Texsox

Let's recap. If you believe in an afterlife, and you promote your beliefs, you are hoping that others get to heaven also. If you do not believe in an afterlife, and you want to promote your beliefs, you are hoping they don't have a heaven to get into, and they share your nothing else attitude. Which is good for goodness sakes again?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 01:24 PM) Most species become extinct and there is no singular answer for "why?" besides "life's a b****." I still don't see why any of this would make people uncomfortable with a scientific theory. It's like being afraid of the theory of gravity because it hurts when you fall. You wouldn't. We can stop here.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 01:04 PM) Extinction. Why would that make a scientific theory uncomfortable for anyone? It's a reality. And why do some species become extinct?

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 12:51 PM) American Humanist Association is an organization that promotes secular and other forms of humanism. The ad is centered around helping other people for the sake of helping other people. Not because what will happen to you in the afterlife or your because god tells you to do it. I think its pretty straight forward and un offending. Much better than most religious signs that call people "baby killers" or tell us that we are "going to burn in hell". I don't believe that many, and certainly not most, religious signs mention baby killers. But maybe in your neck of the woods. If the ad was to help other people for the the sake of helping others, why was God even mentioned? Isn't helping people for the sake of helping enough? Why must you reject God in the process?

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 12:43 PM) Head on over to Broad Street and check out the burnt-out car hulls with "PHILLIES #1!!!!" painted on them. Isn't that where all the strip clubs are?

QUOTE (sox4lifeinPA @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 12:35 PM) uh oh... I don't like where this is going. To where darwin becomes uncomfortable for some? I like that spot.

street food in Lincoln Park.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 12:10 PM) Check out Dawkin's The Selfish Gene. It talks about evolution and how organisms are programmed to pass on as many copies of their genes as possible globally and not necessarily individually. .So what does it mean when a species is not able to pass on any copies of their genes?

I do not find an incompatibility between evolution and my religious views. In one camp are the High Priests of Science who claim, after looking at ancient fossils, that life came from a primordial soup and nothing has evolved higher than humans. They can't really explain with absolute proof where the material came from to begin with, it just was. On the other camp, Religions have seen the fossil records and believe that someone or something evolved to a higher level than humans and created this life. They too can't explain with absolute certainty where the raw materials came from. It just was. Much like we have created new genetically altered plants and animals, so too could a higher being have genetically altered this life and set in motion this process of evolution.

The billboard could have been Don't Believe in God? Be Good For Goodness Sake and promoted "goodness". Obviously they are making an anti-God statement. As long as groups are able to make a pro-God statement, life is good, just, and fair. I do not remember making a choice to be straight but I do remember making a decision to not experiment with a gay lifestyle. Is the reverse also true? I don't know and I doubt it really matters.

street vendor roulette on the Philly Steak. Make sure there is a jar of Cheese Whiz close by. Any attempts to make them citified corrupts the process.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 10:35 AM) That's the American Spirit, right there. Looking over their other product, bacon salt, I'm placing an order.

There is a certain amount of intolerance on both sides. I would prefer a world that people could share their beliefs over a world where all beliefs are considered bad. I would prefer agnostics and atheists that are trying to promote good for goodness sake over no promotion at all. However, this tries to do more, it seems to be promoting two things at once, good for goodness sake, but also, to ask people to give up faith in God. Now I guess that in fairness, asking people to believe in a higher power is also asking them to give up believing one does not exist. Now imagine the power of believers and non-believers joined together in a message of good for goodness sake. That would be consistent with most belief systems around the globe, and would do the most to promote harmony rather than discord, of goodness over evil. In other worlds, would have done the most for what they on the surface were trying to promote. And I see no problem with the ad being on a bus as long as, for example, someone could place an ad wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

QUOTE (YASNY @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 09:10 AM) Well let's see here. You have Democratic controlled House and Senate. Obama pushed this when he met with Bush the other day. Obama is by definition the leader of the Democratic Party right now. How could anybody possibly think this is Obama's bail out? Because despite some of his shortfalls, Bush has always stood up and done what he thinks is right. For example he has stood up against his party on immigration issues.

I just started thinking that for primitive camping, this may just have a place. I've carried baccos for some stuff, why not bacon as a condiment?

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 08:59 AM) says shes from Kansas City. Models like that travel the world . . .

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 08:55 AM) For Italian, I wouldn't do Italian Village. That place is about atmosphere - the food isn't that good, IMO. There are a metric ton of good italian places downtown - call the Hilton concierge (as was noted earlier) to recommend one of those. There is a famous one that is excellent, just north of the NW corner of Millenium Park, right on Michigan Ave, and the name is escaping me. And for a tourist making their first or occasional trip to Chicago, atmosphere may tip the scales over quality of food. I can take you to an awesome Mexican feast in Reynosa, Tamps. Mexico about 30 minutes from my house. You will be scared to death, and I'll be a little nervous, but the food is amazing. Or I can take you to a really cool place, great service, great decor, and the food will be ehh, OK. Touristy stuff.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 08:39 AM) No, Tex, things haven't changed. Scientific fact and theory are two separate things and always have been. A fact is an observation. A theory is an explanation. Things do not become accepted theories until they are rigorously peer-reviewed, but there's no evolution ( ) of observation -> hypothesis -> theory -> fact/ law. Theories stand on their own and are one of the strongest parts of our scientific knowledge. At this point? Sure. In the future? Maybe not. we probably could have saved some time and posts if I was clearer in my earlier post.And I am certain we will unlock the mystery. Probably not in my lifetime, but eventually.

Then I stand corrected. I thought the scientific process was to develop a hypothesis, design an experiment to test that hypothesis, publish the results and methods in a peer review journal, have others recreate the experiment. A good theory would spark further research and eventually, through this repetition of results, something would be considered scientific fact. I guess things have changed since I was in High School. And I have no squabble with evolution. I think it is part of our creators plan. It's the origin of life that takes faith, no matter what you believe.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 08:05 AM) Didn't we do this one already about 10 pages ago? 10 pages ago? Rookie Change your settings. My Setting > Options > 50 Posts Per Page All the lunacy, Half the time!

QUOTE (Soxy @ Nov 12, 2008 -> 10:32 PM) I don't know probably entrees around $15-20 sounds right. She's not a big red meat eater, but she really likes poultry. I was thinking the Italian Village, but I haven't been there in ages (and I think it's a ways off). Anyway, she likes Italian/Greek, Thai, Indian, Mexican. It's been fifteen years since I've been to Italian Village. I'm getting home sick. Theater and Italian Village

QUOTE (farmteam @ Nov 12, 2008 -> 10:46 PM) The exit you're referring to is Tower, it looks like it's the Skokie Lagoons, somewhere between a little south of Tower to about halfway between Tower and Dundee. I knew she wasn't in Texas, you know, just sayin'

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 07:57 AM) Again, "primordial soup" is not evolution. That is abiogenesis. (this is going off on a complete derailment of the original thread topic) We have plenty of direct evidence for evolution. There are many facts of evolution. These facts go into the larger theories of evolution. These facts and theories are well-evidenced and supported by different fields of science (geology, genetics, cosmology, etc.). Scientists have witnessed and reproduced many aspects of evolution. We have countless amounts of direct evidence. Acceptance of scientific knowledge or theory does not take faith, because faith is believing in something without evidence. Scientific research is the exact opposite of faith. Origin of life, how it started. Faith or fact?

There already is a mostly volunteer program in place called Exploring, a coed Boy Scout program for youth 14-20, which allows interested youth to work with various civil service departments. We have Posts here attached to police, fire, Border Patrol, FBI, and other agencies. So far no sign of communism being spread and it does not cost the government one penny. They do ride alongs, help with traffic and crowd control and various other tasks that free up the officers to perform more meaningful work that requires higher skills. Along the way they learn a lot and hopefully have a little fun.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2008 -> 06:53 AM) It's still advertisement. The Jesus fish is a pretty tame example, but plenty of church message boards, billboards, and bumper stickers tell me that I'm going to suffer for eternity if I don't believe what those people believe. I wouldn't support or endorse what this group did, but I still don't see what is so offensive about it. It doesn't seem insulting or demeaning to me. Einstein did not believe in God in the Christian sense, ie a personal God. I don't think Hawking does, either. When they speak of "God", they're talking about the "beauty of the universe" or something along those lines. Some Einstein quotes (http://www.spaceandmotion.com/albert-einstein-god-religion-theology.htm): A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. (Albert Einstein) I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. (Albert Einstein, 1954) I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings. (Albert Einstein) If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. (Albert Einstein) Two things. First, the Big Bang and the creation of life from non-life are not part of evolution. Big Bang is in the field of cosmology and the creation of life is the field of abiogenesis. Evolution is its own separate field. Second, saying evolution takes faith is incorrect. Faith means belief in something in spite of an absence of evidence. Evolution, both theory and fact, is one of the most well-evidenced and well-supported fields of science that we have. It takes no more 'faith' to believe in evolution than any other part of science, and it is certainly not upheld without evidence. Usually for something to be considered a scientific fact, it involves being able to repeat the process. So far we have not been able to repeat a primordial soup where material magically comes together and create billions of different and successful life forms. Perhaps evolution is also a higher being's process and we are discovering that. You have faith in a process no one could have seen, no one has reproduced, and with no direct evidence, only indirect. And as you mentioned, just because the majority believes it, it doesn't make it true. Perhaps I misunderstood the scientific process of making hypothesis and testing it and of peer review before something becomes fact.