meol

I must say I have thought of that possibility endless times, so it didn't really surprise me, even though I find it a little empty on the philosophical level. As a metaphor, though, it is the golden rule at its finest. It's always good to remember that both Mother Teresa and Charles Manson were both just as human as you.

Eeeeeh, I've read that book. Kaku explains stuff very clearly but some of the things he categorizes as Class I -III too frequently invokes the limits of what is science and science fiction, then again I may have no idea if it is really like that since I'm not a physicist. Still a great read though. But that's the point, isn't it? :P

I haven't found anything of interest to read lately, so I started reading some non-fiction. It can sometimes be more interesting and and captivating than your normal fantasy or sci-fi book. I'm currently Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku and Consciousness Explained by Dan Dennet and I love them thus far. :thumbsup:

Although I'd have nothing against it, a card game would be too much. :P Now that you mention it, though, it'd be pretty interesting to get some Mafia games organized.

Any help on how to reduce jet lag effects?

Yay! Welcome to the Super Team!

It happens to me every once in a while, while using Deflection. Sometimes, it starts happening repeatedly, but deleting the cookies solves it for me. I just thought it was something on my side so I never said anything.

It's been half a year now. I thought it'd be interesting to bump the thread? So, has anyone made any progress?

Things that annoy me: Users that keep derailing threads and calling each other names. Just drop the name calling and the trolling, please.

You'd suppose Republicans would cheer for the court ruling in favour of the states' rights. :mellow: Most adults want to have children of their own. I guess it's just a deeply ingrained instinct.

Took the words out of my mouth.

Okay, now I understand your point. :thumbup: That's an opinion I can disagree with, since it's just subjective speculation. But unless you can back it up with strong facts, it must not be the base for legislation, which was the original topic.

Then Quakers should have a right to marry two gay men if that's part of their beliefs, no? Then, for the sake of religious liberty, homosexual marriages should be allowed by the state on the same level (and with the same name) as heterosexual marriages. It's the only logical conclusion as far as I can see.

What it comes down to in the end is that people will throw in a baseless statement and disguise it as an "opinions". Voilà, your baseless claim is now untouchable, and you don't have to defend it. So, "gay kids from straight parents are a minority, at least around here anyway. " is a statement of fact, not an opinion. Why would I say something if it wasn't my opinion? That's a pretty stupid idea actually. I never said that. It's just that you can't come and say "blacks are inferior" and try to pass it off as "an opinion that can't be wrong". You are welcome to say your opinion and to have it respected by others. That doesn't mean it's untouchable, or that you don't have to back up facts. That's the whole purpose of a debate. But I would like to get back on the original topic, if you don't mind. You still haven't addressed any of the points we brought up concerning homosexuality as a choice. [Edit] There's something where I agree with you and yguy, though. People throw around "bigot" way too easily nowadays. Then again, it's never good for a discussion when people start playing the victims.

What it comes down to in the end is that people will throw in a baseless statement and disguise it as an "opinions". Voilà, your baseless claim is now untouchable, and you don't have to defend it. So, "gay kids from straight parents are a minority, at least around here anyway. " is a statement of fact, not an opinion.

There were gays in Nazi Germany, who despite the oppression and the threat of being sent to concentration camps, didn't just "return to be straight". Similarly, there are still gays in Uganda, even though there's a bill that calls for them to be executed. On the other hand, most gay kids have straight parents, efforts to "reconvert" gays usually fail and are discouraged in mainstream psychology, and scientists are finding links that imply there might be some genetic aspect to being a homosexual, if at least partially. Or to put it simply, when did you choose to be straight? Now, even conceding hypothetically that it was a choice, why would you avoid giving gays the same rights as the heteros?

Could you at least explain this, Skully? I see what your saying, but, the child will probably grow up thinking it is right to be gay, therefore promoting STDs somewhat. God forbid a gay kid grows up without the feelings of guilt and self-hatred that are to be norm. Or maybe you are under the impression kids would start choosing to be gay? I also can't understand where your argument about having gay parents comes from. The original topic is not about adoption, but about civil partnerships/marriages. It's okay if you are against these movements, but it sounds to me you don't even know what you are arguing against right now. :|

It seems to me you are confusing pedophilia with something else, y_guy. Pedophilia is being attracted to children, even before their bodies have become mature. There's a big terrible moral and legal difference between statuory rape and child molestation. One is in place because young children are extremely vulnerable and undeveloped, both mentally and physically, while the other is more of an arbitrary line that simply must be drawn somewhere. What are you arguing for here?

Asexuality isn't unhealthy as a sexual orientation, but it can't be very healthy if it's a traumatic reaction like you make it sound. You really shouldn't close yourself because of bad experiences; it sounds to me you might be looking in the wrong places.

This video contains content from WMG. It is no longer available in your country. :-|

It's amazing how much you guys spam here. I should just lock this and win.

Wow, agreatmonk. Your sig is huge.

http://discovermagazine.com/ is pretty good for popular science, which seems to be what you are looking for.

But what if you live in a 20 m² apartment, and there's been nothing but scorching sun in weeks? And then there's jazz. :grin:

Can anyone recommend something more along the lines of political fiction, like 1984 or Animal Farm? Atlas Shrugged sounds like a nice idea (if maybe on the other side). Anything else?