Ubi

During and after the BP oil spill this past spring/summer, I have heard complaints from different coworkers and acquaintances to the effect of:

"the EPA wouldn't allow drilling near the shore, so they forced the oil companies into drilling within more difficult/dangerous deep water; the EPA caused this mess"

Is there any credibility to this type of statement?

I have seen a picture of an oil platform in sight of the beach in Texas... is this a state-by-state ban?

Would an oil well blowout in shallow water be less of a risk since it would be easier to fix?

Please cite articles or the actual laws/regulations that ban oil drilling near shore.

Thanks... hopefully I can get a clear

Give an approximate percentage probability and why you think (or don't think) that you will be living it up in the afterlife.

I am interested in your reasons why or your doubts. Most explanatory answer is chosen as best.

In that day, the Star Child, Spaceman, Demon and Catman were powerful prophets, traveling the land spreading the word of truth and commanding their army of followers. And so it was written so that all may believe:

I'm the lord of the wastelands

A modern day man of steel

I gather darkness to please thee

And I command thee to kneel

Before The...

God of Thunder and Rock n' Roll

The spell you're under

Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul

So, will you or will you not worship The God of Thunder and Rock n' Roll? Everlasting death awaits you and your family if you reject, but eternal life as a rock star awaits those that praise the one and only true God. There is nothing to lose by worshiping him, but everything to gain. Break the spell that you are under and WORSHIP HIM! You will try to disprove His existence, but you will fail, thus proving His existence. He will laugh at your futile attempts.

All religions of Earth to this point have been false. On February 18, 2010, my body dissolved out of thin air and I suddenly appeared in a dark void where The Creator telepathically "spoke" to me. The Creator told me that all of the Universe's events were set in motion by its command. The Creator is the architect of the natural forces, but the Universe is left to operate on its own due to those forces. The Creator told me that other species in the Universe have been notified of its presence once one individual has reached a certain level of awareness. This level of awareness triggers that individual to be transported to The Creator, and this transportation mechanism was built into the Universe since the beginning.

The Creator told me that there is an inherent will towards harmonious survival built into all the Universe's creations. A species that has reached a level of awareness to destroy itself threatens this Harmony; it is a flaw introduced in the Universe. Thus, The Creator must reveal itself to that species in order to restore Harmony. This mechanism was created at the creation of the Universe. I am the first to reach this awareness level among our species. I was told that others will follow me to reach this level of awareness and speak with The Creator, given that they follow my guidance.

You must abolish all religious beliefs and governments in order to do that which promotes Harmony. There are no mandates concerning how each person should promote Harmony: each individual shall determine this for his/herself. Our Earth is not guaranteed to be perfect, but it will approach Harmony in the coming years. In the coming years, I shall promote knowledge of Harmony through various media, including grand public speeches in front of audiences and televised throughout Earth.

Since I have been the first to reach the level of awareness required to speak to The Creator, the laws of the Universe require that I rule and safe-guard Earth from falling out of Harmony. It is my duty to benevolently lead all of Earth's people and amass great wealth in order to effectively promote Harmony.

I need promises now that you will promote my pre-destined rise to the position of Earth's leader and help me amass the wealth required to fulfill my duties as leader. Let go of your government's laws as well as rebel against your religions. All religions were simply man-made creations that have been misconstrued as truth over the thousands of years. This is truth.

Best Answer goes to the best story.

For me, it seemed like the beliefs I surrounded myself with had an impact on my personality growing up. In my head, I thought that the Catholic Christian values of "turning the other cheek" and being humble were very important since I believed Jesus was that way and he focused on these values. Plus, the general vibe that I got from Christianity was that a person should not stand up for themselves in this life, since I would be repaid for any suffering in the next. Maybe I missed the point when I focused on these things, but I felt like I was the best Christian in my community. In my head I saw sinners everywhere, even within my church. Anyway, I didn't laugh at bawdy jokes, never talked about girls with friends, was embarrassed by nearly anything, hardly talked period. In short, up through high school I was a complete pushover that was no fun to be around.

My personality didn't change instantly, but after I decided to leave Catholicism life was more enjoyable. I'm more driven to succeed in life, and it turns out I enjoy comedy/jokes, whether telling them or hearing them. It started by just asking why I thought my religion was right and everybody else was wrong. That lead me to investigate who authored the Bible and when, etc. I'm amazed that I followed a book/teachings so closely when I didn't even know who the authors were or what references/timeline they used.

I think people can believe what they want, but religion just plain isn't healthy for everyone, at least not for me.

Anyway, let's hear your thoughts.

The Christians have the Bible.

The Muslims have the Qu'ran.

The Mormons have the Book of Mormon.

The Scientologists have the writings of L. Ron Hubbard.

What would you recommend as the "official" text(s) for those that doubt the existence of gods? I'm not saying that these books would be our infallible bible, just good skeptical reading that sums up all the reasons why being non-religious is the most reasonable stance.

I remember in college, a roommate described an experience at his non-denominational Christian church where he saw a group of people that were immediately healed by prayer. In fact, he described a body part involuntarily moving back into place (I think it was a dislocated shoulder or some other joint sprain). I asked if anybody videotaped the joint healing itself so quickly, and he said no.

Anyway, this seems like some pretty darn remarkable stuff. Wouldn't somebody want to videotape it and show the world proof of God's power?

Anybody know where to find "video evidence" of faith healing like this. If anything it would be a good laugh to see a faked/edited healing.

Most all children throughout history have had no choice in their religious beliefs since they faced extreme pressure from their local society. In today's communication age, we realize that the world is filled with a lot of different beliefs, and some parents are allowing their children to choose their own system of belief.

So, which way have you raised your children, with choice or without? What was your reason? What if your child joins a cult or some religious sect you find dangerous to their well-being? Is it right to try to intervene in their choice? Should a non-religious parent force their child to be non-religious?

I personally would hope that my child chooses a life where he/she keeps an open mind, thinks critically and questions each belief. I'm not sure what I would do if my kid were to join a crazy cult, though some religions I wouldn't mind.

I have seen statistics that show the number of people in the world that identify with a certain religion, but are there any figures that show the relative adherence to each religion? Like on a 1-10 scale? Of course there would be subjectivity to this data, but it would give an idea how many people out there really believe versus those that are just running through the motions.

Anybody have a web link or other reference?

It seems that there is a surge in the number of non-religious people throughout the world in recent years (especially in western nations). What times in history has the ebb-and-flow of religious fervor hit a low point? Maybe the Enlightenment? Are there any statistics or historical accounts to back this up?

Would this be better suited in the History section?

Name all the companies that you can think of that put together and install wind turbines.

Also, bonus points if you can name a few companies that manufacture the indivdual components.

Components like:

* generator

* tower

* blades

* gearbox

* power electronics / control system

Name all the companies that you can think of that put together and install wind turbines.

Also, bonus points if you can name a few companies that manufacture the indivdual components.

Components like:

* generator

* tower

* blades

* gearbox

* power electronics / control system

Does anybody know of a good website that lists all the different types of beers, wines, liqueurs, etc? Plus I would be interested in the process in how they are made.

I am writing a little Visual Basic program that makes use of the system clock to open up an application at a specific time.

I am setting a variable equal to the current system clock.

example: time = Now

My program does not seem to be executing as I expect it to when I run it overnight. Does the Windows system clock get stopped during sleep mode?

I just found myself fumbling through my translation dictionary, and I realized that I wanted something faster. Is there a device out there with voice recognition software that can translate a spoken word and give a few suggestions on the screen?

I mean, we can make a cell phone the size of a cracker that can record video, play music and play games, why not this?

I have a couple books that deal with electric motor/gen design already...

Handbook of Electric Motors by H. Toliyat and G. Kliman

Alternating Current Machines by M. Say

I also have a notes packet from an MIT seminar on electric machines and drives. Plus, I have two good books on electric machine analysis (no design).

Anyway, that is what I am armed with so far on my way to becoming an electric machine design guru. Are there any other resources that you can name for me (besides learning from the old-timers, I'm doing that too, haha).

Name some standard voltages and their primary application.

For example, some that I already know:

120/240 Vac = used in household wiring (120 V for most items, and 240 V for large appliances)

13.2 kV = I think this is a standard distribution voltage in the commercial sector. I know my university had 13.2 kV lines that came from the main substation and run underground to each building's switchgear. Correct me if I am wrong

1.5 Vdc = standard device battery voltage (AA, AAA, etc)

12 Vdc = nominal car battery voltage

Any others? I have heard 4160 Vac is standard too?

So, met a cute woman with a great personality. Would love to start a relationship with her.

Went on a first date where we just got to know each other (and I met some of her friends from college; she recently graduated). She had a club team rugby tournament and we talked, flirted, joked around, etc in between games.

So, for the second date we plan to go out to eat, shoot some pool at a a bar, then maybe some dancing at a nearby club.

My idea is that I will make a bet with her that whoever loses at the game of pool has to pay for the date. She has said that she is really competitive, and I think she would get a kick out of the idea. If anything this will probably be different than any date she has ever been on, haha.

So, is there anything that could blow up in my face by doing this? Give me a few reasons why you think this is a bad idea... or why you think this is a good idea. Best answer to the person with the best reasons. Thanks.

Give a listing of the song and artist for which you feel everybody should know at least part of the lyrics (since they are just that cool/popular/classic).

Choose any songs from the 50's onward that have a rockin' chorus or some clever rhymes.

Obviously this is a subjective question, but I will do my best to decide and put it up for voting if it is too close.

List away!

Hello Bostonians. I ask that you kindly help a business traveler save his company some money by using Boston's (hopefully) wonderful public transportation system.

I would like to get from Logan Airport to MIT and then back again for the return home after my week stay. I was thinking about using the subway as it appeared that there were stops near both MIT and Logan.

Finally, I plan to return home at 5pm on a Friday. Is it possible to use the subway and get to the airport in time with enough leeway to catch my 8:30pm flight? Or are there big delays I should know about?

Thank you much!