Re: Off-topic., monotonous posting (was Child-killing religion)
On 15 Oct 2008, at 02:04, David Hobby wrote: William T Goodall wrote: On 20 Aug 2008, at 16:10, William T Goodall wrote: I'm growing increasingly concerned that you are trying to use your position on the list to intimidate and silence those with whom you do not agree and that this behaviour could be offensive to some who might otherwise participate. Seems I was right. As usual Maru William-- Hi. I give up, what do you mean? It's been very quiet here since the thought police manifesto. Obvious Maru -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Debunking bullshit is a thankless task. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Off-topic., monotonous posting (was Child-killing religion)
Ronn! Blankenship wrote: At 09:18 PM Tuesday 10/14/2008, Kevin B. O'Brien wrote: At this point I cannot rule out some stupid technical problem, like a message that got caught in a queue somewhere and just now shook loose. It *does* happen sometimes. I wondered if that was what happened. History Repeats Itself Maru To me it is a variation on the old Don't assume malice when stupidity is sufficient principle.g Regards, -- Kevin B. O'Brien TANSTAAFL [EMAIL PROTECTED] Linux User #333216 Wagner's music is better than it sounds. -- Mark Twain ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Delurking for a moment or two
Not that I was lurking, more like totally off-the-grid. Ouch! Over 8K emails to scan through! And I bet I've missed some lively (not to say acrimonious grin) discussions; with all the political and economic goings-on, there's been plenty of grist for the mill. So. Obama is leading in the polls, including here in CO; I do think he's the best bet for getting us back in good standing around the world. But whoever is president next is inheriting a disaster...(not having read any recent posts, I can only hope that all are surviving OK; I already have clients scaling back on lessons b/c of the economy, and it looks like a beans-and-rice kind of upcoming winter). Think I'll read a few posts now- Debbi Cats And Ponies Doing Well Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Off-topic., monotonous posting (was Child-killing religion)
At 09:18 PM Tuesday 10/14/2008, Kevin B. O'Brien wrote: At this point I cannot rule out some stupid technical problem, like a message that got caught in a queue somewhere and just now shook loose. It *does* happen sometimes. I wondered if that was what happened. History Repeats Itself Maru . . . ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Gotta get me a digeridoo
Dave Land [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Julia wrote: Charlie Bell wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: I like hearing a Theremin. There's nothing in the world quite like waking up to a little blues group that includes a theremin. Especially when you can't remember letting them in the house. House? What house? I was camping! It's not camping if there's power for a Theramin. I was once awakened from sleeping on a friend's boat on the North shore of Long Island by a piper playing at the end of the jetty in the misty dawn. *That* qualified as one of the most memorable awakenings in my life, and only served to confirm that, whatever my total ethnic make-up may be, my scots heritage is very much alive. Oooh, bagpipes and digeridoo! I was at the Scottish Festival in Estes Park last month, and the band Brother (from Australia, at least a couple of them) played; I'd actually seen the band at a 'fest in Oregon back in ~'95, but it turned out that none of the current members had belonged to the band back then...anyway, what a cool sound! There was another band, mostly drums and a piper, that portrayed reasonably well what Klingons would sound and look like if they were into bagpipes and Taiko... Debbi More Tatoos Than You Could Remeber Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science
Rceeberger quoted: http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21b02001.htm snippage 4. Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal. If modern science has learned anything in the past century, it is to distrust anecdotal evidence. Because anecdotes have a very strong emotional impact, they serve to keep superstitious beliefs alive in an age of science. The most important discovery of modern medicine is not vaccines or antibiotics, it is the randomized double-blind test, by means of which we know what works and what doesn't. Contrary to the saying, data is not the plural of anecdote. But anecdotal observations by qualified people can be worth investigating further; I am reminded of how several of my colleagues and I, back around 1990, had observed that physical exercise improved patients' (and our own!) depression or anxiety. Recently there has been at least one good study that confirms this. Debbi Goodall And Fossy Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Off-topic., monotonous posting (was Child-killing religion)
William T Goodall [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: William T Goodall wrote: I don't know who wrote: snippage I'm growing increasingly concerned that you are trying to use your position on the list to intimidate and silence those with whom you do not agree and that this behaviour could be offensive to some who might otherwise participate. Seems I was right. It's been very quiet here since the thought police manifesto. Hey, did somebody go and develop Heroes powers while I've not been looking?! Debbi Brain, Brain, What Is Brain? Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Weekly Chat Reminder
The Brin-L weekly chat has been a list tradition for over ten years. Way back on 27 May, 1998, Marco Maisenhelder first set up a chatroom for the list, and on the next day, he established a weekly chat time. We've been through several servers, chat technologies, and even casts of regulars over the years, but the chat goes on... and we want more recruits! Whether you're an active poster or a lurker, whether you've been a member of the list from the beginning or just joined today, we would really like for you to join us. We have less politics, more Uplift talk, and more light-hearted discussion. We're non-fattening and 100% environmentally friendly... -(_() Though sometimes marshmallows do get thrown. The Weekly Brin-L chat is scheduled for Wednesday 3 PM Eastern/2 PM Central time in the US, or 7 PM Greenwich time. There's usually somebody there to talk to for at least eight hours after the start time. If no-one is there when you arrive just wait around a while for the next person to show up! If you want to attend, it's really easy now. All you have to do is send your web browser to: http://wtgab.demon.co.uk/~brinl/mud/ ..And you can connect directly from the NEW new web interface! -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ This message was sent automatically using launchd. But even if WTG is away on holiday, at least it shows the server is still up. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The silence of the ludites.
10/7/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On ABC, if nobody else as well, McCain was silent for 30 to 40 seconds. I don't have anything to comment. Just wanted to be first in. scratches forehead Looks like the only one in... I'm still trying to figure out why he chose Palin as VP candidate: drill, abstinence only, 'Creationism,'* anti-science...what independents was she supposed to entice? * I strongly support teaching of 'Creationism' - as long as it includes stories about Tiamat, and the Giant Turtle, and the First through Fourth Worlds, and the Scarab and its ball of dung. Debbi Equal Opportunity Mythology Maru;} ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Off-topic., monotonous posting (was Child-killing religion)
On 15 Oct 2008, at 02:04, David Hobby wrote: William T Goodall wrote: On 20 Aug 2008, at 16:10, William T Goodall wrote: I'm growing increasingly concerned that you are trying to use your position on the list to intimidate and silence those with whom you do not agree and that this behaviour could be offensive to some who might otherwise participate. Seems I was right. As usual Maru William-- Hi. I give up, what do you mean? It's been very quiet here since the thought police manifesto. Obvious Maru -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Debunking bullshit is a thankless task. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Post Turtle
Doug Pensinger [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip The old rancher said, Well, ya know, Palin is a 'Post Turtle'. Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'Post Turtle' was. The old rancher said, When you're driving down a country road you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'Post Turtle'. The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. You know she didn't get up there by herself, she don't belong up there, she don't know what to do while she's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dummy put her up there to begin with. LOL I'm gonna haf ta pass this'un on to my friends... But in real life that's awfully unfair to the turtle. Debbi Synchronicity Of The Giant Turtle Maru ;) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: $10
Richard Baker [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dave said: In this case, Jon claims that John Williams is channeling erstwhile list-member Eric Rueter with his gruff posts. I don't recall a list member of that name, but there was an Erik Reuter. Who could be dreadfully annoying, but had interesting things to say at times. I miss several former members (even if they _were_ frequently horses' patooties). Debbi Skimming With Fervor Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Delurking for a moment or two
I wrote: ... And I bet I've missed some lively (not to say acrimonious grin) discussions; with all the political and economic goings-on, there's been plenty of grist for the mill. snip Ah, the sound and smell of baboons howling while tossing fecal matter about -- I refer to the Meltdown thread, of course, which I am just starting to wade through. Good to see that, as before, name-calling and posturing are the 'counters' to facts, perceptions and opinions ... hmmm, rather like current political ads on the tube. BTW, even baboons have the capacity to transform their interactions in less than one generation: there was a troop whose alpha males all died, and when the betas took over, astonishingly they *did not* become swaggering bullys who beat up the females and juveniles, but started a kinder and gentler society with more grooming and non-aggressive interactions. And incoming young males are 'indoctrinated' into this mode, which the researcher said took about 6 months. I recall reading somewhere about this before, but here is a PBS piece on stress that incorporated the data: http://www.pbs.org/stress/ A blog that summarizes the baboon part: http://www.pbs.org/remotelyconnected/2008/09/stress_portrait_of_a_killer.html ...One troop of baboons, we learn, was able to pull it off - to change the fundamental nature of their society and reduce stress all around. When the troop's alpha males all died - victims, tragically, of tuberculosis, which they got from tainted meat in the dumpster of a nearby nature lodge - the remaining males did something amazing: they were nice. More to the point, they weren't aggressive toward subordinates; suddenly, being a subordinate didn't feel worse than being dominant. The troop as a whole became more harmonious; as rank became less related to quality of life, the baboons who were lower on the totem pole were able, simply put, to chill out... Here is a NYT article on the subject: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E6DB1E38F930A25757C0A9629C8B63 ...In a study appearing today in the journal PloS Biology (online at www.plosbiology.org), researchers describe the drastic temperamental and tonal shift that occurred in a troop of 62 baboons when its most belligerent members vanished from the scene. The victims were all dominant adult males that had been strong and snarly enough to fight with a neighboring baboon troop over the spoils at a tourist lodge garbage dump, and were exposed there to meat tainted with bovine tuberculosis, which soon killed them. Left behind in the troop, designated the Forest Troop, were the 50 percent of males that had been too subordinate to try dump brawling, as well as all the females and their young. With that change in demographics came a cultural swing toward pacifism, a relaxing of the usually parlous baboon hierarchy, and a willingness to use affection and mutual grooming rather than threats, swipes and bites to foster a patriotic spirit. Remarkably, the Forest Troop has maintained its genial style over two decades, even though the male survivors of the epidemic have since died or disappeared and been replaced by males from the outside. (As is the case for most primates, baboon females spend their lives in their natal home, while the males leave at puberty to seek their fortunes elsewhere.) The persistence of communal comity suggests that the resident baboons must somehow be instructing the immigrants in the unusual customs of the tribe... ...''We don't yet understand the mechanism of transmittal,'' said Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky, a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford, ''but the jerky new guys are obviously learning, 'We don't do things like that around here.' '' ... ...The new-fashioned Forest Troop is no United Nations, or even the average frat house. Its citizens remain highly aggressive and argumentative, and the males still obsess over hierarchy. ''We're talking about baboons here,'' said Dr. Sapolsky. What most distinguishes this congregation from others is that the males resist taking out their bad moods on females and underlings. When a dominant male wants to pick a fight, he finds someone his own size and rank. As a result, a greater percentage of male-male conflicts in the Forest Troop occur between closely ranked individuals than is seen in the control populations, where the bullies seek easier pickings. Moreover, Forest Troop males of all ranks spend more time grooming and being groomed, and just generally huddling close to troop mates, than do their counterpart males in the study... Here is a summary of that baboon aggression taken to infanticide: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/murder-in-the-troop/a-little-help-from-their-friends/2051/ Debbi who hopes to get her car back from the transmission repair shop very soon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Model for the financial crisis
Rceeberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=477k3d8mh2wmtpc4b6h07p4hy9z83x18 The Panic of 1873 Thanks for the history lesson; I didn't know about that crash. Not very reassuring, though, is it? Still looking like a rice-and-beans winter... Debbi Of Course The Ponies Get Oats maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The silence of the ludites.
I'm still trying to figure out why he chose Palin as VP candidate: drill, abstinence only, 'Creationism,'* anti-science...what independents was she supposed to entice? I think the plan was he entices independents (because of his supposed independence from dogma and cabals) while she keeps a connection to the Republican base - which no longer seems to be conceived to include intelligent, educated or introspective people who share a conservative (i.e small government, personal responsibility etc) philosophy. I think Brooks described it well when he said the Republicans have driven away working classes by sins of omission (not delivering) and the educated by sins of commission (telling them to get lost). ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Off-topic
I think he means that the financial system crashed because the USA abandoned God and became an atheist country. Alberto must stop reading the Conservapedia Monteiro I wish!~) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The silence of the ludites.
On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 2:02 PM, Deborah Harrell [EMAIL PROTECTED]wrote: scratches forehead Looks like the only one in... I'm still trying to figure out why he chose Palin as VP candidate: drill, abstinence only, 'Creationism,'* anti-science...what independents was she supposed to entice? Clearly, she was expected to attract all the proud Vagina Americans http://video.aol.com/video-detail/john-mccain-chooses-a-running-mate/1499541475/?icid=VIDLRVCOM06 out there. An absolutely cynical and politically self-serving move from the guy who claims he puts America first. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Post Turtle
Deborah wrote: LOL I'm gonna haf ta pass this'un on to my friends... But in real life that's awfully unfair to the turtle. Yes, I'm sure both of us would stop the car, take the turtle down and send it back to wherever it came from. Doug ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
