Here's a brand-spankin' new thread for the evolution discussion.

To pick up where we left off, OC is presently unconvinced about the theory of evolution because there is" No fossil record for transitory life forms."

Well, I'll just make one reminder here, before going on to the evidence: physics hasn't worked out every kink either, but we don't go chucking that theory in the can (or even looking for a better one). We just assume that sooner or later, we'll figure it out. Why not the same allowance granted to the theory of evolution?

In fact, there are many, many, MANY examples of finding intermediate forms. Here's just one example.

Scientists have discovered fossils of a 375-million-year-old fish, a large scaly creature not seen before, that they say is a long-sought missing link in the evolution of some fishes from water to a life walking on four limbs on land.

In two reports today in the journal Nature, a team of scientists led by Neil H. Shubin of the University of Chicago say they have uncovered several well-preserved skeletons of the fossil fish in sediments of former streambeds in the Canadian Arctic, 600 miles from the North Pole.

The skeletons have the fins, scales and other attributes of a giant fish, four to nine feet long. But on closer examination, the scientists found telling anatomical traits of a transitional creature, a fish that is still a fish but has changes that anticipate the emergence of land animals — and is thus a predecessor of amphibians, reptiles and dinosaurs, mammals and eventually humans.

This is a great website to track new stuff.

I don't know who posted this on Google Video, but it sure does a good job of capturing the feel of Olympia. Thanks, whoever you are!

White power music, after all, is a more lucrative underground trade in Europe than dealing in hashish, according to Interpol. The demand for American skinhead music is tremendous there both because there are far more skinheads and because it's illegal for hate rock bands to perform, record, or even rehearse in most European countries. So while skinheads in Europe for the most part consider their American counterparts to be drunken buffoons -- and with good reason -- they are dependent upon the disorganized crime of U.S. skinheads to supply them with merchandise they otherwise couldn't have.

In a nutshell, they hate us because we are dominate white alpha males and that terrifies them that anyone in America during this day and age could be white and not sniveling around the capitalist machine crying for forgiveness and begging for mercy.

... about communication (not about Meta). I noticed that, while I learned a lot from the "fetus" thread, it was the kind of learning that comes from being in a car accident -- not exactly what I would have planned. I'd like us to think about how to do that differently. In particular, I'd like to stress to those who would just post stuff for the purpose of getting a reaction, to think about this a little more deeply.

I'm talking to you TFI. Posting that article had the force of whacking someone with a stick. The people around here are pretty sensitive, and if you wanted to know more about how people feel about the body of their lost fetus, I'm sure you could just ask them. They'd be glad to tell you.

I guess what I'm saying is please don't use the outrageous article or statement to get the converstaion started. Take the extra step when you see something on the web that strikes you -- reformulate the question, then post it in your own words. Just dumping the blurb from the article is the easy way. Do a little more work and we'll all be better for it.

This matters because the way we start conversations has a big role in determining where we end up. Using the inflammatory stuff does not promote people being gentle with each other's feelings. If you are genuinely interested in having a conversation, then you want to start by not alienating those with whom you want to converse.