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Parallel Universes Are Real
It's in Scientific American, it must be true. This month's cover story:
Parallel Universes.
"The simplest and most popular cosmological model today predicts that you have a twin in a galaxy about 10 to the 1028 meters from here." That number's a lot bigger than 10 to the 101.42 meters, which are the farthest observable objects in what we call our universe. And anyway, twin or not, anyone outside my light-cone is dead to me. That's just a rule I have. If you're skeptical of the multiverse, go read our discussion of a similar article from
two days ago.
Microsoft: good
/.: not slash doting
Bush: Not stupid
Al Gore: Not a robot
Canada: A war like nation
Me: superman
the recent rise of the US religious right and gradual breakdown in the separation of the church and the state?
As a student of history, I can tell you that your perspective is all wrong. Religious fundamentalists have always been a threat towards freedom and a factor in US politics, but your perception of them is colored by the fact that a large percentage of the American voting public is more liberal and secular now than in previous eras. The fact that we're now positively shocked by attempts to instill prayer in schools, or teach creationism, or prevent gay marriage, is a good measure of how far we've really come. What you see now is a conservative backlash against increasingly dominant liberal, secular ideals. I'm not saying we don't need to fight it, but you're not looking at long-term trends.
A side note: Bush's religiosity seems absurd to many people, but it wouldn't have a century ago. I agree with the sentiment that the Founding Fathers believed in a secular government, but they certainly didn't have any problem with declaring their belief in God. Separation of church and state should prevent Bush's stupid faith-based initiative, or this anti-family-planning bullcrap, but it doesn't mean he's not allowed to be religious or to let his policies be framed by Christian ideals.
Gay Deceiver, bounce!
Barsoom, here I come!
With my luck, though, I'd wind up in the Library of Babel...
-- stream of did I lock the front door consciousness