HeyYou

The problem I'm seeing with your argument is that you are treating non-literal examples as literal, and treating the intangible as if it is tangible. The basic principle behind Zeno's Paradoxes states that when something moves from point to point , it must first get to a point halfway between each. To get to that point, it must first travel to a point halfway between the first and middle points, and to get to there, you must get to a point halfway between those two points. In this, it was stated that since an infinite amount of points much be reached to reach across any distance, that no motion technically occurs, as what is between no motion and motion must be reached, and halfway between each new set of points must be reached. It is stated in this mathematical sequence: {...,1/16,1/8,1/4,1/2,1} This description requires one to complete an infinite number of tasks, which Zeno maintains is an impossibility. This sequence also presents a second problem in that it contains no first distance to run, for any possible (finite) first distance could be divided in half, and hence would not be first after all. Hence, the trip cannot even begin. The paradoxical conclusion then would be that travel over any finite distance can neither be completed nor begun, and so all motion must be an illusion. As for you asking me to show you time, the past, present, or future... it would be in vain. Time is not a physical object. Time, like gravity, exists without any ability to record it. Were the physical proof of a concept the requirement for it becoming fact, very little of science would be considered true. Neither gravity nor atoms have been seen and observed, yet both are universally believed to exist. One doesn't have to be aware of time for time to exist. The belief or disbelief of any given person's opinion bears no weight on whether or not something exists. If it exists, it exists, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. Whilst we can sense space around us, we cannot sense time. We do not possess an understanding of time. What hope is there of knowing the ins and outs of something we have no ability to understand? As much as I have spent my own life delving into the enigmatic and wondrous machinations of time, I still have extremely little understanding of how it works. I cannot show YOU time, because I barely know how I view it myself. In the past, I've had entire nights built upon dreams that ended up being small, precise, unimportant events that happened sometime later. I hardly recollect any of them, but I remember faintly that in one, I visualized talking about a specific subject in a specific room, towards a specific person at a specific angle, and a very specific sequence of cars went by out the window. I originally thought this was a dream, until every single detail happened PRECISELY as observed 3 or 4 days later. Yes, I realize this sounds a tad batty, but my studies in time have taught me far more than I was meant to. Far more. To observe time requires understanding of it, and the belief that it doesn't exist does not reflect very good understanding of it, but rather a relativistic view on an absolutist matter. Zeno may have been a great mathematician... but, there is a difference between looking at things from a mathmatical perspective, and looking at them in the real world. Movement does indeed take place, as when I fire the arrow, it (sometimes) hits what I am aiming at. No one will dispute that it moved, as it is readily apparent that it has. As for Achilles, and his turtle..... if the race last long enough, he WILL pass the turtle. The only circumstance in which he would not, is if he did not have enough TIME (*snicker*) to overtake the turtle. What's to understand about time? Whether it exists are not, you can observe it's passage, even though such passage may be based on the arbitrary movements of sticks pivoting about a common center.

Time has things in common with light.... not a wave, not a particle, but, behavioral aspects of each.... time can pass quickly, (like when you are having fun) or, it can drag on interminably. (listening to a dull lecture....) Driving home is always faster than driving to someplace else.... Even though the 'measured' amount of time for either trip is roughly equal.... it SEEMS to be quicker getting home. Even time spent waiting for some particular event is mutable.... something you are really looking forward to... the clock hands seem stationary..... something that you dread... you can feel the breeze generated by the hands spinning so quickly. Time does indeed exist...... and is measurable, (atomic decay anyone?) but the perception of it can change from moment to moment, depending on just what it is you are doing at the time... :D

You be careful, and be sure to come back. Where the hell do you live anyway??

See, that's just the trouble we have at the moment though. Everyone INSISTS that their way, is the only way, and the other guys, are driving the country into the ground. Doesn't matter that we can look back and see just whose policies it was that drove us to the brink of disaster, and that the continuation of those policies by the following administration, strangely enough, STILL hasn't improved anything. You will notice that the three latest Free Trade agreements were signed without ANY fanfare whatsoever. Gee, why do you think that is? Could it possibly be because those agreements help the multinational corporations only, deprive americans of jobs? Ensure that more money is headed OUT of our economy than coming in???? But, seems folks in government STILL think this is a good idea?????

So far, what I have seen from Warren, are ideas on how to 'fix' congress. I haven't seen squat on what he has in mind to fix the economy. Simply fixing congress won't do a thing toward that end. (although, it certainly won't hurt either.....)

Not like you get a lot of choice in the matter..... Get married, enjoy the time you have left stateside, do your deployment. Come back in one piece. Thank you for your service. I tend to agree though, that I don't see us accomplishing anything in Afghanistan any more. We need to just get the hell out, and let them do as they will. They will be right back to what it was before we showed up on the scene within a month, or at most, a year, after we leave in any event, whether we leave tomorrow, next year, or next decade.

vVX1000.exe is a program associated with the webcam. (lifecam) The assorted missing files REALLY need to be addressed....... I would highly recommend backing up anything you don't want to lose, and completely wiping the drive the O/S is installed to clean, then power off the system, before reinstalling. (eliminates things that hide in memory, and also prevents previous registry entries from carrying over.)

And voter fraud.... Ya, we know that Obama was the first to use some dishonest practices in getting elected.......... Quite frankly, I am not going to vote for him either. I did last time around, but, I did NOT get the president that I voted for. I got Bush III. Of course, I really shouldn't be surprised, not like there is any difference any more in any event. The same foreign policy, the same economic policy. I think the only real differences are their views on gun control, and abortion. Real possibility I will simply forgo voting in november. There won't be anyone on the ballot that I would be will to say " I voted for him/her"........ and "none of the above" isn't a valid choice. (though I think it should be)

A shoulder fired 20mm????? How far does it push you back when you pull the trigger? :D Stay safe.

Wow.... Just...... Wow. Thank you for putting this so well. I am thinkin' that you and I are on the exact same page.

I already know the answer to that one. No. My vote doesn't mean diddly squat.

So we would have equal representation of all parties, and nothing would ever get done, because no one could come up with a majority to pass any particular piece of legislation?

Trouble is, in order for either method of reforms to be implemented, the very people that you are attempting to impose this on, are the same folks that would be voting on it. Zero chance it would ever pass. Same thing goes for campaign finance reform, or altering pay rates, and insurance packages. None of it stands a snowballs chance in hades of ever making it out of congress, to the presidents desk.

Externally, there is very little difference between the dems and the repubs as far as foreign policy goes. Obama might just as well be Bush III. His domestic/economic policies have a lot of similarities to the repubbies as well. Tax cuts, free trade agreements, etc. Granted, he is a bit more heavy handed on the regulation side of things. Personally, I don't think EITHER party has the answers. So long as elections are decided by who spends the most money, its the average american that is going to get the stinky end of the stick. Of course, given that the folks that have the power to change that, are the same folks that benefit most by NOT changing it...... I see things going on pretty much as they are, until we reach the crisis point..... (which I believe is rapidly approaching....) At which point, things will either turn around, or, collapse entirely. My guess is the latter alternative. The federal government CANNOT create private sector jobs. They can put in place an environment that ENCOURAGES private sector job growth, but, the current rash of Free Trade agreements are NOT the right direction. Great for creating jobs everywhere else, lousy for the folks right here at home. America simply cannot afford to continue in it's current direction. We are rapidly becoming one of the third world countries we oh so often try to 'help'....

That's horrible. And I laughed my keester off. :D

See, that's the funniest part. THE PEOPLE can see what the main problem is. Big money in politics. I am sure the people elected to office realize it as well, but, they remain VERY quiet about it, as they make millions of dollars from it. If you removed the big money from politics, via campaign finance reform, outlawing PAID lobbyists, reversing citizens united ( I will believe a corporation has the same right to free speech as an individual about the time Texas executes one.)..... That would go a long way toward getting government back in the hands of the people, and out of the pockets of big money. Trouble is, it will never happen, as the people that would have to affect such a change, are the very people that benefit from NOT changing a thing. So, look forward to more of the same until our country is bankrupt, the rich have ALL the money, the middle class is gone, and the only jobs around, are minimum wage "would you like fries with that" jobs......

That was just a generalization, not aimed at anyone in particular. That just seems to be the way 'society' views men. Or, at least, folks that indulge in certain behaviors. (like owning fast cars, big trucks, loud stereos, etc.) Given what some of the folks with the stereo systems that cost more than the car listen to...... I can most certainly deal without that...... I don't particular care for getting a massage from the guy sitting next to me at the light subwoofers. :D Some of those guys go WAY overboard on that. Of course, they see my gas-hog pickup truck, and probably think the same thing about me. I drove my hot rod/sports cars, because they suited me. I LIKED having a boatload of power on tap. I LIKED being able to take 25MPH corners at 70. I LIKED being able to cruise 140MPH on the freeway at 3:00AM. Bear in mind, I didn't drive like that ALL the time. For the most part, it WAS just transportation. Just transportation with character, and a really HUGE fun factor on tap. :D I drive a truck now, because there are more of us in the family. (and I got tired of hearing the whining from the back seat of the Firebird. :D) I need cargo capacity, I will grant that the four wheel drive wasn't absolutely necessary, but, it's nice to be able to just jump in, and drive away, regardless of the weather. (not that snow has been much of an issue here this year.....) I can't afford to own a vehicle for every purpose that I drive for. So, I need one that covers as much of the range as possible. Besides, I LIKE driving my truck. And not just ON the roads.

http://www.youngwome...d-uses-ocp.html Contraception isn't just used for birth control. Exactly. As I stated in my post, (Reading is fundamental!) she was speaking on behalf of a friend who'd needed it for MEDICAL REASONS not just so she wouldn't get pregnant. Also, to the person stating about women's rights and so on...Did you know that Viagra and Cialis are considered medically necessary? Which is funny, since I never knew that getting it up could be vital to men's health and physical well-being in the same way that taking birth control pills is medically necessary in some cases for women :P There are certain powers out there that have a major issue with anything that interferes with procreation, but, have no problem with something that supposedly promotes it......

Ok, let me see if I have this straight. If I see my vehicle as anything other than a transportation appliance, I am compensating for something. (I have an appreciation for machinery. I don't drive a sports car because I doubt my 'manhood', I drove it because I LIKED it. Of course, now, in my dottage.... I have difficulties getting in/out of low-slung cars, so, I drive a 4 wheel drive truck.... I must be compensating for something.....) If I like loud music, I am compensating for something. (I don't) If I am promiscuous, I am compensating for something. (I'm not.) If I work out, I am compensating for something...... (no, I don't do that either....) Seems that no matter what you do, it is because you feel a lack in some area.... What a bunch of horse hockey. :D

Neither the dems, nor the repubbies give a rat's patootie about the 'average american'. Politics in general has become a game of who can get the mostest, the fastest. Neither party has the best interests of the US in mind. Certainly not GW Bush. He got us into one war based on lies, we invaded another sovereign nation because of ONE man. Bush did more to undermine US standing on the world stage, than any president before him. The major problem we have in this country IS the political parties. Seems folks want to adhere to 'their' parties politics, and anyone that disagrees with them is obviously unbalanced, deluded, misinformed, loony, or, a host of other insults. Let me clue you in, it doesn't MATTER who you vote for any more. The same policies continue, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the middle class evaporates into the ether. The military-industrial complex run this country. It's all about money.

One of the main issues, as I see it, is the caseload that the workers that administer the system (those that directly deal with the clients) is outrageous. At last check, that number was pushing 800 cases per worker. It would be physically impossible for the worker to verify that each and every client actually had a legitimate need for support.

Yeah, but, how far have those radio waved traveled? 60 light years? I should think they would be drowned out by the background noise long before they reached that distance. Not to mention, there just aren't that many suns within that sphere, that would be capable of supporting lifeasweknowit.....

Well, my major malfunction with the whole "free trade" thing was, it was supposed to offer us less expensive products, of approximately the same quality. (yeah, uh huh... we see how that worked out......) In reality, that didn't happen at all. Prices stayed the same, or even went up...... and quality hit the toilet. One of my favorite examples is Dodge, or even GM trucks. At one time, these were produced in the good ol' US of A. Then, along came NAFTA..... eventually, most of the production moved to Mexico where labor costs were SUBSTANTIALLY lower.... but, did we see the price of those trucks go down? No, they got MORE expensive. Where did the "savings" go? Right into some Upper management types pocket. The consumer got screwed. Not only did the folks that USED to build those trucks lose a good paying job, the same truck was noticeably lower quality. Yeah, I don't care for Free Trade. I see it as a scam perpetrated by corporations, to make as much as possible, as fast as possible, before their market dries up, as no one they sell to has a job any more.

Yes, Piracy IS illegal, but, how much it 'costs' the entertainment industry is open for debate. I would REALLY like to know how they came up with those numbers..... There is zero information out there about how many folks that pirate material, would have actually PURCHASED it in the first place. Also not taken into consideration is how much the industry spends on DRM software, that doesn't work, and in many cases, is counter-productive. A significant percentage of folks that pirate software, (games in particular) do so because the publishers load it down with so much crap, and hoop jumping, as to make the legitimate copy of the game difficult, if not impossible, for some folks to get it running. The pirated copies without all that overhead, don't suffer from those problems. Piracy is never going to be stopped. Legislation isn't even going to slow it down. No DRM is ever going to be effective. The entertainment industry screaming about how much it costs them is a sham.

I would like to know what planet that was on. let me tell you a little story. When I was pregnant with my daughter I had to quit working for medical reasons. I was a manager of a bookstore at the time. I have a college education. Unfortunately though my health issues were in part pregnancy related...to get Social Security Disability takes a LONG LONG TIME. Then the Father of my child decided to leave the relationship (of 4 years that time around)...leaving me with no job, no money, no way to pay the rent...etc..etc. So...I move in with my Mom (actually passing my Father in and out the door the day I moved...as my parents were separating..awkward--so only one income there now.) Anyway....so I can't work and I swallow my pride and trot my butt down to the DHHR and try to get some help. Because I didn't qualify for any job training...or whatever training it was....I did NOT get a welfare check....like that bit of money to pay bills, etc. Thankfully I did qualify for food stamps...WHICH I COULD NOT USE TO BUY CIGS OR ALCOHOL...people that think that are misinformed.(Though at the time they were like paper money and could be traded to those criminal-minded for money or those things I guess.) So a pregnant woman....living with a single-income Mom (she made about $12/hr at the time which wasn't bad for her at her age..but she did not work a full 40 hrs and had to pay for her healthcare as she was not yet 65...and made too much to qualify for any assistance also.) We had rent and food and all that to pay...they gave me $112 a month in food stamps. Yup....that is what I qualified for....$112 and a medical card. I asked...in surprise....what if I wasn't living with my Mom...they replied...hey its a good thing your car is still titled to your Dad or you wouldn't get anything. When I had my child...I got the food stamps doubled. So for anyone you see...or IMAGINE that is abusing the system...no matter how bad it is...there is worse. Because some help is better than none and I was darn grateful to get it. However firing workers (who are so overworked and get paid very little...most of those people have degress some even masters...and make very little and have HUGE caseloads.) and slashing budgets and wanting to make drug test and all the other hoops and whistles you have to go through....well it makes little sense to me. How do you expect for a program to run effectively when you have under-paid/over-worked employees as that is a system BEGGING for corruption from inside and out. When I first went back to work after I had my daughter I of course lost everything....despite having an job income...I did have a child to support...and it cost $400/month (at the time and that was cheep) to send my kid to daycare. It almost cost me more TO work than I was making. Funny huh. I wonder why so many folks think welfare is the better choice at times. So I am anxious to hear anything anyone has to help solve this issue. Welfare was made to help hold folks over until they can pick themselves up by their bootstraps. Unfortunately the conditions and the budget cuts that are made in whatever name...succeed in only putting far more people into situations like I found myself that it does to curb the tide of corruption or folks taking advantage of the system. Throwing out the baby with the bathwater isn't really an effective way of curing the issue. I know many of our more conservative brethren will no doubt point to folks relying on charity of their fellows. Unfortunately charity comes in spits and spats and there is no guarantee of a generous heart right around the corner. That welfare check or food stamps...it may be pride-crushing...it may be over-used....heck it may be a horrible system....but it came every month, on time....and was accepted everywhere. Welfare Family in million dollar home. This planet. The rules governing welfare, and who qualifies for what varies significantly from state to state. (it IS a state run program after all, just financed with a lot of federal money.) Used to be, if you were a single male, you couldn't get squat. Not even an insurance card, no matter how bad off you were. (direct experience here too..... I gave up walking for a while, couldn't work, had no insurance, but, the state wouldn't do a damn thing for me, not even food stamps.) If you didn't have children, (or, were pregnant......) you couldn't get anything either. Now today, better than 25% of the population of the county I live in, is collecting some flavor of government assistance. (yeah, the economy sucks here.....) Even while population is decreasing....... I think one of the biggest things we could do to get folks off welfare/reduce fraud, would be to put americans back to work. Stop exporting our jobs, and PAYING the corporations to do it. Let's get america back to work, and a fair few of our problems will be reduced, or, disappear completely.