2) "John 3:14 - As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." - This is a reference to Numbers 21:6-9. The serpent was an icon Moses put on a pole to heal those who had been poisoned by snakebite. Christ alludes to his own "lifint up", in other words his crucifiction, as a method of healing people, in the spiritual sense.
But beyond that, you're absolutely correct. The Catholic church replaced many pagan holidays with Christian versions in order to make Christianity more appealing to the unconverted. Christmas was originally a celebration of Mithras, a deity with striking similarity to Christ. Easter has a number of different pagan origins, depending on who you believe. Halloween is supposed to have originated in the Celtic tradition of Samhain.
New technology will be a result of this project. Those new propulsion systems (possibly quantum-based) will be a result of Orion. The end pay-off of such an endeavor is hard to estimate, because it goes beyond mere technology. Americans desperately need something to be proud of. Putting men back on the moon, and possibly on Mars (at the risk of sounding cheesy) is something we as a nation can be proud of.
My generation is already going to have to foot the bill for the national debt and Iraq. A few trillion more can't hurt.
I'll buy a significant minority in favor of impeachment, but I doubt the majority Americans want to Bush do the perp walk. He's still a wartime President which holds sway with a lot of folks.
I recently read a book* exploring the early origins of personal computing. Doug Engelbart, a researcher, envisioned computers augmenting the human mind (tools) rather than replacing it (i.e. articial intellgiences). This system sounds like a one more step in fufilling his vision.
Racistism is a tricky subject in America due to past history. America was one of the last "civilized" nations to abolish slavery and some would argue that it was only abolished for political or economic reasons. Jim Crow persisted well into the 1960's and 1970's and racist behavior/thought patterns are commonplace in certain areas of the Deep South. Certain demagogues over here keep reminding us of our past mistakes, and in an attempt to make them go away, we try to bury anything that might give them ammunition. It's a warped concept but sadly that's the way things work.
Interestingly enough, the word "blond(e)" is/was genderized. "Blond" refers to a male, while "blonde" refers to a female. It was a French word which is why it kept the gender difference. However I think the "e" has been dropped nowadays.
Re:Al Queda, witches, devil worshippers, and gangs
on
Gangs on the Internet
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· Score: 1
To borrow the bumper sticker: "I love God. It's His fan club I'm not crazy about."
Getting access to the internet is not that hard. The public library system in my home city has free internet access available to the public. Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and AOL all have free email services available that don't require having an address.
Why don't we grind up the liberal hobos who lower valuable property prices in our neighborhoods, and use the oil from their bodies to power up our SUVs?
If we did gas would really cost an arm and a leg. *rimshot*
It's rather hard to put into words, but I think the idea behind the "fighting terror" buisness is that terrorism is different than normal crimes, closer to an act of war or somesuch, and therefore deserving of different regulations. It's a hazy concept, but that's what I've been able to piece together from the rhetoric I've heard.
With due respect, I don't think this is just an American problem, I think it's a global issue. Goverments, especially first world governments, seem to be tightening the grip on their citizens. America's issue is that it still claims to be a beacon of freedom and civil rights for the world, while the Constitution is being slowly eroded. The contrast is starker because of America's claims about herself.
The issue gets absorbed by one of the two major parties long enough to absorb the party. The last third party (to my knowledge) that grew popular enough to actually threaten the two-party system was the Populist Party back in the late 1800's. The main objective of the Populists was the free coinage of silver as a combatant to the hard money crunch of the times. The Populists did suprisingly in their first election and the Democrats promptly sided with the Populists as proponents of free coinage of silver. The Populist vote got split and the party faded from the public eye. Once that happened the Democrats dropped free coinage of silver as a platform plank and the gold standard continued.
Slashdot Mirror
1) Wise does not neccesarily mean good.
2) "John 3:14 - As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." - This is a reference to Numbers 21:6-9. The serpent was an icon Moses put on a pole to heal those who had been poisoned by snakebite. Christ alludes to his own "lifint up", in other words his crucifiction, as a method of healing people, in the spiritual sense.
But beyond that, you're absolutely correct. The Catholic church replaced many pagan holidays with Christian versions in order to make Christianity more appealing to the unconverted. Christmas was originally a celebration of Mithras, a deity with striking similarity to Christ. Easter has a number of different pagan origins, depending on who you believe. Halloween is supposed to have originated in the Celtic tradition of Samhain.
New technology will be a result of this project. Those new propulsion systems (possibly quantum-based) will be a result of Orion. The end pay-off of such an endeavor is hard to estimate, because it goes beyond mere technology. Americans desperately need something to be proud of. Putting men back on the moon, and possibly on Mars (at the risk of sounding cheesy) is something we as a nation can be proud of. My generation is already going to have to foot the bill for the national debt and Iraq. A few trillion more can't hurt.
I'll buy a significant minority in favor of impeachment, but I doubt the majority Americans want to Bush do the perp walk. He's still a wartime President which holds sway with a lot of folks.
High gas prices = pretty good crowd control wouldn't you say?
I recently read a book* exploring the early origins of personal computing. Doug Engelbart, a researcher, envisioned computers augmenting the human mind (tools) rather than replacing it (i.e. articial intellgiences). This system sounds like a one more step in fufilling his vision.
This book here
Invade Canada? Now why would we want to mess up our attic? /runs for cover
Racistism is a tricky subject in America due to past history. America was one of the last "civilized" nations to abolish slavery and some would argue that it was only abolished for political or economic reasons. Jim Crow persisted well into the 1960's and 1970's and racist behavior/thought patterns are commonplace in certain areas of the Deep South. Certain demagogues over here keep reminding us of our past mistakes, and in an attempt to make them go away, we try to bury anything that might give them ammunition. It's a warped concept but sadly that's the way things work.
Interestingly enough, the word "blond(e)" is/was genderized. "Blond" refers to a male, while "blonde" refers to a female. It was a French word which is why it kept the gender difference. However I think the "e" has been dropped nowadays.
To borrow the bumper sticker: "I love God. It's His fan club I'm not crazy about."
You're recommending coffee to an already high-strung person?
"Everyone speaks english, so what is the big deal?" Except for, you know, those people who haven't learned English yet.
It's a reincarnation or a variant (depending on your viewpoing) of the ancient Greek idea of catharsis, using video games instead of theatre.
Getting access to the internet is not that hard. The public library system in my home city has free internet access available to the public. Yahoo!, Google, MSN, and AOL all have free email services available that don't require having an address.
Why don't we grind up the liberal hobos who lower valuable property prices in our neighborhoods, and use the oil from their bodies to power up our SUVs?
If we did gas would really cost an arm and a leg. *rimshot*
Bigger makes for a better target.
I used the word "tightening" with the connotation of a boa constrictor choking its prey.
Brilliant! Confuse them with a nearly illegible post! Give the poster a +5 cigar!
And that right there prooves global warming is a liberal myth! Everbody knows Al Gore invented the internet! It's all politics!
It's rather hard to put into words, but I think the idea behind the "fighting terror" buisness is that terrorism is different than normal crimes, closer to an act of war or somesuch, and therefore deserving of different regulations. It's a hazy concept, but that's what I've been able to piece together from the rhetoric I've heard.
See how if someone had read your comment without reading the story, they might get the wrong idea?
This is Slashdot. Miscontrued ideas and unread articles are standard operating procedure
Orgasmo?
With due respect, I don't think this is just an American problem, I think it's a global issue. Goverments, especially first world governments, seem to be tightening the grip on their citizens. America's issue is that it still claims to be a beacon of freedom and civil rights for the world, while the Constitution is being slowly eroded. The contrast is starker because of America's claims about herself.
Still, less expected than the Spanish Inquisition!
The issue gets absorbed by one of the two major parties long enough to absorb the party. The last third party (to my knowledge) that grew popular enough to actually threaten the two-party system was the Populist Party back in the late 1800's. The main objective of the Populists was the free coinage of silver as a combatant to the hard money crunch of the times. The Populists did suprisingly in their first election and the Democrats promptly sided with the Populists as proponents of free coinage of silver. The Populist vote got split and the party faded from the public eye. Once that happened the Democrats dropped free coinage of silver as a platform plank and the gold standard continued.
I predict Jack Thompson becoming a huge proponent of energy conversation in the near future.