Perhaps I just don't understand, but even if an alternative energy source (biofuel or otherwise) generates more greenhouse gas, isn't there still an advantage if we can limit the use of these fuels in regards to geography?
My point is this. We have all of these gasoline engines around the country pumping out greenhouse gas from our cars. There isn't a very good way to limit this output at the engine due to the life cycle of a vehicle, people bucking the system, and the fact there are just so many of them!
If we produce an alternative fuel that burns cleaner at the automobile even if it is terribly dirty at the production factories, isn't this source of greenhouse gas easier to address? Couldn't the production factories have a sort of scrubber or way to capture/recycle/reduce this harmful output? I would think it would be easier to implement these measures in a few thousand plants than in millions of automobiles.
Of course, this has just been the thought rattling around in my head when I read a story like this. It seems there isn't a magic solution to our environmental impact, but I would think stuff like this could at least make somewhat of a positive change.
I don't see why the federal government is making such a huge deal out of online gambling, aside from the fact that it is currently not taxed. I don't really think the government deserves any more money, but I'd rather pay a small tax on my gaming than have it outlawed as some mysteriously corrupt moral issue. Other than taxation, how is this any different from the government endorsed lottery or allowed casinos in Atlantic City and Vegas?
I know someone who works in a glass factory that used hydrofloric to etch the glass. From what I understand it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It appears much like water and doesn't burn on your skin. However, it will seep down in until it hits the bone and then it reacts with the calcium. I have heard that the few who have had a drop of it on their skin and didn't immedaitely wash it off were in terrible pain (delayed a few hours after exposure for it to get to calcium.)
In a way I agree with you. If you snip out another part of my previous comment...
"So may people are just lost. They don't believe in anything, scientific or religious. Of course, they think they do have beliefs! But being part of the crowd without conscious thought has little meaning. Believing a scientific theory without thinking what it means and if it makes sense is worthless. Believing in a religion because your parents told you to means nothing if you don't come to the belief while using your eyes, ears, and mind at the same time."
You will see I am saying (or trying to say) about the same thing as you have. People need to draw their own conclusions. If a person believes what they do based soley on what an authority says (scientific, religious, or otherwise) then their belief doesn't really mean much.
Where I differ from what you said is that some observations can lead to "religious" viewpoints. As long as those views are still based on thought rather than what a person is fed by authorities, I don't see how a religious stance is any less significant than a scientific one. Both are from observation, and both are subject to further revision should observation and experience warrant it.
As long as a person continues to strive for the truth, I don't see how they can go wrong. If it turns out that religion is superstition as you suggest, then a person who constantly re-evaluates their beliefs should eventually come to the same conclusion. If religion has something to it in truth, then this person should realize this as well. It's all about drawing your own conclusions from the information you have gathered.
Religion, like science, is a search for truth. Belief or denial of the truth does not change the reality one bit. Believing God exists does not make that existance true, just as denying God exists does not make that same existance false. There can be only one truth.
So we all have our own "beliefs" that we have come to for various reasons. I say "beliefs" as no science or religion can be proved 100% true. In the end, every one of us makes a decision based on our observations. Scientific observation is certaintly a good one, as it is reproducable. But that should not and does not negate personal observations and experiences that may lead to more religious beliefs.
My take on things is that a healthy mind will evaluate (and constantly re-evaluate) observations of all types to form and refine their "beliefs." In the end, there is still only one truth. I intend to keep my mind open and continue to observe and evaluate. Also, I intend to pass those experiences on to my children to help them get ahead in finding the truth. It would be horridly irreponsible of me not to! Quite possibly they will form their beliefs similar to my own, having the same information. But perhaps they will see it differently than I do, or have experiences and make observations that will help me build on my own beliefs to come closer to the truth.
Again, this is just my personal opinion, but the state of science and religion (at least as the general public takes part in them) is terrible. People follow ideas and conclusions like sheep, with no conscious thought, evaluation, or observation of their own. People accept the most popular scientific ideas as they appear fashionable. People herd into churches because they were told it would make them "good people." But they don't listen and experience and decide what they believe on their own.
So may people are just lost. They don't believe in anything, scientific or religious. Of course, they think they do have beliefs! But being part of the crowd without conscious thought has little meaning. Believing a scientific theory without thinking what it means and if it makes sense is worthless. Believing in a religion because your parents told you to means nothing if you don't come to the belief while using your eyes, ears, and mind at the same time.
So to end my little speech, it seems to be poor parenting to not pass on experiences and observations to your children. This should include reproducable science as well as personal experiences and ideas. Let your children soak it in, explore it all, and when they have lived a little more of life for themselves they may surprise you with a better handle on what the final truth's of existance are than you had ever considered!
The courses in college are mostly background information on how everything works, and the real tasks of programming are only lightly touched upon. You have to take the concepts that are taught in class and make them reality through your own coding projects (assuming your professors don't assign such projects.)
One of the skills I believe is most useful in the field, yet the most overlooked in academics is the ability to do research and expand your knowledge beyond what was covered in class.
For example, in my college we did boring code exactly as the professors taught. It felt more like learning through repetition than anything else. Then we got a brand new professor who did the unthinkable and assigned a project without concrete guidelines. He simply gave us the requirements he wanted our code to achieve and the language of choice and told us to come up with a solution. Most of the students were suddenly lost. They didn't know where to go to complete the project. All they knew was from the book and lecture. They claimed the assignment was unfair and eventually the professor gave a couple of examples as to what he was looking for to help get them started. In the end, nearly all 60 of the students wrote code nearly identical to the example that was given. It was such a sad sight.
Students need to learn to research and think independantly. In the working world, your boss may likely know little to no programming. He simple knows what information he has available for you and what he wants in the end. You, as a programmer, need to be able to fill in the blanks in the middle. If you didn't learn it is class (and likely you didn't), you need to be able to find the information you need.
So yes, your colleges courses provide a framework, but to get a job in programming you need to be willing and able to expand your skillset well beyond the minor pieces of code that your instructors go through.
I believe we were already taught how to interact with them. Love your neighbor as you would love yourself. I don't think it was intended to be limited strictly to the person living in the house next door.
I look forward to whatever new discoveries science has to show us with eager anticipation, however I find it so disheartening that as far as we have advanced we still struggle with the simple moral ideas laid out to us in the Bible. If we can not understand and accept living with each other in a peaceful way, then how much good is all of our scientific knowledge to us?
In Pennsylvania, as long as they are willing to compensate you for the time worked, they can require you to work as many hours as they like, up to 16 hours straight each day with a minimum 8 hours off between shifts.
I've found a nice rule of thumb when it comes to the Bible is, if a passage easily makes sense when taken literally, then take it literally. If it does not easily make sense when taken literally, look for the metaphorical meanings.
The Bible takes on some pretty heavy topics, and I think it is fair to say it is easier to understand something complex when it is described to you in metaphorical stories (parables). I think that is why Jesus taught by parable so often.
After the restructuring during the bankruptcy, Adelphia as a whole suffered from the same corporate culture that most big businesses suffer from -- everything comes down to the almighty dollar. It was not always like this when the former CEO, Mr. Rigas, ran the company. Yes, many of you will think "Hey, wasn't he the guy responsible for the stolen money and the bankruptcy?"
Sadly, he was legally responsible, however most of the locals wish it were otherwise. Mr. Rigas was getting older, and I am told he was really only a figurehead during the last few years. His sons were the ones who really ran the company for him, and were the ones largely responsible for the stolen money. Adelphia was a family-run business that had grown too big to continue to be run that way. In the end, Mr. Rigas was one of those legally held responsible because he was the CEO, although most of the locals know him as a good man and feel that he was no longer mentally sharp enough to know what was being done by his sons.
Originally, Adelphia started as a small cable company in rural Pennsylvania. The company rapidly grew into the 5th largest cable provider, but Mr. Rigas insisted on keeping the company headquarters where it all began in Pennsylvania. This fostered a lot of community support for the company, and extra dedication from the employees at the headquarters. Adelphia was also the largest tech employer (and practically the only one) in the area, so the talent all pooled there. It was almost comical to see big-shot investors come to town. The trip required the normal flight into a major airport, followed by a small plane trip to the closest small airport, finally followed by about a 2 hour drive through rural countryside. Coudersport and the surrounding communities are some of the most natural and scenic areas around. Sadly, they are SO rural that the economy is constantly on the verge of collapse. This is the biggest shame of the whole event. When Adelphia is sold, it will almost certaintly be moved out of the area simply because the current location is so out of the way. The town's economy will finally crumple, and the entire area will see an exodus of the unemployed leaving the rural homes they love simply to find a job... any job. The nearest large cities are Erie, Pa, and Buffalo, NY. Both of which are nearly 3 hours drive away. (Of course, there is a large group of Adelphia employess in Buffalo as well, so there will not be a surplus of jobs in that area).
So in short, the employees that worked so hard to make Adelphia into a company that supported the often forgotten rural community are going to be the ones that suffer from the whole bankruptcy event. Being bought out will only be the final blow. I can only hope that the current employees will be able to either keep some of the jobs in the area, or be at least offered relocation rather than just eliminating their positions.
BTW, I know this because I lived in Coudersport, PA for a time, as well as worked at Adelphia.
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Perhaps I just don't understand, but even if an alternative energy source (biofuel or otherwise) generates more greenhouse gas, isn't there still an advantage if we can limit the use of these fuels in regards to geography?
My point is this. We have all of these gasoline engines around the country pumping out greenhouse gas from our cars. There isn't a very good way to limit this output at the engine due to the life cycle of a vehicle, people bucking the system, and the fact there are just so many of them!
If we produce an alternative fuel that burns cleaner at the automobile even if it is terribly dirty at the production factories, isn't this source of greenhouse gas easier to address? Couldn't the production factories have a sort of scrubber or way to capture/recycle/reduce this harmful output? I would think it would be easier to implement these measures in a few thousand plants than in millions of automobiles.
Of course, this has just been the thought rattling around in my head when I read a story like this. It seems there isn't a magic solution to our environmental impact, but I would think stuff like this could at least make somewhat of a positive change.
Ah, I never said I was good at poker. What winnings?
=)
Well, I played too much online poker anyways.
I don't see why the federal government is making such a huge deal out of online gambling, aside from the fact that it is currently not taxed. I don't really think the government deserves any more money, but I'd rather pay a small tax on my gaming than have it outlawed as some mysteriously corrupt moral issue. Other than taxation, how is this any different from the government endorsed lottery or allowed casinos in Atlantic City and Vegas?
I know someone who works in a glass factory that used hydrofloric to etch the glass. From what I understand it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It appears much like water and doesn't burn on your skin. However, it will seep down in until it hits the bone and then it reacts with the calcium. I have heard that the few who have had a drop of it on their skin and didn't immedaitely wash it off were in terrible pain (delayed a few hours after exposure for it to get to calcium.)
In a way I agree with you. If you snip out another part of my previous comment...
"So may people are just lost. They don't believe in anything, scientific or religious. Of course, they think they do have beliefs! But being part of the crowd without conscious thought has little meaning. Believing a scientific theory without thinking what it means and if it makes sense is worthless. Believing in a religion because your parents told you to means nothing if you don't come to the belief while using your eyes, ears, and mind at the same time."
You will see I am saying (or trying to say) about the same thing as you have. People need to draw their own conclusions. If a person believes what they do based soley on what an authority says (scientific, religious, or otherwise) then their belief doesn't really mean much.
Where I differ from what you said is that some observations can lead to "religious" viewpoints. As long as those views are still based on thought rather than what a person is fed by authorities, I don't see how a religious stance is any less significant than a scientific one. Both are from observation, and both are subject to further revision should observation and experience warrant it.
As long as a person continues to strive for the truth, I don't see how they can go wrong. If it turns out that religion is superstition as you suggest, then a person who constantly re-evaluates their beliefs should eventually come to the same conclusion. If religion has something to it in truth, then this person should realize this as well. It's all about drawing your own conclusions from the information you have gathered.
Religion, like science, is a search for truth. Belief or denial of the truth does not change the reality one bit. Believing God exists does not make that existance true, just as denying God exists does not make that same existance false. There can be only one truth.
So we all have our own "beliefs" that we have come to for various reasons. I say "beliefs" as no science or religion can be proved 100% true. In the end, every one of us makes a decision based on our observations. Scientific observation is certaintly a good one, as it is reproducable. But that should not and does not negate personal observations and experiences that may lead to more religious beliefs.
My take on things is that a healthy mind will evaluate (and constantly re-evaluate) observations of all types to form and refine their "beliefs." In the end, there is still only one truth. I intend to keep my mind open and continue to observe and evaluate. Also, I intend to pass those experiences on to my children to help them get ahead in finding the truth. It would be horridly irreponsible of me not to! Quite possibly they will form their beliefs similar to my own, having the same information. But perhaps they will see it differently than I do, or have experiences and make observations that will help me build on my own beliefs to come closer to the truth.
Again, this is just my personal opinion, but the state of science and religion (at least as the general public takes part in them) is terrible. People follow ideas and conclusions like sheep, with no conscious thought, evaluation, or observation of their own. People accept the most popular scientific ideas as they appear fashionable. People herd into churches because they were told it would make them "good people." But they don't listen and experience and decide what they believe on their own.
So may people are just lost. They don't believe in anything, scientific or religious. Of course, they think they do have beliefs! But being part of the crowd without conscious thought has little meaning. Believing a scientific theory without thinking what it means and if it makes sense is worthless. Believing in a religion because your parents told you to means nothing if you don't come to the belief while using your eyes, ears, and mind at the same time.
So to end my little speech, it seems to be poor parenting to not pass on experiences and observations to your children. This should include reproducable science as well as personal experiences and ideas. Let your children soak it in, explore it all, and when they have lived a little more of life for themselves they may surprise you with a better handle on what the final truth's of existance are than you had ever considered!
The courses in college are mostly background information on how everything works, and the real tasks of programming are only lightly touched upon. You have to take the concepts that are taught in class and make them reality through your own coding projects (assuming your professors don't assign such projects.)
One of the skills I believe is most useful in the field, yet the most overlooked in academics is the ability to do research and expand your knowledge beyond what was covered in class.
For example, in my college we did boring code exactly as the professors taught. It felt more like learning through repetition than anything else. Then we got a brand new professor who did the unthinkable and assigned a project without concrete guidelines. He simply gave us the requirements he wanted our code to achieve and the language of choice and told us to come up with a solution. Most of the students were suddenly lost. They didn't know where to go to complete the project. All they knew was from the book and lecture. They claimed the assignment was unfair and eventually the professor gave a couple of examples as to what he was looking for to help get them started. In the end, nearly all 60 of the students wrote code nearly identical to the example that was given. It was such a sad sight.
Students need to learn to research and think independantly. In the working world, your boss may likely know little to no programming. He simple knows what information he has available for you and what he wants in the end. You, as a programmer, need to be able to fill in the blanks in the middle. If you didn't learn it is class (and likely you didn't), you need to be able to find the information you need.
So yes, your colleges courses provide a framework, but to get a job in programming you need to be willing and able to expand your skillset well beyond the minor pieces of code that your instructors go through.
I believe we were already taught how to interact with them. Love your neighbor as you would love yourself. I don't think it was intended to be limited strictly to the person living in the house next door.
I look forward to whatever new discoveries science has to show us with eager anticipation, however I find it so disheartening that as far as we have advanced we still struggle with the simple moral ideas laid out to us in the Bible. If we can not understand and accept living with each other in a peaceful way, then how much good is all of our scientific knowledge to us?
In Pennsylvania, as long as they are willing to compensate you for the time worked, they can require you to work as many hours as they like, up to 16 hours straight each day with a minimum 8 hours off between shifts.
"Jesus taught in parables!"
I've found a nice rule of thumb when it comes to the Bible is, if a passage easily makes sense when taken literally, then take it literally. If it does not easily make sense when taken literally, look for the metaphorical meanings.
The Bible takes on some pretty heavy topics, and I think it is fair to say it is easier to understand something complex when it is described to you in metaphorical stories (parables). I think that is why Jesus taught by parable so often.
After the restructuring during the bankruptcy, Adelphia as a whole suffered from the same corporate culture that most big businesses suffer from -- everything comes down to the almighty dollar. It was not always like this when the former CEO, Mr. Rigas, ran the company. Yes, many of you will think "Hey, wasn't he the guy responsible for the stolen money and the bankruptcy?"
Sadly, he was legally responsible, however most of the locals wish it were otherwise. Mr. Rigas was getting older, and I am told he was really only a figurehead during the last few years. His sons were the ones who really ran the company for him, and were the ones largely responsible for the stolen money. Adelphia was a family-run business that had grown too big to continue to be run that way. In the end, Mr. Rigas was one of those legally held responsible because he was the CEO, although most of the locals know him as a good man and feel that he was no longer mentally sharp enough to know what was being done by his sons.
Originally, Adelphia started as a small cable company in rural Pennsylvania. The company rapidly grew into the 5th largest cable provider, but Mr. Rigas insisted on keeping the company headquarters where it all began in Pennsylvania. This fostered a lot of community support for the company, and extra dedication from the employees at the headquarters. Adelphia was also the largest tech employer (and practically the only one) in the area, so the talent all pooled there. It was almost comical to see big-shot investors come to town. The trip required the normal flight into a major airport, followed by a small plane trip to the closest small airport, finally followed by about a 2 hour drive through rural countryside. Coudersport and the surrounding communities are some of the most natural and scenic areas around. Sadly, they are SO rural that the economy is constantly on the verge of collapse. This is the biggest shame of the whole event. When Adelphia is sold, it will almost certaintly be moved out of the area simply because the current location is so out of the way. The town's economy will finally crumple, and the entire area will see an exodus of the unemployed leaving the rural homes they love simply to find a job... any job. The nearest large cities are Erie, Pa, and Buffalo, NY. Both of which are nearly 3 hours drive away. (Of course, there is a large group of Adelphia employess in Buffalo as well, so there will not be a surplus of jobs in that area). So in short, the employees that worked so hard to make Adelphia into a company that supported the often forgotten rural community are going to be the ones that suffer from the whole bankruptcy event. Being bought out will only be the final blow. I can only hope that the current employees will be able to either keep some of the jobs in the area, or be at least offered relocation rather than just eliminating their positions.
BTW, I know this because I lived in Coudersport, PA for a time, as well as worked at Adelphia.