The serious stuff. Debates and discussions on politics, religion, etc.
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...
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...
Mellodome seems to be a fairly homogeneous place, so I'm not sure how a thread like this will work. But let's give it a shot - post an (honestly held) opinion that you think is an unpopular one, on Mellophant in particular or to the wider world. And...
I think the 2nd Amendment was a mistake and that it has caused more harm than good. I don't want guns outlawed, but I also do not think they should ever have been given Constitutional protection. I think they should be treated like any other item...
Over on messageboards like the Straightdope and the James Randi Educational Forum, if you want to comment on 9/11, you are immediately referred to a 10,000 page NIST Bible and other important works that you are meant to have read, in order for your...
I don't want to know if you define yourself as "liberal" or "conservative" or "Democrat" or "Republican". I want to know what, specifically, you care about. Liberal and conservative are going to mean wildly different things to different people,...
I'm curious about this. I've read in a few places that the consensus amongst historians was that Jesus did exist. What is the evidence for this? The only evidence that I know of is a reference to "followers of Chrestus" by a Roman historian...
After several years residing in France, Roman Polanski has been arrested on a journey to Switzerland pending extradition to the USA for the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He fled America over 30 years ago from a charge of...
As some of you may know, I have argued this position before as an aside in other threads, but I think it deserves its own topic. Increasingly, there have been calls for more "humane" farming and scientific research—calls to avoid causing animal...
This is not the first study I've seen on this subject. Essentially, this study found that there is a correlation between first name desirability and scholastic aptitude. Others, like clinical psychologist C.R. Snyder, claim that strange and...
Ban The Burkha Come on you feminists, you're letting the side down!
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/mtspwfy/documents/MTSPWFY-Sco.pdf I know Scots is a vibrant and somewhat discreet dialect of English but I wonder what good brochures like the above do. It just seems like a magnet for ridicule....
I've noticed this weird trend where autism is suddenly viewed by the public and various media outlets as some kind of disease that confers mystical powers onto the afflicted person. I do understand that some autistic people have certain talents, but...
I'm not sure how many people will be interested in this, but I was just encouraging OneCentStamp to start an "Ask the Ex-Mormon" thread, and we already have an "Ask the Pagan" thread, so I thought, why not have a theme? As an advance warning,...
I'm sure he is a decent guy (personally), but what's with all this asskissing and deification? Seems only fair, considering the Reagan thread
I'm an atheist, I probably score a 6.5 on Richard Dawkins' 1 to 7 scale, with 7 being complete non belief. I was watching Ghost Whisperer yesterday (this is my 0.5% failure) even though I don't believe in the supernatural I do enjoy fiction about...
Last night I watched a local news report on a 26 year old man with an incurable and very painful disease who wants to die. An anti-assisted suicide person was interviewed and her reaction was so strong in feeling that she knew what was best for the...
Inspired by http://www.mellophant.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10671 I feel that part of the requirement for having children is the ability to provide a stable home environment with both parents pulling their share of the load. The child should...
Currently a dozen or so pirates are in custody of a freighter and a US destroyer, USS Bainbridge, is on the way to negotiate a resolution to the issue. This is not going to be an isolated event. The pirates are getting more bold and more...
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...
Taxes on junk food, or at least on certain types of junk food, have been suggested in a lot of jurisdictions lately. I haven't heard of any place actually implementing it, but I'm expecting it to show up in California or New York sometime pretty...
Hey, in the interest of trying to provide some more content to the forum, I'm starting this thread. As a bit of background, I attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, AKA the Mormon church, from age six or so, until 2005. I feel...
Unless you're a complete pacifist, you must agree that there are some circumstances where declaring war is morally justified. What are they? There seem to be some obvious cases, like acting in self defence, where most people would agree that war...
My view regarding the ethics of such a thing is that as they were extinct already, any life that we gave them, whether it be the crappiest jobs that are hardest to fill, rooting out terrorists from cave systems, or fulfilling vital medical...
Now, I'm a BIT more modest than the average person (an understatement if you've ever heard one ;)), but I literally cannot believe that we are seriously discussing using sensors detailed enough to see what kind of privates you have to screen people...
Well! It's as if the world heard our discussion and brought us a real life example of what I feared in our scramble to make assisted suicide legal. Swiss Assisted Suicide center aims to help a perfectly healthy woman die alongside her terminally...
This is the only forum that still has a SDMB name. I'm thinking it needs a new one. Personally, I'm partial to "Plato's Academy" but other suggestions are welcome. When we've got enough suggestions, I'll do a poll and run it by Crispy for his...
Short version of the question: 1) When Americans in 2009 say "that's so gay," what exactly do they mean? 2) Is this insulting to homosexuals, or is it something gay and straight alike can say without exhibiting prejudice? Longer version of...
Ok, so over the last few days the Telegraph has been releasing details of MP's claimed expenses starting with the cabinet and now moving onto the Shadow Cabinet. It looks like they were the only ones willing to pay for the info from an unnamed...
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm trying to weed the use of "retarded" out of my vocabulary. But why is it that "crazy" is still ok? I don't think that crazy is an appropriate label for a mentally ill person, so why is it ok to use it as a perjorative...
There is a huge (HUGE) discussion on another forum I read about the practice of a potential groom discussing his intentions to marry with his bride-to-be's parents. I have to say, I would hope that any man who I would be on the verge of marrying...
I've had this on my mind for a while now, and it's become more relevant to me given my current status as a stay-at-home mom (something I'd never really envisioned for myself). There have been major shifts over the years in regards to what...
As the title says. Are there actually any arguments out there that are against gay marriage that dony involve religion and actually make any sense? The only arguments i've read are "marriage is between a man and a woman!" and "marriage is about...
Chastity Bono, who announced 20 years ago she was gay, has been on the cover of The Advocate and a vocal worker for GLAAD, now says he's transgendered, and began transitioning earlier this year. So does this mean he's not gay after all? I don't...
What are the principles we want to establish for serious discussion here, and more generally? We have the chance at the outset of a new forum to discuss what these principles should be, and ideally to have them endorsed by the Mods and New PTB here....
I read another message board from time to time that is somewhat obsessed with crunchy-granola style naturalism, and the members are anti-circumcision in the extreme. I certainly understand the logic that if there's no good reason to surgically...
The French parliament has recommended a partial ban on women wearing full face veils. This ban will be in effect in hospitals, schools and public transport. Effectively, if you wear a full face veil, don't go out into public. The French are saying...
Granted, neither the US or the UK is on a total war footing like they would have been during WWII but how come it has taken them and their NATO allies so long to destroy the Taliban and/or bring stability to Afghanistan. I mean there doesn't seem to...
With Chris Christie now bowing out of the Republican race, Perry losing it in the debates, Palin keeping quiet, Bachmann, Hunstman and the other fading from view, it is looking more and more like Romney should be the Republican Candidate to go...
There is a lot of frustration out there in the world about the financial sectors, about the ultra-wealthy, about oil money and banking money and haves versus have-nots. A just-released poll says that 75% of Americans know someone who has been...
The other thread's now into its second page, and it's got some serious contenders. Please vote for one. If there is a tie, it'll go to a run-off. I took the names with serious support, so Syllojism didn't make the cut. (Sorry). Voting will close at...
Some folks think that individuals should not be allowed to own assets over a certain amount, to prevent wealth from accumulating in the hands of a few. I'm not in favor of it, but I was wondering if anyone else here is. And if so, what should...
I'm sure he was a decent guy (personally), but what's with all this asskissing and deification?
It's true. We have two maids, a driver, and two guards, because that's just how it is done in Indonesia. I learned a long time ago "do not talk about your staff when you are back in America," because people have no idea of the real circumstances,...
Not really interested in a debate about whether or not we should replace the gay marriage issue with legalization of dope as our favorite polarizer. But seriously, what independent studies have been done concerning the effect of occasional and/or...
As Julie and I completely hijacked another thread, she suggested we start our own thread. Here it is. I'll begin with stating several assumptions necessary to the argument: - God exists, though not necessarily as the concept offered in...
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...
In the United States people on low income or who have no income can be eligible for food stamps. I don't know a whole lot about how this system works but one of the controversies over the use of foodstamps is that people shouldn't be allowed buy...
Eugenics with a good PR team, or some kind-hearted rich dudes with the best of intentions? You decide!
Apparently for his 9 month contribution for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples". Ok, he has certainly captured the imagination of people out there in terms of his position as POTUS....
I recently was part of a spirited discussion over the right to have children. The two sides of the argument basically fell along these lines: Side A: Everyone has a right to have children if that is what makes them happy/will fulfill them. If...
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