Daily Topics - Thursday March 22nd, 2012
By shawnt56
Catch The Thom Hartmann Program LIVE at our new time, 3-6pm Eastern!
Hour One: Joe Madison (The Joe Madison Show) - live from Florida with the latest on Trayvon Martin
Hour Two: Fired for being a creationist...is this ok? John G. West, PhD-Discovery Institute / Plus, Geeky Science - Does being bilingual make you smarter?
Hour Three: Wisconsin has a Trayvon Martin too - John Nichols, The Nation Magazine
Comments
#2
Re: Trayvon Martin, race, politics....
Racial identity is sometimes relative...George Zimmerman is the product of a white parent and a Latino immigrant parent.
My wife is an immigrant from Peru, and my grandparents were from Ireland & Germany. When in Peru, my daughter is definitely considered white (maybe with a little latin sabor). When in America, she is considered Hispanic. Cameron Diaz doesnt seem to talk about it much, but she is considered hispanic.
We should have to ask ourselves how different it would be if it was a white person shooting a white person, latino killing white; and why?
For those hoping to hear something from the White House, remember Elián González and the possible effect on the 2000 election. Tread carefully, Obama. The gun nuts could go crazy....
#3
Thom just mentioned that there were over 400 years of slavery in America.. but I don't understand how that can be possible. Jamestown was founded in 1607, the first colony of this country. Slavery was abolished in the 1860's. The difference isn't 400 years. It isn't the first time I've heard this number thrown out, is there a different point of reference? Is the number supposed to be going back to 1492 when Columbus arrived and started enslaving the indigenous peoples?
Just curious.
N
#4
The fine-tuning of the universe goes with the Strong Anthropic Principle--that the universe was created in such a way that we can live in it. The Weak Anthropic Principle is that the universe is livable because if it weren't we wouldn't be here to see it. So far as I know, the fine-tuning is about life as we know it. With different values for the constants, other, unimaginable forms of life might be possible, although some values for those constants would lead to things like the universe not lasting long enough for life to arise, etc.
In cosmology, the fine-tuning is considered too much of a coincidence, so it has been hypothesized that there are many universes, all with different values to the constants.
#5
It believe that was half a millennium of racism, not slavery, Maxrot.
Of course, slavery actually goes back much further. I have a world history atlas that shows overland slave routes in the year 900, going from sub-Saharan Africa to Muslim-occupied North Africa.
#6
That's not what Thom said though Mathboy, he said 400 years of slavery in America, and as I mentioned Thom is not the first I've heard that from. And yes I'm aware that slavery predates historical records and exists to the present day world (as does racism).
So there are two things about the Zimmerman/Martin case that I haven't heard discussed. The first is why was Trayon walking through a gated community, and how exactly is this neighborhood gated? Are there walls surrounding the perimeter with security gates, or is it merely considered gated because the neighborhood conforms to a set of common rules established by an association? I ask this just to understand the nature of regularity of someone walking through the neighborhood and what about it could be construed as irregular if at all. The second thing that I'm curious about is Zimmerman's early statements of the person looking as if he's on drugs? How does someone look like they're on drugs from even a short distance unless they are staggering, falling down or I don't know hopping into and out of bushes or something. I would like to how someone who has a can of Iced Tea and Skittles walking down the street can be claimed to look as if they're on drugs and no one asks the person making the claim what action his victim made to lead him to that conclusion?
Obviously the police have a lot to answer for, I'm amazed that they didn't cover their own butt by at least bringing Zimmerman in for an in depth interview as well as taking and perserving evidence at the scene.
N
#7
Wow, a really good list of common climate change deniers' arguments, and their rebuttals: http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php. And each rebuttal is a hyperlink.
Also on the subject of climate change, may I suggest "hypercapnically ugly"? Hypercapnia is the condition of having too much carbon dioxide (in your blood).
#8
Regarding the caller that mentioned that mathematicians were the first to dispute Darwins' theory of evolution. I took a lot of biology, cell bio, molecular bio, grad level, etc. I have seen this before. Problem is that the mathematicians considered random events, random distribution. They did not take into account molecular mechanisms of genetic variation, because nobody knew of them….That’s the danger in embracing the scientific ideals of a minority in the early 1860’s…
#9
The Multi-Verse is Conscious
There need no be dispute between Mysticism and Science --
except that Science often lacks real respect for Life (as in ani-pal "testing").
If you travel in Quantum realms;
It is perfectly Scientific to Say that Matter is Energy and Energy is Conscious
#10
Sally Pipes tells some great anecdotes, but has anyone investigated there voracity? For example, she says that her mother went to the doctor with blood in her stool and he responded by ordering an X-ray, then refusing to order a colonoscopy because there were younger patients with higher priority. Six months later, her mother went to the emergency room, cancer was confirmed and she died two weeks later.
I am sure this was very traumatic for Sally, but the anecdote does not have enough information in it to conclude that the Canadian system was to blame. How old was her mother? What was her overall health? When did this happen? What was the state of the art at the time? What is the probability that early detection would have changed the outcome? Did she try to see another doctor? Were there any other circumstances that might cause the doctor to not consider further investigation?
We all know stories of medical screw-ups, honest mistakes and just bad luck. That just proves our doctors are human, not super-human.
#11
It is not scientific to say that energy is conscious--there's no science behind it.
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I don't mean to be off topic, but my story about Canada's health care is just totally in oposition to the woman speaking so ill of it.
I was on vacation to The Canadian Rockies, Banf and Calgary. As a US citizen, I became ill while on the trip. It apparently was a gall bladder attack. A friend in Calgary took me to the nearest clinic or facility. The Doctor saw me right away. He spen 30 minutes with me discussing my medical hystory. Gave me some usual cursury tests, was quite confident in his diagnosis. Gave me a medication to take and advice on seeing my own doctor as soon as I got home and what I should tell him about the incident.
As I was leaving the clinic I offered my Insurance card. . .they all smiled at me and said there was no charge.
It was a wonderful experience. I mean, I actually had a doctor sit and listen to me talk in great detail about my medical hystory and my current complaint for 30 minutes. And then there was NO CHARGE. Holy Cow!! I want this type of health care here in the US.
Everyone deserves it.