictures/man_with_a_very_big_cock.jpg[/IMG][/FONT]

[quote name='The13thMan'][FONT="Tahoma"]5. I lie a lot.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [FONT="Tahoma"]That's because you're a bad person... But in all seriousness, one of the few things i can think of that i'm sometimes OCD on is my second guessing of myself. But i've gotten a lot better at it through force of will. Boooooya.[/FONT]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I haven't a single characteristic or trait about myself that is in any way out of the ordinary or "normal." Thus, i am weirder than all of you! 1. I must walk around the pool twice before i can go in, regardless of the pool. 2. Exactly 15 minutes i receive or give a high five i MUST clap my hands. 3. When i was young i would hold out my hands in front of me like a t-rex and pretend i was Yoshi. 4. Because of number 1 i've never been able to set foot in an ocean. 5. I lie a lot.[/FONT]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I personally think that with all the super intelligent and naturally curious people in this world we would have found undeniable proof by now as to the existence of any "paranormal" or "supernatural" being, creature, whatever by now. I think all 3 of the videos are either intentional or unintentional hoaxes. Perhaps the poster of the video really believes what he or she saw was real, but i don't believe that it was. I watched the third one first and thought it was just done with special effects or whatever. The 2nd one was creepy, but totally possible to fake. Perhaps some jerk playing tricks? The 1st one looked like some kid was lost, hah. But who knows for certain? There are a lot of people out there that take it upon themselves to try to prove or disprove theses myths, and as far as i can tell, nobody's proved a thing.[/FONT]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Just be careful not to start thinking that you're better than everybody else. Regardless of whether it's "true" or not isn't too important. That elitist attitude is really annoying and not nearly as productive as other frames of mind... But never lose that curiosity and thirst for knowledge, either. It's admirable at such a young age. So yeah... go you. ;D [/FONT]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Curiosity's a wonderful thing, in my opinion. Curiosity leads you to ask questions and questions lead to answers which leads to knowledge, and knowledge is power, as i learned at an early age from Mortal Kombat. ;D Though, just like most other things in life, it's not nearly as black and white. You must be careful to know when to be and when not to be curious. Sometimes too much curiosity can get you into a lot of trouble. Othertimes it can only make you smarter. So always keep that in mind. Also i find it funny that you're curious on whether or not you're too curious. ...perhaps a sign that you are? :animesmil[/FONT]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"][FONT="Century Gothic"] [img]http://remainsofthedesi.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/evil-monkey-2.jpg[/img] Al Gore's new marketing campaign against global warming: This is what happens when there're too many green house gases in the atmosphere! See what happens when you don't listen to Al Gore?! SEE!? PS: JCBaggee even though the 'Stephen King out of ideas' joke has been done before, it was still quite funny. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"][FONT="Century Gothic"]Ghosts and the paranormal is actually something i've looked into and hear about fairly often. I will say with great confidence that it's all a bunch of fooey. People have a tendency to believe what they want to believe and rationalize it as they go along. You can't start with a conclusion and explain it as you go along. I really despise it when people use scientific equipment or spout that what they're doing is science when it comes to ghosts and the paranormal. Anyways... if you want to watch something funny about ghosts go to youtube and find Penn and Teller's episode of Bullsh*t about ghosthunters. It's quite hilarious. [/FONT][/COLOR]

I added you guys (treble and nerdsy) on AIM. I'll hit you guys up if i ever see you online for some good smash bros. action. I used to be pretty good ssbm. My friends were real players and i was competent with them. But i'm not nearly as good with ssbb, just haven't gotten the feel for it yet. Anyways, looking forward to fighting you guys. Oh, and my AIM sn is: Attimus331

I've got ssbb for a little while, anybody want to play? My friendcode is: 4682-8112-0637 I'll play anybody.

[COLOR="DarkOrange"][FONT="Century Gothic"]Keep your chin up. Even though things look a little rough and not everything went your way, everything will work out in the end. That's a promise. In times like these you don't need answers, they won't help you. What you need is simply someone to tell you things'll be alright. A parent or a good friend. And most of all you need to believe that they will. Good luck to you. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Perhaps shlum is an enigma by nature. Why must you know? Ask yourself this and perhaps you will learn something about yourself. I think that the questions that arrive from shlum are by leagues more important than the answers you may never receive. Anyways, that's my crack at it. I honestly have no idea what the heck this thread is supposed to be about. Best luck to ya. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Sorry, i've never been to a club either. I've had friends that have been and i've seen people crowded outside of doors at clubs. Actually, i walked by one just tonight, though it didn't look too busy. I think my only sight into the world of clubbing has come from the girls gone wild videos. So, my advice to you, wear an easily removeable top and make sure to be drunk, ditzy, and dumb. Other than i say the best way to find out is to go and to hell with the consequences. It's not a long term decision, if you don't like it then leave. If you love it then love away. Just have fun. Party on Wayne. Party on Garth. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I'd say i have mixed feelings on the site. My ex showed the site to me and i'd check it out whenever she'd mention it. So the site reminds me of her to a degree, which is not pleasant (if not a little sexual, haha). The site on its own i feel satisfies the desire some people have for gossip. I don't take part in gossip and i generally look down on it. Beyond all that i can't help but to like the site a little. It's a creative idea with a creative execution. The secrets are juicy and the way they're presented are usually quite interesting. I think i'll check it out now for the first time in months. Oh... anybody want to tell me their dirty little secret? EDIT: You know what? After reading through all of them i think that's probably the last time i'll go to the site. It's just horribly depressing. Hearing about all of those people out there with their problems. Completely unable to help any of them. Some of the secrets really messed up. Some of them even reminding me of a few things in my life i'd rather not think of. Yikes! I still got one good laugh out of it though. =D [IMG]http://bp2.blogger.com/_a7jkcMVp5Vg/R-75p1TzPuI/AAAAAAAAEjs/Ab9HDyyf3uY/s400/oops.jpg[/IMG] [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]As i feel with a lot of things in life i believe the quality and usefullness of publicity is largely circumstantial and dependent upon the source. There's good media and bad media, propaganda and honest unbiased reporting. Unfortunately i think a lot of popular media nowadays is quite biased and often times extremely misleading. I know that a lot of media reports ignorantly on science and psuedoscience topics, often times only reading the bottom line and reporting it as truth when it's far from it. Needless to say, i don't watch the news. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Ok... i think there will be a slight possibility that some people will be angry at me for saying this, but i think it's pretty weird. Don't get me wrong, i'm not bashing. And i respect you for having the "balls" to wear something like that when i'm quite sure anybody that does is aware of what most people will think of it outside of your circle. But yeah... weird. =D I have a question though... let's assume that people are the way i think they are and most think that it is really odd that people would wear that sort of stuff in public. Why would you subject yourself to the awkward staring and whispers behind your back? Of course, i could be wrong here! Maybe people don't act that way where you are... but if you were where i live (let's just say in the south) then you probably would get a lot of weird looks. Once again, though, i'm not trying to bash or be disrespectful. I think this is a legit question. I've actually been aware of the look for several years now, but have not known that it was called gothic lolita. It's an interesting look, i'll give you that. I've been a fan of Malice Mizer for a long time (since introduced to it way back in highschool). I think it'd be good for stage shows and appearances and... i dunno, halloween? But everyday? Eegad! Do you ever take breaks from it and wear "normal" clothes? Anyways, more power to ya. Seriously though, this world needs a little more individuality and bravery as you show. Ok, thanks, bye bye. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Does anybody miss any of those old more advanced techniques from melee? Mainly i'm talking about the running smash and the wave dash. The running smash being where you run and instantly smash someone without stopping (this is achieved by hitting down just as you smash). Or the wave dash where you jump just a little then midair dodge down to the ground at an angle so that your character slides a bit. I personally really miss the running smash. It was brutal with fox in melee and now i can't do it. I've only played the game a few times. Are there any new tricks that not many people know about? [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I took french back in highshcool for two semesters. I really hated the class. It was mostly because i had a psychopathic teacher. What a crazy whore she was! And i don't think language is my thing... i have enough trouble with english as it is. I'm an apple fry! Nice. I couldn't remember how to say "i like" so i just went with "i am".... and i thought pomme frite meant french fries. Which is odd because i also know that pomme de juice means apple juice. Crap, i sure do suck at language. Yo quiero Taco Bell? [/FONT][/COLOR]