I’d forgotten how refreshingly loud British government debates could be. Prime Minister’s Question Time is a classic opportunity for any MP to question and challenge the Prime Minister directly. I wonder how the US congress or senate would handle such a debate. If CSpan was this much fun, it would be prime time TV.
I'm a technophile with an enduring interest in almost anything real or imagined. I suffer fools badly, and love trashy science fiction, plot-free action movies, playing guitar, and baking (especially scones. You haven't lived 'til you've eaten my scones). My wife & I are Scottish, living north of Atlanta, GA, with two children, one dog, and a growing collection of gadgets. I work for a living.
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In this March 6, 2010 sermon, Reverend Billy preaches that the biggest purchases that we make here in American is war. "Bombing Baghdad is shopping. And there is no solution to this that isn't radical. It's time to be a radical American again right not. Think of the extraordinary things that radical Americans have done!"We can't figure out what th... »
to respond bionicles have been sadly discontinued but can still ve found in toys r us and targets nationwide along with lego stores worldwide. i have been playing with legos and bionicles for almost fourteen years now, almost my entire life. my parents are very incredibly anti violence, guns, war etc. but bionicle especially and constrluction sets ... »
Dan asks, "Where's the profit for those would have us believe in the vast majority of the evidence?"Circular reasoning is all over this.This is why people like Al Gore and his cohorts passing out grant money to find trends that they can use to scare the unsuspecting into taking actions, like buying "carbon credits," actually has nothing to do with... »
It sounds like they are ready for "The Talk".You know, the one where you gently explain that Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, and certain Gods likely do not actually exist -- except as tools to make children obey. And that they, just like their father and almost EVERY AMERICAN, got a big (steaming) dose of Heyzeus poured into their young impressionable mi... »
Niklaus: I assume that the big package gets more overall consensus, since most folks can find something they like in a big complex bill. I do like many of the features in the Obama proposal (as described on the White House site). I would not leave the payment system in the hands of for-profit insurers, however. There's not need to scoop profi... »
I'm with Alison. I regularly stretch my imagination to see the roots of how we came to be and are still becoming.It is a trip to realize how few of the atoms that were the adult me three decades ago are still part of me. Even neural tissue and bone exchanges ions busily. Yet memory (malleable as it is) persists.It is a hoot to see how most of our a... »
The reasons the house bill is so large is that it is comprehensive and contains language that specifically targets various abuses of medicare by corporations. This is not only limited to insurance companies, but also to such practices as "dumping" by corporate employers who, rather than contribute to a private health-care benefit plan for their emp... »
Disoriented, Erich? I think of the same things, and I feel amazed and excited. The size and historic scope of the universe itself all the way down to our own, more limited, earthly existence,gets me all pumped up. In my lifetime, most of the mysteries will still remain unsolved. The fact that we're aware they exist, though, and that people are ... »
Best ride ever. Too bad about the people who are scared to death about it and try to stop the ride, mostly by pretending it all simply doesn't exist. »
what really blows me away - and maybe its solely due to my naivete (sp?) - is that not only do they know where i live and what my phone number is, but how OLD (or young) i am! But somehow, and this actually makes me feel better, they seemed to have missed the mark a bit on the spouse - i'm sure he'd find it funny to learn that he is GK Locke. »
For comparison, a bill currently being considered by congress is 2,300 pages long.http://budget.house.gov/doc-library/FY2010/03.15.2010_reconciliation2010.PDF »
President Obama made a backroom deal last summer with the for-profit hospital lobby that he would make sure there would be no national public option in the final health reform legislation. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/ny-times-reporter-confirm_b_500999.html »
I tell my two daughters that scientists have no sacred cows. They ask rigorous questions about all aspects of human animals, including the question of why some human animals believe in God. I tell them that to be good scientists, they will need to have the courage to study themselves, because absolutely nothing should go unexamined. I don't yet k... »
Erich, Brynn: Thanks for the informative replies. You've taken what was an abstract concern for me and made it very concrete. Considering that history it's hard to imagine that they'd be bold enough to put those reassurances in the envelope with the form. »
Our money we earn does go for all girls. There is no individual benefit for the girl who sells the most and no punishment for who sells the least (other than incentives from council which I have no control over..I even work the numbers to make sure everyone gets something). No one pays more or less for outings based on cookies sales. We earn thi... »
Interesting post. I suppose it raises the question of parenting and in what direction your hand points with your children in these matters? Not being a parent myself I cannot say, but being raised in a family that seemed to foster logic in all situations helped shape who I am today. My parents never required anything of us as far as religion goes, ... »
Hi Tim. I came to make the same point as Erich, so I guess I'll just have to add some more recent history. The New York Times reported in 2004: I've given this a lot of thought over the past few months, and I think our form will be returned with the sole answer "2". »
