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Excerpt: "The Language of God"
July 14, 2006 -- From the time Copernicus proved Ptolemy wrong that the earth did indeed orbit around the sun, scientific reason has found itself at odds with religion. In his new book, "The Language of God," geneticist Francis S. Collins explains through personal testimony why faith and reason can and do coexist peacefully, and how one actually complements the other.
Below is an excerpt.
ON A WARM SUMMER DAY just six months into the new millennium, humankind crossed a bridge into a momentous new era. An announcement beamed around the world, highlighted in virtually all major newspapers, trumpeted that the first draft of the human genome, our own instruction book, had been assembled.
The human genome consists of all the DNA of our species, the hereditary code of life. This newly revealed text was 3 billion letters long, and written in a strange and cryptographic four-letter code. Such is the amazing complexity of the information carried within each cell of the human body, that a live reading of that code at a rate of one letter per second would take thirty-one years, even if reading continued day and night.
Printing these letters out in regular font size on normal bond paper and binding them all together would result in a tower the height of the Washington Monument. For the first time on that summer morning this amazing script, carrying within it all of the instructions for building a human being, was available to the world.
As the leader of the international Human Genome Project, which had labored mightily over more than a decade to reveal this DNA sequence, I stood beside President Bill Clinton in the East Room of the White House, along with Craig Venter, the leader of a competing private sector enterprise. Prime Minister Tony Blair was connected to the event by satellite, and celebrations were occurring simultaneously in many parts of the world.
Clinton's speech began by comparing this human sequence map to the map that Meriwether Lewis had unfolded in front of President Thomas Jefferson in that very room nearly two hundred years earlier. Clinton said, "Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind."
But the part of his speech that most attracted public attention jumped from the scientific perspective to the spiritual. "Today," he said, "we are learning the language in which God created life. We are gaining ever more awe for the complexity, the beauty, and the wonder of God's most divine and sacred gift."
Was I, a rigorously trained scientist, taken aback at such a blatantly religious reference by the leader of the free world at a moment such as this? Was I tempted to scowl or look at the floor in embarrassment? No, not at all. In fact I had worked closely with the president's speechwriter in the frantic days just prior to this announcement, and had strongly endorsed the in- clusion of this paragraph. When it came time for me to add a few words of my own, I echoed this sentiment: "It's a happy day for the world. It is humbling for me, and awe-inspiring, to realize that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to God."
What was going on here? Why would a president and a scientist, charged with announcing a milestone in biology and medicine, feel compelled to invoke a connection with God? Aren't the scientific and spiritual worldviews antithetical, or shouldn't they at least avoid appearing in the East Room together? What were the reasons for invoking God in these two speeches? Was this poetry? Hypocrisy? A cynical attempt to curry favor from believers, or to disarm those who might criticize this study of the human genome as reducing humankind to machinery? No. Not for me. Quite the contrary, for me the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship.
Many will be puzzled by these sentiments, assuming that a rigorous scientist could not also be a serious believer in a transcendent God. This book aims to dispel that notion, by arguing that belief in God can be an entirely rational choice, and that the principles of faith are, in fact, complementary with the principles of science.
This potential synthesis of the scientific and spiritual worldviews is assumed by many in modern times to be an impossibility, rather like trying to force the two poles of a magnet together into the same spot. Despite that impression, however, many Americans seem interested in incorporating the validity of both of these worldviews into their daily lives. Recent polls confirm that 93 percent of Americans profess some form of belief in God; yet most of them also drive cars, use electricity, and pay attention to weather reports, apparently assuming that the science undergirding these phenomena is generally trustworthy.
And what about spiritual belief amongst scientists? This is actually more prevalent than many realize. In 1916, researchers asked biologists, physicists, and mathematicians whether they believed in a God who actively communicates with humankind and to whom one may pray in expectation of receiving an answer. About 40 percent answered in the affirmative. In 1997, the same survey was repeated verbatim -- and to the surprise of the researchers, the percentage remained very nearly the same. So perhaps the "battle" between science and religion is not as polarized as it seems? Unfortunately, the evidence of potential harmony is often overshadowed by the high-decibel pronouncements of those who occupy the poles of the debate.
Bombs are definitely being thrown from both sides. For example, essentially discrediting the spiritual beliefs of 40 percent of his colleagues as sentimental nonsense, the prominent evolutionist Richard Dawkins has emerged as the leading spokesperson for the point of view that a belief in evolution demands atheism. Among his many eye-popping statements: "Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence. . . . Faith, being belief that isn't based on evidence, is the principal vice of any religion."
On the other side, certain religious fundamentalists attack science as dangerous and untrustworthy, and point to a literal interpretation of sacred texts as the only reliable means of discerning scientific truth. Among this community, comments from the late Henry Morris, a leader of the creationist movement, stand out: "Evolution's lie permeates and dominates modern thought in every field. That being the case, it follows inevitably that evolutionary thought is basically responsible for the lethally ominous political developments, and the chaotic moral and social disintegrations that have been accelerating everywhere. . . .When science and the Bible differ, science has obviously misinterpreted its data."
This rising cacophony of antagonistic voices leaves many sincere observers confused and disheartened. Reasonable people conclude that they are forced to choose between these two unappetizing extremes, neither of which offers much comfort. Disillusioned by the stridency of both perspectives, many choose to reject both the trustworthiness of scientific conclusions and the value of organized religion, slipping instead into various forms of antiscientific thinking, shallow spirituality, or simple apathy. Others decide to accept the value of both science and spirit, but compartmentalize these parts of their spiritual and material existence to avoid any uneasiness about apparent conflicts. Along these lines, the late biologist Stephen Jay Gould advocated that science and faith should occupy separate, "non-overlapping magisteria." But this, too, is potentially unsatisfying. It inspires internal conflict, and deprives people of the chance to embrace either science or spirit in a fully realized way.
So here is the central question of this book: In this modern era of cosmology, evolution, and the human genome, is there still the possibility of a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews? I answer with a resounding yes! In my view, there is no conflict in being a rigorous scientist and a person who believes in a God who takes a personal interest in each one of us. Science's domain is to explore nature. God's domain is in the spiritual world, a realm not possible to explore with the tools and language of science. It must be examined with the heart, the mind, and the soul -- and the mind must find a way to embrace both realms.
I will argue that these perspectives not only can coexist within one person, but can do so in a fashion that enriches and enlightens the human experience. Science is the only reliable way to understand the natural world, and its tools when properly utilized can generate profound insights into material existence.
But science is powerless to answer questions such as "Why did the universe come into being?" "What is the meaning of human existence?" "What happens after we die?" One of the strongest motivations of humankind is to seek answers to profound questions, and we need to bring all the power of both the scientific and spiritual perspectives to bear on understanding what is both seen and unseen. The goal of this book is to explore a pathway toward a sober and intellectually honest integration of these views.
The consideration of such weighty matters can be unsettling. Whether we call it by name or not, all of us have arrived at a certain worldview. It helps us make sense of the world around us, provides us with an ethical framework, and guides our decisions about the future. Anyone who tinkers with that worldview should not do it lightly. A book that proposes to challenge something so fundamental may inspire more uneasiness than comfort. But we humans seem to possess a deepseated longing to find the truth, even though that longing is easily suppressed by the mundane details of daily life. Those distractions combine with a desire to avoid considering our own mortality, so that days, weeks, months, or even years can easily pass where no serious consideration is given to the eternal questions of human existence. This book is only a small antidote to that circumstance, but will perhaps provide an opportunity for self-reflection, and a desire to look deeper.
First, I should explain how a scientist who studies genetics came to be a believer in a God who is unlimited by time and space, and who takes personal interest in human beings. Some will assume that this must have come about by rigorous religious upbringing, deeply instilled by family and culture, and thus inescapable in later life. But that's not really my story.
PART ONE The Chasm Between Science and Faith
From Atheism to Belief
MY EARLY LIFE WAS UNCONVENTIONAL in many ways, but as the son of freethinkers, I had an upbringing that was quite conventionally modern in its attitude toward faith -- it just wasn't very important. I was raised on a dirt farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The farm had no running water, and few other physical amenities. Yet these things were more than compensated for by the stimulating mix of experiences and opportunities that were available to me in the remarkable culture of ideas created by my parents.
They had met in graduate school at Yale in 1931, and had taken their community organizing skills and love of music to the experimental community of Arthurdale, West Virginia, where they worked with Eleanor Roosevelt in attempting to reinvigorate a downtrodden mining community in the depths of the Great Depression.
But other advisers in the Roosevelt administration had other ideas, and the funding soon dried up. The ultimate dismantling of the Arthurdale community on the basis of backbiting Washington politics left my parents with a lifelong suspicion of the government. They moved on to academic life at Elon College in Burlington, North Carolina. There, presented with the wild and beautiful folk culture of the rural South, my father became a folksong collector, traveling through the hills and hollows and convincing reticent North Carolinians to sing into his Presto recorder. Those recordings, along with an even larger set from Alan Lomax, make up a significant fraction of the Library of Congress collection of American folksongs.
When World War II arrived, such musical endeavors were forced to take a backseat to more urgent matters of national defense, and my father went to work helping to build bombers for the war effort, ultimately ending up as a supervisor in an aircraft factory in Long Island.
At the end of the war, my parents concluded that the highpressure life of business was not for them. Being ahead of their time, they did the "sixties thing" in the 1940s: they moved to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, bought a ninety-five-acre farm, and set about trying to create a simple agricultural lifestyle without use of farm machinery. Discovering after only a few months that this was not going to feed their two adolescent sons (and soon another brother and I would arrive), my father landed a job teaching drama at the local women's college. He recruited male actors from the local town, and together these college students and local tradesmen found the production of plays was great fun. Faced with complaints about the long and boring hiatus in the summer, my father and mother founded a summer theater in a grove of oak trees above our farmhouse.
The Oak Grove Theater continues in uninterrupted and delightful operation more than fifty years later.
I was born into this happy mix of pastoral beauty, hard farmwork, summer theater, and music, and thrived in it. As the youngest of four boys, I could not get into too many scrapes that were not already familiar to my parents. I grew up with the general sense that you had to be responsible for your own behavior and your choices, as no one else was going to step in and take care of them for you.
Like my older brothers, I was home-schooled by my mother, a remarkably talented teacher. Those early years conferred on me the priceless gift of the joy of learning. While my mother had no organized class schedule or lesson plans, she was incredibly perceptive in identifying topics that would intrigue a young mind, pursuing them with great intensity to a natural stopping point, and then switching to something new and equally exciting. Learning was never something you did because you had to, it was something you did because you loved it.
Faith was not an important part of my childhood. I was vaguely aware of the concept of God, but my own interactions with Him were limited to occasional childish moments of bargaining about something that I really wanted Him to do for me. For instance, I remember making a contract with God (at about age nine) that if He would prevent the rainout of a Saturday night theater performance and music party that I was particularly excited about, then I would promise never to smoke cigarettes.
Sure enough, the rains held off, and I never took up the habit. Earlier, when I was five, my parents decided to send me and my next oldest brother to become members of the boys choir at the local Episcopal church. They made it clear that it would be a great way to learn music, but that the theology should not be taken too seriously. I followed those instructions, learning the glories of harmony and counterpoint but letting the theological concepts being preached from the pulpit wash over me without leaving any discernible residue.
When I was ten, we moved in town to be with my ailing grandmother, and I entered the public schools. At fourteen, my eyes were opened to the wonderfully exciting and powerful methods of science. Inspired by a charismatic chemistry teacher who could write the same information on the blackboard with both hands simultaneously, I discovered for the first time the intense satisfaction of the ordered nature of the universe. The fact that all matter was constructed of atoms and molecules that followed mathematical principles was an unexpected revelation, and the ability to use the tools of science to discover new things about nature struck me at once as something of which I wanted to be a part. With the enthusiasm of a new convert, I decided my goal in life would be to become a chemist. Never mind that I knew relatively little about the other sciences, this first puppy love seemed life-changing.
In contrast, my encounters with biology left me completely cold. At least as perceived by my teenage mind, the fundamentals of biology seemed to have more to do with rote learning of mindless facts than elucidation of principles. I really wasn't that interested in memorizing the parts of the crayfish, nor in trying to figure out the difference between a phylum, a class, and an order. The overwhelming complexity of life led me to the conclusion that biology was rather like existential philosophy: it just didn't make sense. For my budding reductionist mind, there was not nearly enough logic in it to be appealing. Graduating at sixteen, I went on to the University of Virginia, determined to major in chemistry and pursue a scientific career. Like most college freshmen, I found this new environment invigorating, with so many ideas bouncing off the classroom walls and in the dorm rooms late at night. Some of those questions invariably turned to the existence of God. In my early teens I had had occasional moments of the experience of longing for something outside myself, often associated with the beauty of nature or a particularly profound musical experience. Nevertheless, my sense of the spiritual was very undeveloped and easily challenged by the one or two aggressive atheists one finds in almost every college dormitory. By a few months into my college career, I became convinced that while many religious faiths had inspired interesting traditions of art and culture, they held no foundational truth.
THOUGH I DID NOT KNOW the term at the time, I became an agnostic, a term coined by the nineteenth-century scientist T. H. Huxley to indicate someone who simply does not know whether or not God exists. There are all kinds of agnostics; some arrive at this position after intense analysis of the evidence, but many others simply find it to be a comfortable position that allows them to avoid considering arguments they find discomforting on either side. I was definitely in the latter category. In fact, my assertion of "I don't know" was really more along the lines of "I don't want to know." As a young man growing up in a world full of temptations, it was convenient to ignore the need to be answerable to any higher spiritual authority.
I practiced a thought and behavior pattern referred to as "willful blindness" by the noted scholar and writer C. S. Lewis. After graduation, I went on to a Ph.D. program in physical chemistry at Yale, pursuing the mathematical elegance that had first drawn me to this branch of science. My intellectual life was immersed in quantum mechanics and second-order differential equations, and my heroes were the giants of physics -- Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Paul Dirac. I gradually became convinced that everything in the universe could be explained on the basis of equations and physical principles.
Reading the biography of Albert Einstein, and discovering that despite his strong Zionist position after World War II, he did not believe in Yahweh, the God of the Jewish people, only reinforced my conclusion that no thinking scientist could seriously entertain the possibility of God without committing some sort of intellectual suicide.
And so I gradually shifted from agnosticism to atheism. I felt quite comfortable challenging the spiritual beliefs of anyone who mentioned them in my presence, and discounted such perspectives as sentimentality and outmoded superstition.
Two years into this Ph.D. program my narrowly structured life plan began to come apart. Despite the daily pleasures of pursuing my dissertation research on theoretical quantum mechanics, I began to doubt whether this would be a lifesustaining pathway for me. It seemed that most of the major advances in quantum theory had occurred fifty years earlier, and most of my career was likely to be spent in applying successive simplifications and approximations to render certain elegant but unsolvable equations just a tiny bit more tractable.
More practically, it seemed that my path would lead inexorably to a professor's life of delivering an interminable series of lectures on thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, presented to class after class of undergraduates who were either bored or terrified by those subjects.
At about that same time, in an effort to broaden my horizons, I signed up for a course in biochemistry, finally investigating the life sciences that I had so carefully avoided in the past. The course was nothing short of astounding. The principles of DNA, RNA, and protein, never previously apparent to me, were laid out in all of their satisfying digital glory. The ability to apply rigorous intellectual principles to understanding biology, something I had assumed impossible, was bursting forth with the revelation of the genetic code. With the advent of new methods for splicing different DNA fragments together at will (recombinant DNA), the possibility of applying all of this knowledge for human benefit seemed quite real. I was astounded. Biology has mathematical elegance after all. Life makes sense.
At the same time, now only twenty-two but married with a bright and inquisitive daughter, I was becoming more social. I had often preferred to be alone when I was younger. Now, human interaction and a desire to contribute something to humanity seemed ever more important. Putting all of these sudden revelations together, I questioned everything about my previous choices, including whether I was really cut out to do science or carry out independent research. I was just about to complete my Ph.D., yet after much soul-searching, I applied for admission to medical school. With a carefully practiced speech, I attempted to convince admissions committees that this turn of events was actually a natural pathway for the training of one of our nation's future doctors. Inside I was not so sure. After all, wasn't I the guy who had hated biology because you had to memorize things? Could any field of study require more memorization than medicine? But something was different now: this was about humanity, not crayfish; there were principles underlying the details; and this could ultimately make a difference in the lives of real people.
I was accepted at the University of North Carolina. Within a few weeks I knew medical school was the right place for me. I loved the intellectual stimulation, the ethical challenges, the human element, and the amazing complexity of the human body. In December of that first year I found out how to combine this new love of medicine with my old love of mathematics. An austere and somewhat unapproachable pediatrician, who taught a grand total of six hours of lectures on medical genetics to the first-year medical student class, showed me my future.
He brought patients to class with sickle cell anemia, galactosemia (an often-fatal inability to tolerate milk products), and Down syndrome, all caused by glitches in the genome, some as subtle as a single letter gone awry.
I was astounded by the elegance of the human DNA code, and the multiple consequences of those rare careless moments of its copying mechanism. Though the potential to actually do anything to help very many of those afflicted by such genetic diseases seemed far away, I was immediately drawn to this discipline. While at that point no shadow of possibility of anything as grand and consequential as the Human Genome Project had entered a single human mind, the path I started on in December of 1973 turned out fortuitously to lead directly into participation in one of the most historic undertakings of humankind.
This path also led me by the third year of medical school into intense experiences involving the care of patients. As physicians in training, medical students are thrust into some of the most intimate relationships imaginable with individuals who had been complete strangers until their experience of illness. Cultural taboos that normally prevent the exchange of intensely private information come tumbling down along with the sensitive physical contact of a doctor and his patients. It is all part of the long-standing and venerated contract between the ill person and the healer. I found the relationships that developed with sick and dying patients almost overwhelming, and I struggled to maintain the professional distance and lack of emotional involvement that many of my teachers advocated.
What struck me profoundly about my bedside conversations with these good North Carolina people was the spiritual aspect of what many of them were going through. I witnessed numerous cases of individuals whose faith provided them with a strong reassurance of ultimate peace, be it in this world or the next, despite terrible suffering that in most instances they had done nothing to bring on themselves. If faith was a psychological crutch, I concluded, it must be a very powerful one. If it was nothing more than a veneer of cultural tradition, why were these people not shaking their fists at God and demanding that their friends and family stop all this talk about a loving and benevolent supernatural power?
My most awkward moment came when an older woman, suffering daily from severe untreatable angina, asked me what I believed. It was a fair question; we had discussed many other important issues of life and death, and she had shared her own strong Christian beliefs with me. I felt my face flush as I stammered out the words "I'm not really sure." Her obvious surprise brought into sharp relief a predicament that I had been running away from for nearly all of my twenty-six years: I had never really seriously considered the evidence for and against belief.
That moment haunted me for several days. Did I not consider myself a scientist? Does a scientist draw conclusions without considering the data? Could there be a more important question in all of human existence than "Is there a God?" And yet there I found myself, with a combination of willful blindness and something that could only be properly described as arrogance, having avoided any serious consideration that God might be a real possibility.
Suddenly all my arguments seemed very thin, and I had the sensation that the ice under my feet was cracking. This realization was a thoroughly terrifying experience. After all, if I could no longer rely on the robustness of my atheistic position, would I have to take responsibility for actions that I would prefer to keep unscrutinized? Was I answerable to someone other than myself? The question was now too pressing to avoid.
At first, I was confident that a full investigation of the rational basis for faith would deny the merits of belief, and reaffirm my atheism. But I determined to have a look at the facts, no matter what the outcome. Thus began a quick and confusing survey through the major religions of the world. Much of what I found in the CliffsNotes versions of different religions (I found reading the actual sacred texts much too difficult) left me thoroughly mystified, and I found little reason to be drawn to one or the other of the many possibilities. I doubted that there was any rational basis for spiritual belief undergirding any of these faiths. However, that soon changed. I went to visit a Methodist minister who lived down the street to ask him whether faith made any logical sense. He listened patiently to my confused (and probably blasphemous) ramblings, and then took a small book off his shelf and suggested I read it.
The book was "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis. In the next few days, as I turned its pages, struggling to absorb the breadth and depth of the intellectual arguments laid down by this legendary Oxford scholar, I realized that all of my own constructs against the plausibility of faith were those of a schoolboy. Clearly I would need to start with a clean slate to consider this most important of all human questions. Lewis seemed to know all of my objections, sometimes even before I had quite formulated them. He invariably addressed them within a page or two. When I learned subsequently that Lewis had himself been an atheist, who had set out to disprove faith on the basis of logical argument, I recognized how he could be so insightful about my path. It had been his path as well.
The argument that most caught my attention, and most rocked my ideas about science and spirit down to their foundation, was right there in the title of Book One: "Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe." While in many ways the "Moral Law" that Lewis described was a universal feature of human existence, in other ways it was as if I was recognizing it for the first time.
To understand the Moral Law, it is useful to consider, as Lewis did, how it is invoked in hundreds of ways each day without the invoker stopping to point out the foundation of his argument. Disagreements are part of daily life. Some are mundane, as the wife criticizing her husband for not speaking more kindly to a friend, or a child complaining, "It's not fair," when different amounts of ice cream are doled out at a birthday party. Other arguments take on larger significance. In international affairs, for instance, some argue that the United States has a moral obligation to spread democracy throughout the world, even if it requires military force, whereas others say that the aggressive, unilateral use of military and economic force threatens to squander moral authority.
In the area of medicine, furious debates currently surround the question of whether or not it is acceptable to carry out research on human embryonic stem cells. Some argue that such research violates the sanctity of human life; others posit that the potential to alleviate human suffering constitutes an ethical mandate to proceed. (This topic and several other dilemmas in bioethics are considered in the Appendix to this book.) Notice that in all these examples, each party attempts to appeal to an unstated higher standard. This standard is the Moral Law. It might also be called "the law of right behavior," and its existence in each of these situations seems unquestioned.
What is being debated is whether one action or another is a closer approximation to the demands of that law. Those accused of having fallen short, such as the husband who is insufficiently cordial to his wife's friend, usually respond with a variety of excuses why they should be let off the hook. Virtually never does the respondent say, "To hell with your concept of right behavior."
What we have here is very peculiar: the concept of right and wrong appears to be universal among all members of the human species (though its application may result in wildly different outcomes). It thus seems to be a phenomenon approaching that of a law, like the law of gravitation or of special relativity. Yet in this instance, it is a law that, if we are honest with ourselves, is broken with astounding regularity.
As best as I can tell, this law appears to apply peculiarly to human beings. Though other animals may at times appear to show glimmerings of a moral sense, they are certainly not widespread, and in many instances other species' behavior seems to be in dramatic contrast to any sense of universal rightness. It is the awareness of right and wrong, along with the development of language, awareness of self, and the ability to imagine the future, to which scientists generally refer when trying to enumerate the special qualities of Homo sapiens.
But is this sense of right and wrong an intrinsic quality of being human, or just a consequence of cultural traditions? Some have argued that cultures have such widely differing norms for behavior that any conclusion about a shared Moral Law is unfounded. Lewis, a student of many cultures, calls this "a lie, a good resounding lie. If a man will go into a library and spend a few days with the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, he will soon discover the massive unanimity of the practical reason in man. From the Babylonian Hymn to Samos, from the laws of Manu, the Book of the Dead, the Analects, the Stoics, the Platonists, from Australian aborigines and Redskins, he will collect the same triumphantly monotonous denunciations of oppression, murder, treachery and falsehood; the same injunctions of kindness to the aged, the young, and the weak, of almsgiving and impartiality and honesty." In some unusual cultures the law takes on surprising trappings -- consider witch burning in seventeenth-century America. Yet when surveyed closely, these apparent aberrations can be seen to arise from strongly held but misguided conclusions about who or what is good or evil. If you firmly believed that a witch is the personification of evil on earth, an apostle of the devil himself, would it not then seem justified to take such drastic action?
Let me stop here to point out that the conclusion that the Moral Law exists is in serious conflict with the current postmodernist philosophy, which argues that there are no absolute rights or wrongs, and all ethical decisions are relative. This view, which seems widespread among modern philosophers but which mystifies most members of the general public, faces a series of logical Catch-22s. If there is no absolute truth, can postmodernism itself be true? Indeed, if there is no right or wrong, then there is no reason to argue for the discipline of ethics in the first place.
Others will object that the Moral Law is simply a consequence of evolutionary pressures. This objection arises from the new field of sociobiology, and attempts to provide explanations for altruistic behavior on the basis of its positive value in Darwinian selection. If this argument could be shown to hold up, the interpretation of many of the requirements of the Moral Law as a signpost to God would potentially be in trouble -- so it is worth examining this point of view in more detail.
Consider a major example of the force we feel from the Moral Law -- the altruistic impulse, the voice of conscience calling us to help others even if nothing is received in return. Not all of the requirements of the Moral Law reduce to altruism, of course; for instance, the pang of conscience one feels after a minor distortion of the facts on a tax return can hardly be ascribed to a sense of having damaged another identifiable human being.
First, let's be clear what we're talking about. By altruism I do not mean the "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" kind of behavior that practices benevolence to others in direct expectation of reciprocal benefits. Altruism is more interesting: the truly selfless giving of oneself to others with absolutely no secondary motives. When we see that kind of love and generosity, we are overcome with awe and reverence. Oskar Schindler placed his life in great danger by sheltering more than a thousand Jews from Nazi extermination during World War II, and ultimately died penniless -- and we feel a great rush of admiration for his actions. Mother Teresa has consistently ranked as one of the most admired individuals of the current age, though her self-imposed poverty and selfless giving to the sick and dying of Calcutta is in drastic contrast to the materialistic lifestyle that dominates our current culture.
In some instances, altruism can extend even to circumstances where the beneficiary would seem to be a sworn enemy. Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, tells the following Sufi story.
Once upon a time there was an old woman who used to meditate on the bank of the Ganges. One morning, finishing her meditation, she saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the strong current. As the scorpion was pulled closer, it got caught in roots that branched out far into the river. The scorpion struggled frantically to free itself but got more and more entangled. She immediately reached out to the drowning scorpion, which, as soon as she touched it, stung her. The old woman withdrew her hand but, having regained her balance, once again tried to save the creature. Every time she tried, however, the scorpion's tail stung her so badly that her hands became bloody and her face distorted with pain. A passerby who saw the old woman struggling with the scorpion shouted, "What's wrong with you, fool! Do you want to kill yourself to save that ugly thing?" Looking into the stranger's eyes, she answered, "Because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I deny my own nature to save it?"
This may seem a rather drastic example -- not very many of us can relate to putting ourselves in danger to save a scorpion. But surely most of us have at one time felt the inner calling to help a stranger in need, even with no likelihood of personal benefit. And if we have actually acted on that impulse, the consequence was often a warm sense of "having done the right thing."
C. S. Lewis, in his remarkable book "The Four Loves," further explores the nature of this kind of selfless love, which he calls "agape" (pronounced ah-GAH-pay), from the Greek. He points out that this kind of love can be distinguished from the three other forms (affection, friendship, and romantic love), which can be more easily understood in terms of reciprocal benefit, and which we can see modeled in other animals besides ourselves. Agape, or selfless altruism, presents a major challenge for the evolutionist. It is quite frankly a scandal to reductionist reasoning.
It cannot be accounted for by the drive of individual selfish genes to perpetuate themselves. Quite the contrary: it may lead humans to make sacrifices that lead to great personal suffering, injury, or death, without any evidence of benefit. And yet, if we carefully examine that inner voice we sometimes call conscience, the motivation to practice this kind of love exists within all of us, despite our frequent efforts to ignore it.
Sociobiologists such as E. O. Wilson have attempted to explain this behavior in terms of some indirect reproductive benefits to the practitioner of altruism, but the arguments quickly run into trouble. One proposal is that repeated altruistic behavior of the individual is recognized as a positive attribute in mate selection. But this hypothesis is in direct conflict with observations in nonhuman primates that often reveal just the opposite -- such as the practice of infanticide by a newly dominant male monkey, in order to clear the way for his own future offspring.
Another argument is that there are indirect reciprocal benefits from altruism that have provided advantages to the practitioner over evolutionary time; but this explanation cannot account for human motivation to practice small acts of conscience that no one else knows about. A third argument is that altruistic behavior by members of a group provides benefits to the whole group. Examples are offered of ant colonies, where sterile workers toil incessantly to create an environment where their mothers can have more children. But this kind of "ant altruism" is readily explained in evolutionary terms by the fact that the genes motivating the sterile worker ants are exactly the same ones that will be passed on by their mother to the siblings they are helping to create. That unusually direct DNA connection does not apply to more complex populations, where evolutionists now agree almost universally that selection operates on the individual, not on the population. The hardwired behavior of the worker ant is thus fundamentally different from the inner voice that causes me to feel compelled to jump into the river to try to save a drowning stranger, even if I'm not a good swimmer and may myself die in the effort. Furthermore, for the evolutionary argument about group benefits of altruism to hold, it would seem to require an opposite response, namely, hostility to individuals outside the group. Oskar Schindler's and Mother Teresa's agape belies this kind of thinking. Shockingly, the Moral Law will ask me to save the drowning man even if he is an enemy.
If the Law of Human Nature cannot be explained away as cultural artifact or evolutionary by-product, then how can we account for its presence? There is truly something unusual going on here. To quote Lewis, "If there was a controlling power outside the universe, it could not show itself to us as one of the facts inside the universe -- no more than the architect of a house could actually be a wall or staircase or fireplace in that house. The only way in which we could expect it to show itself would be inside ourselves as an influence or a command trying to get us to behave in a certain way. And that is just what we do find inside ourselves. Surely this ought to arouse our suspicions?"
Encountering this argument at age twenty-six, I was stunned by its logic. Here, hiding in my own heart as familiar as anything in daily experience, but now emerging for the first time as a clarifying principle, this Moral Law shone its bright white light into the recesses of my childish atheism, and demanded a serious consideration of its origin. Was this God looking back at me?
And if that were so, what kind of God would this be? Would this be a deist God, who invented physics and mathematics and started the universe in motion about 14 billion years ago, then wandered off to deal with other, more important matters, as Einstein thought? No, this God, if I was perceiving Him at all, must be a theist God, who desires some kind of relationship with those special creatures called human beings, and has therefore instilled this special glimpse of Himself into each one of us. This might be the God of Abraham, but it was certainly not the God of Einstein.
There was another consequence to this growing sense of God's nature, if in fact He was real. Judging by the incredibly high standards of the Moral Law, one that I had to admit I was in the practice of regularly violating, this was a God who was holy and righteous. He would have to be the embodiment of goodness. He would have to hate evil. And there was no reason to suspect that this God would be kindly or indulgent. The gradual dawning of my realization of God's plausible existence brought conflicted feelings: comfort at the breadth and depth of the existence of such a Mind, and yet profound dismay at the realization of my own imperfections when viewed in His light. I had started this journey of intellectual exploration to confirm my atheism. That now lay in ruins as the argument from the Moral Law (and many other issues) forced me to admit the plausibility of the God hypothesis. Agnosticism, which had seemed like a safe second-place haven, now loomed like the great cop-out it often is. Faith in God now seemed more rational than disbelief.
It also became clear to me that science, despite its unquestioned powers in unraveling the mysteries of the natural world, would get me no further in resolving the question of God. If God exists, then He must be outside the natural world, and therefore the tools of science are not the right ones to learn about Him. Instead, as I was beginning to understand from looking into my own heart, the evidence of God's existence would have to come from other directions, and the ultimate decision would be based on faith, not proof. Still beset by roiling uncertainties of what path I had started down, I had to admit that I had reached the threshold of accepting the possibility of a spiritual worldview, including the existence of God.
It seemed impossible either to go forward or to turn back. Years later, I encountered a sonnet by Sheldon Vanauken that precisely described my dilemma. Its concluding lines: Between the probable and proved there yawns A gap. Afraid to jump, we stand absurd, Then see behind us sink the ground and, worse, Our very standpoint crumbling. Desperate dawns Our only hope: to leap into the Word That opens up the shuttered universe. For a long time I stood trembling on the edge of this yawning gap. Finally, seeing no escape, I leapt. How can such beliefs be possible for a scientist? Aren't many claims of religion incompatible with the "Show me the data" attitude of someone devoted to the study of chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine? By opening the door of my mind to its spiritual possibilities, had I started a war of worldviews that would consume me, ultimately facing a take-noprisoners victory of one or the other?


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Tab-top window valance in Gray and White Polka Dot fabric, with Solid Antique White tabs.
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This paper argues that the issue with the origin of life and the origin of biodiversity is not an issue of time, though deep time is problematical.PDF Download
How are all life forms connected? Are they linked by one giant family tree, a web, or a forest of family trees?PDF Download
Based on differences in gene sets and molecular machines between bacteria and eukarya, we continue to demonstrate that unbridgeable evolutionary chasms exist.PDF Download
In the grand evolutionary paradigm, the origin of the eukaryotic cell represents one of the great mysteries and key hypothetical transitions of life.PDF Download
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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


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In fulfilling its mandate as the sole independent financial services regulator for the DIFC, the DFSA performs a number of functions.
The DFSA's stated approach is: "To be a risk-based regulator and to avoid unnecessary regulatory burden". We believe regulation should be directed to the mitigation of risks that would otherwise be unacceptable. We also believe that compliance obligations should be proportionate to the mitigation of those risks within a framework that enables regulated entities to effectively and efficiently meet their compliance obligations.
Under this model, we set priorities for the use of our resources and have adopted a continuous risk management cycle which identifies, assesses, prioritises and mitigates unacceptable risks to our regulatory objectives or a particular sector of our financial services industry. We recognise that these risks may arise from within or outside the DIFC so we regularly monitor regional and international financial markets and trends. This systematic assessment of risk allows us to identify common issues across our regulated community and to undertake necessary thematic work in response.
Our risk-based philosophy applies to all divisions of the DFSA and all our dealings with regulated entities. We believe that focusing more on outcomes rather than the way they should be achieved, results in more effective and efficient risk-based regulation.
The DFSA believes that it is appropriate to clearly and regularly state our approach to regulation to ensure it is clearly understood by all external and internal stakeholders. Our Approach to Regulation together with the DFSA's Vision, Mission and Values form the foundation upon which we do our work.
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New Player Welcome Package
Naaaaaah. It's not as bad as it looks. I'm Eudrick, one of the play testers here at Aragon Online and the developers have graciously allowed me out of the dungeon (where they have me slaving away playing this game 14-16 hours a day) to help you, The New Player, get started on what will be one of the most exciting and glorious gaming experiences of your life time.
One of the things I've learned abut this game is that there can never be too much information. Look at the help pages, read the help pages, MEMORIZE the help pages (there will be a test later). Seriously, HELP has a ton of information in it and it's ALL useful, some of it right now and some of it later in the game. Yeah there's a lot in there, but this IS a big game.
Race and Class
OK, you're ready to start the game and it wants you to name your city and pick a character race and class. Did you look at the help pages? Each race has different characteristics and limitations. Some races don't have all the classes available to them. If you looked and feel comfortable with the race and class think you want to play the game as make your choices now.
I wanna be part of THAT gang
Heraldry allows you to align yourself with others of like mind and inclination. Later on you'll find that you are allied with or enemies with others in the game based on the colors you chose. This choice IS reversible and little thought need go into it now.
Location, LOCATION, LOCATION (choose wisely Grasshopper)
Now you have to pick where you want to place your city. A few tips here to help you out:
Scout out the map. Scroll around and find a general location on the world where you think you want to build. Two schools of thought here: Isolation-stay away from everybody else and lessen the chances of another player trekking to your city to wipe you out or Proximity- Build close to others to maximize your trade. (I do recommend that you pick your general area when you first start the game, otherwise you may have to back track a bit here).
Once you're at the regional choice screen take some time to check out the various hexes. You want a defensible position (high ground) with a clean line of sight for about 6-8 hexes in all directions as close to the hex 12,12 as you can get (your army will be placed on the map centered around 12,12 when ever you fight a battle in your city) but if all other factors are good (see below) don't give up a good site just because there are some trees in the way, you can always chop them down...
That mountain top sure looks tempting, doesn't it? DON'T DO IT unless you're prepared to buy EVERYTHING from the open market. Look around the area for available resources: trees, rock, ore, minerals and arable land. You want to have a good mix of all those things in order to be self-sufficient throughout the game. Like every thing else it's a trade off, lots of farm land not much lumber. Lots of hilly land with tons of rock, ore and minerals and not much farm land. If you scouted out a mountain top you'll have seen that you've got great defenses but naught else.
Take into account the 6 surrounding hexes when picking your city site. Later in the game you'll be able to expand your city into those hexes and what's in them WILL make a difference.
Everything to your liking? Good. Place your tower and off to the hiring hall.
UNCLE (place your character's name here) WANTS YOU!
Well here we are at the the create units page. Pretty isn't it? Up at the top are a group of predefined units, Henchmen and Troops, that you can choose from. Chose the group you want and then rename, equip and order (how they show up in the tactical battle list) as you see fit. Your only constraint at this point is cash. The game won't let you spend more that you have. Try to build a composite army of fast movers, shock troops and "artillery" (bowmen). Almost every type of unit can carry some sort of missile weapon but there's that pesky trade off again. Carry missiles and give up armor, Once you're happy with your selections save. OK, you've saved. Click on the Aragon page to go to your first turn, click on next turn and you're off and running.
No it's not, it's some pesky noisy neighbors who want to invite you to a welcome-to-the-neighborhood BBQ and you're the main course. Just a few hints here: Get to the high ground, your tower or if by some chance that's too far away, a hill top or steppe (told ya told ya put your tower as close to 12,12 as possible), Entrench your units and wail away with missiles and spells. Try to put the bulk of your fighting force between YOU (and your weak henchmen) and the enemy. At some point, if all goes well, the enemy will give up and run away. Right now, at this stage of the game, let them. Later on you'll want to chase after them and kill off as many as you can. The more you kill, the more experience and booty you get at the end of battle. Click on the "End Battle" button and congratulations, you've survived your first (but not your last - OH, not by a long shot) encounter with the denizens of Aragon.
Run away, Run away (that's not just a cute little bunny)
At some time in the future you are going to run into a force that either gets the jump on you or is more powerful than you. Don't hesitate to head for the hills. It's better to take a drop in your character's stats than to lose a bunch of valuable men and henchmen in a lost cause. You'll KNOW when that time comes.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE (Like the rest of the game)
My, Grandma. What a Large Army you have
Go back to the Aragon Map (click on the Aragon icon on the top of the tactical actions window) and take a look at the Units page (the end of battle message gave you your stats, booty and other information). It's a little bit different now, and from now on this is where you'll handle your units. If you go to create you see that you have a whole bunch of henchmen (allocation and composition are based on you class and won't change) and probably some recruits (they're willing to join the army NOW but will soon leave for an "honest" paycheck) that you can work with. Just a quick comment on them. On one hand, it's good to get them in the field as soon as possible so they can start building up experience, on the other, if you don't have the resources to equip them immediately and will have to run them away from any battles you encounter be aware that the game senses them on the battle field at the start of a battle and sizes your enemy accordingly. REREAD the previous section (Run away). You pays your money and you takes your chances.
While you're here click on the formation tab. This screen allows you to preset your army (group your troops and henchmen for maximum effect and common traits) for battle. Place your troops as you want them to appear on the battlefield centered around the center hex (that will be 12,12 in your city and some other hex in a 'wilds' battle based on where the enemy enters the map). You can give your runaways a head start here by putting them at the bottom of the screen. If you placed your tower correctly you won't need to maneuver for battle and will be able to proceed directly to entrenchment and defensive spell casting.
Equipping your new troops and upgrading the old ones no longer are a function of cash. Each of the scroll down windows is associated with a specific armory cost (weapons, armor, bows, etc, listed at the bottom of the page). You won't be able to spend more than you have in any of those categories to equip your troops. Fine tuning your army's equipment CAN be fun. Start low and gradually build them up as resources become available.
Build it and they will come
City management is key to your ability to grow an army and population worthy of your name. Just a few words about that:
When ALL else fails
Don't be afraid to restart the game if you don't like what's happening. We fully expect that it will take a new player two or three tries to "get it right". I've lost track of how many times I restarted (play tester or not) and actually restarted a decent game in order to create this step by step guide. (Oh, the things I do for the beer and pretzels they shove under the door.)
Over the River and through the Woods (Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY)
We want you to venture out into the wild, wild world. See the sights, get a few souvenirs. Make friends and influence enemies. Home is always waiting for you. But before you go a few words about NPCs and Other Players:
NPCs (non player characters) populate most of the cities in Aragon. Other players (like you) have their own cities. They can be friends or not. The world screen is where you can find that out. Send out scouts and spies to gather information. In general, it's probably a good idea to stick close to home until you build up a decent force. Some of those NPCs are pretty heavy hitters and if you wander into the wrong city it's game over (not really, but having your ENTIRE army wiped out is NOT a good thing). There ARE other things to do in the world, Quests to fulfill and places to see. Bit by bit you'll be given snippets of information (LORE) that will further your understanding and desire (we hope) to see the sights. The library (off the City page) is the repository of EVERY message you get as well as a log of what's happening with your city's development.
Operators are Standing By
If you run into problems, have a question, or want to report a bug in the game (PLEASE DO) we have a Feedback forum in the Aragon Online Community (on the game's front page). Don't hesitate to contact us. One of the staff will be more than happy to treat your issue with the respect and professionalism it deserves (don't smack me in the head boss, I MEANT it).
OHHHHH, Will this torture never end?
I hope that this guide helps you to get over the hump of what can, at the outset, look to be a daunting game. We look forward to providing you many pleasurable hours (days, weeks, months, years or dare I say it, an entire lifetime) of Game Play like you've never seen before.
From the ENTIRE Aragon Online Staff, Good Luck and Good Gaming.
Last Edit 02-24-2010 08:18 PM


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The Inside Network Job Board: BrightRoll, Triggit, Gree and more
The Inside Network Job Board is dedicated to providing you with the best social media job opportunities across social and mobile application platforms. Here are this week's highlights from the Inside Network Job Board, including positions at: BrightRoll, Triggit, GREE and more.
Aarki Inc.
App Annie
- Manager, Mobile Business Development
- RTB & Ad Ops Manager, BrightRoll Exchange
- Marketing Manager
- Campaign Manager (NYC)
DoubleDown Interactive
GREE International
- C++ Game Programmer
- Data Scientist – Gaming Analytics
- Analytics Engineer
- Business Manager
- Product Manager (Producer) – Mobile


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Sound familiar? McClures take Virginian up the street
When the Roanoke-based owner of Awful Arthur's vacated the historic Inge building on morphing West Main street in January, I sixth-sensed that it wouldn't be long before a new, locally owned restaurant took its prime place. But little did I suspect that the new tenants would turn out to be the current owners/operators of the oldest restaurant on the Corner- The Virginian.
Should've figured it'd be the brothers McClure.
You see, when I first met 25-year-old Andy McClure and his older brother Patrick McClure (26) over a year ago, they did drop a hint about plans to take their tried-and-true restaurant concept– all-American comfort food, in an environment that's fun and casual, and at the same time romantic and slightly upscale- to a second location.
It was only a matter of time– 1.5 years, to be precise– before everything clicked and the restaurant they'll be calling West Main– a Virginian Restaurant found its home (and, of course, it's classic name) on West Main. By late spring, the doors should be open for business.
"We looked at numerous locations all over town, but this particular one appealed to us right away because of its history and its versatility," Andy says. Accustomed to their rather petite, shotgun spot on the Corner, the team immediately recognized the potential of the relatively large, tri-leveled West Main building.
"This space gives us the chance to offer customers several different experiences simultaneously– a couple could be celebrating their anniversary dinner in the intimate upstairs dining room, while friends dine in the casual main-level bar, and sports fans cheer wildly downstairs," says Patrick.
What, you may ask, is so unique about the "Virginian" concept that makes it worthy of replication? Nothing- and that's precisely the point.
"We love a lot of restaurants here, and we think it's great that you can get tapas one night, French dim-sum another," Patrick says, "but we feel there's room in Charlottesville for a high-quality restaurant that appeals to everybody."
So don't expect too much in terms of fusion, frou-frou ingredients, or fancy sauces on the West Main menu. Do expect everything from burgers and sandwiches to steaks and seafood (more on the menu coming soon). Andy's explanation of their choice of a name also speaks to the part they'll soon play in the dramatic Downtown restaurant scene. "West Main may not be as hip as Bang! or Blue Light, but it's simple, conservative, and classy," he says.
The fact that they're calling West Main a "Virginian restaurant" suggests we should expect more from this dynamic duo in years to come. Especially considering their dual-devotion to restaurants and the Charlottesville community.
Native Virginians (from Alexandria) Patrick and Andy both graduated from UVA, in philosophy and finance, respectively. Andy worked at The Virginian while a student, and the team bought and started transforming the famed, but oft-in-transition establishment two and a half years ago. Since then they've totally revamped the menu, figured out how to feed business lunchers, lovers, and co-eds under one roof, and computerized what had been an all-paper management operation.
It's not always easy working with relatives, but these two have struck what seems like a perfect balance. Andy handles the numbers and keeps the big picture in mind, while more flamboyant Pat, a former ski instructor, excels at micro-tasks like training employees.
Both, however, are showmen, "people people," and it's clear that their desire to make customers happy is fueling their ambitious business plans.
"We love this community and the people in it," Patrick says. "That's why we want to start our business here rather than someplace else."
Andy and Patrick McClure at West Main– A Virginian Restaurant


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple this week unwrapped a new system that would make it easier to perform tasks while driving with the help of an iPhone and Siri, an important step in the industrywide push to build smarter cars.
But the rise of more technology-enabled automobiles, including those equipped with voice-control systems like Apple's
Smart technologies have yet to become a common feature in most cars, but AAA has been raising safety concerns related to technologies that make it easier for drivers to perform different tasks while driving. The federation of motor clubs put out a report in June warning of "a plethora of hands-free-in-vehicle communications" that serve as dangerous distractions.
AAA is in the process of updating that study, and the organization is expected to release a new version this summer, according to Jake Nelson, the association's director for traffic safety advocacy and research.
"We are very supportive of the introduction of technologies in the car to enhance convenience for consumers," he told MarketWatch.
"But we are also very concerned about the balance between convenience and safety. It's great that these technologies provide opportunities to consumers to multitask while driving. But we think it's important to limit the functionalities of these technologies while the car is in motion."
The new system Apple unveiled, called CarPlay, which is being adopted by such car makers as Ford
Siri will play a key role in this system by providing "an eyes-free experience by responding to requests through voice commands, by reading drivers' messages and letting them dictate responses or simply make a call," the company said.
CarPlay, Apple stressed, is meant to let drivers "use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction."
But advocates worry that such claims could give drivers a false sense of safety.
The AAA report cited data that "suggest that a rush to voice-based interactions in the vehicle may have unintended consequences that adversely affect traffic safety."
"We shouldn't be telling consumers that if your hands are on the wheel and your eyes are on the road that they are completely safe in using this system," he said. "We know from research that this is not necessarily the case."
AAA is pushing for more studies and guidelines on the use of smart technologies in cars. "There are some tasks that a driver should not be allowed to engage in while the car is driving," he said.
While adjusting a GPS setting or the vehicle's temperature may not pose huge risks, he added, "Drivers should not be allowed to use these technologies to read and respond to emails or interact with social media."
Nelson said advocates are even looking into issues related to voice-control technologies, such as Siri. He cited questions on whether a "synthetic or a computer-generated voice" may not be as safe as those that sound like a natural human voice.
There are also worries, he said, about the accuracy of voice transcriptions, noting AAA's finding that some drivers who were "not confident about the accuracy of a transcription" by Siri would "hold up a phone to verify if the message was recorded correctly."
AAA's claims have been criticized by the Consumer Electronics Association, which argued in a June 2013 statement that the organization's report "suffers from a number of methodology flaws, and, as a result, its broad conclusions about voice-to-text technology should be questioned."
Some tech companies looking to expand into the car market also appear to be moving to address the safety worries.
In January, Google Inc.
Karl Brauer, an analyst with Kelly Blue Book, an automotive research firm, said car manufacturers will likely continue exploring ways to include smart technologies in their vehicles, even as the debates over safety continue.
"Manufacturers are trying to master the art of providing this technology because it is a competitive advantage," he told MarketWatch. "But there's a debate on how much of this should be allowed."
"There are boundaries," he continued. "One side [argues that car makers should] just not offer it. The other side is to offer it under any circumstances. Somewhere in between the two extremes is probably the ideal place, and nobody knows where exactly that is."
Other stories from MarketWatch:
Apple CFO to retire in September


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MadisonVega video.MadisonVega webcam
Hi guys! welcome to my room! I'm Madison. I'm gonna tell you a little bit about me, I always try to be happy, and have a smile on my face even if I'm having a bad moment, I also like people to enjoy my company in all the ways, like joking, eating, dancing; and why not? having a naughty game;)


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Knitability's Now! Pattern line is available for downloading through Craftsy to simplify your pattern buying experience. However, if you prefer, you can also find them and all Gwen's designs on Ravelry. Our Knitability Now! line focuses on easy access to interesting projects. Download the pattern, grab your yarn and needles and get started knitting NOW!
Copyright 2011 - 2017 Knitability, LLC; Last Updated: November 22, 2017


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TV Ad Dollars Slowly Shifting to Web Video
Increasing Portion of Broadcast and Cable Budgets Follow Younger Audience Online
Online video outlets are finally starting to chip away at television's hold on advertisers.
Several major advertisers, including MasterCard, Mondelez International and Verizon Wireless in the past year have moved a portion of the money they previously spent on television to online outlets, conscious that viewers are more frequently watching video online, ad executives say. And with online outlets in recent weeks unveiling plans to ramp up their programming, more shifts are likely, say media buyers.
To Read the Full Story


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Another member of the Amell family is heading to The CW.
Robbie Amell, who's the cousin of Arrow star Stephen Amell, has been cast in a lead in the drama pilot The Tomorrow People, TVGuide.com has learned.
Pilot Season: Get all the latest news
Amell's character (ironically named Stephen) is a tormented young man who longs to be normal and is relieved to learn he's not crazy, but rather part of a group of genetically superior people known as the Tomorrow People, who use such special powers as teleportation and telepathy to fight evil.
The cast also includes Peyton List and Luke Mitchell.
Based on the U.K. series of the same name, The Tomorrow People is executive-produced by Phil Klemmer (Chuck), who's writing the pilot, as well as Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) and Greg Berlanti, who also executive-produces Arrow.


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FSF News
Tell the USTR to reject ACTA
The ACTA drafting process is finished, and countries are beginning to turn an eye toward signing it. Help us stand against it!
Debian "Squeeze" makes key progress toward being a fully free distribution
Cheers to the Debian community!
Call for nominations for the 13th annual Free Software Awards
BOSTON, February 2, 2011--The Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the GNU Project today announced the opening of nominations for the 13th annual Free Software Awards.
OSI and FSF Send Joint Position to Department of Justice
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) and Free Software Foundation (FSF) have sent a joint position statement to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), urging it to scrutinize Novell's proposal to sell patents to the newly-formed CPTN Holdings. Both organizations believe that CPTN Holdings may use these patents to attack free, libre, and open source (FLOSS) software. The full text of the statement follows.
No double standards: supporting Google's push for WebM
We've signed up as a supporter of the WebM Project, and we encourage other foundations and organizations to join us—write to firstname.lastname@example.com to learn how. Today, we're also urging Web site operators to distribute videos in the WebM format, and abandon H.264
Fostering free software education: Free Technology Academy and Free Software Foundation partner to expand access to master's program in free software and free standards
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands -- Tuesday, October 26, 2010 -- The Free Technology Academy (FTA) and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced today their partnership in the FTA's Associate Partner Network. The Network aims to expand the availability of professional educational courses and materials covering the concepts and applications of free software and free standards.
Hardware we all want: FSF announces criteria for hardware endorsement program
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Thursday, October 14, 2010 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) announced today that it has published an initial set of criteria for endorsing computers and other devices. The FSF seeks both to obtain feedback on the criteria, and raise interest in the program among hardware manufacturers. Ultimately, the FSF plans to promote an endorsement mark to be carried on products that the FSF endorses.
Windows Phone 7: the best choice for Patent Trolls.
BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Friday, October 8th, 2010 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today issued a warning to consumers over Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 Phone Series. The software release is backed by a reported 400 to 500 million dollar marketing campaign that aims to distract consumers from its history of abusive behavior, and recent actions as a patent troll: attacking free software based phones like Android.
Free Form: Free Software News for September 29th 2010
Recently, in free software news, Richard Stallman protested representatives of the European Patent Office giving a presentation in Australia concerning software patents. Trisquel released their newest LTS version, codename: Taranis. The chief architect of Apple's compiler group answered a question about the upstream potential of their work on the GNU Compiler Collection.
Over 450 letters sent to the USPTO proposing guidelines to end software patents
Last week, we put out an action item asking people to write to the USPTO, and explain to them why software should not be eligible for patents under their forthcoming post-Bilski guidance. To answer the call, you all sent in more than 450 letters, offering the USPTO all kinds of legal and practical reasons why they should stop issuing software patents. This is a tremendous response, and we're very grateful to you all for participating. Thank you very much!
Encourage the USPTO to stop issuing software patents; deadline September 27
Following the Supreme Court's decision in Bilski v. Kappos, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) plans to release new guidance as to which patent applications will be accepted, and which will not. As part of this process, they are seeking input from the public about how that guidance should be structured.
Celebrate Software Freedom Day with the LibrePlanet community
Please join us in bringing some of the Software Freedom Day celebration and advocacy to the LibrePlanet wiki, to build a resource and meeting place that will last throughout the year.
FSF responds to Oracle v. Google and the threat of software patents
As you likely heard on any number of news sites, Oracle has filed suit against Google, claiming that Android infringes some of its Java-related copyrights and patents. Too little information is available about the copyright infringement claim to say much about it yet; we expect we'll learn more as the case proceeds. But nobody deserves to be the victim of software patent aggression, and Oracle is wrong to use its patents to attack Android.
Delivering the ACTA petition: Sign before Thursday to have your voice heard!
A month ago, we published a statement against ACTA and asked for your signatures in support. Over 3,000 of you joined us in calling on ACTA negotiators to either dramatically change the agreement or drop it all together.
Women's Caucus internship opportunity
The Women's Caucus is seeking an intern to assist with its work to increase the number of women involved in free software.
Women in free software: Recommendations from the Women's Caucus
Nearly a year ago the FSF held a mini-summit for women in free software to investigate practical ways to increase the number of women involved in the free software community.
FSF says: Take a stand with us for freedom, against ACTA
GPL Enforcement in Apple's App Store
An iPhone port of GNU Go is currently being distributed through Apple's App Store. However, this distribution is not in compliance with the GNU GPL. The primary problem is that Apple imposes numerous legal restrictions on use and distribution of GNU Go through the iTunes Store Terms of Service, which is forbidden by section 6 of GPLv2. So today we have written to Apple and asked them to come into compliance. We would be happy to see Apple distribute these programs under the GPL's terms, but unfortunately, it seems much more likely that they'll simply make the problem go away by removing GNU Go from the App Store.
Bilski and Patent Absurdity
Who should see the documentary film Patent Absurdity?


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"The main thing is to look ahead and have a plan ready so that, as funding is available, we know where we want to be (operationally) and can act on those opportunities," said San Diego Lifeguard Services Chief Rick Wurts. "We recognize the city is still going through its recovery in the budget and that there are many important needs throughout other departments like police and fire. The list of needs we've submitted are our top priorities."
Wurts' recent budget proposal to the city asked for about $5.28 million over the next five years. This includes $1.77 million in fiscal year 2014-15, to add personnel and address maintenance and equipment needs.
Wurts said his department's budget proposal was projected over five years "to take a comprehensive look at areas where we felt we could augment operations to be able to continue to provide even better service in all aspects of our operations."
On Monday, April 14, Mayor Kevin Faulconer released his proposed budget, which will be vetted by the public and City Council in budget deliberations over the next couple of months. The budget will be finalized sometime in June for the new fiscal year starting July 1.
The lifeguard budget proposal requests 15 additional lifeguards and support staff. Faulconer's budget calls for a $500,000 increase in the city's current $19.2 million annual lifeguard services expenditures.
"We have 97 full-time lifeguards working year-round, and in the summertime we bring in about 200 seasonal, part-time lifeguards," Wurts said.
New lifeguards would reportedly be added to La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, South Mission Beach, Windansea and Mission Bay for the boating-safety unit.
Though the lifeguard's flotilla of watercraft is small — totaling 11 vessels, including two fire boats and nine patrol/surf-rescue vessels — it's integral to the department's lifesaving mission.
"We have a cliff-rescue vehicle that sorely needs replacement," Wurts said. "That's currently being constructed and we hope to get that delivered to us sometime in January 2015."
Wurts said another big-ticket item, replacement of a fire boat, is going through vendor selection.
"We'll hopefully get that boat about 12 months from now," he said. "We're setting chunks of money aside over the next 20 years or longer so when a boat comes due for replacement, there's money that's been set aside.
"Our goal is to pre-plan for when these things start coming due," he said.
There's also funding set aside in the lifeguards' five-year plan to expand lifeguard headquarters at Mission Bay.
"We've shared that facility with the Park and Recreation Department for decades," said Wurts.
"We need some additional lifeguard headquarters for things we want to do," he added.
One way lifeguards could be getting more space is through the conversion of a carpenter garage used by Park and Rec at Quivira Basin into a boating safety unit locker room and sleeping quarters.
"'It's a really big footprint (garage) and used by only one person," Wurts said. "We're in the process of identifying another space to relocate all that shop equipment.
"We're hoping to build out that same space into a large locker room and sleep facilities for our emergency lifeguards who work 24-hour shifts."
Wurts noted supporting lifeguards is important, not only for their rescue function but for the "preventative" work they do.
"Last year, we made more than 251,000 preventative actions," said Wurts, pointing out such actions involve activities like "lifeguards seeing people too close to a rip current and warning them to move further north or south.
"There is a tremendous amount of activity that goes on along the coastline to make sure that our beaches are safe," he said.


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Pochoir, literally the French word for stencil, is both a centuries-old printmaking process and an important chapter in modern graphic arts. Pochoir came to refer to fine stencil printing in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. It reached its zenith in Paris between 1910 and 1935 where it was used to decorate everything from elegant fashion magazines and limited edition illustrated books, to greeting cards, wallpapers and advertisements.
One of the foremost consumers of the pochoir genre in the early 20th century was the fashion industry. In 1908 aspiring designer Paul Poiret, searching for a unique way to promote his avant-garde couture, privately printed an album of his designs to be given to potential clients. Les Robes de Paul Poiret Racontees par Paul Iribe was an instant success with its svelte models stenciled in vibrant, eye-catching colors and the scandalous cover featuring a nude, coquettish Eve holding a luxuriant garland of apples and roses.
Lucien Vogel, taking full advantage of the pochoir technique in 1912, launched the lavishly illustrated monthly fashion magazine, La Gazette du Bon Ton. Vogel employed some of the greatest illustrators of the day to bring to life the newest creations of the Parisian couturiers. The success of La Gazette du Bon Ton fueled the public's desire for chic, colorful "journaux du gout" and gave birth to such publications as the elegant Journal des Dames, the trendy Art, Goût, Beauté, and Vogel's sequel to La Gazette, the superb but short-lived, Les Feuillets d'Art.
The 6 issues of Les Feuillets d'Art were published in Paris by Vogel between May 1919 and July 1920. Les Feuillets was issued in limited edition portfolio form. Each issue contained 5 feuillets, or leaves, on the subjects of literature, theatre, arts and design, music, and fashion (issues 3 through 6 have a sixth leaf, les feuillets de la publicité.) Vogel intended for Les Feuillets to be a fashion-savvy review in which he professed a dedication to "finding in the taste of the moment all that is traditional and durable."1 To accomplish his goal Vogel brought together the crème de la crème of the literary, artistic and musical worlds of 1920's Paris. Amazingly there is poetry by Paul Claudel, the younger brother of sculptor Camille Claudel, the first publication of a composition by Maurice Ravel, and original woodblock prints by Raoul Dufy, Odilon Redon, and John Storrs.
The undisputed gems of the publication are its hand painted pochoir prints. They are unaccompanied by text ("hors texte") and are inserted for their beauty alone. The pochoirs can be found in the last two leaves of each volume, as fashion plates in les feuillets de la mode and as advertisements in les feuillets de la publicité. These subtle, charismatic designs were produced by some of the greatest artist/illustrators of the day, Georges Lepape, George Barbier, Edouard Halouze and Charles Martin, to name just a few. All of the pochoirs reflect the geometric modernist style of the Art Deco period.
The abundance of pochoirs lasted only a few years after the demise of Les Feuillets. A world economic downturn and machine printing were soon to spell the end of the hand-color process. The pochoir gave way to less expensive forms of photomechanical color printing and very few examples were produced after 1935. Pochoir, which had captured the imagination of a generation of couturiers, artists, and illustrators, became a part of the past, along with the Art Deco style.
1. Davis, Mary. Classic chic: music, fashion and modernism. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006, p.92


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Here is a question which I asked myself (and couldn't answer) while reading "The topology of spaces of rational functions" by G. Segal.
Let $X$ be a smooth complete complex curve (=a compact Riemann surface) of genus $g$ and let $Rat(X,d)$ be the space of all regular (=holomorphic) maps from $X$ to $\mathbf{P}^1(\mathbf{C})$ of degree $d$. In this question I'm interested in the fundamental group of the open subset $U(X,d)$ of $Rat(X,d)$ formed by all $f$ such that all critical points of $f$ are simple and all critical values are distinct. (A critical point is a point at which the derivative of $f$ vanishes; a critical value is the image of a critical point.) To be more specific, let's say I'd like to
find a "nice" system of generators of $\pi_1(U(X,d))$;
to describe, for each of these generators, its image under the map induced by the map $G$ from $U(X,d)$ to the configuration space $B(\mathbf{P}^1(\mathbf{C}),k)$ of unordered subsets of $\mathbf{P}^1(\mathbf{C})$ of cardinality $k=2(d+g-1)$ that takes $f$ to its branch divisor (i.e. the divisor of the critical points).
Here are some remarks that may be useful (or may not):
First, here is how one can think of the fundamental group of $Rat(X,d)$. By associating to every function its divisor of poles we get a map $F$ from $Rat(X,d)$ to the $d$-th symmetric power $S^d(X)$ of $X$.
Assume $d> 2g-2$. By the Riemann-Roch theorem, for any degree $d$ divisor $D$ the linear space ${\cal{L}}(D)=H^0(X,{\cal{O}}(D))$ (which is formed by all rational functions $f$ such that for any $x\in X$ the order of the pole of $f$ at $x$ is at most the multiplicity of $x$ in $D$) is $d-g+1$. So $F$ is surjective and a fiber of $F$ is $\mathbf{C}^{d-g+1}$ minus some number of hyperplanes (these are given by the condition that order the pole of $f$ at a point $x$ of $D$ is less then the multiplicity of $x$ in $D$).
The map $F$ is probably not a fibration. However, the fundamental group of $Rat(X,d)$ is spanned by the loops in a general fiber of $F$ going around one of the hyperplanes, and lifts of the loops in $S^d(X)$ (these are all of the form "one of the points moves along a loop in $X$ and the other stand still").
Second, recall that the Jacobian $J(X)$ of $X$ is defined as follows. Integration along cycles gives an injective map $H_1(X,\mathbf{Z})\to\mathbf{C}^g=Hom(H^0(X,\Omega_X),\mathbf{C})$ and the Jacobian of $X$ is the quotient. Moreover, once we have chosen a base point $x$ in $X$, we get a natural map $j:X\to J(X)$ defined as follows: for any $x'\in X$ take a path $\gamma$ from $x$ to $x'$ and set $j(x')$ to be the image in $J(X)$ of the "integration along $\gamma$ function". This is well defined map that can be extended by $\mathbf{Z}$-linearity to $S^d(X)$.
Abel's theorem says that two disjoint effective divisors are the divisors of the zeros and the poles of a rational function if and only if their images under $j$ coincide. This may be useful in this problem, but I don't see how.


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❝the devil is real. and he's not a little man with...
Millionaire || h.s.42600357247
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"I'm a millionaire baby, I can get away with anything. I practically have everyone wrapped around my pinky." || Copyright © 2014-2016 All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.
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