Difference between revisions of "User:SamHB"

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Archives:  [[User:SamHB/Archive 2|2]] [[User:SamHB/Archive 3|3]] [[User:SamHB/Archive 4|4]]
 
  
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<center><b align="center" style="width: 70%; background:#000;color:#eee;border: 4px gold solid; font-size: 20px;">INACTIVE FOR 66 DAYS (until August 28, 2018)</b><br><br><br></center>
 
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<center><b align="center" style="width: 70%; background:#000;color:#eee;border: 4px gold solid; font-size: 20px;">INACTIVE FOR 66 DAYS (until May 20, 2018)</b><br><br><br></center>
 
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<center><b align="center" style="width: 70%; background:#000;color:#eee;border: 4px gold solid; font-size: 20px;">INACTIVE FOR 66 DAYS (until February 16, 2018)</b><br><br><br></center>
 
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<center><b align="center" style="width: 70%; background:#000;color:#eee;border: 4px gold solid; font-size: 20px;">INACTIVE FOR 66 DAYS (until November 19, 2017)</b><br><br><br></center>
 
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<center><b align="center" style="width: 70%; background:#000;color:#eee;border: 4px gold solid; font-size: 25px;">NO-CLAPTRAP ZONE</b></center>
 
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<center><b align="center" style="width: 70%; background:#000;color:#eee;border: 4px gold solid; font-size: 20px;">THIS USER HAS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR NONSENSE</b><br><br><br></center>
 
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I also have zero tolerance for
 
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*Idiotic behavior.
 
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*Sycophancy.  I note in particular those people that try to take Andy's side in controversies over relativity, but run away when asked questions that require actual understanding of the subject.  It's really very transparent.  I've developed good "spider sense" on this issue.  More on this topic below.
 
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*Childish behavior.  Children should be seen and not <s>heard</s> given block authority.
 
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So here are some essays that eschew claptrap:
 
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*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Counterexamples to Relativity]]
 
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*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Attempts to prove E=mc²]]
 
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*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Logical Flaws in E%3Dmc²]]
 
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*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Biblical scientific foreknowledge]]
 
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*[[Essay:Rebuttal to the "Calming the Storm" essay]]
 
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*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Counterexamples to an Old Earth]]
 
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*[[Essay:Radiometric dating - a non-Creationist Perspective]]
 
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*[[Essay:Commentary on Conservapedia's article on the second law of thermodynamics]]
 
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*[[Essay:Pussy Riot - an Anti-Putin Perspective]]
 
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What's that last one doing here?  Funny you should ask.  It's really just the same as the main [[Pussy Riot]] article, but it removes the claim that only leftists oppose Vladimir Putin.  A look at the history of the main article will show what's going on.  Apparently there are people here who think that opposing a thug who has his political opponents murdered in the street while security cameras mysteriously malfunction is something only "liberals" and "leftists" do.  I would like to think that opposition to such a person would be something liberals and conservatives could all agree on.  But not here.
 
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<center>'''Anyone who wants to contact me may do so at sam4557@gmail.com.'''</center>
 
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At present, I make edits to those things that I believe I can improve (mostly [[science]] and [[math]]) and stay away from those things that are utterly hopeless (like [[evolution]], [[creationism]], and why year 20XX is going to be the worst year ever for evolution or [[atheism]] or whatever.)  I also (believe it or not, and some people don't) try to encourage well-intentioned new users, and try to make this a more orderly and friendly place.  I also engage in a lot of good-natured banter with Cons.  I also occasionally find myself amused by the way [[User:VargasMilan|some users]] seem to [[User_talk:SamHB/archive_2#Apology|stalk]] [http://www.conservapedia.com/Talk:Main_Page&diff=1110822&oldid=1110821 me].
 
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I am seriously "behind the curve" on the latest high-tech gadgetry.  I own a laptop computer (several of them in fact) and am quite literate about actual computer science.  I do not have "FIOS" or any similar things; just plain cable internet.  I do not use things like Skype or Instant Messaging (or Tinder, or Facebook, or SnapChat, or Pinterest, or Twitter ..., though I have, under duress, used IM at work.  However, I am capable of high-bandwidth communication with people through email, using attachments when the information transfer quantity requires it.  People desiring to contact me are strongly encouraged to use the email account given above.
 
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In addition to the email above, I have accounts, all under the same name (SamHB) at Wikipedia, Wikiversity, <s>Ameriwiki (I am an administrator)</s>, and that other place that rhymes with "national picky".
 
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There is a section about the Daily Beast article on my [[User_talk:SamHB|talk page]].  It was originally on mainpage talk, and seems to have disappeared.
 
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----
 
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A few words about vandalism and parody in science and math articles.  There's a lot of it.  I have reverted a lot of it.  Just in the last few weeks I cleaned up some parody in the articles on Calcium and on Gabriel's horn.  (Well, in the latter case I just pointed it out.)  ''Both parodists' accounts are still active.''
 
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Furthermore, I would like to point out that there is a lot more parody in math and science articles.  It's just too much for one person to fix.
 
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{{Userboxtop}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#DC143C |info-s=8 |info-fc=#fff |id=[[Image:Stop_hand.svg|45px]] |info=<center><big>This user has been blocked '''20''' times.</big></center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#039 |info-s=8 |info-fc=#fff |id=SP |info=This user knows how to use "Show preview".}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:Atom.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that '''[http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_01 evolution]''' explains the origin of species.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |#000|#AfA|[[image:earthsat.jpeg|45px]]|This user knows that the Earth is billions of years old according to conservative scientific measurements.}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:Universe_expansion.png|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that the '''Big Bang''' explains the origin of the Universe.</center>}}
 
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{{User Protestant}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFBBBB |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:UserCross.jpg‎|30px]] |info=<center>This user respects your right to be a fundamentalist, but does not necessarily accept whatever scientific conclusions you might draw from that.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#ff5050 |info-s=8 |info-fc=#fff |id=[[Image:John McCain official portrait 2009.jpg|50px]] |info=<center>This user considers [[John McCain]] to have been a war hero, patriot, great American, great Senator, and great Republican. He was ''not'' a RINO.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[File:Horse picture.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>While this user deplores deviant and perverted sexual behavior, it is not a [[Talk:Air_pressure|source of embarrassment, or a sore point]], with him.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for physical phenomena at scales for which field theories are applicable.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the result of the Michelson-Morley experiment.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the result of the Pound-Rebka experiment.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the connection between radioactive decay energies and the precise isotopic weights that are summarized in periodic table charts hanging in science classrooms all over the world.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the precession of the perihelion of Mercury.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the observed frequency anomalies in GPS satellites.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the "frame-dragging" effects observed by the "gravity probe B" satellite.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the observed behavior of pulsar PSR_B1913_16.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=[[Image:600px-Albert Einstein Head.jpg|45px]] |info=<center>This user knows that [[relativity]] provides a good explanation for the 2015 and 2017 observations of gravitational waves emitted by merging black holes.</center>}}
 
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{{Userbox |border-c=#000 |border-s=1 |id-c=#fff |id-s=12 |id-fc=#000 |info-c=#FFA07A |info-s=8 |info-fc=#000 |id=<s>Breitbart</s> |info=This user does not support Breitbart News or its lies, bias, and [[fake news]].}}
 
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{{Userboxbottom}}
 
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==Stuff Cons keeps vaping and re-creating (excuse me, resurrecting)==
 
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I don't want these pearls of wisdom to be lost, so I'm going to start saving them.  Some of them are incredibly stupid "atheism and flyswatters" sorts of things, many are "atheism (or evolution) is going to have its worst year ever in 2014/2015/2016/2017/2018/2019", and some of them appear to be dialog with the folks at RitionalWaki [sp].  The latter often have the word "gentlemen" in the title.  The folks at RW seem to refer to these things as the "red telephone".
 
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*[[User:SamHB/Cons_gentlemen_Jan_9_2019]] This one seems to be a dialog with someone named Ace at RW
 
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*[[User:SamHB/Cons_gentlemen_Dec_27_2018]] This one seems to be a dialog with someone named Mercian at RW
 
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*[[User:SamHB/Cons_Christian_victory_Dec+27+2018]] This delightful gem has a really cute picture of two children exulting over something.  The caption implies that the children are ecstatic over reading Cons's [[Decline_of_the_atheist_movement]] article.  When in fact the kids were playing a computer game.  I guess children consider that more fun.
 
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:Cons has "un-vaped" the actual article; it is [[Essay: The_thrill_of_Christian_victory_and_the_agony_of_atheist_defeat|here]].  He has vaped the version in my sandbox, which is why it's a redlink above.
 
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==Essay: The thrill of Christian victory and the agony of atheist defeat==
 
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Well, gosh, that was fun while it lasted.  That page, and its two charming pictures, were only up for a few minutes.  But I did enjoy the cute picture of the two children in ecstasy over whatever they were watching on their computer screens.  It's too bad Cons deleted it so quickly.  Does he not take himself seriously?
 
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He's really been on a tear these last few months.  Including changing the pixel size of an illustration [https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Essay%3A_Atheist_PZ_Myers%3A_%22I_despair_over_atheism_as_I_watch_it_burn...%22.&diff=1476345&oldid=1396051 here].  Is this something to get higher web site statistics?  Wouldn't giving the correct context for that quote (see about 10 sections below) be a better way to give Conservapedia a better reputation?
 
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I assume he's on a tear because he's going to make a New Year's resolution to stop this silly behavior, and lead a productive and focused year in 2019.  I wish him well.  I will also try to be more productive and focused next year.  [[User:SamHB|SamHB]] ([[User talk:SamHB|talk]]) 17:24, 24 December 2018 (EST)
 
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==20XX is/was/will be the worst year ever for evolution/atheism==
 
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*2012 - "Is 2012 on its way to be the Worst Year in the History of Darwinism?" and "Internet atheism has taken a fall in the last 5 years and in 2012
 
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"<ref>http://questionevolution.blogspot.com/2012/05/internet-atheism-and-skepticism-thrill.html</ref>
 
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*2013 - "You see atheists and evolutionists: 2013 is the worst year in the history of atheism and Darwinism - just like [sic] we predicted!"<ref>http://questionevolution.blogspot.com/2013/07/christianity-is-taking-huge-bite-out-of.html</ref>
 
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==John McCain, an American hero==
 
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{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em;"
 
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| style="vertical-align:top; background-color:Black;" |
 
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<div style="padding:2em 2em 2em 2em;">
 
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[[File:John McCain official portrait 2009.jpg|thumbnail|400px|center]]
 
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</div>
 
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|}
 
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His farewell statement, written just prior to his death:
 
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:“My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for sixty years, and especially my fellow Arizonans,
 
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:“Thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them.
 
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:“I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on Earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my life, all of it. I have had experiences, adventures and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else’s.
 
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:“I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America’s causes ― liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people ― brings happiness more sublime than life’s fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.
 
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:“‘Fellow Americans’ ― that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process.
 
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:“We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.
 
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:“We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.
 
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:“Ten years ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with the heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening.
 
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:"I feel it powerfully still.
 
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:“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.
 
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:“Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America.”
 
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From an opinion column in the ''Washington Post'', by Stephen Wrage, a professor in the political science department at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.  The piece reflects the author’s views and not those of the Navy or any other organization.  It refers to the U.S. Naval Academy graduation on May 25, 2018, where President Trump will speak, and to emails he has received from several midshipmen, such as:
 
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:"We are under no obligation to clap for Donald Trump.  Trump wants the image of young service members cheering him on and we can deny him that image."
 
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:"We are taught selflessness; he practices narcissism."
 
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:"If he is a role model, it is only in the exact opposite."
 
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Wrage goes on:
 
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:"... There is no question, however, how the officers whom the midshipmen report to will behave: They will offer the quiet deference they owe to the office of the president.  They speak with full academic freedom in their classrooms, but they maintain military decorum at a ceremony."
 
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:"Decades later, officers remember their commissioning.  One Marine I know recalled whole passages he heard from the speech at his graduation in 1993, 25 years ago.  That year, John McCain came to speak and, as they say, he killed it."
 
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:McCain told them
 
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{{cquote|As ensigns and second lieutenants, the character of the young sailors and Marines entrusted to your care will be formed in large part by their appreciation of your character.  You are where leadership begins.  You are the models who stand just past the sergeants and chiefs, and those under your command will derive from your behavior the direction of their own lives.  Their firm respect for you, on which their lives and our security will depend, will be determined by how faithfully you keep, on duty and off, the code you learned here.}}
 
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:At least one Marine in the crowd will recall the way McCain closed his speech:
 
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{{cquote|I will go to my grave in gratitude to my Creator for allowing me to stand witness to such courage and honor.  And so will you.  My time is slipping by.  Yours is fast approaching.  You will know where your duty lies.  You will know.  God bless you.  Semper Fi.  Fair winds and following seas.}}
 
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===Moral clarity===
 
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"The administration’s current family separation policy is an affront to the decency of the American people, and contrary to principles and values upon which our nation was founded. The administration has the power to rescind this policy. It should do so now." -- John McCain, Jun 18, 2018.
 
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===Other opinions===
 
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"He's dying anyway" -- Kelly Sadler, White House aide, May 10 2018, on McCain's opposition to a nominee for CIA director.
 
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"Torture Is Good, ‘It Worked on John McCain'" -- Thomas McInerney, Fox News contributor, May 10, 2018.
 
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===Sarah Palin===
 
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I do not agree with the decision not to invite Ms. Palin to the funeral.  While I strongy disagree with just about everything she says, she was his running mate in an historic election.  The decision was apparently made by McCain's widow.
 
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==Bible verses, Matthew 5:1-11==
 
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*And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
 
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*And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
 
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*Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 
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*Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
 
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*Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
 
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*Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
 
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*Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
 
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*Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
 
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*Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
 
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*Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 
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*Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
 
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==Bible verses, Luke 2:7-14==
 
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:And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
 
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:And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
 
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:And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 
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:And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 
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:For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 
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:And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 
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:And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 
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:Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
 
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==The current occupant of the White House==
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about American history.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about American government.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about compassion.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about empathy
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about forgiveness.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about contrition.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about redemption.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about Christianity.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about the Bible.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about self-control.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about ethics.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about patriotism.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about service.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about honesty.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about science.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about healthy eating.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about a healthy lifestyle.
 
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*Knows essentially nothing about exercise.
 
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*Knows very little about American geography.
 
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*Knows very little about spelling.
 
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*Knows absolutely nothing about respect for women.
 
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*Knows absolutely nothing about the sanctity of marriage.
 
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==Roy Moore==
 
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I see that that cesspool of fake news known as Breitbart.com has been accusing Beverly Nelson, one of Roy Moore's accusers, of forgery.  That is, of writing the note below Mr. Moore's inscription in her yearbook and asserting that Moore wrote that note himself.  I don't have time to do my usual careful analysis of what's going in on this case, but I'll just present a few web links:
 
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*[http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/08/bombshell-roy-moore-accuser-admits-forged-yearbook/ A thing in Breitbart]
 
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*[http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/12/08/forgery-explained-beverly-young-nelson-gloria-allred-presented-notes-roy-moores-writing/ Another]
 
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*[http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/12/called-gloria-allred-accuser-admits-tampered-roy-moores-yearbook-signature-video/ More fake news, this time from The Gateway Pundit.]
 
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*[http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/09/politics/roy-moore-accuser-yearbook-notation/index.html The note beneath the inscription was hers; she never said it wasn't.]
 
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*[http://web.archive.org/web/20171208170804/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/08/roy-moore-accuser-admits-forged-part-yearbook-inscription-attributed-to-alabama-senate-candidate.html Fox news got caught up in this too.  (Page is from the internet archive.)]
 
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*[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fox-news-corrects-story-claiming-roy-moore-accuser-forged-candidates-signature_us_5a2c1d58e4b0a290f051304f But Fox news had the integrity to correct their story.]
 
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==Religious people and Donald Trump==
 
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An article from June 2016 (just before the election)<ref>https://www.the-american-interest.com/2016/06/30/atheism-is-rising-but/</ref> says "Finally, it’s not a coincidence that religiously observant Christians were least likely to be seduced by Donald Trump’s “post-truth” style politics in the GOP primary."
 
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==America==
 
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::''This little bit of patriotism was inspired by a [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:SamHB#A_liberal_is_wanted_for_an_online_dialogue recent discussion on my talk page].''
 
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::''The reader's attention is particularly drawn to the last two lines of the second stanza.''
 
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:O beautiful for spacious skies,
 
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:For amber waves of grain,
 
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:For purple mountain majesties
 
−
:Above the fruited plain!
 
−
:America! America!
 
−
:God shed His grace on thee
 
−
:And crown thy good with brotherhood
 
−
:From sea to shining sea!
 
−
<br />
 
−
:O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
 
−
:Whose stern, impassioned stress
 
−
:A thoroughfare for freedom beat
 
−
:Across the wilderness!
 
−
:America! America!
 
−
:God mend thine every flaw,
 
−
:Confirm thy soul in self-control,
 
−
:Thy liberty in law!
 
−
<br />
 
−
:O beautiful for heroes proved
 
−
:In liberating strife,
 
−
:Who more than self their country loved
 
−
:And mercy more than life!
 
−
:America! America!
 
−
:May God thy gold refine,
 
−
:Till all success be nobleness,
 
−
:And every gain divine!
 
−
<br />
 
−
:O beautiful for patriot dream
 
−
:That sees beyond the years
 
−
:Thine alabaster cities gleam
 
−
:Undimmed by human tears!
 
−
:America! America!
 
−
:God shed His grace on thee
 
−
:And crown thy good with brotherhood
 
−
:From sea to shining sea!
 
−
 
−
==People who write about relativity but don't know what they are talking about==
 
−
I occasionally run into people wishing to weigh in on relativity, opposing it.  This of course sets off my sycophancy alarm.  They seem to be agreeing with Andy with very little understanding of the topic.  When asked for an explanation, they typically run away.  To be clear, Andy is the only person I know of that can communicate relativity denial with any degree of effectiveness or erudition; all others that I have seen are either sycophants, vandals, or just plain troublemakers.  (Though I'm openminded enough to allow that another articulate relativity denier could show up in the future.)
 
−
 
−
Arguments for or against relativity are conducted at a rather sophisticated level here at Conservapedia.  The topic is not for amateurs.
 
−
 
−
Here is my homework assignment for people wishing to join the anti-relativity bandwagon.  Read the following articles:
 
−
*[[Theory of relativity]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Theory of relativity]]
 
−
*[[General theory of relativity]]
 
−
*[[E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[Talk:E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[Talk:E=mc²/Archive 1]]
 
−
*[[Talk:E=mc²/Archive 2]]
 
−
*[[Counterexamples to Relativity]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Counterexamples to Relativity]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Counterexamples to Relativity/archive2]]
 
−
*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Counterexamples to Relativity]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Essay:Rebuttal to Counterexamples to Relativity]]
 
−
*[[Attempts to prove E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Attempts to prove E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Attempts to prove E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[Logical Flaws in E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Logical Flaws in E=mc²]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This one is particularly recommended for showing what happens when someone gets involved in the topic while being totally out of his depth.
 
−
*[[Essay:Rebuttal to Logical Flaws in E=mc²]]
 
−
*[[User talk:Aschlafly/Archive56]]
 
−
*[[User talk:Aschlafly/Archive59]]
 
−
*[[User talk:Aschlafly/Archive60]]
 
−
*[[Community Portal/Archive 1]]
 
−
*[[Cockcroft and Walton Experiment]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Cockcroft and Walton Experiment]]
 
−
*[[Nuclear transmutation]]
 
−
*[[Quantitative Analysis of Alpha Decay]]
 
−
*[[Talk:Essay:Quantifying Openmindedness]]
 
−
*[[Debate:What is the exponent of r in Newtonian gravity?]]
 
−
*[http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Special_relativity/space,_time,_and_the_Lorentz_transform Lecture 1 from Wikiversity]
 
−
*[http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Special_relativity/momentum Lecture 2 from Wikiversity]
 
−
*[http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Special_relativity/energy Lecture 3 from Wikiversity]
 
−
*[http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Special_relativity/E_%3D_mc%C2%B2 Lecture 4 from Wikiversity]
 
−
*[http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Special_relativity/spacetime_diagrams_and_vectors Lecture 5 from Wikiversity]
 
−
 
−
==How '''NOT''' to proselytize==
 
−
[[User:Conservative]] ("Cons") has the laudable goal of introducing people to Christianity on the pages of this wiki.  However, I don't think the incredibly obsessive way he does this is likely to be effective.
 
−
*He seems obsessed with svelte Indian Christian ladies and their graceful dancing style, as though that should persuade people to embrace Christianity.  (Many references in [[Essay:_Indian_Christian_culture_is_better_than_low_class_atheist_%22culture%22|this article]].)
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  Those Indian Christian ladies are so graceful, that must show that Jesus is the son of God.  I'd better join a church right away."
 
−
*He also seems obsessed with Penn Jillette's lack of grace when dancing the "Walrus Slide", and with the fact that Ken Ham likes to yodel.  (See [[Essay:_Penn_Jillette%27s_walrus_slide_vs._thin_Indian_Christian_lady_dancers|this article, which is remarkably similar to the one cited just above]].)
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  Ken Ham likes to yodel when climbing the Triceratops model at the Creation Museum, and when climbing mountains.  I guess that shows that the universe was created in 6 days, 6000 years ago."
 
−
*He also points out that the Swiss like to yodel, [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:SamHB#re:_well-intentioned_and_level-headed_people here].
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  The Swiss like to yodel.  Jesus is lord!"
 
−
*He also likes to point out, in too many places to list here, that non-Western cultures are expanding at the expense of traditional American cultures.  He says this with a degree of glee that makes me wonder whose side he is on.
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  Non-Western societies are rapidly growing due to their high birth rate.  I guess I'd better convert to Islam."
 
−
*He points out the atheists aren't as good-looking as religious people  [[Atheists and physical attractiveness|here]], as though there is something meaningful that we are supposed to take away from this notion.
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  Women don't seem to want to date me.  I guess I'm ugly.  I'd better join a Bible study group at my college.  That will make me better-looking, and I'll get lots of dates."
 
−
*And then there's [[Essay:_Militant_atheism_and_short_man's_syndrome|this]] gem.
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  I'm kind of short.  Most women I know are taller than I am, and seem not to want to date men shorter than they are.  Maybe if I go to church regularly I'll grow taller.  There ''is'' a causal relationship, isn't there?  It's right in the [[Essay:_Militant_atheism_and_short_man's_syndrome|essay]]:  "Get over it little man, shortness is a causal factor for militant atheism!"
 
−
*He has also been pointing out for several years and "20XX is going to be (or already is) the worst year ever for atheism.  He even made a past-tense claim about a year that is still happening [http://www.conservapedia.com/Talk:Main_Page/Archive_index/166#2018_was_a_TERRIBLE_year_for_militant_atheists here].
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  After all this, are atheists still around?  How come I still see so many of them?  Does the existence of God not depend on something someone once said in an elevator?"
 
−
*He had recently been obsessed with potholes in British streets, even putting an article on the main page for a while.  He apparently wants to use the state of British roads to make some quasi-political, quasi-religious, quasi-scientific argument.
 
−
::"Well, gosh.  There are potholes in streets in the UK, and Charles Darwin (more than 100 years ago) was British.  I guess that means that evolution did not occur.  I'm glad people can see these scientific principles so clearly."
 
−
Most of his "articles" contain enormous numbers of references to other of his articles, as though that counts as a "reference".
 
−
 
−
==I would really love to see [[User:Conservative]] slowly and painfully burn==
 
−
his opponents in a debate.
 
−
 
−
Unfortunately, I'm not likely to see that, in view of his appalling lack of skill at convincing people that he is worth debating.  Perhaps the most recent example is his page [[Essay: Debate challenge to new atheist Kyle Kulinski]].  Mr. Kulinski has made it very clear, in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39xlPMs3Obk this] video, that he will not debate anyone at Conservapedia, and has no respect for the way the admins marshall their arguments.
 
−
 
−
There are other instances of Cons backing out when people were willing to debate him (I was actually involved in one of these.)  Perhaps the most famous case was one in which a person offered to donate 12,500 British pounds to a Christian charity, but Cons backed out.  The web site on which this took place cannot be named here, but one can Google the exact phrase "actually laughable collections"
 
−
 
−
While Cons's debating and general rhetorical skill are appalling, there is one tactic that he is exceptionally good at&mdash;lifting quotes out of context.  Probably the best example of this is the article [[Essay:_Atheist_PZ_Myers:_"I_despair_over_atheism_as_I_watch_it_burn...".]]  This is, like so many of his other articles and essays, really just a collection of links to other of his articles.  But it has an illustration showing a burning house, the same caption as the article itself: "Atheist PZ Myers: 'I despair over atheism as I watch it burn...'".
 
−
 
−
What's in that ellipsis?  Well, there is an external reference to [http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2016/01/30/feminism-isnt-a-side-issue-it-is-a-central-issue-in-any-movement-with-a-pretense-to-rationalism/ this] article at PZ Myers' "Pharyngula" blog.  The actual quote from that article was "I despair over atheism, as I watch it burn away allies and embrace the default attitude of patronizing bro-ness."  It seems to be about feminism and PZ Myers' atheism.  Or something.  It's actually quite boring, like most of his writing, and I haven't read it.
 
−
 
−
But taking the phrase "watch it [atheism] burn away allies" and turning it into "watch it burn" is the most astonishing act of quoting out of context that I have ever seen.
 
−
 
−
== Reinhold Niebuhr Quote (well, paraphrase)==
 
−
 
−
{{cquote|God grant me the serenity to accept the things that are above the table of contents, the courage to change the things that are below it, and the wisdom to know the difference}}
 
−
 
−
What does that refer to?  It refers to the fact that someone recently added some sycophantic rubbish to the [[Second Law of Thermodynamics]] page.  Fortunately, it was above the TOC, so I didn't have to move it.  Unfortunately (fortunately, actually) AugustO is even less patient with nonsense than I am.
 
−
 
−
==Never asked God for forgiveness?==
 
−
 
−
{{Cquote|So help me understand why you thought God could use a man who’d said he’d never asked God for forgiveness, who serially committed adultery, who said he could grab women by the genitals, who cheated contractors and workers ... [who] didn’t even know how to say “Second Corinthians,” which he called “Two Corinthians,” and when asked for his favorite Bible verse struggled to name one until he landed on “an eye for an eye.” And you know what Jesus said about that one.|||Susan M. Shaw, Oregon State University}}
 
−
 
−
==Bible verses, Matthew 6:19-21==
 
−
 
−
{{cquote|Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.}}
 
−
 
−
==Bible verses, Matthew 25:34-36==
 
−
 
−
{{cquote|Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me, I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.}}
 
−
 
−
==Bible verse, Galatians 6:7==
 
−
 
−
{{cquote|Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.}}
 
−
 
−
==Bible verse, Matthew 23:12==
 
−
 
−
{{cquote|And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.}}
 
−
 
−
==Late August, 2016, Do ants harvest?  Do snakes hear?==
 
−
 
−
I don't know.  I have no expertise in this field.
 
−
 
−
==Early March, 2016, I get blocked, and then weird things happen==
 
−
 
−
I was blocked by my friend, after replacing an incredibly asinine page with a delete notice.  The original block was for one week, extended an hour later to two weeks.  The next day the same person, after apparently being [[taken to the woodshed]], unblocked me.  (I nevertheless stayed away for three weeks.)  This person then (perhaps after advice given in the woodshed) went to considerable lengths to inform me that the block had been lifted.
 
−
 
−
He left a note on my talk page:
 
−
 
−
:== I shortened your block.  ==
 
−
 
−
:I shortened your block. You are now unblocked. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 11:53, 8 March 2016 (EST)
 
−
 
−
And he sent me an email, to my sam4557@gmail.com account (which he had never used before):
 
−
-----
 
−
:Delivered-To: sam4557@gmail.com
 
−
:Received: by ******** with HTTP; Tue, 8 Mar 2016 11:17:09 -0800 (PST)
 
−
:Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2016 14:17:09 -0500
 
−
:Subject: re: You have been unblocked at Conservapedia
 
−
:From: "********" <********>
 
−
:To: sam4557@gmail.com
 
−
 
−
:Dear Sam,
 
−
 
−
:I unblocked you at Conservapedia.
 
−
 
−
:Sincerely,
 
−
 
−
:User: Conservativie
 
−
-----
 
−
(He often types his own user name incorrectly.)
 
−
 
−
And another note on my talk page, to be sure I see it, in case I don't check the sam4557 mail very often:
 
−
 
−
:== I sent you an email and... ==
 
−
 
−
:SamHB,
 
−
 
−
:I sent you an email.
 
−
 
−
:Second, let me know when you get this message.  {{unsigned|Conservative}}
 
−
 
−
To which I left this reply: (All this was taking place on my talk page at the time, later moved here to my user page.)
 
−
 
−
::See my user page.  {{unsigned|SamHB}}
 
−
 
−
I no longer remember exactly what reply was referenced.
 
−
 
−
Then, a few weeks later, things got quite weird.  He sent me 3 more emails:
 
−
-----
 
−
:Delivered-To: sam4557@gmail.com
 
−
:Received: by ******** with HTTP; Sat, 2 Apr 2016 15:07:44 -0700 (PDT)
 
−
:Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2016 18:07:44 -0400
 
−
:Subject: re: talk page post
 
−
:From: "********" <********>
 
−
:To: Sam Becker <sam4557@gmail.com>
 
−
 
−
:SamHB.
 
−
 
−
:Do you have Skype? If so, we can talk about the TAR matter.
 
−
 
−
:If you have a Skype account, what is your Skype name?
 
−
 
−
:Sincerely,
 
−
 
−
:User: Conservative
 
−
-----
 
−
:Delivered-To: sam4557@gmail.com
 
−
:Received: by ******** with HTTP; Sat, 2 Apr 2016 17:07:39 -0700 (PDT)
 
−
:Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2016 20:07:39 -0400
 
−
:Subject: Re: talk page post
 
−
:From: "********" <********>
 
−
:To: Sam Becker <sam4557@gmail.com>
 
−
 
−
:Sam,
 
−
 
−
:I was hoping that you would get the email soon given that I have some free time tonight.
 
−
 
−
:But since you didn't get the email soon, there is no need for the Skype call. I think the TAR matter will be settled via the talk pages.
 
−
-----
 
−
:Delivered-To: sam4557@gmail.com
 
−
:Received: by ******** with HTTP; Sat, 2 Apr 2016 19:12:47 -0700 (PDT)
 
−
:Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2016 22:12:47 -0400
 
−
:Subject: Re: talk page post
 
−
:From: "********" <********>
 
−
:To: Sam Becker <sam4557@gmail.com>
 
−
 
−
:I see you are active editing again.
 
−
 
−
:Do you have a Skype name you wish to share?  I am free to Skype a bit tonight.
 
−
-----
 
−
and left another note on my talk page about this:
 
−
::I see you are editing again. Recheck your email.  I sent you another email message. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 22:17, 2 April 2016 (EDT)
 
−
 
−
I indirectly replied to all this on this user page (search above for "behind the curve") stating that I do not use Skype.  I never replied to any of this by email.
 
−
 
−
Then this appeared on my talk page:
 
−
 
−
:== The prank that never happened ==
 
−
 
−
:As you know, I/we recently invited you to Skype call about a matter.
 
−
 
−
:Second, I know you are skeptical that the User: Conservative account has been used by more than one editor (despite the evidence to the contrary. Evidence that a website which has devotees of CP noted).
 
−
 
−
[He really likes to misspell user names, by putting in a blank, perhaps to make them unclickable/unpasteable.]
 
−
 
−
:Well, the Skype call was going to employ voice changing software so the voice of User: Conservativetism would be many. With proper notice, the various editors of User: Conservatism could have spoken to you via a Skype group/conference call. :) [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 01:09, 3 April 2016 (EDT)
 
−
 
−
[And this time it's "User:Conservativetism".]
 
−
 
−
Wait!  He was going to use some kind of "voice changing software" to rig up a Skype conference call with me in order to "prove" that he is multiple people??????  Really?
 
−
----
 
−
:Hey, he asked me via talk page to e-mail him and then via e-mail to Skype him.  What you suppose he's doing?  He asked 1990'sguy the same thing, I believe.--[[User:Abcqwe|Nathan]] ([[User talk:Abcqwe|talk]]) 14:44, 4 June 2017 (EDT)
 
−
 
−
==Early December, 2015, On the Curious Matter of Sex With Horses==
 
−
 
−
I'm not an expert in poetry, atheist or otherwise, but I found [[Atheist poetry]], and its talk page, to be a welcome contrast from most of the topics Cons<ref>User Conservative, affectionately called "Cons"</ref> writes about.  Cons got into a spirited discussion of the topic with [[User:JohnSelway]] and [[User:JohnZ]] on the [[Talk:Atheist poetry|talk page]].  So I congratulated him on his good taste in this matter, with a note on that talk page.  But I also expressed disappointment that he had seemingly grown tired of the poetry topic, and had gone back to writing about bestiality.
 
−
 
−
At about that time, he went on an editing binge, making 43 edits on the subjects of "Atheism and bestiality" or horses, including the creation of the article [[Essay: I say NAAAAAY to atheism and evolutionism!]], complete with a picture of a horse, which clearly suggests a particular interest in the topic of sex with horses.
 
−
 
−
For some inexplicable reason, Cons moved my comment to the talk page for [[Atheism and bestiality]], and wrote a long reply about bestiality.
 
−
 
−
Not having [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AEpistle_to_the_Hebrews_%28Translated%29&action=historysubmit&diff=1183335&oldid=1183317 VargasMilan's vocabulary], I am at a loss for words to express how revolting I find that topic, and Cons's extensive writing about bestiality in general.  Conservapedia was originally intended as a learning resource for home-school students, presumably in the junior high and high school age range.  Everyone is encouraged to watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvT5YuDovHI this video] to see Conservapedia's original mission, as explained by Andy Schlafly himself.
 
−
 
−
Now, to reply to Cons's remarks:
 
−
 
−
:>> SamHB, because you are an evolutionist and a defender of evolutionary pseudoscience ...
 
−
I prefer the term "one who accepts the overwhelming scientific evidence for evolution".  And I don't recognize the term "evolutionary pseudoscience".  Sorry.
 
−
 
−
:>> (along with holding to liberal theology which often tends to be anti-supernatural in character)
 
−
I believe I pointed out to you, at [[User talk:SamHB#Daily Beast evolution article]], the significance of a comma in distinguishing a "restrictive clause" from a "nonrestrictive clause".  By not using a comma after "theology", you are saying that, of all liberal theologies, I hold to one of those that "often tends to be anti-supernatural in character".  You're right; I do.  But perhaps you meant to say that ''all'' liberal theologies often tend to be anti-supernatural in character.  If that is what you meant, you should have used a comma.
 
−
 
−
:>> I can understand why the evolutionary belief and bestiality and Atheism and bestiality articles are upsetting to you
 
−
No, those articles don't upset me at all, except insofar as they make a mockery of Conservapedia's goals.
 
−
 
−
:>> especially since you cannot find a single factual error in these articles.
 
−
We've been through this before, relating to various other things you've written.  Find a factual error?  I can hardly find a coherent sentence!
 
−
 
−
==Mid-October, 2015, another vape-a-thon by Cons, over Pat Tillman==
 
−
Disclaimer:  I am not familiar with the case of Pat Tillman, except that it was apparently a tragic friendly-fire battlefield death in Afghanistan.  I have absolutely no information on whether he was an atheist, and apparently no one at Conservapedia does either.
 
−
 
−
But that didn't stop Cons from getting really worked up in a giant kerfuffle with some people (mostly user "Ebionite") over whether he was an atheist.  Now Ebionite was obviously a troll, and a foul-mouthed one at that, and deserved to be blocked.  But he really got Cons worked up.  Cons vaped (oversighted, "burned the evidence") the discussion '''23 times in 51 minutes'''.  I didn't save the stuff (I no longer log Cons's goings-on in detail) but the gist of the argument was the idea that Tillman could not have been an atheist because Cons knows that "No atheist would do [XYZ]."  All this in spite of statements by ''people that knew Mr. Tillman personally.''
 
−
 
−
Sorry Cons, but whether someone is an atheist does not depend on, and is in fact totally unrelated to, '''what goes on inside YOUR head'''.  And the fact that you say "there are no good reasons to be an atheist" does not mean that there are no atheists in the world.  It just means that you have not thought this through.  There are atheists in this world.  I know a number of them.
 
−
 
−
==September 23, 2015, in which Cons leaves a note on my talk page about "User: Math" and then vapes it==
 
−
Oh, Cons!  Bad, naughty Cons!  You left a note for me, and then vaped it.  (You did the same on VargasMilan's talk page, telling him that you had sent him an email.)  In fact, you've been doing an enormous amount of vaping lately.  One might wonder whether this is because you are starting to be embarrassed about how many tiny edits it takes for you to say something.  As I believe I told you elsewhere, the fix for that is to compose what you want to say in an editor, think about it, polish it into the form you want, and ''then'' upload it.  I believe you said at about the same time that you were going to vape ("oversight") things more, in order to keep the Recent Changes log from getting so cluttered.  Well, I'm sure you've noticed that, with the new wiki software, acts of vaping are even ''more'' visible than they were before.  It just makes the problem ''worse''.  I'd suggest that you go back to just editing the way you used to.  The bean-counters over at ritionalwaki will continue doing their thing, of course.
 
−
 
−
By the way, you shouldn't ever revert, much less vape, things on talk pages, ''especially'' users' talk pages.  Talk pages should simply be archived.  And I think that vaping another user's talk page is particularly rude.  I wouldn't be surprised if VargasMilan was offended by what you did.  (Actually, I would be surprised, since his notions of proper behavior seem to be different from mine.)
 
−
 
−
Now, getting to the issue at hand, you told me about a user called "User: Math".  Complete with the space after the colon that you so charmingly like to put into these things.  You apparently thought I would be interested in what such a person had to say, presumably because you know that I am interested in mathematics.  A quick check (removing the space, of course) showed that there is no such user at Conservapedia.  You gave a web URL.  I went there, and, sure enough, there is a user called "Math".  So I looked around at his profile and contributions.  I found [http://forum.bible-discussion.com/entry.php?1620-Does-God-Exist-Atheism-vs-Theism-vs-Agnosticism this] and [http://forum.bible-discussion.com/member.php?9587-Math&s=932a57f409ec5e0414ca90f01b6e6fc0 this (his profile)] and [http://forum.bible-discussion.com/entry.php?1148-Homosexuality-and-the-Bible this].  When I got to the last one, I thought "Aha!  I understand it now!  '''This''' is why Cons is interested in this guy.  Homosexuality and the Bible."
 
−
 
−
Unfortunately, I found no connection at all with mathematics in anything that I saw, though I admit I didn't look into every nook and cranny.  You apparently thought I'd be interested in what someone with a screen name of "Math" would say.  But no, I'm not interested in a fundamentalist crackpot who just happens to have chosen the name "Math" as his screen name on a crackpot backwater blog, and writes not about math but about homosexuality and the Bible.
 
−
 
−
Then you also indicated that this person might have something to teach me about the [[Generalized linear model]].  So I went and refreshed my memory about this.  As I recall, you once tried to win an argument (Evolution, Atheism?  Who cares?) with someone by telling him that he needed to know more about the generalized linear model.  And yet your edits to that article were little more than links to the statsoft web site, and showed no actual knowledge of the topic.  I called you out on this, and challenged you to a debate on the subject.  I was actually quite specific in one of my challenges, suggesting that we could give each other some data sets to analyze.  My intention was, of course, to find out whether you knew anything about the algorithm that begins with L-M.  Fortunately for you, your bunny-hole was close by.
 
−
 
−
In any case, no, I don't think user "Math" at the bible discussion forum web site has anything to say to me on the subject of the generalized linear model.  But my debate offer still stands.  One thing you might do, short of a debate but still demonstrating some degree of mathematical erudition, would be to edit the Generalized linear model page and say, in your own words, what binomial distributions and Poisson distributions are.
 
−
 
−
==Early September, 2015, in which Cons exhibits his expertise in computer network behavior, gets shot down, and then claims he is right and asks me to apologize==
 
−
 
−
The exchange is [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3AMain_Page&action=historysubmit&diff=1170098&oldid=1169987 here].
 
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Conservapedia's server experienced a serious storm of sporadic server outages.  Cons weighed in with the advice "get a faster browser", and was totally shot down by knowledgeable people&mdash;AugustO, Bringreaganback, MelH, and myself.  I explained in great detail why Cons's theories were incorrect.  Cons thrashed around for a bit, and then cited an article in [https://askleo.com/whats_an_internal_server_error_and_how_do_i_fix_it/ the "askleo" web site].  He attempted to make that web site seem authoritative by citing its Alexa rank of about 25,000.  This isn't necessary; any technically literate person can look at the web site and see for himself that Leo knows what he is talking about.  Alexa ranks don't make a site more authoritative.  And that's a good thing, because Conservapedia's rank is about 105,000.  (By the way, ritionalwaki's rank is about 23,000, a little better than askleo.)
 
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Leo says that he is very familiar with the error.  In the article, he ''repeatedly'' says that it's a server error, not affected by anything the user might do.  Finally, in the "some straws to grasp at" section, he mentions some things that a user might do, including trying a different (not faster; different) browser.  But he makes clear that those are very far-fetched scenarios.
 
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::::''In late January, Cons changed the phrase "including trying a different (not faster; different) browser", from the paragraph above, to use boldface and a large font, and gave the edit comment "VICTORY".  I am baffled by this.  The "askleo" site mentioned using a different browser, not a faster one; what Cons had suggested was a faster browser.  He still seems confused about browser speed and server errors.  Why he considers it a victory to call attention to this confusion by putting it in boldface and a large font is a mystery.''
 
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So, no, Cons.  There is no need for me to apologize.
 
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Now one of the things that I pointed out in the exchange was that Cons was writing "word salad" (or should I say "file attribute salad") in what he wrote.  The attribute specification that he gave, "-rwxr-", makes no sense, and does not appear in the page that he cites.  I suggest that this "calls into question the veracity of Cons's internet research on other topics as well."  The significance of this is that it shows that Cons ''can't even cut-and-paste accurately from another web page.''  He just makes things up.  Why does that call his veracity on other topics into question?  Because he writes very prolifically on a number of subjects (atheism, homosexuality, bestiality, Richard Dawkins, etc), pretending to back up what he is saying with references to things on the internet.  I rarely look at the cited articles; I just take Cons's word for it that the person said that.  And I'm not an expert on these topics (especially bestiality).  I have to take the author's word for it.  But if Cons just makes things up, I can't.
 
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Postscript:  In late September, Cons added a note to Talk:Main_Page, thanking Andy for fixing the sporadic outage problem, and pointing out that he no longer gets the errors.  The rest of us had noticed that things were working normally weeks earlier.  For some reason, Cons must have had second thoughts about his note, because he vaped it.  In fact, he committed 8 acts of vaping of this page in late September, some of them probably to other people's edits; I didn't note them in time.  One of the vapings was of a routine archiving.
 
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PostPostscript:  At 12:59, 26 September, Cons put the note thanking Andy back in again, this time on Andy's talk page.
 
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==March, 2015, On the Curious Matter of Putting ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' in italics==
 
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At 15:04, 28 March, [[User:ConsMovies]] made an edit to [http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Essay:Greatest_Conservative_Movies&diff=prev&oldid=1142798 the "Greatest Conservative Movies" page] correcting the italicization of the title of ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'', along with 3 other movies (''The Goonies'', ''God's Not Dead'', and ''Man of Steel''.)  Cons blocked him 1 minute later.  ConsMovies' edits in general were of a somewhat provocative and snarky nature, but movie titles are generally in italics on that page, and his edit was correct.  Cons reverted the edit 3 minutes after that, so that those movie titles are no longer in italics.
 
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I complained about this on Andy's talk page on March 12.  There was a long discussion on this topic, as seen [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Aschlafly/Archive59#ConsMovies here].
 
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An interesting (to me, at least, as a "Cons-watcher") thing to note about that discussion is that, from looking at the history log, Cons twice '''burned down (completely deleted) Andy Schlafly's talk page, and recreated it''', once at 23:21, 12 March, and once at 14:21, 13 March!  He had apparently made some edits that he realized were inappropriate, and needed to cover his tracks.  He has since then learned to use more sophisticated techniques to "vape" embarrassing material.
 
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As of this writing, the errors in the 4 movie titles are still there!
 
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:Breaking news:  At 22:03, 7 February 2016, the page finally got fixed.  Congratulations to [[User:Northwest]].
 
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==A note on the second law of thermodynamics==
 
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There seems to be a good deal of confusion and unclear writing in the article.
 
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The subject of thermodynamics, including the second law, was well established during the 19<sup>th</sup> century, by such people as Carnot, Gibbs, Clausius, Clapeyron, Maxwell, Helmholtz, and Thompson (Lord Kelvin).  This long predates the advent of quantum mechanics.  The subject of statistical mechanics, and the "randomness" or "uncertainty" were well understood.  It does not depend on the uncertainty (the "Heisenberg uncertainty principle") of quantum mechanics.
 
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There are two generally recognized types of "perpetual motion machine."  A "perpetual motion machine of the first kind", which is what people generally mean when they use this term, is one that violates conservation of energy.  Since the first law of thermodynamics is just conservation of energy, such a machine would violate the first law.
 
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Such a perpetual motion machine is generally taken to mean one that actively gives out nonzero energy (you can see ads for these things on the internet<ref>http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/</ref><ref>http://www.fuellesspower.com/</ref><ref>http://www.magniwork.com/</ref>), rather than one that simply holds its own, even though a machine that holds its own, that is, never runs down, could obviously be considered a "perpetual motion machine."
 
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Entities that hold their own and never run down actually do exist.  Atoms are examples of them.  The electrons orbiting the nucleus, if they are in their ground state, never stop.  They never lose energy at all.  (OK, the fact that they never lose energy depends on quantum mechanics, and I said above that quantum mechanics isn't involved, but the radiation from accelerating charges was unknown when thermodynamics was formulated.)  Other things that never stop are quantum-mechanical harmonic oscillators, and gas molecules in their random motion.  The latter was central to the kinetic theory that led to the development of thermodynamics.  That is, the people developing thermodynamics were aware of the perpetual, never running down, nature of gas molecules.  They postulated, correctly, that gas molecule collisions are perfectly elastic and never lose energy.  They really are "perpetual motion machines."
 
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The second law of thermodynamics relates to a more obscure fictional device, a "perpetual motion machine of the second kind."  This would be something that violates the second law by causing heat to travel, without introduction of energy from an external source, from a colder body to a warmer one.  In fact, it can be shown (and was shown in the 19<sup>th</sup> century), that any heat engine more efficient than that required by Carnot's law is impossible, because it would permit the construction of a machine that moved heat from a colder body to a warmer one.
 
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From looking at the edit history of the article, there seems to be something of an edit war involving an insistence that the impossibility of a perpetual motion machine be described using the word "derail".  This is an extremely unhelpful word, suggesting a similarity with a railroad train running off its tracks, and seems to be an attempt to evoke the commonsense notion of macroscopic mechanical devices wearing out due to friction.  The second law is actually very clear in what it states and does not state.  The article also muddies the thinking by including a folksy and cute, but woefully imprecise, layman's description by a famous science fiction author.  While it is true that a person's room will tend to get messy if not attended to, and shuffling a deck of cards leads to more disorder, this is related to statistics, and involves an entropy change that is utterly minuscule compared with what goes on in thermodynamics.  The "intelligent intervention" that the article describes (cleaning up the room, or sorting the cards) is statistically infeasible in the thermodynamics case.  In fact, the scientists formulating the second law of thermodynamics considered this, in the form of a "Maxwell's demon", and showed that it was impossible.
 
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The claim that the second law of thermodynamics disproves relativity or evolution is too preposterous to reply to.
 
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When I get the time, I will probably write some articles on thermodynamics elsewhere on the internet.
 
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==My Past Contributions==
 
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I have contributed to the following articles.  Some contributions were minor, but most were major, and many of these articles were created by me.  Some got moved from my "sandbox" pages into article space by other people.
 
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Algebra, Joseph-Louis Lagrange, exponent of "r" in Newtonian gravity, Calc3.1/2/3/4/5, tensor, wave equation, e (mathematics), vector, vector space, vector field, conservative vector field, irrotational vector field, Maxwell's equations, Hodge star, exterior derivative, Cramer's rule, Riemann integral, Green's theorem, dense subset, limit (mathematics), boolean algebra, mathematical paradoxes, function, complex analytic function, continuity, countable, group, real number, rational number, complex number, Cauchy sequence, Dedekind cut, bijection, injection, surjection, ham sandwich theorem, two-pancacke theorem, divergence, curl, cross product, dot product, infinity, functor, continuous function, Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem, principle of induction, general relativity, real analysis, Pierre Simon Laplace, diagonalization.
 
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==My Future Plans==
 
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This section .  I may need to consult with some sysops on this.  Fixing the [[Compass and straightedge]] article is an important item.
 
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The comment above, about consulting with sysops, referred to the fact that I was blocked and reverted by Daniel Pulido after an earlier attempt to discuss math, so I wanted to contact him by email to get his approval.  But he has himself been blocked, so maybe things are OK.
 
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While there are a huge number of things that need  in the mathematics area, I've picked out four that would be good to  on.  I want to collaborate on these with Ed Poor, who is the other math expert currently around, so I have placed and extensive discussion on [[User_talk:Ed_Poor|his talk page]], which see.  I'm also going to bring this to the attention of [[User:JamesWilson]], who may be another up-and-coming math contributor.
 
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*[[Compass and straightedge]]&mdash;This has been rescued from "parody hell", but it needs much more work to present the material in a way that is logical and understandable to the target audience.
 
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*Elementary [[Algebra]]&mdash;This has been a topic of discussion between me and Ed for quite some time, generally centering on the question of "how do you explain to an elementary student what the question 'x+3 = 7' is really asking?"
 
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*Peano axioms&mdash;The fundamental logical basis for all of arithmetic.  I dimly recall a discussion between Ed and someone else on this topic; it didn't seem to get anywhere.  It is an extremely fascinating topic for the target audience!
 
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*[[Center]]&mdash;This has been a disaster for a long time.  I really don't know how to write the "headline" sentence for this; that is, what's the first thing you say about what the "center" of a geometrical shape is?  I solicit any insight that Ed (or anyone else) can provide.
 
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==More thoughts on math==
 
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Since there is a renewal of interest in writing mathematical articles, I'd like for people to feel free to use my [[User_talk:SamHB|talk page]] for discussion of math articles, if they so desire.  I may be able to offer advice or guidance, or suggest fruitful topics.
 
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People should also feel free to discuss math writing in general, including the topic that is near and dear to me&mdash;setting the right educational level for our expected audience.  I only ask that:
 
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*Do not tell me we need extremely advanced articles at the college level.  See [[Talk:Algebra|here]] for the latest example of misguided advice along these lines.  Just don't ask.  I'm not interested.
 
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*If criticizing my or anyone else's writing level or style, please provide a link to a sample of your own writing on the same or equivalent topic and at the same depth, so that we can see just what you have in mind.
 
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==I see AlanS's talk page has finally been deleted==
 
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He seems to have made his last contribution on December 26, 2008.  He was blocked at 19:19 on December 31, two minutes after I was blocked for being a sock of him.  I never knew who he was.  Looking through his block log, he seems to have gotten into fights with sysops and admins to an astounding degree, suggesting that he was, at heart, just a troublemaker.  He seems to have dabbled in "light science" topics, but our paths don't seem to have crossed.
 
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==The Bugler/LowKey incident==
 
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User "Bugler" was an extremely brutish user who climbed the status ladder at Conservapedia rather quickly, developing a reputation for blocking people and generally being destructive.  He very nearly made it to "administrator", the rank currently held by only a few people&mdash;Andy, Ed Poor, Karajou, JPatt, Conservative, and a few other inactive people.  At the end of the process, while being interviewed by Andy and asked his real name, he apparently said it was "Brian Ugler", thereby unmasking himself as a vandal and parodist of the worst kind.  He was immediately banished, of course.
 
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User "LowKey" was one of Bugler's frequent victims, and complained at length on his user page, before Bugler's fall.  Lowkey's user page, as of 12 January, 2009, may be found [[User:SamHB/BuglerLowKey|here]].  I am saving it because it is in danger of being vaped.
 
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==Helpful stuff==
 
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===To mark a page for deletion===
 
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Use <nowiki>{{Delete Notice}}</nowiki>
 
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The explanation is not an argument; it is in the following text.
 
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Or <nowiki>{{speedy}}</nowiki> to explicitly diss it for being "obvious vandalism, sarcastic mockery, or inappropriate".
 
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Also <nowiki>{{db|whatever}}</nowiki>
 
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The explanation is in the argument.  This method seems less effective at being noticed.
 
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===To make a nice quotation block===
 
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{{cquote|blah blah}}
 
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Indented quote, but without the big quote marks.  (You can get pretty much the same thing with colon.)
 
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<blockquote>blah blah</blockquote>
 
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===To put in footnotes etc.===
 
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See [[How to put links and footnotes into your articles]].
 
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===To welcome a new user===
 
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<nowiki>{{welcome|sig=SamHB}}</nowiki>
 
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==References==
 
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<references/>
 

Revision as of 21:52, April 13, 2019

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