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Forum: The Crucible

The serious stuff. Debates and discussions on politics, religion, etc.

  1. Sticky thread Sticky: About the Crucible

    These are just general guidelines and may be added to or changed if and when the need arises. The forum is a place for serious debate, discussion of news and current events, and also witnessing, if you must. Whether it's the deep discussion on...

    Started by Zuul‎, 15 Nov 2009 07:38 PM
    • Replies: 0
    • Views: 32,569
    15 Nov 2009 07:38 PM Go to last post
  1. How do modern Jews feel about the militarization of Moses' Hebrews?

    This is sort of an odd question, since I'm Jewish. I was watching a History Channel documentary called Battles B.C. over the weekend, and it detailed how Moses militarized the Hebrews after fleeing from Egypt. According to the documentary,...

    Started by Agent Foxtrot‎, 18 May 2009 10:26 AM
    • Replies: 19
    • Views: 3,116
    21 May 2009 02:49 AM Go to last post
  2. We must strike first!

    The time is approaching, ladies and gentlemen, where our very way of life will be threatened. The threat is dire and very real, with one obvious and immediate solution. We must destroy Mars and Venus, before they destroy us! Of course, that is...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 11 Jun 2009 08:17 AM
    • Replies: 4
    • Views: 1,459
    06 Jul 2009 09:05 AM Go to last post
  3. Can a nation act altruistically?

    Now, I know that many nations will every now and then be nice, in the form of financial aid, medicine, military security, etc. But is it possible for a nation to, at least most of the time, place the needs of others ahead of their own? To give an...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 03 Mar 2009 01:23 AM
    • Replies: 12
    • Views: 2,538
    09 Mar 2009 09:09 PM Go to last post
  4. What do you own, really?

    The collective "you", that is. What is, at the fundamental level, ownership? Do you own material possessions - does the fact that physical possessions can transfer ownership through simple acts like stealing count against it. Can you claim ownership...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 17 Aug 2009 09:09 AM
    • Replies: 16
    • Views: 1,904
    19 Aug 2009 04:00 PM Go to last post
  5. What's the deal with cannibalism?

    Cannibalism is such an odd thing. It is so widely practised amongst precivilised or barely civilised cultures, but is equally widely condemned amongst civilised cultures. But why? Without the social stigma of necrocannibalism (the consumption...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 18 Aug 2009 06:19 AM
    • Replies: 31
    • Views: 2,803
    14 Sep 2009 12:09 PM Go to last post
  6. A Brand New W

    W. It's a beautiful letter, don't you think? It is the star attraction in any attempt to gain information (who, what when, where, how). We need it for everything from Free Will to Free Willy. Whatever. It's a good letter. A good letter...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 19 Mar 2010 06:54 PM
    • Replies: 24
    • Views: 6,021
    29 Oct 2010 10:18 PM Go to last post
  7. Alien Civilisations - Necessarily Omnivores?

    For the purposes of this discusson, assume that Earth-like life is common throughout the universe and intelligent life is also common. Just to exclude robots, sentient hydrogen clusters and other truly "alien" aliens. Could a herbivorous species...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 22 Aug 2009 11:35 PM
    • Replies: 29
    • Views: 2,651
    01 Oct 2009 09:32 AM Go to last post
  8. Physicists show economies controlled by few

    What do you reckon about this story: http://www.insidescience.org/research/study_says_world_s_stocks_controlled_by_select_few Now, it is worth noting that this is yet to be peer reviewed. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if the economies...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 08 Sep 2009 08:54 AM
    • Replies: 3
    • Views: 1,354
    13 Sep 2009 01:28 AM Go to last post
  9. How would humans react to the appearance of a superpredator?

    So, tomorrow, everyone wakes up to find the world filled with, um, skysharks. These skysharks attack people with reasonable regularity but can be killed, though their population can't be drastically reduced. In other words, they are here to stay. ...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 14 Sep 2009 11:35 AM
    • Replies: 13
    • Views: 1,689
    16 Sep 2009 07:35 AM Go to last post
  10. Employment = Eugenics

    Yeah, you heard me. Suppose someone were to announce a policy tomorrow to remove the genes of common illnesses from the population, and that the plan was workable, affordable and shown to be completely side effect free. Opposition to this plan...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 09 Oct 2009 03:59 AM
    • Replies: 10
    • Views: 1,612
    10 Oct 2009 07:49 PM Go to last post
  11. Former Chief of Police advocates legalisation

    http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2009/s2707258.htm Reading this, it is like preaching to the choir for me. But I would like to get other people's opinion on this. The legalisation of drugs debate has been done before, but this guy is...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 07 Oct 2009 07:02 AM
    • Replies: 19
    • Views: 1,871
    09 Oct 2009 11:00 PM Go to last post
  12. Anthropomorphisation couldn't be more wrong!

    Based on a drunken epiphany I had while reading webcomics and chateing alone - you know, a typical Thursday. Webcomic in question: Which inspired me to make this comment: similar story with dolphins, really - i want to be able to rape,...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 08 Oct 2009 07:20 AM
    • Replies: 11
    • Views: 1,971
    26 Oct 2009 08:51 PM Go to last post
  13. Metaphor for the human brain

    The human brain has been described as the most complicated structure scientists have so far observed. And so, when describing how it works, often a metaphor is chosen which reflects this level of complexity. It seems that the operations of the human...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 27 Nov 2009 12:58 AM
    • Replies: 10
    • Views: 33,510
    23 Apr 2011 03:04 PM Go to last post
  14. I am sick of the whole climate change bullshit

    I've been sick of it for a while, but it has been in the news quite a lot recently. Climate change scientists being consulted by climate change ministers to combat climate change skeptics... the whole thing is a bunch of crap. Newsflash to the...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 30 Nov 2009 03:12 AM
    • Replies: 23
    • Views: 7,375
    01 Apr 2010 07:02 PM Go to last post
  15. The Limits of "Blaming the Victim"

    Debate arising from chat. We can all agree tha outright blaming of the victim is bad, but there are limits to this expression. When the victim fails to take proper precautions for their own safety, then they are inviting trouble, and some small...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 07 Feb 2010 09:03 PM
    • Replies: 40
    • Views: 8,476
    17 Apr 2010 02:37 PM Go to last post
  16. Filthy rich but stuck in the past - yea or nay?

    Summary of debate: Booster Gold - smart type guy or stupid idea guy? So for those of you with "lives" and "friends" and who enjoy going "outside", I should explain: Booster Gold is a DC superhero from the future who steals future tech, travels...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 27 Apr 2010 02:19 AM
    • Replies: 14
    • Views: 3,072
    09 Aug 2010 01:01 PM Go to last post
  17. Monotheism and the laws of physics

    I read a while ago an interesting hypothesis, and it went something like this: Without a society intimately acquainted with the idea of monotheism, people would not have started studying the laws of physics. The argument was essentially, in...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 03 Jun 2010 02:12 AM
    • Replies: 11
    • Views: 3,426
    05 Jun 2010 04:49 PM Go to last post
  18. Can vegans eat yeast?

    Naturally, the thread title should be "Are vegans allowed to eat yeast?", as it removes the temptation of making a joke about vegans being so anemic they can't overpower teeny little beastly yeasties. Ahem. The way I see it, for people who...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 25 Jun 2010 07:46 PM
    • Replies: 2
    • Views: 15,268
    25 Jun 2010 08:25 PM Go to last post
  19. Ads that will make the future cringe

    We've all seen those ads from way back when that make you want to laugh and hurt someone at the same time. The ads that imply women are helpless, fragile creatures, the ads that say you should give your baby soft drink instead of breast milk, the...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 29 Jun 2010 11:58 PM
    • Replies: 7
    • Views: 3,085
    01 Jul 2010 01:23 AM Go to last post
  20. If you ate when hungry, slept when tired, would that be any different for you?

    I find that I rarely eat the moment I get hungry. For breakfast, I force down a bowl of cereal. For lunch, I am watching the clock for a good half hour before, my stomach pinging me. And then there's the occasional random case where I am starving...

    Started by AllWalker‎, 17 Dec 2010 07:13 PM
    • Replies: 5
    • Views: 2,954
    28 Jan 2011 10:06 PM Go to last post
  21. Questions about "prolonged detention"

    Please help me out. I'm not a big student of politics or law, and I'm confused. President Obama just gave a speech about detainees and how to deal with them, and he proposed some new stuff about keeping folks for a prolonged period of time when...

    Started by antijen‎, 21 May 2009 10:59 PM
    • Replies: 3
    • Views: 2,116
    28 May 2009 04:38 PM Go to last post
  22. Princess TaiPing sunk by freighter

    The Princess TaiPing, a chinese junk built to investigate whether the Chinese navy could have discovered much of the Pacific in the 1400's, was run over and destroyed by a freighter off the coast of Taiwan. I didn't even know this re-creation...

    Started by Attack from the 3rd Dimension‎, 28 Apr 2009 10:06 AM
    • Replies: 8
    • Views: 1,543
    29 Apr 2009 05:49 AM Go to last post
  23. What's wrong with getting a GED?

    Quite a few times in the past few years, I've seen disparaging references to people who have a GED (General Equivalency Diploma) rather than a regular high school diploma. I just wondered if anybody could shed light on this. My background: In...

    Started by Baldwin‎, 16 Apr 2009 08:54 AM
    • Replies: 45
    • Views: 61,834
    10 Dec 2012 07:17 PM Go to last post
  24. No atheists in foxholes?

    It's a popular idea (I'm not going to use the grossly overused and misused term "meme") that people like me, who wickedly refuse to believe in God, will change their tune PDQ when they find themselves in terrible danger (e.g., in combat, on a plane...

    Started by Baldwin‎, 04 Mar 2009 06:44 AM
    2 Pages
    1 2
    • Replies: 51
    • Views: 5,533
    14 Apr 2009 02:03 AM Go to last post
  25. Would a viable third party improve US governance?

    During my lifetime, Third Party candidates (for national office) have at best been spoilers (e.g., Perot in 1992; Nader in 2000). But if a third party -- Green Party, Libertarian Party, or what have you -- took a significant number of seats in...

    Started by Baldwin‎, 03 Mar 2009 07:51 AM
    • Replies: 3
    • Views: 2,480
    03 Mar 2009 10:05 AM Go to last post
  26. I agree with Charles Krauthammer about something!

    Doesn't happen often. Usually Krauthammer and I are on opposite sides of issues such as invading countries. But in this piece about the Moon he exactly expresses my thoughts. Creepy. We took a dip in the ocean, then retreated to the tidal pool...

    Started by Baldwin‎, 17 Jul 2009 07:17 AM
    • Replies: 4
    • Views: 1,352
    17 Jul 2009 03:32 PM Go to last post
  27. Obama goes for Great Justice

    President Obama has selected Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for Supreme Court Justice. Linky winky. Obviously the GOP is unhappy with the choice, apparently they didn't expect a liberal president nominating a liberal judge. However, she...

    Started by Batman‎, 26 May 2009 11:57 AM
    • Replies: 7
    • Views: 2,231
    29 May 2009 11:24 PM Go to last post
  28. Swine Flu stealing victims from American Flus

    There's a swine flu epidemic here in Mexico that seems to be spreading north across the border; the latest news I read says there are cases reported in San Diego. What do you guys think? Drug Cartels using biological weapons? Is the longed...

    Started by Batman‎, 24 Apr 2009 02:03 PM
    • Replies: 10
    • Views: 1,849
    29 Apr 2009 08:18 AM Go to last post
  29. President Obama leaves door open for torture prosecutions

    This morning, the president left open the possibility od prosecuting the former administration's officials that helped create the basis for extreme interrogation techniques. Is this a good idea or could it negatively affect the war on terror? ...

    Started by Batman‎, 21 Apr 2009 07:51 PM
    • Replies: 8
    • Views: 1,532
    22 Apr 2009 12:55 PM Go to last post
  30. Deeds vs. Belief (religion debate alert)

    I got into an argument with an evangelicalist the other night, but it's my own fault because I can't square this belief in my head. I'm told by my church that your key into heaven is the acceptance of Christ because he will forgive you of all and...

    Started by beebs‎, 06 May 2009 02:18 AM
    • Replies: 38
    • Views: 3,440
    03 Jun 2009 04:57 PM Go to last post
  31. Why hasn't Obama lifted the American embargo on Cuba?

    I believe the old argument is not to support the human rights violations, but it is just hypocritical today with all the other countries we continue to do business to. I could understand it with Bush, and his old timey "communism is still evil"...

    Started by beebs‎, 16 Oct 2009 04:11 AM
    • Replies: 2
    • Views: 1,647
    17 Oct 2009 10:17 AM Go to last post
  32. Who is the leader of the Republican Party

    I don't mean Rush. Who, within the party, is calling the shots? Who decided all the republicans should not vote for the Stim package? Who told Steele and Gengrey to apologize to Rush. Who is steering policy decisions? Does anyone know?

    Started by Biggirl‎, 04 Mar 2009 06:09 AM
    • Replies: 13
    • Views: 3,271
    13 Mar 2009 11:15 AM Go to last post
  33. WTC Controlled Demolition (eyewitness accounts)

    this thread is an attempt to examine all eyewitness accounts and their implications and meaning for the way history will view the events of the attack on the WTC on Sept. 11, 2001. This thread in great debates was covering the physics of involved...

    Started by bookbuster‎, 25 Mar 2009 05:30 AM
    5 Pages
    1 2 3 ... 5
    • Replies: 246
    • Views: 12,229
    01 Apr 2009 03:22 PM Go to last post
  34. Tips for renewable energy companies

    Here are a few important tips from the latest renewable energy news, highly useful for renewable energy companies, while making a new website. These are just the basic tips for the making of a professional website. To know more about you can go...

    Started by BrianGrass‎, 13 Jan 2010 01:43 AM
    • Replies: 1
    • Views: 1,500
    13 Jan 2010 08:01 AM Go to last post
  35. Will McConnell et al. push Snowe/Collins/Specter out?

    Damn, the titles are short here. Anyway, we saw how pissed a lot of Republicans got when Snowe, Collins, and Specter voted for cloture on the stimulus bill. If they continue on this path (which Specter, at least, pretty much has to do in an...

    Started by Captain Carrot‎, 02 Mar 2009 05:54 PM
    • Replies: 4
    • Views: 1,857
    02 Mar 2009 08:50 PM Go to last post
  36. Being a Jew and being a Christian.

    Serious request: This is a complex issue for me and I turn to those whose opinion I respect and whose ability to discuss, debate and critically analyze is superb. I welcome all opinions. Although this is indeed the Forum for witnessing, I beg beg...

    Started by Cartooniverse‎, 10 Feb 2010 03:35 PM
    • Replies: 7
    • Views: 5,798
    10 Feb 2010 09:35 PM Go to last post
  37. Crop Circle time again

    Welcome to Summer in the English countryside as the crops grow and drunk students try out their latest art/maths project under the influence of several galloons of cider. Now this is what I call a Crop Circle, a 600ft jellyfish in an Oxfordshire...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 02 Jun 2009 06:39 AM
    • Replies: 49
    • Views: 4,840
    17 Jul 2009 12:54 PM Go to last post
  38. Intel find €1.1bn by the European Commission

    Intel has just been find a lot of money by the EC for anti-competition practices in their battle with AMD to be the top chip processor. Story here It looks as though they have been paying certain manufacturers to take their chips instead of...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 13 May 2009 07:02 AM
    • Replies: 4
    • Views: 3,644
    14 May 2009 11:22 PM Go to last post
  39. Welcome to the next Pandemic

    So, it looks like the latest virus outbreak which is going to wipe out mankind is Swine Flu, following on from Ebola, Sars and Bird Flu. Story Here Of course, the next stories are that all Americans are being told to wear face masks if they...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 27 Apr 2009 03:35 AM
    2 Pages
    1 2
    • Replies: 69
    • Views: 9,286
    11 May 2009 06:24 AM Go to last post
  40. What to call New Zealand?

    Ok, so New Zealand has never legally registered the names for each island. Story Here It looks like they are going to ask everyone what to call them, which could either be in Maori or English. Should they change them, or just leave them as...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 23 Apr 2009 06:00 AM
    • Replies: 14
    • Views: 2,041
    25 Apr 2009 07:39 PM Go to last post
  41. Pirate Bay Founders Jailed

    Well, the verdict is out and the founders of the Pirate Bay website have been jailed for a year and ordered to pay 30 Million Swedish Krone (£2.5 million) in damages to various media companies for their activites in assisting people to illegally...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 17 Apr 2009 05:33 AM
    • Replies: 13
    • Views: 5,323
    18 Apr 2009 08:00 AM Go to last post
  42. Should we have a United States of Europe?

    The United States of Europe has an interesting ring to it, for one thing, few of the countries even work in the same way as the USA. However, as a political and trading block, if it existed, it would rival any in the world today. On it's own the...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 09 Mar 2009 10:52 AM
    • Replies: 3
    • Views: 1,950
    27 Mar 2009 08:35 AM Go to last post
  43. Physical Attacks on politicians

    In the UK, we have along held tradition it seems of throwing various items at our politicians to show our disfavour of them. This time round, Peter Mandelson, the Business Secretary aka the Prince of Darkness, was green slimed by a protestor about...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 08 Mar 2009 03:38 AM
    • Replies: 18
    • Views: 2,438
    27 Mar 2009 09:33 AM Go to last post
  44. Could the Lib Dems become the UK's Second Party?

    The next election in the UK is likely to be a Conservative win with a majority in the House of Commons. However, given the public's current disfavour towards Labour, either Old or New, is there a chance that the Lib Dems could become the UK's 2nd...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 03 Mar 2009 09:32 AM
    • Replies: 21
    • Views: 4,468
    18 Mar 2009 10:58 AM Go to last post
  45. Another Bad Day for Labour

    So, at the latest By-Election in Norwich North, there has been a 16% swing from Labour to the Conservatives resulting in yet another loss. This is still a stunning loss for them, despite this being the first poll since the Expenses scandal. Votes...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 24 Jul 2009 07:36 AM
    • Replies: 2
    • Views: 761
    24 Jul 2009 10:10 AM Go to last post
  46. David Cameron Swearing on Radio

    So in his final media appearance before the summer recess from Parliament David Cameron, the likely next Prime Minister of Britain, appears on a breakfast radio show and lets slip with a couple of minor expletives. If you don't know about it, the...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 30 Jul 2009 04:07 AM
    • Replies: 5
    • Views: 910
    04 Aug 2009 08:01 AM Go to last post
  47. Should Gary McKinnon be extradited to the USA.

    Gary Mckinnon, the UK hacker who broke into the Pentagon system is to be extradited. He says he was looking for Proof of Extra Terrestrials, they say he caused several hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage. Will he get a fair trial in...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 31 Jul 2009 07:15 AM
    • Replies: 7
    • Views: 1,353
    11 Aug 2009 09:58 AM Go to last post
  48. A Nuclear Capable Iran

    According to Western Intelligance services, all that's stopping Iran from building a nuclear bomb is the agreement of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. About a year after that, they will have the capacity to drop it on anywhere in the...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 03 Aug 2009 04:03 AM
    • Replies: 4
    • Views: 1,172
    03 Aug 2009 11:11 PM Go to last post
  49. Should the Lockerbie Bomber have been released?

    So releasing the Lockerbie Bomber - good idea/bad idea? Should it have been done for humanitarian reasons - he is allegedly dying of prostate cancer - or should he have remained in jail? Who thinks he will know make a miraculous recovery? Is...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 25 Aug 2009 07:40 AM
    • Replies: 14
    • Views: 1,969
    08 Sep 2009 07:53 PM Go to last post
  50. Has Julian Assange lost all credibility?

    From leading the Wikileaks revolution to hiding in a consol. A few weeks ago, Julian Assange lost his case for extradition to Sweden to answer to charges of rape. He has always claimed that if he was to be sent there, he would be extradited to...

    Started by CatInASuit‎, 02 Jul 2012 10:02 AM
    • Replies: 34
    • Views: 97,473
    18 Jun 2022 12:03 AM Go to last post

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