Comments on: So How About the Churches Next? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:26:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Louise http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20075 Louise Wed, 06 Sep 2006 00:31:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20075 Mark's posts are still amusing. My photo would give me a better claim to being a "minority," for the average albedo of physicists is very high. Earlier comment refers to political views, not ethnicity. Mark’s posts are still amusing. My photo would give me a better claim to being a “minority,” for the average albedo of physicists is very high. Earlier comment refers to political views, not ethnicity.

]]> By: Mark http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20076 Mark Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:59:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20076 Hi Aaron. I agree with what you say about many things. It is worth pointing out though, that vacuum energy is a non-starter - one cannot mine it for energy. There are a number of people claiming that it might be possible, but none are credible, and it doesn't make sense. Hi Aaron. I agree with what you say about many things. It is worth pointing out though, that vacuum energy is a non-starter - one cannot mine it for energy. There are a number of people claiming that it might be possible, but none are credible, and it doesn’t make sense.

]]> By: Aaron S. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20077 Aaron S. Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:45:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20077 well first before anyone calls Mark a minority, perhaps they should look at his profile.... secondly, let's face it. Our president is not the "brightest star in the galaxy". He is head strong, overly confident, he has a habit of lying, and he obviously has personel agendas that are acted on without regard to the impact on America. Asking G-dubb to promote other-than-oil fuel solutions in America is like asking the Pope to promote Paganism. The Bush family have thier hands so deep in the oil companies pockets that they could give them ankle massages. The world doesn't realize how much it depends on scientific research right now. The only way to move safely beyond the era of oil, is to ge some researchers together and figure out something "NEW".... ethanol, while safer than oil still has some of the side effectsof oil, and Hydrogen while extremely clean and efficient just isn't very easy to make, and has a very high maintenance... the world needs to get thier heads together, lets all go for cold fusion? who's with me? ok well maybe not that, but something similar. there are some very good proposals on the table right now... vaciuum energy, for instance, is very real although not much is understood. well , thats my thoughts well first before anyone calls Mark a minority, perhaps they should look at his profile….

secondly, let’s face it. Our president is not the “brightest star in the galaxy”. He is head strong, overly confident, he has a habit of lying, and he obviously has personel agendas that are acted on without regard to the impact on America.

Asking G-dubb to promote other-than-oil fuel solutions in America is like asking the Pope to promote Paganism. The Bush family have thier hands so deep in the oil companies pockets that they could give them ankle massages.

The world doesn’t realize how much it depends on scientific research right now. The only way to move safely beyond the era of oil, is to ge some researchers together and figure out something “NEW”…. ethanol, while safer than oil still has some of the side effectsof oil, and Hydrogen while extremely clean and efficient just isn’t very easy to make, and has a very high maintenance…

the world needs to get thier heads together, lets all go for cold fusion? who’s with me? ok well maybe not that, but something similar. there are some very good proposals on the table right now… vaciuum energy, for instance, is very real although not much is understood.

well , thats my thoughts

]]> By: JC http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20074 JC Mon, 04 Sep 2006 22:54:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20074 Throw in additional keywords like audit or auditing into the google search. Most of the stuff appears to be various right-wing sources griping about being audited during the 1990's. Then again it depends on whether you want to believe any of these stories. I haven't found any good neutral or left-wing sources for these 1990's IRS audits of right-wing organizations. For the case of Bill O'Reilly, he has claimed on his FoxNews show several times that he has been audited several times by the IRS during the Clinton era. Whether you want to take him at his word, that's your judgement call. (It does seem a bit odd for somebody bragging about being audited by the IRS several times on national television, unless they're trying to be a "martyr" for some kind of anti-tax or anti-IRS cause). I'm not quite sure of the veracity of this source: http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37fd23f3657d.htm (I'm a bit skeptical of their references to various WorldNetDaily.com articles). Throw in additional keywords like audit or auditing into the google search.

Most of the stuff appears to be various right-wing sources griping about being audited during the 1990’s. Then again it depends on whether you want to believe any of these stories. I haven’t found any good neutral or left-wing sources for these 1990’s IRS audits of right-wing organizations.

For the case of Bill O’Reilly, he has claimed on his FoxNews show several times that he has been audited several times by the IRS during the Clinton era. Whether you want to take him at his word, that’s your judgement call. (It does seem a bit odd for somebody bragging about being audited by the IRS several times on national television, unless they’re trying to be a “martyr” for some kind of anti-tax or anti-IRS cause).

I’m not quite sure of the veracity of this source:
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37fd23f3657d.htm
(I’m a bit skeptical of their references to various WorldNetDaily.com articles).

]]> By: Joe Fitzsimons http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20073 Joe Fitzsimons Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:28:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20073 Hmm... It seems several people are posting here using the name "Joe", so I'll start using my full name to avoid confusion. Hmm… It seems several people are posting here using the name “Joe”, so I’ll start using my full name to avoid confusion.

]]> By: donna http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20072 donna Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:17:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20072 Huh, JC, I tried that, and didn't find a single news source supporting your claim. Go figure. Must be that darn liberal media or something. Huh, JC, I tried that, and didn’t find a single news source supporting your claim. Go figure.

Must be that darn liberal media or something.

]]> By: Annie http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20079 Annie Mon, 04 Sep 2006 14:55:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20079 I agree with Joe, and I'd also like to point out that it's really sketchy to imply that "only minorities" could agree or come up with the argument presented by Mark here, or that only a person from a minority background would be concerned with the NAACP or its audit. I agree with Joe, and I’d also like to point out that it’s really sketchy to imply that “only minorities” could agree or come up with the argument presented by Mark here, or that only a person from a minority background would be concerned with the NAACP or its audit.

]]> By: Joe http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20078 Joe Sun, 03 Sep 2006 03:19:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20078 Louise: For what it's worth as one of "the people", I often find the political commentry on physics blogs to make for some of the more interesting posts, sometimes more so than equations and data. If I wanted equations and data, I'd read a journal. It is things like the interpretations that various physics bloggers put on results as well as the chance to read about the outlook of other physicists (i.e. those physics bloggers) on the world that has me reading blogs like this. Blogging is a very personal matter. It's like having a diary that you allow everyone and anyone to read. If I allowed someone else to read my diary (assuming I was actually organised enough to use one) should I really take seriously their demands for different content? It's seems to me that this is exactly the situation arising here, with some commenters demanding different content. It seems completely unreasonable to chastise Mark for blogging about a topic which you are not interested in , or where you disagree with his opinion. Sure, you can say you disagree with him, and the comments section allows you room to argue your reasons why, but to imply that he shouldn't have blogged about something is akin to saying he shouldn't have thought about it in the first place. Sorry if I came down unreasonably harshly on you, it 4:18am here and I'm a little tired, and your post seemed representative of a number of others I've seen on CV recently. Louise: For what it’s worth as one of “the people”, I often find the political commentry on physics blogs to make for some of the more interesting posts, sometimes more so than equations and data. If I wanted equations and data, I’d read a journal. It is things like the interpretations that various physics bloggers put on results as well as the chance to read about the outlook of other physicists (i.e. those physics bloggers) on the world that has me reading blogs like this.

Blogging is a very personal matter. It’s like having a diary that you allow everyone and anyone to read. If I allowed someone else to read my diary (assuming I was actually organised enough to use one) should I really take seriously their demands for different content? It’s seems to me that this is exactly the situation arising here, with some commenters demanding different content.

It seems completely unreasonable to chastise Mark for blogging about a topic which you are not interested in , or where you disagree with his opinion. Sure, you can say you disagree with him, and the comments section allows you room to argue your reasons why, but to imply that he shouldn’t have blogged about something is akin to saying he shouldn’t have thought about it in the first place.

Sorry if I came down unreasonably harshly on you, it 4:18am here and I’m a little tired, and your post seemed representative of a number of others I’ve seen on CV recently.

]]> By: damselfly http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20081 damselfly Sat, 02 Sep 2006 04:00:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20081 #7 - by the way, interesting link. #7 - by the way, interesting link.

]]> By: damselfly http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20080 damselfly Sat, 02 Sep 2006 03:52:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/09/01/so-how-about-the-churches-next/#comment-20080 #7 - stop picking on the boy. I'm not a techie, so I just lurk on this blog, but at least this is a topic I understand! Mark is spot on. #7 - stop picking on the boy. I’m not a techie, so I just lurk on this blog, but at least this is a topic I understand! Mark is spot on.

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