It's Just Not Fair - We Need Honesty in the Natural Sciences

We need to be able to trust our leadership, our parents, our teachers, and our scientists. We need to have good information to make important life decisions and important strategies to propel our civilization. If not we all lose when poor choices are made and the law of unintended consequences throws us a curve ball, red herring, or black swan event. If we cannot see the past the first row of trees, how can we ever understand the rain forest?

We need to keep integrity and honesty in the sciences, or we cannot progress. The other day there was a very interesting article on Helium, posted in the Science/Astronomy Section titled; "NASA admits all previous warming trends caused by sun" by Terrance Aym on April 3, 2011. In the article's teaser first paragraph it stated;

"Under mounting pressure from scientists that reject the politically popularized man-made global warming and climate models-the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) theory-the American space agency NASA has admitted that all past warming trends were driven by solar activity." And in the last sentence of the article was this problematic and troubling comment; "Far from warming, Kukla is warning everyone that will listen that the world is about to enter a new Ice Age."

In further debating this recent announcement with a fellow think tanking thinker type from Sweden, Daniel Perrson, it was noted that the we have a problem with the "Leafmasters" - which is a private joke we have generated around here to explain how the tree of science so often has branches which just stop, offering no more than a lousy leaf as any potential chance for progression. Call it the academic Ivory Tower or Pedestal Syndrome if you want, we call the problem one with the "Leafmasters" of our modern scientific realm.

Daniel laughed at a particular line in the article; "Why are some scientists worried? Perhaps because they feel that to stop worrying may mean to stop being paid." Exactly, and this is how the Global Warming Alarmists hijacked science, using governments and public fear to fund research and as long as that research supported the theory of Global Warming more money was given for even further research, a black hole from which there is no way out, and any scientific evidence shining light on the reality could never reach escape velocity or appear in the scientific journals.

Essentially, contrarian views, research, and data was effectively silenced. Daniel stated that; I hope the TV/Film-industry produces a movie about the real situation and not only all the propaganda movies about the lies spread by the leafmasters. If they do, it will probably start a bigger debate and get it all to the surface, and make allot more people aware. The scam needs to get out.

Is it possible that some climate scientists are tired of being silenced and are now speaking out despite the chances of being black-balled from future research grants? Could be, and on another speculation, could this be why the NASA satellite crashed which was supposed to once and for all give us the proof and end the debate on AGW Theory.

Is there more to all this, a conspiracy theory perhaps, but things are beginning to look as if the global citizens of the world and the public at large has been had when it comes to the Global Warming scare. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

vzlan politics

vzlan politics

Are Psychic Skills God Given?

The answer to the question, are psychic skills God given will depend on your personal views more than anything else. The people who seem to have excellent intuition and excellent sensory perception skills do seem to be blessed with an ability the majority of the population cannot claim, but then again are they blessed? Because you have to admit having the ability to speak to the dead and having the ability to see and hear about heinous crimes would not always seem like a blessing. Then again being able to help solve those heinous crimes and resolve problems the living are having after someone has departed would be a blessing. I suppose this is what you call a double edged sword.

It would seem that psychic skills are from the divine source since most things that are good have been given to humans as a gift from Him. This is the way that all Christians believe and this covers a large portion of the population. There is however people who believe in psychics and their powers who do not believe in God so for those people this explanation would sound ludicrous.

It appears that the people who have these powers have psychic powers that are God given or at least powers that they were born with. There do not seem to be any classes that a person can attend to make they become a clairvoyant. There is however ways that people who have the precious abilities can work to strengthen their abilities. There are even ways that people can do things to determine if they have any powers or not. There just does not seem to be a way to make it happen if you were not born with some ability.

One thing that people can say is that when you find a medium or a clairvoyant you will generally find someone who has a family history of having people with these abilities. It is possible that these powers are inherited as some genetic makeup that some families have and others do not. At one time it was thought that only Gypsies had these amazing skills and most of the Gypsies were of European descent.

If you really look at it closely though the majority of people display some form of psychic powers. Most of us have very weak senses of perception and intuition but almost all of us can say that we have experienced times in our lives when we just knew something or we could just feel something was different or about to happen.

Geometry for Beginners - How To Find the Surface Area and Volume of Prisms

Welcome to Geometry for Beginners. In this article, we are going to start looking at the 3-dimensional equivalents of the 2-dimensional relationships of perimeter and area. Perimeter of polygons refers to "the distance around" while the area of polygons refers to "the space inside." For 3-dimensional figures, like prisms, "the distance around" becomes surface area; and "the space inside" becomes volume. We will be introducing the formulas for finding both surface area and volume of prisms and discussing applications of these concepts.

Before we discuss the formulas, we need to make sure we are all picturing the same kind of figure. Let's use a cereal box for our mental image. Our cereal box is an example of a right rectangular prism. RIGHT because the sides (lateral faces) are perpendicular to the top and bottom (bases). RECTANGULAR because the bases (top and bottom) are rectangles. PRISM because the figure has two identical polygonal bases that are parallel to each other and 4 lateral faces that are rectangles.

Note: If the sides were not perpendicular to the bases, the figure would be OBLIQUE--not right, and the lateral faces would be parallelograms rather than rectangles. An oblique triangular prism would have sides NOT perpendicular to the bases, the bases would be triangles, and the 3 lateral faces would be parallelograms.

Again, picturing our cereal box, surface area would refer to the packaging or the box itself. For package manufacturers, the amount of material needed for each box is extremely important. The cereal inside the box would represent the volume of the package, assuming the box is full. This is an equally important business concern.

The formulas for surface area and volume will look unusual because they use symbols we haven't used before, but only the symbols are new. You already have the skills to use these formulas!

Formula for the Surface Area of Prisms: SA = 2B + LA, where SA is surface area, B is AREA of the base, and LA is lateral area.

Thus, to calculate the surface area of a prism, we must first calculate B, the area of whatever polygon forms the base, using the appropriate formula for the shape. Then, this value must be multiplied by two since there are 2 bases.

Next, we must calculate the lateral area which is the sum of the areas of the sides. Since the sides are either rectangles or parallelograms, we will use the formula A = bh. Then add the sides together for the lateral area. Caution! Be certain you are using the actual height and not a side if the sides are parallelograms.

The final step is to add your values of 2B and LA.

The best way to memorize and read the formula SA = 2B + LA is "The surface area of a prism is equal to two times the area of the base plus the sum of the areas of all the lateral sides." Remember that area is always labeled as square units.

Formula for the Volume of Prisms: V = Bh, where, again, B is the AREA of the base and h is the height of the prism.

Caution! Remember that the edge of the prism is the height only if the figure is a right prism. If the prism is oblique, the height will have to be calculated just as is necessary in non-right triangles.

The formula V = Bh should be read as "The volume of a prism is equal to the area of the base times the height of the prism." Remember that volume is labeled as cubic units.

How to Learn a Language Online

For anyone trying to learn a new language, the task can seem daunting at first. You can overcome this daunting dilemma by planning. Planning is the most important aspect of any new objective that you are striving for. When you begin your planning you need to decide how much money that you can set aside, within your budget, to focus on which language you want to learn. In addition, you need to plan when you are going to study and how often. By following these simple guidelines, you will make the overall process of learning a new language much easier to accommodate for. In this article, I am going to tell you where you need to start your planning and how to take action to learn a language online.

Choosing how you want to learn a language:

Once you know how much money you are willing to set aside to learn a new language, you need to decide how you want to learn. Do you want to learn with a software program or do you want to learn entirely online? Both of these methods are computer based. One allows you to take the course entirely online without having to activate a software program where as the other allows you to have the various levels of the program at your fingertips. Which is better? Both methods are great ways to learn a new language. The version that's completely online usually comes with a subscription period. This means that you will only have access to the software program for as long as your subscription period last. You can renew these subscription periods for additional time. The down side to renewal is that it will cost you way more money than you would have initially spent for the hard copy package.

The bonus to the online subscription packages is that you are on a time limit. By being on a time limit, you are more likely to stay committed to your study schedule and you will usually have access the entire software program. When you purchase a hard copy package, you may be getting the entire package or you may not. This depends on how many levels you purchase. Remember that more levels means more money! Now that you have figured out how you want to learn, you need to decide when you want to study and how often you want to study each week.

The best way to grasp a new language is by repetition! So studying as much and as often as you can will really allow you to hit the ground running. If you do not have the luxury of lots of spare time then you need to take a moment and pick out the days and hours of when you want to study. Some people like to study early in the morning where as others like to study prior to going to bed. Pick whichever works best for you and plan on spending approximately an hour studying. Do this on consecutive days so that you are able to reinforce what you studied on the previous day! I highly recommend that you study two days and then take a day off. Repeat this pattern in your schedule until you feel confident with the material. The day off gives you a breather so that your days are consumed by studying.

To be effective at learning a language online, you have to decide which online language program you want to learn with. Following that, you have to decide when you want to study and for how long. By following these simple rules and incorporating them into your daily schedule, you will become a better student and be one step closer to learning a new language.

What Should I Ask a Psychic Medium (And The ONE Question NO Psychic Wants to Answer)

What are some good questions to ask a psychic medium? Is everything fair game? Can a medium make contact with anyone I want... or do they simply see whoever "shows up" instead? In short.....if I really want to make contact with a loved one on the other side, what are the rules for getting a great reading that truly lives up to the hype?

In this article we are going to take a quick and easy look at some of the common questions folks have about calling or visiting a medium and I'll share some of the "wisdom" I've gleaned from 20 years of studying psychics, mediums, and clairvoyants of all types and stripes as well. Curious to know more? Continue reading as we take a closer look below!

Do mediums "see" whoever comes through, or can I "ask" to see someone in particular?

A great question, and one that comes up quite a bit! The truth is, every medium works a bit differently, and has a different set of skills as well. Most legitimate mediums will see a spirit around you, and whether that particular spirit has shown up, or simply is ALWAYS around you, depends on who you ask. (and what you believe, and maybe even depends a bit on the circumstances of what the spirit him or herself is "doing" in the afterlife)

For example?

Some spirits seem to "stick around" and gravitate to people and places they loved during life, rather than move on in the next world. (which according to many psychic mediums, is the chief reason certain places feel "haunted", when a given spirit attaches to a place for an extended period of time)

Good questions to ask a medium?

Really anything that will give YOU validation that the communication is genuine. There is no real answer that is universally applicable here, it's more about what YOU need to know that confirms that the information you are hearing is valid, genuine and NOT being made up by the medium.

Questions to NOT ask a psychic or medium?

Honestly, you never want to ask a psychic (or a spirit) when YOU are going to die, or anything that forecasts your own demise. It's not really comfortable for the medium, NOR is it always accurate if you get an answer at all. (and believe it or not, MOST honest psychics will tell you that they don't "see" this on demand years and years in advance, it's something that they'll sense when close or during a much deeper life reading)

And remember...

Asking a medium questions, or trying to make contact with a loved one who has crossed over is a GREAT way to help with your own grief resolution, and to be reminded that life doesn't end with physical death. I know that lots of people don't believe this as well of course... but if you keep your mind open, and just "test" a legitimate medium reading to see, I'm pretty confident you are going to find the experience CAN change what you believe about life, death and everything in between.

Damselflies - Interesting Facts on These Beautiful Insects

Wander around any area of water in the summer months and you will see a host of these pretty insects near the water's edge. There are about 20 species of Damselfly in the Great Britain and Ireland, which fall into four families and nine genera.

Damselflies belong to the Ordonata order of insects. The Ordonata order includes Dragonflies as well as the Damselflies. However, the Dragonflies belong to the sub-order Epiprocta, whilst the Damselflies are in the Zygoptera sub-order, which translates from this Greek name to mean 'paired wings'. They have two pairs of similar wings and cannot walk.

Damselflies can often be mistaken for Dragonflies, however there are apparent differences that can help you tell the difference. When resting, the Damselfly will hold its wings long and parallel to its body, whereas the Dragonfly will hold his wings perpendicularly away from his body. The Dragonflies hindwing will also broaden near the base, whilst the Damselfly hind and front wings will essentially look the same. Damselflies are also weaker fliers; Dragonflies are fast! The eyes are different too, with the Damselfly clearly having two separate eyes, whilst the Dragonflies eyes tend to touch together.

Female Damselflies lay eggs in water, on vegetation or in water filled nooks in trees. The eggs hatch into water nymphs and these are carnivorous. They will eat daphnia, mosquito larvae and any other small aquatic organisms. The Nymphs have extendable jaws and large, external gills at the end of their abdomen. The nymphs will moult several times before becoming an adult.

Adult Damselflies will eat small insects, including fleas and mosquitoes. The abdomen is usually long, slim and coloured. They are usually coloured blue; however you will also see red, black and emerald coloured bodies. The colour is usually solid or banded. There is also a species that has white legs.

The Common Blue Damselfly is the one you are most likely to see in England. The Common Blue is about three centimetres long and is often seen on emerging plant stems, all facing the same way! It has a blue abdomen, with black stripes, as well as having a blue and black head. The female can look similar to the male, although more commonly, she is considered to be a dull green to brown colour with black stripes.