Yes but that assumes two things. One, that everyone showers or bathes and/or uses a clean towel everyday and two that everyone puts on fresh underwear/pants daily. Two things that are probably fairly uncommon, say, on a college campus.
I had a roommate in college that would wash the one towel he owned about once every two to three months. His justification was that when he got out of the shower he was the cleanest thing in the dorm and so he shouldn't have to wash it very often.
I wouldn't want to eat off of any toilet seat that he sat on. Actually...I guess I wouldn't want to eat off of a toilet seat that anyone had sat on...but especially my old roommate's toilet seat.
I once ordered checks for my wife from a store that will not be mentioned {cough}checksunlimited.com{cough} and when they arrrived her name was misspelled (Carloyn instead of Carolyn). I called them up and had it corrected and didn't think anything of it until about a month later when we started receiving junk mail addressed to Carloyn.
Guess where I'm never ordering checks from again?
As for the Do Not Call list I have to say that it's worked pretty well for me until recently. I've noticed that lately we seem to be getting more and more 800 numbers on our caller ID. I never answer them and so far none of them have left a message so I don't know if they are political, charitable or just plain "we want to sell you something" calls.
So this is different, apparantly XM subscribers can store songs on the unit.
I'm not sure about other radios but mine stores the last 30 minutes of the music I've listened to in a buffer so you can go back and listen to a song again. However when you turn the unit off the buffer is erased and you start over again the next time you turn it on.
So yes, XM players (well, mine anyway) store music but only temporarily and we can't control what gets stored and/or for how long.
You missed my point completely. The point is that no matter how hard we try to be good our very nature will cause us to sin at some point. The Bible tells us this in Romans 3:23:
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
I try very hard not to sin against God but I'm not so arrogant to think that am incapable of doing this. Prior experience has taught me that no matter how good I try to be I will inevitably sin. This is where God's forgiveness comes in. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that works, without God's grace, mean nothing to God.
For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God's gift, and is not on the ground of merit. Not by works, lest any man should boast.
No one is good enough for God by themselves. They need His love and forgiveness.
Now again I'm not saying that works and good deeds aren't important and that we can do whatever we want and all we have to do is apologize. The next verse in Ephesians 2 goes like this:
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Good works and deeds are important to God but they won't, by themselves, get you into Heaven.
I think you misunderstand me. The point of my argument was not whether or not embryonic stem cell research is wrong. It was to simply say that belief one way or the other does not necessarily make one not a Christian.
However to answer your question I think there are times when taking a human life is justified. The Bible is filled with examples of God either ordering someone to take a life (or lives) or simply taking matters into His own hand and striking someone down directly.
To be honest I don't know where I stand on this issue. I can see both sides of the coin but haven't been able to discern which is right. As a Christian I do believe life is precious but I'm not sure that embryonic stem cell research is destroying it. One of the more convincing arguments I've heard for embryonic stem cell research is that there is no conception as it were. Let me explain...all of the scripture references in the source you cited refer to life beginning in the mother's womb. Well in the case of embryonic stem cell research there is no womb. Now I know this is splitting hairs but it is a somewhat convincing argument nonetheless.
then I would argue that you cannot place any action in there
Exactly...
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23
Basically if you believe that God exists and that you are imperfect and in need of forgiveness and that only God can provide that forgiveness then you're a Christian. It's as simple as that.
I sincerely hope you believe that your actions and behavior have an effect on your relationship with Christ.
I absolutely believe this but I also believe that there's almost nothing I can do that is so bad that it won't be wiped away if I sincerely ask for forgiveness.
much like your beloved Kerry, although by most definitions he is not a Catholic
It's attitudes like yours that caused me to stop being a Catholic. Just because someone doesn't think the way you do doesn't mean that they aren't a Christian. The last time I checked there were only two qualifications for being a Christian:
1. Faith in God 2. Believing that God sent His only son, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sin.
Now tell me, where does stem cell research fit in there??? I'm not saying I agree with him but I think it's pretty low of you to challenge the man's faith over issues that aren't even related to it.
If an issue is brought up that you can't defend, you just attack on another issue.
Hmmm...I seem to remember a certain president who used this tactic extensively during the third debate. And I quote:
SCHIEFFER: Let's go to a new question, Mr. President. Two minutes. And let's continue on jobs.
You know, there are all kind of statistics out there, but I want to bring it down to an individual.
Mr. President, what do you say to someone in this country who has lost his job to someone overseas who's being paid a fraction of what that job paid here in the United States?
BUSH: I'd say, Bob, I've got policies to continue to grow our economy and create the jobs of the 21st century. And here's some help for you to go get an education. Here's some help for you to go to a community college.
We've expanded trade adjustment assistance. We want to help pay for you to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
You know, there's a lot of talk about how to keep the economy growing. We talk about fiscal matters. But perhaps the best way to keep jobs here in America and to keep this economy growing is to make sure our education system works.
I went to Washington to solve problems. And I saw a problem in the public education system in America. They were just shuffling too many kids through the system, year after year, grade after grade, without learning the basics.
And so we said: Let's raise the standards. We're spending more money, but let's raise the standards and measure early and solve problems now, before it's too late.
No, education is how to help the person who's lost a job. Education is how to make sure we've got a workforce that's productive and competitive.
Got four more years, I've got more to do to continue to raise standards, to continue to reward teachers and school districts that are working, to emphasize math and science in the classrooms, to continue to expand Pell Grants to make sure that people have an opportunity to start their career with a college diploma.
And so the person you talked to, I say, here's some help, here's some trade adjustment assistance money for you to go a community college in your neighborhood, a community college which is providing the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. And that's what I would say to that person. SCHIEFFER: Senator Kerry?
KERRY: I want you to notice how the president switched away from jobs and started talking about education principally.
I switched to Firefox a little less than a year ago and let me tell you the difference then was incredible. After I got used to the new UI everything was smooth sailing. The only complaint I had about it back then (.7 at the time IIRC) was that, compared to IE it was a little sluggish when loading pages. However this was fixed in.8 and keeps getting better and better with each new version. The only complaint I have now is that some webpages will only work properly in IE. (I know it's not Firefox's fault but it's still annoying.) However there is an extension you can download that will add an "Open link in IE" option to the context menu which makes this problem a lot easier to cope with. All in all I say go for it!
I'm with you. I've found that if I get rid of as much unnecessary (artificial) light as possible it helps my eyes naturally focus on my screen. That's how we used to work in my last job. We worked in storage closets with no windows because there was no other room for us at the time. It was great until my boss hired a consultant to "help" us look more professional. Working in the dark was the first thing to go well after the fish tank anyway.
To throw in my two cents regarding the topic at hand however I would say maximize natural light and minimize artificial light. When you have to use artificial light don't use the cheap stuff as a previous post suggested and wherever possible make it indirect light (i.e. hide the light source). This gives you the ambient light you need but it won't be as harsh on the eyes.
My other suggestion would be to give your office a comfortable atmosphere. You don't have a large staff so I would recommend actual desks (not cubes). Oh and don't buy the Office Depot pressboard specials, spring for something a little more unique. Your staff will appreciate the change from the norm. Make it a place where your staff will want to spend time. However don't make it too comfortable or you'll have people napping instead of working.
IANANP (nuclear physicist) but think about it. If our sun goes supernova it would mean the end of our solar system. According to the article this was the size of a large drinking cup. I would think that would be enough to vaporize a small chunk of North America at least.
I apologize...I re-read my comment and I did not make my point clearly. I read your logic like this:
A prediction was made using the Bible as a reference.
That prediction is false.
The Bible is not reliable as a reference.
Let's use your "liver made of cheese" example. You theorize that your liver is made of cheese and you cite a book on astronomy as a reference. Your theory is false but that does not make the cited reference unreliable. It was just used incorrectly.
Like I said before nowhere in the Bible does not say anything about the examples you mentioned. Likewise, nowhere in an astronomy book will it say that your liver is made of cheese.
I agree with you that some people will see aliens as evil but I wouldn't necessarily assume that all of these people will be Christians. Our history has proven time and time again that humans will always fear and/or hate what they do not know or understand.
On a side note, and completely off-topic, I noticed you used the term "Bible-thumping Christian" a couple of times in your reply and I have to say that I've known/seen quite a few people that I guess could be called that and quite frankly I'm embarrassed by them. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are to force our faith on others. If Jesus wanted to force everyone in the world to belive in Him He would have done it Himself. But He knew that unless we decided to accept His death for our sins on our own it wouldn't mean anything. Christians who fail to realize this go against almost everything Jesus taught. I say almost because the Bible does teach us that we should share our faith with those who don't know Jesus but these people go about it the wrong way.
Sorry for the tangent but I don't want people to think that all Christians are "Bible-thumpers" as you call them. The truth is the vast majority of us are trying to do things the right way. Unfortunately those Christians who try to force people to believe in Jesus usually end up be the loudest.
"Biblical scholars did predict that the Earth was the center of the universe, that the Sun orbited the Earth, that the surface of the Earth was static (not shaped by plate tectonics and erosion), that Earth was the only home of life (and, indeed, the only planet), that species were static, that the Earth (and the universe) were a few thousand years old, and on, and on, and on."
A biblical scholar may have made these predictions (although you provided no references) but as human beings we are very prone to making mistakes. Actually if you read the Bible you'll find that none of the above examples are even mentioned.
You have a very serious flaw in your argument. Our planet has dogs, cats, cows, sheep and a whole bunch of other creatures that do not look like man but were in fact created by God.
BTW, I am a Christian and I am fine by the idea of life on other planets. As many other posters have already stated, nowhere in the Bible does it say that life only exists on Earth.
"Frankly, I don't want Budweiser knowing when I choose to buy their beer versus another brands."
I think that this is taking the privacy thing a bit too far. I mean Anheuser-Busch may know that a six pack was purchased but they don't know who purchased it. And I did RTFA and even though...
"They're drilling down to the level of the individual store," Thompson says. "They can pinpoint if customers are gay, Latino, 30-year-old, college-educated conservatives."
...they still don't know anything about you personally just the type of people that live in your area.
Cingular is borrowing the money from its parent organizations. To quote CNN:
"Cingular, jointly owned by Baby Bells SBC Communications Inc. (SBC: Research, Estimates) and BellSouth Corp. (BLS: Research, Estimates), said SBC will contribute about $25 billion and BellSouth will pay $16 billion for AT&T Wireless."
Same here. Although I will admit that I'm considered a corporate customer because we got the plan through my wife's teachers union. The people at the stores are great too. We just upgraded our phones recently because our contract was up and the guy was able to work out a deal that gave us the same amount of minutes but allowed us to have rollover (which we didn't have before), a 1MB wireless web package for me, and he threw in 100 free text messages for each phone. When all was said and done we actually saved two dollars a month on our bill but with a whole lot of extras. It was much better than the people at the Verizon store. They were pushy and rude and didn't know squat about what they were selling.
These laws are great in theory but considering the government's lack of enthusiasm to protect personal information (at least in the US) they are nearly impossible to enforce.
The whole war on spam is the exact same thing. The government passes all of these laws to make it look like they're doing something but then can't/won't enforce said laws.
They can pass all the laws they want but if the government is unwilling to enforce them then what's the point?
Slashdot Mirror
Yes but that assumes two things. One, that everyone showers or bathes and/or uses a clean towel everyday and two that everyone puts on fresh underwear/pants daily. Two things that are probably fairly uncommon, say, on a college campus.
I had a roommate in college that would wash the one towel he owned about once every two to three months. His justification was that when he got out of the shower he was the cleanest thing in the dorm and so he shouldn't have to wash it very often.
I wouldn't want to eat off of any toilet seat that he sat on. Actually...I guess I wouldn't want to eat off of a toilet seat that anyone had sat on...but especially my old roommate's toilet seat.
I once ordered checks for my wife from a store that will not be mentioned {cough}checksunlimited.com{cough} and when they arrrived her name was misspelled (Carloyn instead of Carolyn). I called them up and had it corrected and didn't think anything of it until about a month later when we started receiving junk mail addressed to Carloyn.
Guess where I'm never ordering checks from again?
As for the Do Not Call list I have to say that it's worked pretty well for me until recently. I've noticed that lately we seem to be getting more and more 800 numbers on our caller ID. I never answer them and so far none of them have left a message so I don't know if they are political, charitable or just plain "we want to sell you something" calls.
So this is different, apparantly XM subscribers can store songs on the unit.
I'm not sure about other radios but mine stores the last 30 minutes of the music I've listened to in a buffer so you can go back and listen to a song again. However when you turn the unit off the buffer is erased and you start over again the next time you turn it on.
So yes, XM players (well, mine anyway) store music but only temporarily and we can't control what gets stored and/or for how long.
Except it would have to be amended to read:
"Lost your cat? Try looking in my gas tank."
I don't think he'll run in 2008. I think Hillary Clinton will be the next democratic nominee. Not that I'm happy about that mind you.
You missed my point completely. The point is that no matter how hard we try to be good our very nature will cause us to sin at some point. The Bible tells us this in Romans 3:23:
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
I try very hard not to sin against God but I'm not so arrogant to think that am incapable of doing this. Prior experience has taught me that no matter how good I try to be I will inevitably sin. This is where God's forgiveness comes in. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that works, without God's grace, mean nothing to God.
For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God's gift, and is not on the ground of merit. Not by works, lest any man should boast.
No one is good enough for God by themselves. They need His love and forgiveness.
Now again I'm not saying that works and good deeds aren't important and that we can do whatever we want and all we have to do is apologize. The next verse in Ephesians 2 goes like this:
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Good works and deeds are important to God but they won't, by themselves, get you into Heaven.
I think you misunderstand me. The point of my argument was not whether or not embryonic stem cell research is wrong. It was to simply say that belief one way or the other does not necessarily make one not a Christian.
However to answer your question I think there are times when taking a human life is justified. The Bible is filled with examples of God either ordering someone to take a life (or lives) or simply taking matters into His own hand and striking someone down directly.
To be honest I don't know where I stand on this issue. I can see both sides of the coin but haven't been able to discern which is right. As a Christian I do believe life is precious but I'm not sure that embryonic stem cell research is destroying it. One of the more convincing arguments I've heard for embryonic stem cell research is that there is no conception as it were. Let me explain...all of the scripture references in the source you cited refer to life beginning in the mother's womb. Well in the case of embryonic stem cell research there is no womb. Now I know this is splitting hairs but it is a somewhat convincing argument nonetheless.
then I would argue that you cannot place any action in there
Exactly...
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23
Basically if you believe that God exists and that you are imperfect and in need of forgiveness and that only God can provide that forgiveness then you're a Christian. It's as simple as that.
I sincerely hope you believe that your actions and behavior have an effect on your relationship with Christ.
I absolutely believe this but I also believe that there's almost nothing I can do that is so bad that it won't be wiped away if I sincerely ask for forgiveness.
much like your beloved Kerry, although by most definitions he is not a Catholic
i tics/debatereferee/debate_1013.html
It's attitudes like yours that caused me to stop being a Catholic. Just because someone doesn't think the way you do doesn't mean that they aren't a Christian. The last time I checked there were only two qualifications for being a Christian:
1. Faith in God
2. Believing that God sent His only son, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sin.
Now tell me, where does stem cell research fit in there??? I'm not saying I agree with him but I think it's pretty low of you to challenge the man's faith over issues that aren't even related to it.
If an issue is brought up that you can't defend, you just attack on another issue.
Hmmm...I seem to remember a certain president who used this tactic extensively during the third debate. And I quote:
SCHIEFFER: Let's go to a new question, Mr. President. Two minutes. And let's continue on jobs.
You know, there are all kind of statistics out there, but I want to bring it down to an individual.
Mr. President, what do you say to someone in this country who has lost his job to someone overseas who's being paid a fraction of what that job paid here in the United States?
BUSH: I'd say, Bob, I've got policies to continue to grow our economy and create the jobs of the 21st century. And here's some help for you to go get an education. Here's some help for you to go to a community college.
We've expanded trade adjustment assistance. We want to help pay for you to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
You know, there's a lot of talk about how to keep the economy growing. We talk about fiscal matters. But perhaps the best way to keep jobs here in America and to keep this economy growing is to make sure our education system works.
I went to Washington to solve problems. And I saw a problem in the public education system in America. They were just shuffling too many kids through the system, year after year, grade after grade, without learning the basics.
And so we said: Let's raise the standards. We're spending more money, but let's raise the standards and measure early and solve problems now, before it's too late.
No, education is how to help the person who's lost a job. Education is how to make sure we've got a workforce that's productive and competitive.
Got four more years, I've got more to do to continue to raise standards, to continue to reward teachers and school districts that are working, to emphasize math and science in the classrooms, to continue to expand Pell Grants to make sure that people have an opportunity to start their career with a college diploma.
And so the person you talked to, I say, here's some help, here's some trade adjustment assistance money for you to go a community college in your neighborhood, a community college which is providing the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. And that's what I would say to that person.
SCHIEFFER: Senator Kerry?
KERRY: I want you to notice how the president switched away from jobs and started talking about education principally.
Source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/pol
I switched to Firefox a little less than a year ago and let me tell you the difference then was incredible. After I got used to the new UI everything was smooth sailing. The only complaint I had about it back then (.7 at the time IIRC) was that, compared to IE it was a little sluggish when loading pages. However this was fixed in .8 and keeps getting better and better with each new version. The only complaint I have now is that some webpages will only work properly in IE. (I know it's not Firefox's fault but it's still annoying.) However there is an extension you can download that will add an "Open link in IE" option to the context menu which makes this problem a lot easier to cope with. All in all I say go for it!
I'm with you. I've found that if I get rid of as much unnecessary (artificial) light as possible it helps my eyes naturally focus on my screen. That's how we used to work in my last job. We worked in storage closets with no windows because there was no other room for us at the time. It was great until my boss hired a consultant to "help" us look more professional. Working in the dark was the first thing to go well after the fish tank anyway.
To throw in my two cents regarding the topic at hand however I would say maximize natural light and minimize artificial light. When you have to use artificial light don't use the cheap stuff as a previous post suggested and wherever possible make it indirect light (i.e. hide the light source). This gives you the ambient light you need but it won't be as harsh on the eyes.
My other suggestion would be to give your office a comfortable atmosphere. You don't have a large staff so I would recommend actual desks (not cubes). Oh and don't buy the Office Depot pressboard specials, spring for something a little more unique. Your staff will appreciate the change from the norm. Make it a place where your staff will want to spend time. However don't make it too comfortable or you'll have people napping instead of working.
Hmmm...wasn't yesterday take your child to work day???
Child:"What's this button do Daddy??"
Dad:"NOOOO!!!!!"
Child: Oooh pretty lights!!!
Spacestation: Houston, we have a problem.
"Instead of walking round with a pocket full of stolen cards I have a single vault that nobody else can access."
Yes but if everyone carried one of these around instead of the original credit cards there wouldn't be any cards for you to steal.
it went supernova???
IANANP (nuclear physicist) but think about it. If our sun goes supernova it would mean the end of our solar system. According to the article this was the size of a large drinking cup. I would think that would be enough to vaporize a small chunk of North America at least.
I apologize...I re-read my comment and I did not make my point clearly. I read your logic like this:
A prediction was made using the Bible as a reference.
That prediction is false.
The Bible is not reliable as a reference.
Let's use your "liver made of cheese" example. You theorize that your liver is made of cheese and you cite a book on astronomy as a reference. Your theory is false but that does not make the cited reference unreliable. It was just used incorrectly.
Like I said before nowhere in the Bible does not say anything about the examples you mentioned. Likewise, nowhere in an astronomy book will it say that your liver is made of cheese.
I agree with you that some people will see aliens as evil but I wouldn't necessarily assume that all of these people will be Christians. Our history has proven time and time again that humans will always fear and/or hate what they do not know or understand.
On a side note, and completely off-topic, I noticed you used the term "Bible-thumping Christian" a couple of times in your reply and I have to say that I've known/seen quite a few people that I guess could be called that and quite frankly I'm embarrassed by them. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are to force our faith on others. If Jesus wanted to force everyone in the world to belive in Him He would have done it Himself. But He knew that unless we decided to accept His death for our sins on our own it wouldn't mean anything. Christians who fail to realize this go against almost everything Jesus taught. I say almost because the Bible does teach us that we should share our faith with those who don't know Jesus but these people go about it the wrong way.
Sorry for the tangent but I don't want people to think that all Christians are "Bible-thumpers" as you call them. The truth is the vast majority of us are trying to do things the right way. Unfortunately those Christians who try to force people to believe in Jesus usually end up be the loudest.
"Biblical scholars did predict that the Earth was the center of the universe, that the Sun orbited the Earth, that the surface of the Earth was static (not shaped by plate tectonics and erosion), that Earth was the only home of life (and, indeed, the only planet), that species were static, that the Earth (and the universe) were a few thousand years old, and on, and on, and on."
A biblical scholar may have made these predictions (although you provided no references) but as human beings we are very prone to making mistakes. Actually if you read the Bible you'll find that none of the above examples are even mentioned.
You have a very serious flaw in your argument. Our planet has dogs, cats, cows, sheep and a whole bunch of other creatures that do not look like man but were in fact created by God.
BTW, I am a Christian and I am fine by the idea of life on other planets. As many other posters have already stated, nowhere in the Bible does it say that life only exists on Earth.
Captain Picard defeated the Borg the hard way. I mean all he had to do was pull the plug!
"This really does seem to be an autopsy since he managed to kill it in the process."
I'm no expert but aren't autopsies supposed to be performed after death??? I believe the word you are looking for is malpractice.
"Frankly, I don't want Budweiser knowing when I choose to buy their beer versus another brands."
I think that this is taking the privacy thing a bit too far. I mean Anheuser-Busch may know that a six pack was purchased but they don't know who purchased it. And I did RTFA and even though...
"They're drilling down to the level of the individual store," Thompson says. "They can pinpoint if customers are gay, Latino, 30-year-old, college-educated conservatives."
...they still don't know anything about you personally just the type of people that live in your area.
It's straight demographics, nothing more.
Cingular is borrowing the money from its parent organizations. To quote CNN:
"Cingular, jointly owned by Baby Bells SBC Communications Inc. (SBC: Research, Estimates) and BellSouth Corp. (BLS: Research, Estimates), said SBC will contribute about $25 billion and BellSouth will pay $16 billion for AT&T Wireless."
Same here. Although I will admit that I'm considered a corporate customer because we got the plan through my wife's teachers union. The people at the stores are great too. We just upgraded our phones recently because our contract was up and the guy was able to work out a deal that gave us the same amount of minutes but allowed us to have rollover (which we didn't have before), a 1MB wireless web package for me, and he threw in 100 free text messages for each phone. When all was said and done we actually saved two dollars a month on our bill but with a whole lot of extras. It was much better than the people at the Verizon store. They were pushy and rude and didn't know squat about what they were selling.
These laws are great in theory but considering the government's lack of enthusiasm to protect personal information (at least in the US) they are nearly impossible to enforce.
The whole war on spam is the exact same thing. The government passes all of these laws to make it look like they're doing something but then can't/won't enforce said laws.
They can pass all the laws they want but if the government is unwilling to enforce them then what's the point?
I watch to much Star Trek. When I first read the blurb I thought it said "low power phaser array" and I thought "Man I gotta get me one of those."
It would really come in handy during rush hour though.