EvolMonkey

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nato

was formed in 1949 to serve as a mutual defense pact among countries bordering the North Atlantic. Since then, its role and membership have changed drastically.

Today, member states (which are nowhere near the North Atlantic,) include Italy, Greece, and Turkey, as well as huge chunks of former Soviet Union and Warsaw pact. It holds functional ‘contact status’ (read ‘unofficial cooperative’) with pacific nations such as Australia and Japan, and the balance of the former Soviet Union has joined with the organization in its ‘Partnership for Peace.’

Nowadays, it just seems to be the military branch of the UN, though that wasn't its intended purpose.

So what do you think? Should this organization change its name to something that reflects its current scope and purpose? if so, any suggestions as to what it should be?

I heard one of my buds talking about getting caught up on his Rope opera on TV.

What does that mean?

(I'm pretty sure he didn't say soap opera, but I don't want to sound like an idiot, so I didn't ask.)

The standard model really bugs me, and strikes me as bad science.

In science, aren’t you supposed to discard a model that doesn’t work?

Instead, with the standard model, every time it fails we tweak it to make it fit the data.

Isn’t that backwards? Isn’t the model supposed to predict the data?

The current version of the standard model is

the original "standard" model +dark matter+ dark energy+ dark flow +…

When does it end?

It strikes me like hypothesizing that everything that is blue in the word is the Atlantic Ocean…and the other oceans…and the sky…and blueberries…and bluebirds…and blue crayons… Eventually you have to say the original model was just wrong.

I was reading about this one guy’s “effect based model” which seems to fit with string, superstring and M theory, but challenges some of the preconceived notions about quantum theory (such as the existence of the Higgs boson and the categorization of the particle zoo.)

Unfortunately, the guy seems to be unpublished. I don't know if this is because he hasn't been able to get his work accepted anywhere due to bucking the accepted model or if he hasn't even tried to get published because he knows he is unlikely to publish anything that stinks of scientific heresy.

So what other Models are there besides the Standard?

Is anyone else out there preaching scientific heresey?

Are there any special circumstances due to their pre-union status?

Did the annexation agreement include any special requirements that the Federal govt had to meet?

Is there any 'Legal' means by which they could secede from the union?

and where's gravity in this equation?

I tried asking this under mental health, and didn't get much help there, but it was advised that I check out the legal options, so here I am.

I understand that my friend talked to a couple of lawyers about the possibility of suit, but he was told that sexual harassment stuff has to be filed within 6 months of the incident and that he didn't have a case--even although the harassment didn't come to light until the case review 8 months after his termination.

that said, here's the repost from mental health:

I’ve got this friend, mid 40s (looks like he’s in this 20s,) and he’s been out of work for 2 and a half years. He’s in excellent physical shape, is highly intelligent, sensitive, and has an impressive education and work history, right up until he lost his last job.

In trying to figure out why he’s had such a hard time finding work, I’ve discovered that he was traumatized by the situation leading to his unemployment. He is actually terrified of going back to work and rarely leaves the place he is living now. I went with him once to the grocery store, and it took about 5 minutes around people before he started having a panic attack and had to leave.

It’s pretty evident to me that this guys phobias are disabling, but I’m no shrink. He has no money to go to one, but I’m pretty sure that if he did, he should qualify for social security disability.

So my question is this: Without any money, how can he get his disability recognized so he can collect the disability income he’s entitled to?

4 days ago

Additional Details

The situation leading to his unemployment:

He was being sexually harassed by 2 married women at his work, (both his superiors) and believed that if he reported it he would be fired. The place has a weird sexual harassment policy that isn’t founded in employee conduct, only in the ‘feelings’ of the accuser. Well, since by refusing to comply with their sexual advances, he hurt their feelings, HE was guilty of the policy violation and got fired for sexual harassment!

[No joke, this was verified by unemployment at their hearing for unemployment benefits.]

After this, he’s also afraid to talk to any women at all.

So what can he do?

4 days ago

Once more, He has no money. How can he go to the doctors without any money?

I tried asking this under mental health, and didn't get much help there, but it was advised that I check out the legal options, so here I am.

I understand that my friend talked to a couple of lawyers about the possibility of suit, but he was told that sexual harassment stuff has to be filed within 6 months of the incident and that he didn't have a case--even although the harassment didn't come to light until the case review 8 months after his termination.

that said, here's the repost from mental health:

I’ve got this friend, mid 40s (looks like he’s in this 20s,) and he’s been out of work for 2 and a half years. He’s in excellent physical shape, is highly intelligent, sensitive, and has an impressive education and work history, right up until he lost his last job.

In trying to figure out why he’s had such a hard time finding work, I’ve discovered that he was traumatized by the situation leading to his unemployment. He is actually terrified of going back to work and rarely leaves the place he is living now. I went with him once to the grocery store, and it took about 5 minutes around people before he started having a panic attack and had to leave.

It’s pretty evident to me that this guys phobias are disabling, but I’m no shrink. He has no money to go to one, but I’m pretty sure that if he did, he should qualify for social security disability.

So my question is this: Without any money, how can he get his disability recognized so he can collect the disability income he’s entitled to?

4 days ago

Additional Details

The situation leading to his unemployment:

He was being sexually harassed by 2 married women at his work, (both his superiors) and believed that if he reported it he would be fired. The place has a weird sexual harassment policy that isn’t founded in employee conduct, only in the ‘feelings’ of the accuser. Well, since by refusing to comply with their sexual advances, he hurt their feelings, HE was guilty of the policy violation and got fired for sexual harassment!

[No joke, this was verified by unemployment at their hearing for unemployment benefits.]

After this, he’s also afraid to talk to any women at all.

So what can he do?

4 days ago

Once more, He has no money. How can he go to the doctors without any money?

I’ve got this friend, mid 40s (looks like he’s in this 20s,) and he’s been out of work for 2 and a half years. He’s in excellent physical shape, is highly intelligent, sensitive, and has an impressive education and work history, right up until he lost his last job.

In trying to figure out why he’s had such a hard time finding work, I’ve discovered that he was traumatized by the situation leading to his unemployment. He is actually terrified of going back to work and rarely leaves the place he is living now. I went with him once to the grocery store, and it took about 5 minutes around people before he started having a panic attack and had to leave.

It’s pretty evident to me that this guys phobias are disabling, but I’m no shrink. He has no money to go to one, but I’m pretty sure that if he did, he should qualify for social security disability.

So my question is this: Without any money, how can he get his disability recognized so he can collect the disability income he’s entitled to?