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Romans 13 says "authorities that exist have been established by God" and "he who rebels is...rebelling against...God". Do you agree? Except when the governing authority requires something clearly contrary to other Bible teaching - like a law forbidding prayer or reading the Bible - yes, I agree. What do you think it means to "rebel?" In the USA, political opposition is part of our governmental process. Protesting against government policy, or funding opposing political ads, parties or candidates is not rebellion in this...

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Do you believe we all have two personalities, our confidence and our paranoia? Seems to me the relative strength of your confidence and paranoia are aspects of your one personality.

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if you make a paper saying someone owes you something and they sign it do they have to stick by it even if its an IOU? If two people agree something and sign a document specifying the agreement it is a legal contract in many places. Whether the signer is legally or morally obligated depends on many factors including: was the document signed under duress? was the document deceptive or its contents misrepresented? was the signer competent (age, mental state, sober) to sign? Even if legally or morally obligated,...

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If the religious right became the ruling body do you thing they would govern the country according to Romans 13:1-7? For how long? There are no instructions to govern "according to" here. These are instructions to the Christian to submit to laws. It essentially states that governments punish some behaviors (they all do) and that they collect taxes (they all do). So, basically, all functional governments do govern this way - except bad ones that are "a terror to good conduct" - such dysfunctional governments do exist....

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On the darkside of the moon its -250 degree's, why doesn't a space suit freeze, no moisture? Well... they are insulated (to keep heat in) and heated (by the astronaut and the suit's powered systems. More than that, it is already a solid. Solids that get colder stay solid. "Solid" kinda means "already frozen." Metals and fabrics "freeze" at very high temperatures. If you construct the suit with materials (like low-temp lubricants?) that don't solidify until colder than -250 and solids...

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If Mitt Romney were elected would there be a military coup to reinstate Obama? No.

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Are there any advantages to being an atheist over being a theist? If there is a God, then the answer is clearly no. Believing untruths and therefore basing you philosophy on incorrect information is, ultimately, not beneficial. If there is no God, then the answer does not matter. If all of what exists is undirected recombination of atoms and energy, there is no reference from which to measure "advantage." Since everything you do and think is, ultimately,...

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My friend,Bob Petersen,says all government subsidies should be eliminated. I got his permission to use his full name. What do you think? I think that may be going too far. I am convinced that the Federal government is involved in way too many things that would be better left to state or local government or even private interests... but when you say "all government subsidies"... I think we need to define what qualifies as a subsidy. Government paying for research and technology in the area of national defense may be the only...

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Other planets' moons have snazzy names...Why is ours just called "moon"? I think it's name is technically "Luna" Moon-related things are "lunar." Like other heavenly bodies in our solar system, it is also the name of a Roman god. It does appear that "the Moon" is the most common English language "name" for it. We tend to call it "the moon" because it is the only one we have... kinda like the way we call stars "stars" even though they have names too.

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Is their a web address that show live images or live real time videos of the sun? I am not aware of any "live feed" type video... but this site has near-real-time images. http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html I am reasonably certain that the events on the sun are distant and large enough that you would not see "moving picture" video of a live feed. It would look static. You'd have to do a time-lapse to actually see the eruptions and other cool effects.

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What, in your opinion, sets the standard for excellence? Why? The word "excellent" literally means "excels" at something. Basically "excellence" means "does much better than typical or expected." If a mechanic does better, quicker repairs at a lower cost and with great interpersonal communication skills, people would typically say that mechanic sets a standard for mechanic excellence. What you recognize as excellent will vary based on your values - for...

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I have a 200101home Nissan maxima.it has 215/55r16 tires on it now bit will 225/65r16s work Typically, in order to keep the diameter of the tire the same you go with a lower profile when you increase the tread width. The tire you mention will make your speedometer and odometer read wrong by a few percent and there is a good chance it is too big for the wheel well - it might rub on the strut, spring or fender under some conditions... but then again, it might not. It would not be...

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The Bates Family; Baby makes 19. Should we all procreate at that rate? Most human mothers are not capable of naturally producing that many offspring. Typical human births produce only one baby per pregnancy. A woman who nurses her baby may not be fertile again for years (nursing tends to suppress ovulation, though it varies from individual to individual). If a mother could average one baby every two years she'd require about 38 child-bearing years - which is...

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Who can explain whom/who and when either is appropriate? "Who" is appropriate as a subject or predicate nominative. "Who" does something or is something. Example: Who hit John? ('who' did the hitting.) In answer one might say "Mary is who." or perhaps "Mary. That's who." In this kind of simple sentence, "who" is equal to Mary (or "that" in the case of "that is who") and they both take the nominative case even though neither actually does anything in...

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Who benefits from a war? Generally, the ones who win. If you are the attacker who is trying to acquire land and resources, you might gain them and thereby benefit from war. If you are defending yourself from attack, when you win you benefit by keeping your home/property/culture or whatever the attacker is trying to take. While it is generally true that war is far too costly to be a benefit to a society, it is also...

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Does anyone find it paradoxical that while religious people believe that a human being's intelligence is God given, the employment of that intelligence leads to the conclusion that God does not exist? Quite to the contrary, I note that, in most cultures in history, the employment of that intelligence led to the conclusion that there is a creator and that many of the greatest minds in history acknowledged it. It is reported that Albert Einstein believed there must exist a unifying field theory because, in part, it seemed consistent with the character of the creator. In some ways his...

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Do you believe that the holocaust really happened? (you're going to need a REALLY good reason if you wanna say no.)(if yes, you dont need to explain :-P) People still alive witnessed various aspects of it. Many first hand recorded testimonies - both from camp survivors and perpetrators. Video exists of them dumping truckloads of bodies into mass graves. Various documents... People who reject all of the plain and abundant evidence surely have mental or emotional problems dealing with reality. (caveat: I am not a mental health professional and my...

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If we didn't have a say in the formation of our law why should we obey it? Generally, because order in society is necessary for civilization to exist and prosper. There are certainly laws passed which are unreasonable, and some even merit civil disobedience - which means choosing to break a law because that law is immoral or otherwise intolerable. Often, people claim their misbehavior is "civil disobedience" when, in fact, they just don't want to submit to rules for...

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For those folks who take great delight in putting down the "occupy" movement...how do you know you're in the right and they're not? For one, they have no coherent message. I have not heard anyone describe what would constitute success. Some want to send bank executives to prison. Some want to take money from the wealthy. Some want to abolish capitalism. Some probably want government control of wages. "Bankers should be punished" is too general to be meaningful. "Make things more fair" or "The rich should pay more" are not...

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Why when you tell a Church goer that the word 'Trinity' isnt in the Bible they say the Bible implies it? Is'nt that Adding to Scripture? Of course not. Words like "theology" and "eschatology" do not appear in the Bible either, but using them in discussions of doctrine is perfectly reasonable and legitimate. In the same way, naming a doctrine with a word that does not appear in the text is no violation of any reasonable standard.

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Why is it so stupidly prominent,that only ONE way to govern is all there should be?Several forms of it all at once is proof for best right? Are you referring to the totalitarians? or the anarchists? If you mean "governed" generically (i.e. enforcing rules for behavior)... I don't know anybody that believes that children should be governed the same way at home, in school and on the playground. I don't know anybody that believes business leaders should govern like nations or that international organizations (e.g. the UN) should be...

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(Question for all christians) if Jesus died on the cross for your sins then why do you have the bible? Not sure I understand the question... The Bible claims to be a record of God's interactions with men. It contains the biographies of various significant people in the history of the nation of Israel and the founding of Christianity. It contains guidelines for pleasing God and receiving His gift of salvation and forgiveness. The letters of Paul were written to help the churches understand and...

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What to you is sinful? There are different words in the original languages of the Bibles that are translated as "sin." One comes from the concept of "missing the target" and the idea is that anything that fails to meet God's plans and goals for your life is sin. Another simplistic definition of sin might be "anything that offends or displeases God" which is pretty similar, since what would displease God would be the...

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The GOP rallies around its Prez even if it doesn't like him or agree with him. Dems speak out. Is sucking it up better than speaking up? Not sure where you get your news... but during the last few Republican presidencies (and this is probably true of all administrations of both parties) there were lots of Republican and Conservative voices that criticized the President frequently and opposed him on various controversial legislative proposals and executive positions. So, I am not sure they "rally around" their President any more...

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Rich and unhappy or poor and happy? Whats your choice? I don't understand why anyone would choose unhappiness. The choice between having everything you want and being unhappy or possessing nothing and being happy should be a no-brainer. Choose happiness. Stuff is just stuff and money can not buy contentment, peace of mind or happiness.

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Why we connect a ammetre in series and why we connect voltmeter in shunt A volt meter measures the difference in electrical potential between two different points and must be connected outside a circuit in some way. An ammeter measures the current flowing in a circuit and the easiest way to do that is to put it somewhere in the circuit. The current flow in a simple circuit is constant throughout the circuit. The voltage between various points in a circuit or across...

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- Who has seen the ISS satellite yet? Posted by Elf/Troll . I have on several occasions seen the space station overhead after sunset... maybe before sunrise. I can't prove it was the ISS, but I looked at the website that says where it will be in the sky and what I saw matched the time, location, direction, duration in the table. It was much brighter than most things I see crossing the darkened sky supporting the conclusion that it was much bigger than...

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Are there good lies/bad lies governmentwise? Or are all lies just lies and nothing more? What do you mean by "lies"? Does that include any information that may be entirely true, but is released or presented is such a way as to deceive? Does it include information that is not really true, but accurately communicates something that is true? Inaccurate technical information that is only technically inaccurate to make it readable to regular people? Selectively withholding...

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What do you think about vegetarians? Isn't eating plants still murder? Unless it's necessary due to health reasons, i think it's stupid. "Murder" is typically understood as the intentional, unjust taking of innocent human life. You can't murder plants or animals - that's not what the word means.

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What did Jesus mean when He said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven? I think he explained it pretty clearly himself. He said it is impossible for men to do it. It appears that it was commonly believed at the time that wealth was a sign of God's blessing - and pretty clearly rich people wanted to believe that. Jesus made it quite clear that wealth and God's favor are not related. When the disciples asked, apparently shocked at the camel comment, "who, then can...

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Please, if you can, explain the concept of The Holy Trinity in five words. God's "personality" exhibits superhuman complexity. No... one can not really "explain" a concept derived from hundreds of Bible verses in five words.

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Kind of like the LOYALTY PINS of the Third Reich? I honestly do not see any similarity. As I walk down the street, see people in the marketplaces or go to work, I seldom see such pins. The only time I have ever even heard it come up as an issue was when a public figure basically said he refused to wear one and the question was asked: "why not?" It is not that one is or is not wearing a flag, but the attitude that said "I refuse." As soon as...

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should usa reform its senate voting system and house of repersentations so other parties can form a goverment Of course not. No nation can tolerate a system that allows competing governments to form. While some rules vary from state to state, generally no voter is obligated to support a political party or vote for a member of a major political party. In every national election people running for the Green Party, the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, the Constitution Party, the Libertarian Party...

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What does a turbocharger do? The exhaust leaving the cylinders of an internal combustion engine still has a lot of energy in it. By forcing that exhaust through a special fan, some of that potential energy can be recovered. The fast and hot exhaust gas expands and cools as it spins a special "fan" on one end of a shaft which has on its other end a fan that pushes more fresh air into the cylinders on the intake stroke....

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The Daily News :" rot in hell"...in damning/judging, one to hell, they DAMN/JUDGE their ownselves FIRST. agree or disagree ? No human can send another to Hell. I suspect most people do not really recognize that "God damn you" is a prayer to God asking Him to condemn someone to Hell. You can not pronounce judgment on anyone, you don't have that authority. No man does. Anyone who sincerely follows the teachings of Jesus can not wish this on anyone else. Jesus said love your enemies, love you neighbors, treat others the...

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Is FEMA a US social welfare safety net? Is this gonna get chopped? Make 'em earn the money. After all why should they get handouts,right? If the US government does not start reducing its outstanding debt (that is DEBT not deficit - deficit is annual overspending, debt is what we pay interest on) significantly before interest rates go up (the debt is currently financed at something like .75% annual interest), lots of programs that benefit people will get chopped - not because the programs are problematic, but because we can't...

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Raising the speed limit means you get "there" faster. It also means you're more apt to die/take out others. What is the advantage again? It is a question of risk vs. reward. Yes, technically, you are more likely to have a damage-causing accident at 20 MPH than 10 MPH, but you get where you are going in half the time. I have driven thousands of hours at highway speeds without an accident. The probability of death or "take out others" on good roads at reasonable speeds is pretty low, but there is risk in doing anything. For most...

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Republican budget cuts result in layoffs. Employment rates suffer. Rupublicans blame Obama for unemployment. Is that fair or honest? The federal Government must reduce spending. Reducing spending will hurt some people and people will lose jobs. If the left blames the right for budget cuts, that is not fair, because they are necessary whoever initiates a particular spending bill - borrowing half of all the dollars you spend is crazy irresponsible and stupid. The only reason the the US is not desperately broke is that...

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How does data flow or interact between different components of a personal computer Data is represented in a computer by different voltages. Changing the state of transistors in the various components changes the voltage on conductive traces on a chip or printed circuit board or metal wires between chips/boards. System designers match components so that "upstream" devices put out voltages in sequences (with specific magnitude, duration, frequency, stability) that "downstream"...

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When a bill passes through the house does it get sent to the senate or vise versa? i need help Assuming US federal government... A bill can be introduced in either the House or the Senate. If it passes the body in which it is introduced, it moves on to the other. Any bill for raising revenue must originate in the House.

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If we could strip away all left-wing and right-wing Agendas would we be left with anything useful? Or is the middle "wing" extinct? Unless everybody suddenly agreed on everything, this won't happen. There will always be issues on which people disagree and consequently there will always be a "left" and "right" side - whatever those metaphors mean or whatever replaces them - and some in between ("the middle") who, perhaps, don't really care. The distribution of people near the center vs the extremes will vary based on the...

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Eminent Domain-law by which the government can appropriate private property. Why won't this be used to resolve the US financial budget? Just seizing additional assets from citizens undermines essential concepts of private property. Most places in the USA, the government is obligated by law to pay the owner a reasonable value for an asset that is seized, in which case its seizure does not help the budget problems. While I can see the argument that closing the state and/or federal overspending gaps with seizure of assets is in...

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How can I divide, with for ex 8 or 9 notes, between the musical notes frequencies of A4 440Hz and A5 880Hz with another regular growth rate? Not sure I understand what you want to know... but... The division of an octave into steps and half-steps is related to the natural modes of vibration of physical objects - like strings on an instrument or a 'column' of air in a horn or pipe. A string stretched tight will vibrate at a base or natural frequency (or pitch) where the wave length is related to the length of the string. It also...

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To christians: If you take all the arguments FOR the existence of the Christian and change out "God" with any other being, then the... I disagree with your premise. There are philosophical arguments for a supreme moral being. There are arguments from the physical sciences for an external creator. There are arguments from logic for a prime mover. etc., etc. They do not apply equally to all imaginable deities. Most of the things you list are not claimed to be the source of order, the universe, life, morality... and some are...

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In scientific terms, would an immaterial mind be a complex or simple thing? Science can't really even tell us what a "mind" is. Consciousness is not a thing that science has a rigorous definition of or explanation for. Many believe that the human mind and/or soul are inherently metaphysical and not really subject to hard scientific inquiry. Perhaps an even better answer is: every mind of which we are aware is immaterial. Just because my consciousness is associated...

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What does free spirited mean? I am sure it means different things to different people. I believe I have heard it used to mean everything from "willing to try new things" to "totally irresponsible." You have to know what the speaker means by "free." Some really do mean literally free from responsibilities or obligations (which amounts to totally irresponsible). Some mean free from constraints of societal norms - which can...

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Doo yoo think wee shood swich tu uh fonetickilli bayst speling sistim? That question was difficult to read... and you apparently pronounce those words different that I do because I would not have used the same vowels you did in some places - for example I pronounce the vowel in "do" and "to" the same, but you use different symbols. Your phonetic interpretation may not work for many (if not most) other English speakers in some cases. Who gets to decide the "right"...

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what bible verse of the gospels are usually taken literally? please answer these. Some of the words in the gospels are obviously parable (i.e. not literal) - many places it even tells you "jesus spoke a parable..." Some of the words are pretty clearly metaphor. Some are arguably hyperbole (nobody really goes around oblivious to a piece of lumber in his own eye). Some are apparently illustrative - Jesus said "if you hand offends you, cut it off," but I think most of us...

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Do the Middle Eastern protesters want "democracy" as we, in the west, understand it? How does their version of "democracy" differ? I think that one analyst was right when he said: democracy is nothing; freedom is everything. If it were possible to have a benevolent dictator with private property and individual liberty, it would be great. If you have "democracy" under a constitution that deprives you of any right to economic success, opposing opinion or freedom of religion or speech, it is terrible. Many in the middle east...

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I want to output dish and pc to a tv simultaneosly in a pip setup. Is this still possible If the two use different kinds of connectors, many TVs do support this. If both are using the same kind of connector (both are HDMI or both are using component input) most TV's do not support this, though some might. If you can connect the dish or pc using more that one kind of connector, you can try to choose a combination that works. VGA may not work with component because (I believe) they...

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what would it be like if adam and eve never sinned and we all lived forever in Harmony? i'm sure we would have accomplished more. It is said necessity is the mother of invention. If life were perfect in the garden of Eden with adequate food, water and ideal weather, no one would be motivated to invent. If there were no disease, there would be no need of medicine. With no requirement for medicine, defense or technology, what kind of things to you believe people would be driven to accomplish? The real "accomplishment"...

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Why do you christians ignore the old testament teachings? GOD is the old testament. JESUS is the new testament. Whick do you worship? The Christian churches I have been in teach the Old Testament starting with early childhood stories. They encourage studying all 66 books in the Bible. They teach that the Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament and that the work of Jesus can not be fully understood without understanding the history of Israel and teaching of their prophets. Jesus clearly referred to, taught from...

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Do you think that a Republican or a Democrat will be sitting in the oval office come 2012? Unless something dreadful happens to both President Obama and Vice President Biden, one of them will be the president till January of 2013 - when the winner of the 2012 election will be sworn in. Since I don't want the country or the office of the president dragged through some ugly scandal or tragedy, I hope Obama will be in the Oval Office through all of 2012.

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How long would it take to send a message to a spacecraft orbiting Mars at a distance of 7.8x10^10m from Earth? Well... how are you sending it? If you shoot a physical medium to the craft it depends entirely on the speed of the transport capsule. Do you include the time to compose the message? If encoded digitally and "beamed" using radio waves (or similar electromagnetic carrier) you need to pick a carrier frequency and a data rate. Encoded video will take much longer to transmit than plain text or...

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HOW MANY TIMES IS THE WORD \"BUT\" USED INTHE BIBLE? Depends on which translation you are looking at. I believe the word "but" in English can be implied in the original Greek and Hebrew and there may be more than one word in each Greek and Hebrew that could be translated "but" so I would not expect the number of occurrences of "but" in different English translations to be the same.

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Would a society of true equality- a utopia exist? Not among actual human beings. People have different abilities, talents, physical and mental limitations, so they are not equal (and can not be made equal) by those measures. If I value a good family and another values accumulation of wealth while another values solitude and we each achieve what desire, we can each be content with our success, but we won't be "equally" successful by any one...

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Do you think money would exist in your future Utopia? Barter is very difficult to manage in a technologically advanced society. If the future utopia has modern medicine, food production, communication and transportation, we will need some way of compensating service providers, and money is the easiest. If my utopia could include only people with the best motives and no disease or injury... and agriculture that never suffers from drought, disease...

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I've heard several people say they don't celebrate Halloween because it's a pagan holiday, well isn't christmas a pagan holiday as well? Among Christians, Christmas is celebrated as the birth of Jesus. Since that is its name and purpose, it is a Christian holiday. There is a good chance that the reason they picked Dec. 25 (centuries ago) was to coincide with a pagan festival - but neither the date on the calendar nor the winter solstice is the motivation for celebration, the birth of Jesus is (again among Christians). I don't...

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If you are aChristian,do you celebrate Halloween?Isn't Halloween pagan and in Gods eyes those who pratice such things are breaking Godslaw. I don't know anybody who "celebrates Halloween." Typically holidays are a remembrance of or celebration of something. While I know people who have parties or costume events on Halloween, they are not celebrating any event or hallowing any remembrance - there is nothing about the name "Halloween" or any historical event associated with that date that is relevant to the events. So, on Christmas...

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What if everything is an illusion,and nothing exists ? Then you did not ask this question and there is no one to answer it anyway. And answerbag and the internet don't exist either - nor any computer to access them if they did. There is also no one to be experiencing the illusion, so the illusion does not exist either. Pursuing this premise as a theoretical or philosophical construct has no real value and can not benefit actual humans living and...

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Is it "killing" or is it "murdering" a sin? Or are both a sin? The Bible does not forbid killing. People have to kill plants to live. Sometimes people have to kill animals to live (particularly in environments that are hostile to agriculture). A reasonable, moral definition of murder would go something like "the intentional, unjust taking of an innocent human life." By my working definition, it would not be a sin if some action I take causes the death of...

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If TARP turn out to be free or even profitable will TeaBaggers, FOX-heads and Conservatives admit it was a good thing and turn pro Obama? TARP was a President Bush thing (signed into law in October, 2008), not a President Obama thing. If it is free or even profitable, all that rubbish about the Bush administration leaving Obama a huge deficit will be proved nonsense because the payback should all be credited against the 2008 deficit - much of which was TARP spending. Instead, I am sure it is being improperly credited by many to...

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To what extent do you think science and scientific discoveries are censored by our government? The US government tries to protect technology that can be used by its enemies to create weapons. If a US company discovered some scientific principle that could give someone else the power to kill lots of Americans or significantly damage its government or infrastructure, they would try to keep that discovery secret. This is probably a tiny portion of the scientific discoveries. So... to what...

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Christians: Without using the bible as proof, why is it the Bible true, and why does pan-deism not stand its own to account for existence? Is it possible to prove a document is reliable without referring to the document? Any "proof" of the truth of the Bible must use the content of the Bible as evidence to be meaningful, so I think your first question is essentially invalid. A quick web search leads me to believe that there is not one, coherent, universally accepted definition of pandeism, but it seems one of the basic tenets is...

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WHERE WAS THE PROMISED LAND OF THE ISRAELITES AND HOW DID THEY RETURN THERE? Genesis 15 : "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, 'To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.'" The region where Abraham lived (approximately the area of modern Israel) when he received this...

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How many Canaanites (non-Jews) perished to make way for the Israelites in the Promised Land? The Bible indicates that the Canaanites perished because God pronounced judgment on them because of their own wickedness (like in Gen 15:16 He says to Abraham "your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure"). I hope you do not see this as a "silly answer" because I think the difference is very important. Like in the time of Noah and...

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Conservatives: Would you want your representative to vote against lowering taxes just because Obama might support it? Sen. DeMint appears to be opposing colleagues who stray from conservative ideas... I am guessing conservatives in general agree with him. Supporting a policy that opposes conservative values and erodes party unity would be undesirable whether it is an issue supported by Obama or not. Most conservatives would be very pleased to have the president support conservative economic ideas. I can,...

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Is the fact that all men want the root of all evil? If so why is it our basic instinct? What do you imagine is "the root of all evil?" If the root of all evil is self-interest... it is necessary to some degree - people have to care about their own health and survival to have a healthy society, but too much self-interest leads to behavior destructive to society and perhaps even self. If you are thinking about money... it seems you base your question on an error. Money is not part...

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Leviticus 20:13 says "If a man lies with another man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; and their blood will be on their own heads". Do Christians believe homosexuals deserve to die The Bible says "the wages of sin is death" so any serious student of the Bible would say yes, sinners deserve to die. But God is gracious, merciful, patient and forgiving, so He gives us many opportunities to repent and be reconciled. Christians should take the position that people who engage in homosexual behaviors - like people who engage in all other sin - do deserve to die... but I know of...

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Why don't Jews kill homosexuals and people that work on the Sabbath anymore? You use the phrase "any more"... Do you have historical records that show they ever did? I don't recall ever hearing of any such evidence. Do you have evidence that ancient Hebrew scholars and/or religious leaders generally understood the original language that way?

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Is it possible to know something with absolute certainty? Many people hold beliefs with absolute certainty, so it must be possible. Philosophy and science tend to reject the notion that something can be proved with absolute certainty, but we all believe that we know things about which the uncertainty is purely academic or semantic rather than practical.

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The Dove Church in Gainesville FL is burning copies of the Koran on September 11. Is this a hate crime? I am pretty certain that it is not a crime at all. It is not necessarily motivated by hate. It is no more a "hate crime" than burning an American flag (a symbol precious to many), an art exhibit featuring defiled Christian symbols (remember that story?) or hanging a manikin representing a public figure in effigy (as in various protests against President GW Bush). Those other things have been...

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When will Aplle be overcome by a better company of electronic devices? When Steve Jobs is no longer the visionary that guides the company and/or someone better at motivation, innovation and technology application than he or his successor comes to another company that has the talent and capital to implement the vision.

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what is wrong with people who care more about animals than they do of humans? What is "wrong" is that they have different values than you have. People who believe that humans are a special creation of God and people who believe that higher-evolved organisms (by some measure) have higher value than lower-evolved organisms care more about people than animals. Others who think that humans are not natural and the activities of humans are destructive to nature value animals...

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Did you love your Volvo 122S (Amazon)1964 - 1969? How many miles did you put on it? My family had a 122S 2-door Automatic from about 1965-1980. It was the first car I drove. I can't say I "loved" it, but it served us well. Those carbs and floats took a bit of attention... I think it had about 120k when it met with an untimely death by collision - 'course it does not take a lot to total a 15-year-old car with 120k miles on it...

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Can I put 195/65R15 tires on a car that has 195/55R15 on it now? Not enough info. If 195/55R15 is not the original equipment tire size, there's no way to tell from this little info. If it is the original size, the answer is perhaps. Some cars have lots of wheel well clearance, some have almost none. If the 55 series tires almost touch fender, suspension components or something else in the wheel well while moving through the full range of turning (the front...

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Is it possible for a CHRISTIAN to be a TERRORIST? Even sincere Christians can be deceived and manipulated sometimes. I can imagine this being possible... but it should not be possible for someone committed to the teachings of Jesus to be misguided like that - I also don't think that those committed to the teachings of Jesus could be easily misled into thinking that drinking poisoned Kool-Aid and giving it to their children was the "Christian"...

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can a B747 exceed its weight capacity by 12 tons when taking off in a 69km runway I am not sure what you mean here. There is a maximum amount of lift an airplane's wings can supply - if you exceed that it does not fly. There is a safety margin on the published maximum take-off weight - commercial aircraft can fly heavier than the specification if you are willing to compromise safety. You might be able to burn more than 12 tons of fuel on a 69km runway... Working from...

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How much could I cool a room using 10 lbs of dry ice? I am not going to check all your constants and calculations, but I don't see any time factor in there. Does your scenario assume the heat transfer is instantaneous and no heat enters or leaves the system? That can't happen in real life. Perhaps if your air mass was perfectly insulated, that could be a reasonable answer...

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Who decided that the wages of sin is death, suffering and disease, who made that rule? Who caused suffering? I think that might be like asking "who decided that when you let go of something it falls?" It is a natural consequence of the order of the universe. You can blame God or gravity if the rock falls on your toe, but if you dropped it, who really caused the suffering? In the same way, if life would be perfect without sin, but you choose to sin, who causes the problems? If I choose to sin by...

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Rewind. Start over. The Peons are now in power and the Power People that were in charge are now the Peons. What changes? No difference? This happens occasionally. Not too long ago in an African country the majority underclass drove out the more prosperous types and seized their property. If I remember aright, much of the economy faltered. Business leaders left, were imprisoned or killed and few remained who were competent to manage the production and distribution of goods and services. The nice homes and modern businesses...

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Findings show that early Christians did not start celebrating the birth of Jesus for 300 years. And that birthday wasn't on December 25. Historians have been unable to establish when Jesus was born... Does this put christians off christmas? Most Christians have no problem with the idea of celebrating the birth of Jesus at an annual holiday for that purpose. I do not think it matters on what day that celebration is scheduled. Much like Jesus' resurrection is relevant all year round but emphasized on Easter, the birth of Jesus is a big deal that is emphasized specially at Christmas. The date on the calendar is not the emphasis or...

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How many Christians does it take to form an opinion that wasn't giving to them? One. Obviously. Do you really imagine that people who associate themselves with a religious perspective are incapable of having their own opinions? If so, that is sad. I hope you "grow up" some day. I choose to follow the teachings of Jesus. You choose some other basis for your moral and ethical positions. My opinions about what is right and wrong (ethically and morally) come from this...

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Is there corporate greed? What about Bernie Madoff? Corporate greed? ... sounds like the collective greed of a group of people... I guess a group of people can have collective greed, but it does sound kind of odd. Some people imagine that phrase to mean the greed of a corporation, but a corporation is just a collection of legal documents and property - unless you mean the group of people that owns the stock and/or the group of people employed by...

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Are intelligence and compassion for one another two related traits...can you have one and not the other? You might get some debate on what those two things really mean... especially intelligence - can a machine have intelligence? Intelligence can also mean simply the possession of some set of facts or knowledge (a file folder can contain intelligence). Is it possible for a human being to possess no intelligence? (depends on your definition, but, probably not.) Is it possible for a human being to...

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Theoretically, if you throw two stones from a building, one big and one small, which would reach the ground first? Typically the one you release first, or the one with the lowest initial trajectory... or if thrown up, the one with the lower initial velocity... if thrown down, the one with greater initial speed. If the building is high enough for the objects to reach terminal velocity, the one with the greater mass-to-wind-resistance ratio.

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At the present time is it an advantage to pay cash for a weekend home? Advantage in what sense? If you can really afford a vacation or investment property, the most prudent way to pay for it would be cash. Giving interest money to a mortgage company for the next 5-30 years does not benefit you, but it is an advantage for the financing company (provided you make the payments) - unless you get a fixed rate and inflation rises significantly, in which case it is a...

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Christian T/F; Is it better to seek the capacity for greater Love? Or is it better to seek the capacity for greater scriptural Knowledge? If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13) Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Cor 8:1)

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ATHEISTS T/F: Theists are responsible for many of society's problems. Well... the obvious answer is: since the vast majority of people claim to believe in God, the majority of problems will be related to people who believe in God. If a community has 90% theists, they will be responsible for most of the problems in the community. If a community is 90% atheist, they will be responsible for the majority of the problems. Or, at least the probability of that being the...

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is it right that god is only one but we call it by different name? and because of that conflicts are caused. No. Some people have theologies (beliefs about God) that are incompatible with each other. LDS teaches that their god was once a man and that men can become gods (their prophet stated "as man is, God once was. As God is, man may become"), while the Jewish, traditional Christian and Muslim traditions hold that God is an eternal, transcendent being who was not created and does not change. Both...

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Why do people oppose the idea of building a mosque on the site of the Twin Towers? Why do people think muslims are terrorists too? Two things... 1) the leader(s) trying to build it there decline to reveal who is funding it. If it were known to be funded by a group known to oppose terrorism and condemn people like those involved in 9-11, there would be a lot less opposition. The secrecy is suspicious. 2) the only reason lots of people (including me) can think of they would insist on building it there is a kind of "in your...

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My Toshiba laptop has crashed with a blue screen and A load of Gobeldy gook on it. Help Sounds like a relatively normal MSWindows condition. What leads you to believe this is a serious problem?

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How can we force the pope to resign? and if we could, why would we? Why would you want to see him go? I think the only "we" that has any say in the matter would be the Pope. Nobody else has any standing to make that decision. Perhaps the College of Cardinals... I am not sure they have that authority either. A pope should "go" if he asserts for himself higher authority than the Bible or blatantly violates its principles.

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"I am a jealous god", bible quote. Really, you worship this book (cause your not worshiping god)..... "Jealous" here is not a petty emotional obsession, it is the idea that when something of value is rightly yours (in God's case, respect, worship, etc.), and other people are giving what is rightfully yours to someone or something else, you are reasonably offended. The first dictionary definition of jealous at M-W.com reads: 1 a : intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness I think God would be...

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Danger! Alert! All neocons and hawks. Robert Gates "proposes military cutbacks"! What nerve! He needs to be dealt with swiftly, right? Dealt with swiftly? Law and order conservatives (like me) "deal with" opposing views through discussion and election campaigns as a rule. There are many conservatives (all?) who believe that debate about whether various expensive defense procurement programs or other initiatives should be pursued or not is the right way to decide things. Especially in tight financial times, all efforts to...

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Once save-always saved? Can one lose salvation once saved? If God grants you the gift of eternal life (John 3:16), it is eternal. That means forever. If it could be taken away, you could never really have had it. Once saved - granted forgiveness and eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus - it is eternal (i.e. forever). The Bible also says something like - you will know the ones who are really saved because they endure (i.e. they stick with it,...

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Besides being very judgmental, why do we care what others prefer or whom? How does that affect us personally? 'Cause "gentlemen prefer blonds?" I don't care what you prefer except, perhaps insofar as it makes for interesting conversation sometimes. Whether you "prefer" chocolate over vanilla, red-heads over blonds, adventurous types over intellectuals, the slender figure of a fashion model over the Mae West type figure does not affect me... unless I am the one you are interested in (I suppose). If you...

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if we were to put surveillance cameras in every possibele spot would that stop criminal activities alltogether? why havent we done this yet? Well... there does not exist enough storage space to keep video from the many millions of surveillance cameras it would take to cover all public places for any meaningful period of time. There are not really enough cameras to do it... and do we really want to build enough millions of cameras and associated storage and pay for the overhead of maintaining them? Since there are not nearly enough...

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Is life-long love an old-fashioned idea that no longer works, or is it wired into the human mind? Life-long love is a decision and a commitment. It is an old-fashioned idea, but it still works. I believe too many people are devoted to serving themselves so much more than their marriages that they can not imagine a long-term relationship that works. Self-serving, self-important or self-obsessed attitudes are antithetical to life-long loving relationships. My experience leads me to believe...

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What megapixel value for a camera would be comparable in photo quality to an old film camera? Not a simple answer. The old 110-style pocket cameras had much lower effective resolution than most (less than a good-quality 2 megapixel digital). Among 35-mm film cameras there is a pretty dramatic difference in films and lenses. A cheap camera with cheap film (maybe 2 megapixel?) would not do nearly as well as a high-quality lens and professional film (perhaps 8?). A large-format film camera...

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Yet another. ||samuel 24:13 vs. | chornicles 21:11. Which holds true christians? how many years of famine 7 or 3 lmao There are two very reasonable explanations. One says there had already been 4 years of scarce food production. In one account it refers to three additional years, the other account lists the total that would be at the end of the three additional years. The other says that since the other options are all in threes, this was a manuscript copy error somewhere along the line - supported by the...

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Which is a better company for floorstanding speakers? Different people measure "better" differently. If you want the most volume per dollar, you will get a different answer than "most natural sound." Bose makes really impressive stuff, but I don't like they way they sound - especially at low volumes. A great speaker for orchestral music may not handle hard rock well and vice-versa. Does "better" mean higher quality furniture appearance? or...

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Don't you think we should just get rid of republicans in the usa the brain dead rich people whom you can't stand ? Maybe it can be like in Atlas Shrugged - all the productive, business-minded, wealth-creating people could be relocated to some place away from all of the high-minded progressive types so their politically liberal and progressive ideas can be fully implemented untainted by the pollution of concepts like personal responsibility, personal property, individual liberty and profit motive. Then...

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Do you think animals dont have souls? If so, how do you think they survive? Afterall what is a soul-but consciousness!? Consciousness is a very interesting and poorly understood concept. I don't believe animals experience consciousness like humans do. There is almost no real evidence that they can experience symbolic thought (e.g. using words and abstract concepts). What would human consciousness be without words and abstract concepts? Perhaps a soul is unrelated to consciousness - I believe I still have one...

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What direction do sound waves travel? Sound waves travel away from their source. Since sound is a pressure variation, the pressure waves travel away from the thing causes the vibrations. Sound can also be conducted through tubes (like the swirling paths in a trumpet or tuba), so you can make it follow paths and even go around corners. Waves also bounce off things - they can be reflected and are all the time all around you. When...

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How do waves travel in vacuum? Waves not in vacuum travel as a result of pressure difference, like in water or in air or any other mass, but how do waves travel if there is nothing to carry them? Here is a simplistic overview: We have observed that by varying the intensity of a magnetic field we can create an electric field - this effect is what pushes electrons around in generators. We have also observed that varying an electrical field can create a magnetic field. Out in the vacuum of space, magnetic and electrical fields can exist despite the absence of matter. If some event...

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is radiation heat traveling in waves through the air? "Radiation" usually refers to electromagnetic spectrum stuff - though ripples in a pond or pool "radiate" from where something disturbs the surface. Sound waves (compression waves) radiate from sound sources. Long-wave infrared radiation does effectively heat things in general, but shorter wave-length radiation, not so much. Hot things typically emit infrared radiation, which can, if it falls...

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Are there any solids in existence that are less dense that any gasses, and could therefore float on air? There exist some very heavy gasses and a few solids with very low density, but the only form of "solid" that can be buoyant in air is an aerogel, but these are not really quite "solid." They are more like a foam, and if the porous voids in the aerogel are filled with something significantly lighter than the gaseous environment into which they are placed, they do float on "air" (but it must be...

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What was the forbidden fruit for Adam& Eve? As likely as any other answer: some fruit that only grew on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and has been unknown since. The Bible does not give any indication of what kind of "fruit" grew on the tree, and they did not have a rigorous botanical definition of "fruit" when the account was written. I think even grain was a "fruit of the harvest. " This author of this article (...

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Does an air tank with 100psi weigh more than one empty? Air in a tank at 100 psi gauge will weigh about .5 lb/cuft, so a tank with a volume of 2 cubic feet will be about 1 pound heavier when pressurized with air at 100 psi than when "empty" - which usually means filled with air at 0 psi gauge (approx. 14.7 psi absolute).

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Does a truckload of helium weigh less than an empty tank? It depends on what is in the tank when it is "empty." Most real empty tank trucks are full of atmospheric pressure air. If there is a bladder in the tank which collapses as it is emptied and the vacated volume is filled with air, and the initial pressure of the helium is less than about seven atmospheres, the "empty" helium tank will be heavier than the full tank. If the "empty" tank is just...

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Do you believe that music is forbidden? Forbidden by whom? And in what context? Depending on your definition of music, even birds, wind and rivers produce music. Some languages use intonation (pitch) to distinguish grammar or meaning. Would speaking this language be music? Seems like a silly question to me...

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If a .270 caliber bullet with an initial velocity of 3,200 fps is fired straight up and only acted upon by gravity(9.8 m/s^2), how far will it go? I tried this on my own but i think my answer is wrong. Thanks! If it is fired directly away from the center of gravity and is acted on only by gravity (two condition we can never really meet), and you don't move the gun, the bullet will theoretically fall back down the muzzle and stop at the back of the barrel where it started. It's net travel - the distance from where it started and where it ended will be only a few millimeters (since it would stop...

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The gravity vs drag problem revisited with the correct answer to the question "At what time will terminal velocity be reached?" In the real world, air moves around and the behavior of falling objects is a little bit chaotic since no object has a perfect, flawless surface. An object falling slower than the speed of sound has a shock wave preceding it that makes the behavior of the air molecules a little more chaotic... The actual terminal velocity will vary with the orientation of the object in the air and the local...

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Does your Jesus Christ have canine teeth? I am pretty sure Jesus had teeth... since a normal set of human teeth includes four canines... I imagine he did, yes.

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Did you know Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R)who is running for Michigan governor skipped the vote on unemployment? MI unemployment rate 13.6% Well, I'd certainly vote against unemployment if given the chance... of course, voting on such a thing does not mean anything since casting a vote does not give anybody a job - unless, perhaps, that vote is to reduce taxes on businesses so they can use more of their incomes to hire employees...

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What is the Bible’s Definition of Sin? There are several Greek and Hebrew words which can be rendered "sin" in English. One simply means "missing the mark" suggesting that any failure to do the best thing in any given situation, any short-falling is sin. One passage says "anything that does not come from faith is sin," indicating that any action that is not motivated by faith in God is not good enough. Basically, any imperfection...

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Can detonation in one cylinder of a six cylinder petrol engine cause that cylinders big end bearing to fail with damaging the piston? Your meaning is not entirely clear... I assume you are referring to the bearing at the crank-end of the connecting rod of the piston in the cylinder experiencing detonation, but I don't know if you are asking whether such a bearing failure in the connecting rod can cause damage to the piston itself... or of the cylinder wall? or the connecting rod? I am inclined to believe that bearing wear...

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Is your faith in your feelings? Why should I believe in what YOU feel? Can your faith be reasoned? Is there objectivity to it? Elaborate. No. I do not think any major decisions in life should be based on feelings. Emotions/feelings are unreliable and deceptive. They can vary with psychological suggestion, how well you sleep, dietary irregularity and chemical imbalance. Choices about religion - faith - are the most important choices in life and should be based on much more than feeling. The historic Christian faith is based on...

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Strongest Man Challenge: whoever can keep the 20m rope straight, tied up to a wall 1m high, with a suspended sack of 20kg dogfood in the- Nope, not possible in the real world by simply pulling on the end of the rope. And I don't want the dog food anyway. If, however, we make some idealize assumptions (like, if this was a problem in a textbook) about the rope and the sack there exist solutions where it is possible.

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Is it up to ourselves to keep ourselves happy or is happiness an arbitrary thing which can only be found outside oneself? Happiness really is a choice. People can choose to be unhappy and discontent regardless of their circumstances, and they can choose to be content and happy in most circumstances. You choose your values and goals and you choose whether to be content with what you have and who you are - and even content people can choose to improve themselves and/or their conditions (except, perhaps, in...

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Christians: Are you a dispensationalist? Why or why not? Please use Biblical support for your stance. 1) I don't trust wikis for definitions - they can be unreliable 2) different people mean different things by "dispensation" 3) If you mean "God's plan for salvation of souls and reconciliation of people to Himself has changed with time" - I do not believe so. God says in the Bible "I, the Lord, do not change." The Old Testament says "Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as...

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Did you parents pressure you into things you did not want to do or were they supportive in what you decided you wanted to do? Of course they did... eating vegetables, taking baths, going to bed at night, taking naps during the day. They were not at all supportive when I did not want to do those things. When I chose good and/or reasonable things that did not conflict with important things they were generally supportive of my decisions.

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SCOTUS: Public universities can refuse to recognize student groups that discriminate in their membership. What are your thoughts on this? Why should a campus club affiliated with the The National Association of Women Lawyers be prohibited from requiring that their voting members be females interested in the legal profession? Is it not reasonable to expect the president of the chess club to be someone who plays well and is committed to promoting the playing of chess and willing to sign a pledge to that effect? That is...

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How can 'Intelligent design' be considered as being such? It's not very intelligent to leave rocks lying around in space that could destroy us is it? If a higher being exists, be it god or something else, why didn't they tidy up? The Intelligent Design hypothesis (ID) says only that some things exhibit by their existence and nature characteristics of design intent and that life on Earth has all the appearances of being designed. The distribution of rocks in space shows no evidence of design. ID would not make the argument that the existence or location of rocks in space exist indicates design. There exists another...

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Is there any scientific merit to the theory of intelligent design? I note that the article defending ID uses actual data, observation and experiment and even the testimony of their detractors while the opposing column basically says "you can't trust those people and they can't be right because the consequences of their position are entirely unacceptable." Since when do the potential consequences or implications of a theory on society, politics, philosophy or...

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Who knows a thing better, its designer or its user? It depends on what you are measuring. I design stuff - it's my job. I know the things I design better than the people who use them... BUT... the users may be more effective in the use of the things I design - how often to clean a particular part during a particular process for best performance, how to hold the various pieces and monitor the various processes... I know the thing better, but...

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If God had a plan for everyone, than am I not an Atheist by his doing? Why create the fiction of "choice" if you are the Creator? Does it make creation more entertaining that way? Or is it more satisfying and genuine if people actually choose to respect you? If God has programmed everything you think and do, then there is no point in trying to convince people of your arguments - they are all pre-programmed too. Determinism is really not a defensible position...

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A Question for Christians: if your religion is so peaceful and loving Because we really believe that eternal separation from God is a terrible thing. The Bible says we are to love our neighbors, and the most loving thing we can do is persuade people to accept God's forgiveness so they can spend eternity in Heaven. The most devoted Christians are the most likely to recognize how horrible they themselves are - as demonstrated by the life and writings of people...

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Jesus has been called a mighty god but has he ever been called Almighty God? When a person who accepts the concept of the Trinity uses the term "Almighty God" it typically does refer to Jesus (the Son) as well as the Father and the Holy Spirit - unless the context of the reference specifies the Father or the Holy Spirit.

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I have heard many Christians say that the pre-Christ animal sacrifices were symbolic, since only Christ's blood could really redeem humankind. Is there biblical evidence to support this supposed symbology? From Hebrews chapter 10 (NASB): For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after...

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By whose authority can Christ resurrect, according to Biblical record? Jesus says "all authority has been given to me" so it would be appropriate to say: by his own authority (it was given to him). If that authority was given by the Father, it would be equally correct to say: by the authority of the Father. Since trinitarian theology says they are both equally God, it is equally correct to say: by God's authority.

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How do hamsters accelerate so fast in their wheels? Acceleration is always a matter of applied force and inertial mass. The mass of the hamsters legs must be accelerated back and forth by the hamster's muscles. The wheel has a polar moment of inertia which must be overcome by applied tangential force resulting from reacting the acceleration of the paws in contact with the wheel. Ultimately, it is the resolved tangential component of the...

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How can the oppressed voices of institutions be heard when spiritual nature is their freedom? judge them or hear them? I don't think institutions have "voices" - people have voices. I don't believe institutions (or their voices) have "spiritual nature" - whatever that means. I don't think freedom is something an institution can experience. Hmmm... maybe I misread the question... The subject is "voices" The voices are oppressed. The voices belong to institutions (of institutions) The verb is passive: voices...

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Hellfire believers, what if you found out God doesn't torture people? Annihilationist Christians, same question reversed? I believe the most common view of eternal punishment (hell) is that it is terrible because of the complete separation from God. It is not that God "tortures" people, but that He separates them from Himself - and all the good things we experience in existence are because of God's blessing or mercy. "Hell" is being separated from God and all His "good things" - which people choose: those who say...

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If Jesus was the son of God, why was his last name Christ instead of Dammit? If Jesus had a "last name," it would be "bar Joseph" - as the legal son of Joseph the carpenter. "Christ" is a title, not a name. (yeah... I know... the question is supposed to be a joke)

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The USS Enterprise had a crew of 430. Yet, there was never any mention at all, of an on-board CHAPLAIN. Why not? They would have had one, with a crew that large, wouldn't you think? You would think a ship that big would have a laundry facility and bathrooms too... but they never seem to mention that either - though I think I remember a reference to a shower. Of course the real answer is: the writers never chose to make that a plot device. In a work of fiction (like TV scripts) you generally only put in characters and events that advance your plot or convey your message....

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Do you think that McDonald's should stop giving away toys to entice young children to want their fattening, chemical filled food? I think it is imperative that parents teach their children from a very early age to be very wary of enticing advertising. If you don't learn to resist it early, you may be sucked into all kinds of lousy deals because the marketing makes it look good (a very common American ailment). I think companies should be free to package and advertise their products as they see fit provided they do not...

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A food nanny group plans to sue McDonalds to stop them from giving away toys with meals. What do you think about this? I have not read the suit, but I have no idea on what legal basis you sue a company for offering a food product bundled with a toy. Cynical commentary: This appears to be a part of the continuing effort to relieve parents of all authority and responsibility because activist groups and government bureaucrats are much better equipped to raise our children than parents. Government should feed,...

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the basic assumption od economics is Odd question. Economics is essentially the study of markets and commerce. Markets and commerce exist, so we study them to understand how best to accomplish economic goals - i.e. goals related to products, services and money. Marginal profit is not an assumption, it is a computation. Supply and demand are not assumptions, they obviously exist (depending on product or service - e.g. there is no...

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the sun's energy comes from? fission, fusion, radio activity, chain reaction or fusion+fission? [i wanna say both fusion+fission] Scientists used to believe the sun's energy came from extreme compression of matter "falling" into the solar gravity well due to extreme mass/gravity in the sun. The current model shows the primary energy mechanism is nuclear fusion. The future model of solar energy which will replace that model says it is, in fact primarily... [to be continued after the next big discovery]

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whats your faverite animal? My personal favorite: Homo sapiens sapiens Specifically the female More specifically - my wife. (Biology does classify us in the animal kingdom, but no, I do not think that humans are "just another animal" - just like a pig or a rat or a mosquito.)

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What is a good paint color for a bedroom? Good for what? If you only sleep there, something very dark. If you often read or do fine handwork there, something bright. If you want to see quickly anywhere that gets dirty - stark white. If you don't want to feel a need to wash the walls frequently, dirt colored. For calming, soothing pastels. For visual impact, contrasting vibrant primary colors. Etc, etc. ad nauseam

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Why are Christians so ignorant to solid scientific, verified hard core evidence that proves the world ws frmed by celestial events ntbygod? Such evidence can not exist. If the world was created, it could have been created to look as it does. If you have an explanation for the origin of the Earth that does not include a creator, that does not mean a Creator did not make it this way. It does not provide any guidance to accept or reject the idea that a Creator directed the process you imagine for the purpose of creating. The fact...

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Why don't evolutionists think we evolved from ducks since we have webbing between our fingers and toes? Um... because that is profoundly silly.. I think. While people do have small amounts of skin that stretch when separating fingers or toes, we really do not have "webbed" fingers or toes. Modern evolutionary constructs are based more on genetic similarity than vaguely similar individual features. While I don't personally believe in common descent of all species from a common ancestor, I do...

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If Jesus was born in the middle-east why is he white? Most Jews are light skinned. Coptic people in near-by north Africa are light skinned. Several ethnic groups in the region are. (Light relative to dark-skinned peoples, not compared to the palest people groups.)

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Without God, _________________? Without God... Life has no objective purpose or inherent value. Without God... There is no ultimate morality - you are no better or worse (morally) than Mother Theresa or Hitler or [insert you choice for most evil villain or noble hero here].

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People On the Gulf Coast don't Have the Luxury of Escaping Into a Fantasy, for Very Long, Before Being Slapped Back to Reality, Thoughts? Sounds like pretty much everybody everywhere to me. We can all escape for a short time once in a while - the wealthier the person, the more frequent and opulent the escape opportunities - but most everybody has to go back to dealing with reality most of the time.

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what are the steps of scientific method? It generally goes like this: Gather data Identify Question based on data Formulate hypothesis to answer Question Design experiments capable of disproving hypothesis Predict outcome of experiments based on hypothesis Conduct experiments Compare prediction with actual outcome If prediction fails, revise or abandon hypothesis. Repeat previous five steps till nobody can think of a new or better...

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If Republicans are for smaller, less intrusive government, then why are they trying to legislate medical decisions (abortion), science (stem cell research) and restrict same sex marriages? You have been misinformed about the debate on these issues. It is not republicans who have brought these issues into the realm of the federal government. Conservatives are attempting to counter actions that seize powers government officials have not been given legitimately. Rules about abortion do not really (constitutionally) belong to the federal government, but the Supreme Court created new...

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For or against abortion? stem cell research? Stem cell research in general - for it. Research on stem cells "harvested" from "terminated" human embryos/fetuses - opposed. Abortion - always bad. Justifiable if the mother is very likely to die if the fetus is not removed. Arguable in the case of rape - but only in the first couple of weeks after the crime.

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18th month of the B. Hussein Obama administration, 472,000 monthly new jobless claims. Libs? Where's your outrage? There is plenty of outrage that the residual effects of the evil villainy of the Bush regime still hold the economy hostage despite the best efforts of the best people ever to control a country (Obama, Pelosi, etc.) to rescue us. As a prominent democrat recently said, we will stop blaming Bush "when the problems go away." If the problems continue to get worse or if new problems arise, it will...

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What kind of "patriot" defends BP against we the people? What kind of political party does that? To whom are they really loyal? Depending on what you mean... one who believes in the Constitution and Rule of Law. John Adams once defended a British soldier against accusations. He was a patriot, but he also believed in rule of law and right and wrong. The oil spill is bad and its consequences will be costly and difficult, but that does not mean we can ignore law and order to unlawfully abuse BP its stock-holders, employees...

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Is the Bible really used as the AUTHORITY of those who claim to be Christians? Many, yes. Many, not so much. It is very common among people claiming to be Christian to take the position that the Bible alone and in its entity is the authority for Christian belief and practice. There are many who claim to be Christian who choose to believe only those parts of the Bible that support their preexisting values/morals/priorities - giving their own opinions and feelings higher...

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Should children be spanked? Punishment for various behaviors should be understood by a child (over about 1.5 years old) before being imposed. If the parent and child both know that the punishment for biting your sibling (for example) is a swat to the behind, carrying out that punishment is neither cruel nor physically or psychologically damaging. It has been a useful tool in the rewards and punishments arsenal for...

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In general Science and religion are mutually exclusive. Evolution/Creationism for example..you cannot support both. What do you think? In general, science and religion deal with different things which neither confirm nor contradict each other. Religion typically deals with spiritual and moral questions which science has no tools to test, confirm or otherwise evaluate. The scientific method ("hard science") deals with properties and behavior of matter and energy in space and time using repeatable experimentation - subjects...

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Is society right all the time ? if we go out our daily lives thinking that it is, then why have independent thought ? Society is made entirely of people. People are not only fallible, but typically have all kinds of less-than-ideal ideas, perspectives, morals, etc... I would never count on "society" to be right. I, personally, believe that there exists a moral creator who has established "good" and "bad," which allows me to believe there exist "right" and "wrong" answers. For those who believe there is no...

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How are funds negatively effecting k-12 education? The obvious, but somewhat flippant, answer it - 60 years ago when we spent a whole lot less on primary education (per student), people were typically better educated by the end of 8th grade than they are now after 12th, so, obviously, the more money you spend, the worse the education... right? No, it is not that simple. I am convinced that parent involvement and a student's respect for...

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The reason logic is less valued these days is that it gets in the way of believing what some are taught to believe. What do you think? What evidence do you have that it is valued less? "These days" relative to which days? I question your premise, but I do think people are not adequately taught to question assertions (like the one in your question) and evaluate the consequences of ideas. I have more than once challenged people who claim a Darwinist or atheist position who either deny the necessary logical implications of...

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Are there any vitamins in alchohol? It depends... If you mean the chemical, no. If you include wine or mixed drinks (e.g. screwdriver), yes, there may be (those both include fruit juice). Some other drinks will, some won't.

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Does having such things as a black music chart or gay nightclub hinder acceptance of different colours or sexualities. I am pretty sure it can't help.

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Should we all Praise Obama for his 51 days of BP Oil failures and blame the Democrats for making us drill so deeply? I have not noticed anything particularly praise worthy yet... I do think if it were not so politically difficult to drill in easier places they would be a lot less likely to do riskier things like happened here.

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Is the globalization of health care good for patients and for the US economy? I don't see any practical way of "globalizing" health care. Do you create a new world health government that tells doctors where they must go and whom they must treat? Do you enforce a certain ratio of general practitioners to OBGYNs, pediatric doctors, neurologists, anesthesiologists... etc? How would this central health government get money? Just from fees for service? Would they have taxing...

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The temperature coming out of my catalytic converter is hotter then going in.Mechanic says I need a new one. The purpose of the catalytic converter is to burn any excess fuel so unburned hydrocarbons do not come out of the tailpipe and contribute to air pollution. If your engine is not functioning properly, more hydrocarbons may be making it to the converter and their combustion in the converter could be heating the exhaust. Your mechanic may be right that you need a new one (I can't examine your car...

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Is it true that Ronald Reagan had less than a third grade understanding of basic particle physics and still scrapped funding for Fermilabs? Since there is no real instruction in particle physics before college/university, there is no such thing as "less than a third grade understanding" of the subject. (Some third graders may be able to repeat the concepts of "proton, neutron and electron," but they don't really "understand" the implications and that is really not basic particle physics.) So, no, the statement is not true. I...

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can i put 245/75/r16 tirer on 265/75/r16 rims Wheels are typically defined by a diameter and a width. Your wheel is 16" in diameter by some number of inches wide. If the widest tire that can be safely and properly mounted on your rim is a 245, a 265 is a bad idea, but you rim might be wide enough to accommodate a tire wider than 265. You need to find out the width of your rim (not your current tire). The other thing that you need to...

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Why is it that Christians in the US tend to be "Conservative" (or right wing, as the rest of the world calls it), when religion (especially Christianity) is based on Left wing / liberal ideals (equality for all, taking care of the less fortunate, etc)? Jesus taught that each of us has a responsibility to his fellow man, but nothing Jesus taught supports the idea of taking money or property by force from those who earn or own it (taxation) for the purpose of giving stuff to people who don't work for it. In fact the Bible says if someone will not work (i.e. is unwilling to work - rather than lacking ability or opportunity to work) don't feed...

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if you are in a car going the speed of light and you roll the window down, if you put your hand outside the conical wave would you see it? Way back when I studied this stuff, the theory said that the passage of time slowed for objects as they go faster and, theoretically, at the speed of light time no longer advances for the object in motion, so you could not roll down your window or move your hand or look at it. So the way I interpret your question is "if physics worked in some totally different way to allow this experiment,...

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Can we combine all religions into one just to make a universal religion for all? Atheists not included hehe. I suppose you could create such a thing, but since the believers in each religion believe they are right, they will disagree with your new religion's doctrines everywhere they depart from the teachings they currently embrace, and the only people who will adopt your new religion are those not convinced of the truth of the religion they currently embrace. I think this is (at least in part) what...

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Problems with VGA-DVI leads The DVI-I connector has extra pins and wires to carry the analog signals used in a VGA connector. The DVI-D lacks these pins and wires. If you look at a DVI-I connector, it has four extra pins - two on either side of a flat blade shaped pin on one end of the connector for this analog signal. The DVI-D connectors will not have pins or holes (depending on which side of the connection you are...

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Do you say, "tissue" or "hanky?" Depends on whether I am referring to a tissue (soft paper-like thing) or a handkerchief (cloth thing).

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Does a projected image Except for very cheap projectors that are more nearly toys than tools, all projectors have the capacity to focus at a variety of distances. There should be a ring around the lens, or perhaps the lens itself, that when turned changes the focus of the image. If you can not get the image to focus by adjusting the focus, the lens or other parts in the optical path may be dirty or the projector/lens...

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Hey my fellow Americans, could you please sum up whatever you know about Communism, Socialism or Islam for me? "sum up" what various scholars have written volumes to describe and evaluate... My very incomplete "sum ups" of the concepts (as defined - not necessarily as commonly used)... Communism - an economic system wherein all property is jointly owned by all people. The motto of pure communism is "from each according to ability, to each according to need." The misguided foundation of communism is the...

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Ive got my PC connected to a projector If you know the projector is properly focused, the next most likely thing is the wrong resolution. If, for example, your projector has a native 800x600 resolution and you have told the computer to send it 1280x800 (or any other not-easily-scalable combination) the projector will do its best to map the pixels you send to the pixels it has - which often results in "blurry" lines and text. For...

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CHRISTIANS TRUE OR FALSE: "How should false doctrine die? By means of a guilty verdict and a public execution." I don't understand how one "executes" an idea. Simply declaring "public execution" does not - and can not - mean that suddenly no one will believe or defend that idea in the future. People stubbornly and persistently continue to believe all kinds of things that have been thoroughly refuted and/or soundly debunked. Since there is no way to kill an idea, I have to go with "false."

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How do i add an extra monitor to an imac? It depends on which model iMac you have. None of the early models were designed to accommodate a second monitor, but some companies made adapters to allow it. I believe there are also Mac-compatible USB based external monitor drivers. These solutions may require you to use the manufacturers drivers to get the operating system to recognize and use the external monitor. The current generation...

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do you understand how micro evolution works? If you mean the essential overview, yes. It just means that offspring with genetic traits more suitable for survival in a particular environment tend to perpetuate those genes to the next generation while offspring with genetic traits less suitable for survival in a particular environment are less likely to survive and pass on those genes. This process explains the light and dark moth...

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What's your views on this quote by Arthur C. Clarke...."The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion." I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Clarke, but... I have never yet heard anyone present a cogent, coherent and consistent argument for the existence of objective morality without an objective, intentional standard for "good" and "bad" or "right" and "wrong." If there is a Creator, that being would have the authority to declare standards for absolute morality. Lacking the objective and...

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I cannot find any scientific articles about living near the ocean. I could read the studies, I just cannot locate them. I am having trouble imagining what scientific studies would relate to "living near the ocean." Are you referring to ecosystems that only exist near ocean shores? or how the presence of the ocean might affect human body chemistry? or how biochemistry in general might be different in locations far removed inland from an ocean shore? Please try to be more specific about what you are looking for.

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Do you guys think it'd be a better place if there was communism all over the world.Except that there was no money? Having some sort of money (coin or currency) is a very useful tool in an economy. Without money, all commerce would probably have to be barter. I guess in a pure and perfect Marxist paradise, you don't need to trade anything, everybody would somehow just be given anything you need (to each according to need) and the goods would be produced and distributed by workers who somehow know what things...

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Why should wildlife be conserved? In one sense, it can not be conserved - if by that we mean "kept the same." One of the things we know from studying history and nature is that things are always changing. They may reach some temporary equilibrium, but change is constant and inevitable. In a much more practical sense, when a particular kind of animal or plant is lost, it can upset whole ecosystems and once extinct, we probably...

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Is love an emotion created by neural-chemical reactions or is there deeper significance? Perhaps a spiritual explanation? Depends on your definition. "I love pizza" represents a very shallow and relatively uncomplicated response. Teens who paper their walls with posters of and/or fantasize about that hot new actor/starlet/athlete/musician may represent a more interesting, perhaps hormonal chemical response, but still not "deep." "I love my children and would sacrifice my life for their well-being without...

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Is 1024*780 a clear picture for a Most projectors can be connected directly to a personal computer, but some may require a VGA to component or HDMI to DVI converter. There have been some (generally older) projectors designed for TV video signals that are not really adequate for a computer display 1024x768 is about the minimum you would want for doing computer work - most monitors on the market offer significantly more pixels...

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Is it possible to stop loving someone if you don't want to stop loving them? It may depend on what definition of "love" you are using. In the Christian concept of "love," love is a choice. Since the Bible commands people to love, it must be an act of will over which each of us has control. If you can choose to love, you can stop loving - perhaps as an effect of making something else in your life more important (by your choice). If by "love" you mean some feeling or...

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Which race is most likely to be more loving towards their pets? Race, among humans, is distinguishable by the manifestation of a collection of genes affecting appearance (eye and skin color, hair growth, type and color, facial bone shaping, etc.). I am unaware of any evidence that these appearance genes affect attitudes toward pets or other property - or any behavior or beliefs for that matter. This strikes me as more of a culture and values question -...

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was jesus born with a veil over his face,where can i find reference to this in the bible,were any other biblical characters born with veil? The record of Jesus birth in the Bible is pretty short - and there is no reference to a "veil" or "caul" in the biblical record. You can read it for yourself - just read the first couple of chapters each in Matthew and Luke. There are a couple of sentences in the book of Isaiah that refer to Jesus' birth too, but nothing that addresses your question. I don't doubt there are words somewhere in...

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Is God and Lord the same? Or are they different In the English language, a "lord" can refer to a variety of authority figures or positions, including God. The word "God" (when capitalized) refers to deity. They are not the same - they are different words and have different meaning.

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Is there any common ground between Christianity and Science? In the sense that Christianity is all about reconciling humans with their Creator and the forgiveness of sins and science is all about characterizing the behavior of matter and energy in time and space, they don't have a lot in common. Christianity has a lot to do with morality and philosophy, science should only deal with falsifiable propositions which can be tested in controlled experiments....

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Are Science and Christianity Compatible? There are many Christians who are also scientists who, obviously, find them compatible.

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How many of our needs should the national government be responsible for? And why? Defense against enemies - primarily foreign. Resolving disagreements between states. Coining money and regulating its value. Ensuring equal treatment under the law. ...and a few others The Federal government is given no authority by its Constitution to involve itself in the needs or wants of individuals who are not its own employees - it should provide reasonable compensation for services...

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Is it true, that playing video games on a DLP tv shortens the life of the "Lamp"? Well... it is true that having the power on consumes lamp life, so if you use it only for movies it will last longer than if you use it for movies and video games. Your set may have a higher-brightness mode that is used for gaming and a lower-brightness mode for movie watching that actually uses less lamp life per hour the power is on. Check you owner's manual to see if it says something like...

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Will hatemongers, racists and bigots enjoy and participate in The Rapture or will they all be left behind? Let me generalize... The Bible says everybody is a sinner. It also says (essentially) anyone who violates God's standards is guilty of violating God's law - which I take to mean that there really are no "little" or insignificant sins - they are all major. All the things you list can be categorized as "sin." All people are sinners. All who participate in the rapture will be sinners - presumably...

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If Jesus is God, why did Jesus ask God to "Take this cup from me, not my will, but thy will be done"? Traditional Christianity recognizes that in the Bible there are three "persons" who are identified as God, but these persons relate to one another in various ways - the Son prays to the Father, the Father sends the Holy Spirit, the Spirit intercedes with the Father... Jesus said "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor" (John 14:16). So, the Son (Jesus) who is God, asks...

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So GM announced today it has repaid 7bil worth of loans 5 years early & will expand plants in two states. What are your thoughts on this? I have heard it reported that literally thousands of dollars of the cost of every car GM makes is already obligated to retiree benefits (which contribute nothing to the productivity of the company going forward). If this is true, unless they can actually produce cars for thousands of dollars less than the competition and/or significantly reduce the costs of union labor and retirees, this burden...

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Do you support the tea party movement? and which side is actually the radicals here. the dems are saying completely false info on the news and the rep's are called radicals every day by the dems. I certainly support their right "peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances," and their right to support and promote candidates they believe agree with their issues. There are certainly radicals on both sides, and voices on both sides spouting deceptive and misleading information and disinformation to make their side look good and the other side look...

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How many miles can a freight train travel on a gallon of fuel? Obviously it depends. Trains come in all sizes with different numbers of full and empty cars. It also depends on the track. A train climbing into the Rocky Mountains will use far more gallons per mile than one going down the other side. If the train is already moving at speed, it could shut off its engines and coast at a fuel economy of 0 gallons per mile (or infinite miles per gallon) for...

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Do you know any sight or book that could give a good depiction on nuclear radiation and or nuclear winters? Well... nuclear radiation is everywhere. Radioactive atoms are constantly decaying in the environment around us. You can be exposed to more (naturally occurring) radiation walking by a large granite slab or in the sun on a clear day than walking through a typical nuclear power plant (you can't actually walk into a reactor - where the radiation is contained). So, a picture of the Sun or a...

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Why is monopoly considered undesirable in most free economies The concept of free markets does not operate well without competition. If I am the only person in the market that provides food or fuel or shoes (or whatever), I can charge whatever I want (even 5000% mark-up if I want)- if you want or need my product or service, you have to pay what I ask, and I have no real incentive to improve the cost or quality of what I provide. If two or more sources...

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Would the Tea Party movement exist if President Obama was white? I am convinced the Tea Party movement is all about policy and would exist regardless of the race of the president, but it is going too far to say there "is absolutely no racial element whatsoever." In any group of thousands of humans it is likely that some are influenced by racial biases.

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Is it absolutely true: the Bible & Gods teachings have no sense of humour, whatsoever? I don't read it that way. I think when Jesus spoke about the self-righteous person trying to pick the speck out of someone else's eye while there is a beam in his own eye was intended to be a humorous picture. Seriously... the audience would have had the image of a guy with something like a 6"x6"x8' beam stuck to his face trying to pick a speck out of somebody's eye. Surely it was with a bit...

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What do think the nations founding fathers would think of the current state that the nations are in today? Your hypothetical opinion. I think if you read the Federalist Papers, the records of the Constitutional Convention, the correspondences of the participants and other relevant documents it makes it pretty clear that they believed in concepts like "the government that governs least governs best" and "the central government must be strictly limited or the growth of power will lead inevitably to corruption, the contraction...

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Is our election process truly fair if it only comes down to Democratic candidate vs. Republican candidate? Or is the American public to blame for not voting for smaller parties? I don't think this is a matter of fairness. If 12 different candidates were on the ballot and got between 1% and 23% of the national vote each, what is the "fair" way to call a winner? It really is not practical to have run-offs in a nation-wide popular vote... which would not be constitutional anyway... we only have a federal government because (in part) the Constitution promised that states...

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Christ would be loving toward those priests ( diciples ?) who stumbled.DOES THIS MEAN SOCIETY ON AN INTERNATIONAL BASIS SHOULD CONDONE THIS? Jesus drew a clear line between loving individuals and condemning inappropriate behavior. He had dinner with tax collectors and sinners - which offended religious leaders of the day - but nobody teaches that Jesus condoned prostitution or theft, though he loved and forgave a dishonest tax collector and a prostitute (and lots of other sinners). Note that judging behavior is entirely consistent...

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What is the real name of God? This question has been asked before. See my answer at http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/27040

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Christians (at least those who hold to the doctrine of the trinity) worship God and Jesus, but why not the Holy Spirit? Actually, there are songs that do specifically ascribe to the Holy Spirit the same reverence and worship as the Father and the Son. There do exist trinitarian hymns that acknowledge all three. It is true that most often either the Father or Jesus is mentioned by name, but some use the all three names in prayer and some church ceremonies (like baptism). it is also relevant that when a...

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When anyone talks about the trinity they always mention the idea of Jesus being or not being God. Where in the bible is the trinity mentioned and why is the Holy spirit or Ghost never talked about? Where in the Bible is the holy spirit called God? In Acts Acts 5:3-4 Peter says "you have lied to the Holy Spirit ... You have not lied to men but to God." It is surely possible to interpret these words otherwise, but people who accept the concept of the trinity believe it is a clear statement that the Holy Spirit is called God.

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God cannot lie neither can He die. God sent His Son to die. His Son died and was raised by God. God used His Son to create. What is Trinity? There is a section on AB for questions about the Trinity For a basic introduction to the concept see: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/7097

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TRUE OR FALSE: 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.' The truth of the saying depends on the meaning you pour into the words. It is probably true that the things you think deep down - under your intellectual and social filters - reveal what is really in your "heart," i.e. who you really are. It is not true that if I talk myself into thinking that I am a purple dragon that flies and breathes fire that I will become one, nor if I am deluded into...

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what is the most effective way to kill myself? Probably the best method - and one that is 100% effective - and which I personally recommend is... old age. Live long enough and death is inevitable - nobody will be able to stop you from killing yourself by old age... and it is noble. People don't generally even find it or shameful or tragic. By far the best and most preferred.

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The US Government sends its troops to war for....? Most often the US military is used in combat for defense - to protect US national interests and allies. Sometimes it is sent on humanitarian missions. Have some of the missions been misguided or based on errors in intelligence or tactics? No doubt - but I do not find the notion that a US president assigned the military overseas combat for the purpose of making money a plausible idea - in fact...

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its twelve-hour loop may or may not be scanned by a human before it is scrubbed. what do "twelve-hour loop " and "scrub" mean? Thank you Without context I am just guessing... but... A "twelve-hour loop" suggests something that records some event continuously, but only has enough storage for 12 hours. After 12 hours of recording, the system begins to overwrite or just delete the oldest recording. "Scrub" in this context would mean that data older than 12 hours is either deleted or overwritten (or otherwise lost and...

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Americans: How do you feel knowing your government "lost track" of 2.3 TRILLION dollars the day before the 9/11 attacks? http://benfrank.net/patriots/news/national/pentagon_missing_trillions How is it that nobody pointed out the absurdity of this question? In 2001 the total of all Federal Government expenditures was $1.86 trillion. Total DoD outlays for 2001 were $277 billion. It is preposterous to suggest the pentagon "lost track of" about 10 years of its budget in one day. It is literally so ridiculous that nobody should have taken it even a little bit seriously. Assuming the...

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what factor determines interest rates in deposits? what factor determines interest rates in borrowing money? If we are talking about market rates, they are related. For example, if I am a bank or credit union and I have to pay people 4% to get their money deposited in my bank and I expect inflation to be 4% for the next 5 years, I can offer 5 year loans at about 4% cost + 4% inflation + profit... so if I am willing to make 2% after inflation, I might offer borrowers 10%. If the market is unwilling to...

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Did you know approximately 53 cents of every dollar you send to the feds goes to DoD? I know this is an obviously gross distortion. Actual DoD budget for 2009: approx $650 Billion Total Federal Revenue: approx $2,500 Billion Hmmm... that works out to a lot less than a third - a little more than half the 53 cents you suggest. The graph on this page (http://www.federalbudget.com/) seems to reflect about the same ratio for their analysis, as does the data on this official...

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Why is it that some people say if you put money into a cd account, you end up losing money... I don't get it. Recently, certificates of deposit (CDs) have been paying out at rates significantly lower than basic inflation, so the longer you leave your money in a CD, the less it will buy when you cash it out. I just checked today's rates and a typical CD is currently paying around 1.5% per year, while inflation is about 3% per year. At the end of 1 year in the CD, you will have 1.015 times as many...

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Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) seems to think it would be appropriate to nuke an enemy that engaged in a cyber-attack of the US. Do you agree? I think it is obvious that her point was more nearly something like this: You would be stupid to put a sign on your house that says "We have guns, but we promise not to hurt intruders unless you shoot somebody in this house first." It is much smarter to put a sign on your house that says "intruders will be shot on sight." Even if I never have any intention of using a gun to shoot anybody,...

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Is this plausible? GHW Bush’s Shadow Government Blackmailed By 9/11 Co-Conspirator, Mossad http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/35816 I do not believe this is a reasonable (or perhaps even rational) interpretation of events and information.

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If you don't believe in religion can you still believe in GOD? Depends on your definitions. Some definitions of "religion" are applicable as soon as one believes in God. If you choose a definition for "religion" that relates only to specific behaviors or rites, sure... but, typically, whatever your beliefs about God are, they count as religious beliefs - and the collection of those beliefs and the resultant attitudes and/or behaviors is a "religion."

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Is it possible that the writers of the bible intended it to be taken metaphorically? First off... you offer a false dichotomy. There are many things in the Bible that are obviously intended as symbols and metaphors. Most of it is pretty obviously not intended to be just metaphor or symbol. Many of the historical details (names, places, dates) in the books have been confirmed by other ancient writings and artifacts. At least one Bible teacher I have heard (and perhaps many)...

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I remember a special about 15 years ago where college students figured out how to get 150 mpg in a little sports car, I haven't heard anything since, Do you believe in Gov. and Big Corp. cover-ups? Know of any? There are certainly things that big companies and government don't want you to know about, but not things like this. If some car maker could produce a car that had the features the market demands, meets government safety requirements, was reasonably affordable and got 70mpg you can bet they would be building it. Whichever company brought it to market first would make a fortune (like hundreds...

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Unless it is a matter of health or old age, do you think anyone who retires before his/her term is up is reliable? I think there are many valid reasons to leave an office before the term expires. For example, if you are elected senator and before the end of your first term you are asked to serve in the president's cabinet or get elected president it does not make you "unreliable" unless you specifically promised you would not do that before you were elected. If you are a governor of a state and every week...

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Obama's Health Care Bill - Not such a popular idea after all? If leaders in the USA ignore the Constitution, freedom and prosperity will be short lived. One of the things people have been trying to fight and escape for centuries is tyranny of the leaders. When leaders in the US no longer feel constrained by the Constitution the nation will quickly move to the tyranny of the powerful despite the people. People who do not want government constrained are...

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Should adultery be illegal? I think it should be. In a sense it already is. If two people are married and the marriage vows include fidelity, adultery is a breach of contract. It is usually seen as legal justification for breaking the marriage contract and can be punished with punitive alimony or unequal division of common property. It may not be a breach of criminal law in your jurisdiction, but may be a breach of civil or contract law.

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You're against redistribution of wealth. How about redistribution of children from abusive parents to those who will love/treasure them? Absolutely... BUT! I get to decide what is really abusive. That way I can control what the next generation of children think. For example, I could decide that teaching Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Atheist doctrine is abusive and remove children from any home that might try to teach those abusive beliefs to the next generation. I could decide that being over-indulgent is abusive. I could...

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Why not just fly butt naked on airplanes? it would save millions. So... all travelers would have to buy new clothes at their destinations? If the clothing is checked in baggage the plane still carries it... whether it is on the passenger or not makes no difference in the cost to transport it... Or were you thinking saving in security costs? Nobody can carried a concealed device... right? Wrong. Unless everybody gets a body cavity search... some people would...

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Is 325 years too long to be making a book after the one they made it about is gone? Should nobody write about Shakespeare? or Chaucer? Or ancient Rome? or King Tut? or dinosaurs because they were too long ago? I'd say no. As long as the information in the book is based on valid information. The New Testament of the Bible is a compilation of documents whose originals were probably written within the first century. If the current contents of that anthology (which ancient...

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Do you care when a species become extinct? why/why not? Well... I have been taught that many more species have become extinct than remain. I have never particularly cared when any particular variety of dinosaur (or bird or mammal...) actually ceased. Was it smallpox? There is some disease that currently exists only in a storage device in a lab somewhere (as far as we know). I don't plan to keep up with when the last bit of it is destroyed. We...

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Why is the USA the greatest country on Earth? Freedom. Prosperity. Opportunity. Granted these exist to some degree in other nations - but are millions of people lining up to get permission to go live there? I know a Cambodian family that arrived here with little more than the clothes on their backs who, within about five years were middle-class. In less than ten years were upper middle class in income and lifestyle. This happens to...

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How can I keep from procrastinating? This is a serious problem for me. Let me get back to you on that... sometime...

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If Colin Powell had ran in the Presidential election do you think the Republican Party would have had a better chance in the election? would you have voted for him? do you think he would have been better qualified than Obama? I assume you mean if the Democrats had run Powell instead of Obama. Seeing how General Powell endorsed Obama in the election, I can't imagine he would have run on the Republican ticket. I do think General Powell is far more qualified - he has lots of meaningful executive experience. When he was elected, Obama had none... but I also think that would have given the Republicans a better chance at...

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How Long was Obama a Senator Before He Ran for President? Depends on how you determine when "ran for" begins. I am sure some would say he has been working toward that end since before his first book was published. Others would say it began in earnest at his speech to the previous Democratic Convention. If you start the clock" at the time of announcement of the formation of a formal exploratory committee you will get a different answer, and if you...

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Do you think Obama would stage a terrorist attack and declare martial law if he lost the next election? No. I think it is absurd. Some tried to make people think Clinton would create a disaster (Y2K?) and take over. Others tried to make people think Bush would concoct some excuse for seizing power and not leaving office. They've always been wrong before. Do not take people who engage in this kind of rabble-rousing seriously.

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If Jesus were alive today (and existed in the first place) do you think he would maybe sell some of the multi-million dollar paintings in the Vatican to feed starving kids or something? There were very valuable things in the temple in Jerusalem (e.g. gold and silver) when Jesus was on earth, and there were poor people then, too. There is no record of him calling for such a thing then. I don't think that would be his focus now. Jesus' teaching was always about what you as a person should do. He never once taught his disciples "force another person to behave like..." His...

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Is Jesus the same as Jehovah? Obviously this is not posed as a question, but I'll give a short response anyway. There are some groups that believe that there is no distinction between Jesus and Jehovah. They are a small minority. Typical Christian theology asserts that God is one being with three persons (one "what," three "who") so that "Jehovah" typically refers to the "what" and "Father," "Son" and "Holy Spirit" refer...

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Are you aware of notable errors in some Bible translations eg. KJV? First, the New Living is a revision of a paraphrase, not quite a new translation, so that it notes alternate readings is reasonable. It is a bit of a stretch to call some of these "errors." In the Revelation passage, "scroll" and "book" are probably both reasonable translations of the original. Second, yes, I have long been aware that the ancient manuscripts do not all agree and that good...

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Should the vatican auction off the previous popes gowns,hats,shoes, ect and give the money to Haiti,to feed the starving people? I suspect that Catholic charities, Catholic Relief Services and a bunch of other church-related organizations give so much to hunger relief and other poverty programs that the additional money from this auction would make only a very small percentage increase in their work. They work not just in Haiti, but Africa, India and lots of other places where there are needy people. Might it make a...

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Do you really know how easter came about in history? Doubt if many of you would still want to celebrate it is you knew the truth, The historical use of the word "Easter" in the English language relates to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus by the Christian church (well... except when it refers to a strong east wind - like a "nor'easter"). I have never seen a citation from any English literature to the contrary. (Feel free to post references if you have ever seen otherwise.) The only reason Easter is on the...

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What does this mean: "Every time you drop the bomb, you kill the God your child has bourn." I am curious... what is the context of this statement? Without context, it is not apparent what is meant by "the bomb" or what "god". "Bourn" means a stream or creek, so I am inclined to wonder if it was supposed to be "borne" (carried), or "born" (given birth), but I can't think of any reference right off which contains a bomb and wherein "god" is someone's grandchild.

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If Jesus was GOD, then why in Mark 12:29 Jesus said "Here, O Israel: The Lord OUR God is ONE Lord." The words "OUR God" indicate that Jesus had a higher God over him, a stronger God than him. Jesus didn't say "Your God". He said "OUR God"! This is a quote from the Old Testament. All practicing Jews know this verse. It does not in any way indicate "that Jesus had a higher God over him." It does not logically follow that if Jesus was God incarnate he would have to misquote the words - it was not dishonest in any way for Jesus to quote the verse verbatim instead of making up his own version.

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Will a Godless society be a benevolent society? The big problem with your question is: Without an objective standard for "good," who gets to define "benevolent?" M-W.com says benevolent means ": marked by or disposed to doing good." Should "good" be defined by Darwinism - that is to say "survival of the fittest?" If so we could have a functioning anarchy where the strongest fight to acquire food, etc. and monopolize the right to breed (like...

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Anyone want to join me in praying that God save us from His followers? Very amusing. I love the convolution - if the god to whom you pray is indeed God and your prayer is sincere, you are arguably among the followers from whom you wish to be saved. I can totally relate - "God, save me from my own selfishness and stupidity." Of course, if the god to whom you pray is not "God" or the prayer is insincere, it is absurdity. Either way it is an amusing question.

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Why are God an his followers so violent? Those who take seriously the God of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, violence is pretty much a last resort. Romans 12:18 makes it pretty clear: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." The particular example you cite is unusual - my best guess at why violence in that case is that on rare occasion God takes mocking His prophets pretty seriously....

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Who else think that pornographic websites should be banned? The problems include: banned by whom? who gets to decide when a picture, graphic, language, etc. crosses the line? people have different standards. Some people are offended by pictures of tribes in hot climates that don't wear much. Others think even medical sites with anatomically correct illustrations cross the line. Do those product ads with the sultry supermodels qualify? How? If a web...

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What is ther name of the word with which you use each letter to descibe a perso/thing? eg: H-A-R-R-Y happy, awesome, rare, real, young I think you are looking for "acrostic."

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Why can books be banned, but racist and pornographic magazines allowed? I do not believe there are any books banned by the United States Government. I don't even know if there are any import restrictions on printed materials (short of child porn). There are certainly books that are not permitted in typical public school libraries, but they don't carry any questionable magazines either - and that is not really a "ban" as much as a school policy. Private retailers...

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Dear Christians : Do you agree on Religons conversation ?? What is a "religons conversation"? And how would one agree or disagree on it? Did you mean religious conversion? or whether people should be engaged in religious conversation? or what?

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What is a atheist?What do they believe in? Historically, the word meant the belief that there is no God. More recently, some have expanded the definition to include those who do not believe in God, but don't believe that God must not exist either. Historically these were called agnostic (from Greek "a" prefix [meaning not] and gnosis [meaning knowledge, or to know]), an agnostic would say "I don't know if there is a God or not." A...

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Many people oppose universal health care, but would people oppose a national optional workout program, supported by the government, to reduce obesity, and thus reduce health care cost, what do you think? An optional program? So... DC would take tax dollars and employ more bureaucrats and waste more money to... do what? put ads on TV? mail things to people? Or were you thinking my tax dollars would go to putting a treadmill, exercise bike and weight set in every home and apartment? Build community gyms all over the country? I can't think of any way of implementing this that justifies federal...

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Why equal acces of children to free public education is not socialist, whereas free universal health care of adults is? I will give you a hint: lets imagine for a moment that capitalism requires that children must pay before they are admitted to school... Technically, Socialism is a system of government owns and/or controls the means of production and distribution of goods and services in the economy (dictionary definition). Health care is very obviously a force in the economy (the production and distribution of goods and services). An elementary school is not. Historically education has been a community thing until you got to college or...

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Have you read the conservative Heritage Foundation's 2003 paper in support universal health care? What do you think about it? Of course conservatives "have supported health care for many years." I have never heard of a conservative or republican that thought health care is a bad thing. Usually they just oppose Federal Government involvement in health care for individual citizens - not the military or federal employees or veterans... just us regular folk. The question is a bit dishonest. It is not a republican or...

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Has the Pope ever been sued? Vatican City is an independent nation. It is unlikely Vatican City would extradite the Pope to a country wherein he is wanted for trial and unlikely another country would invade Vatican City to try to get him out. It is also ludicrous to try to bring suit against the pope in Vatican City. Given all that, I don't doubt that someone somewhere has held a trial, but it would have perhaps as much...

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Anyone name the 7 "deadly" sins? Also anyone out there who can honestly say they have never commited one? I think anyone who hasn't must be either deluded or is living the life of a saint, which is no life to live. Is it? As to your last question... would it be a good life if lived with humility, contentedness, hard-work, moderation in consumption, etc...? Sound good to me. I think you could have a wonderful and fun life without greed, envy, gluttony... etc. I think occasional anger is appropriate (and the Bible says to be angry but do not sin) as long as it is the exception in your life, not the rule. The...

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Some who think there are multiple races must also think life began in multiple places. Where does the Bible/Scientific Study say that? That is a non-sequitur. It does not logically follow that anyone "must think life began in multiple places." On the contrary, typical Bible interpretation suggests all humankind came from common parentage and atheistic evolution also holds common ancestry. There may be some who believe in multiple origins for different races of people, but it does not come from the Bible or evolutionary concepts.

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Does the new health care bill cover medical LSD? I have been taught that there are no medical uses for LSD. Are you aware of any medical condition that is corrected or mitigated by the use of LSD? If there is no medical condition for which LSD is a recognized treatment, there is no such thing as "medical LSD."

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Israel’s PM said:“The Jewish ppl were building Jerusalem 3000 yrs ago & they r building Jrslm 2day” what do u think of that? Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The people in Jerusalem want to build more housing in Jerusalem. I don't see a problem. Happens in most cities around the world... doesn't it?

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If someone is Catholic and doesnt believe in god, will they go to hell? I am pretty sure both things can not be true - "being Catholic" means believing what the Catholic Church teaches and doing what the Catholic Church says you must do. This would include belief in the Bible and the existence of God. It is possible to claim to be a Catholic without believing or doing what the church teaches, but the church probably might not agree. As for Hell... most Christian...

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How do pro-lifers justify killing functioning human beings but call it murder to abort or let someone commit suicide? The majority of pro-life people believe suicide is a really bad idea and do discourage it - but obviously can't be in a position to prevent everyone everywhere from trying. I think your phrase "let someone commit suicide" is dishonest at best. I don't know of anyone who calls suicide murder. Many with a pro-life position do believe the military and police should have the authority to use...

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What would you do if the American government wanted to change the name of Washigton DC to something else? My first thought was "who would want to and why?" Then I thought... "oh, yeah... I can see someone wanting to rename it Barack Obama City." I seriously doubt anyone is going to try to change the name. It would cost a fortune in printing and map changes. I would be opposed to changing the name based on basic principle, but also on the basis that the government is so deep in debt and mired in...

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Should insurance companies eliminate pre-existing conditions for all Americans now instead of waiting until 2014 when they have to by law? The whole concept of "insurance" does not work if you cover preexisting conditions. You have to redefine the word to make any sense out of it at all. Why would anybody buy insurance to cover a loss before the loss if you can buy the policy after you need the money? The basic concept of insurance is that a pool of people pay into a pool of money a premium based on the probability of a claim and...

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Do you think republicans talking people into throwing rocks thru windows of democrats who voted for health care reform is a cowardly act? i do not believe "republicans" are responsible for this. If anyone interpreted the comments of Republican leaders to suggest anything like this, they are misguided. Behavior like this is antithetical to the position of "law and order conservatives." I do not doubt that there are creeps and losers who associate themselves with the Republican party who might have done such a thing. I would not be...

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Are men and women in the united states paid equally for the same position now in 2010? Or do you believe that women are still paid less? I suspect in most jobs if a male and female applicant had the same education, same experience, same quality and quantity of references, etc. they would be likely offered the same wage and benefit package. If, however, the female ends up taking more time off or is less willing to work overtime (usually because she takes care of her children or something), the employer may well end up paying the...

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Prominent conservative David Frum says the GOP now works for FOX. Do you agree or disagree and why? No. I do not agree. Fox's regular TV network and movie-making groups have no conservative leaning that I can see. The cable FoxNews channel may may have the only news organization that is reasonably balanced - I heard a study reported that showed they had the only news room with reporters who voted both democrat and republican in comparable numbers (others were all over 80% democrat). ...

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Stop the war or LOSE the war and trillions of more dollars that could be used to save lives and create a new energy infrastructure? Obviously you disagree, but many would restate the question: Stop the war and surrender your property and freedom to some radical Islamist's idea of Sharia? or continue to invest lives and money is preserving concepts like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? If they are right and you are wrong, a new energy infrastructure would be...

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Taxes used for wars that take lives is okay. Taxes used for health insurance to save lives is not okay. What's wrong with this picture? The misuse of words really bugs me... First, if it is funded by taxes or obligated by government, it is not "insurance" - the word "insurance" means things that don't apply when government makes all the rules and collects money, imposes fines, etc. It's almost Orwellian (do people remember the novel "1984"?) The current debate is not about "insurance" or about the quality of health care, it is...

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I often hear people say that God has given us free will so that we can choose to love him without being forced to do so or so that we can choose between good & evil. What passages in the Bible best describe the kind of free will that God has given to us? Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live Joshua 24:15 "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Proverbs 1:28-30...

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Does it say in the bible that god will hold us in the palm of his hand? I will add Daniel 5:23 (NIV) which includes the phrase "the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways." Other translations have different words with similar meaning. And Job 12:10 "In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Similar, in a way is Psalm 95:4 "In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him." These are all...

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If a spider was the size of a house, how powerful would its B.O. be? Engineering realities require that a spider that large would have to be made from different materials than real arthropods. Since it would require new body chemistry to make the thing, there is no way to know what it would smell like. I am not even sure wood would be strong enough... metal alloys don't usually have powerful odors...

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Where does freedom of speech end and become offensive/extremist In some countries it is illegal to say some classes of offensive things to people. In the USA you do not have a recognized right to "not be offended." You do have a right to believe and express extreme ideas. Freedom of speech in the USA ends when real, measurable harm is done (slander/liable) or when the words pose immediate threat of harm (yelling "fire" in a crowded theater when there is no...

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Do you think the media is biased towards some presidential candidates and caters to others? Note that all editorial pages and commentary media (TV and radio "talk shows") take positions promoting one side, opposing the other. In this answer I am referring to "news" coverage which, unlike editorial/commentary, is not supposed to take sides. In the world I live in... When Sarah Palin was announced as a VP candidate I heard much ridicule in news coverage about her inexperience. (not...

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Do you think the mainstream media is biased towards "the left"? If so, how did it get become that way? Let me cite some examples... Typically "the right" respects and values traditional family structure, traditional religion and the military... what fraction of TV, radio and movie material is obviously sympathetic to these institutions? (hint: it is a very small fraction) Outside the Hallmark channel, it is hard to find a sympathetic TV character who is devoutly christian or a father in a...

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Has it become mainstream to be an extremist? I think it can not by definition. Extremism implies far from normal and mainstream is defined by normal. I suppose from some perspectives "normal" is so far removed from "my perspective" it looks extreme. So... in one sense, no, it can not be mainstream to be an extremist and in another sense, of course it is mainstream to be an extremist - it always is from some perspective.

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Why does the Bible spend so much time saying "Thou Shall Not," isnted of saying "Thou Shalt"? I suspect you are just wrong. I can think of lots of positive "do this" and "have this attitude" kinds of directions in the Bible. I am not sure I could come up with more "do nots" than "dos"

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Dose the definition of Israel as a Jewish Zionist Democracy make any sense? and what's your opinion about it ... Well... The word "Jewish" means "related to people descended from Abraham through Isaac or the religion associated with those people." "Zionist" means roughly "the belief that Jews deserve a home country in the geographic location of historic Israel." "Democracy" roughly means "a governmental structure where citizens get to vote to choose government officials and/or vote directly on issues." ...

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Ok, i MUST have missed something...Why is everyone advocating for larger government???...last time i checked it was politicians that act much more foolish and stupid than the average individual.....so why should we want to give these fools more power? There are many people out there who recognize that concentration of power breeds corruption (power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely) and for that reason honestly believe the only reasonable and responsible thing to do is reduce the power and budget of government. These tend to want the national government only involved in things that affect the "general welfare" (that is, things...

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Should the relatives of politicians stay in the background and be quiet or should they speak up when they have something to say? In the USA, people have a right to speak in public. If anyone in the country wants to speak up when given an opportunity by major media outlets (or any other venue), I don't see why anyone would have a problem with it. On the other hand... some of these people really don't deserve any attention because the things they say don't merit any attention - but the question of whether they deserve...

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Can ram make Internet web pages faster? The obvious answer: If your computer's performance is currently constrained by limited RAM - AND if your computer and operating system can both make use of more - adding more RAM will make it faster. If your computer could use faster RAM and is currently performance limited by memory bandwidth, replacing your RAM with faster RAM may help. If your computer is constrained by processor speed...

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Is the internet an evil thing? The internet is a means of communication. Any means of communication can be used for good or bad purposes. The tool itself is neutral. As a general rule, any "thing" is not evil. I believe it requires motivation and intent to be "evil" and things do not have those capacities - only intelligence with the capacity for moral decision-making can really be evil.

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Do you agree withan elected government official saying not to feed the poor? After listening to the original recording instead of the news report about the speech, I think I only disagree with a couple of phrases he said. It is true that when you reward behavior, you will get more of it - so paying people money to be irresponsible will lead to greater irresponsibility. I certainly agree with his point that people who receive benefits owe something. If you give people...

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Is tax good or bad? Tax is a tool for the function of government. The tool itself is neither good nor bad. If tax law simply raises sufficient funds for the government to provide law and order in society and protection from foreign and domestic threats without imposing unreasonable burdens on any specific group of people, I believe those things are good and necessary. Laws that use taxes to control people and...

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Why does the government mix religion and state together? Since this is posted under "U.S. Politics"... First, the government of the USA is theoretically based on "rule of law" not "rule of men" so "the government" should be defined by written law. I do not believe laws in the USA "mix religion and state together" as a rule, though there are certainly laws which relate to religious practice and recognition of religion (e.g. tax exemptions for...

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Who will hear the voice of a singer first - a person in the balcony 50.0 m away from the stage,or..? This will depend on the radio station. Many add a delay of up to several seconds between incoming and outgoing signal. Some (especially digital) radios may also queue data in a cache for some time delaying the reproduction of the incoming signal. If we assume there are no such delays, and we assume the delay of the electrons in the wires is insignificant, as is the response time of the speaker...

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What was the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, if your actions cannot save you? Jesus was responding to a question about what the Jewish law meant in practical terms. The question came from "an expert in the law" who "stood up to test Jesus." The he asked the follow up question "And who is my neighbor?" "to justify himself." I think Jesus knew the teachings of the "experts in the law" and the places where their traditions contradicted the intent of the biblical laws, so he...

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As a body falls, does its potential energy increase with speed The potential energy due to gravity is a function of the height of the object. If it is falling, the potential energy is decreasing. Kinetic energy may or may not be changing depending on the object, the atmosphere, etc. An object at "terminal velocity" will not gain kinetic energy but will continue to lose potential energy.

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A CAR MOVING WITH A VELOCITY OF 15M/S-1 AND IS HIT WITH A FORCE OF 800 POUNDS PER SQ INCH AFTER IMPACT CALCULATE THE SPEED OF THE CAR Not nearly enough information. What is the mass of the car? in which direction is the impact force applied relative to the direction of the car's motion? Over how many square inches is the 800psi applied? For how long is the 800psi applied?

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How fast is a laser beam? LASER in an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation." A "laser beam" is really just light that has been generated in a particular way. The speed of light in a vacuum has been measured at approximately 300,000,000 meters/second. That speed can be affected when passing through transparent matter (gases, liquids, clear solids). Light can also be altered by magnetic,...

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What is the density of hydrogen? A single value for the density is meaningless without specifying the conditions. The density of a gas is dependent on the ambient temperature and pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the density (assuming constant temperature). Density is a measure of mass per unit of volume. At higher pressures there are more H2 molecules in the same volume and therefore higher density. At constant...

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Are red states loaded with the rich and blue states loaded with the poor? Let's see... California with high concentrations of very rich people in the LA, Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay areas - very heavy Democratic party majority. New York City metropolitan area - sometimes financial capitol of the world - high concentration of very rich people, Democratic party majority. Chicago - center of commerce - with heavy concentration of rich people - heavy...

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How does banning same-sex marriage protect heterosexual marriages? First, "banning same-sex marriage" sounds to me like banning 'canine cats' and 'feline dogs'. The word "marriage" has a long-standing definition in society and law - part of that definition includes the concept of a relationship between a man and a woman. You have to redefine the word to make the statement of the question. Second, the whole purpose of having the institution protected and...

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Which party plays the "fear card" most..democrats or republicans I suppose it depends on what you fear. If you fear big government, loss of liberty, higher taxes, economic decline, etc. - I'd say Republicans... but Libertarians even more so. Fear of terrorism or foreign threats - perhaps Republicans a little more frequently than Democrats. Fear of environmental cataclysm tends to be a focus of the Green party. Democrats often focus here too. If your...

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Are outlets for plugs with 2 prongs just as strong as outlets with 3 prongs? The only way to know how much power an outlet can provide is to know the rating of the outlet, the way it is wired (wire gauge, length, etc.) and the rating on the fuse or breaker for that circuit. If done right, the fuse/breaker will interrupt the circuit before overheating the wiring and an outlet should be rated higher than the fuse/breaker on the circuit. Replacing a lower current rated...

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Does the height from which an object is dropped affect its acceleration? and why? The acceleration of gravity (basic physics) varies with the square of the distance from the center of mass. The surface of the Earth is close enough to a sphere that the acceleration is nearly the same everywhere on the Earth - even at the top of high mountains. You need sensitive and precise equipment to measure the differences accurately, but the altitude of an object does affect its...

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Is it ok to have 2 kids by different dads I am not aware of any medical problem with this. It is generally considered socially/morally acceptable for a widow with child/children to take a second husband and have additional children. By these criteria, it is certainly "OK" There are, of course, many possible/likely problems with family conflict and other complications when one or more fathers is/are not the husband of the mother. This...

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Is it Scriptural to pray to “saints” for them to act as intercessors with God? Jesus instructed "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven...' " Since that is what Jesus taught, I would take that as the primary idea in prayer. At one point (John 14) Jesus did say "You may ask me for anything" which seems to validate prayers directed to Jesus. So... prayer to the Father - pretty much commanded. prayer to Jesus - apparently OK prayer to anyone else? Not...

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Why do humans see "Life isn't fair" not as philosophy but rules for conduct? I don't believe that most people take this as a rule or philosophy. I also don't see any practical way to view "make life fair" as a rule for behavior or philosophy. If a farmer tried to distribute each harvest equally among all people, he would spend all his time distributing and none planting or harvesting. Same for someone who makes furniture or clothing or provides any goods or services. ...

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Does success has relative meaning? or does it has universal meaning? Different people mean different things by 'success.' For some, having grandchildren who are functional, productive members of society is success. For some, achieving some personal goal (climb Mt. Everest, sail around the world, etc.) is success. Some define success by financial net worth. We could add many other human goals to this list. If there is a universal meaning, I suggest it must be...

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Should I go to church even if my parents say I can't go? If you are still a minor in your parents' household, I would say stick with the biblical instruction "children obey your parents." Disobeying and/or dishonoring your parents would be contrary to God's specific instruction. If, however, they insist that you deny or curse God, "it is better to obey God rather than men." If you are a legal adult, I would expect you to make your own decisions. Try...

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Do you think that it's fair that people that need health insurance because of a health condition don't qualify for it (even if they have the money to pay it)? Is it fair that people who wreck a car can't get insurance to cover the loss after the wreck? Is it fair that people who "need" flood insurance can't get it after their homes are flooded? Is it fair that people who "need" fire insurance can't get it after their houses already burned? The whole concept of "insurance" is that you pay a fee based on the probability of an unlikely event into a...

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why does the square root of -1 = i ? What does i mean/represent? Your question almost answers itself because that is the definition of "i". "i" is defined as that value which when squared equals -1. Since there is no number - no quantity - that has this property this is called the imaginary unit and is abbreviated "i". It turns out this imaginary unit has many practical applications in math, science and engineering. Complex numbers are usually written in...

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Why do we as humans persist with the belief that 'all men are born equal'? --When that is clearly not the case? I suppose the case can be made that all are "born equal" since a baby just born can not contribute anything to the economy. We are all equally incompetent at birth. If your source is the quote from the American Declaration of Independence "created equal," I believe the concept refers to equal intrinsic worth - not equal ability, not equal talent, not equal outcomes. I am pretty sure this comes...

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Is it ok for Rush Limbaugh to call people retarded? I think this is probably an unfair question. I have listened to Rush on and off for years and I am certain he was only using the word at all because it was a news item. Based on the way he often does commentary, he was using the word to ridicule the guy in the news that started the furor. Based on this, I suspect Rush was not really "calling people retarded" in the way the question implies. (I...

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At what point will Obama realize it's no longer "Bush's fault" and take responsibility for his own mistakes? I suspect that he really believes he is doing the right things and that if bad things happen, it is not because of his decisions, but because of influences beyond his control. If things get significantly better, he will believe it is because he is doing right - if they get worse it will not be because he did anything wrong. If the economy had dramatically improved starting in October of 2008 -...

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Why do corporations have absolutely zero morals..? A corporation is more a concept than anything else. It is an entity defined by a legal document. It may or may not have any employees. It may or may not produce any goods or services. Corporations can only 'do' what an officer or employee of the corporation does. Since the incorporation document can't obligate illegal behavior and be a legal document, the 'morality of the corporation' can only...

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Why doesnt the U.S. have free health care? Because there is no such thing as "free health care." It takes time and money to make medicine - it does not simply pop into existence whenever someone needs it - therefore medicine is not free. Same with equipment (operating room, x-ray machine, etc.), same with supplies (bandages, gauze, cast material...), same with skilled workers. All health care is services (people's time - not free) and...

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Are All Parts of he Bible still Relevant? I think there is a great deal relevance to be found in the Bible. Some parts are not specifically and directly meaningful, but can reveal things about history, the nature of man and other information that is useful. The number of sons someone had in the genealogy of king David by itself has no value, but may add "value" in some sense to the stories about David that can serve as examples to us....

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A healthy person parks in a handicapped spot, runs into the store, then comes out and leaves. Will they burn in Hell for that? Sin is at its root rebellion against God. The Bible instructs people to submit to those in authority except when the law contradicts specific direction from God (Daniel and others in the Bible engaged in civil disobedience when the law clearly contradicted submission to God - and accepted the consequent civil punishment). So, if this parking episode is symptomatic of rebellion against God...

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Is US government debt destroying the value of the dollar? If the US Congress accepts the current (Feb. 2010) budget plan submitted by President Obama's administration with literally trillions of dollars in deficit spending, it is almost inevitable that there will be fewer and fewer willing to buy that debt. As the debt service (interest payments on the debt) become a bigger and bigger fraction of tax revenue and/or GDP, people will more and more doubt...

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Should America have a universal health care plan? Only if the Constitution is amended to say something like "Congress shall have the authority to seize all private assets necessary to experiment with health care funding structures." In theory the USA works on a concept called "rule of law" which means the Federal Government should operate within the framework of its Constitution which specifically states that any power not enumerated in the...

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Is healthcare a right or a privelege? "Health Care" consists of two components: - the time and skills of people - the property of people To assert that one person has a right to health care is to assert that you have a right to another person's time and property. It is saying that doctors, nurses, etc. should be servants, obligated to serve without any right to their own time or skills. It is to say that I can not own a...

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What do you think is going to happen to healthcare? New technology and procedures will continue to be expensive. Wealthy and powerful people will continue to get the best care. People who don't take care of themselves will continue to require more resources from the health care system than average as a rule. Healthy people who take care of themselves will continue to require less than average as a rule. As the average age of the population...

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Why is God such a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible? I am not aware of any verses in the Bible that speak a positive word about enslaving anyone. Cite the verses in which you believe God encourages slavery and I will try to help. The Bible acknowledges the existence of slavery and provides rules for treatment of slaves (if I remember right) in certain circumstances... but that is a very long way from being a "huge proponent."

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CHRISTIANS & JEWS: The appearances of God to man that are in the Bible prove that He is a physical, not merely spiritual, being John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Luke 24:39 "...a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (citations from the NASB) The notion that a Creator must be limited to a conventional body in order to appear to people in that form seems silly to me. The Bible also refers to the shadow and shelter of His wings, but...

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So they were no weather before the flood, right? Did they have perfect weather around the world? No rain no snow, no clouds? How could this possibly be so? I am not sure what "no weather" means. Nothing in Genesis says this. I have heard speculation that prior to the flood there was a uniform cloud canopy over the whole atmosphere which may have had the effect of relatively uniform weather. Another speculation says the flood happened when a large asteroid struck the earth and knocked it off axis (giving it the current tilt) and causing the...

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Christians of all denominations, if you had time for only 2 of these 3 things before death: (A) prayer, (B) sex & (C) a tasty meal+red wine; which one would you rush or cancel altogether? Start answer as A, B, or C please, reasons optional. I suspect little good will come from trying to give a serious answer to such an absurd question, but... If a typical, sincere, committed Christian had less than an hour to live (enough time for a meal - prayer could be done while eating), I suspect neither B nor C will be on the list of things worth the investment. Real people in situations like this typically want to be surrounded by...

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Religion is defined as "a specific set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects." What is it about christians that makes them think that just because they don't go to a church that christianity isn't a religion? There are differing uses or definitions of the word. Usually when someone says Christianity is not a religion it is intended in a context like "Religion is humanity's work to reach God, Christianity is God's work to reach people" or "Christianity is a relationship, not a religion" or some similar contrast that the speaker believes separates Christianity from other...

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If kangaroos came from an area closer to Mount Ararat in Turkey (alleged Noah's Ark site) which route did they take in order to only reside in Australia, and why are there no bones of kangaroos that have died along the way to Australia? First, most animals die without leaving any trace - this is the norm. When an animal leaves fossilized remains it means something extraordinary happened to cause the animal's death (buried alive by flood or land-slide) or happened immediately after its death. Second, it is a safe bet that we have not uncovered the vast majority of fossils that exist. So... there may be no such trail...

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Why are all 20 species of armadillo found only in South America with no trace of there armor plating carcasses not found anywhere along the way from the alleged Noah's Ark site in Turkey? First, most animals die without leaving any trace - this is the norm. When an animal leaves fossilized remains it means something extraordinary happened to cause the animal's death (buried alive by flood or land-slide) or happened immediately after its death. Second, it is a safe bet that we have not uncovered the vast majority of fossils that exist. So... there may be no such trail...

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Who said this? "Change is the only thing that doesn't change"? Or what is the actual version of this quote? How about "the only constant is change"... sorry, don't have a reference to cite at hand. Quick web search attributes it to Isaac Asimov and someone named Heraclitus.

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"...and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. Then the Lord God call Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?'" An all-knower god didn't know where Adam was hiding?(Genesis 3:8-9) As a parent, I have on many occasions asked my children questions to which I already knew the answer. This might be to give them an opportunity to "come clean" or as a teaching opportunity, or just to invest in the relationship. The Bible makes it clear that God does know. It is entirely consistent with my experience, common sense and the Bible to deduce that the question...

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Christians: in these verses is Jesus saying that simply believing isn't enough? Matt. 7 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will No. Those verses do not contradict the concept of salvation by grace through faith. On the other hand, I don't think devout Christians would use the phrase "simply believing" by itself either - the demons also believe... and tremble. I would compare those verses with something more like: Just saying 'Jesus is Lord' is just saying words. A persons real faith should be...

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Do you believe in having tolerance/ understanding of others whose interests/opinions are different? Of course. You can't have a free society without tolerance of differences. You can barely have civilization, and some might debate how civilized such a place would be where everybody was forced to agree/conform to The Leader's beliefs and opinions. Besides that, life would not be very interesting without people with of differing interests. There'd be no diversity of art,...

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What is conciousness and, do animals have it? I assume you separate sentience (some elevated form of self-awareness) from consciousness (some kind of ability to perceive and interpret information about your environment based on senses - as opposed to "unconscious"). Of course even computers can be programmed to sense and interpret vision, sound, etc., but we don't generally think of that capacity a consciousness. Surely more...

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Let's say, theoretically, a person claims to be Christ resurrected. He doesn't have any aura around him, he won't fly or perform any miracles, he will only speak...How would Christians know whether or not to trust this person? Matthew 24:26-27 (New International Version) 26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Most Christians believe this passage makes it clear that when Jesus...

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Has the Bible been accurately copied down through the centuries? There are tens of thousands of partial and complete ancient manuscripts of the books of the Bible which have been found in Europe, Africa and the middle east. They are incredibly consistent. I believe I read the comment of one researcher who concluded that we have much more confidence that we know the content of the originals of the Bible than we have in the original works of Shakespeare. Most...

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Richard Dawkins has written: That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence. Logically, is this valid? In most contexts, this is valid. But when someone reports a preference for Vanilla ice cream over chocolate, that stated preference should not be dismissed without evidence. There are other contexts where things asserted should not be dismissed without evidence.

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Can a scientist have faith? Of course. And I suspect most scientists throughout history have expressed religious faith. It is easy for me to see that there are things which science can test, and things it can not. Anything a person chooses to believe that science can't test completely and objectively is, in a way, faith. The obvious example is "is there a God?" Science can't test for the...

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What comes first to your mind when I say 'Sloth"? A curious, slow-moving, nocturnal, arboreal herbivore, sometimes differentiated by forms having 2 or 3 toes. (if I remember right...)

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If there is no God does life have meaning? If I unintentionally spill paint on a canvas, does the resulting shape have meaning? I submit that it does not. Even if it resembles something else, the resemblance is coincidental and meaningless. (It is true that an artist may still use random or un-designed marks to try to communicate something.) If I purposefully place the paint on the canvas in the same pattern to try to communicate a...

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If you are a true believer in your faith. How do you justify the fact that a billion or so other true believers in thier faith are wrong. There is nothing to "justify." If one person really, sincerely, honestly believes The Exalted Lord Harold is God's messenger, but Harold is not really God's messenger, the person is wrong. If one chooses to believe there is no God but if in reality there is, that person is objectively wrong. What about these obvious facts requires justification? Everybody is wrong about...

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I was in the womens' section of a store finding lingerie for my partner when somebody called me a pervert. Were they right to call me this? Flippant answer 1: Depends... if you are a pervert, they were right. If you're not, they were wrong.

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If death, including through suicide and murder, is neutral event with no inherent goodness or badness about it, why does every culture have laws to regulate it? Every civilization (though obviously not every individual) in human history has judged that human members that belong to the culture/tribe/etc. have intrinsic worth and deserves protection. If it were not so, they would not have such laws. (Unfortunately, however, it is common to deny such protection to those not in the culture/tribe/etc.) So... if your premise is correct - that the death of a...

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Are you a christian and if so, are you judgemental of others or do you accept people for who they are? If you judge, explain to me why you feel you have that right? All humans make judgments about other people. It is necessary. I will loan my car to some people and not others. I would let some people house-sit while I am away, and not others. I judge some fit to babysit my children, and I choose not to trust most people with that responsibility. The Bible says that everyone sins, so I judge that you are a sinner. (Just like the rest of us.) There are...

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Does God get angry? Isn't anger one of the Seven Deadly Sins? Ephesians 4:26 says "be angry, and yet do not sin" (NASB). The concept of "Seven Deadly Sins" does not explicitly appear in the Bible - which condemns all sin. There are several Bible passages where God is described as angry, or promises to be angry if the people rebel and/or disobey.

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What is humility? I once heard someone say something like: "The essence of humility is not in thinking little of yourself, but rather in not thinking of yourself." Humility is considering first how your words and actions will benefit others, not what is in it for you. People must take thought for their own food, shelter, hygiene... but in one's interactions with others, humility is not...

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The G-8 just agreed to cut GHG emissions in half by 2050. Isn't that too late? Won't the damage to the environment be irreversible by then? I fully expect to be down rated for being politically incorrect, but... Was the damage to the environment irreversible due to the past natural swings in global temperature and CO2 concentration? Some scientists insist after studying ice cores, tree rings, etc. that atmospheric levels of CO2 have been higher in the past. Levels do change with time. There have been mini ice ages and hot...

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Jesus was a socialist. Jesus was not a concervative. Can yoiu handle the truth? Jesus nowhere in the Bible advocates for any governmental structure or national economic model. All his directions were to individuals. I see no connection between "love your neighbor" or "be kind to one another" and "government should take money/resources from those who earn/create it to give to people who need it." Anyway... if you meant "socialist"...

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Can you Disprove Evolution in 5 minutes ... better still, Can you prove the Adam & Eve account in 4 mins - see my own answer below for details? Of course not. Neither position can be proved or disproved by any rigorous scientific experiment or philosophical argument. Some paradigms disallow one, the other or both, so there are many people very confident that their position is right and the other wrong.

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If you where evil your whole life but repented on your deathbed, would god forgive you and grant you entry into heaven? That appears to have been the case with the criminal on the cross near Jesus at his crucifixion. The man acknowledged his own punishment was deserved and appealed to Jesus ("Lord, remember me..."). Jesus said "Today you will be with me in paradise." Some theologians will tell you (with Biblical support) that humans are all basically evil, and anyone who is forgiven and...

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Many Christians claim that since there is no "proof" of evolution, old universe as opposed young earth theories, etc. we should disregard the conclusions they suggest. Why not hold God and Jesus to the same standard? I am curious to what "conclusions" you refer. If the earth was created complete, working and with history yesterday or if it always existed (from infinity and beyond)... what "conclusions" that are relevant to my daily life are affected? If one believes God used gradual processes of creation (theistic evolution) and another believes in a literal 6-day creation much more...

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We all need to start praying right now that by some miracle George Bush gets a third term. Who's with me? The only reason I think someone would feel this way is a belief that all candidates likely to be elected would be worse for the country than departure from "rule of law." If it really was some VERY obvious intervention of God, He certainly has the authority to trump the Constitution, but He does not typically work that way. I value order, law and civilization and I don't see that...

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I'm a firm believer that there is no such thing as a set-in-stone "Good" and "Evil". For example, if a man with a mental problem rapes somebody, can you really call them evil? And people who carry out acts of terrorism in the belief they're doing good? If there exists an external moral authority (e.g. a purposeful designer or God), then that external authority can indeed impose set-in-stone rules about good and evil. If someone, even with the best of (misguided) intentions, violates these objective rules, the behavior is evil - even if the perpetrator believes he is doing good (e.g. your terrorist). I do agree that evil requires intent, so...

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Just out of curiosity how many Christians HONESTLY I mean deep down inside really believe what they read in the Bible. Taking faith out of the equation and using common sense. You can't "take faith out of the equation." Your perception of reality is based on some set of basic principles or assumptions. Your paradigm filters your perception of everything. Millions of people have chosen a paradigm in which the Bible is the first source and everything else is interpreted by the Bible's teachings. Your paradigm also determines what you classify...

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Which is most likely: creationism, evolution, alien intervention? From a purely objective evaluation of facts, no real probability can be calculated for some of these options, so there is no objective answer. Is it possible that the universe was created 10 seconds ago, complete and working, with history - the way an author starts a novel? Sure. We have no tools to test whether such an author/creator exits, so an objective analysis can not eliminate this...

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Is it true to say that "Philosophy" is the BASICS of Science...? Did you mean the "basis" of science? I am not sure "the basics of science" is meaningful. I took a class in college called the "philosophy of natural science." Some philosophical constructs are incompatible with hard science (e.g. solipsism). Your statement, by itself, is not true unless you define and qualify what it is you mean - then it might be true, or...

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Do baptists really believe the world began only a short time ago? and that evolution isn't possible? There are Baptists who believe in young-Earth creation, others old-Earth creation and some theistic evolution. Virtually all accept the reality of micro-evolution (mutations and natural selection do occur) but most reject the idea that all the diversity of life came about via undirected (i.e. not directed or designed; random) mutation and natural selection. I would not be surprised to find...

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How many people hate having to chose between the lesser of two evils every presidential election? Since there are no perfect people you will probably always have to choose between two or more candidates with whom you disagree on some things. Further, if there is any fault in someone - and often when there is not - it is advertised, magnified, exaggerated and emphasized till any candidate can be made to appear much worse than reality. Since an election is a competition, the competing...

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How does anything about the existence/visibility/personal actions of gays, lesbians, or bisexuals affect anyone's lives other than our own? How exactly do we impact anyone, other than ourselves, in any way? No Bible quotes here, please. <delete> should have been a comment.

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How does anything about the existence/visibility/personal actions of gays, lesbians, or bisexuals affect anyone's lives other than our own? How exactly do we impact anyone, other than ourselves, in any way? No Bible quotes here, please. I think this would not be an issue if these relationships were private. The issue only comes up when somebody demands that a company or government recognize and give tangible benefits to some relationship. These tangible benefits cost time and money and therefore affect other people and companies. If you try to obligate acceptance or endorsement of your relationship by others, expect...

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How difficult is it going from paycheque to paycheque? For most it is very easy to spend at least their entire paycheck before they get the next one (that is what is typically meant by the phrase "living paycheck to paycheck" in my experience). It is planning, budgeting, saving, postponing gratification and finding creative ways to spend less so you can save that is more difficult. By the way... this is not just poor people. There was...

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When do you know that it is time to upgrade your computer? When some application you need to run won't run on the computer you have or when the tasks you do take too much time and are constrained by your hardware.

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This may be an unpopular question, and I hope readers understand I am not referring to anyone (ABer or President) in particular. As an army brat, I was raised to respect the office of the President, whether we agreed with the man or not. Is this gone? This is a Biblical principle that is not dead. Everyone who takes the Bible seriously should recognize the repeated theme that is exemplified in the conduct of David toward King Saul. Even when Saul's behavior was inexcusable, David refused to speak ill of the King. In the New Testament the principle is clear that governments and their officials are good for social order, exist by...

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When i wake up nearly every morning i always have an erection is this common and whyis this? I recently read an article about sleep which stated that this is commonly associated with the deepest stage of sleep which often precedes waking. My uneducated guess is that the chemical brain activity associated with this deep sleep either produces the the appropriate hormones or has the same effect they have. I recognize that does not really explain why, but it is the best I can do.

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Have Republican politicians displayed interest in any topic, at any time, besides their obsession with bringing down the Clintons? And why is the GOP so obsessed with Hillary? Senator Clinton is the front-runner for the 2008 Democrat presidential nomination, so she gets a lot of attention. If she was not doing high-profile stuff, she would not get the attention. I have heard recent reports of Republican leaders talking about the war on terrorism, federal budget issues, federal courts and judges, tax reform and lots of other foreign and domestic policy issues that...

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Capitalism vs. Socialism. Which do you prefer? It depends on which definitions you use. The basic definition of Socialism as I learned it goes something like: "governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods" (from M-W.com) and Capitalism is an economic system wherein property and the means of production are privately owned and distribution of wealth is governed primarily by market...

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Why is it that Philosophy is something to believe and Religion is something to join? I disagree with your words. Everybody has a personal philosophy whether they identify it or not. People who study philosophy typically want to understand how people think and why. What you think is based on your perception filters - those filters are based on what you believe about reality, which is your personal philosophy. This is a bit of an oversimplification. I also disagree with...

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Who besides me thinks that the world would be better off without humans? As a general class, I'd guess people who hate people would agree with you. One of the big problems with this question is that "better" is a human notion. Without humans, who would determine "better" or "worse"? Is the world better after a lightening-sparked forest or grassland fire strips millions of acres and kills millions of creatures? Better after a...

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What is the Most Dangerous Animal? Humans.

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Is 1.3 megapixel camera any good? It is good for a great many things. I still use one. It depends on what you want to do. If you are taking portraits that you want to crop then blow up to 11x14 or bigger, not it is no good. For 5x7 or even some 8x10 prints it will be OK (but not great). For web and email stuff it is more than adequate.

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How many females between the ages of 14-16 need emotional support? Seems to me that all emotionally healthy humans need some level of emotional support, so I'd agree with the 100% figure given elsewhere. Maybe I misunderstand the question.

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How does one acquire the Apostles ability to be able to speak in tongues at will? That ability of the Apostles was an unprecedented gift from God. You can not acquire/demand special works of the Holy Spirit at will, God has to give them. There is no indication the Apostles could do it at will either.

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For you, is AB home, or a battlefield? Neither I got interested in AB for exchange of information. I like teaching and explaining things to people. I am less interested in AB now that it is more a chat community than an answers forum, but I still try to contribute.

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Am I alone in feeling that my vote for Bush was the right choice? Of course not. There are millions of Americans who would still pick him over the other options that were offered.

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What does the crucifix symbolize Take your pick: Salvation Redemption Forgiveness Christianity Sacrifice Giving In one sense it is not really a symbol so much as a depiction of the sacrifice of Jesus which is one of the central events defining Christianity. It is clearer to depict the crucifixion rather than an empty tomb representing the resurrection.

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Are two-incomes really required in a family? No. But you do have to qualify - required for what? Since most families in the world live on an income of no more than a few dollars a day, it really is a question of life-style. I have heard from financial planners about people who never made more than $30,000/year but chose to live on less than they earned and invested consistently a percentage of that small income who retired in some...

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Why are alot of scientists trying to disprove the paranormal, rather than simply accepting it for what is it, and searching for explanations for why paranormal phenomenon occur? All science can do is disprove things. That is how it works. Someone proposes a hypothesis - a guess about how something works - and if that guess survives all attempts to disprove it, it gains acceptance. So, in order for science to address paranormal activity at all, they must devise experiments capable of disproving something. The problem with most paranormal explanations is that they...

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Why are screen savers useful? (if at all) With almost any display technology it is possible to physically or chemically alter the stuff that makes the lighted dots on the screen so that if one image is presented for a sufficient number of hours, it can "burn in" to the display. Unless you intentionally defeat the power saving settings on your computer system, it typically turns off the display after some number of minutes of...

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What are the blast radiuses of an atom Bomb and a hydrogen bomb? Both fusion and fission bombs are designed with a wide range of yield. There are small battlefield nukes to large strategic nukes and there have been a couple of really big experimental bombs. You'd also have to define what radius you mean - within some distance stuff is vaporized, further out incinerated, much further out the destructive effect may just be broken windows from the boom...

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How many kernels in a bag of popcorn? Depends on the bag, obviously. 2 oz microwave bag? 3.5 oz microwave bag? 1 lb bag of plain kernels? 50 lb bag? Microwave popcorn bags have other stuff - oil, salt, butter flavoring, sweetener (kettle style) - that affects the weight, so even knowing the typical weight per kernel you could not calculate the number in a bag of microwave popcorn without knowing what percent was other stuff...

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Do not take offense as this is a sincere question. Do you think the bible is in need of a "Newer" testament from this day in age? If, as most Christian scholars believe, the Bible is the story of God providing reconciliation for sinful people, and that provision was completed with the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, then there is no "newer testament" to be written. As Jesus said at his execution, "it is finished." Only if God changes something would a new 'testament' (contract, covenant)...

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Speaking from a Christian point of view: If you are meant to love thy neighbour, what if thy neighbour is homosexual? All of my neighbors are sinners. So are all the Christians. Christians are to love sinners, pray for them and do good. It does not imply endorsement of anybody's sins. Christian love (as in 'love thy neighbor') carries no sensual, sexual or erotic implications.

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Is it grammatically incorrect to put only one space between sentences? On a mono-spaced typewriter, two spaces. With proportional fonts, one space.

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Isn't it odd that Dubya couldn't find WMDs in Iraq and can't find bin Laden, but can find a reason to veto a healthcare bill for kids? Item 1: US forces did find chemical weapons and evidence of other WMD in Iraq, but not nearly as much as EVERYBODY in the world expected. Item 2: OBL is hard to find hiding somewhere in a large geographical area with the help of a large number of sympathetic locals. Item 3: Bush proposed a $5 Billion increase in federal tax money for children's health insurance, but opposes extending...

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Let's settle something: Who actually won Florida in the 2000 election, Gore or Bush? I think at least two different news organizations hired teams of people to audit and recount ballots in Florida after the election to see if they came up with the same answer as the official count. Every time the ballots were counted, Bush won the count. It would have been a very big news story if they came up with Gore as the winner, but since they got the same answer as the certified...

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Can a Boeing 747 execute a near 90 degree climb? Not for any significant time or distance. With enough speed an unloaded 747 might be able to pull nose up to vertical but would very quickly stall as it loses speed. The thrust to weight ratio is not nearly high enough for really steep climb.

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Could a witch cast a spell on God? The only way a spell can have an effect is when it appeals to some power that has the ability to act on the spell. I think spells were originally appeals to the powers/gods/devils/spirits to do the bidding of the one casting the spell. The various sacrifices, substances, words or behaviors associated with a spell were intended to get the attention of the spirit/deity/force and "pay"...

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Why is the earth sphearical Technically it is not a sphere but an oblate spheroid (if I remember right). Basically something close to a sphere is the only stable shape when gravity holds stuff together in space. You could think of it like this: if there were any high-points, the stuff higher up would run or roll down hill till there were no more high-points. Solid bodies can have other shapes, but the Earth's core...

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What are your thoughts on the George W. Bush's fourth veto since taking office? He vetoed legislation that would have expanded a children's health insurance program. Since the Constitution of the United States nowhere authorizes congress to tax one group of citizens to give unearned benefits to another group of people, I think health care provision issues should be left to the states as required by the 10th amendment - so I support the veto. I recognize that the courts no longer hold the 10th amendment as binding, but I like it. If the people feel it is...

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What is the maximum speed that an airplane can taxi at an airport? Not enough information. Different airports, different taxiways, different countries, different airplanes... Do you mean "how fast is it capable of moving across the ground?" or "what is the speed limit imposed by the local authority?"

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Who should win the president race? Since the answer appears under US Politics, the one who gets the most electoral votes should win. That is the law. Morally speaking - the one who will do the most good and the least bad should win. Unfortunately people disagree on ideas like good and bad. Many don't believe in either. Practically speaking - the one who gets the best marketing in critical demographics.

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The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly will debate a resolution saying attacks on the theory of evolution were rooted "in forms of religious extremism" and amounted to a dangerous assault on science and human rights. Pro? or Con? Every hypothesis, observation, conclusion, theory, etc. should be open to debate. Every current teaching of science may someday be replaced with a more accurate model/description, etc. To declare a challenge to evolution as a "dangerous assault on science and human rights" would be as misguided, repressive and dogmatic as the church's ignorant enforcement of the old geocentric...

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What is the name of the group that is going around lately who state that if you are a member of a church that meets in a church building, then you are not a true Bible believing christian...? I believe "Family Radio" aka "Family Stations Inc." founder Harold Camping teaches something like this. It is a very unusual ([mis]interpretation? extrapolation?) of what the Bible says so I would not think there would be many people or groups teaching this.

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Can you get pregnant on the pill and how common is it? I have a cousin with two children she conceived while on the pill, so I'd have to answer yes, it is possible. I have heard before that the pill is not 100% effective, but I do not know how common it is. And things may have changed since my cousin's experience.

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How do cell phones vibrate? Usually a small motor inside has a small mass mounted slightly off-center on the shaft of the motor so that as the motor spins, the thing shakes.

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What is the current trend for home computers Smaller, faster, cheaper and disposable after a shorter useful life. (Repair and upgrade are less cost effective than replacement on entry-level computers. Software seems to be getting more demanding at a faster rate...)

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Does god has a father ? cuz god can't be born out of thin air right ? or am i wrong? Depends on what you mean by "god." The god of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) was once a man who, presumably, had a father (their prophet taught "As man is, God once was"). Several of the ancient Greek, Roman and Norse gods had specified parentage. The theology of historic Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups includes the idea that God was neither born nor created at all -...

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If I erase everything off of a corrupted memory card will I still be able to use it or do I have to buy another one? It depends on what is corrupted. If it is just some data written on the card, reformatting the card should make it usable again. If there is some physical defect that is causing the corruption you need to replace it. (I assume this is a flash-memory device...)

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How would you describe 'intelligent design?' How is it different to the Bible's rendition of God creating the world? The ways I have always heard intelligent design (ID) explained by its proponents never attempt to identify the designer, rather they simply argue from actual observable evidence that design is a better explanation for the existence of life on Earth than random chance. I have never appealed to any scripture from any religion when explaining ID to other people. Opponents of ID rather than its...

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Is it hypocritical of the US government to sponsor terrorist groups in Iran? It would be hypocritical of the USA to sponsor terrorism anywhere. Terrorism specifically targets non-military population for death and serious injury. I am not aware of anywhere the US has done this - but if they do it is hypocritical and reprehensible. In Afganistan the US supported groups opposing the invading Soviet military - targeting an invading army is not terrorism. If weapons and...

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Some people are exempt from participation in the military because their religious beliefs prevent them from killing anyone. Why aren't the majority of religions in the United States exempt? Christian teachings are against killing too right? There are a few Christian groups/denominations which have over the decades/centuries taken a consistent stand for pacificism. Members of these groups are allowed to take non-combat jobs if drafted in wartime. There may be non-Christian religious groups with similar consistent teaching against violence, members of which would recieve similar options. The Bible is not "against...

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Is the blood inside you blue or red? No. Veins look bluish through the skin, but the blood is not blue. I have donated blood many times. The blood is taken from a vein and does not touch the air and is not blue. It is not bright red like oxygenated blood, but dark red. (Oh... unless you are not talking about mammal blood... some insects might have bluish blood... but they don't have veins... I don't know about all the...

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For people who believe in creationism, why dont you believe in evolution? I think people need to be more careful with terms. Very few creation proponents (if any) would deny that mutation and natural selection take place, so in one sense people who believe in creation do believe in evolution. As to the "ascent of man" and the origin of life... Science can't test it. Science has no tools to test history. Repeatable experiments can do no more than...

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The Name "Easter": Is it Pagan or Christian? The word "Easter" has for centuries meant the annual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. I am unaware of any other English use of the word. Ever. There are credible, but not incontrovertable, claims that the word derives from some ancient deity, but there is no literature (source documents from the time of early use) that I have seen supporting that claim. The reference I...

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When the Hubble telescope took pictures of the deep field of space, did it photograph the actual galaxies, or just the light that took light years to reach it's lenses? When you see or photograph anything it is "just the light" that reaches the eye/camera. That almost defines "seeing" and "photograph" - detecting light from some source. In one sense you can not see actual objects at all, you are just seeing effects of the light they emit or reflect.

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Why would one believe in a deity or a god,and disbelieve in a UFO.Since both are neither proven or unproven ,are not the likeliness of both the same? Reasonable people in virtually every society in the history of mankind have come to the conclusion that life was created - usually attributed to a deity - based on common sense and observation. Whether they are right or wrong, it is a common conclusion based on common evidence. (Purely random atheistic evolution is a non-intuitive hypothesis.) Extra-terrestrial life is a different problem. I...

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Is he wrong for someone to disown their child if they are gay? Lots of problems with this question... What do you mean by "disown?" Just cut out of the will? What do you mean by "wrong?" What is your standard? What do you mean by "gay?" Just possessing a gene some researcher says is associated with homosexuality? Engaging in frequent, shameful public behaviors? Or perhaps just telling the parent the child has...

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How would you treat others if you viewed reality as being purely inside your mind, where the other people you interact with are merely extensions of your own consciousness/awareness? If I viewed this question and its asker are merely extensions of my own consciousness the answer really does not matter (nobody else is affected by it). If you think I am just a figment of your imagination/consciousenss... then 'my' answer does not matter because you think it comes from you anyway. If I am certain people are in fact obejectively real individuals, the answer to...

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Do we need more than ten commandments? Well... Jesus said that "love God and love your neighbor" sums up all the rest of what the law and prophets were telling us. All the rest is like the how-to. If modern lawyers were to 'flesh-out' how to implement those two things, it would take a library full of volumes. Do we "need" more than ten? Depends on how you define "need." Just the two would...

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Should Christian women be allowed to wear Christian crosses and pendants in 'Eastern' countries? "Allowed" by whom? Are you asking if the laws of various Muslim countries should be ignored? or are you suggesting that some international law-enforcement body be created to prevent them from enforcing those laws? If you really just mean "do I think those laws are repressive?" then, yes, I do, but I expect most Muslims would take the position that they are just trying to...

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Is there a BIBLICAL reasoning behind how the different races were formed? Like I know it all started from two people, but how did the other races become formed? No. The Bible does not speak to the origin of "races" (meaning how people came to look different). Outside the Bible I have seen scenarios assembled by people who speculate something like Noah's sons had slightly different genetic makup and their three wives likewise. That would give enough possible recombinations of appearance genes... etc. But that is extrapolation based on...

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Im turning 13 and i have a boyfriend. we do things we shouldnt be doing.i dress and act 16 i guess its because i had to raise myself i also went through alot. i try to break up with him but i cant because i need him and i guess i love him..wat do u think If you believe you are doing things you should not, you almost certainly are. At 13 you most likely are not in a long-term relationship and one or both of you is going to suffer in the break-up. You should be able to find more constructive relationships that don't involve doing things that are dangerous or 'guilty.' I'd recommend getting some counseling from a youth...

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Why are some conservatives so outspoken? (Aren't they supposed to be conservative?) Some people are very vocal and outspoken. They come in all political varieties. Quiet and verbally reserved people also come in all political flavors. Personality and political philosophy are not directly linked. (I assume you meant politically conservative, but I think the same answer applies to theological conservatives or fiscal conservatives... etc.)

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Is it ever right to lie or bribe a child to get them to do what you want? If you define "lie" as 'deceive someone for personal gain at the expense of the victim' then it is never right. If by "lie" you mean 'say something that is not entirely true' then sure, we do that all the time. Small children can't deal with very complex concepts anyway. Likewise if by "bribe" you mean 'pay someone to do something...

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Have you ever seen a bald eagle in the wild? Several times in various places. The other day my son pointed out one flying within sight of my house - and I live in a relatively urban area.

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Is it better to be thought evil yet truly be good, or to be thought good and truly be evil? Since I believe in objective standards for truth and good/evil, and that there is a Creator who has approves of good and disapproves of evil I would take the position that being good is right and correct and the alternative is not regardless of how other people view your behavior or motivation. I recognize there are those who reject the notion of objective truth, objective standards and a...

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What percentage of the world's population lives below the poverty line? How do you define "poverty line"? Some economists use a percentage of average income to define that line. The percentage they arbitrarily choose will determine how many are below it. In a few places food is plentiful for hunter/gatherers and the climate requires neither shelter (beyond the shade of the trees) nor clothing. What is real poverty in such a place? I agree with the...

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Do you believe that a person must believe in a "Satan" in order to believe in a "God"? Why, or why not? There are plenty of philosophical positions that do not require "balance" in everything. It is easy for me to imagine a person from any period in history deducing the existence of a Creator from the creation without finding sufficient evidence for a nemesis to that Creator. Note: this means I do not think it difficult for someone to believe in "God" without believing in a...

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What legacy did Jerry Falwell leave behinde? First, his children and other descendants will be his legacy. Second, both Liberty University and the church he started have touched the lives of thousands. The individuals and families that have been blessed by that church and the students and faculty of the university - and especially the things those people do with their lives - are surely a "legacy" that he would recognize. ...

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If it is written in the bible that Jesus said "Do not worship me, worship God", then doesn't the basic concept of Christianity go expressly againts the teachings of it's own mesiah? Your hypothetical question is not useful. It is not "written in the Bible that Jesus said 'Do not worship me.'" So your qustion basically asks "if the Bible said things it doesn't say then..." I acknowledge that there are people who read this idea into the Bible, but no reputable translation of the Bible says this. If you disagree.. post the reference...

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In the Lord's prayer we pray to hallow or praise God's name. How is that possible if we don't know it? We typically don't use the term "name" quite like it is intended here. For example Matthew 10:22 says "You will be hated ... because of My name"(NASB) "for my name's sake"(KJV). It is not reasonable to think that this refers to a series of syllables. "You will be hated because/for the sake of a sequence of sounds or letters" is not the best way...

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Do we have a "right" to be happy? What do you mean by "right"? And what do you mean by "happy"? Is the alternative "can society punish people who are content with and feel good about life"? In the USA you have a constitutional right to "free speech" within limits, but you can't be forced to exercise that right. Even if you have a "right" to something, it does not...

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Who is sitting on the throne of God if you can't see God the Father unless he puts on flesh? John saw someone, who was it? The Apocalypse, or Revelation, of John the apostle is a work filled with symbolism and imagery. Since Jesus says that "God is spirit," I can't quite take the "Throne of God" literally, but as a metaphor. Did John's vision include a literal dais with a literal chair? or was this a choice of images to convey a principle rather than a physical reality? Were the...

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Can a baby be baptised when it has no knowlegde of God? Baptism is generally seen as a ceremonial washing that is symbolic of spiritual cleansing and/or rebirth. Of course a baby can be ceremonially washed. Some Christian denominations practice infant baptism. Many do not. Evangelical churches typically practice "believer's baptism" which means they only baptize believers - that is, people who give testimony of believing essential...

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What are some negatives of philosophy? What is a downside of it? I know it promotes personal growth, but I also need to know what are the negatives? Everybody has a philosophy of life. Everybody has biases based on chosen philosophical perspective. This is neither positive or negative, it just is. I don't think it is possible to be a functioning human without philosophy. Understanding philosophical questions and knowing your own philosophical biases are very useful in the study of science, politics, law, religion, etc., and I think...

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Is Trinity a divine mystery? If so, one has to believe in something mysterious (unexplainable) to get salvation? I think the essential concepts of the existence of God and creation of the universe are unexplainable. If there is a Creator who designed and built the universe, I would contend that such a being is beyond explanation. Can you, even hypothetically, explain the existence of God? If God "created the heavens and the earth," can you explain how that was accomplished? I think the...

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Jesus said "the father is greater than I" doesn't this prove that the trinity is not a blble teaching? Traditionally, Christian churches have taught that the three "persons" of the Trinity are equally God. But just as a high-ranking officer has some authority over, but is not more or less human than, a low-ranking soldier, the Father has some higher authority than the Son or the Spirit without being different in essence. Typically Trinitarians see "greater than" as somehow...

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Why do most believe God to be a man? I have heard a couple of sound bites of preachers describing God as a man... and I know that one of the prophets of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) wrote in their scripture that "as man is, God once was." But together they make a tiny percentage of people who believe in God. The vast majority of teachers among Christians, Jews and Muslims believe God to be transcendant, not a...

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Do up and down exist without a reference point/perspective? Normally, "up" is away from the center of gravity, and "down" is toward it. There are lots of exceptions. In vehicles that can change orientation (planes, space vehicles, etc.) there is usually an "up" related only to the frame of reference of the vehicle. All directions need a defined reference to be useful and meaningful. (Hmmm... unless I am missing something...

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How is it possible that three Equal, Divine and Separated persons in the Holy Trinity are not three gods? You might as well go back a step and ask: how is it that God exists? or perhaps: if God made everything, what is God made of? Traditional Christian theology asserts a God beyond our experience and comprehension. The book of Isaiah in the Bible says that God claims His ways and thoughts are beyond ours as the heavens are higher than the Earth (Isa. 55:9). If God created everything we can...

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Am I not a Christian if I do not believe in the Holy Trinity, even though I try every day to live a good Christian life? If so, please guide me to WHERE in the Holy Bible it tells me this. What denominations do not believe this? Trying to "live a good Christian life" does not count for anything if Jesus was right. He said he would reject many who would claim to have done all kinds of good stuff: "did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you.'" (Matt 7:22,23) ...

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Who was the first religion to break away from the early christian congregation that jesus and the apostals established? Some Baptist groups will tell you with certainty and historical documentation that they trace their beliefs back to the beginning and everyone else departed from that beginning (note: many evangelical groups, including most Baptists, do not trace their roots through Protestantism). Roman Catholics believe everyone else departed from them. Eastern Orthodox likewise. The Bible indicates that...

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How long can a normal human being go with out sexual intercourse? A normal person can go for a lifetime (up to 100+ years) without intercourse. Most choose otherwise. Was there some specific consequence you are concerned about? I am not aware of any general health problems associated with abstinence.

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Are there any language experts who would call the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures accurate? This question has been posted for over a year, and even the defenders of the NWT have yet to produce even one acceptable reference. I have not answered before because I have never heard of such an expert endorsement, and "I don't know of any" is a pathetic answer. So, instead of "yes, there are" and "no, there are not," here is my challenge: If such an...

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Why god said that he made Moses a god: I have made thee a god to Pharaoh? Exodus 7:1 Is there not only one god? Traditional Christian denominations and Jews who accept Exodus as scripture recognize only one divine being - one God. While it may not be completely clear what is meant, it is clear that Moses was not God. I have never heard a generally respected Christian or Jewish teacher that would interpret this to mean Moses was anything like God (in essential existance). Speculation: The Egyptians...

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When will the war in Iraq end? The war AGAINST Iraq was over in 2003 with the neutralization of the old Iraqi military and the removal of the Hussain government. The "war against terrorism" will continue where the terrorists choose to operate. As long as they choose to make Iraq the focus of their activity, that is where the conflict is. If you mean "when will there be peace in Iraq?" maybe never. By...

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Was Jesus involved in the creation with His Heavenly Father? Where in the Bible can I find this? I don't think there is any question that God, the Father, was involved/active in creation, so I will specifically address the references to Jesus. "The Word" is the subject of the first sentences of the Gospel of John. "The Word" was in the beginning, "the Word" became flesh - "the Word" is Jesus. Speaking of "the Word," from John 1:3...

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Is there any proof that God does NOT exist? Depends on your standard for "proof." For some, "I've never seen God" is adequate proof. (For most, such an extrapolation is preposterous.) I have never seen or read any experiment or argument that I believe meets the standard of legal or scientific proof.

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How will self-heating roads be made so they melt the snow as soon as it hits the pavement, even in blizzards? What may need to be invented? What needs to be invented is an unlimited supply of very cheap energy. It would take the equivalent of many terawatts (trillions of watts) to keep large road surfaces in cold climates warm enough to do what you suggest. Maybe in areas where large, active geothermal vents are easily accessable... I don't believe it is practical anywhere else.

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If trinity is the foundation of christian belief, than Jesus must explain it clearly. but he did not, why? "God created the heavens and the Earth" is also foundational, but Jesus did not explain that at all. There are a great many important things that Jesus chose not to explain clearly. I do not think it is useful to imagine or try to divine why God reveals some things and not others. Now I know lots of you reject this thinking, but... I think the case can be made that he did...

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What is the best insult ever? (swear as much as you like, but do the * thing) As a very computer-geeky teenager I was quite amused by, and I may still consider one of the best techno-insults, the line "bit brain" from the movie Tron. For those of you not familiar with a "bit" it is the smallest piece of storable infomation - either off or on, can be interpreted as 1 or 0, true or false. Even the "bit" character in the movie had more...

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How does God feel about gay marriage? I don't believe the term has been adequately defined to "believe in." There is an enormous body of statue law and case law describing what marriage is, but there is no general agreement on how to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. It may sound fair and equal to redefine the institution to allow other relationships, but it is not clear or simple to do so, and people do...

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Is a Pope allowed to be member of a political party? I am pretty sure that for all political purposes Vatican City is an independent nation. The pope is its head. The Roman Catholic Church is essentially its government. Vatican does not have political parties like other nations.

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Why do some Christians forgive heterosexuals who kill, rape, steal and break other Commandments but they condemn homosexuals who aren't breaking commandments? Isn�t breaking a Commandment the worst of all sins? In answer to the second question... Jesus identified "Love God with all your heart" as the greatest commandment, so I presume that ignoring that directive would be worst. Consequently, valuing "what I want" and "how I feel" above loving, serving and submitting to God seems to me among the "worst of all sins." Jesus identified the second greatest...

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Why do people insist I marry my boyfriend? We don't want to. If they are insisting, I suspect it is because they believe it is either the right thing to do or the best thing. Without knowing them I hesitate to impute evil motives.

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When was the first metal object made, and what was it? I am sure we don't really know. I suppose someone could have found a gold nugget and shaped it for jewelery or something centuries before people learned to work any other metal. Would that count? If early objects were melted or reshaped to make later objects, we'd likely have no record of them. Archeologists probably have an approximate date when they think people first started...

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Is killing a rat as bad as killing a dog? Some certainly disagree with this perspective, but my analysis... If the rat is someone else's property or pet and not threatening, and the dog is wild, rabid and threatening, killing the dog is good and killing the rat is bad. If the rat is a diseased pest threatening the health of your family and the dog is not threatening and someone else's pet or property, killing the dog is...

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Why does technology keep getting smaller and smaller? Companies are motivated to make circuits smaller because: Smaller packages can be less expensive. Smaller electronic devices typically use less power - better perfomance at lower power is marketable. Smaller electronic chips means higher yield (devices per silicon blank) and better profits. Smaller transistors and lower power allows more transistors on a single chip which means more...

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What is the highest paying job for the least amount of education? I think hereditary monarch of an oil-producing country would do it. You don't need any education at all and you eventually get all the wealth of all the oil wells in your country. Just as good would be dictator of a wealthy nation. You could pay yourself whatever you want up to the limit of the country's economy. There are several illegal/immoral options that can make a lot of...

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Who is/was the greatest philosopher of all time? Depends on what you mean and how you measure. If you mean the greatest thinker or the person right about the greatest number of philosophical subjects - could be someone we never heard of who did not write anything we know about. Being smart and right does not make you famous or memorable. If you mean "who had the greatest impact on the thinking of the greatest number of...

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Without sounding pessimistic or cynical, Has America reached her pinnacle? Are we, (like Rome) destined to decline? Only time will tell. A few outstanding innovations may lead to much greater prosperity and higher standards of living. A significant beneficial philosophical shift among the population could lead to much higher social development, while a shift in a different direction could lead to rapid decline. (People disagree vigorously on which directions lead toward decline and which lead to...

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What happened to manners, courtesy, respect and common sense? They still exist and are still common (not as common as they once were I suspect), but people who are well-behaved just don't get the same kind of attention that outrageous behavior gets. If even one of every four people in a group lacks those things, I expect you would not much notice the 75% who exhibit them. The actual percent of sensible and courteous people, no doubt, varies...

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If people are smarter than animals, why is it that animals can get along with each other and people can't? A couple of thoughts: I suspect "getting along" has nothing to do with being "smart." The smartest thing to do in many circumstances is to oppose someone who is choosing to do something undesirable. Some intelligent people have come to the conclusion that communism is the best form of government and try to force it on everyone for the good of humanity, while other...

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How did America get as politically divided as it is today? America has often been deeply divided. Perhaps the greatest divide was during the "Civil War" of the 19th century. Current media hype about the quality and distance between sides is largly just that: media hype. The root of a lot of today's heated division is the media trying to get ratings by consistently and intentionally reporting (and often mis-reporting) things that get...

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What's the best time of day to weigh yourself to get your most accurate body weight? Body weight is not something that can be measured with high accuracy because it is normal for a body to gain and lose pounds of water during a day. Does accurate mean the heaviest you are on a given day? or the lightest? Also recognize that a typical bathroom scale is not a laboratory instrument and may give different weight by a couple of pounds each time you step on it. If you pick first...

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Is drinking distilled water good for you? Distilled water should have almost no trace minerals or other chemicals that tend to give other water its flavor, consequently a lot of people don't like the way it tastes. Distilled water should all taste the same, whether it came from ocean water, lake, river, spring or well because the distillation process removes almost all the stuff that gives it taste. It is typically as good...

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Do Baptists receive communion? Not in the same sense that Catholic and Orthodox churches practice it. In evangelical churches (including Baptists) it is seen a remembrance of the crucifixion and time of self-examination and recommittment. The elements themselves are not generally seen as having any significance or power, but participating in the "Lord's supper" or communion is "proclaiming His death"...

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If none of the major parties' candidates appeal to you, is it better not to vote at all, or to vote for a party who'll never win anyway? Voting for "a party who'll never win" does not change government and is unlikely to influence the other parties - it only makes some people feel like they did something principled without contributing or accomplishing anything. It is usually the case that none of the major candidates is perfect for you and your issues, but the only way to make your vote meaningful is to cast...

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In the United States, is the federal income tax system really necessary? For a government to function it needs resources. It is not practical to expect volunteers to provide everything needed to maintain and defend the nation, provide law enforcement and perform other legitimate roles of government. These resources are collected by the governement typically through taxes and duties. The income tax is not necessary, but if it was eliminated, it would have to be...

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What does TCP/IP do when we type "www.yahoo.com" and also what are roles of other OSI layers in this case. TCP/IP is a description of a set of protocols... it does not really "do" anything. It is a list of rules for for transferring data over networks. There are programs that use this in the title which manage certain settings for your computer. If you type that string into a web browser, the browser program typically submits a request to the operating system to send a message out to...

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HOw old do u think u should be to go on dates? Expect a broad range of opinion on this one. Some may say as early as 12 or as late as 21 I imagine. My personal opinion: dating is not a very healthy thing to do if you are looking for a good, long-term relationship. Looking back, I was not really ready to date in my teens. There are better ways to find out what someone is like than a date. In fact, my experience tells me that most people...

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Is it grammatically correct to say, "It's not what most people listen to"? In conversational English, there is nothing wrong with your sentence, but it is not what you would write in a formal document. A simple re-phrase would be "Most people do not listen to it," but that might not quite capture what you want to emphasize. I'd need some context and a better feel for what you are talking about and what you want to communicate to give you a better...

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What do you do when you're still in love with someone who died who was perfect for you, and you feel miserable when you're with your current boyfriend because he's nothing like the one who died? I think it odd that you would choose as a boyfriend someone with whom you "feel miserable." It is normal to miss and mourn for the loss of a loved-one. Perhaps you are not ready for a boyfriend and need a longer "period of mourning" (for lack of a better term) before entering into a close emotional relationship. If someone very close to you dies it is hard. Don't let...

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How do I connect my router modem to a wireless router so several pc can access internet. How to solve the double router problem? Some routers can be configured as a switch or hub with the routing functions disabled. Check your wireless router's manual to see if there is a setting or command that will allow it to function as a switch with wireless access point. If so, you should only have to run an ethernet cable between the two devices.

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What is the least amount of pitches thrown in a 9 inning major league game? I am not sure if you mean the fewest possible, or the fewest ever recorded. If each batter takes one pitch (ground out, fly out, hit by pitch or base hit), and the home team scores one run somewhere along the line with every other batter getting out (perhaps double play, caught stealing, etc.), there would be 27 (outs for the visiting team)+24 (outs for the home team) and 1 (perhaps a home...

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You date this person for six months. on your wedding night, you discover she is a he. what happens, next? It is difficult to take this question seriously, but... typically the marriage is invalid as a contract entered under false pretenses. Most marriages specifically identify the participants as "man and wife" and the legal definition of "wife" includes status as female. Even if your local laws do not, the person you "married" is guilty of false representation in a...

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Is it ok to leave my 12" Mac Powerbook on all the time? I almost never shut down my iBook either, but I do put it to sleep when I am not using it. Naturally if you hard drive is spinning all the time it will last fewer years than if it is not. I think it is OK and I have had no problems but there may be some reason to shut it down sometimes. I think the benefit of having it available instantly when I open it is worth a potential reduction of service...

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Which is worse, a headache or a stomach ache? Both headaches and stomach aches vary from very mild to completely debilitating, so the answer to your question depends on how severe the cause and effect of each.

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If you knew for a fact that you could get away with it would you cheat on your spouse or significant other? I take my marriage vows very seriously. Getting away with something does not even enter the question for me. I decided long before I got married that I would be exclusively hers.

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At what point is a plant 'alive', or 'dead'? They do not have a pulse, or breathe, so how can we tell when they are dead? Are seeds, or vegetables 'alive', because they are capable of growing? Interesting thought. I know my lawn sometimes looks quite dead, but after rain or watering it turns green again. It is also clear that many plants lose all their photosynthesizing parts for months every winter, but are clearly not "dead." I am not sure if there is an easy test for life in plants. Seeds can remain viable for years without "doing" any life processes....

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Why do alarm clocks have a snooze button if most people abuse it? The market provides what people are willing to pay for. Many people want this feature, so manufacturers include it to increase sales and profits (larger feature set, higher price). Merchants dutifully provide things people "abuse" like "super size" food portions and other products because people ask for them.

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What are the least expensive ways of improving acceleration on my 1991 Honda Civic hatchback (manual transmission)? You have not listed any conditions... so I will state the obvious: Take off everything that you don't need: carpet, seats, side windows, speakers, radio... reducing the weight of the vehicle improves the hp/pound ratio and will increase acceleration. This costs nothing. Reducing the tire diameter gives a lower effective gear ratio which should improve acceleration at pretty low cost, but...

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Why do we think of the devil/satan as being red with hooves and horns? Is it an adaptation of a pagan deity or is there Biblical precedent? There is no biblical description that supports the "red guy with horns and tail" depiction of Satan. In fact, it says he can appear as "an angel of light." It also characterizes Satan as a fallen angelic being. I do not know if the red guy image comes from Dante, medieval art, or somewhere else, but it does not come from the Bible.

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I've sometimes read parts of the Bible and thought "hmm, God isn't coming out very well in this"- in that he does a lot of malicious smiting and creating rules for no reason than "because I said so." - how do Christians deal with this? I am sure that no reputable translation of the Bible says God is motivated by malice, so I think you mischaracterize His "smiting" as "malicious." It seems you make another big assumption when you conclude that there is no reason for a rule beyond "I said so." Typically, Christians take the assertion of Isaiah that "As the heavens are higher than the earth,...

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By what year would the earth's freshwater supply be depleted? The fresh water supply is continuously replenished by the energy of the sun. Some years there is more rain and snow than others, but the water cycle should not stop till either the sun, the atmosphere or the oceans are gone, so the supply does not get "depleted." It is true that use by humans sometimes exceeds local fresh water supply. Where population become more dense this will be...

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Since the brain works by use of electrical impulses, could you use its power to make an electromagnet? Electromagenets require current. Nerve impulses could conceivably provide some kind of current, but it would be so small as to provide an almost useless small magnetic field. Such electric and magnetic activity in the brain can be measured and recorded with sensitive instruments like EEG machines, but they are strong enough for little else.

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Is it possible for an alternator which has been tested at 19 volts, to have burnt out my headlights, taillights, distributor module and radio? This is an older 1980s vehicle. I think you had better check your regulator. This is a device whose pupose it to regulate the voltage that is delivered to your car's electrical system from the generator or alternator. Some models have the regulator built into the alternator, but without a make and model I can't speculate (or search) how yours is configured.

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Which boils faster hot or cold Any substance that starts at 15C will have to reach 70C somewhere on the way to 100C. If the stuff is the same and the heat applied is the same, the time from this point to 100C should be the same as for the stuff that started at 70C. Whatever time elapses between 15C and 70C will be the additional time that it takes the colder stuff to reach 100C unless there is something else different about...

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How do seedless grapes and seedless watermelons reproduce? Some of these plant varieties may be hybrids which can not reproduce. It is possible to cross-breed plants and get a plant that can make fruit, but not produce viable seeds because the genes don't work out for that. To make new "seedless" plants you may have to start with the original varieties and cross-polinate them again.

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How many times a day does a refrigerator turn on and off? It depends on several things: It will turn on more often and longer if the location is warmer. It will turn on more often if it is opened more. It will turn on less if has better insulation in its walls. At the risk of sounding obvious, if the location is cooler than the thermostat setting of the appliance it won't turn on at all. If it is very warm and the door is not closed properly...

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Wouldn't it be better if there were no religions? If there really is a God, and everybody chose to deny it and rebel, it seems to me that could not be a good thing. If spiritual things exist, discussing and debating what that means is surely better than denying that they exist. If there is no God and there are no spiritual things and we really are just piles of chemicals temporarily responding to environmental stimuli then there is no...

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If the lord wasn't crucified in the beginning of time, and the people that sinned and died before he came to earth, were their sins saved as well, since it wasn't until later the Lord came? Please answer? You can think of it in the sense of paying a debt. Every person since Adam (including Adam, except Jesus) owes a debt to God. Jesus is willing to pay that debt. From the perspective of people who lived before Jesus, that debt would be paid in the future. From the perspective of those who have lived since, the debt was paid in the past. Traditional Christianity holds that faith brings...

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What is the best digital camera? Best for what? If you need to capture motion at a distance, you probably want an SLR size body with a very fast detector and interchangeable lenses. If you take a lot of low-light pictures, a powerful flash and/or fast sensor (high ISO equivalent) will be important. If you do portraits or landscapes you need low noise and good color correlation with a low distortion lens. If you...

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What does RMS mean in the audio world? Root Mean Square. It is a mathematical/statistical method for measuring something that varies. Typically rms power is contrasted with peak power. A device may be able to deliver 10 amps (for example) for a few milliseconds (peak power) but can only provide 2 amps continuous (averaged over time, rms). RMS measurements may apply to watts, volts or amps in the electronics and audio worlds.

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What is the difference between a fruit and a vegtable? A fruit is technically the part of a plant that contains a seed (biology definition). Vegetable can mean simply that it is part of a plant - a much more general term. Biologically, plant parts can be catagorized a vegetative and reproductive - flowers, seeds and fruit are reproductive; stalks, leaves and roots are vegetative. Among foods we recognize several classes - nuts, legumes,...

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Can one use a car battery as a heart defibrillator? Not directly, no. Battery voltage is too low. You need a device that takes the energy of the battery and steps the voltage up and has some way of preventing dangerously high voltage or current. So, a battery can be used to power one, but can not be used as one.

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Does the song stairway to heaven played backwards really worship satan? I have to believe that spinning a round piece of black vinyl in any direction does not, in and of itself, worship anything. (That was how you listened to things backwards in the days of the vinyl LP records.) Even running a sound forward and backward on a computer is not worship per se. If the attitude of the player is to glorify Satan, perhaps. If you really mean: are there satanic...

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In the recent Mel Gibson episode, is it better to forgive and forget? Personal opinion: I can only forgive when I have been wronged. Gibson did nothing that harmed me. I agree with his comment that his behavior was inexcusable and his words indefensible. The fact that he owns and takes responsibility for his errors instead of trying to pass blame or make excuse gives him quite a few points in my book. Maybe not quite enough to erase the points he lost... but that...

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In a nutshell, what is the conflict between Israel and Lebanon about? The current conflict (Summer 2006) started shortly after Israel withdrew from a security zone in southern Lebanon in the 1990s. As I understand it, Israel agreed to stop occupying southern Lebanon in exchange for the promise of the Lebanese government that the Lebanese military would patrol that area to prevent terror groups from launching attacks against Israel. Israel held up their end of the...

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Is it grammatically incorrect to put only one space between sentences? This is not a grammar question. It is a typography question. When using typewriters which have the same width for every character and space, two spaces is conventional. When using proportional fonts one space is the rule. A well designed font will have the right amount of white space after periods and colons and other punctuation to make the text look right with just one space. Monospaced...

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You are in school and pull the fire alarm as a prank. Two firemen are killed rushing to the scene. Are you guilty of manslaughter? The answer depends on your understanding of "guilty" and you local laws regarding "manslaughter." Apart from strict legal words, no, you are not. Whatever actually caused the deaths was not a result of pulling a lever on the wall or pushing a button. Perhaps a reckless or impaired driver or unsafe behavior of the firefighter is directly responsible for the death. In my...

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Why in the old Peanuts cartoons the teacher doesn't speak English but instead speaks in an alien language that sounds like "gwaku gwa gwaka gwaka gwa"? In the comic drawn by Schultz, no adults ever appear or speak, but the children sometimes respond to the school teacher. When they adapted the comic for animation they still wanted to keep the children-only perspective of the strip, but they still had to have the children respond to something. They could not use an adult voice or image as that would not be consistent with the environment or...

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What is the world's most common accent? I guess that would have to be one of the Chinese dialects since it probably has the most speakers. "Accent" is determined by how you learned to pronounce words, so the most common one would simply be the largest number of people who learned to pronounce things approximately the same way. You can speak French with (or without) a French accent, so I imagine there are hundreds of...

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On which wrist should you wear a watch? I suspect that this began in "the old days" when most watches were relatively expensive and fragile mechanical devices. You put it on your non-dominant hand to prevent damaging it while doing all of those active and reflexive things you are more likely to do with your dominant hand. Now that you can get completely non-mechanical, cheap, damage-tolerant watches at any corner store I'd...

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What kind of cable would I use to connect my PC to my TV? It depends on what outputs your computer has and what inputs your TV has. A modern HD or HD-ready tv may have a digital input and the best cable would be DVI-HDMI cable - if your computer has DVI output. It might have an RGB input compatible with a VGA output in which case you probably ought use that. If you TV has only an NTSC input, you need an NTSC output on your computer's video. Your...

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What makes a diesel engine a diesel engine? A similar question asked for differences between gas and diesel engines. I answered that in some detail here: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/8921 Essentials: high compression ratio the energy to ignite the fuel comes from the heat of compression Typically: fuel is injected directly into the cylinder engine power is regulated by the amount of fuel injected (not a throttle as in a...

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What would I need to have to create semi or professional websites for people? Basically you need: A computer with appropriate software. "Appropriate software" depends on what kinds of web products you will be designing or creating. A customer base (people who want your services). Sufficient creativity to distinguish your product. Interpersonal skills to appeal to your target customers (if you don't have somebody doing that for you). Motivation -...

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Is sign language universal? I think the most common sign language in the USA is ASL (American Sign Language). There are surely other sign languages. If someone in Europe, someone else in East Asia and another from the Americas all know ASL, they should be able to communicate fine. There may be some grammar and word order difficulties that come from different cultures... hopefully someone can add that information.

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Do you think that if there is a soul mate out there for us, do they long and dream of meeting us? While some couples may have experiences like I think you intended to describe, it is not common. Actual premonitions about the appearance and circumstance of "meeting us" are rarely reported and (I expect) essentially never true. Longing and expectation about meeting the person you will marry is, of course, common. AnswerBag has several questions about soul mates. See...

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Do you think that 1 year is too long to be away from your loved ones? I think 1 day is "too long" to be away from my family. Come to think of it... 10 hours at work is "too long" to be away from home... The bottom line for me is "too long" for what? Too long for comfort? Yes, of course. Too long to remain a "loved one?" Never. I have a friend I could easily count as a "loved one" who has gone off to be a...

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Do you normally research your answers on Answerbag, or do you only answer questions you already know the answers to? Or is it a bit of both? I typically answer questions about subjects with which I am already familiar. Sometimes I do a web search to identify references to back up my answer. On a few occasions a question has piqued my interest so that I wanted to know the answer and posted after researching it. (No search engines or other sources were consulted in the composition of this answer either... except my spelling checker.)

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If both husband and wife work, should both their combined salaries pay the bills? If not, why? "The bills" are almost always a result of choices people make. Some families on one, two or more incomes make life-style choices that exceed income, others don't. There are couples/families that earn less than $20,000 a year and "make ends meet" and others that earn $200,000 a year and don't.

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What sholud I buy a laptop or a desktop? Nobody can answer this for you without knowing how you are going to use it, your budget and a bunch of other stuff. For some one option is clearly the right answer, for some the other and for the rest either will serve pretty equally well.

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Everyone wants peace, but does anyone have a plan for peace? Unfortunately, some who want peace want it only if they are in control. It was the stated goal of the USSR to control the world and they were willing to war with other countires to get it. Some of the problematic groups in the world state openly that their plan for peace includes wiping Israel off the map and killing all the Jews. I believe (my analysis, not universally-agreed truth) Al Qaeda's...

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When Christians say that the Bible is the "word of God," how do they know? Having a philosophical bent, I have to begin my answer with 'how does anyone "know" anything?' Everything you think you know is based on your experiences, logic, deduction, imagination and the testimony of sources you trust. (clearly an oversimplification for brevity...) Groups like "The Jesus Seminar" appear to decide what they believe and discount the rest of the...

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If someone is 13 years old and they are going to be baptized Baptist, do they need Godparents? If so, do the Godparents have to be Baptist? I have attended church in a couple of different Baptist denominations and I am not aware of any that require prospective members of any age to have identified "godparents." Some may not object to selecting godparents, but Baptists don't generally teach or record such things. If you find a Baptist church that does require it, you will have to get their rules from that group.

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Why do some people; especially, grown men, act childlish and immature? Because it is fun, of course... that is, if it is not a continuous state of mind. I play silly with my wife, kids, other relatives and we smile and laugh. Some may act this way as a screen - a defensive mechanism for some who are insecure about their real personality. They put on a silly front in part so that they can feel that any social rejection is not based on who they really are (or...

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What is meant by James 1:9-11? One likely interpretation: The person of little worldly wealth should rejoice in elevation to the status of "Son of God" and "joint heir with Jesus." The wealthy follower of Jesus should rejoice in humility, striving to become "servant of all," recognizing that wealth is temporary The passage does not say being rich (or poor) is bad (or good), but rather (I...

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what is happiness and how have you achieved it??? It is my understanding that the concept of happiness has a couple of very different meanings. Until fairly recently people used the word to mean a life lived in a morally satifying way. Greek philosophers and the writer of the Declaration of Independence of the USA had this in mind. The phrase "pursuit of happiness" did not mean to them freedom from concern, but the pursuit of the...

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Can you judge the character of a man by looking at the soles of his feet? Well, I certainly can not. I am sure there are very selfish, unreliable people that wear good shoes and others of the same character that wear no shoes. Likewise there are people of impeccable character who wear good shoes and others who wear bad shoes or no shoes. I assume the low-life crook with a bad instep and no shoes has soles that look very much like the benevolent luminary who also...

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If the U.S. opens its borders to Mexico and Canada, how will America suffer? If a nation makes no effort to monitor and control who and what crosses its borders a long list of bad things can happen. Criminal activity and black-market trade would probably increase with the attendant smuggling of illegal stuff (weapons, drugs, etc.). In most nations citizens have different rights and responsibilities than non-citizens (voting, certain business practices...) and the...

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According to the IRS codebook, paying federal taxes is voluntary. Why aren\'t we told that? I have heard people talk about declining to pay their federal income taxes because it is "voluntary," but most of them have spent time in prison for tax evasion. I have not read the the entire tax code (has anybody?), but I can assure you that whatever is meant by the wording to which your question refers, the vast majority of court cases demonstrate that not paying federal tax on...

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If salvation is gained through grace and not through "works", why does it matter what you do here on Earth? The Bible indicates that genuine faith, the kind God will honor and reward with salvation and heaven, will be reflected in your attitude toward obedience to God's word. Jesus said you will know the ones who love me because they are the ones who do what I say. If you really love someone, you will want to do what pleases that person. If someone has no desire to do what pleases God, it is...

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I've been going out with a Muslim man for 6 months, and I am mix raced myself (black+white). Should I be worried about his family? You need to know what his family believes. Just as there are a broad range of beliefs and levels of practice among Jews, Christians and other religions, Muslims run the gamut from "I come from a historically Islamic country or family so I must be Muslim" with no adherance to the faith... all the way to bizzare radical fanatic. As with other groups, the former (those essentially in...

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My boyfriend is 16 and I'm 15. We got together after we first had sex. Now his mates tell me he's only staying with me because I put out. Should I break up with him? If you are dating in search of a husband, absolutely. This relationship is extremely unlikely to aid you in that. If you are looking for genuine long-term friendship and emotional intimacy, yes, cut off the sexual relationship. If he really loves you, he will stay with you. It is almost impossible for a 16-year old male to really invest in other aspects of the relationship if sexually...

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In this information age, how do we discern what is true or false, fact or fiction? Same as always. You evaluate the quality and source bias of the observations, reports or experiments. You try to reproduce the results of whatever. You develop a credible body of evidence that is as objective as possible and formulate conclusions and make an honest effort to recognize and understand opposing arguments: without challenging your conclusions you can not validate them. Recognize...

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Why is storage of electricty a problem? For most purposes it is not a problem, so I am not sure quite what you mean... If you mean "why do people want better ways to store electricity?" Well, people always want things that are better than what they have. My flashlight is good for two hours, I want at least four. My computer runs on battery for three hours, but I want two long movie play-backs on one battery charge. This...

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Which energy sources are the most enviromentally friendly? It depends on how you measure things and how you put values on the different environmental impacts. A solar farm that produces enough energy to reduce the need for other sources would cover many acres of land. It might not be as bad as paving over all those acres, but it will be a dramatic impact on the local ecosystem. Some photoelectrics require processing with and/or production of toxic...

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Why is the location of the place where electricity is generated so important for most kinds of renewable energy sources? I'm not sure exactly what you mean... but I think... Wind energy is best harnessed where there are strong prevailing winds. Most places just don't get strong enough wind often enough to reliably generate useful amounts of electricty, so location for wind farms is very important. Solar is much more effective where you get lots of sun. In a narrow valley with only a few hours of direct...

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'I heard his cry,' 'I heard him cry' and 'I heard him crying' - are all these sentences grammatically correct and carry the same sense? They are all gramatically correct, and can relate the same occurance but carry different senses. All would be grammatically correct responses in the context of a question like "did anyone hear him (cry/crying)?" Outside of any context... "I heard his cry" suggests that you heard someone "cry out," a sound of short duration which you heard. It can be used for...

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How many miles can I travel on a jet ski with one full tank??? You have to be more specific. Do you mean the original Kawasaki JetSki JS400(trademark) from 1973? or do you mean any personal watercraft from any manufacturer? Of course they come in a huge variety of sizes, shapes, engine sizes and fuel tank capacities.

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What does the song, "Here I am to Worship" mean? "Here I am to" can be re-ordered to "I am here to" The words of the chorus would then read approximately: I am here to worship, I am here to bow down, I am here to say that you're my God. You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me. The words go on to state that the singer can not comprehend how much it cost Jesus to pay the price for...

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Is being gay or bisexual a choice or is a person born that way? It depends on what you mean by those words. If you mean "are some people born with a genetic predisposition that leads to a higher probability of being sexually attracted to a person of the same sex?" it is very possible: but this proclivity would not dictate an individual's behavior. Most people do not define these words this way. If defined by behavior and choices a person...

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Why is it needed to turn off electrical devices when you take off and land on an airplane? Almost every electrical device emits some electromagnetic signal or noise. During the critical take-off and landing phase of flight the authorities want to eliminate any possiblity that some unlikely combination of stray electrical impulses could be misinterpreted by the flight control computer or pilots in any way that could adversely affect flight safety. In the less critical period between,...

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What does the "Bcc" part of an email mean? You need not enter anything in this field. "cc" originally was a notation that indicated a person received a "carbon copy" (remember typewriters?) rather than the original. This notation would be typed on correspondence so the records would show to whom copies were sent. On an email you can send a "blind carbon copy" (bcc) to some addresses meaning that other recipients will not see those...

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Why don't atheists want prayer in school or other public places? To be fair, the majority of atheists probably do not want to supress public prayer, but rather have a live-and-let-live kind of outlook and do not make a big deal out of their philosophical and/or religious disagreements. They are regular people who recognize your right to believe different things than they do. I expect it is a small minority of atheists that get all the attention, file the...

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How does religion interfere with an atheist's rights? In the USA it does not. Some atheists may believe they have a right to live without seeing or hearing anyone talk about or exercise their religious beliefs, but the USA does not guarantee or recognize a "right" of freedom from exposure to the opinions, beliefs or religion of others. The existence and/or practice of a particular religion does not "interfere" with the legal rights of anyone...

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Why does lightning seem to strike the tallest objects? Electricity seeks the path of lowest resistance. Arcing to a tall (typically wet) thing usually has a much lower electrical resistance than arcing through the air to the ground. Last time I read about it we were not entirely sure how electrical paths are "chosen" by lightning - speculation includs air ionized by cosmic rays or some such thing - but if that path comes close enough to a tall...

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What does the phrase "Catch 22" mean and what is its origin? The phrase has come to mean essentially they say you are allowed to do something, but if you want to you may not, making the provision usless. If I remember correctly Catch 22 is not quite what the other answer portrays... I recall, having read the book, that the only sure way to get out of the war uninjured was a discharge for insanity. If you really were insane, you would not file the...

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Why did Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (the authors of the "Left Behind" series) say on the news on that show that only 142 million people disappeared? I thought there were over 1 billion Catholics alone, and more Christians than that. I did not see the news show and I don't know if you correctly heard or understood what was said... IF (for the sake of discussion) you are correct that they picked 142 million as the number who disappeared it is not hard to justify (though I hope the number is really much higher). Typical evangelical Christians take the position that calling yourself a Christian or attending church or even...

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Do Evangelicals believe the dead are first to rise up during the "rapture"? Generally yes. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord...

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What's the difference between filling your car tires with hydrogen rather than regular air? I suspect they put in nitrogen, not hydrogen. There are measurable (but not dramatic) benefits to using pure nitrogen over air - which is around 70% nitrogen anyway. If they really used hydrogen I'd expect your tires to go flat really quick. Car tires are not designed to contain H2 molecules and they will escape pretty quickly. One claim is that nitrogen migrates out of the tire much...

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Is any information about a cell phone, like the serial number or something similar, sent to the service provider when the user makes a call and/or sends a text message? In order for the cell network to direct your voice or text message to the right place it has to know from what phone/device the data is coming. Short answer: yes, the phone must identify itself to the cell network/provider for the system to work and ensure proper billing. With tens of thousands of devices out there capable of sending and receiving cell network signals, the system must...

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is it possible for manufacutures to create a car that can run off pure tap water or helium? Helium could only be used if stored compressed and released through a turbine or something... and then air or nitrogen would probably work better. It contains no useful chemical energy. The only way of using water as fuel that I have heard intelligently discussed would involve some kind of not-yet-discovered or invented cold fusion that could produce enough energy to dissociate the water and...

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What would be the best material to use for kitchen flooring? "Best" for what? Tile may be best for long wear, but worst for standing on or sound (echos, clanks...) or breaking things. Wood might be best for appearance, but worst for durability. Vinyl might have the best impact on your decor and be easiest to clean. Carpet might be cheapest and quietest, but worst for cleanliness. Any of the options probably come in quality levels from...

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What is at the center of the Sun? Well, we have no way of directly observing what is in there, but if the common models of gravity and the behavior of matter hold in there, it is extremely dense hydrogen and helium (with other trace element) so hot and compressed it does not behave quite like a solid, liquid or gas. The generally accepted theory says that those hydorgen atoms are being smashed together (fused) to form helium...

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Does the U.S.A have the technology to launch a sattelite were everyone can have wireless internet connection all over the world?If so why havent they launched one yet? No. No one sattelite could provide continuous service to everybody in the world. It would take what they call a constellation of low-earth-orbit tranceivers or a bunch of geosynchronous ones. Either solution would cost billions of dollars. There are a couple of commercial ventures offering this service for a fee. Connexion by Boeing is one. Even using the best and fastest available...

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What is the difference between DVI-I and DVI-D? The DVI-I connector has signal pins for driving both digital displays and analog displays. Specifically, a DVI-D will lack four large pins at one end of the connector on either side of the flat blade-like pin.

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What is DVI-D? The definition of a DVI connector includes a whole bunch of pins. Different sets of pins are used for different things. One set of pins is defined to carry analog signals rather than digital picture signals. If a connector does not implement the analog pins, it is a DVI-D (D for digital) connector. Connectors on video cards often have both the digital and analog signal pins so an adapter can...

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What is DVI-D? The definition of a DVI connector includes a whole bunch of pins. Different sets of pins are used for different things. One set of pins is defined to carry analog signals rather than digital picture signals. If a connector does not implement the analog pins, it is a DVI-D (D for digital) connector. Connectors on video cards often have both the digital and analog signal pins so an adapter can...

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How is Jesus a descendant of David? According to the family records presented in the books of Matthew and Luke, Mary and Joseph (the mother and earthly father of Jesus) had David as a common ancestor - so by birth (through Mary) and by inheritance (through Joseph) he was counted as a descendent of David.

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Why do some Christians follow some elements of Biblical law and not others? It is important to note that some of the laws in the Old Testament were specifically for the operation of the nation-state of ancient Israel. I don't think there are any reputable Bible Scholars who hold (for example) that operation of the same 'cities of refuge' in the same locations and for the same purposes described in the Bible is applicable to all people in all times and...

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What is the oldest age anyone has ever reached? Only an omniscient source knows for sure. We don't have records for everybody who ever lived. I suspect we have documents for only a small percentage all humans. Even if one accepts the Bible's recorded age for Methuselah (Genesis 5:27) of 969 years, the Bible does not claim to list the ages of everybody who was born in that era and any number of his contemporaries might have lived...

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Have there ever been instances where a submarine was caught in a commerical fishing vessel's net? Sort of. The larger military submarines are sufficiently powerful that it is more like they catch the trawler. Fishing vessels have taken significant damage from these encounters. A weak net will just break, but the big, strong commercial nets can cause the trawler to be dragged for some distance through the ocean before something gives. I have heard testimony on this from someone with...

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Why do Christians accept the Bible as true, but not any other book? What's the difference? A point of clarification: Typical Christian churches believe the Bible is inspired by God and without error. There are many other books, both modern and ancient, which contain truth, some may even contain no errors, but they are not accepted as the inspired words of God - which is different than "true." There are many thousands of papers and books documenting the remarkable and...

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Is anger believed to be a sin? I am sure some do believe it to be a sin, but, as TulsaDavid points out, Christians are directed "be ye angry, and sin not" (KJV) or "in your anger do not sin" (NIV) which indicates that just being angry is not sin. (Eph. 4:26)

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Is it okay for Christians to date non-Christians? It depends on what "date" means. If it means enjoying a social event with another person, that would not be a problem. If "date" to you implies any kind of sexual contact, definitely not ok. If "date" means searching for a marriage partner, I agree with TulsaDavid's answer.

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Are LCD projectors practical for home use? In April 2006, a good entry-level projector and 100" diagonal screen package can be had for around $1000 which is much less than other large screen options. For many applications front-projection systems (LCD or DLP) are clearly superior to other large-screen options. I have mine ceiling mounted with a pull-down screen so it takes literally NO floor space. A ceiling-mounted pull-down...

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What happened to all the timber blown down during the Mt. St. Helens eruption? Most of it is still there lying as it was. A large number of the trees were harvested for lumber. The city of Tacoma built a domed facility the roof of which was made from such salvaged felled lumber. How much and for what other purposes I do not know. I have been to the visitor's center at the park. Most of the trees near the eruption were unsuitable for milling as there was ash and...

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How long do LCD projector bulbs last? It varies. I have seen numbers from about 1000 to 5000 hours of operation. The bulbs in projectors typically get dimmer with use, so some will want to replace them before the life expectancy. The projector manufacturers probably give a conservative estimate to make sure the bulb does not fail in the projector or give unacceptable performance, so the bulb MIGHT "last" longer, but I...

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Can we expect real estate prices to drop any time soon? If your trusted financial planner or prophet predicts one of the following is imminent, you should expect real estate prices to fall soon. If the major industry in any city or town is leaving, significantly downsizing or closing, expect the local real estate prices to drop very quickly (this is not uncommon). If the neighborhood becomes undesireable for other reasons values likewise fall....

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Can I use my Bluetooth headset with all cell phones? Many cell phones are not bluetooth enabled. Of those phones that have the technology built-in I would expect (but not guarantee) compatibility with the standard.

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What is the most expensive and time consuming hobby? A sufficiently creative individual could make rock collecting, golf or doing jigsaw puzzles a multi-billion dollar hobby. (My next 5000 piece puzzle will be assembled in space! Oh, yeah? well I am going to have a new golf course built on an artificial island in the tropics!) I think the typically most expensive leisure activity is yachting. Obsessive types could make any hobby from...

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Are children of illegal immigrants required to attend school? I will assume you mean in the USA... Mandatory attendance laws vary from place to place. If the child is a US citizen I do not believe the status of the parents is relevant. Some local governments explicitly require public schools to support illegal families. In some place you need do little more than declare you are homeschooling to be excused from compulsory school attendance. It seems...

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How do libraries make money if they don't charge to check out books? Basic answer: Public Librarys don't "make money." Neither do school libraries. There may be for-profit libraries that charge subscriptions or use other profit mechanisms. In the USA, library operations are almost always funded primarily by tax dollars.

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Which is generally more expensive, the land or the house built on it? Obviously it depends on the land and the house. All of the new construction near where I live is large houses on little tiny lots - the house is much more expensive than the land. In agricultural areas, you may have a small farmhouse on 400 or more acres - the land is much more valuable than the house. In upscale downtown urban areas your answer will follow different rules than suburbs...

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How is it possible that my wife's 4-cylinder car has close to the same horsepower as my 350 V8 but gets twice the gas mileage? In-town gas mileage is going to be related to the weight of the vehicle - how much energy it takes to get all that mass moving. I suspect the vehicle carrying the 350 is a lot heavier than your wife's car. The engine/transmission assy + mounts is probably more than a hundred extra pounds. Freeway driving is heavily influenced by frontal surface area and aerodynamic smoothness - again I...

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What improvements and new features might motorhomes of the future have? One of the significant improvements I envision is the incorporation of not-yet-invented fuel-cell technology that allows all the electrical stuff to run off the same LP-like fuel that runs the stove and furnace. This would be much quieter than current generators and clean... I can imagine water recycling for those who want to remain away from civilization longer. Satelite communications...

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Could teleportation help Third World countries? I have heard the testimony of those who have tried to "help" third-world countries in various ways, and they identify problems that would not be solved by technology. Many of the worst problems in those countries are social, criminal or governmental or otherwise not solvable by technology or by adding resources. So... maybe it COULD help, but I seriously doubt it would.

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Is there a way to get a title for a vehicle purchased from a private seller that has a lien against the title? The seller was not the owner of this vehicle, it belonged to a friend. This sounds sticky... legally, you can only buy something from the person or entity that currently owns it. I think this is still technically true with consignment shops and other kinds of sales agent - it is the owner who is selling the thing and there must be some kind of contract governing the role of the agent in the sale. I would only expect the lien-holder to be legally eligible to sell...

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What are the beginning and ending dates of the four seasons? The seasons are not governed by dates, but by the orientation of the Earth's axis relative to the Sun. At the instant the Earth's axis is perpendicular to a line from the center of the Sun to the center of the Earth (twice each orbit or year) we have what we call an equinox which marks the change from Winter to Spring or Summer to Autumn. The day nearest this event has almost equal...

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When does autumn end? Autumn officially ends at the Winter Solstice. A solstice is a point in the orbit of the Earth around the Sun when the axis of the Earth is in the same plane as the line from the center of the Earth to the center of the Sun. If you are in the hemisphere more nearly facing the Sun, it is your Summer Solstice and if your are in the hemisphere more nearly facing away from the Sun it is your...

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From a literary standpoint, what is the climax of the Bible? From a literary standpoint the Bible is an anthology of collected works whose origins span several centuries. The climax of the book of Esther (for example) is pretty clear, but that climax does not directly relate to Jonah's prophecy, Song of Songs, Paul's letters or John's Revelation. I don't think it is reasonable to expect the people who chose the order of the books to...

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Was Osama bin Laden involved in the 9/11 attack? I don't speak Arabic... but various unrelated news sources have shown video tape of OBL with a translator voice over wherein he claimed responsibility for the attack. A quick web search found several competing news organizations with headlines reflecting this claimed responsibility. Is he lying about his role? I do not personally know for sure, but I have no reason to doubt his sincerity.

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Where can I find the blue book value of a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant? At the risk of stating the obvious... in the blue book. For decades the Kelley Blue Book has been published including the values of used cars. They do have a web site at kbb.com I believe they publish different versions for different audiences, so I am not sure there is one blue book value, there is at least a range of values. Your bank or credit union auto loan department ought to...

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How much money does the average seller make with online auctions? The "average" is not particularly meaningful. Do you mean the average person who uses online auctions as a kind of garage sale? or do you mean the average person who tries to start an online retail business using auction sites as their storefront? Surely you would want to exclude existing large businesses who use online auctions as one of many outlets for their already reputable...

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Why are credit unions able to give higher interest rates on savings accounts than standard banks? Typically banks are owned by stock-holders and are obligated to pay dividend to the stock holders out of the bank's profits. Credit Unions are owned by the members and the interest paid on savings accounts essentially is the owner dividend on CU profits, so you can expect the interest paid on savings to be what commercial banks pay plus the dividends (distributed "profit") of...

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Do boxer engines wear out more quickly than V or inline designs? The rate at which an engine wears out will be much more strongly influenced by other factors. If two engines could be used in exactly the same way and built with exactly the same tolerances, pressures, clearances, bearing materials, etc. but differing layout (flat, inline, narrow V, wide V...) one might have a measurable edge in longevity... but this is a meaningless hypothetical. Real...

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Does man have responsibility to his fellow man? There is a broad range of answers based on basic world view. It does depend on what you mean by "responsibility to," but as a general rule... The pure darwinist or anarchist would probably say no, everyone for himself. The Buddhist or Hindu almost certainly would see that as beneficial on his path to enlightenment or nirvana or ... The Bible teaches its followers to...

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When studying philosophy, how important is learning its history? It depends on why you are studying philosophy. If you desire to understand where or why different philosophical schools of thought came about, then it is the most important thing. If you love truth and wish to understand what people can know and why we perceive what we perceive and how to think about truth, then the history is not so important. If you read Descarte, Francis Schaeffer or...

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If what I am is determined by my genes and my environment, and every part of me obeys the laws of physics, then any choice I make in life will be governed by the laws of physics. So how can anyone believe in free will? If the premise of your question is correct - you are nothing but a collection of chemical reactions responding to environmental influences... and this IS a common philosophical perspective - then OBVIOUSLY people can and do believe in free will because their chemical reactions and environmental influences dictate it. The vast majority of cultures and individuals in the human race believe...

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Do philosophers ever just get sick of it all, and believe the topic of philosophy is a waste of time? Philosophers are people like everybody else. Their motivations and desires change with age and other factors. Of course some suffer from depression or hopelessness. Most occasionally wonder what is worth while and what is a waste of time. There are very few "full-time" philosophers - most of us do something else as an occupation and we accept the study of philosophy and the label of...

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Do philosophers ask questions to seek an answer or to make others seek their own questions? Philosophers have a variety of motivations and goals like everybody else. Most philosophers (I hope) are philosophers because they seek and love truth. We want to know and understand what is real and true, and we believe that helping others to understand truth and reality is worthwhile and valuable. We don't expect anyone to just accept what we say as truth, so we try to help lead others...

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Were there dinosaurs on Noah's Ark? The Bible does not give an answer to this question. I am sure there are those who would insist that there were and others who would just as positively assert that there were not. God could have surely arranged things either way.

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Did the original Apostles Creed include a part about Jesus descending into hell? I believe the "original Apostle's Creed" was in ancient Greek, so the answer must be qualified. You will find that the Greek word that appears in the creed at this point is best understood as "the place of the dead" (not "place of eternal torment") and the essential meaning of the original phrase might be better or more literally rendered "entered the...

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What are angels? The greek word that is transliterated "angel" literally means "messenger." There are passages where the "angel" is clearly a human sent with a message (e.g. Matt 11:10, Jesus referring to John the Baptist). There are other passages where the "angel" is pretty clearly a manifestation of a supernatural being. In the Revelation (the last book of the...

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What are the origins of the Bible? Generally speaking, the writing of some prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) historians (books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, etc.) and others have been held by the community of Jewish and Christian faith to have been given by God. When the 66 books currently recognized by all major historical Christian denominations were chosen, the primary criterion was essentially: do we all agree that these...

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Are all human failures the result of a lack of love? Human failures may be attributable to inadequate or incorrect education, cultural differences, faulty judgement, mental or physical limitations and a host of other factors. I might genuinely strive to serve someone motivated by love and still fail from lack of widom or experience, changing conditions, or any number of other factors. I think your question needs a bit more context. Do you...

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Do we all believe in God, because we are innately weak and need to have a greater being over us? I am sure there are people who believe this, but I do not. Despite dramatic differences in social structure, values, technology, geography, economy, etc., the belief in a supernatural Creator has existed in the majority of civilizations in the history of the world. I am convinced this is because intelligent people in all these different times, places, etc. considering the complexity of life,...

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Is atheism a religion? By most common understanding of the words I believe it is not, but it depends on how you define "atheism" and how you define "religion." There are some organized Atheist groups that might qualify as a religious groups, but I believe most people claiming to be atheists do not belong to one. "Atheism" is a "religious" belief because it relates to...

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What is the difference between turbocharged and supercharged engines? Turbochargers use the waste-energy in the hot exhaust gas to drive an air-compressor that pushes more, denser air into the cylinders at some range of RPM and throttle position. Superchargers use energy from the crankshaft to drive an air-compresor that does the same thing, but pumps air whenever the engine turns, not just at some RPM and throttle positions. Turbos are more...

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Why do Americans call 4WDs SUVs? To be classed as an SUV (sport/utility vehicle) in the USA a vehicle typically must have (or be available with) higher-than-average ground clearance for off-road (the "sport" part) or unimproved roads and a station-wagon-like interior configuration with bench seat(s) that can be removed or folded away for expanded cargo space (the utility part). As others have pointed out, the...

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Could the laws of physics change? I do not think we can give a provable answer to this. If the cosmos was created, the Creator could probably alter the rules at will. If the cosmos is one possible configuration of proto-matter/energy it is conceivable that this form could morph into some other form. If string theory is correct, there may be some interaction with other strings or branes that could alter physical...

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How old is the earth according to the Bible? The date of creation is not apparent in the text of the Bible. There is no explicit information on the age of the earth in the text. Different scholars have claimed significantly different dates based on a variety of methods, none of which is generally or broadly accepted by Bible scholars.

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How long does it take for wood to petrify? I expect we could petrify a small piece of wood in a laboratory in hours or days if we picked an ideal specimen and near-perfect conditions to do it. We could also devise a mechanism which replaces only a few micrograms of organic material at a time once a year and extrapolate a billion years to completely petrify a 1,000g specimen. It seems obvious to me that there will be a wide range of...

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Can the spirit of a loved one who has passed revisit us? There are examples in the Bible of something like this happening. The spirit of Samuel returned to give a message to Saul. (1 Samuel 28) Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus (Matt 17, Mark 9, Luke 9) So, something like this CAN happen, but should not be expected. These are extraordinary (i.e. not normal) examples. The Bible is clear that seeking advice via a medium or witch from the dead...

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Does the Bible say anything specific about birthdays? I think it is pretty clear that births were celebrated, but if you mean the annual celebration of the day on which a person was born, no, it does not say anything specific. ______ I will add a clarification based on feedback... Whether you read more into these accounts or not, they really don't "say anything specific about birthdays." The references to Pharaoh and King Herod...

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According to the Bible, should we pray to Jesus or directly to God? Jesus told us in Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven...'" Jesus instructs us to direct our prayers to the Father who is God. In another passage believers are encouraged to request things of Jesus giving a precedent for prayer to Jesus. John 14:13-15 (NIV) "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring...

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If people keep going to Heaven or Hell after they die, then where do the newly born souls come from? Won't the world eventually run out of souls? The Bible does not say anything sufficiently clear to get universal agreement on the mechanism for introduction of new souls. Some believe that new souls are produced through some automatic processes that God established in creation, perhaps similar to the way the bodies of new people are assembled from raw materials. Some believe that God specially creates a new eternal soul for every...

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If the Bible is about justice, then why do so many people who are enthralled with it advocate injustice and oppression? There are many possible answers to this question, here are a few categories: The biblical concept of "injustice" is different than your concept. The biblical concept of "oppression" is different than yours. Some people claiming Bible authority are deceived. Some people claiming Bible authority are deceivers. It would take a long time and a lot of words to expand all...

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Whereas a city's power source is a coal or nuclear power plant, what is Hell's power source and why? Obviously any answer to this question will be based on opinion or faith. We can't prove any speculation... since all answers are speculative, I will venture to add my speculation... I think the best understanding of the biblical concept of hell is that it is existence in the complete absence of God's grace and presence. If I am right, there is no need for a "power...

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Many of the Biblical patriarchs had multiple wives. Does the Bible specifically forbid polygamy? Polygamy is one of many things the patriarchs did that the Bible does not condone. The Bible nowhere explicitly forbids polygamy, but I am unaware of any passage that says anything good about it. As another post points out, the New Testament instructs anyone chosen for the office of "overseer," "deacon" or "elder" of a church should be "the husband of but one...

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Does the Bible say anything about political justice in Heaven, such as freedom of speech, etc? I do not think there is any specific statement of the kind you seem to be looking for. It does say there will be no fear, death, sorrow or pain. It seems to indicate that everybody will be so awed by the presence of God that everybody is content (nay, honored, thrilled, blessed...) to just worship God together.

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Does the Bible have anything specific to say about female homosexuality? In Romans chapter 1, "...shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another." The phrase "in the same way" appears to identify "unnatural" relations among women with "shameful lusts" and lusting "for one...

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How do Christians feel about people of other faiths celebrating Christmas? There are a couple of significant problems with your question. 1) Christians come from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and "feel" differently about a whole lot of things. 2) A very small percentage people that claim the name "Christian" think Christmas is a pagan holiday that no one should celebrate. Some seem offended that Christians or anybody else...

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There are so many different types of religious dogma how could so many people believe that their particular dogma is supposedly the only,best or true one? What you believe is based on what you have experienced and what you have been taught. People have very different experiences and training, so it is easy to understand why there are differing positions on cultural, religious, political, etc. issues. If you have been taught since early childhood that an angry spirit inhabits a volcano, or that there is nothing supernatural, you probably...

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If a relic of Jesus Christ were found, say, hair or blood, would a DNA test show only his mother's DNA? No answer to this hypothetical question can be proven to the satisfaction of everybody - people just disagree too much on what words in the Bible mean and how the Author intended us to understand them. I like TulsaDavid's answer, but I think there is the additional possibility that Jesus carried none of his mother's DNA and that all the genetic material was divinely provided. I...

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When did atheism first become a mainstream belief system? Where? It became mainstream in China and the USSR when the communists took over if I remember right. It is still not "mainstream" in the USA or most Catholic or Orthodox countries. Perhaps I have misunderstood what you mean by "mainstream."

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Where are the 'Urim and Thummim' seerstones mentioned in the Bible? In the breastplate (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8) Eleazar to ask counsel for Joshua, after the judgment of (Numbers 27:21) Only priests could interpret (Deuteronomy 33:8; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65) Israelites consult (Judges 1:1;20:18,23) Withheld the answer from King Saul (1 Samuel 28:6) ref: http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=urim ...

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Are there any Christian denominations that don't demand that non-members live according to their rules and morality? The teachings of Jesus and the whole of the Bible so specifically condemn various sins that any group claiming to be Christian must take very seriously the condemnation of those behaviors and inisist their members abide by them. Failure to do so should lead people to question a claim of Christianity. There are several groups that claim to be Christian but openly reject teachings of Jesus and...

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Are there any Christian denominations that don't demand that non-members live according to their rules and morality? I don't know how AB got two copies of my answer... I am sure I only submitted it once. Admin: this answer should be deleted.

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What is the soul? There are two essential positions on what the word means in Christian literature. Sometimes the word translated "soul" is used to describe the whatever-it-is that makes living creatures (human and lower animals) alive, and some try always to understand it in that sense. There are many references wherein the word translated soul appears to refer specifically to the whatever-it-is...

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The largest percentage of the population in Israel practices what religion in the year 2004? I do not have statistics in front of me, but based on testimony I have heard from an authoritative source the majority of "Jews" in Israel practice essentially secularism rather than Judaism. I think the key word here is "practice." While a large percentage of the population associates itself with the Jewish religion, fewer than half are "practicing Jews" by many...

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Is there any way to know what is inherently right and wrong? Or must right and wrong always be something defined by a majority? Mathematical, logical, linguistic and scientific (etc.) "right" and "wrong" often can be discerned from objective analysis. The only category of "right" and "wrong" defined by political decision is legal right/wrong. "Legal" often does not reflect ethical or moral right or wrong or "fair." It is impractical to enforce a law that...

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Is there any evidence to prove that the human soul has mass? I think you have two questions here: is there evidence? and does it prove? People who really want to find evidence that the soul exists usually do, but their evidence is inadequate to convince people who don't want to believe it. Some of those who want to find evidence that the "soul" has mass do... but few accept it as any kind of proof.

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If God exists, when is his birthday? Most notions of "God" are supernatural, which means outside nature which implies "not subject to the operation of time." The traditional Christian, Jewish and Islamic concepts of God allow an eternal (outside and beyond time), self-existent being who has no beginning or end, and therefore no birth and no birthday. Some religions identify "gods" that were born to...

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If evolution is contradictory to Christian beliefs, are Christians who support evolution sinners? "Evolution" meaning changes to the gene pool and natural selection are entirely consistent with Christian beliefs, so people who acknowledge the obvious truth of these two facts are certainly not guilty of anything. All Christians are sinners - it is part of the basic doctrines of Christianity - whether they believe any or all aspects of evolution or not. While there are some...

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What is the underlying meaning of the phrase, "You don't get out of life alive"? There are two examples in the Bible of people who were taken bodily by God before they died, so one answer would be being taken out of this creation by God before you die. I suppose other philosophical positions would allow another kind of transformation or even "evolution" out of human life, but I think your original impression to laugh was appropriate - the comment was probably...

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What does the apostle Paul write in regards to the trinity doctrine? I acknowledge many who do not interpret the following to allow a trinitarian God, but these passages, attributed to Paul, are used by theologians to support the concept of the Trinity (quotes from NIV): Romans 9:5 "the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" While not the only possible interpretation of this grammar, can be understood this way. Diety...

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Is it safe to keep the computer on 24/7 if you use a DSL or cable connection? "Safe" is a kind of relative thing... If you are online for only a few minutes a day and take no precautions, you may be less safe than online 24/7 with reasonable precautions. Many businesses and individuals keep their computers on and connected to the internet all the time without many problems by using firewalls and other protective technology. It also depends on what you...

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What is virtual memory when refering to a computer? Modern computer operating systems use memory in segments usually called "blocks." Because the computer can't really operate on all the blocks at the same time, the operating system can swap blocks it is not using right now out onto a hard-disk drive (or other local storage). This allows it to run as if it had much more RAM (random access memory) than it does by addressing many...

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Is it stated or is there proof of Jesus having children? No. It is neither stated nor provable. There is no reference in the Bible that implies Jesus was married or had children. There is no other credible ancient document that states or proves either marriage or children. Some sources indicate it would have been typical for someone Jesus' age to be married, many credible scholars are very reasonably convinced that his occupation and focus...

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What is Hades? Hades is the transliteration of the Greek word for grave, underworld, or place of the dead. It was also the name of the Greek god of the dead. Since it was used by the Greeks for the place of the dead, it natually appears in the Bible in that capacity as well. The biblical use is not based on the Greek mythology, but since the New Testament is written in Greek, that is the word that appears for...

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What is Sheol? This is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for the place of the dead, sometimes translated "grave," but they did have a separate word uniquely for burial place (approx. qeburah). I am sure even in ancient Israel they did not all agree on *exactly* what "sheol" meant, but they clearly accepted the concept of a place for departed souls or they would not have a word for it in...

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What does the Bible say about taking collections in church? There are references in the New Testament to groups of believers in various cities collecting "generous gifts" to send to needy believers in Jerusalem or to support Paul's work, but it does not describe the mechanism for collecting those gifts. In the Old Testament they put out collection boxes to accept gifts to fund the building of the tabernacle. In Acts, believers...

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Which tires lock up on a 4WD, Front Wheel Drive, or Rear Wheel Drive when I pull emergency brake? While they may exist, I don't think I have never read about a parking or emergency brake on the front wheels. This may have to do with the complexity of routing a cable to the pivoting part of the steering mechanism... I did read about a sports car with high performance disk brakes that had a special inboard drum (not out at the wheel) for the parking brake. If you do have a 4WD...

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If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does it make a sound? Practical answer: yes, of course it does. Real answer: To assert without any reservation that it must requires absolute faith in pure naturalism and the current understanding of physics and related subjects. Could some peculiar circumstance arise that would negate or prevent the generation of sound through natural, technological or supernatural factors? Yes. To assert otherwise would be...

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How do rotary knobs work in electronic devices? Knobs that turn more than 360 degrees typically have some kind of counter attached. Much like the computer mouse with a ball in it, there is a little device capable of recognizing movement (usually rotation of a wheel) and a circuit counts the turns. Typically there is a wheel with lots of little holes spaced around it which alternately block and don't block light from a LED and a photo...

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What ethnic group shows the most dominant genes in its population? The word "ethnic" separates people groups and carries a cultural connotation. Culture relates to values, language, cuisine, art, music, technology, etc... not genetics. "Ethnic" can be used to segregate by appearance (or "race"). If you mean which "race" you would have to pick a particular representative individual or family because race lines are so...

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How do babies breathe in their mothers' wombs? They don't breathe to live. They get oxygen (and nutrition) from the mother's blood through the placenta/uterine interface.

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Is possible that religion is an adult fairy tale taken too seriously? I do not believe that is possible. As other posts point out, religion appears in practically all cultures in some form. A "fairy tale" is a fanciful story that someone invents, but religious ideas are too common and too diverse to have their genesis in some fanciful story. One writer observed that the behavior and psychology of people indicates a "God-shaped hole" in...

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What are the disadvantages of film cameras? The biggest disadvantages are: You don't know till you develop the film if you got a good picture. With digital you can usually preview a shot and take another if you are dissatisfied. You have to pay to develop every roll or picture, so even if the initial cost of the camera is low, you have to pay more every time you take pictures. With digital you can take hundreds of pictures and...

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Are film cameras going to be obsolete soon? For many (if not most) purposes they are already obsolete. For some purposes they may never be entirely replaced. In any specific application, either film or digital may provide a better or best solution. In some cases the choice is very easy, in others both solutions may serve equally well. Note that even "obsolete" technology still serves most people just fine long after...

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If God is more powerful than Satan, how can Satan ever win? Because God permits some of His creation to choose to rebel. In my own life, I can rebel against God and do what I please to spite Him. I can even persuade others to join me in my rebellion. For a time, God allows this because He allows us to choose. In the same way, Satan, another created being, chooses to rebel against the Creator and entice others to join him in his rebellion. Each time he...

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Is it true that contradictions do not exist, only flawed premises? Using normal, conventional definitions of words they most certainly exist. I found only one sense of the word that could support an affirmative answer to the question. According to m-w.com, "3 a : logical incongruity b : a situation in which inherent factors, actions, or propositions are inconsistent or contrary to one another" It seems likely that the word used in this sense...

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Where can I find a list of oil companies that George W. Bush and his family own? According to Slate magazine, during the 2004 campaign GWB had a net worth between $9 and $26 million (http://slate.msn.com/id/2084356). If he owned an oil company it would have to be a very small and relatively insignificant concern. I have no information on whether his brother or uncle or other relative owns one (and I don't see how it is relevant). The market value of the...

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Does the fact that different religions have a different types of deities nullify the concept of God? Of course not. I could start a new religion tomorrow that contradicts someone else's beliefs. The fact that my new religion contradicts another can not invalidate what someone else believes or nullify another's concept of God, the afterlife or anything else. If two religions hold irreconcilable contradictory positions it proves only that one is wrong, but not which - and both...

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The Book of Acts records that the early church baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They certainly must have understood Jesus' command in Matthew 28:19 to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why didn't they baptize that way? Remember that to do something "in the name of" means essentially "by the authority of" (remember the phrase "stop in the name of the law?"). It is entirely possible that the writer of Acts reasonably assumed that the reader would know that anything done correctly "in Jesus' name" would be done according to Jesus' example and instructions and so felt no...

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Why do we blow on our hands to warm them up but blow on our tea to cool it down? I agree with jalex on this one but I want to add that when you blow slow, the warm air you exhale (obviously) stays "together" better making a warm air pocket for a short time where you blow. When you blow quickly, the moving air mixes with and carries along ambient air making the stream cooler and dispersing any concentration of warmer air (like over your tea). Another post...

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How far will an average party balloon filled with helium rise into the atmosphere before it pops? How shall we characterize "an average party balloon?" What size? Latex, Mylar or other? How thick is the material? Does it have flaws? Was it inflated near bursting before being released? Or just about half way to bursting? What percent of the fill gas was helium? If filled just shy of bursting, it could pop at any moment, even before ascending. If filled to only about half its...

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Why do people embed expletives and exclamations between the words "Jesus" and "Christ," but not between "Dalai" and "Lama" or "Mo" and "Hammad"? I am sure there are several reasons. One is tolerance. If you go to a muslim area and start associating the name of their prophet with profanity, you may not live long. Christians, while saddened and offended by the vulgar abuse of the name, do not generally take it upon themselves to punish blasphemers. One is the nature of profanity. Those who do not take Buddah seriously will find no...

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Is it really necessary to warm up your car's engine before you drive it? If so, why? If your car has an older carbureted engine, it might be a good idea. Even with the choking mechanism working properly the engine will run better a little bit warm in large part because of the way the gas mixes and vaporizes in the carburetor and intake. Some diesels also do not run well without a few minutes of warm-up time. Because of the way the fuel is ignited in the cylinder, combustion...

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Were Adam and Eve created to be sin free? If so, why did God create the Tree of Knowledge and then forbid them to eat of the fruit? The Bible indicates that Adam and Eve were indeed created sin-free with the intent that they live sin-free. I have heard it proposed that there was nothing significant about the Tree of Knowledge itself or its fruit - the significance was in the choice to obey or disobey. I find this a reasonable proposition: if there were no rules at all, how would man show submission to or rebellion...

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Is prejudice a sign of insecurity? I agree with another post that says everybody has prejudices. Just to approach and talk to someone I do not know requires me to make a bunch of assumptions - some reasonable, some not. Any assumptions I make before knowing a person are by definition "prejudging." I assume this person will not kill me for approaching and speaking to him. I typically assume the person will speak...

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Is shame a learned response? I think it is useful to look at the history of the concept. I believe shame, like guilt, is an essentially objective concept. If you have done something that is objectively in violation of legal rules, you are guilty (legal term) whether you feel bad about it or not. In the same way, when a member of a community violates community standards in a way that costs the individual, family or group...

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Do you have to be 'saved' to become a member of a Baptist Church? In theory, yes. In reality, prospective members must present a persuasive case that they are saved to become members. Most Baptist Churches have lots of members who are not really 'saved' but did provide a credible testimony that was accepted by the church. Most of us are not gifted to see the soul of a person in such a way to 'know,' and Baptists don't generally...

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What are the most important points of Darwin's theory of evolution and which one of them has been proved wrong by recent scientific discoveries? You won't get everybody to agree on which points are "most important." I believe the single most important point was that it provided a plausible mechanism for the origin of life and the different species which did not require a designer or creator. Many of the predictions of evolution proponents have failed, but using legitimate methods they modify/refine the theory after...

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Does St. Christopher have a reference in the Bible? St. Christopher lived about 200 years after the last book of the Bible was probably written. I think we have at least partial manuscripts of every book of the Bible older than 300 AD (approximately when Christopher appears in history).

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Do Christians believe that people who have died go to heaven or that no one will go to heaven until "judgement day"? Both. Some look at Jesus' words to the thief on the cross - "today you will be with me in paradise" - and the words of the apostle Paul - " We ... would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (2 Cor. 5:8) to indicate the dead proceed immediately to reward. Other passages clearly indicate an event when judgment occurs at which point all are...

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Is there really such a thing as a 'self-fulfilling prophecy?' The concept certainly exists. Typically this is manifested as a psychological effect: if a source you trust predicts you will have a bad day today you may only recognize bad things because of the expectation and you may even cause bad things to happen because of the power of suggestion. If the source says you will get a job offer, you might look harder or be willing to accept work you would not...

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Is the ability to identify good vs. bad innate? Relativists will point out that what is "good" from one perspective may be "bad" from another. Atheistic naturalists would eventually have to concede that nothing is "good" or "bad" of itself, but rather just is. Other philosophical and theological perspectives will give different answers. Since people do not agree on the definitions of...

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How does the act of killing Jesus Christ redeem us? One of the common pictures of rememption is that of a convicted criminal who has been fined an amount far beyond that he is able to pay. In our hypothetical scenario, the judge has mercy on the guilty party and pays the fine himself so the guilty one can go free, his obligation satisfied. Justice is served because the "debt to society" has been paid. According to a traditional*...

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Do born again Christians believe that dinosaurs once existed? I have heard of people who do not believe in dinosaurs, but in all my interactions with church people of different denominations I do not know that I have ever met one. The vast majority of Christians, "born again" and otherwise believe that dinosaurs lived and thier fossils are real.

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I had a poster which quoted scripture from the Bible. The name of the poster was "I AM". Where is this in the Bible? This comes initially from the meeting of Moses with God (or God's messenger, depending on interpretation) at the burning bush in Exodus. I don't know how long this particular link will be useful, but a quick web search found several posters that meet the description in the question. It is not obvious that the verse references are printed next to the names, but I have seen some...

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Why do "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer"? While this is an oft-repeated phrase often believed true, there a great many examples to the contrary. There are many families whose patriarch made a vast fortune and the descendants are gradually spending it all without adding to the family wealth - these families are the rich getting poorer. There are likewise a great many middle and upper class families who came from poverty. I have personal...

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What engineering would be needed in order to make Transoceanic bridges possible (say, a bridge from San Francisco to Tokyo)? I agree that the engineering challenges are not the limiting factor. You would also have to provide mini-cities as rest stops with all services every couple of hundred miles. The amount of traffic would never support the cost of such a project when a few large ships and planes could handle the traffic volume and be safer - and a lot more efficient. High speed ferries would make a lot more...

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Which is more likely to be invented first, teleportation or flying cars? Why? Flying cars have been around a long time, but are unlikely to become practical any time soon. No proposed technology is capable of teleportation of significant amounts of matter. If it is even possible, no current course of investigation is likely to lead toward bulk teleportation within the next hundred years.

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What would be required to manufacture gasoline that can be reused after a car uses it? Re-used for what? The products of combustion of any hydrocarbon fuel are water and carbon dioxide. These are plentiful in our environment regardless of used gasoline. Disassembling the water and carbon dioxide and re-assembling the atoms into complex organic molecules is best done by plants and photosynthesis which can then be reprocessed in a lab into fuel-like hydrocarbons. The only thing...

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What does the Bible say about reincarnation? My only disagreement with jalex's answer is that the Bible does not "say nothing," but speaks directly to this issue - it says just what he cites: it is given to man ONCE to die, then judgment, and like he correctly observes, this rules out any conventional understanding of reincarnation.

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Where does the Bible say or infer that a half-truth should still be considered a full lie? I think this is not sufficient definition. I often say things that are not true, but are not a lie. Many stories, jokes, metaphors, etc. require one to say something that is not literally true. Saying such a thing is not a lie. The Bible does say God hates lying lips (Prov 12:22) and "deceitful men the LORD abhors" (Ps 5:6), but what does that mean? I believe the best distinction...

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Have any experiments ever successfully transformed inorganic materials into a living cell? No, not even close... and no one has yet even accomplished the construction of a "living" anything from life-like constituent organic materials (e.g. starting with complex life-like proteins). The closest they have come is taking a life-produced living cell or egg cell and inserting altered DNA to get an engineered life form.

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Can a person believe in both the evolutionary theory and Creationism? People are capable of believing all kinds of things. This is very similar to a couple of other questions. Parts 1 and 2 of evolution theory described in this answer http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/21194 are entirely consistent with most concepts of Creationism. This answer lists several possible ways of combining aspects of the two http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/27549

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Does "middle ground" exist between Heaven and Hell according to Biblical teachings? If so, could that "middle ground" consist of being a Ghost on Earth? It is possible (but not entirely honest) to interpret the Bible in such a way as to allow this, but if you do not start out with this position, you could never deduce it from the Bible. It is very questionable in theology (and science and everywhere else) to start with a conclusion and reinterpret documents in such a way as to support the preconceived conclusion. Anecdotal references to...

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Modern politics aside, why did Jesus live in "Palestine" but call himself an Israeli? Palestine was just a geographic region, not a nation or culture (historically). I think I remember that the region was name for the Philistines. I don't think people who live in the "Middle East" refer to themselves and "Middle Easterners" either, but rather by their national or ethnic identity. Jesus is rightly identified as a Jew because that was his religion and...

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How can I convert an internal hdd to an external hdd without losing any data? If this is an ATA or IDE type drive it is easy. If it is SCSI it is more expensive. If it is SATA, maybe. Just put your drive in a compatible external enclosure and connect it to your USB, FireWire or SCSI port (depending on enclosure or adapter) and when the computer boots it should recognize the drive and give you access to the data thereon provided the drive was formated with the same (or...

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What's the difference between the green and the blue balls? Mostly color. Sometimes manufacturer. Either from a reputable manufacturer will be regulation size, weight, etc. Some players prefer one color over another for visibility. I have also see purple and orange balls.

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Does putting spin on the ball help? In any sport that uses balls, spinning the ball allows additional control. It is possible to spin a racquetball so that it bounces a certain way off the wall to get it to bounce away from your opponent or hug the wall. If you are good at it, spinning the ball can help you put the ball where you want it. Advanced players are less likely to be fooled by ball spin and more likely to be able to...

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Did dinosaurs sleep lying down or standing up? Since we can't observe any, the answer will necessarily be speculative. If they were anything like animals we have around today, some could doze while standing and others probably could not. I would not be surprised to hear theories either way, but all theories will be based on assumptions and deductions that can not be validated because there aren't any dinos around to check. ...

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Is it possible to design and assemble DNA to make an organism from inorganic materials? It is possible to imagine technology capable of placing individual atoms of various kinds in precise locations in space to build molecules. If you had such a technology and a supply of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc. you could assemble living things of any configuration. You would also have to provide some means of stabilizing the intermediate states of constituent molecules and structures that...

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I have an above average IQ but my exam results do not seem to reflect it. What could be the problem? There are several possible contributors. 1) You might have a poor memory. 2) You might have poor study skills. 3) You might have a nervous or anxiety condition that inhibits exam performance. 4) Your instruction may be inadequate. 5) You might have sleep deprivation which can inhibit exam performance. 6) You might just not take exam preparation seriously enough. 7) You may have been...

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If terrorism is going somewhere and murdering people, and that is a good reason for going to war, why isn't the United States waging war against itself? Wasn't the wholesale murder of Native Americans terrorism? Terrorism is not just murdering people - that is murder. People who engage in murder should be hunted down by civilized people and prevented from continuing their murderous ways. Terrorism is an attempt to gain power or control other people by the threat of murder and property destruction against civilians. War is when a government (or comparable power) intentionally uses force to attack...

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Are humans predisposed to associating the color white with good and the color black with bad, therefore making us innately racist? Fear of the unknown is found to some degree in almost all humans. Fear of the dark is very common among humans - it relates to fear of the unknown. Since most of use navigate our environment primarily by seeing it, light is naturally associated with comfort and safety while darkness typically brings feelings of uncertainty and fear. (Obviously a blind person won't have that particular fear...

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Did God make those with limited mental capacity look unattractive to ensure they wouldn't procreate? Did God make those with the most intelligence and/or healthiest biological chemistry beautiful to be sure they would reproduce? I think the answer is obviously no in both cases. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

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In what language was the Gospel originally written? The Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible were apparently written in Greek. I am unaware there is any debate about this, but I was challenged by some comments posted elsewhere in this forum so I did some research. There appear to be some indications that some early written records of the words of Jesus may have been in Aramaic, but all the evidence indicates that the Gospels were written in...

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How do you know if you know something? People disagree on what it means to "know" something. By some standards, you can not know anything. When questioned about whether I know something I have sometimes used the phrase "I am certain, but I could be wrong." Almost everything I think I know could be in error based on assumptions, definitions or erroneous perceptions. This is why the scientific method was...

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What is the difference between analog and digital signals? Allow me to throw out another illustration: In an analog system I might use a 5 volt signal to signify "5" and a 3.5 volt signal to mean "3.5," etc. If I wish to light an LED at half brightness, I might be able to send half the maximum voltage. In a digital system I encode "5" with some series of "on" and "off" pulses. If I want my LED to...

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Why is QWERTY taught instead of DVORAK? Mostly market inertia. The vast majority of keyboards out there are QWERTY so that is what the teachers teach. Since that is what almost everybody is trained to use, that is what the makers make. There have been several attempts over the years to introduce improved keyboard layouts and form factors, but market inertia and economy have kept the status quo. A lot of markets have this problem....

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Do laptops use as much power as desktop PCs? First, computer companies use the terms "notebook" "sub-notebook" and "portable" as a rule. I think too many people complained that if something is called "laptop" it should not get too hot to sit on your lap - so legal departments discourage the term. Most battery powered computers (whatever else you may call them) use special low-power components so...

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How would living in an anarchy be beneficial for its citizens? If we define anarchy as "a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government," the definition speaks for itself. Unfortunately, no experiment involving humans has ever produced a community of significant size that can approach the utopian ideal. Eventually some members of the community misbehave in ways that the rest of the community must deal with - at...

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Is it true in Orthodoxy that when Jesus died on the cross he went to hell, killed the devil and released all the trapped souls? These statements are not directly supported by the Bible. The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8 "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Peter did not think the Devil was killed when Jesus died. The only passage that indicates anything about Jesus and "trapped souls" is in 1 Peter 3 "he went and preached to the...

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How are we able to determine whether a person's face is male or female? Usually the biggest thing is hair. Men just grow hair around the face different than women do (lashes, brows, sideburns, etc.), and in many cultures they wear it different too. Another indicator is behavioral. Women tend to express themselves with different facial expressions than men. Beyond that it gets pretty subtle. Of course many men do look somewhat effeminate and many women have...

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Is man truly made in the "image" of God? That is what it says in the first book of the Bible. People disagree on what that means. Some believe that it means that God is about 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, etc. I find this inconsistent with other clear teachings in the Bible (e.g. "God is spirit"). The most common position is that it is a moral, creative or spiritual image - we are like God in our ability to think...

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What is the explanation for the Christian God's transition from a wrathful god of war into the modern day god of peace and love? Some theologians and scholars take the postion that God somehow is different in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but I disagree. I will have to let someone else defend that position. I am convinced the Bible teaches quite the opposite: God is both loving and wrathful throughout the Bible. God is quoted in Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change." James 1:17 "the Father...

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Do Baptists believe that women shouldn't work and stay home? First and foremost, I expect the concensus position of Baptists is that staying at home to raise children (and to a lesser extent being a homemaker without children) IS work. Most will agree that stay-at-home mom is among the most important and demanding work done by anybody in the world and ought to be valued by society above many other occupations (my own list of less-valued careers would...

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Can we blame human nature for the conflict that exists in society? Society is made entirely of human beings. Our problems either come from human nature or from an external source. Some certainly blame aliens or demons for our problems, but it is my personal observation that preservation of me and mine and personal gratification are part of human nature. Conflict typically comes when I desire something for me and/or mine that someone else also desires and we...

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What is the relationship between man and the natural world? Either man is a naturally occuring part of the world, or he is not. I have known people that argue that human beings are not part of nature. I do not understand how this could be. Since humans have the same chemical constituents of all the other life on the planet, it can be reasonably inferred whatever produced the rest of the biosphere produced man too, making man just as natural as the...

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What are the philosophical views on human nature? There are essentially two postions (with lots of variations). 1. Man is just as natural as rocks, ice bergs or wind. All are a result of a complex series of essentially random recombinations of matter and energy. 2. Man is somehow supernatural. There is more to human existance than just patterns of matter and energy. A somewhat complete exploration of either basic position and its...

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What are various theological views on human nature? A few of the many positions... Some believe that to be human is to contain the divine. This position holds that God is in everybody and human nature is God's nature. Some hold that human beings are immature gods that can attain our full divine potential through one means or another. Another position holds that humans are basically good, but not divine. Yet another holds that...

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What is Jesus Christ's view on human nature? One of the clearest indications he gives is in a statement: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matt 7:11) Jesus nowhere suggests that people are basically "good." In fact he questions one person's use of the word "good" saying...

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What is Bugs Bunny's stance on Christianity? Bugs Bunny is a fictional character whose stand on anything depends on who is writing and editing the script today - or on whatever day the show you are watching was produced.

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I've committed minor sins (e.g. stealing, lying). Am I going to be damned to hell for this, or will confession save me from this? The Bible tells us "all have sinned," so you start out right by admitting the fact. The Bible also tells us "the wages of sin is death," so you do deserve punishment at this point. James 2:10 tells us "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it," so the historic Christian position is that there are no...

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Can you seize the day only if you want to? The concept of "seize" is an active and intentional course of action. The phrase is, of course, a metaphor... a "day" can not be grasped or held. It means essentially: make the most of the present - it is in part a caution against laziness or procrastination. It is in part a challenge to get the most out of life. I am sure there are those who do this just as a matter of...

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When someone says Jesus H. Christ, what does the "H" stand for? Duplicate question. see http://www.answerbag.com/q_view.php/27141

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Why do Jehovah's Witnesses have their own Bible translation? I have not given my opinion, but only the objective truth of opposing viewpoints: one that the NW is the best and the other that it is a paraphrase to support their doctrine. I answered the question specifically. Everything I stated is correct and defensible. I wish the pro-JW position was as honest. __________ I have read about this question, heard people speak about it and hunted for web...

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Why do we address God with pronoun "thee" and not "you"? This is usually found among groups that use primarily or exclusively the King James translation of the Bible and those who grew up with it because "thee" and "thou" were pronouns in common the use during the 17th and 18th centuries when the KJV was initially translated and revised. Since these groups most often see and read "thee" and "thou" used in...

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When Moses first spoke with God on Mt Sinai after the Exodus, did the Jewish people speak Hebrew or did they still speak Egyptian? I am not aware of any ancient document that directly addresses the question, so I guess the best answer is: we don't really know for certain. But I will give a little speculation and deduction... The Israelites had been in Egypt for generations (probably over 300 years), so it is not certain they kept their ancestral tongue as their first tongue. Many people of Jewish ancestry today...

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Negating the impracticality of the scenario, what would happen if an unstoppable force collided with an immovable object? In the only scenario I can quickly imagine that would allow this condition, the unstopable object would pass through the un-moveable object leaving the first unstopped and the second unmoved.

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Was Jesus crucified on a stake or a cross? There is no single test, experiment or evidence that can settle this question, but... The symbol of the cross as a common symbol of Christianity dates back at least as early as the 4th century (when Romans were still crucifying people). The Latin "crux" (cross) does appear in some ancient Latin translations of the Bible. A great deal of history and tradition supports the cross. Those...

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If water conducts electricity, would the ocean be electrified if an electric wire fell into it? Electricity must have a path from somewhere to somewhere and back. There must be a "circuit" for the electrons to do their thing. If the end of an extension cord fell into the ocean, current would flow from one wire of the cord through the water between and into the other. The effect would be very localized between the exposed metal parts in the connector. Electricity always seeks the...

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Does God have a name? If so, what is it? This is an interesting question. If there is a God, and that being, as in the Bible, created the universe (the traditional position of Jews and Christians), He would be outside of time and space. Sound and spoken language are dependent on mouths, vocal chords and air to vibrate. If God has a proper name, it exists outside creation and so is not limited to alphabets or pronounciation. Perhaps...

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What is the gender of God? From a traditional biblical, Christian perspective: Genders (in most languages) are identified as masculine, feminine and neuter. In some languages the word for "God" will be explicitly masuline, feminine or neuter, but English does not assign gender to most words. God exhibits characteristics from all three. Since God is not a biological organism ("God is spirit" Jn...

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If a person is born into a culture where s/he is never exposed to religion or given an opportunity to know the Lord, is s/he doomed to eternal damnation? From a traditional Christian perspective: Romans 1 says "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God�s invisible qualities � his eternal power and divine nature � have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." I am convinced that God will hold...

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What does the H stand for in Jesus H. Christ? I am quite confident that the "H" has nothing to do with the Bible or Jesus. I am suspicious that the addition of the H was an attempt by some who habitually use profane language to make the (extremely feeble) claim that they are not actually misusing the name of the Jesus of the Bible who does not have an H is his name. By the way, "Christ" (in the Bible) is not a...

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Is their any reliable, independent evidence for the existence of Jesus of the new testament as a historical figure? Absolutely. I do not believe there are any reputable sources that deny the historic persecution of people called "Christians" by the emperor Nero who ruled the Roman Empire in the first century. This persecution took place within the lifespan of Jesus contemporaries. I do not believe there is reasonable doubt that these were followers of Jesus. Records indicate that the Christians...

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What story or stories in the Bible include a person who committed a sin(ie.murder) and then found God and changed their ways? Zacchaeus, in Luke 19:1-9 fits. Jesus followers included "women who had been cured of evil spirits." (Luke 8:2) While not a specific sin, this might be significant. There was at least one former prostitute. In Luke 7:36-50 Jesus interacts with "a woman who had lived a sinful life," the tense of the verb indicating a change in the past. How about King Nebuchadnezzar in...

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Where in the Bible is hell described? There are a couple of different words tranlated "Hell." If you are referring to the place of eternal torment after judgement, yes there is. See this answer for several references: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/12570

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Does the phrase "Jesus Loves Me" or something similar appear anywhere in the Bible? Several passages give reasonably clear precedent to this line: Mark 10:21 (Someone came to Jesus asking how to gain eternal life.) Jesus looked at him and loved him. John 13:1 ...Having loved his own who were in the world, he [Jesus] now showed them the full extent of his love. John 13:34 Jesus speaking: "...As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Romans...

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Where do Baptists stand on the pastor announcing an award or an outstanding achievement of one the members from the pulpit? I think the general feeling among those who practice such things is that we are a family - the family of God. Often in Baptist churches the men are called "brother" and the women "sister" because the church is our extended family. It is also a pretty sound biblical principle that church members should share each other's burdens and celebrate each other's blessings....

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Do extraterrestrials have any protection under the law? Interesting question... If the entity in question can be classified by biology as an animal, animal cruelty laws could possibly be enforced, but I am not aware of any law or legal precedent that would dictate the legal status of an undefined entity... except perhaps in [insert brunt-of-joke name of extreme liberal wacko city, state or nation here].

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Does water always flow downhill? In a pipe or tube, water can flow up or down as long as it empties at a lower pressure or altitude (or combination) than it started. I can pump it uphill of course. If you look at a rapid in a river you will see many places that the water flows up over an rock and back down as some of the motion energy of the moving water is momentarily converted to potential energy. The net motion will...

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Where do rockets and spacecraft normally land when they return to Earth? Expendable rocket boosters typically just fall into the ocean a few miles offshore from where they were launched and are left there to make new homes for bottom-dwelling sea creatures. USA's NASA Space shuttle solid rocket boosters parachute into the Atlantic Ocean where they are picked up and reused. The shuttles themselves land at one of a few identified landing strips - I believe...

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Why is space travel important? I did a paper on a similar question while in school. Very early in my research I found that it is just a proclivity of mankind. Why do we send research vessels to the bottom of the sea? Why did we (Europeans, Polynesians, etc.) cross the oceans at great peril? Why did we (various civilizations throughout history) strike out across new lands and continents with little regard for safety? ...

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If God is pure goodness, perfect, and muder is evil, how can God kill and still be considered the absolute purest good? According to the Bible: All have sinned (Rom. 3:23) The just punishment for sin is death (Rom 6:23) If God, the righteous judge, invokes the just sentence of death against a sinner it is an execution, not a murder. Murder is by definition the intentional, unjust taking of innocent human life. The position of the Bible is that failure to punish is sometimes evil and meeting out even...

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Does ice weigh more than water? Well, obviously one pound of water weighs exactly the same as one pound of ice... but I doubt that was the intent of the question. According to http://www.simetric.co.uk/si_water.htm: When water freezes it expands rapidly adding about 9 % by volume. Fresh water has a maximum density at around 4� Celsius. Water is the only substance where the maximum density does not occur when solidified....

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What is the difference between really liking and loving a person? This is one of those places where you must define your words. Love can mean anything from "I expect affection from" to "my hormones go nuts at the slightest thought of" to "I would lay down my life for," and this does not capture all of the things people think and feel when they imagine "love." One of my favorite definitions of love goes something...

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Can angels come in human form? According to Hebrews 13:2 (King James Version) "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." It appears pretty clear that they have and can.

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Who owns the copyright to the Bible? As far as I know, there were no copyright laws when the various books of the Bible were written, but each publisher who pays for a new translation or adds any notes, maps, etc. to the version he publishes can copyright the new content of his version, so most Bibles you pick up will have legitimate copyrights. I am not sure what the copyright laws were in Britain in 1611 when the first version...

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If God forgives everyone, then why do people still go to hell? According to the Bible, God does not just forgive everybody. The Bible says things like "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness," (1 Jn 1:9) and "if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matt 6:15) Acts 10:43 says "All the prophets testify...

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If the devil wants you to go to hell, and you do the bad stuff for him on earth, why would he punish you in hell? As a traditional Christian, I will give the historic biblical Christian understanding of the Bible. Other faiths will likely give different answers. According to the Bible, Hell is punishment prepared for all those who are in rebellion against God. Satan (the Devil) is not in charge of Hell, he is one of the inmates. There is no evidence in the Bible that the spirits in Hell will communicate...

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Why hasn't anyone developed the wireless electricity concept developed by Nicola Tesla? There are clubs and support groups that still design and build tesla coils and do experiments with them. If anyone had discovered or invented a viable commercial application for the technology you would see it marketed.

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If God is so powerful, why does he care if we worship him or not? In the Bible, God compares our relationship to him with the relationship of parent to child. If parents could get along just fine in the world without children, why do we invest so much of ourselves (time, money, emotion, etc.) in them? I, for one, enjoy the affection and attention of my children. I derive satisfaction from seeing my children develop into functional adults. It appears from...

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Which religions support universal peace? Some group within almost every religion wants to live in peace with everybody and some extremists within many religions (if not every) want to convert the rest of the world by force or destroy them so that the whole world can be unified in their vision of religion. For example (because it has been in the news recently), among Muslims there are leaders who insist that Islam is about peace and...

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How is the Trinity relevant in today's society? If God exists and has established standards for people entering into a relationship with himself, then what he has revealed about himself is relevant to that relationship. If God exists and asserts that this relationship is important, society's position is irrelevant. If I decide I want to believe in a god who would not punish anybody or who has a simple psychology or doesn't...

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Is Easter a Christian holiday? Easter for centuries has been a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and is in most places a uniquely Christian holiday. The date of the celebration of Easter is related to the Jewish calendar date of Passover, because Jesus was crucified just before Passover. Information has been published about pagan roots of the symbols, date and even the name "Easter," but this information...

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Are there any books currently banned in the US? The US government has rules about the availability and distribution of certain kinds of material - pornography, medical records, trade secrets, intelligence data, etc. - but I do not believe any published books are prohibited by law from existing. It is illegal to posess or exchange certain classes of material, specifically intelligence/defense secrets (with obvious limits) and child...

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When a fish is caught on a hook, does it feel pain? We have no indisputable way of proving it, but I don't believe fish are "conscious" of anything. When you and I "feel pain" it causes thoughts and emotions that I am certain fish are not capable of. Even some plants have chemical and biological reactions to injury consistent with "pain" but I am sure they don't "feel" anything. We sometimes...

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If the Bible says we should not kill, why are many Christians in the military and in a situation where they may have to kill others? Christians serve not just in the military, but also as police, prison guards and in other professions where deadly force is sometimes justifiable and required. Police and military forces serve as an arm of the government. The Bible says of the civil leader: he is "an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer," "he does not bear the sword for nothing." (Rom 13) I...

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What does it mean to be a Christian? Different people will give you very different answers to this question. Some will insist that anyone who "follows" the teachings of Jesus Christ in some sense is a Christian. Some groups will tell you that only those in the group they are a part of are really Christians. Some countries are officially Christian nations (typically this means the state religion is Catholicism) so all of...

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Why do we get boogers in our noses, and what causes them? All of our mucus membranes produce a (typically slimy) protective substance called, oddly enough, mucus. One of the several purposes of this substance is to 'catch' airborne contaminants. The old mucus from lung and sinus membranes is disposed and with it the contaminants are expelled - most (I think) gets swallowed, some spit out or blown out the nose. Some thickens (with trapped...

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When Jesus died, did he literally suffer hell? There is no question that Jesus suffered before and during the crucifixion. Beginning in the garden after the Last Supper the Bible teaches that Jesus was in great agony or anguish (depending on translation, see Luke 22:44). Matthew and Mark report that on the cross Jesus cried out "my God, why have you forsaken me?" I personally believe that the real torment of Hell is complete...

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Is there scripture in the Bible regarding the custom of putting up a Christmas tree during the Christmas holiday? There is no reference to decorating trees or bringing them into your house in the Bible to celebrate anything. I am aware of no scripture that appears to prohibit putting a plant in you home and putting festive decorations on it. I suspect the most austere Christian sects will find sufficient biblical basis for not putting festive decorations on anything... The terms...

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Heat is energy. What would it take to turn air into energy we can use? (Not wind [moving air], but the air's heat itself, so the byproduct is colder air). The only devices available to do this require a heat sink: somewhere colder than the air so we can move the energy from the source (warm air) to the sink. There are various mechanisms capable of extracting energy in this situation. I concur with the other post regarding thermodynamic requirements to increase entropy. Our current understanding of the laws of nature don't permit...

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What is thermal conductivity? What factors affect it? Thermal conductivity is the a measure of the effiency of heat transfer through a piece of stuff. The atomic/molecular structure and the freedom of electrons in the stuff seem to correlate with thermal conductivity. It seems to work something like this: If all of the near-by atoms/molecules in the stuff are very tightly bound to each other, the energy of vibration transfers more quickly...

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At what temperature does iron ore melt? "Ore," by its nature, is not pure stuff. Depending on the impurities, the melting point will vary. I believe the oxides are very common chemical ores of iron and there are less common ones. The chief iron ores are the oxides Hematite, Fe2O3 (1350C), and Magnetite, Fe3O4 (1420C), and its carbonate Siderite, FeCO3 (????C) also Limonite, Fe2O3 + H2O (????C) Sorry I...

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What do you do when you have tried joining various churches and none will accept you? After the selection of the new Pope, many comments I heard suggested they picked the wrong guy because he is just too... well... Catholic. You gave no indication of why you do not feel accepted, but many people want the church to accommodate them rather than conforming to the church. If the reason churches do not "accept you" has to do with your beliefs or behaviors, it may be...

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Why does it matter which religion you are? Aren't most of them about being the best person you can, and helping others to the best of your ability? If there is a God, and God has established rules, then the only thing that matters is God's judgment about how you have followed His rules. If God has established right and wrong, it makes no difference what you think is good or bad, right or wrong if you do not agree with Him. If there is no objective authority - no God - it really does not matter what you think, believe or do. I agree...

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What does the Bible say about life after death? There is no reincarnation: "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27, NIV). Both good and bad will be raised to face judgement, Paul says in Acts 24:15 "there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." The Bible describes Hell as a place of conscious torment: see http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/12570 Jesus affirmed...

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Can you run a 2-stroke spark ignition engine with petrol then later switch to diesel? How would this effect this engine? Probably not very effectively. Gasoline (petrol) has problems at compression ratios higher than about 10-12. Diesel engines need higher compression than this to ignite the fuel. If there was a compromise solution that allowed the use of both, it probably would not be very good at either - the design considerations are just too different. There have been some stratified charge (or other name)...

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My light socket says do not use greater than a 60 watt bulb. I would like a brighter light and compact flourescent does not fit. What is the reason for the limitation? Could I use a 75 watt bulb safely? Usually the limitation has to do with safety. Typically the additional heat from the higher wattage could damage the fixture. The socket and fixture must be designed for a particular temperature and heat dissipation. There will be some safety margin on that number because the engineer must assume worst case - like a hot room with no air circulation and slightly higher voltage/wattage or lower...

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How much money is there in the world? It changes constantly. The value of the currency also changes constantly. In countries with run-away inflation, they may print billions or trillions of units of new currency a day, and each day each unit (dollar, peso, whatever) is worth dramatically less than the day before. The big problem with "how much money" is that the value of money is so unstable. Coin is somewhat more...

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If all U.S. oil imports were suddenly stopped, how long would the oil reserve last? The US Department of Energy maintains more than one reserve. Naturally, any supply will last as long as demand allows. If there is no draw, it will last forever. If there is an emergency that requires its use, the rules for its use will have to be established. If imports were suddenly stopped, count on all reserves being seized for military use. If the question is meant to ask "how long...

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After turning off the ignition, my engine "pings" before shutting down. What is causing this to happen? If this is a gas engine "run-on" thing, it may be because there is carbon built-up somewhere in one or more of the cylinders. The carbon bits, like little glowing coals on the barbecue, retain enough heat to ignite the gas without a spark on the next stroke. This typically only afflicts carburetor equipped cars because electronic fuel injectors shut off when the key is turned off in...

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If I rev my engine past its rated horsepower peak, why doesn't it produce more power? It depends on the design of your engine. It is likely a matter of airflow. If you think about it, your car's (gas) engine has to suck all its air through a hole in a throttle body. Even with complete vacuum in your intake manifold, there is only so much air that can be pushed through that (relatively) small hole. Likewise the hole between the intake manifold and the cylinder. When the air...

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Why is a high RPM engine better than a low RPM engine for performance? It isn't. Good towing performance usually comes at lower RPM. The big commercial trucks and heavy equipment almost always choose large displacement, low RPM deisel engines for best performance. The basic answer is essentially: the more fuel you burn per second, the more power you can get out of your engine. There are three typical ways to get more fuel per second into an engine: bigger...

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Most cars use intercoolers for turbos. Wouldn't intercoolers be good just to bring cool air in so more oxygen could be burnt regardless of having a turbo? The simple answer is: air that goes through a throttle body is already colder than ambient air, so you can't cool it with an intercooler - you would warm it up. As gas expands (goes from regular atmospheric to the partial vacuum in the intake manifold) it cools. For an intercooler to do any good, you have to have something significantly warmer than the atmospheric air you put through...

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Despite advances in aviation safety, why hasn't another hydrogen blimp (like the Hindenburg) been built? Even the Hindenburg probably would have been helium-filled craft if the Germans had helium production. The allies did not want Hitler to have the advantage of helium, so they would not sell any or the technology to get it to Germany. The reason we don't build hydrogen filled anything (then or now) is safety. There is still no adequate reason to justify carrying that volume of explosive...

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What would it take to build a lightsaber, as seen in the Star Wars movies? If it were possible to build a blade out of light, the problem of power remains. Any beam-type weapon capable of dispersing or vaporizing matter instantly on contact would probably require millions of watts of power. In Star Wars, they have convenient little powerpacks about the size of a D-cell battery (which power blasters and lightsabers) that generate enough energy to melt tons of...

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Could a person being converted into energy and reconverted back into matter survive the process? (barring the 2nd law of thermodynamics) Hypothetically, if you had a device capable of converting energy into matter in any configuration and a way of capturing the exact configuration of a living thing, it appears possible. Destroying the original thing in the process (converting it to energy) seems unnecessary and irrelevant to me. I see no reason why the energy used to build the target would have to be energy from or related to...

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How many times did Jesus speak when He was on the cross? The Bible nowhere suggests that everything that transpired was recorded. I believe scholars generally count seven saying of Jesus from the cross when the four gospels are compared. So, I guess I would say at least seven. He may or may not have spoken things that were not recorded.

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Is the "evolution theory" a scientific fact? No, facts are better described as verifiable data. Examples: The sun emits light. The earth has an atmosphere. Light reflects off mirrors. There are fish in the ocean. These can be experimentally verified, but they are measurable data - facts - not theories or hypotheses. They do depend on definitions... Scientific theories, on the other hand, graduate to that status when a...

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Do Baptists believe that once saved, always saved? Or can you pray and ask Him to give you salvation at any time? Once again, "Baptists" are not a cohesive group. Many Baptists teach "once saved always saved," some do not. It seems to me that once someone receives the gift of eternal life it can not be taken away. If you could lose "eternal" life, you never really had it... eternal means forever. If it is revocable, it is not really eternal. John tells us many times that...

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Is there a way to turn heat directly into electricity (without a temperature differential)? No one has yet invented a mechanism capable of extracting energy from heat without a high-temperature source and a low-temperature "sink." If someone were to invent such a device that generates meaningful energy and extracts heat from the environment he could get rich quick. Basic understanding of entropy and thermodynamics requires that any passive change to a system results in...

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Can someone be killed using sound? Sound is changing air pressure. The higher the volume, the greater the air pressure variation. It is conceivable that the sound pressure level could get high enough to destroy things like living tissue. It may be possible to find the resonant frequency of the brain (or some other vital organ) and sufficient volume at that frequency could disrupt the target organ(s). A sonic boom is essentially...

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How reliable are all the different dating methods? Here you will get differing opinions. The fact is that it is impossible to verify very old dates. Some researchers have almost unlimited, unquestioned confidence in radiometric dating methods. Others have doubts. There are several unprovable (but reasonable) assumptions necessary to use radiometric dating. We can not prove the assumptions are valid in particular or general cases. Some swear by...

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Why do some Baptist women wear long skirts (even to swim in)? My guess is their culture, family or local church requires it. It is entirely possible that the cultural sense of modesty they have learned from family, etc. would make them uncomfortable otherwise. If someone else knows of an organized Baptist group that teaches this, I will leave that up to someone who knows. I am pretty sure I have met and spoken with women of at least three major US...

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Can Baptists swim with members of the opposite sex? There may be a minority of groups associated with the Baptist name that prohibit this, but it is not a common restriction. Lots of Baptists use public, school, health club or YMCA swimming pools and/or swim at the beach. I have known Baptist youths who were on swim teams or water polo and I have not heard of such a restriction.

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Why do some Baptists not watch TV? There are many who have found that watching TV is a unproductive waste of time. Even as a liesure activity, it exposes you to advertisements that try to make you want things you don't need and see things you'd rather not watch. For years, we did not own a TV. Now that we have one, it seldom gets turned on. We may not watch any broadcast TV programs for weeks at a time. (I did turn it...

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How possible is it that unicorns did in fact exist at one time? What proof is there? It is entirely possible that a horse-like species with one central horn on its head once existed. To the best of my knowledge there is no fossil evidence to support the possibility. It is also possible that there was a mutation of some antelope that had its horns grow together and was seen and recorded. It is also possible that a common horned animal lost one horn and, seen from a distance was...

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Does the length of an extension cord influence the amount of current that is delivered? An 18ga copper wire will have a resistance of about 6.4ohms per 1000ft. You can figure out how much voltage you will lose using the E=IR formula (voltage drop = current * resistance). remember that the wire distance is twice the length of the cord because the current has to go both ways - out and back. If the drop is 5v, your device would be trying to run on 105v vs 110v. Lower voltage will...

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Is there ever a third gender in any of the flora or fauna of the Earth? I assume you mean more than two sexes in any one species. Historically genders [masculine, feminine and neuter] are defined differently than the sexes [male and female]. There are some species wherein one member may change from female to male or v.v. ... but I am unaware of any plant or animal that has something classified as a third sex. There are of course many living things that are neither...

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Is there any significance to the order in which the Ten Commandments are listed? Almost certainly. Those of us who believe the Bible is the inspired word of God have a great deal of confidence that such things are significant. For example, the first commandments deal with people's relationship to God, the latter with people's relationships with other people. I doubt you would get theologians to agree on many significant aspects, but I think most would agree...

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Did Jesus literally die on a cross? There is plenty of evidence that the Romans executed Jesus on a Roman cross. There is no reasonable doubt that the Roman soldiers responsible for crucifixions knew what they were doing and did it successfully. Yes. Jesus body was literally hung on a cross till dead.

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Is a cross hanging around your neck or in your home considered an idol? Like all "considered" questions, the answer has to include: "considered by whom?" For the vast majority of people, pictures, sculptures, etc. of Jesus or the crucifixion or the cross are simple reminders of something we want always in view... spiritually if not literally. The images themselves are not venerated or worshipped. For others it is like an identification...

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What is God's "Book of Life"? According to Revelation 20:15, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." The "book" is apparently a list of all those who have been granted forgiveness of sin, eternal life and admission to heaven. Like many of the symbols of the Bible, I am convinced that there is no *literal* book... a physical collection of...

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Can a bank of batteries be charged by two or more generators? As long as your generators work together in some way, you should be able to use as many as you want. Assuming you are a charging a 12V battery bank... Ten 12-14V generators in parallel will just provide ten times the available charging current as one. 12-14 1-volt generators working in series should provide the same current as one generator but at sufficient voltage to charge a 12V battery...

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Is aluminum an electrical conductor? Pure aluminum and most aluminum alloys are outstanding conductors of both electricity and heat.

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If God created everything, then who created God? This is a difficult concept. The most common (but not universal) position among mono-theistic religions is that God is self-existent (i.e. not a created being), but rather is the source for all created things. This is hard to comprehend for those who, like us, experience all our (pre-death) existence inside this creation. We have no reference points for un-created things. I think this is...

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Given a way to turn heat directly into electricity, is it theoretically possible to build an "air conditioner" that needs no outside vent and that will generate "free" electricity when it is in use? Be aware that thermocouples generate tiny amounts of current and voltage and move insignificant amounts of heat at temperature differentials likely to exist inside vs.outside your car or house. So, while technically it would move heat and generate electricity, neither effect will be significant enough to threaten to make other sources of energy (or cooling) obsolete. Note also that passive...

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Why are some motorcycles so loud? I am pretty sure the real reason is that the owners like it that way. I have co-workers who bought brand new Harleys and before even taking delivery, they had the dealer take off the factory pipes and put on louder pipes for that attention-getting sound. There are plenty of overpowered 1000+cc bikes out there that are quiet, demonstrating that this is not a technical issue. High-performance...

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Is there a formula for determining how fast rain or snow falls? Rain and snow fall at a wide variety of speeds. There are formulas that can estimate air resistance as a function of air density, surface qualities and surface area of the falling thing. The force pulling down is the weight of the drop or flake (gravity acting on mass). You can find the "terminal velocity" (or maximum vertical fall speed) by finding the speed at which the air...

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When a man and a woman get married, can the man take the woman's last name? When we were married, my wife filled out paperwork to change her family name to mine. Some couples both change their family names to some hyphenated combination. If the laws where you live are similar to those where I live, I see no reason why you couldn't both take any name you want before, during or after the wedding. If your laws are unlike those where I live, this does not apply.

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Do we dream in color, or do we colorize dreams when we remember them? I can only answer from my own experience... My dreams are often perfectly realistic... so much so that I even think to myself that what I am experiencing could not be a dream. On other occasions, I actually do have enough consciousness(?) to figure out that my dream is a dream because something un-realistic is happening. I can't speak for others, but my dreams are in color and I have...

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What exactly is "the missing link" supposed to be? If I remember right, Darwin said at one point that as we unearth more and more fossils, we will find that the vast majority of historic life forms were transitional forms that will illuminate the map of how species differentiated over time. Darwinian evolution requires that intermediate forms must have existed and that the rise of complexity of species should be demonstrable from the...

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Who decides how valuable art pieces are? I generally agree with the other post - buyers decide what they are willing to pay for something. But there is another half of the question. The seller has some control. If I own a painting, I can choose to put a value on it. I can say: "I won't sell it for less than $1200." That is what it is worth to me. You can't buy it for less. Therefore that is its current value....

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If God decides, knows and takes care of everything, why do different religions fight or defy each other? If, as the question presumes, God decides everything, then the answer would be: because God chose to make it that way. God's motives in making it that way surely would be beyond mere mortal comprehension. While some theologians accept the proposition that God chooses and controls every aspect of everything, most believe that human society is not a pre-programmed or scripted event, but...

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What would it take to build a Ringworld, as seen in the Halo video game? I have not seen the ringworld in Halo, but the general construction principles of a ring-world are discussed in an old sci-fi book by that name. Using approximately the mass of Jupiter, one could construct a strip about 100 miles wide with "mountain ranges" on the edges of sufficient height to contain an atmosphere which would be held in by "centrifugal force" generated by...

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Why haven't flying cars been invented yet? Flying cars have been invented and built. Several working prototypes of various configurations have been built and flown - at least one first flew several decades ago (with removable, stowable wings), so it is not even a new thing. They are not mass-marketed for a variety of reasons including safety, cost, regulation and infrastructure.

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Did man really go to the moon? During the cold-war "space race" in the 1960s, the United States of America and the Soviet Union (USSR) monitored each other closely to be sure each knew the other's capabilities and answer them to try to "win" the "cold war" and the "space race." The Soviets, and pretty much every other industrial nation watched carefully the progress of the Apollo...

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What exactly is "resonance" and how does it differ from other acoustic qualities? The word "resonate" usually refers to the natural frequency of something. If you stand in a closed room with hard walls (like a small bathroom perhaps) and hum at a bunch of different pitches, you may find that some make the whole space seem alive with that pitch. This is one of the natural resonant frequencies of the space. If an instrument is made of "soft" material that...

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Is the time taken for an electrical signal to travel through a wire negligible, for example from the time a studio guitarist hits a note to the time the signal reaches the headphones? The time in the wires is negligible, but there might be some delay in any electronics along the way. If you feed your guitar output into a distortion preamp, equalizer or any other electronic device, it may have a delay - and perhaps different delays for different pitches. Depending on the electronics in your amp (or whatever is driving your headphones), there may be enough delay to have phase...

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What exactly is fire made of? A fire or flame typically occurs when combustible airborne chemicals (fuels) oxidize (or burn) in such a way that heat is released (exothermic) and the electron activity or the temperature (incandescence) of the reaction emits visible light. The fire is the volume in the air where the chemicals are reacting in this way and emitting light. So, I guess the best answer I can give is that fire is...

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When many different appliances or light bulbs are plugged into the same outlet and used at the same time, how come the energy doesn't appear diminished? There are many practical analogies between electricity and water. You can visualize water moving in pipes a little more easily than electrons and current in wires. Imagine that the wires in your walls are like 2" diameter water pipes. Each light or appliance on the circuit might be like a 1/2" pipe coming off the 2" main. As long as there are not too many 1/2" pipes...

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What is the oldest Bible that has been found, and does it match the Bible we have today? If you mean the oldest original manuscript (hand-printed copy) of any part of the Bible, it dates back centuries BC. The different books of the Bible were written over a span of several centuries, so the oldest manuscripts for different books usually have different ages. The oldest manuscripts of the New Testament books (the records of Jesus and his followers) date to approximately within the...

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Has anyone ever had the power to dictate that changes be made to the Bible worldwide? No. Modern Bible translators work from thousands of ancient manuscripts in the original languages. Serious Bible scholars learn to read the original Greek and Hebrew and acquire lexicons that compare biblical word usage against other ancient documents in the same languages so that they can judge for themselves whether the translators have captured the essential meaning of the words in the...

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I find it very funny when people injure themselves accidentally. Is this normal? If it were not common, slapstick humor would never have become popular. Even today, the physical gags of Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Gilligan's Island or Tim Taylor on "Home Improvement" are popular and funny to a large percentage of people. It is not universal, and it may be culturally influenced, but it is not abnormal in our time to find minor...

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How does a TV station know exactly how many viewers are tuned in to watch a particular show? They don't know and they have no way of knowing *exactly* how many. Ratings are done by statisticians based on limited samples from surveys that are extrapolated to include the rest of the population. There really is a lot of good research, math, and even science behind these statistical methods, so they should be reasonably close, but never EXACT.

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Is theology Christian? "Theology" comes from greek words that mean approximately "god" and "study," so just as biology is the study of living things, theology is the study of diety. Typically, when speaking of an individual, theology refers to what that person believes about (God/god/gods...). When speaking about the theology of a religion, people are typically referring to what that...

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If a child dies, was it God's will? This is a tricky question. I will answer based on a traditional understanding of the Bible. God does not cause "bad" things to happen. "Bad" obviously depends on your perspective. If an early death would save a lifetime of pointless suffering, is it "bad" or "good?" Only God is in a position to answer a question like this with authority. It surely looks...

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Do midnight and noon have an official time duration, or are they just imaginary dividing points between AM and PM? I have never heard of an official custodian of the definition of "noon" and "midnight" but since no one else has ventured an answer I will take a shot at it... I have never heard of any duration associated with any given time. Every stated time (not time period) is a theoretical instant without duration. For example "spring begins at 7:36 p.m." 7:36 here is some...

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Is there any relationship between the tangent to a circle and the tangent ( sin/cos ) in trignometry? Why are they both specified by the same name? The tangent (sin/cos) of an angle is the slope (rise/run) of a line drawn at that angle to a horizontal axis. The slope of the line tangent to the circle (see unit circle information in another post) at the point where a line at that angle from the center intersects the circle is -1/tan, i.e. perpendicular to the original line. So, the two concepts are related in a way. I confess...

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Why can't we remember the future? The word "remember" means to recall to mind something to which one was previously exposed. "Previously" means it happened in the past. If you could call to mind something that happens in the future, it would not be a memory, but a premonition. We use different words for the different concepts. If the question is meant to ask why we can not call to mind future events, that...

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Do animals have consciousness in the same way humans do? Scientists (and philosophers) do not have an objective, universally accepted test for sentience (roughly "self-awareness") that characterizes the human conscious mind, so my answer is: nobody can prove one way or the other. Certainly many animal lovers will insist they do. Others will just as certainly insist they do not. I think it is safe to say that the lower animals do not....

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What makes bodybuilders get so huge? Is it possible for anyone to have such a huge physique? It is pretty apparent that different people have different natural sizes. It is also obvious that typical females do not naturally develop muscles as large as typical males. It has been found that by artificially increasing the amount of certain chemicals (hormones, steroids) in a person's body, muscles grow much larger. It is also obvious (from observation and studies) that the natural...

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Will loud noises cause hearing damage while you are sleeping? If the sound pressure level is high enough to cause actual damage to the ear tissues/mechanism it does not matter if your brain is concious of the sound. Typical early hearing loss can be caused by extreme or repeated trauma to the very sensitive sensing structures in the ear. Whether you are awake or asleep would have no impact on the essentially mechanical effect of the sounds.

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Can "white noise" make you deaf? If the sound pressure level is high enough to cause mechanical damage to the ear tissues/mechanism any kind of noise can make you deaf. If the SPL is not high enough to cause actual damage, I don't think it can cause real deafness, but can make your brain want to turn it off...

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If someone grew up and was never exposed to sound, would they be able to hear? In order for your premise to be valid (in our world), the person in question would have to be deaf - that is unable to hear to begin with. A developing human can hear its mothers heart-beat, breathing and speaking as well as any sufficiently loud sounds outside the mother's body. Babies cry naturally, and expose themselves to other self-produced sounds (heartbeat, digestive gas, etc.). ...

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Who invented the concept of "zero"? The concept itself has always existed, it was not invented. Just like all the other numerals, zero represents the number of things in a defined collection, or "set." I am aware of no resource that could speculate who first recognized (or "discovered") the concept of zero (or the other counting numbers for that matter). I expect that recognition took place independently very...

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Philosophically speaking, if a question itself assumed a falsehood to be valid, could the question itself receive a direct and valid answer? Sometimes proposing a question containing a fallacy is a useful tool in finding truth. For example: "If there is no objective truth, is there value in seeking truth?" My answer: Obviously not. If there is no truth, there is no value in seeking answers because your answers will not be true/correct/right. Science would not function if there were not objective truth. All humans...

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Which philosophers emphasized the importance of the question? Is it possible to be a significant philosopher without emphasizing the importance of the question? ;-)

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Can a question truly be an answer? There are certainly questions which can only be correctly answered with other questions. (e.g. "What is the correct question to ask?") There are many other questions for which the correct response is a question, but that question is not the final answer. (e.g. "Is selfishness considered an evil?" "'Considered' by whom?") In this example, the answer that...

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If a question is never asked does the answer still exist? If we accept the proposition that a question can have a correct answer, which requires an essential acceptance of the concept of objective reality (a concept not universally accepted), then all answers exist, regardless of whether anyone thinks to ask the questions. In some ways, philosophy is the search for both the right questions and their answers - which we know must exist if there is...

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What is a solipsist? Typically, when one refers to solipsism it is a reference to the philosophical belief that only the self is real, everything else is an extension of my subconscious or otherwise essentially unreal. Very few people actually believe this nonsense. It is jokingly said "even the most devout solipsist looks both ways before crossing the street" - demonstrating his own practical acceptance...

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Is there such a thing as "real" magic? This is not a matter of "what you believe"... there either is, or there is not. It makes no difference whether you believe it. The answer does depend on what you mean by the word "magic." If you are thinking of potions capable of altering a person's feelings or physical health, of course it exists... we call it medicine - see a pharmacist. There are, of course...

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Where in the Bible is hell described? Some of the passages generally accepted as references to the conditions in hell: Matt 5:22 "the fire of hell." Matt 25:41 "you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt 25:46 "eternal punishment" Three different places in Matthew: "the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.� Mark...

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If you were baptized as a child, do you need to be baptized again to be born again? Most Baptists teach that you must be born again to be baptized, so you have your question backwards. The generally accepted mechanism for being "born again" is "it is by grace you are saved through faith" (see Ephesians 2:8,9). Baptism is often referred to the believer's first act of obedience and is a public demonstration to testify that you have been saved - or born...

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What is the difference between Baptist and First Baptist? It is my understanding that the name "First Baptist" indicates only chronology. The first group of Baptists to start meeting in a given place often called their congregation the first Baptist Church of <city/place>. It is likely true that this will be an affiliate of one of the larger Baptist denominations (e.g. Southern or American) because there are more of them and they were...

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The iPod has a maximum operation altitude of 10,000 feet listed in the specs. What happens if you take it higher than this? Probably nothing, but you may shorten the life of the device. The only components of a typical computer-like device that are likely to have problems are the hard disk drive and the the cooling system. If you don't have enough air mass moving by the chips or the heat sinks that keep them cool, they may overheat and fail. In a low-power device like the iPod, it is more likely that...

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Is there really a difference between different brands of gasoline? Different refiners use different additives. Additives include detergents and chemicals that change the octane rating (among others). Arco has for some years added 10% alcohol to their gasolines. So, yes, there may be real differences between gasolines if the stations get their supply from different refineries.

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Is there a god, and either way, how do we know? At the risk of being overly philosophical... People disagree about what it means to "know" something. Some understand the word in such a way that you can't "know" anything that can not be proved by the scientific method. Everything else is opinion, presumption, hypothesis - or something else. By this standard you can not "know" God exists. For others,...

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What purpose does networking computers serve? The obvious big things are sharing data and sharing tasks. Information stored in one computer is potentially available to anyone on the network. In task sharing systems, computers can send pieces of big tasks to other computers on the network that are not too busy. Those computers send the results back to the computer that sent the request so all the tasks can get done faster. Information...

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How long do you have to own a house before you sell it in order not to pay income tax on profit? I am aware of two ways to exempt profit from sale of a residence from tax. One is to invest the money from the sale into another home. The other is to sell after the age of 62 (I think) to get a legal one-time break offered to people near retirement. I don't believe either requires you to own a property for a particular length of time. I am thinking of USA federal tax rules. These may not...

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How is horse power determined in a motor? There are a couple of different methods used to test motor output. You can test "Brake horse power" by attaching a brake (like a car wheel brake) to the output shaft and measuring how much braking force it takes to slow down the motor at a given speed. You can also put strain gauges on the shaft and measure the torque being transmitted. Power output is computed from torque and rpm....

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If you confess to a Baptist Pastor, do you become a Baptist? Short answer: No. Longer answer: What makes one a baptist is one's professed beliefs. Typically, becoming a member of a Baptist church requires one to: a) publically announce agreement with their doctrines and b) be baptized by immersion in water. There are more "liberal" Baptist organizations that will not require any statment of faith for membership. I agree...

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I heard that Baptist churches don't have communion each Sunday? Is this true? If so, why is this? Most Baptist churches with which I am familiar do not observe the Lord's Supper (communion) every week. Baptist churches tend to base their practices on the Bible. The Bible gives no specific guidance on frequency of the ceremonial observance. I have been in churches that observe monthly and others that do so quarterly. The only reference even close to prescribing a ceremony I have seen in...

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I see LCD displays with a max resolution rating, but not native res. Are these the same? Probably, but not necessarily. An LCD projector will compress larger images to fit. I have seen an NEC LCD projector native 800x600 that claims it will sync up to 1600x1200. I think it unlikely that marketing people would try this with monitors, but I wouldn't put it past them. I don't know if there are any government truth-in-advertising rules about such things.

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One of my speakers has started crackling. Is it time to throw it away, or can I fix it? I hesitate to diagnose such a thing on so little information, but it sounds like you may have a torn cone or a damaged voice coil. I do not recommend trying to repair such things, but it does depend on the speakers. First be sure it is the speaker by swapping speakers and wires around to eliminate the possibility that the wires or the amplifier or source is making the crackling. On better...

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What makes a person a prophet? Since this question appears in the Christianity section, I won't attempt to address other kinds of prophet... only the biblical view. In one sense, only God makes a person a prophet. The historical meaning of the word is essentially "one who speaks God's message." Even among the Old Testament books of prophecy, much of the content goes something like "this is what...

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Why are carbonated drinks packaged in a cylindrical can? There are two main reasons. Primarily, carbonated beverages are pressurized and cylinders and spheres are the only shapes that naturally contain pressure. In fact, if you pressurize a square, rectangular or even oval container it will try to get round. Second, it requires less material than other shapes. The canning companies try to use as little aluminum (or plastic) as possible for each...

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My DVD player sends sound but no image to my TV. What could be the problem? Some DVD players have a switch that allows you to choose video or s-video output. You could check the position of the switch (if you have one). Your audio cables may be good but your video cable could be bad (I assume you are using a standard three cable setup with colored hoods: right audio red, left audio white and video yellow). Your DVD player could be defective. These are the...

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Are the luggage compartments of planes pressurized? The under-floor storage area on all the large passenger jets is pressurized, but it may not be climate controlled - so it could get really cold. You should know that even pressurized planes do not keep sea-level pressure, so anything in the cargo compartment or passenger compartment will see a pressure change. A weak packet, tube or bottle carried in the plane could potentially burst or leak at...

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If Jesus and God are the same, who was in heaven when Jesus was on the Earth? Since the Bible insists that God created everything (Gen 1:1, Isa 45, John 1:3, Rev 4:11), I believe that God exists outside of time and space so there is no conflict with God existing in eternity outside of creation and also appearing for a time in creation. He could certainly do both at the "same time," if that means anything outside of creation... I take the "if" in...

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Do bank robberies where money is never recovered affect the economy? If so, to what extent? In some sense the economy is "affected" any time money moves from anywhere to anywhere, so I would say "yes." If the bank is privately insured, the insurance rates may rise for it or all the banks, lowering their profit some and perhaps reducing the interest they pay on deposits. If the loss is not insured, the bank will take a much bigger hit and the aforementioned...

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What are usually the main causes of inflation? The other main cause is market confidence. If nobody believes that a dollar or euro will be worth much next month or next year, you will have to pay a lot more of them for the same goods or services. For example, if general concensus was that China was about to invade Japan (hypothetically), the value of the Yen might drop precipitously. If the government of India (hypothetically) looked...

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When is government debt a "good" thing? I hope that the fact that you put "good" in quotes indicates your recognition that this is a subjective question. "Good" will mean different things to different people. I can make the case that it is never good and is always bad policy. I can also make the case that the benefits to the population outweigh the bad of the debt. Your evaluation will depend on you values...

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How does the creating of money by the government decrease the purchasing power of the dollar? In order for the value of a currency to remain constant, the money supply - the total value of the coins and currency in circulation - must follow the actual amount of wealth in the economy. If the money supply stays the same, but a million board-feet of lumber are cut, a hundred tons of gold and silver are mined and refined, a million new houses and ten million new cars are built, there...

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Why does the government have to create money? I guess the most correct answer is that they do not "have to" create money. In fact most "governments" do not. In the United States every city, every county, every state has a government that does not issue money. [ Technically, the Constitution does not give the United States government the authority to print money, but only to coin money. Coins are official US money -...

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What is EDTV? Enhanced Definition Television. Televisions have "scan lines" - horizontal lines of picture information stacked one above another on the screen. EDTV means that instead of "drawing" the odd numbered horizontal lines on every other screen refresh and the even numbered horizontal lines between odd refreshes (interlacing) the device renders all of the lines sequentially...

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Which is better - EDTV or HDTV? I believe there is more information in an HDTV signal, so it should be possible to get the better picture from HTDV. Both 720p (720 progressively drawn horizontal lines from top of picture to bottom) and 1080i (1080 lines, but interlaced so it does not have as much information as 720p) formats have more lines of information than EDTV (which is effectively 480 lines) and both HDTV formats are...

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How can I tell if I need my wheels balanced or aligned? There are two primary symptoms that indicate your alignment is out of adjustment: 1) your steering wheel pulls one way or the other when driving straight at a constant speed on flat pavement or does not want to return to center after turning. 2) your front tires are showing uneven wear across the width of the tire - either thin tread on the inside or outside of the tire. There may be...

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How does broadband phone service work? I will assume you are referring to a "voice over internet" type service. Essentially, a computer equipped with a microphone and speaker is hooked up to a broad-band connection. It runs a program that encodes the signals from the microphone and sends them over the internet to another like-equipped computer which decodes them and sends them to its speaker and vice-versa. The paid...

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Is there a website that shows the exact cost of all available options for a car? "Exact cost" and "all available options" are pretty tall orders... I use Edmunds.com for pricing and comparison. They claim to have both suggested retail and invoice prices for most major makes and models. I can not personally vouch for their accuracy or completeness, but I do recommend them as a resource. I am sure there are others, but I don't remember them off the...

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How close could I get to the sun without any special equipment (assuming I could breathe) before burning up? You can get a fatal sun burn here on Earth. Outside the atmosphere exposure is much worse. Moderately reflective clothing is hardly "special equipment" but would give some protection to your skin at this distance even in space - but you would have to keep rotating so the same side is not always facing the sun. To pursue this, you have to decide how long you need to be exposed. If...

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Is it possible to safely lose 100 pounds in two months? There are "safe" surgeries that are capable of giving this result. Amputating both legs comes immediatly to mind. I would greatly discourage any other extreme plan as much as I discourage the ridiculous suggestion I just made. I find this question under "fitness/exercise". Using nutrition and exercise I think about 10 pounds a month or so is safe and reasonable. Any...

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What is the most fuel efficient automobile? You have to narrow the question. Every year there is a solar challenge which brings together teams to race solar powered cars which use no fuel. There are frequently academic or industry competitions for the best fuel economy in various classes of vehicle: these classes may include various sizes of gas engine, fuel cell, deisel, hybrid, etc. If you mean in a production passenger car......

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Who is the richest person in the world? It may sound trite or silly, but it really does depend on how you define rich. I personally would much rather have good health, a faithful spouse, children who love and respect me and a satisfying occupation than a large bank balance. The richest person is the one who is the happiest, not the other way around. I agree with the conclusion of "It's a Wonderful Life," George...

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Why doesn't the hair in our armpits keep on growing? I am pretty certain that all human hair has a limited length. The hair on your fingers, hands, arms, eyelashes, and everywhere else will only grow so long. Some people have hair on their heads that will grow very long. I know two people about the same age who never cut their hair... one has hair about 3 feet long, the other about 16". Some have long lashes, others short. Eyebrows on men...

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What is the difference between a wheel balancing and an alignment? An alignment actually measures and adjusts the suspension of the vehicle to set the direction the wheels point and the angle of contact with the road and how these change when turning. Suspensions that are not adjusted properly can cause excessive tire wear and reduced control of the vehicle. This condition can be both annoying and unsafe. A balance spins the wheel to make sure that the...

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If I were out in space without any equipment, what would happen my body? You would suffocate in less than 10 minutes because out in space you need to provide your own breathing air with equipment. You would quickly freeze if not close to a heat source, but not as quickly as you would suffocate. You would quickly burn if too close to the Sun without shade, but not as quickly as you would suffocate (until you get a lot closer to the Sun than the Earth is. You...

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Is there a Christian denomination or church that will baptise an adult without requiring him to undergo religious training? I believe a Catholic or Orthodox priest will perform a baptism for anyone near death who asks it as a part of a ritual last rite. If you are apparently on your death-bed, they don't demand lengthy training classes. Some Baptist churches I have been in do not require training, but only an apparently sincere statement of faith. I suspect that the Southern Baptists are less likely than...

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Is height an advantage or disadvantage for table tennis players? Having a longer reach is an advantage. Taller people typically have longer arms, so, all other things being equal, I would say yes. All other things are never really equal. Speed, quick reflexes, coordination and intuition about how the ball moves are all, almost certainly, bigger advantages than longer reach or higher eyes. Having higher eyes might help in some situations: better...

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When were space shuttles invented? The concept of a re-usable reentry vehicle capable of shooting off into space and landing like an airplane has been around for a long time. I think I remember a Tom Swift adventure from the 40s or 50s that made reference to such a machine. Some of the rockets of the Flash Gordon adventures were essentially and practically space shuttles. I imagine the concept pre-dates manned flight, though I...

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What is the difference between escrow and a mortgage? Escrow is essentially an account where money is held until a transation is completed. Most real estate transactions involving mortages also involve an escrow company to properly distribute the money to the interested parties. A mortgage is a secured loan where the lender holds ownership of the property until all the principal of the loan is paid off.

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What changes did President Bush make to laws regarding ergonomics in the workplace? The president of the United States has no authority to make or change law. Anyone who says he does is either ignorant or lying. So, the real answer to your question is: None. Period. The executive branch is the custodian of many regulating authorities who have responsibilitites established and limited by laws. These laws must be drafted, passed and changed by the congress. If the intent...

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Some say that President Bush caused the loss of American jobs in his 2000-2004 term. What evidence supports this? Jobs are awfully difficult to measure. The government can't get "real" or comprehensive numbers, but they do track employment numbers from certain segments of the economy - typically big companies and companies that do business with government and have to turn in employment reports. These sources have reported lower employment levels and this is primarily where they get their...

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What does "do not let the right hand know what the left hand is doing" mean? Jesus was criticizing those who gave to get the admiration or praise of men. In order to make clear contrast with those who gave hoping everyone would know how much he gave, he instructed that no one should be informed how much you give: it is between you and God. I think this is a bit of hyperbole: my right hand does not "know" anything. The point was "when you give to the...

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What is a "third-party candidate"? For pretty much all of its history, the United States has had two major political parties. There have always been other parties (Libertarian, Green, Labor, Socialist, Communist...) For about the last hundred years the two major parties have been the Democrats and the Republicans. A candidate from any other political party (or, perhaps, "independent") is considered a...

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Can you buy a live hand grenade in UK? Of course you can. If you have enough money, you can find a black-market dealer (or maybe a crooked private) who will sell you almost anything anywhere when the price is right. If you meant, buy one legally, I'll defer to the other poster.

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How far can a bullet fired from a standard military rifle travel if it hits no target? If it hits nothing, it will keep going, and going, and going... But if you fire it on Earth, inside the atmosphere it will hit something. Usually the ground. The distance it travels between leaving the muzzle and hitting the ground (or water or...) depends on where you are when you shoot it and which direction you aim it. (If you point straight down, it goes about a foot. If you point straight...

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If every nuclear weapon in the world were detonated, would the Earth be completely destroyed? What would be left? I am pretty sure that all the bombs in the world together do not have the power of a moderately powerful earthquake, and certainly would not compare with a volcano like Krakatoa or a magnitude 9 quake. Underground and ocean testing of several hydrogen bombs has left little lasting mark on the world. The essential answer is that the Earth itself would be left almost entirely intact and undamaged...

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Who invented the first digital camera and in what year? The "charge coupled device," or CCD, is the device which is the heart of digital camera technology. It was invented at Bell Labs in 1969. Most digital cameras are built on this technology, but some use a photo-sensitive CMOS chips. By 1975 CCDs were used in television cameras. Apple's Quicktake was the first digital still to make a significant inroad into the consumer...

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Is it true that if every person in the world jumped in unison, it would cause a massive worldwide earthquake? Yes, but only if they conspire to jump just (milli?)seconds before such a quake would have otherwise occurred naturally. If there was a condition where every (or most) faults were ready to shift, the additional energy could precipitate the event prior to its natural onset. Maybe. Under any circumstances that are ever likely to actually exist... No.

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How many hillbillies does it take to change a light bulb? Change a what???

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How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? The way I heard it... A woodchuck would chuck what a woodchuck would if a woodchuck would chuck wood. But I admit that adds nothing to the answers already submitted...

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Do lions and other big cats hate getting wet as much as small cats? I was watching a tiger (Sumatran, I think) swimming and playing in a pool the other day at the zoo. I can't give you a list of which ones appear to enjoy and which don't, but I can say "not all" big cats dislike getting wet.

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Are worms insects? Most of the things we call worms are not insects. Insects are arthropods and must have exoskeletons and jointed legs in their mature form. Things we call worms do not have either in any life phase (as a rule, there may be an insect with the word "worm" in its name).

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Do all insects have six legs? Mature insects have six legs. They may have other leg-like appendages. Insect larvae may have none or many. _______ I will grant the correction in the feedback. Caterpillars and inch worms apparently technically have only six real legs and a multiplicity of "prolegs," so it depends on what the questioner meant by "legs."

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Does the moon attract meteorites that otherwise would have hit the earth? There are surely many objects that strike the moon which would otherwise have struck the Earth. There are other objects whose trajectory is changed enough by the gravity of the moon that they miss Earth. There are also many objects whose trajectory is influenced by the gravity of the moon so that they do hit Earth (or burn up in its atmosphere). It would be difficult to prove that any...

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How does a gyroscope work in space? Understanding some of the concepts behind gyroscopic principles requires a background in mechanics and vector arithmetic, so I won't attempt a full treatment here, but it works the same in space as here on Earth. Basically something of sufficient inertia that is spinning fast enough strongly resists linear and angular acceleration in predictable ways. If you were to spin a bicycle...

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How are fonts named? I expect there are three primary means: 1) an artist who designs a new typeface names it whatever he wishes provided the name is not already associated with another font. 2) a font foundry chooses a name for marketing purposes if they think it will sell better under that name. 3) somebody who creates a "knock-off" of an existing font gives it a similar name to trade on the...

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What is the official name for the Democratic Party? According to http://www.democrats.org/about/faq.html: What is the Democratic National Committee? The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the national party organization for the Democratic Party of the United States... In 1830 the name was shortened to just "Democrats." <end quote> It appears to me the legal entity is the "Democratic National Committee" and...

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Which is correct, gray or grey? "Grey" appears to be a legitimate modern American alternate spelling of "gray." There may be regional or historical preferences but Merriam-Webster just lists grey as a variant of gray. On a spelling test, I would mark it wrong if the student used the spelling not on the spelling list that was provided, but I don't think I would take off points for using either in a...

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How does swimming lower your body temperature? When I swim, I get warmer from the exertion. If swimming lowers your temperature, I assume it is because you swim in really cold water... What swimming will do is help prevent you from overheating as fast as you would in air on a warm or hot day. So, I suppose you could say that swimming helps keep your body temp from going higher because the water is more effective at conducting heat away from...

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Why was the name of the "crawl" changed to "freestyle"? It wasn't. A "freestyle" race or leg in swimming is just that. The swimmer is free to choose the stroke for the race (with certain limits in medley races). Since the Australian Crawl (or perhaps "American Crawl") is the fastest stroke available naturally everybody uses it in serious freestyle competition - until someone invents or discovers a better one... A swimmer...

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What determines the color of the sky on extrasolar planets? The smart-alec answer, I suppose, is "the same factors that determine the sky color on Earth." While an awfully broad question, I will give some contributing factors... The sky will be black if the planet has no atmosphere, too thin an atmosphere, or if there is no star near enough to light things up enough. The color of the star about which the planet orbits (or a moon - if...

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What does the A & M stand for in Texas A&M? From http://www.tamu.edu/00/data/about.html#OurName "Texas A&M, the state's first public institution of higher education, was opened on Oct. 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas" A stands for Agricultural. M stands for Mechanical.

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As far as accidental death insurance is concerned, would murder be considered accidental death? I can imagine almost anything being written into an insurance policy... To be certain, you would have to read the entire policy to see what is covered. I am not aware of anyone who would consider murder an accident... that is not what the word means. If death is accidental we use different words - like "accident," "man-slaughter" or "negligent homicide." It is...

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Why aren't vented (quicker cooling) drum brakes manufactured? I have not actually been involved in automotive brake design, but based on what I have actually seen on vehicles and learned in school, the preferred way to improve the braking capacity of a drum brake is to use wider or larger diameter drums and shoes. Many drums have cooling fins on the outside diameter to improve cooling. I can not, just sitting here, think of a particularly effective way to...

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How many aliens are living on Earth at this moment, disguised as humans? It is a pretty safe bet that <edited for privacy> is an alien. I think a solid case can be made that <edited for privacy> is an extraterrestrial. I personally feel that the entire <edited for privacy> family is all extraterrestrial life forms in disguise. If you use the characteristics of the people I mentioned as guidlines, you can begin to pick out the more obvious ones...

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Would it be possible for a person to buy an island and buy its independence from whatever country claims it as its national territory? I see no reason why not... enough money can be very persuasive. The real problem with this scenario is: if you have enough wealth to do this there will be thieves motivated enough to try to take it from you. If you are not under the protection of a nation, you are on your own. I think it would be cheaper to pay taxes than to provide your own military for defense. I think there is a strong...

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Can I set up a home network even if I only have a dial-up connection to the Internet? You can set up a home network with no connection to the internet. Just connect your computers together through a hub or switch, wired or wireless, and configure them to talk to each other. There are many devices on the market, called routers, which contain a multi-port hub or switch and have a built-in modem or a port for a modem which will then dial, connect and share a dial-up internet...

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Have there ever been any semi trucks powered by gasoline rather than diesel? What mileage did they get? I remember seeing and hearing a full-sized tractor-trailer delivery truck carrying mattresses back in the late 70s... another trucker standing near me commented on the "gas buggy." Listening, it became obvious that the thing had an automatic transmission too... So the answer to your first question is yes. I can't comment on the second question.

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Nitrous oxide used in racing is supposed to allow fuel to burn completely. Does this mean most vehicles are running a too-rich fuel mixture and need their engines redesigning for leaner burn? Most modern gas engines run very close to optimum fuel-air ratio. It is not possible to get perfect mixing, so engines typically have some unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust, which is why cars have post-combustion pollution ruduction devices. Government efficiency and emission standards as well as market competition force the manufacturers to optimize this in production engines. I believe...

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What is "octane," and why is it important? Octane is C8H18, but it is not a chain molecule, it is a <see correction below> molecule. It is this configuration that makes it better for high-compression gas engines. The molecule geometry is more stable than chain molecules like heptane and requires more energy to break apart before the constituent carbon and hydrogen become available for combustion. Heptane is great for diesel...

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What's the difference between a gasoline engine and a diesel engine? Mechanically the two are very similar, sharing most significant design elements (block, crank, pistons, rings, oil bearings, heads, intake manifold, exhaust system... most large gas and diesel have valves and a cam shaft). Most automotive gas and diesel engines have a fuel pump and fuel injectors. Both can be designed as two-stroke or four-stroke. Some of the most significant differences: ...

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How can I find out how much an ounce of 24 karat gold costs? The price can not only vary constantly, but differs depending on where and how you are buying. A gold selling business may have a relatively stable price, but it usually will be significantly above current market. A metals broker may allow you to buy at current market, but will add a commission or other transaction fee. A paid broker can also buy or sell when/if the market reaches a...

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Is it legal for an employee, who is not in a supervisory position, to search the desk or trashcan of a co-worker? Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and I do not know what state or local laws apply to you nor your company's policies, nor what, if any, protections may be in a labor contract with your employer. I am fairly confident that many (if not most) companies have a standing policy that the company-provided desk, computer, trash can, etc. that you use on company property is company property, and as...

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Without having to ask my boss, how can I find out if the new overtime laws affect me? If your employer has a personnel department, you could ask there. If your job function is represented by a collective bargaining agent (e.g. a union) ask a representative. If your employment is covered by some other contract, you may have to read it. You can certainly read the information at the DOL site: http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/fairpay/main.htm and see if any of it...

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What is the reason behind the new overtime laws? First a correction: the changes are not new laws. The changes are updates to rules of which the Department of Labor is the legal custodian. The answer: Because the guidelines have not been updated in too long. The revised guidelines increase all of the limits to include more low-income jobs. The old regulations allowed workers being paid over $250 per week to be exempt from the overtime...

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If the universe is infinite is it possible that there is more then one "Big Bang" in existence and we just haven't been able to see past our local one yet? I do not believe that an infinite universe is compatible with a "big bang" hypothesis of origin. If the universe expanded from an initial event, it must be finite because there has not been enough time to expand to infinity - not even at the speed of light... If matter, energy, space and time began with a "big bang" event, it is conceivable that there have been multiple...

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Theoretically, is it possible that the light from the Big Bang explosion is still travelling towards us? If so, could we detect it? Not really, no. If there was a big bang that started the universe, and if there was light associated with this event, both the solar system in which we live and the light would be moving away from the center of expansion. The light, travelling much faster than the matter, would have far outdistanced the matter in short order (following a stabilization of time-space allowing regular physics...

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What are the benefits of crop rotation? Simplistically speaking... Different plants use different nutrients. Growing the same crop year after year will deplete some soil chemistry. Plants will also drop or leave parts which then become part of the soil. If you can grow something that adds the stuff your other crop depletes that would be ideal. The other big one is disease. If a diseased plant leaves remnants of infection on the...

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How fast does a satellite travel while orbitting the earth? This is closely related to a question posted here: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/8006 Basically it depends on the altitude of the orbit. The farther away the orbiting object, the slower it moves. Just outside the atmosphere this is about 20,000 miles per hour. Objects in circular orbit always move at the same speed. Objects in elliptical orbit move faster when close and slower...

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How much potable water can a typical motorhome store? Mini motorhomes may carry 10 gallons or less. The really big ones can carry 100 gallons or more. The biggest tank I have seen referenced in my limited exposure to the manufacturer literature is 100 gallons.

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How fast does a rocket have to travel to brake Earth's gravity? The concept of escape velocity is treated under "Science/Physics/Gravity". See http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/8361 for a general treatment of orbit and escape. A rough estimate for an object at the Earth's surface is 7 miles/second (11km/s). Initial velocity will be lower with higher altitude. (I assume "brake" ought to be "break" as in "break...

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I bought a Lab 220 (Radio Shack). I have to turn the volume way up to hear records. I have replaced the needle already, any other suggestions on how I can fix this? There is not enough information here to accurately diagnose your problem and I am not personally familiar with this model turntable, so I will l give a couple of generic things to check. The only likely problem that comes immediately to mind is to check your preamp and amplifier connections and settings. Most turntables and cartridges put out a much lower signal voltage than "line"...

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Must one take communion to enter the gates of heaven? Some Christian churches and individuals believe this, but most Christian denominations do not. Though they will claim some biblical evidence to support this position, there is no passage in the Bible that clearly teaches this, and many passages that indicate otherwise. One very obvious example is the thief on the cross near Jesus who was told "today you will be with me in paradise"...

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What's the difference between a bug and an insect? In entomology, a true bug (order Heteroptera) is a specific class of insect. In slang usage, they may be synonymous. According to http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/buginfo/truebugs.htm : The True Bugs are insects that have two pairs of wings, the front or outer pair of each divided into a leathery basal part and a membranous apical part. These wing covers are held over the back and...

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How long can a typical class A motorhome provide power, water, and sanitary facilities under the power of its generator without being connected to the outside world? That is up to you. Obviously it depends on use. If you spend all of your time in your motorhome and use only the facilities and supplies on board and there is only you, and you eat and drink as frugally as you would living out of a backpack on a hiking trip you could live for several weeks... If you have five friends and you eat and drink a lot my guess would be that you fill your sewage...

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Is it possible to put a hot tub in a motorhome? I have seen a picture of a hot tub on a limosine, so I am sure it has been thought of and done, but don't expect to find any on the market. It is entirely impractical. The energy required to heat and circulate the water is beyond many RVs. Tubs typically hold more water than many motorhomes carry. The tub and water (at 8 pounds per gallon, even 150 gallons - smallest tub I found in a...

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What does it cost to register and get license plates for a typical motorhome? This varies dramatically from place to place. Some US states have a flat fee, others may charge based on the value of the vehicle or its weight. Check the local laws where you will be licensing it.

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What would you typically expect to pay for a used motorhome in "move in" condition? This number will vary dramatically. For a one-year-old fully loaded 40' diesel luxo with only a few thousand miles on it, expect to pay well in excess of $100,000. Maybe over $300,000. For a ten-year-old entry level rig with lots of miles but everything working, you might get in for under $10,000. (If you find one, you will likely "get what you pay for"...)

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Do motorhomes have 120VAC outlets, or can you have only 12VDC accessories and equipment? They have both as a rule. If your RV is equipped with a DC inverter, you can run AC equipment using battery power, otherwise the AC will only work when hooked up to external power or when a generator is running.

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Can one have a TV satellite dish on a motorhome, or does re-aiming the dish every time you move make it too impractical? I have relatives who travel with their digital satellite dish (dish network or one of the other 18" class things). It does take some time to aim the thing when setting up, but it can be done. Many RV parks provide cable access, so it is just one more thing to plug in when you hook-up.

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What kind of "gas mileage" does a motorhome get while parked and running on its electric generator? This will depend on what size generator you have and how much you use it. If your stove and refrigerator are running on LP gas and you are staying somewhere where you don't need lights much because it gets light early and stays light late and the temperature is comfortable so you don't run heat or AC... you don't hardly need to run your generator - maybe an hour every day or...

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What are the fundamental beliefs of the Baptist religion? There are a very broad range of people and groups that claim the title "Baptist." Generally churches that use that name come from a tradition of evangelical and fundamental Bible teaching. One of the things that is pretty universal - and what most obviously distinguishes them from many other denominations - is the belief in and practice of baptism by immersion in water. Most...

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Did Jesus establish his kingdom? According to the words of Jesus: Matthew 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 16:28 Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27 basically report: Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." Perhaps the most plausible analysis...

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Is there any doctrinal basis for Christian boys being circumcised? The Old Testament identifies circumcision as a sign or symbol of dedication to God. Some Christian parents choose to have their son's circumcised as a symbol of dedication to God. It is not commanded. The New Testament actually teaches that it should not be enforced. No church I am aware of teaches that it guarantees anything. It is just a symbolic gesture. I do not know if this...

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Why did God institute the Sabbath? Any person claiming to know God's motives is quite presumptuous, so I admit in advance my answer - like anyone else's - is not likely to be complete or completely correct. According to Mark 2:27, Jesus "said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'" I take this passage, along with others indicating that God desires for us to have a good...

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Do Christian religions have any specific beliefs regarding the possible existence of aliens? I have never seen any published position from any traditional Christian denomination. I believe the LDS have specific beliefs about human or human-like life on other worlds. The Bible makes no clear specific statement for or against, but some have interpreted various passages to have implication in that direction (for or against). The existence of extraterrestrial life is not a scientific...

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How does a company become allowed to say they are ISO certified? What do they have to do? Who certifies them? ISO is an international standards organization. If a company wants an ISO certification, they have to petition ISO to grant the certificate. There are different standards under which a company can be certified. The ones getting the most attention have to do with compliance to a quality control standard. If ISO specified audits of the company indicate that company policies and employees follow...

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The fourth commandment states we are to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. The Sabbath is a Saturday. Why do we worship on Sunday? Are we exempt from this commandment? The statement of this command in Ex. 20 says: "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God." Many Christians still take this very seriously. In the USA it was only recently that laws enforcing a day of rest were removed from the books - they were called "blue laws" if I remember right, and made it a violation of law to...

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Do Baptists believe that knowing the Lord in your life is enough to know your salvation? "Knowing the Lord in your life" is such a "churchy" phrase... many people may mean "all that is necessary to be right with God" when they say this. I don't think you will get many people to agree on exactly what is meant by the phrase, so I do not think it is appropriate to give a straight yes or no answer. It is generally accepted in Baptist churches that...

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If the average person should need medical care in the US, what are his options? There are several ways to answer this question, I will just give a list of things one might do... This is not a comprehensive list. 1) See a family doctor (this probably requires you to choose and visit one before you "need" medical care). In my opinion this is the preferred option. 2) Go to a community health center or store front (e.g. "RediMedical" or...

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In general, what types of dangers are associated with waterports? At the risk of being overly obvious, the biggest danger is drowning. Beyond that, it depends on the sport. Marathon swims and scuba carry the risk of shark or other attack. Waterskiing and powerboating include risk of high-speed collision, hitting the water too fast can also result in serious injury. Sailing has other perils including swinging booms and rope related accidents. Highly energetic...

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According to the Baptist teachings, why must a person say a certain prayer to be "saved"? Couldn't someone just pay lip service to this prayer? Not all Baptists will give you the same answer to this question, but you are, of course, correct: a person could say a prayer and not mean it and it happens all the time. I teach my Bible study class that if you don't take God seriously, He won't take you seriously. There is no particular prayer that a person must say to be saved. Baptists encourage people to use a particular...

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Who determined that those are the standard frequencies of notes? Couldn't someone make up notes with different values that, as long as they are proper multiples, would sound as musical as the "normal" notes? There is no decree that I am aware of. Anyone may choose to tune his guitar, piano, voice, whatever to any starting point he wants. Unless a listner has "perfect pitch" or good "relative pitch" no one is likely to know you have tuned to a different starting point. Some instruments like trombones and synthesizers use lots of pitches in between the recognized ones... Using...

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What are the actual frequencies (in Hz.) for each of the musical notes (A, A#, B, B#, C, C#, etc.)? The generally used standard for tuning is called "concert A" which is 440 Hz. Some orchestras intentionally tune a little higher or lower to get a slightly different mood or other effect. Even my electronic keyboard has a tuning option that allows me to deviate up or down from 440. There are twelve half-steps in an octave scale and the scale is exponential: each octave doubles the...

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What are the potential benefits of stem cell research? What is a "potential benefit"? Some might say that it may be possible to cure all kinds of things and grow replacement parts, etc. While some possibilities or preliminary results may appear promising, it remains a possibility that all of the speculation may be wrong, and billions of dollars spent over several decades might never do anybody any good. In medical research and...

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What is the highest SAT score ever achieved? Last time I checked, a perfect score on either math or language was 800. A perfect score would be 800,800 or 1600. I knew people who got an 800 on math. I found a news item that claims that 673 students got a perfect 1600 in 1998. It is apparently not all that uncommon...

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If an object moves at 7.4 km/s from west to east (so that it can gain surface velocity of earth) along the equator, can it produce enough centrifugal force to nullify gravitational force escape from the earth's gravity? When an object moves fast enough in a circular path around the center of the Earth (or any celestial body) that the centripetal acceleration exactly balances the acceleration of gravity, that object is in orbit. This practically can not be done inside the atmosphere since the air friction would destroy almost anything moving that fast (in addition to slowing it down...). We do launch many...

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It seems that nearly all Disney animated films have a main character is a single parent or an orphan. For example, Cinderella and Ariel from The Little Mermaid and many more. Why is this? One reason for this kind of plot device is to make the audience more sympathetic toward the main character. You really feel for Cinderella because she has no one to love her or care for her until she is noticed by the prince and the everybody wants her to marry him and live happily ever after... Makes a more emotional story. The sacrifice of Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" is all the...

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If every bomb on Earth were to be detonated at the same time, what would be the result? Added 12-30-04 According to Wikipedia, the December 2004 magnitude 9.0 earthquake had a mass equivalent of 1500kg - that is 1500 kg of matter converted to energy at e=mc^2 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake). [5-3-05 update: USGS reports energy release equivalent of only 475 Megatons of TNT... considerably less than the number previously reported by Wiki.] ...

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Is it really meaningless to inquire about what happened prior to the Big Bang, as Stephen Hawking has suggested? If not, could scientists postulate about what, if anything, happened? Certainly anyone can speculate about what happened "before." I read an article about one hypothesis that there existed (or exists: the concept of time ultimately becomes difficult in this discussion) something called "quantum fuzz" and the "Big Bang" was simply one path of expansion out of the fuzz. All inquiry about the Big Bang, even the concept itself, is...

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Will men and women ever be able to compete as equals in a sports? Or are mens' and womens' physiques so different that this will never be possible? One only has to look at the actual average performances at the Olympic games or any international competition to see that in most strength and speed dependent athletic events the women simply don't perform in the same class as the men. The body chemistry and musculature of the human male and female really are significantly different. One has only to look at the men and women to see that...

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How are jet engines made? I would recommend that you rephrase your question, but, at the great risk of being labeled a "not useful" answer... Lots of different parts are cast, machined or formed to specific shapes and then they are welded, bolted or otherwise assembled in a factory using an assembly-line-like process. I don't think this is really what you wanted to know, but this is how they are...

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How many RMS watts of amplifier power do I need per 10 db of sound pressure (i.e. how many RMS watts to generate 20 db, 30db, 100 db, etc)?. To keep it simple, let's say we're generating a 100 Hz tone rather than a complex signal.. You have not provided enough information. If you are driving an high efficiency ear-phone, a couple of milliwatts might get you about 80dB. The power requirement will go up with the distance from the source to the measurement point. Most stereo speakers are rated for efficiency at 1 meter and 1 watt input (driven with pink noise). Very inefficient speakers are about 80dB at 1m, 1W. Very...

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Why do car makers create concept cars if they don't plan to build them for manufacturing? There are a variety of reasons. Some include: To get publicity. If an automaker can get lots of press attention by showing a real wow-mobile, it gets its name in all the magazines and industry journals and maybe prime-time TV. To get people excited about going to the shows where they can expose people to their real cars and tell them which features of the cars they are selling or...

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Is there physical proof that Jesus existed? The only thing I can think of that would qualify as physical proof is a body that most everyone agrees is him - like King Tut. We have a body found in an apparently undisturbed tomb with his name and supportive documentary evidence. By this standard, we have no "physical proof" (as far as I know) that Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great or Jesus existed. Almost all...

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Is there any geological proof of the Biblical Great Flood? Proof is a very strong word. There is a great deal of evidence available that is consistent with a Great Flood, but I do not think it is possible to reach the status of "proof" because someone will always have alternative explanations for some of the evidence and other evidence may be unrecognized, misunderstood or misinterpreted. Fossils are adequate proof of the existence of life...

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How could the Koala, with its fresh Eucalyptus leaf diet, have been fed on Noah's Ark? Since the book of Genesis and the story of Noah presuppose a God sufficeintly intelligent and powerful to create "the heavens and the Earth," I will answer assuming the existence of this God: 1) God could have caused Eucalyptus branches float by the ark every couple of days. 2) God could have altered the ability of the Koala to digest things for the duration. 3) God could...

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When I have a leak, is it my shocks or struts? Typical suspensions have one or the other. If you own a typical front-wheel-drive car and your leak is in the front, it is probably a strut, if it is in the back, it is probably a shock. Most front-wheel-drive cars have a spring over an integral one-piece shock/strut thing in the front and a conventional spring+shock arrangement in the back. I can only assume that you have accurately...

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What is an intake manifold? A manifold is usually a device whitch takes fluid (gaseous or liquid) input from one source and distributes it to several destinations, or takes input from several sources and delivers it to one destination. Often it is just a box or pipe with several holes in it, connected to your source(s) and destination(s). The intake manifold distributes fresh air or fuel/air mixture from the throttle...

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What is a destination charge? This is a fee added to the sticker price of a car which is supposed to reflect what it costs to ship the car from the point of manufacture (or import?) to the dealer. I don't know if there is a standard for this (e.g. $150 per ton?), or if there is any connection with the actual cost of delivering the car.

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What are cams? In mechanical systems a cam is a shape that when turned wobbles. Imagine a shaft that turns... now imagine a short piece of that shaft is round and has a bigger diameter than the shaft, but the center of the bigger piece doesn't line up with the center of the shaft. If you set something on top of this cam lobe, and keep it on top as the shaft turns, the thing will go up and down because of...

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What are brake calipers? "Calipers" almost always refers to something has two faces that touch opposite sides of something, like a pair of pliers. On bicycles, motorcycles and cars, brake calipers push brake pads against opposite sides of the brake surface, squeezing the braking surface to create enough friction to slow the vehicle to a stop. On cars, this is usually an assembly with a heavy U-shaped metal...

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My car radio resets itself, losing all saved stations and clock settings. This happens randomly and frequently during very cold winter nights. What could be causing this? Not knowing what kind of car or what kind of radio, I could be off, but I think the most likely problem is a broken or loose power connection. Many radios lose their presets if power is interrupted. This could be at the fuse box, or inside the radio or somewhere in between. If you can get at the radio wiring harness and identify the continuous power input wire (the one that feeds the clock...

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Can the seemingly competing doctrines of free will and predestination, which the Apostle Paul wrestles with in Romans 9, be satisfactorily resolved? Yes. I believe the simplest and most correct understanding of this paradox is the recognition that "God created the heavens and the Earth." If we take this to mean God created the entire universe, He also created time-space and matter-energy which modern physics tells us is the fabric of the universe. If God created time, He is outside of time. If you are not stuck in the flow...

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What would happen if someone killed a solipsist? Hopefully the killer would be tried and convicted of murder if it wasn't self defense or something. Thanks for the question, it made me laugh. Possible answers: 1) You are a solipsist: the other solipsist and his killer were both figments of your imagination. 2) You don't believe in absolute truth: well, maybe he died in your reality, but he wasn't killed in mine. 3)...

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What does the Bible say about reading horoscopes? The Bible specifically condemns consulting mediums or using divination or sorcery for guidance. In the absence of a rational explanation for the source or value of horoscopes, I would include them in the same class as these and therefore conclude that the Bible condemns consulting them for guidance. See also Jer. 10:2, basically it says don't worry about signs in the skies. If you read...

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Which version of the Bible is most widely used? While the KJV is the most widely distributed English translation measured by number of copies in existance (in large part because of its age), scholars worldwide refer to various published versions of the Greek and Hebrew texts, so these have "wider" use if measured by geography or the diversity of people and groups that recognize them. Greek and Hebrew are the original languages...

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Do you need a pilot's license to fly an experimental aircraft that you built yourself? If so, what type of license and certifications do you need besides a basic private pilot license? It depends on the type of craft and how you are going to operate it. I don't think a pilot's license is required for some ultra-light aircraft. If your craft doesn't go very far or very fast and never gets very high - e.g. a human-powered experimental craft or pehaps a ground-effect craft, you can probably test it in a remote area without running afoul of any laws. If this is...

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How do you make a submarine? The actual construction steps will vary widely with the size, materials and requirements of the vehicle, so I will assume you want general principles of design... If the sub is manned or carries equipment that can't be exposed to the water, the hull must be designed air-tight and to withstand the water pressure at the design depth with some factor of safety. The vessel is usually...

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How do you make a cold fusion reactor? While cold fusion appears to be a wonderful, cheap and inexhaustable energy source, it suffers from one major shortcoming... Nobody has figured out how to do it or demonstrated that it is possible. ______________ Hungry Guy: I did not say research was not continuing, nor did I say there are no leads. The site to which you refer even says of the papers presented there: "not all of...

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How is electricity generated? Using general concepts rather than specific scientific terms or construction details... Batteries use a chemical reaction to push electricity around. There are several reactions which effectively pull electrons in on one side and push them out the other. Fuel cells use a similar concept: a chemical reaction pulls electrons in on one side and pushes them out on the other, but they consume...

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How do you make a nuclear power reactor (not a bomb)? 1. Accumulate enough radioactive material that when you put it all in one place it can generate lots of heat. (The more fissionable material you put in close proximity, the faster it tends to decay - the decay releases energy in the form of heat and other things.) 2. Build a mechanism that can either move the radioactive pieces closer together or further apart to control how much heat you are...

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Do hybrids or electric-powered cars have as much power as gas-powered cars? The primary motivations for bringing hybrids and electrics to market are emissions and economy, so they are mostly small and underpowered to deliver the best economy and ecology. There is no technical reason why they could not be over-powered, but there is no market for that since it is cheaper and better by most measures to just use an efficient gas engine and not deal with the added...

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What are the technical challenges in building a hydrogen-powered car? Perhaps the biggest technical challenge remaining is how to store the hydrogen on the vehicle. Hydrogen just doesn't stay in typical tanks, the tiny molecules just leak through most tank materials so you can't keep a multiple-day supply in a light-weight tank. The most promising solution is currently a tank full of stuff that the hydrogen is more comfortable staying in - kinda like a...

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What are smear tactics? A "smear tactic" is an attempt to defeat an opponent by making him look bad ("smearing" him with something) instead of providing superior answers to questions or better solutions on issues. A candidate in an election ought to show how he differs from his opponent, and pointing out things in the opponent's record or policies you believe to be undesirable is fair and...

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From a purely scientific viewpoint, how does matter, arranged in certain complex patterns, become aware of its own existence? This is a deep and excellent question. Science has no unambiguous answer to what "aware" really means. For example, a flower turns to follow the sun as it crosses the sky, so in some sense it is "aware," but that is not really what you mean. We can program a computer to respond correctly to queries about its existance and performance, but I don't know anyone who accepts...

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What are the pros and cons of electric cars? Pro: They are very quiet. They typically have good starting torque. They have no significant polluting emissions. Con: Current batteries have relatively short trip capacity. Recharge time can be hours, so you don't just stop at the station for a couple of minutes and continue on your way. Batteries only survive so many recharges before they require replacement and they aren't...

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It is necessary to turn the A/C off before I start my car? Every car AC system I have ever heard of has a clutch which disengages the AC compressor when the AC system is not in use. When starting the car, this clutch is designed to be disengaged. Even if it is engaged, it should not inhibit starting of larger engines. So, the short answer is "no." Unless you can find somewhere in your owner's manual that tells you to do this,...

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What is the chance that aliens do exist? There is no way to correctly calculate a probability for the existence of extraterrestrial life. There is no consensus on what process led to life on Earth, so we can't even extrapolate based on our experience here. If life on Earth was directed/created, we have no meaningful way of guessing the probability that the designer/creator put life elsewhere also. If life just...

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What is a "gene pool"? The "gene pool" is the total of all genes, or genetic information, in any population, usually of a particular species. If you raise lab rats from a limited set of parents, the gene pool would be the genes of all the parent rats. Most of the genes will be identical, the interesting thing will be the variations. In the case of lab rats, your parents (that is, the ones you use to...

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Why do ice cubes appear white even though water is transparent? I concur with the other answer. One additional item: ice and ice cubes can be made clear using the right water (clean and not aerated) and the right rate of freeze. If you have ever seen a nice ice sculpture, you know big blocks of ice can be pretty clear, but they usually dont' stay that way.

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What is the difference between USB 2.0 and USB 1.0? USB 2.0 is backward compatible with 1.1 (I am not sure 1.0 made it to the consumer market...). This means any 2.0 device will work with the older 1.1 spec devices. If there are any 1.0 devices, I would guess they are supported too. The newer/faster device will automatically talk at the lower speed to accomodate the slower hardware. I saw a document that said 1.0 did not support extension...

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If I have a GPS unit, can the government track my location? While it may be technically possible to build a device that can find and track an unshielded radio receiver when it is turned on, most GPS units are not built to transmit anything - including their location, and no external device can "force" them to divulge it if they aren't designed to do so. There are so many GPS receivers out there, it is unlikely they could identify and...

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Why does traffic drive on the left side of the road in some countries? I can't disagree with willie, but I heard a different angle that may factor in. Left-side-drive traffic is found is cultures wherein many people carried swords secured by a belt at the left hip. When you met someone in the street, you did not want your sword or scabbard to strike the person (especially if un-armed) nor your weapons to clash, which could precipitate hostility, you met...

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What is the average height of a woman? A man? There is an isolated tribal group in Africa in which the average man is around 6' and many of the men are over 7'. I believe their women are taller than most too. There is also an isolated people group where the average man and woman are about 4.5'. If you want an average for a particular population, you need to specify which one. I don't know if there is a credible...

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How does an air conditioner work? First, a couple of basic concepts: When you compress a gas, it gets warmer. If you have ever used a bicycle pump to inflate several bike tires or a car tire, you may notice the end of the pump gets hot. It gets that way because compressing the air heats it up. This is also why they put intercoolers on turbocharged engines, to cool down the compressed air, and why there are cooling fins on...

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What is a digital video recorder and why would I want one? It converts a TV signal into a digital form and stores it on an internal hard disk drive. One of the big selling points is the ability to effectively pause and rewind live TV so you can do your own replays or take rest breaks and not miss anything because some (if not all) of these boxes will allow you to continue recording the live program while paused or reviewing something already on the...

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What does it mean to be a "born-again" Christian? The phrase, "born again," comes from the words of Jesus as recorded by the apostle, John, in his biography of Jesus: the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible. In John 3:3, Jesus says "no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." In this passage ( http://biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=jn+3:1-18 ) a man named Nicodemus asks if he means...

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Is it possible for humans to travel faster than the speed of light? There is a significant amount of speculation about the existence and effect of wormholes. A "wormhole" can be thought of as a discontinuity of the time/space continuum - one metaphor, for example, pictures folding a piece of paper so that two distant points on the paper are close to each other or touching. There are theories that it may be possible to artificially distort the...

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How quickly could a ship using an ion engine slow down, and how maneuverable would it be at high speed? Seems a shame to build a fast ship then slam it into a planet. Any high speed space vehicle will not be even a little maneuverable without very high energy use. Small course adjustments will just take time - and you can basically forget big course changes. If this is a disposable craft, it will have used most of its fuel - and therefore perhaps most of its mass - getting close to its destination. The same engine thrust will provide significantly greater...

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What are the names of all the American space shuttles? The first space shuttle built was called Enterprise and was used for development, flight tests, landing tests and other purposes, but never went into space - it was not actually built for that. I don't think it should be left out of this list. http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/dsh/artifacts/HS-Enterprise.htm

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How does a rocket or other spacecraft propel itself in space? There is a basic principle of mechanics that "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." This is Newton's Third Law of Motion. Any time you push on or throw something, the same force that acts on the object pushes you the other way. All of our experiments and experience show that it must balance. If you are not secured somehow, you will move away from the thing...

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How many stars would a starship ship, if a starship could ship stars? I was going to say that no one has imagined a technology that could move stars... but then I remembered a SciFi story I once read about a transportation field that was extended around a whole solar system to move it out of the way of an oncoming cosmic storm, so I guess I will just defer to the other poster... given enough time a starship would ship what a starship would, if... well... you get...

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How long does it take a satellite to orbit the earth? The closer an object is to the Earth, the faster it must circle to balance the gravitational pull of the Earth. The closest satellites (~100+ km) are in in low Earth orbit (LEO); these can circle the Earth in as little as 90-100 minutes. Any lower than this and the atmosphere would quickly slow the object down so that it would fall back to Earth after relatively few orbits. Many of our...

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Which came first, the chicken or the egg? What we recognize as a chicken, like most common domestic animals, is essentially a product of many generations of selective breeding by many generations of farmers. Some of today's chicken breeds date back only a few years, others centuries. I suspect all of today's breeds developed within the last thousand years or so... maybe three or four thousand at the outside. I doubt their...

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How old is the Sahara desert? I believe all recorded evidence indicates that it is older than recorded history making it at least 4000-6000 years. Beyond this, it is all speculation and extrapolation.

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Do Baptists believe that you must specifically "ask the Lord into your life"? The phrase comes from Rev. 3:20 and is used because in this verse, Jesus uses the metaphor of standing at your door and knocking and tells anyone who hears his voice and "opens the door, I will come in." The phrase is asking people to respond to Jesus' "knock." The answer to your question is a qualified "yes." The metaphor Jesus uses is, after all, a...

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If the Trinity Doctrine teaches that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one, why would God send Himself to Earth? According to traditional Christian belief, one of the persons of the Trinity for a short time inhabited a human body so he could identify with us, communicate with us, serve as a role model for us and pay the price for our rebellion against God. According to the Bible, God says through Isaiah (Isaiah 55:9) "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways...

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I heard Catholics worship the Trinity. Does that mean they worship three gods? The short answer is: No. Every statement of the doctrine of the Trinity I have ever heard or read in a Christian church that teaches it includes the assertion that there is only one God. People who disagree with or reject this doctrine mischaracterize it as "three gods," but I know of no Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or Evangelical Christian church or denomination that allows for...

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What is the Holy Trinity? Theologians studying the Bible found that unique attributes of God are associated with "persons" identified as the "Father," the "Son," and "the Spirit." The Bible is also very clear that there is only one God. Christian theologians concluded that the one God exists as three "persons," and gave this idea the name "trinity." There...

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Are Westerners (N.America/Europe) taught from a young age to place money before human value? I have never heard of a widespread education program or objective that fits the statement of the question. Some thoughts to consider: Europe is full of countries who have voted in parties or candidates who have implemented socialist policies that tax individuals and businesses at very high rates to give benefits to everybody. This does not indicate to me the value stated in the question. ...

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What does it mean to be "double-jointed"? I have observed a person actually moving a finger out of its regular location and seating it slightly off in a second stable position without apparent discomfort. I think it is possible to have this kind of "double joint" in other places. The second location is dramatically inferior in performance, but this phenomenon is one possible meaning of the phrase.

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What elements make up the average human body? According to http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1309/Chap7.html Element Symbol, Weight Percent, Relative Numbers of Atoms O 65.0 2600 C 18.5 1000 H 9.5 6100 N 3.3 150 Ca 1.5 24 K 1.0 21 S 0.4 7 Na 0.3 6 Cl 0.2 4 Fe 0.01 1 I 0.01 1 Zn 0.01 1 The human body is 60% water. What is...

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How can planets and stars have any influence on a person's life on Earth? The primary mechanism goes like this: Someone claims to know how to interpret the meaning of the signs in the heavens. That person publishes his insights/predictions. Gullible humans alter their behavior based on this interpretation. Hence, the positions of heavenly bodies affect a person's life on Earth. While day, night, the brightness of the moon and the tides can affect humans...

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How was Israel formed? According to Biblical records, the nation of Israel takes its name from one of its ancestors, Israel (a.k.a. Jacob), son of Isaac, son of Abraham. The family groups of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were essentially nomadic people in the land in and around the area now known as Israel beginning about 1900 years BC. Jacob's descendants lived in Egypt for many years, but returned to the area to...

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What does it mean to call a politician a "hard-liner"? This generally uncomplimentary term is usually applied by a political opponent to someone who will not compromise in his favor. If you respect an opponent who does not bend to your will, you call him principled. If you just want to pressure him into submission or compromise or smear him with a closed-minded image in a campaign, you "tag him" as a "hard-liner." Some will...

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How many English words that end with 'S' are not plural? Assuming modern English, more than I could count. About every standard present tense verb has a form (thinks, jumps, has...), some obviously foreign-rooted words (e.g. debris, chablis) and lots of other random words (bus, fuss, toss, loss, press...)

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What were the nicknames of the atom bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Little Boy and Fat Man see: http://www.atomicmuseum.com/tour/dd2.cfm

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How does a microwave oven work? Everything has a "natural frequency." Basically that means if you hit it, it will vibrate at that frequency. If you push on (or "excite") something periodically at the same frequency that it wants to vibrate anyway, it tends to makes the vibrations bigger. A microwave oven generates electromagnetic emissions at the natural frequency of water molecules which uses the...

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Why was Japan bombed with two atom bombs? Wasn't one enough? Like all questions of history, the real answer is: we will never really know. Like all "what if" questions regarding policy or decision making in the past, we can not go back and do it again the other way to see if the outcome is better. While it is possible, perhaps extremely likely, that the surrender was imminent after the first bomb, and all intelligence and documents may...

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What is a jabberwocky? "Jabberwocky" is the name of a "nonsense poem" that Lewis Carroll wrote and included in "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There." The poem is fun and fairly easy to follow despite Carroll's invention of several amusing (and perhaps "rootless") words for this fanciful work, including "jabberwock" and "jabberwocky." I...

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How did the Supreme Court decide Roe v. Wade? On what parts of the Constitution did they base their decision? The fourth amendment declares "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures..." The court has taken this and some more obscure phrases to construct what they call a "right to privacy" included in a "penumbra" of implied rights in the Constitution. In Roe v. Wade they ruled, in...

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Why do helium balloons stop floating after a while? Helium atoms are much smaller than O2 or N2 molecules making it much easier for them to pass through "micropores" (I don't know if that is a legitimate word), or spaces, in the molecular or physical structure of the balloon material. While the kinetic energy model presented might be the better model, I have to think that the small size is a significant contributor to the rate of...

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Is it true that Jesus was not actually born on December 25th, the day that is commonly celebrated as his birthday? There is no record of the date of Jesus birth. It is very unlikely (but not entirely impossible) that Jesus was born in December because of the reference to shepherds in the field. I have heard that the most likely time of year was spring. The lack of evidence leads to controversy. The church apparently chose that date not because of historical evidence for it, but for a variety of other reasons.

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Why did the process of evolution allow for the humans to feel pain? Animals without the capacity to sense injury and the strong motivation to respond to that sensory input are less likely to survive long enough to reproduce. One could end up eaten by a predator in one's sleep and not even wake up. A cut on the back, bottom or the soles of the feet could go unnoticed until infection kills the animal. One could walk into a hornets nest and not realize till...

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Are humans considered "animals"? In the biological classification system, humans are rightly placed in the animal kingdom. Since the question appears under Science/Biology the answer is "yes." If the question was posed under Philosophy, Religion or Society, you might get different but correct or debatable responses.

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What is an air compressor? This term usually refers to a mechanically driven pump which takes in air from the atmosphere and delivers it at higher pressure, i.e. compressed. A bicycle tire pump does the same job, but since they are typically human-powered we don't generally classify them as air compressors. On a side note, typical sea-level air pressure is about 14.7 pounds force per square inch (psi). Most air...

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How was life created? No one knows. Every answer will be speculative. I had friends in High School who postulated that the universe could have been created one second in the past - in its entirety, completely working and with history - by a sufficiently powerful and intelligent creator. This hypothesis can not be disproved. Many currently believe that some unknown chemical reaction started in a wet place and got...

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What is calculus useful for? Differential calculus can be used for finding the local slope and curvature of a function and important points on a curve: maximum, minimum, inflection points, etc. These points and slopes can be the solution to a wide variety of problems related to physics, mechanical and electrical design, perhaps chemistry and other fields where a problem can be represented by an equation with variables....

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What proof is there that "zero" is a true entity in itself, when even advanced calculus only "approaches" zero, while never arriving there? Zero has been called a "placeholder" so that our number system works. For example when you write "10.02" you mean one "ten" + no "ones" + no "tenths" + two "hundredths" in decimal notation (base 10). You must have something in the ones place representing an "empty set," or null value for the notation to be consistent and...

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When will our sun die? Of course nobody knows the answer. If current popular models are reasonably correct and nothing changes to alter the progress of the model, concensus is several billion years. It amazes me that, with so few years of observation and so little undisputed evidence, scientists claim to know things like this. Assuming the articles I have read are accurate, the current model of star behavior...

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Why does Venus - unlike any other planet in our solar system - turn clockwise? Like all questions of history and prehistory, science can not give an indisputable answer to this question (assuming the question is valid...). The pure creationist will likely say "because the creator made it that way." Others will come up with a variety of speculations which can not be confirmed, and often can not be refuted by any scientific course of discovery. Did it come into...

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Why can't numbers be divided by zero? You can think of division as: how many pieces this big does it take to make that? For example, 8 divided by 2 means how many pieces "two big" does it take to make 8. It takes four pieces "two big" to make eight: 8/2 = 4 Dividing by zero means: how many pieces "zero big" do you need to make some other number? It can not be done. You can add as many pieces...

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If there really is a Heaven, what is it like? No one can prove he knows. There are many myths in many religions. Some say it is just like Earth, only better. Some imagine a spiritual existence without limits. Some claim death-like experiences which can not be proved real or meaningful as their basis for what heaven is like. Surely the best known descriptions are those of the Bible which, in The Revelation, compares heaven to a beautiful...

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What is the most powerful Earth-based telescope? I believe the largest optical telescopes, the Keck and Keck II, are located in/on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. According to this article, they have been "linked" to simulate a single larger telescope. http://observers.org/tac.mailing.list/2001/March/0207.html There are whole farms of linked radio telescopes that have much greater power than the best optical telescopes. The Arecibo 305...

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Can a satellite-based camera follow the movements of a single person? If that person never disappears under a tree, roof, cloud, underpass, cave or anything else that could obscure the picture, a satellite could hypothetically "follow" a person for at most few minutes. Since the only satellites we have which are capable of imaging small enough detail to pick out a person are low-earth-orbit, they don't stay overhead very long. It is conceivable...

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How can one get into acting? I agree with the school advice, and in addition: Start doing it. If you have any talent or skill at it, it is usually easy to get a part in a play at a community theater if you have one locally. If you don't get a part right away, start working at a local stage theater to see how actors work and what directors do and how theater works. If you work at a theater, you can probably get in...

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If I get a wireless network, can I set it up so I can charge my neighbors to connect to it? What would I need? Is this legal? You can usually set up a wireless router to only accept connections from specific network interface cards (all of them have something called a MAC address). You can include your neighbors wireless device MAC address in your router's access table only if they pay you a fee. You can also change encryption monthly and require them to pay you to get the new encryption codes. This solution...

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Do divining rods really work? If so, how? In following-up other posts here, I found references to map dowsing. Anyone who claims that map dowsing works (using divining rods over a map) is clearly appealing to the spiritual or supernatural. While one could propose that there is an unknown natural force in or around a bucket, pipe or underground stream, there is no possibility of a natural force that causes sticks to move when passed...

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Is Mormonism considered a Christian religion? There is no universally accepted arbiter of what "Christian" means. Most Christian churches would say that David Koresh and/or his followers was/were not really Christian, but they would almost certainly have classified themselves as Christian (since Koresh claimed to be the returned Christ, if I remember right). Some (but not all) groups with the title "Church of...

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What United States president has had the most vacation days during a four year term? The answer depends on what is meant by "vacation." If by "vacation" you mean - as most of us working people do - days on which someone has left all job responsibilities in the hands of others (e.g. the vice president in this case), I suspect the number of vacation days will be a very small number - probably close to zero for most modern presidents. If by...

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At what speed are fighter pilots ejected during an emergency? I assume you mean the speed of the aircraft, so: As slow as practical. Since most eject situations happen when the pilot no longer has full control of the airplane, I expect you take what you can get. Since different classes of jet have different operating envelopes, I would be very surprised if there is a single answer to this question. Basic rules of physics suggest that the slower you...

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Is it possible for a propeller-driven plane to fly faster than the speed of sound? There have been cases of high-performance propeller planes coming apart during full throttle dives. Speculation is that they may have reached the speed of sound and the stresses of the trans-sonic aero loads caused the airplanes to come apart. No propeller driven plane I have heard of has been designed to survive trans-sonic aerodynamic loads. This speculation seems plausible to me, so I...

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Was the Olympic Flame ever lit outside Greece? I remember a news item about one of the torch bearers: on a windy day while running with the torch, it blew out. A bystander offered to relight it with a pocket lighter. After doing so successfully, the runner continued on his way, torch relit. I saw it on TV some years back - they had it on video... On another occasion, the torch in the olympic stadium went out during the games and was...

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What are the arguments against the Theory of Evolution? I know of no argument against "microevolution," so I assume you refer to global- or macro-evolution. While some will not agree with these statements, they are arguments against evolution. One simple argument says that every observable complex system becomes less orderly with time and the random input of energy. While some very simple geometries can self-organize (e.g. crystals,...

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Do divining rods really work? If so, how? As I understand it, a divining rod is used by a dowser or diviner to find something he is looking for, most famously water, but perhaps metal or something else. No reasonable scientific mechanism that fully explains the divining rod phenomenon has been proposed. I am unaware of any controlled tests that have reliably demonstrated that the concept works at all. There is a statistical...

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For how many miles will an average set of tires last? The average is not really meaningful. Tires sold in the USA (and maybe most other places in the world) now have a tread-life rating on them to give you an idea how long they should last relative to other tires under the same circumstances. Very high performance tires with very soft tread compound may have ratings below 140. Very high milage passenger tires have ratings around 600 if I...

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Do spoilers actually do anything for regular cars on the street, or are they just for looks? A properly designed spoiler can improve the aerodynamics of a vehicle and improve its fuel consumption. Because car manufacturers have to comply with strict fuel consumption guidelines, I expect that typical factory equipped spoilers are at least neutral, and may help fuel consumption at some speeds. At freeway speeds, traction improvement from the downward force effects will be relatively...

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Why are carburetors no longer used in new cars? The two primary reasons are Government regulations requiring: 1) higher average fuel economy and 2) lower average emissions. The car manufacturers face stiff penalties if they can't meet the standards. I am pretty sure fuel injection is a lot more expensive, but the manufacturers need to squeeze as much economy out of their cars with as little undesirable exhaust as possible. Compared...

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How does the number of cylinders in an engine affect its performance? Which performance parameter? In each following point, comparison assumes only the number of cylinders changes, not quality, displacement, tolerances, compression ratio or anything else, i.e. "all other things being equal." -More cylinders means more friction surfaces (bearings, cylinder/ring contact, valve guides, etc.) and therefore lower "efficiency." -More moving...

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What is the fastest car in the world? You really gotta define "car." The Thurst SSC has the official record, but it has more in common with the Concorde SST than a family sedan. It's practically a twin-engine fighter jet without wings... World-class top fuel dragsters will do over 300 mph - and get there in under 5 seconds - but I don't consider them "cars" either. I imagine someone out there...

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Is there a difference between four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive? Different manufacturers implement these differently, so you have to research the vehicles that interest you, but typically (please don't give me negatives on atypical application) ... Most 4WD has a transfer case that always drives the rear axle and allows the driver to engage the front axle using a second gear-shift lever. Traditional 4WD does not allow the front and rear axle to turn...

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What type of ships are the largest? US Navy Battleships and aircraft carriers are both over 1000 feet long, but I believe the largest by displacement (weight of the ship measured by how much water it displaces) has to go to petroleum supertankers. The winner, from "Ask Yahoo": "the oil tanker Jahre Viking, which logs in at 1,503 feet long and 226 feet wide. It boasts a gross tonnage of 565,000 tons! "

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What is the current depth record for a submarine? If you include all manned submersible vehicles, the US Navy bathyscaphe, Trieste, explored the bottom of the deepest part of the Ocean known, the Mariana Trench, with a crew of 2 on board. ( http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Bathyscaphe%20Trieste ) The dive is recorded as over 35,000 ft (10,900 m) deep.

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If nuclear submarines can stay 'under' for months, where do they get the oxygen from? Oxygen is easily extracted from sea water. An electric current of sufficient voltage separates H2O (water) into gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. Nuclear submarines generate plenty of electricity.

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Where in the Bible does it speak of the Holy Trinity? The word, "trinity," is not in the Bible. There are many passages which assign the various unique attributes of God to the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Though hundreds of direct and indirect references can be listed, a few simple examples go like this: The Bible clearly teaches there is only one God. "There is no one like you, O LORD , and there is no God but you" 1...

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In general, how long can you leave a computer on until it breaks down? In general, I'd guess several years, but I agree with the other posters that it depends on the quality of your hardware. If your machine has a good motherboard, ram, processor, cooling, drive, power supply, etc, there probably is not a "general" life expectancy. Many of your components will have an MTBF rating (mean time between failures). The component with the shortest MTBF...

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What is an equinox? Because the axis of rotation of the Earth is tilted relative to the plane of its orbit, there are only two points in its orbit around the sun when the sun appears to be directly over the equator. On the days when the Earth passes through these points, there are nearly the same numbers of minutes of day as night everywhere on Earth. One of these days is called an equinox. To find these points...

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Why do people discriminate against others based on their race, sexual orientation, nationality, or other reasons? Humans naturally and necessarily evaluate people and situations based on their beliefs and life experiences. It is much more comfortable to deal with people who share my language, national origin, culture, etc. because I know with some confidence what are their values and how they will respond. The more you are like me, the more I know what to expect from you. Learning what to expect from...

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What are the core beliefs that make someone a Republican? I think the underlying value that currently motivates typical Republicans is a return to more Constitutional government. So much of what the current courts and laws say are almost bizzarre and irrational extrapolation from what the Constitution pretty clearly outlines as intended limits on the federal government. If the people really want a more socialist government or enforced public atheism,...

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What are the core beliefs that make someone a Democrat? The answer depends on when you ask it. John F. Kennedy was a elected as a Democrat who stood for lower taxes, strong military, agressive response to Soviet threats, personal responsibility, etc. By the time of the Nixon v. McGovern race, these positions had essentially moved to the Republican party. Because the values of the party leadership can change so significantly in the space of a few...

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A company is selling a surround system with a bunch of little cube speakers. How well do these work? If these little cubes say "Bose" on them, they produce amazing sound for their size - or any size for that matter - but Bose speakers have a particular sound to them that some people just don't like. If they cost less than about $100 per cube, they will not produce very accurate sound. If you don't hear very well, or don't care as long as they sound better than the...

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What is acoustic "imaging"? Usually this refers to a sound reproduction system's ability to accurately reproduce the subtle cues your brain uses to locate things by sound. If you sit in a theater (for example) and close your eyes, your brain can tell you, sometimes with astounding accuracy, where a sound source is - left, right, up, down, near or far. "Audiophiles" train themselves to notice this stuff, and...

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What is the speed of sound under water? Would an object traveling at that speed produce a "sonic boom" as it would in air? The speed of sound in water is much faster than in air. It does depend a little on your water - fresh vs salt, cold vs warm, pressure - but it is much faster in all conditions - in the neighborhood of 3200 mph or 1400m/s. We can hardly push things through air (at sea level) at those speeds. The fastest bullets reportedly have an initial velocity about 1500m/s. Theoretically, there would be a...

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What is a sound "wave"? "Wave" is the descriptor given to phenomena that propagate themselves through space in ways like the waves in a puddle or sound waves or electromagnetic waves. If you were to draw a line from a sound source to your ear (for example) and measure the air pressure at different points along that line, the pressure would vary in a pattern that reflects the sound. If the sound was a pure...

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Is it true that if everybody in China jumped at the same time it would knock the Earth out of orbit? If people weighed on average 1000 lbs, a billion people would weigh a trillion pounds. The earth "weighs" about six sextillion tons. That is more than a trillion times the weight of all the people on earth. So, if all the people on the earth jumped the same direction at the same time, the earth would move less than one trillionth as far in the opposite direction. For example, if...

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How is the value of a diamond determined? The value of a diamond is ultimately determined by what the seller is willing to accept and what the buyer is willing to pay. The 4Cs help determine the relative desirability of a stone, but if supply increases and/or demand falls, value falls. If supply diminishes and/or demand rises, value rises. I believe diamonds generally have a pretty steep retail mark-up. Retailers charge whatever the...

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What is meant by "absolute zero"? Has it ever been this cold? Temperature is a measure of the energy of motion of particles of matter (approximate defintion). Absolute zero is defined by a state where the basic matter particles have no motion and hence no energy of motion. I have heard the opinion expressed that even the motion of electrons would have to cease to reach absolute zero, but I do not know if this is minority speculation or concensus. I also...

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What is Thanksgiving a celebration of? The first Thanksgiving was just what the word means: a giving of thanks. The pilgrims were, of course, very religious people, and when the harvest came in they declared a feast of celebration and thanks-giving to God. I believe all the early Presidential proclamations related to the US holiday make reference to thanking God for His blessings. Thanksgiving was not the proper name of a holiday...

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Is there any mention of Saint Nicholas in the Bible? Saint Nicholas is believed to have been born about 200 years after the New Testament was written, so his life and deeds could not have been included.

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