text: Souls? This is a long post originally written by Boris several years ago and who was, in my humble opinion, the most intelligent and informed member in the history of sciforums. At the time of writing he was a student of computational neuroscience. The post covers most of the issues that demonstrate the significant improbability of souls. It is a long read but I believe well worth reading. The original text is in the archives although I have corrected spelling errors here and added some formatting for readability, otherwise the text is the same. I am copying it here again since many new members have never seen this. Enjoy. The issue of whether souls exist or not is an essential consideration for theism, since if souls do not exist then an afterlife does not exist which is the domain for theism to reward or punish. I.e. without an afterlife who cares whether gods exist or not. Argument from interaction Clearly, for a soul to have a meaningful connection to the body, it must be capable of interacting with matter. Yet, souls are defined as immaterial and not subject to the laws that govern matter. Hence, the paradox arises: by its definition, a soul must be both capable of interacting with matter, and not capable of interacting with matter. To elaborate, Matter affects matter through interactions. For example, you can push a desk, or bludgeon a man, or dig a river. It is because matter is so "interactive", that we can make measurements, conduct experiments, and observe phenomena associated with matter. The soul, on the other hand, is by definition immaterial. Hence, with our scientific instruments we cannot detect it. If we could detect it, we could then determine its properties and structure and we would be able to materially interact with it, which would make the soul material. But that's a funny thing, considering that the soul is supposed to interact with the body. After all, we are only aware of our world through our senses; and our conscious decisions directly translate into physical actions -- e.g. if I wanted to clap my hands together, I could do it. So it seems that material information must have a way to enter the soul, and material information must have a way of emanating from the soul and travelling to the body. The latter of these phenomena has a definite effect on the body, and hence must be indirectly detectable. This is because the body is indeed material, and any changes introduced within it are thus immediately detectable with proper instruments. Thus, were the soul to feed information back to the body, scientists ought to be able to find the spot where information from the soul enters the body for the first time. (Of course, despite centuries of searching no such spot has been found.) But this again contradicts the notion that the soul is not detectable through material means (of course, this contradiction arises out of the already contradictory notion that the soul interacts with the body.) Then there is the question of the very mechanisms through which the exchange between the soul and the body takes place. By definition, a soul is 100% immaterial. On the other hand, the body is 100% material. How do we build a bridge between the two? Does there exist a "something" that is both partly material, and partly immaterial? But anything like that would not make sense, since the idealist concepts of matter vs. essence are incompatible. Matter is temporary, while the soul is eternal. Matter is corrupt, while the soul is perfect. Matter possesses extension, density, mass, color, temperature, etc. -- while the soul has none of those properties. Matter can be subdivided, yet the soul cannot. How can "something" exist that possesses a mix of these contradictory properties? How can something be corrupt and perfect at the same time? How can something be massive and massless, colorful and colorless, extended and shapeless? So it seems there is no reasonable way that the gap between the immaterial and the material can be crossed so as to enable the communication between the soul and the body. To sum up, two distinct points are raised here: first, the definition of the soul and its relationship with the body are contradictory, and second, there is no satisfactory explanation of how the soul can exchange information with the body. Argument from neuroscience For the purposes of this argument, we must first determine that of all the body parts, it is the brain that makes us who we are. After all, you can take a normal human, amputate all of her limbs, and she will still be defined as a human being. You can take a human being and cut out his heart, lungs, kidneys, bowels, etc. and he would still be a human being (for as long as surgical machines can do the work of the missing organs.) If you cut off somebody's head, and somehow manage to keep it alive, then it's the head we would point toward when we discuss that person; the headless body will no longer be ol' Joe -- since here's ol' Joe's head that speaks in Joe's voice and thinks and feels like Joe, and possesses all of Joe's knowledge, etc. So we can keep imaginatively (and nonchalantly) stripping Joe of body parts until only the brain is left floating in a jar. At this point, we can still safely point to the brain and say that it's Joe; we can incinerate the other body parts, but as long as the brain is alive, Joe is alive too. Incidentally, that's why clinical death is defined as brain death. Any other failed organ can be replaced, at least in principle; however a brain cannot be replaced. Even if Joe clinically died, and you transplanted Brent's brain into Joe's skull, all you would have done is transplant Brent's persona into Joe's body; Joe would still be dead as a doornail. Now then, it seems that the brain is the crucial part of us that makes us who we are. Incidentally, the brain also physically controls the body. If you want to bend a finger, a train of signals has to travel from your brain down your spinal cord and through your peripheral nervous system all the way to the muscles of that particular finger, so that they contract or expand so as to bend the finger in the way you wanted. If the pathway between the brain and any particular part of the body is breached even at one spot, you will lose your control over that part of your body. Hence, the brain is not only the defining part of what it is to be human -- it is also the part that actually controls the body! So, if the soul is to interact with the body, it is clear that the soul must interact with the brain. But where in the brain does this interaction with the soul occur? It turns out that there is no possible answer. As you may or may not know, the brain can be crudely subdivided into an old brain and the new brain, the latter composed of the left and right cerebral hemispheres. The old brain consists basically of the brainstem, and in humans is more or less a mere interface between the new brain and the spinal cord, as far as cognitive function is concerned. This is not to say that the old brain is insignificant, since it contains physiologically crucial centers controlling everything from heart beats to breathing to sleep-wake cycles. However, it is the new brain that is responsible for any behavior that we would consider above comatose. The new brain possesses vast tracts processing and combining information from the five senses, it possesses structures that plan, initiate, and control movement, it possesses structures responsible for emotions, it possesses structures involved in memory, attention, spatial navigation, object recognition, production, perception, and comprehension of speech, etc, etc, etc. In fact, brain damage studies show that every last bit of the new brain in adult humans is involved in at least one, and often several, cognitive tasks. So, it would seem that the soul must be in contact with the entire brain if it was to account for all of our human faculties. However, this does not hold when we consider abnormal physiology. Certain birth defects cause some children to be born with only one cerebral hemisphere; other children lose a hemisphere to surgical intervention very early in life. Despite the fact that for an adult to lose a hemisphere would be absolutely devastating in terms of loss of function and aspects of personality, these children grow up to be nearly normal in all respects. This is just one example where the amazing plasticity of the brain shows itself in full glory. Thing is, the plasticity is lost early in life as the brain becomes increasingly organized, since for a highly structured brain plastic change would actually mean loss of function rather than gain. Yet, the very fact that people are alive who function normally with only one hemisphere (and a brain that is organized vastly differently!), as opposed to the "normal" people who have two hemispheres and a totally different brain organization -- poses difficulties for any proposed mechanism of interaction between the soul and the brain. Already, it would seem that the mechanism is not dependent on the soul, but must adapt to the developing brain on-the-go, so as to connect the soul to the brain correctly, whatever the final architecture of the adult brain may be. The functional portion of the brain is composed of vast and very complex networks of a total adult average of 10,000,000,000 special cells called neurons (the bodies of these cells contain pigment and are often collectively referred to as "gray matter"). Each neuron sends out slender connections to other neurons, and an average neuron is connected to about 10,000 others (these interconnection fibers are wrapped in other special cells that form an electrical insulation around these "wires"; as a result the connections look white to the eye, and en masse are referred to as "white matter"). Of course, there are trillions of other cells in the brain besides neurons, which compose blood vessels, provide insulation and scaffolding for the connections between neurons, nourish neurons and clean up their waste, fight invading pathogens, etc -- but neurons are what actually does all the work of cognition. Neurons work by sending electrical impulses to other neurons, and accepting similar messages. Without going into too much gory detail, the effect of the messages on any particular neuron is mediated by a slew of factors from the actual chemicals used to pass the message between neurons, to the actual characteristics of the voltage signals that neurons send to each other. But the great and overriding point here is that neurons are literally billions of independent cells, communicating among each other, and every now and then sending impulses through your peripheral nervous system to affect what your body does. It seems that to control the body, the soul would have to connect individually to every last neuron in the brain and control what it does. But neurons die all the time, and new neurons are born also (although at a much slower rate.) Furthermore, the actual connections between neurons change constantly, and so the role any particular neuron plays in the overall function of the brain varies with time. So, how does the soul know what each neuron's current function is? Additionally, it seems that scientists can predict neuronal behavior precisely, based purely on the electrochemical impulses it is receiving from other neurons. So it appears that there is no mysterious soul behind the curtains telling this neuron to fire and that one to hold off once every millisecond; behavior of neurons is determined exactly by the input they receive from other neurons. And some of those other neurons receive a lot of their input from sensory organs, such as the pressure, pain, temperature, etc. (in other words, somatosensory) receptors on your skin and other organs, or from your eyes, ears, nose, or tongue, or from the vestibular apparatus in your inner ear, etc. So it seems that the brain is a deterministic machine that is driven by inputs from its environment. And all of those receptors and organs have also been studied in detail, and found to be purely biochemical and physically deterministic. There is no place left for the soul to operate! There is no end to the problems that neuropathology brings for the soul, and I am not going to attempt to list even a small portion of such problems. However, I already mentioned the conundrum posed by neural plasticity. I'll present just one more "problem", and then move on to the next argument. The problem has to do with the split-brain patients. Some people are subject to debilitating seizures, which are uncontrollable through drugs. A seizure is really a runaway chain reaction where a bunch of neurons starts firing chaotically, and the chaos spreads across the cortex, disrupting any cognitive function in its wake. Seizures can sometimes be combated through drugs, which help regulate neuronal activity and stop it from crossing a vital threshold above which it spins out of control. Newer methods include electrodes implanted directly into the particular brain region where seizures originate, so that an implanted computer can detect an onset of the seizure and apply a mild electric current between electrodes, which in effect "resets" the surrounding neural tissue and stops a seizure in its tracks. However, a while ago such advanced treatments were not available, and in extremely debilitating cases the only recourse was surgery. Most often, the small brain region where seizures originate was surgically removed (the mild loss in cognitive function was a small price to pay for the freedom from frequent seizures, and was especially tolerable for children whose brains are still plastic enough to compensate for the injury). However, in a few cases the offending region was crucial to certain treasured faculties, such as for example production or comprehension of speech, or control of posture. In other cases the offending region was just too large. In these cases, the surgeons did the next best thing to excising the part of the brain -- they selectively cut some of the connections between this brain part and other parts of the brain, so that the seizures would only occur locally and would not spread. Seizures can occur in relatively localized regions of the cortex, but for some unfortunate people they occur globally, spreading from one hemisphere to the other like wildfire. In these cases, where excision was not an option, surgeons used to sever the huge bundle of fibers (called "corpus callosum") that connects the right hemisphere with the left. The corpus callosum is the major connection between the hemispheres, and although there are other small communication channels via which certain parts of the two hemispheres exchange information, when the corpus callosum is severed for all practical purposes the hemispheres are cut off from each other. For this reason, the patients that underwent this type of surgery came to be known as split-brain patients. And they permanently exhibit the weirdest behaviors. They really do have two separate, almost independent brains in their skull. Most of the time, the brains coexist peacefully. However, sometimes they don't agree with each other and the results can range from comic to absurd to horrible. Because of the way the brain is wired up to the body, each hemisphere controls the opposite half of the body. So, the right hemisphere controls the left arm, leg, etc., while the left hemisphere controls the right half. One patient had a problem with his left hemisphere: apparently, it just couldn't stand his wife. At the mere sight of his spouse, his right hand would immediately form a fist, his right leg start making valiant attempts to get the body closer to the wife, and his right arm start violently swinging at the wife with a clear intent to do damage. With his left leg he would fight his right leg, and with his left hand try to restrain his right hand, all the while displaying a grimace of rage on the right side of his face while the left side of the face expressed clear alarm and distress. Another lady had an even more serious problem, with the two halves of her body engaging in a vicious feud. She literally beat herself up, tried to choke herself in her sleep, tore her own hair out, and all of that occurred in the context of the right side of her body doing damage to the left side, and vice versa. Fortunately, such horrible side effects tend to mellow out as time passes, but the patients never return to normal -- to the end of their lives, they literally remain split in half. Yet, if a single, indivisible, unified soul was controlling the brain, then surely cutting the link between the hemispheres would not preclude them from functioning in harmony! At the very least, they shouldn't be trying to kill each other! But contrary to all common sense as we used to know it, the two hemispheres literally turn into two distinct personalities. Each of them is capable of independent emotion, independent knowledge, and independent interaction with the world. For example, questions can be asked of the right hemisphere, and it will answer them (though not verbally, because in most people the right hemisphere is incapable of language) -- but the left, verbal, hemisphere will never know about either the questions or the answers, and will in fact tell you so when asked. Even more poignantly, the right hemisphere possesses knowledge that the left hemisphere doesn't, and vice versa. Both hemispheres exhibit structured thought and problem solving abilities, independent of each other. Both of them express feelings and emotions, again independently of each other. Each has its own stream of consciousness, again independent of the other hemisphere. So indeed, the two hemispheres are in most respects separate, distinct, independent human beings! Yet, they originally only had one soul. How would the doctrine of souls explain such a phenomenon? Yet another difficulty lies in the transfer of memory or knowledge between the brain and the soul. For example, you might remember what you did during the last Christmas, and when asked you would tell us a story describing what happened. This process of recalling facts and then verbalizing them involves many crucial faculties that are just about as central to our stream of consciousness as anything -- so presumably at least a large part of the process occurs in the soul and not in the physical brain. However, it is well known that the brain contains certain regions specifically dedicated to memory. When these regions are damaged, the result is amnesia -- loss of memory -- despite the fact that all other cognitive functions remain intact. Now, what happens when an amnesic is asked to describe something they knew prior to the brain damage, but of which they now have no recollection? The request gets correctly processed and understood by the subject, as can be verified by questioning him about it. Presumably, such higher understanding resides in the soul, so the soul indeed knows what is being asked. The patient is also perfectly able to verbalize other facts, and to tell stories not connected to the particular lost memory -- so these faculties are preserved as well. Therefore, if the soul still retains the memory whose representation is lost in the physical brain, it should have no problem verbalizing that memory and telling stories about it, and thus in fact amnesia would never even be observed! Yet, amnesia is real and very predictable based on which regions of the brain are damaged. So, it seems that destroying a part of the physical brain utterly destroys the memories it used to help encode. This means that the soul does not possess memory; memory is purely a property of the brain. Which means that when the brain dies, all memories die with it. Which means that the entire personality dies with the brain, since memory includes, in addition to explicit facts, everything from learned skills such as language, coordinated movement, or art, to such things as preferences, attitudes, beliefs, etc. Which comes into a huge clash with all the claims of afterlife where the souls are supposed to retain memory of earthly existence and even maintain their pre-death personality. Argument from neuropsychology This gets to the reason why we conjecture the existence of the soul in the first place. In the old times, when people knew very little about the nature of life or cognition, it baffled them that certain objects were indeed alive, and other weren't. It baffled people even more why certain living creatures, such as humans, have civilizations, art, language, religion, etc. while other living creatures have none of the above. People also wondered what happened to them when they slept, as they often seemed to depart the regular world for other bizarre realities, inhabit bodies other than their own regular body, fly, and do all sorts of amazing things that other normal things just aren't seen to be doing. And then, people wondered what it would feel like to die, and what happens to their friends and family once their bodies are destroyed, and they also wondered where their stream of consciousness came from, and how come they can't remember anything prior to their early childhood. Thus came around suggestions that what all life has is something special, some kind of a "living essence" that separates it from non-life. You will find that particular idea in every single culture that ever existed, which goes to show just how natural such a conjecture is, and how easily it arises. It may have been a reasonable suggestion, until relatively recently when science began to unravel the true mechanisms of life and cognition. Today, we know that the simplest forms of life contain no "living essence" at all -- they are merely very complicated chemical structures that are able to obtain energy and material from their environment, and to reproduce themselves. Thus, in one deft blow the pre-existing void between matter and essence is bridged. It stands to reason that if unicellular life does not possess a soul, same holds for multi-cellular life -- since multi-cellular organisms are nothing more than intricately organized and coordinated colonies of single specialized cells. But what of the stream of consciousness, the emotions, the awareness, the sensations, the knowledge, the reasoning power that we all possess as humans? How do all of these weird qualities derive from mere cells? Well, the answer has not yet been entirely completed, and I personally hope to play a part in completing it. But the beta version goes something like this. In what may at first glance appear to be a grotesquely oversimplified analogy, consider modern computers. What you see on your screen is a pretty complex visual image representing an attempt at a simple, elegant, and easy to comprehend User Interface. Behind that interface lies complex functionality that enables you to create documents, exchange information with other people, play games, create art, listen to music, render computer movies, simulate collisions of galaxies, analyze data, design other computers, and in general do an amazing variety of things. Most of those applications depend on arcane algorithms and complex protocols to work, of which you as a user have no knowledge or comprehension; all you work with is a friendly (or at least not as arcane as the source code) UI, which abstracts you away from all the hair-raising complexity that dwells on your CD-ROMs and inside your particular beige box. The brain presents a somewhat analogous picture. What we observe is the outside, equipped with a "user interface" consisting of the body. We can interact with the body, we can communicate through it to the brain, and receive replies from the brain through the body. In essence, the body abstracts the brain from us, and as generic "users", we are not aware of how exactly the brain does what it does -- nor do we particularly care, as long as the brain does its job, and does it well. However, the analogy with computers is not complete, since whereas with computers we at least have engineers and programmers who understand exactly how the computer does the things it does, with the brain, at least at the outset, we possess no such knowledge. Thus, the problem of figuring out how the brain works can be compared to the following hypothetical situation: imagine that the enlightened ancient Greeks happen to chance on a complete modern computer system, loaded with all the software, connected to an uninterruptible power supply that will last for decades, and programmed so that its user interface is in ancient Greek (so they can at least partially decipher what it is that it does.) Now imagine just how hard it would have been for the poor Greeks to figure out how all that graphical splendor and functionality arises from that box cluttered with weird metallic and non-metallic parts. Heck, they'd have to develop the theory of quantum mechanics before they could understand how a single transistor works, and they'd have to develop ultra-powerful microscopes to even find those transistors. They'd have to develop an entire theory of computation before they could understand how the mysterious box is able to exhibit such strangely life-like interactivity. Then, they would have to reverse-engineer all the circuits of the computer, and understand exactly how they interact and tie together into a working system. Then, they'd have to reverse-engineer all the binary machine code on the computer's hard drive, and determine how it affects the CPU and other components to do the things that they do when various programs are run. Then they'd have to find ways to de-compile the machine code into a human-readable language, so that they may finally understand how the programs are put together, and how they work. Only then will they finally understand that the computer is not a magic or cursed item, that it is not a living organism or a gateway into another dimension, that it is not a God in disguise and not a fundamental key to all creation -- but that it is what it is, a machine that processes information according to certain pre-set algorithms. An equivalent claim is made for the brain: it is a machine that processes information according to certain pre-set algorithms. And we face a horrendous task of reverse-engineering the brain in order to understand it, in a way very similar to the plight of the unfortunate ancient Greeks. Only the brain is even more daunting than the most complicated computer in existence. It sports an equivalent of 10,000,000,000 processors interconnected in complicated ways, all working simultaneously at 50 Hz in a cacophony of communication. It is fluid, and constantly changes its very structure. It computes not only with electricity, but also in a large way with biochemistry, which makes the behavior of its individual CPUs much more complicated to unravel than the behavior of a typical circuit. It is inexorably tied to the body throughout its development and function, and so to understand the brain we must also understand the workings of the body in all of their intricate detail. The brain is shaped by genetics as well as sensory and chemical input as it develops and matures, so we must understand all of those processes with a high degree of confidence and in great detail over time spans lasting well over a decade from birth to maturity -- if we are to understand how the brain acquires its structure and generates its circuits. And then, once we unravel the story of the hardware, we must understand how it translates into the actual behaviors that we observe -- in essence, we then must reverse-engineer the brain's algorithms and put them into plain English before we ever hope to claim that we completely understand how the brain works. The task is clearly not for the weak of heart. In fact, it can be argued that unraveling the human brain is among the few most difficult challenges science has ever faced. And the task will clearly take at least decades, if not centuries, to complete. But we are already making the first brave steps, and so far we have learned enough to very crudely describe what lies behind our various and wonderful cognitive powers. In the course of our studies, we have localized regions of the brain, or "nuclei", that either by themselves or in concert with other nuclei directly correspond to various human faculties. For example, there is a clearly defined subsystem in the brain that is linked to emotion. Lesioning the lymbic system will turn a person into an automaton incapable of generating or expressing absolutely any kind of affection for anything. Such patients even talk in rhythmically perfect monotone, like robots from cheap sci-fi flicks. As another example, the memory subsystem has been located in another brain structure, the hippocampus and the parahippocampal and entorhinal cortex regions. Damage to these areas predictably results in various forms of amnesia, with the exact symptomology dependent upon exactly which parts of the system were damaged, and how extensively. As another example, take the ability to understand spoken speech. This capacity is at least in part dependent on a part of the cortex called Wernicke's area, damage to which instantly turns the speech a patient hears into meaningless gibberish, and has the same effect on the speech actually produced by the person (though they are not aware that they make no sense to the others; in fact they are usually quite distressed at the fact that the others are talking gibberish and can't understand what the patient is saying.) Amazingly enough, in a fully organized adult brain there even are regions devoted specifically to reading written text, or specifically to writing text. Damage to these regions results in strange symptomology, such as for example a person being able to read, but no longer able to write, or being able to write, but not being able to read back what they just wrote. Such study of neural pathology has produced an innumerable flood of findings like these, and the deluge has yet to show signs of subsiding. Additionally, computational modeling and animal research have been providing insights into other crucial powers of cognition. For example, the faculty of vision has been, is, and will be studied with utmost intensity. As examples, we have discovered cells in the brain that respond to lines of various orientations in the visual field, or variously oriented and scaled gratings of alternating light and dark regions; we have found cells in the visual cortex that respond to local motion in a certain direction, or to a contraction or expansion of the local texture (indicating approaching or receding objects); we have found cells higher up in the processing hierarchy that combine those basic features into more complex items, such as corner, or circle, or crosshatch patterns, and we've found cells yet higher up that respond to entire objects only of a certain type, such as faces for example. We've tentatively began to trace the diverging pathways in the visual processing stream, where one pathway specializes in recognizing objects, while the other pathway specializes in determining the location of objects in space around the observer, or the observer's relative coordinates with respect to objects. We are currently constructing rather successful computational models of how rats tell where they are, based exclusively on the rat neurophysiology and actual electrical recordings from individual cells in rat brains. We have constructed a very successful neuro-computational explanation of how barn owls determine the direction of the sounds they hear. People are digging in on all levels, from planning, coordination, and initiation of motion, to hearing, somatosensory perception, mastication, memory, emotion, mechanisms of attention, to cognitive and neurobiological development, to language, etc, etc, etc. Slowly but surely, the brain's enigma is giving way and grudgingly surrendering territory. And absolutely at no point anywhere within this extensive and burgeoning research field has any research group ever found even a remotest hint of anything supernatural. But what we actually do, at this time, know about the link between brain and cognition -- is that the various cognitive faculties that in the past could not even be imagined to stem from mere matter, derive from specific regions in the brain, and the relationships between these brain regions and how linked regions combine to create cognition, are very physical and well-defined indeed. Additionally, severe damage to a brain region (in adults) connected to some cognitive ability completely and permanently destroys that ability; no hint of its past existence can be recovered through the use of other faculties, as should have been the case if the "lost" faculty actually resided in the soul. Argument from evolution Well, this one's short and sweet, and will work against only a narrowed selection of various doctrines. It basically says that since, obviously, simple life forms do not have souls, and we are merely evolved forms of the same thing, then surely we don't have souls either. At a deeper level, the argument challenges the believer to define at which point living beings acquire souls. Do only humans have souls? But then you have problems with primates, since they are so incredibly similar to us both physically and behaviorally. Do only primates have souls? But then you have a problem with the simians, since monkeys are so similar to apes both physically and behaviorally. Do only primates and simians have souls? But then you have a problem with the prosimians, etc, etc, etc. Eventually, you are forced to retreat to a generalization over all mammals, then over all animals, and finally over all life -- at which point you arrive at a stark contradiction with a clearly observable fact -- that the lowest forms of life do not have souls. Argument from development This is somewhat similar to the argument from evolution. Here, you are challenged to define just at what point during development a human acquires a soul. It couldn't be at the point of egg fertilization, since at that time everything is still purely biochemical, and the fertilized embryo has no properties normally associated with a soul. It couldn't be during early embryonic development, since an early human embryo is anatomically and functionally indistinguishable even from fish embryos. So when is it that a human acquires a soul? The answer to that question is impossible similarly to how it is impossible to define a cutoff across different lifeforms -- because just as the spectrum of lifeforms on earth is fairly continuous in terms of their capabilities, form and function, the development of an embryo is similarly continuous. At no point during development does the embryo suddenly make a quantum leap and exhibits some feature it didn't have a second ago. This continuity makes it impossible to define a cutoff at which the soul definitely must be there. From another (and more mathematical) perspective, since a fertilized egg has no soul, then by induction over this smooth continuum of development we arrive at the conclusion that even a fully developed adult human doesn't have a soul. Argument from objectivity This calls into question the very need to have a concept of souls or afterlife. Neither are objective, in that neither are tangible, measurable, or independent of observer (e.g. neither can be detected by "brainless", mechanical scientific instruments that don't have a propensity for misinterpreting things like humans do). Neither can be tested, neither provides any tangible evidence for its existence. In fact, if one starts out with a (still futuristic) complete physical explanation of cognition, then one is not going to be likely to conjecture the existence of souls or afterlife -- simply because there would be no remaining evidence available that would prompt such a conjecture. Hence, objectively, the theories of "vital essence", or souls, or afterlife are outdated and superceded by modern science. As any invalidated theory should, therefore, the ideas of soul or afterlife properly belong in the history books, but no longer in the domain of serious discourse. Argument from equivalence This is where we assume that the brain has, at some point in the future, been scientifically unraveled to the point that absolutely everything is known, understood, and explained about its form and function. Then, we can imagine that the scientists of the future endeavor to replicate a complete human brain, but not in flesh in blood, but as a program running in some blindingly powerful supercomputer. The brain is simulated down to the last atom, complete with information input from simulated eyes that mimic human eyes, and simulated ears that mimic human ears, and all other sensory modalities equally well implemented, with a simulated body providing feedback to the brain, and a simulated ultra-detailed environment for that body to roam and interact with. Because the simulation replicates the function of a real human brain to the last detail, and it replicates a realistic environment for that simulated brain to mature in, the simulated human will certainly develop its own conscious stream of awareness, learn the details and workings of its environment, exhibit emotions, intelligence, sensations -- it will be altogether equivalent in all of its functions to an actual physical human. But it is painfully obvious that the simulated human does not have a soul, because in reality he is nothing but a pattern of bits in the memory banks of our supercomputer. Ironically, if we were to simulate not one such human, but an entire tribe living in some virtual jungle, and allow the simulation to progress across many generations, the humans will develop language, culture, and even religion, and likely one of their first metaphysical conjectures will have to do with the fundamental distinction between life and nonlife -- the "vital essence".


text:
Below you'll find a map and photos of Codroipo and I'll soon be adding more features here including details on how to get there, places to eat, parking, accommodation and what's close by. For other Scenic Towns of Friuli Venezia Giulia just click on the category link below or if you'd like some advice on visiting the region, please write to me, Dion Protani, via firstname.lastname@example.com.
Category: Scenic Towns of Friuli Venezia Giulia
Administrative area: Udine Province
Population: 16,168
Close by:
Town centre hotels:
Nearest train station:
Nearest airport:
To scroll images either tap/click the main gallery photo and use the arrows or hover over/hold down and scroll the thumbnails on the right.
If you'd like some advice on visiting Codroipo or Friuli Venezia Giulia in general please write to me, Dion Protani via email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
If you clicked on the info icon or the "Stats /
Notes / Bio" link, you've reached this page which
contains notes, memories, trivia and more about Archie
Wilson. If you have anything to add to
this player's information, an interesting bit of trivia
or a personal memory or story about Archie,
please feel free to share it with us by filling out the
form at the bottom of the page. Be sure to include your
name and town.
Show Archie
Wilson's Uniform Number Progression
View career stats on BaseballReference.com
Share with us your memories of Archie Wilson:


text:
- What Is DHEA?
- What Are the Benefits of DHEA?
- Why Do People With HIV Use DHEA?
- How Is DHEA Used?
- What Are the Side Effects?
- How Does DHEA Interact With Other Therapies?
- How Do We Know It Works?
- The Bottom Line
What Is DHEA?
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands in men and women. A hormone is a chemical produced in one part of the body that is carried to another part of the body where it has a specific effect. The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys.
DHEA is the most common steroid in humans. It can be transformed in the body into testosterone (the primary male sex hormone), estrogen (an important female sex hormone), or other steroids. sex hormone), or other steroids. However, DHEA supplements have been shown not to increase testosterone in men. This effect is only seen in women.
DHEA has not demonstrated the same effects as anabolic (muscle-building) steroids, but the Food and Drug Administration has already examined the possibility of classifying DHEA as a Schedule III drug. If this happens, it will be extremely difficult to get DHEA.
In normal adults, DHEA levels are highest at about age 20, and then decrease steadily. HIV patients with lipodystrophy (see Fact Sheet 553) have very low levels of DHEA.
What Are the Benefits of DHEA?
People with various diseases have levels of DHEA that are unusually low. DHEA has been used in the last thirty years or so to treat obesity, diabetes, and lupus. It has also been found to improve sleep. Many people who have taken DHEA report improved energy levels and a better sense of well being.
Why Do People With HIV Use DHEA?
Some people with HIV take DHEA in amounts designed to restore normal levels. This might help improve their energy levels. Several studies have found that DHEA increases the levels of IL-2, a chemical messenger that increases the production of CD4 (T-helper) cells. See Fact Sheet 482 for more information on IL-2. DHEA also improves the ability of CD8 (T-killer) cells to destroy infected cells. DHEA may help normalize the immune system. A recent study shows that DHEA can reduce depression in people with HIV.
How Is DHEA Used?
DHEA is available in "regular" form or as DHEA-S (DHEA sulfate). The body can convert DHEA into DHEA-S and back again.
One approach to using DHEA to maintain normal blood levels for young adults. This usually means taking 200 milligrams of DHEA either once or twice a day.
A blood or saliva test can measure the amount of DHEA in your blood. This can help determine how much DHEA to take and whether your level is where you want it to be. DHEA levels vary during the day, so you should do each test at the same time of day.
We do not know the best doses of DHEA for women.
What Are the Side Effects?
There are few documented side effects of DHEA at doses up to 2,500 mg per day. However, there are reports of increases in acne and facial hair, and decreases in high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol, see Fact Sheet 123).
Some studies suggest that people with HIV and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS; see Fact Sheet 511) have very high levels of DHEA. Taking more DHEA might be harmful for these people. Check your blood or urine levels before you take DHEA.
How Does DHEA Interact With Other Therapies?
There are no documented interactions of DHEA with other therapies. Because DHEA occurs naturally in the body, interactions are unlikely. It is possible that DHEA could affect the processing of drugs by the liver, but this has not been studied.
How Do We Know It Works?
There is continuing scientific interest in DHEA, with well over 100 scientific articles written in each of the last four years. However, there have not been many studies that document health benefits in humans, and some initial good results have not been confirmed in follow-up studies.
There is not good scientific support for taking DHEA supplements (that is, getting more than normal amounts in your body). However, some health care providers recommend DHEA replacement, which means taking enough DHEA to bring your levels back into the normal range.
The Bottom Line
DHEA is a steroid hormone produced by the body. DHEA levels go down with age, and go down even faster with some illnesses including HIV. DHEA may help with immune function increasing energy levels, and reducing depression.
It may be helpful to take enough DHEA to bring levels up to the normal range. This is called "replacement" therapy. Before you take DHEA, your health care provider should check your blood or saliva levels.
At this point, there are no research studies that support taking DHEA supplements (in amounts that would give you higher than normal levels).
Note: This Fact Sheet is based on the work of Direct AIDS Alternative Information Resources (DAAIR). For more details, contact DAAIR at 1-888-951-5433 or www.daair.org.


text:
59 Caddy Novelty Mailbox
Learn more about our estimated shipping and lead times
The lead times listed on this product page represent the best-case scenario for shipping estimates. While we may show that a product "usually ships" within a given period, this period should not be confused with a delivery estimate. Rather, we expect the product to ship from the manufacturer's warehouse within this time-frame.
What does this mean for you? Once you place an order on our site, we begin processing the order with the manufacturer. The processing lead time we list on the product page is the most current estimate from the manufacturer regarding the product.
If you purchase a commercial mailbox from us and decide to cancel because a competitor lists a "faster" lead time on their site, you may be delaying the time it will take to receive your mailboxes.
Why? Because you are placing a new order to be sent to the same manufacturer for processing.
How long will it take to receive my commercial mailbox?
When you order a commercial or cluster mailbox, we process the order with the manufacturer within 1 business day. Once processed, the order usually ships in the time-frame listed on the product page. Since Cluster Mailboxes are large items, they ship via freight carriers. This means that the transit times for these will usually be 5 to 7 business days.
A few things to note about purchasing a cluster mailbox or similar large, commercial-grade product:
- The freight carrier will call the number you list on the shipping address a day before delivery to schedule a delivery appointment with you.
- The manufacturer ships using their chosen freight carrier depending on the products ordered and the delivery location.
- The majority of online retailers who sell commercial mailboxes (CBUs, etc.) ship directly from the manufacturers, just as we do.
- If you choose professional mailbox installation with your commercial mailbox purchase, please note that same-day installation is not available. Installation will be scheduled after the delivery of your mailbox. In most cases, installation is completed within one week following delivery.
What if I order multiple products from different brands?
If you ordered multiple products, it is possible that they are made by different manufacturers. If this is the case, your products will ship to you separately from each manufacturer.
For example, if you purchase a Mayne Post with a Whitehall Mailbox, your post will ship from Mayne's warehouse in about 3 business days, but your mailbox will ship separately from Whitehall in about 2 to 3 weeks if customized with address numbers.
How can I estimate my shipment's transit time?
Depending on the carrier and your location, transit times will vary. Delivery estimates are best projected using your carrier tracking number. Once your order ships, we'll send you a shipping confirmation email that includes your carrier (FedEx, UPS, YRC, etc.) and tracking number.
If you place an order with us and do not receive an Order Confirmation email, check your spam inbox. If you still do not see an Order Confirmation email in your inbox, contact us right away at (866) 717-4943 . We will provide you with your Order Number and any other details you need.
Product Options
Pinehill Woodcraft Mailbox Address Personalization
Product Details
- Show off your love of classic cars with this handcrafted wooden 59 Caddy
- Of course you don't have to be a classic car collector to get a nostalgic feeling from this retro mailbox
- The 59 Caddy is built around a USPS approved size 1 galvanized steel mailbox
- This will keep your mail dry and safe while still having the handcrafted design of the 59 Caddy
- The mailbox is constructed of 7 ply exterior pine plywood and has a protective layer of acrylic paint inside and out
- It also has multiple coats of polyurethane to make sure it is enjoyed for years to come
- This mailbox features lots of fine details in it's construction like hand painted white wall wheels and classic hub caps, as well as that signature 59 Caddy look
- You can personalize your mailbox by having your address numbers hand painted on it
- Don't see a mailbox to suit your needs? Call about getting a custom mailbox made to fit your own design!
- View More Novelty Mailboxes
|Height (inches)
|Width (inches)
|Depth (inches)
|Mailbox Only
- Mailbox Item Number: PHM59CADDY
- Includes: Mailbox
- Manufacturer: Pinehill Woodcraft
- Shipping Weight: 20 lbs.
- Locking: Non-locking mailbox.


text:
True Sincerity"
Rebecca Young has given an outstanding service, showing professionalism, dedication and understanding of the circumstances throughout, keeping the costs down as much as practically possible and showing true sincerity from the start. I felt updated at all times and never had to wait for a response."
Business Owner, North West
Recent Testimonials
"Elizabeth was great from the very beginning of the process, to the very end – her support was invaluable, very professional but also caring and very personable. Just want to thank her personally as it was a time of need and her advice and support was brilliant."
Mr M, Manchester
"I am a case manager specialising in brain injury and catastrophic injuries. I have been working with Andrew for 2 years. Andrew is one of the best solicitors I have ever worked with. His down to earth approach results in him gaining a rapport with all his clients and their families. Andrew is skilled at working with complex challenging clients. I have seen him breaking bad news to clients, but his approach is gentle and supportive resulting in the client continuing to engage. I have observed Andrew explaining tricky legal information to a severely brain injured client, he explained it so carefully that enabled them to understand it. He also checked back with them to ensure they understood, then followed up with a detailed simple explanation via email. Andrew is approachable and always respects the therapy team's knowledge. The best thing about working with Andrew is that he trusts me as case manager to manage the rehabilitation and he focuses on the legal case. He is always available to offer support and guidance from a litigation perspective for the therapy team. All members of the MDT enjoy working with Andrew, as he is always jovial and dependable. When making tough/challenging decisions he remains calm and controlled. Andrew has a good knowledge of brain injury and medical conditions, he understands clients' difficulties and the challenges they face living with a disability. Andrew cares about his clients and their families. Andrew has time for his clients and gains their trust. He always delivers what he promises. He is proactive and responsive, quickly replying to their phone calls and emails. I have recommended Andrew to my colleagues. "
Brain injury case manager
"Professional, a gentleman and a hopeful source of inspiration for everyone to be better every day. Compared to other companies, this team is at the level of an elite police/military corps (and) is always ahead due to your efficiency and professional knowledge"
Mr J


text:
We have assisted hundreds of individuals by providing the most suitable options for corporate structure in Thailand. You can rely on our experienced team of corporate Thai Lawyers for fast and efficient service for Thailand Company Registration, Thailand BOI, Thailand Work Permit, Merger & Acquisition, Foreign Business Act (FBA) and more.
We treat your family matters with utmost urgency and confidentiality. Our team of expert Thai lawyers, well-versed in family law in Thailand would guarantee you reliable legal aid in a wide range of topics including: Thai Marriage Registration, Thailand Prenuptial Agreement, Adoption in Thailand, Child Support and Custody, Thailand Divorce and Marital Property among others.
Our litigation team would be your best option for legal representation. With years of experience in civil and criminal law, our Thailand lawyer can provide the best legal expertise in varied cases involving Fraud, Extradition, Debt Collection, Trade and Intellectual Property Disputes, Drugs, Mediation, Arbitration, and Medical Malpractice.
Our Thai Lawyers' extensive knowledge in Thailand property laws allow us to provide you sound and reliable advice when making a property acquisition. May it be a condominium, villa or land, for lease or purchase, you can find a comprehensive property legal package to fit your needs such as Title Search, Due Diligence, Contract Review, and Land Registration.
Siam Legal, Premier International Law Firm in Thailand, offers comprehensive legal services to foreign and local clients. Areas of specialization includes: Litigation, Notary Public, Real Estate Law, Family Law, Intellectual Property, Thailand Labor Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Thai Will, Debt Collection, and Thailand Private Investigations.


text:
All prices are in All prices are in USD
We promise to never spam you, and just use your email address to identify you as a valid customer.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
Likely the most known of Peter Beard's Images. Dear diary......1965 I came to …
You may not recognize the name, but undoubtedly you will recognize this …
All prices are in USD © 2020 Iron Crow Rockin Vintage.
Sitemap |
Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce


text:
The Flowers of Cheekwood 6/16/16 - Tennessee Photographs
Socialize with us
Bookings Available!
All of our photos are available for purchase - simply click the BUY button or shopping cart icon and you'll be taken to our own little online Fotomat!
The Flowers of Cheekwood 6/16/16
The seasons are always changing and so are the flowers!
Read More
Buy Photos
Featured by Snappr as one of
the top photographers in Nashville
Powered by SmugMug
Owner Log In
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
Buy Photo
This Photo
Photos from This Gallery
Buy Photo Package
Buy Gallery Download
Build a Book


text:
Testing Wondows 7 Beta
An article by Arun Vishnu No Comments
I am testing Windows 7 in a virtual machine, so it is very slow. But since I dont have a free partition in my Dell XPS laptop I have to use virtual machine. I am using Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1.
Related Posts
Latest Posts
- Google announced "New Nexus 7" tablet
- Samsung announced 3 Tab 3 tablets
- VLC for iPhone and iPad is back to app store
- Summary of revised Indian Railway refund rules
- Google announced Balloon powered Internet access – Project Loon
- Yahoo will reset IDs inactive for over a year on July 15
- Download Windows 8 Pro for $39.99 (INR 1,999)
- Galaxy S III Mini Officially Announced
- iPhone 5 – Main Features
- Tech A Break 2012 Photos
android apple c and cpp download downloads Entertainment Film friendship Fun gadgets Games gmail google greetings india Internet ipad iphone java script linux love mac microsoft mobile News office Personal photos Programming review samsung Security software source code technology Tips & Tricks video videos virus web web development windows windows 7 worm yahoo


text:
One of our workspace experts will get in touch using the email address provided within the next 48 hours.
WeWork's Dallas coworking spaces embrace and support a blossoming community of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Our spaces host the professional community that gives Dallas its confident, glamorous reputation—and more. If you're looking for a lively coworking community that embraces Dallas's history and is helping to build its future, choose WeWork.
From the Telecom Corridor of the 1950s to the oil, gas, banking, and real estate booms of the '80s and '90s, to the thriving startup scene today, Dallas's rich business history is infused in all of WeWork's shared office spaces. Our locations offer the niceties that every business needs to run smoothly like rivers of coffee, a dedicated front desk, and beautiful meeting rooms, but community members also enjoy even more bonuses like flexible rent options, access to special networking events, and more. Grow your business in a city where everything really is bigger: 20+ Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T and ExxonMobile are headquartered here, 50 colleges and universities full of potential recruits, and 25 billionaires in the community. How is your business working to leverage Big D's opportunities? There's an answer at WeWork.


text:
Last year I had a chocolate croissant and just haven't been able to forget it - I just now got back for another one. Where did I go? Cafe De Paris - it's on Garfield near the library.
It's a very small little place with a nice diner counter and a handful of tables. During the spring/summer there are a couple of tables outside as well.
My friend got one of the "french" sandwiches - he was very happy with it. We did think it was odd it didn't come with a few chips or something. Lots of fresh veggies and unique toppings. I wish I had taken a photo of the menu! They don't have a website...
I decided on a veggie panini sandwich (yes an Italian sandwich at a French place - oh well - it sounded really good). It was delicious!!!! I also got a side of hummus that was equally as delicious and served as a nice dip for the sandwich.
Then for dessert - the chocolate croissant. Delicious! Fresh, warm and buttery - delicious!
It's a bit far of a walk from the other side of downtown where I work - but it's a definite delight when I get over there!
Why Should You Go? It's a very cute little place and so nice on a warm day - and those days are just around the corner! Plus - the hummus and croissant alone make a great lunch!


text:
Diving & Marine Conservation Volunteering in Thailand - Monthly Updates
- Project Overview
- Additional Project Info
- Divemaster Course Add-on
- Monthly Updates
- Management Plan, Data & Reports
Conservation in Thailand - Monthly Update March 2008
March has been a busy month here in Ao Nang, with volunteers learning about fish breeding during a bio-workshop at Krabi Fisheries Department, releasing anemonefish and damselfish on various local reefs, measuring the corals in the nursery at Viking Cave, designing an environmental-awareness poster, cleaning a couple of beaches, transplanting mangrove saplings and collecting over 1,500 mangrove seeds.
The bio-workshop consisted of an interesting trip to the fisheries department at Ao Nam Mao, where the lead scientist gave a tour of the facilities, including an explanation of their natural water cleaning and filtration process, and presented their methods of breeding various fish species. This was followed by a practical activity of cleaning out one of the aquariums they use for breeding, which the volunteers thoroughly enjoyed as it was obvious that their help was much appreciated by the fisheries department. The following day we returned to collect three hundred False clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris), which were then released into vacant anemones at Anemone Reef and Shark Point. Five hundred more False clown anemonefish were released at Koh Ha later in the month, as well as one hundred and fifty Bengal sergeants (Abudefduf bengalensis) and one hundred Similar damselfish (Pomacentrus similis) at both Mushroom Rock and Maya Wall on Phi Phi Lei.
We also returned to Viking Cave for two dives to fulfill our commitment to Phuket Marine Biology Centre (PMBC) and continue the work of measuring the corals growing in their coral nursery there. This task arose from January's bio-workshop, where scientists from PMBC presented their work in this area of reef rehabilitation. They asked us to return every 2 months to clean the trays and measure the branching corals for them, as it is a labour-intensive job that they find hard to complete on their own. Cleaning the trays consists of brushing away the algae with wire brushes and toothbrushes, as well as scraping off the barnacles and other encrusting organisms growing on the underneath of the trays. It is important to do this regularly because the algae can hinder the coral's growth and the weight of the barnacles may be too heavy for the floats, causing them to sink.
On the reef monitoring side of things, three ReefWatch surveys were carried out at Koh Yung, Ao Nui, and Koh Talu, and three more permanent transects were laid at Koh Ya Wa Sam, Koh Talu, and Shark Point. The latter was a particular achievement as the previous attempt in February had to be aborted due to strong currents. We also visited Wong Long Bay and Bida Nok where we removed nine more Crown of Thorns starfish (COTS) from each site, as well as 6 COTS which were collected from Shark Point at the same time as the transect laying.
We have had our most productive month this year in terms of reef clean-ups, with 87.4kg being removed from six different reefs. In the items collected from some reefs, it is probable that much comes from tourists as they include dive masks, snorkels and sunglasses which are easily dropped from the boat, and plates, bowls and cutlery which often get blown overboard on windy days. This was evident at reefs such as Maya Nui, Ao Nui and Mushroom Rock. However, the other big contributor to marine debris is the fishing nets and traps that we always find each month. We were alerted to a large fish net caught on the corals around Koh Ha at the beginning of the month. We were told that it had trapped many fish including a couple of sharks, so we arranged a specific salvage mission there as soon as we could to remove it. However, due to pre-arranged plans for the immediate day after hearing about it, we could only go there two days later, and when we went down we discovered that someone else had apparently removed it before us, as it was nowhere to be found. Although this was a bit of an anti-climax as we were all psyched up for a major salvage operation, it was very encouraging to realise that it is not just the volunteers from Projects Abroad that are helping to protect the reefs around Krabi. We have still not found out who removed it but it was most probably divemasters or instructors from another dive school in Ao Nang.
In addition to the hauls described above, we ended the month by making another trip back to Mu Sang Nua, our adopted reef for International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2008. We had two dives there focusing on removing the fish nets caught in the shallow water around the rock pinnacles. Over both dives the volunteers managed to remove 56kg of fish net, which is a fantastic effort especially as the wave surge at shallow depths makes it much harder to control buoyancy and demands constant awareness of the hard corals, stinging sea anemones and sharp spines of sea urchins. Despite removing a lot of the nets, we could not retrieve all of them so we returned the next day to continue, but as that was the first day of April I'll leave that for next month's report. On the first dive there, I swam around the reef again taking photos of as many animals as possible for our diversity study of the reef. If we do this each time we go there, we will hopefully be able to build up a large record of the majority of the marine organisms at this beautiful reef. During this dive I found another species of seahorse in addition to the one I discovered in February, a Tigertail seahorse (Hippocampus comes) which is classed as vulnerable on IUCN's Red List of threatened global species. Morn and his divers also saw a Leopard shark (Stegostoma fasciatum), which is always exciting to see, though not such an uncommon sighting on the local reefs. Morn has always been particularly adept at spotting seahorses, which he proved on a dive at Koh Talu where he found three different species: the Common seahorse (Hippocampus taeniopterus); the Estuary seahorse (Hippocampus kuda); and another Tigertail seahorse (Hippocampus comes).
As I mentioned in February's update, we planned to develop an awareness-raising poster about the reefs, trying to educate tourists here in Ao Nang on the best ways to protect the reefs. So, we had one day in the office, where we brainstormed ideas for the content and design, and then split into smaller groups to work on different sections. It took longer than we all expected but we were all really pleased with the final product, which I will now take to the printers to make A3 posters to put up in hotels in town. We also altered it to fit A4 portrait format so it can be published in the Krabi magazine next month, and if the editor likes it then hopefully every edition from now on. There are further ideas to develop information leaflets, and possibly have the A4 poster laminated and given to tour operators who can then hand them out for their customers to read on the way to the reefs, before diving and snorkeling.
On to the land based field activities, in which the volunteers have cleaned two beaches and the mangroves upstream from Nopharat Thara longtail harbour, as well as continuing with the transplantation of the mangrove saplings in our research nursery and collecting over 1,500 mangrove seeds for cultivation over the coming months. The monthly land salvage total in March was 450.1kg which brings the accumulated total of the first quarter of 2008 to 2078kg, as can be seen in the charts in the link at the bottom of this update. This is over 300kg more than the total this time last year, which is not a particularly positive record as it means there is possibly more rubbish collecting on the beaches. This could be for various reasons, but the way Ao Nang is rapidly growing in size and population I am not surprised by this observation as more people leads to more debris incorrectly disposed of. One of the aims of IYOR 2008 is to increase awareness of the problems marine debris causes, so we will continue organising workshops in schools educating the local children. Plans are already well in progress for two such events, one in April during the school holidays, collaborating with the Projects Abroad teaching and care volunteers who are running a holiday camp for seventy children from two schools. We plan to have the conservation camp on the 21st - 23rd as this coincides with Earth Day on the 22nd April, another worldwide environmental awareness-raising campaign along the same lines as IYOR. The second school workshop in the pipeline will hopefully be around June-July time, and I am sure we will have another in September to tie in with the International Coastal Cleanup as we have done for the two previous years here.
In the middle of the month we returned to our mangrove research nursery to transplant the Bruguiera sexangula saplings that we planted on 16th April 2007. We transplanted these in the same conditions as the Ceriops tagal saplings which we transplanted in January; planting half with all the soil and roots fully intact, and the other half with the soil shaken off and the capillary roots trimmed. We aim to return sometime towards the end of April to measure both species to see if there is any immediate difference in survival or growth rates between the two methods. On another day during March we helped the local community by collecting seeds that they will then either plant straight into the ground to reforest an area or use to build up another nursery for later planting of saplings. It is quite a task climbing amongst the complex root systems of the adult mangroves looking for the seeds, but a different and enjoyable one all the same.
As is obvious, March has seen plenty of activity both above ground and under water. As we come into April, the hottest month of the year, we have the school conservation camp to plan and look forward to. The preliminary plans are to run a workshop in the school with the kids on the first day, followed on the second day with a trip to the mangrove walkway where they can experience the biodiversity of the mangrove ecosystem, and a beach clean on the third day. We will also explain and offer them the opportunity to take part in an annual international art competition, organised and sponsored by the Mangrove Action Project, in which the winning pictures relating to the environment will be made into a 2009 calendar.
Click here and see our graphs of the amount of rubbish the volunteers have collected from the reefs and beaches here in Ao Nang in March 2008 - impressive work.
Click here and see our graphs of the amount of rubbish the volunteers have collected from the reefs and beaches here in Ao Nang over 2007 - impressive work.
Click here and see the poster volunteers and conservation staff have designed and put it up in hotels around town in March 2008.
Marten Meynell
4th April 2008
Director for Thailand Conservation
Projects Abroad


text:
TSA Agent: Give Me That Toy Monkey Gun Or I'm Calling The Real Cops
from the monkey-see-monkey-do dept
I have something of a conflicting relationship with the Transportation Security Administration. On one side, I absolutely hate the idea of giving up freedom and pride for the sake of one of the most futile attempts at security theater known to man. On the other hand, it's quite useful to have such an amazing example at which to point when I get into a conversation with someone about how stupid my government can be. Then again, it's hard to justify that use when so many of my countrymen are subjected to poking and prodding by agents of the people that elect them. On the other hand, I mean, if I'm ever lonely on a cold, wintery night, the airport ain't that far away, know what I mean?
But, in an apparent effort to make my mind up for me, the TSA has recently decided to prove to the world that they've lost their collective minds. The latest example of this is when the TSA in St. Louis took possession of a gun a woman had in her bag. Which would be fine, except that the gun was 2 inches long and was owned by the sock-puppet the woman had crafted as part of her business.
The TSA agent searched the bag and found the 2-inch-long toy pistol, which gave her pause.
"She said, 'This is a gun,'" May said. "I said, 'No, it's not a gun it's a prop for my monkey.'"
But the agent remained concerned.
"She said 'If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn't know if it was real or not,' and I said 'really?'" May said.
Again, kudos to this TSA agent for making certain everyone around her knew she wasn't competent enough to be able to tell a real gun from a 2 inch toy because, hey, that's going to be useful information come performance review time. And sure, there might be some TSA rule somewhere that specifically says that nothing even resembling a firearm can be taken onto a plane in this way, but that doesn't make the passenger stupid, it makes the rule stupid. Put it this way: we now live in a country where you can't take a sock-puppet's toy gun on a plane. Congratulations everyone.
Fortunately for everyone on the flight, safety is the TSA's primary concern.
The agent confiscated the monkey doll's toy weapon and said she was required to call police.Of course not, citizen. There's nothing in the TSA employee handbook about common sense. It's all genital-brushing and nudie-scanning, all the time. Even the TSA said so when they were asked to comment:
"Rooster Monkburn has been disarmed, so I'm sure everyone on the plane was safe," May said. "I understand she was doing her job but at some point doesn't common sense prevail?"
The TSA told NBC News in a statement: "TSA officers are dedicated to keeping the nation's transportation security systems safe and secure for the traveling public. Under longstanding aircraft security policy, and out of an abundance of caution, realistic replicas of firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags."There's a joke here about something being two inches long still being the realistic version of an object typically several times larger, but I'm not going to make it (pssst! I'm talking about penises again!). Instead, let's just say that the TSA's dedication to not using any semblance of common sense is a wonderful prime reason for their dismantling.
Filed Under: guns, monkeys, sockpuppet, toys, tsa