Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:Science of global warming

2007-03-16T17:38:56Z

Ender: deleting overly liberal statements

Global warming

2007-03-16T17:13:40Z

Ender:

'''Global Warming''' is a phrase which commonly refers to a scientific theory and political proposals that would follow if the theory is accepted. The theory states that Earth's temperature and CO2 levels are rising at a dangerous rate, and that humans need to take action against this perceived threat.

The name is inaccurate, and should be '''Global Climate Change''', as the increasing amount of heat stored in the atmosphere has had disruptive effects leading to colder weather in some areas.

== Scientific background ==

The theory of climate change concerns many varied factors, but one of the most commonly cited is that of 'the greenhouse effect'.

This is what occurs when high energy solar radiation loses energy upon entry to the Earth's atmosphere. It then is 'trapped' inside it, thus heating up the Earth, to the extent of approximately 25 degrees Fahrenheit. It cannot escape, however, as it has a lower frequency and thus cannot re-penetrate the atmosphere. This is essential for the survival on life on Earth, but proponents of the Climate Change theory argue that this system is being unbalanced by a human-caused (anthropogenic) increase in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which trap more heat in, raising the overall temperature. They argue that this would have numerous adverse effects; it could cause polar ice to melt, thus raising sea levels, and could cause desertification to already vulnerable regions.

== History ==
The scientific theory is widely accepted within the scientific community. Conservatives who are opposed to the political proposals that flow from acceptance of the theory, are skeptical of the theorists, despite their credentials, and challenge the scientific validity of portions of the theory. The critics of global warming tend to not be scientists, though, and have no valid scientific evidence contradicting global warming, but instead simply look for every possible slip real scientists make. This involves intentionally misinterpreting scientists (e.g. theory, in the context of global warming, is not the layman's definition, or something along the lines of pure speculation, but means something scientists are not 100% sure of yet. In the scientific community, more than 80% likelihood is synonimous with "gauranteed".) Many with their own agendas believe global warming is simply a talking point, aimed at shackling [[money|profitable]] oil and power companies, forcing them to pursue a green agenda that environmentalists agree with. This is clearly not the case, as scientists and environmentalists have never before agreed to this degree on anything, as scientists tend to be quiet skeptics, and environmentalists tend towards radicalism. The phrase "Global Warming" really includes three separate theories.

:1) The theory that we are currently in a period of rapid climate change consisting of increasing temperature, which, if it were to continue, would have important socio-economic consequences well within the next century.

:2) The theory that this change is caused by increasing CO2 gasses and a resulting "greenhouse" effect.

:3) The theory that this change is caused by human activity, mostly industrial emissions of carbon-based "greenhouse gasses."
Much of the discussion of climate change concerns

:4) The proposal that global warming can and should be reversed by taking large-scale international action to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Point #1 has become very widely accepted in the past few decades, even by conservatives who were once skeptical, but argue that the rising temperature is due to other factors. <ref>http://www.nationalcenter.org/WCT012304.html</ref> <ref>http://www.californiaconservative.org/liberals/global-warming-an-ardent-liberal-opens-up/</ref>
<ref>http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/5/91239/48194</ref>

Point #1 is argued against by those showing record cold temperatures around the globe. These record cold spells tend to be in isolated locations, and the arctic and antarctic, telling indicators of global temperature trends, are both heating, and fast. <ref>http://www.physorg.com/news2860.html</ref> <ref>http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/productDisplay.php?product=BOSRERBOS</ref> <ref>http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/07/D8EBMGIO0.html</ref>

Points #2 and point #3 are more controversial, although widely accepted by scientists. Points #3 is the one most attacked by global warming skeptics. These skeptics are very rarely

Point #4 is what the political and international debate are about. Both climate change itself, and the very large-scale actions that are proposed to combat it, would have enormous economic effects with identifiable winners and losers, resulting in an intense debate. For example, since the industrialized nations emit most of the CO2, if it were agreed that these emissions needed to be reduced sharply, the burden would fall much more heavily on these nations than on undeveloped nations. {{fact}}

== Al Gore and politics ==
Al Gore, Vice President under President Clinton from 1992 to 2000, is a high profile advocate of the full global warming theory. Promoters of this theory, including many prominent scientists, call for international treaties, like one proposed in Kyoto, Japan, to limit carbon emissions using a combination of conservation and technological innovation.<ref>http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/kyoto/kyotorpt.html</ref>

The theory is widely accepted within the scientific community because of the vast amount of conclusive evidence {{fact}}, though that is not to say there is unanimity.<ref>Myths of Global Warming[http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba230.html]</ref><ref>No Evidence for Global Warming[http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed012298b.cfm]</ref> On February 2, 2007, an international panel of hundreds of scientists and representatives of 113 governments issued a report concluding:

The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice-mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external forcing, and very likely that is not due to known natural causes alone."<ref>Borenstein, Seth (2007), "Warming 'Likely' Man-Made, Unstoppable." Associated Press, as published by Forbes[http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/02/ap3388409.html]</ref>

Al Gore's film [http://imdb.com/title/tt0497116/usercomments?start=60 An Inconvenient Truth] (already available on DVD that was reviewed by experts {{fact}} and in [http://www.amazon.com/Inconvenient-Truth-Planetary-Emergency-Warming/dp/1594865671 book format]) has recently been challenged by an entertaining and informative documentary on Channel 4 in the UK entitled "The Great Global Warming Swindle". Details of this can be found at: http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html
Despite the popularity of the film, experts claim it has flaws and stifles debate.<ref>http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/harris061206.htm</ref>

The behaviors and actions of Al Gore and other politicians seem to show a so called "political warming", based on all of this evidence.

== The conservative view ==
Just as the pro-global warming scientists are benefiting from promoting global warming, the global warming skeptical scientists have had funding from energy companies. <ref>http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2004397,00.html</ref> It can be said that they profit from energy stock, just as well as the pro-global warming scientists. However, the skeptics are not selling carbon credits, but they are profiting from selling alternative energy products and services. {{fact}}

In the UK, Conservatives propose a bill that will tax flights to combat climate change.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6438685.stm</ref> Governor of California [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] signed the Global Warming Solutions Act to try and curb global warming.<ref>http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/4111/</ref> The Pentagon has told [[George W. Bush]] that global warming is a real threat.<ref>http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1153513,00.html</ref> [[George W. Bush]] admits that global warming is a problem, but that there is still some debate about it.<ref>http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1210402,00.html</ref>

== Evangelical view ==
In Febuary of 2006, eighty-six evangelical church leaders backed an initative to combat global warming.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/national/08warm.html</ref> This call to action acknowledges the growing body of evidence that global warming is happening and acknowledges the pledge in 2004 that humans have "a sacred responsibility to steward the Earth and not a license to abuse the [[creation]] of which we are a part." <ref>http://www.christiansandclimate.org/statement</ref> This stance is not held by all evangelical church leaders; some of whom claim that this is distracting from other social issues.
<ref>http://www.creationcare.org/files/global_warming_briefing.pdf</ref>

== Conflicting Opinions/Data ==

The global warming theory is a scientific theory, that has been supported by many peer-reviewed journal articles, published in highly respected international scientific journals.

Many scientists who have demonstrated support for global warming have been silenced or censored by the United States government. <ref>http://www.rense.com/general75/oppo.htm</ref><ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53636</ref><ref>http://www.variousandsundry.com/politics/?p=810</ref><ref>http://www.newswithviews.com/metcalf/metcalf205.htm</ref> Some are even given death threats by pro-global warming scientists and advocates.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/11/ngreen211.xml</ref>

Pro-global warming reports follow scientific method, using both a control and experimental group. Therefore, the majority of scientists today accept global warming as fact. <ref>http://xtronics.com/reference/globalwarming.htm</ref>

== Global warming advocacy sites ==
Many web sites, forms, blogs, and other web sites exist for educating the public about global warming Here is a list of these web sites:
* [http://www.climatecrisis.net/ Climate Crisis] Educational website that offers information about An inconvenient truth.
* [http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/ Stop Global Warming] Sells books on stopping global warming, has a list of companies selling global warming items.
* [http://www.climateark.org/blog/ Climate Change Blog] Links to other global warming blogs.
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/topics/global+warming Huffington Post Global Warming Blog] Appears to promote news paper and advertising by promoting global warming.
* [http://www.updebate.org United Political Debate]

==References==
<references/>

Global warming

2007-03-16T00:02:30Z

Ender: minor changes, made it more leglible, some fact checking should have been done last tiem around!

'''Global Warming''' is a phrase which commonly refers to a scientific theory and political proposals that would follow if the theory is accepted. The theory states that Earth's temperature and CO2 levels are rising at a dangerous rate, and that humans need to take action against this perceived threat.

The name is inaccurate, and should be '''Global Climate Change''', as the increasing amount of heat stored in the atmosphere has had disruptive effects leading to colder weather in some areas.

== Scientific background ==

The theory of climate change concerns many varied factors, but one of the most commonly cited is that of 'the greenhouse effect'.

This is what occurs when high energy solar radiation loses energy upon entry to the Earth's atmosphere. It then is 'trapped' inside it, thus heating up the Earth, to the extent of approximately 25 degrees Fahrenheit. It cannot escape, however, as it has a lower frequency and thus cannot re-penetrate the atmosphere. This is essential for the survival on life on Earth, but proponents of the Climate Change theory argue that this system is being unbalanced by a human-caused (anthropogenic) increase in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which trap more heat in, raising the overall temperature. They argue that this would have numerous adverse effects; it could cause polar ice to melt, thus raising sea levels, and could cause desertification to already vulnerable regions.

== History ==
The scientific theory is widely accepted within the scientific community. Conservatives who are opposed to the political proposals that flow from acceptance of the theory, are skeptical of the theorists, despite their credentials, and challenge the scientific validity of portions of the theory. The critics of global warming tend to not be scientists, though, and have no valid scientific evidence contradicting global warming, but instead simply look for every possible slip real scientists make. This involves intentionally misinterpreting scientists (e.g. theory, in the context of global warming, is not the layman's definition, or something along the lines of pure speculation, but means something scientists are not 100% sure of yet. In the scientific community, more than 80% likelihood is synonimous with "gauranteed".) Many with their own agendas believe global warming is simply a talking point, aimed at shackling [[money|profitable]] oil and power companies, forcing them to pursue a "green" agenda that environmentalists agree with. This is clearly not the case, as scientists and environmentalists have never before agreed to this degree on anything, as scientists tend to be quiet skeptics, and environmentalists tend towards radicalism. The phrase "Global Warming" really includes three separate theories.

:1) The theory that we are currently in a period of rapid climate change consisting of increasing temperature, which, if it were to continue, would have important socio-economic consequences well within the next century.

:2) The theory that this change is caused by increasing CO2 gasses and a resulting "greenhouse" effect.

:3) The theory that this change is caused by human activity, mostly industrial emissions of carbon-based "greenhouse gasses."
Much of the discussion of climate change concerns

:4) The proposal that global warming can and should be reversed by taking large-scale international action to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Point #1 has become very widely accepted in the past few decades, even by conservatives who were once skeptical, but argue that the rising temperature is due to other factors. <ref>http://www.nationalcenter.org/WCT012304.html</ref> <ref>http://www.californiaconservative.org/liberals/global-warming-an-ardent-liberal-opens-up/</ref>
<ref>http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/3/5/91239/48194</ref>

Point #1 is argued against by those showing record cold temperatures around the globe. These record cold spells tend to be in isolated locations, and the arctic and antarctic, telling indicators of global temperature trends, are both heating, and fast. <ref>http://www.physorg.com/news2860.html</ref> <ref>http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/productDisplay.php?product=BOSRERBOS</ref> <ref>http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/07/D8EBMGIO0.html</ref>

Points #2 and point #3 are more controversial, although widely accepted by scientists. Points #3 is the one most attacked by global warming skeptics. These skeptics are very rarely

Point #4 is what the political and international debate are about. Both climate change itself, and the very large-scale actions that are proposed to combat it, would have enormous economic effects with identifiable winners and losers, resulting in an intense debate. For example, since the industrialized nations emit most of the CO2, if it were agreed that these emissions needed to be reduced sharply, the burden would fall much more heavily on these nations than on undeveloped nations. {{fact}}

== Al Gore and politics ==
Al Gore, Vice President under President Clinton from 1992 to 2000, is a high profile advocate of the full global warming theory. Promoters of this theory, including many prominent scientists, call for international treaties, like one proposed in Kyoto, Japan, to limit carbon emissions using a combination of conservation and technological innovation.<ref>http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/kyoto/kyotorpt.html</ref>

The theory is widely accepted within the scientific community because of the vast amount of conclusive evidence {{fact}}, though that is not to say there is unanimity.<ref>Myths of Global Warming[http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba230.html]</ref><ref>No Evidence for Global Warming[http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed012298b.cfm]</ref> On February 2, 2007, an international panel of hundreds of scientists and representatives of 113 governments issued a report concluding:

The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice-mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external forcing, and very likely that is not due to known natural causes alone."<ref>Borenstein, Seth (2007), "Warming 'Likely' Man-Made, Unstoppable." Associated Press, as published by Forbes[http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/02/ap3388409.html]</ref>

Al Gore's film [http://imdb.com/title/tt0497116/usercomments?start=60 An Inconvenient Truth] (already available on DVD that was reviewed by experts {{fact}} and in [http://www.amazon.com/Inconvenient-Truth-Planetary-Emergency-Warming/dp/1594865671 book format]) has recently been challenged by an entertaining and informative documentary on Channel 4 in the UK entitled "The Great Global Warming Swindle". Details of this can be found at: http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html
Despite the popularity of the film, experts claim it has flaws and stifles debate.<ref>http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/harris061206.htm</ref>

The behaviors and actions of Al Gore and other politicians seem to show a so called "political warming", based on all of this evidence.

== The conservative view ==
Just as the pro-global warming scientists are benefiting from promoting global warming, the global warming skeptical scientists have had funding from energy companies. <ref>http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2004397,00.html</ref> It can be said that they profit from energy stock, just as well as the pro-global warming scientists. However, the skeptics are not selling carbon credits, but they are profiting from selling alternative energy products and services. {{fact}}

In the UK, Conservatives propose a bill that will tax flights to combat climate change.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6438685.stm</ref> Governor of California [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] signed the Global Warming Solutions Act to try and curb global warming.<ref>http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/4111/</ref> The Pentagon has told [[George W. Bush]] that global warming is a real threat.<ref>http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1153513,00.html</ref> [[George W. Bush]] admits that global warming is a problem, but that there is still some debate about it.<ref>http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,1210402,00.html</ref>

== Evangelical view ==
In Febuary of 2006, eighty-six evangelical church leaders backed an initative to combat global warming.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/national/08warm.html</ref> This call to action acknowledges the growing body of evidence that global warming is happening and acknowledges the pledge in 2004 that humans have "a sacred responsibility to steward the Earth and not a license to abuse the [[creation]] of which we are a part." <ref>http://www.christiansandclimate.org/statement</ref> This stance is not held by all evangelical church leaders; some of whom claim that this is distracting from other social issues.
<ref>http://www.creationcare.org/files/global_warming_briefing.pdf</ref>

== Conflicting Opinions/Data ==

The global warming theory is a scientific theory, that has been supported by many peer-reviewed journal articles, published in highly respected international scientific journals.

Many scientists who have demonstrated support for global warming have been silenced or censored by the United States government. <ref>http://www.rense.com/general75/oppo.htm</ref><ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53636</ref><ref>http://www.variousandsundry.com/politics/?p=810</ref><ref>http://www.newswithviews.com/metcalf/metcalf205.htm</ref> Some are even given death threats by pro-global warming scientists and advocates.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/11/ngreen211.xml</ref>

Pro-global warming reports follow scientific method, using both a control and experimental group. Therefore, the majority of scientists today accept global warming as fact. <ref>http://xtronics.com/reference/globalwarming.htm</ref>

== Global warming advocacy sites ==
Many web sites, forms, blogs, and other web sites exist for educating the public about global warming Here is a list of these web sites:
* [http://www.climatecrisis.net/ Climate Crisis] Educational website that offers information about An inconvenient truth.
* [http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/ Stop Global Warming] Sells books on stopping global warming, has a list of companies selling global warming items.
* [http://www.climateark.org/blog/ Climate Change Blog] Links to other global warming blogs.
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/topics/global+warming Huffington Post Global Warming Blog] Appears to promote news paper and advertising by promoting global warming.
* [http://www.updebate.org United Political Debate]

==References==
<references/>

Talk:Isaac Newton

2007-03-15T23:39:14Z

Ender: Talk:Isaac Newton moved to Talk:Sir Isaac Newton: this was his title, as he was a knight, and american readers can still access this with a search for "Isaac Newton". It's correct now, though.

==Regarding "Newton was a devout Christian who said his discoveries were inspired by God"==
I am not changing anything yet, but my (christian) science book says that Newton had a firm belief in God, but denied the Trinity, and the Deity of Christ. Not exactly the beliefs of a "devout Christian" --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 20:41, 6 March 2007 (EST)

: That's a big surprise to me. My understanding is that Newton was a Christian who relied on the Bible daily.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 21:05, 6 March 2007 (EST)

:: Relied on the Bible daily? yes. Accepted the Trinity? Definitely not. Whether that makes him a "devout Christian" is presumably therefore very much a defintional issue of how you define Christian. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 21:08, 6 March 2007 (EST)

:::Well, we don't need to take sides on that matter. We can just report his beliefs and leave it at that; readers can decide for themselves whether he's Christian by their own standards. [[User:Tsumetai|Tsumetai]] 21:11, 6 March 2007 (EST)

==Newton and Falsification ==

I’ve added the following paragraph (or a version of it) at the end of this article a number of times:

:Newton’s Laws stood as “laws” for years after his death, but in 1816 the discovery of Mercury’s anomalous perihelion provided evidence that Newton’s laws did not always correctly predict behavior in the observed, external, world. <ref>Newton’s Laws Falsified 1816[http://www.galilean-library.org/lakatos.html]</ref> It was not until 1919, however, that a series of experiments designed to test [[General Relativity]] provided the scientific community with enough evidence to replace those laws. <ref>Newton’s Laws in 1919 [http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/creation/falsify.html]</ref> Once a theory could better predict the external world than Newton’s Laws, they were fully falsified and replaced as the dominant theory in physics. <ref>Putnam, Dr. Hilary. Mathematics, Matter, and Method. Cambridge University Press. 1980. Page 257 [http://books.google.com/books?id=oEXw5dsrY64C&pg=RA2-PA257&lpg=RA2-PA257&dq=newton+falsify+mercury&source=web&ots=r1RiPYytw2&sig=3f-OYsTqprSmMxgmSgePqsjoXWo]</ref>

The first time it was deleted because I had not sourced it correctly, which is fine. So I sourced it properly and it stood for awhile. Then part of it was deleted because it was to quote the editing comment “Heresy” and “unintelligible”. Since I figured heresy was a bad reason to delete information, especially when properly sourced, I tried to make my comments more intelligible and replaced them. Then part of it was deleted—I am informed because the 1919 experiments have been discredited. But, after researching the matter, I can find no evidence to support this claim (That, of course, doesn’t mean that the evidence doesn’t exist—just that I can’t find it). Even if, however, the 1919 experiments have been discredited that is not, especially relevant to this article, as the 1919 experiments are only important as a turning point in scientific opinion about Newton’s Laws—in particular it marks the date a theory was better able to predict new information than Newton’s Laws could—since then numerous experiments have supported general relativity (though if past is prologue it will soon be on the way out in favor of a better theory itself) but here the only important thing is that it seems to predict better than Newton’s Laws predict and I think it belongs here. However, before I could post this discussion a third contributor deleted the remainder of my paragraph, with only the comment “1816 observation did not falsify Newton”. I’ve linked to two reputable sources for this point, including Dr. Hilary Putnam—second only to Popper himself in the field of philosophy of science—on this point. Whereas the person who deleted the 1816 claim did not provide any evidence to support this deletion—nor can I find any (again, it may be out there, but I can’t find it).

For those reasons, I believe this information belongs in the article—but since it has been repeatedly deleted I’ve chosen to put it on the talk page for now. Can anyone cite a reason to believe this paragraph is false, or explain why it does not belong here? Or can anyone cite to more reputable sources to bolster this paragraph? Or can anyone offer suggested changes that would make it palatable to all parties to this debate?

: I do think that it is pretty absurd to say that some 1816 observation of Mercury falsified Newton. It is true that there was no good explanation for Mercury’s anomalous perihelion, but there were possible explanations that did not involve changing Newton's law of gravity.
: I also don't think that a 20th century philosopher is a reliable source on this point. If an 1816 observation really falsified Newton, then there should have been physicists in 1817 saying that the observation proves that they should all stop relying on Newton's laws. There weren't then, and there aren't now. Newton's laws are still useful and have not been "fully falsified".
: Yes, General Relativity has superceded Newtonian gravitation, but the 1919 observations did not provide the necessary evidence. The 1919 observation was sold as proof to the public at the time, but was actually inconclusive.
: On another topic, why is Newton called "Sir"? I wouldn't think that a conservative American encyclopedia would respect some silly British nobility title. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 16:21, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:::If you read the Putnam (who I find to be an incredibly reliable source when it comes to the history of science, as his job is to study the history of science and draw well reasoned conclusions based on that history, and as he is highly regarded in his field –which he would not be if he made basic errors)article you will see that you are making the exact same point he is—only he draws a different, and, I think, better grounded conclusion. Science is not a monolithic beast, and it does not move quickly. That is why, though the 1816 observations falsified Newton’s Laws (and remember one wrong prediction means the whole theory is falsified and a new theory must be sought to replace it), science was slow to react. Further, Newton’s Laws still were better predictors than any other theory (until relativity hit the scene in 1919) so they were still used—and in fact are still used as they generate the right result for the objects big enough to see on the surface of the earth moving at a speed we can see them—but that does not mean that the laws were not falsified, just that they are still useful.
:::Of course if you have a better date for when relativity superseded Newton’s laws that is what you ought to add to the article rather than deleting information and replacing it with nothing (For if Newton’s laws were superseded, then they were falsified, and that information belongs in the article). I still have seen no evidence, however, offered that the 1919 experiments were flawed (again, I’m open to the idea that they may be flawed, but would like some evidence of that—especially since I have evidence to the contrary).--[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 22:40, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

::::Putnam is entitled to his opinions, but I just don't see how an 1816 anomaly could have falsified Newtonian gravity. There were other possible explanations for that anomaly, such as an unknown asteroid or an oblateness of the Sun. Those explanations might not have required any change to Newtonian gravity.
:::: Here is a good account of the 1919 eclipse. [http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0102462] It says of Eddington's announcement:
:::::The reaction from scientists at this special meeting was ambivalent. Some questioned the reliability of statistical evidence from such a small number of stars. This skepticism seems in retrospect to be entirely justified. Although the results from Sobral were consistent with Einstein’s prediction, Eddington had been careful to remove from the analysis all measurements taken with the main equipment, the astrographic telescope and used only the results from the 4-inch. As I have explained, there were good grounds for this because of problems with the focus of the larger instrument. On the other hand, these plates yielded a value for the deflection of 0.93 seconds of arc, very close to the Newtonian prediction. Some suspected Eddington of cooking the books by leaving these measurements out.
::::At any rate, this is an article on Newton, not relativity or philosophy. The exact date in which physicists became convinced of a non-Newtonian explanation for Mercury's precession doesn't seem very relevant to me. [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 02:34, 12 March 2007 (EDT)
:::::Thank you for the link, it is most informative (I've not had a chance to read it fully but so far quite informative) but your second point is, I think spot on, I hadn't really realized that that was your objection. I thought the objection was to the claim that Newton's laws had been falsified, not that the exact date was off.--[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 11:21, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

==Reference==

<references/>

==Inspired Kant==
The article says:
:Newton is often seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time due to his contributions, which inspired Kant to create the philosophical concepts of the categorical imperative and the synthetic a priori.
Is this a joke? What does Kant have to do with anything? Newton inspired some great science -- who cares about whatever mediocre philosophy he might have inspired? [[User:RSchlafly|RSchlafly]] 02:26, 15 March 2007 (EDT)

Isaac Newton

2007-03-15T23:39:14Z

Ender: Isaac Newton moved to Sir Isaac Newton: this was his title, as he was a knight, and american readers can still access this with a search for "Isaac Newton". It's correct now, though.

Sir [[Isaac Newton]] was an English [[scientist]] who lived from 1634 to 1727. He was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and natural philosopher. He is probably best known for his Theory of Universal Gravitation and his Laws of Motion. His contributions also include inventing the reflecting telescope, developing [[calculus]] simultaneously with German physicist Gottfried Leibniz. Each accused the other of plagiarism, but neither could prove it.<ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>), and numerous other contributions to his fields of study.

Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on Earth. Newton contributed greatly to the advancement of science. His work also advanced the concept of heliocentrism (the belief that the Sun is at the center of the solar system).

Newton was a devout [[Christian]] who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]].<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton's beliefs differed in an heretical manner from that of the Anglican Church however; he did not believe Trinitarianism (one God in three persons). The majority opinion holds that Newton was a unitarian (one God) and an Arian (Jesus was divine but did not exist eternally and was created by God at some point before coming to Earth). Both are commonly regarded by conservative Christians as the most dangerous of heresies. This is illustrated by Newton in his theological notebooks by noting that "worshiping Christ as God" among a list of "[[idolatry|Idolatria]]".<ref> Entirely aside from this, he believed in God not as much as conscious interventionist, but as a mute supernatural creator who interfered little, or not at all with the doings of humans. Westfall, Richard S. The Life of Isaac Newton, Cambridge U Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-47737-9, p. 124</ref>

== Gravity ==

Newton developed the theory of universal gravitation, more commonly known as gravity, when, according to an urban legend, an apple struck him on the head. He realized that the same force pulled the apple to the ground, as kept Jupiter's moons in orbit. His theory stated that all matter is attracted to matter by a force, whose strength increases proportionally to the mass of the objects involved, and inverse proportionately to the distance between them. The theory's accuracy was later improved by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

== Religious Beliefs ==

Newton believed that God's creation of the universe was self evident given its grandeur.<ref>Webb, R.K. ed. Knud Haakonssen. “The emergence of Rational Dissent.” Enlightenment and Religion: Rational Dissent in eighteenth-century Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1996. p19.</ref> He also warned against using his laws to replace the creator. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref>

Newton is often seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time due to his contributions, which inspired [[Kant]] to create the philosophical concepts of the [[categorical imperative]] and the [[synthetic a priori]].

After his death and burial, Newton was exhumed so he could be buried in a more prominent location in [[Westminster Abby]]. During this exhumation process, it was discovered that Newton had large amounts of mercury in his body, probably as a direct result of his [[alchemy|alchemical]] experiments. Exposure to large amounts of mercury may explain Newton’s eccentricity in his latter years, as well as his cause of death. <ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>

==Reference==

[[Category:Biographies]]

<references/>

Isaac Newton

2007-03-15T23:37:42Z

Ender:

Sir [[Isaac Newton]] was an English [[scientist]] who lived from 1634 to 1727. He was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and natural philosopher. He is probably best known for his Theory of Universal Gravitation and his Laws of Motion. His contributions also include inventing the reflecting telescope, developing [[calculus]] simulatneously with german physicist Gottfried Leibniz. Bothe accused each other of plagiarism, but neither could prove it.<ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>), and numerous other contributions to his fields of study.

Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on Earth. Newton contributed greatly to the advancement of science. His work also advanced the concept of heliocentrism (the belief that the Sun is at the center of the solar system).

Newton was a devout [[Christian]] who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]].<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton's beliefs differed in an heretical manner from that of the Anglican Church however; he did not believe Trinitarianism (one God in three persons). The majority opinion holds that Newton was a unitarian (one God) and an Arian (Jesus was divine but did not exist eternally and was created by God at some point before coming to Earth). Both are commonly regarded by conservative Christians as the most dangerous of heresies. This is illustrated by Newton in his theological notebooks by noting that "worshiping Christ as God" among a list of "[[idolatry|Idolatria]]".<ref> Entirely aside from this, he believed in God not as much as conscious interventionist, but as a mute supernatural creator who interfered little, or not at all with the doings of humans. Westfall, Richard S. The Life of Isaac Newton, Cambridge U Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-47737-9, p. 124</ref>

== Gravity ==

Newton developed the theory of universal gravititation, more commonly known as gravity, when, according to an urban legend, an apple struck him on the head. He realized that the same force pulled the apple to the ground, as kept Jupiter's moons in orbit. His theory stated that all matter is attracted to matter by a force, whose strength increases proportionally to the mass of the objects involved, and inverse proportionately to the distance between them. The theory's accuracy was later improved by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

== Religious Beliefs ==

Newton believed that God's creation of the universe was self evident given its grandeur.<ref>Webb, R.K. ed. Knud Haakonssen. “The emergence of Rational Dissent.” Enlightenment and Religion: Rational Dissent in eighteenth-century Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1996. p19.</ref> He also warned against using his laws to replace the creator. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref>

Newton is often seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time due to his contributions, which inspired [[Kant]] to create the philosophical concepts of the [[categorical imperative]] and the [[synthetic a priori]].

After his death and burial, Newton was exhumed so he could be buried in a more prominent location in [[Westminster Abby]]. During this exhumation process, it was discovered that Newton had large amounts of mercury in his body, probably as a direct result of his [[alchemy|alchemical]] experiments. Exposure to large amounts of mercury may explain Newton’s eccentricity in his latter years, as well as his cause of death. <ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>

==Reference==

[[Category:Biographies]]

<references/>

Isaac Newton

2007-03-15T23:36:59Z

Ender: minor factual corrections, and some physics information

Sir [[Isaac Newton]] was an English [[scientist]] who lived from 1634 to 1727. He was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and natural philosopher. He is probably best known for his Theory of Universal Gravitation and his Laws of Motion. His contributions also include inventing the reflecting telescope, developing [[calculus]] simulatneously with german physicist Gottfried Leibniz. Bothe accused each other of plagiarism, but neither could prove it.<ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>), and numerous other contributions to his fields of study.

Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on Earth. Newton contributed greatly to the advancement of science. His work also advanced the concept of heliocentrism (the belief that the Sun is at the center of the solar system).

Newton was a devout [[Christian]] who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]].<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton's beliefs differed in an heretical manner from that of the Anglican Church however; he did not believe Trinitarianism (one God in three persons). The majority opinion holds that Newton was a unitarian (one God) and an Arian (Jesus was divine but did not exist eternally and was created by God at some point before coming to Earth). Both are commonly regarded by conservative Christians as the most dangerous of heresies. This is illustrated by Newton in his theological notebooks by noting that "worshiping Christ as God" among a list of "[[idolatry|Idolatria]]".<ref> Entirely aside from this, he believed in God not as much as conscious interventionist, but as a mute supernatural creator who interfered little, or not at all with the doings of humans. Westfall, Richard S. The Life of Isaac Newton, Cambridge U Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-47737-9, p. 124</ref>

== Gravity ==

Newton developed the theory of universal gravititation, more commonly known as gravity, when, according to an urban legend, an apple struck him on the head. He realized that the same force pulled the apple to the ground, as kept Jupiter's moons in orbit. His theory stated that all matter is attracted to matter by a force, whose strength increases proportionally to the mass of the objects involved, and inverse proportionately to the distance between them. The theory's accuracy was later improved by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

Newton believed that God's creation of the universe was self evident given its grandeur.<ref>Webb, R.K. ed. Knud Haakonssen. “The emergence of Rational Dissent.” Enlightenment and Religion: Rational Dissent in eighteenth-century Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1996. p19.</ref> He also warned against using his laws to replace the creator. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref>

Newton is often seen as one of the greatest scientists of all time due to his contributions, which inspired [[Kant]] to create the philosophical concepts of the [[categorical imperative]] and the [[synthetic a priori]].

After his death and burial, Newton was exhumed so he could be buried in a more prominent location in [[Westminster Abby]]. During this exhumation process, it was discovered that Newton had large amounts of mercury in his body, probably as a direct result of his [[alchemy|alchemical]] experiments. Exposure to large amounts of mercury may explain Newton’s eccentricity in his latter years, as well as his cause of death. <ref>Newton Biography[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html]</ref>

==Reference==

[[Category:Biographies]]

<references/>

Rush Limbaugh

2007-03-15T23:26:46Z

Ender:

'''Rush Limbaugh''' (born January 12, 1951) is a conservative American radio talk show host.

==The Rush Limbaugh Show==
Limbaugh hosts a radio show famed for its blustery denounciations of anything liberal. He is often at odds with liberal Al Franken<ref>[http://fireside.designcommunity.com/topic-9993.html Forum thread] discussing a NYT Editorial</ref>. Limbaugh's vitriolic style has been credited with "reviving AM radio in the United States, and is considered by many to have been a catalyst for the Republican Party's 1994 Congressional victories"<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10813FA3B5D0C708EDDAB0894DE494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fL%2fLimbaugh%2c%20Rush Radio Talk Show Host Fears For True Conservatism's Fate], New York Times</ref>.
Rush's conservative talk show is nationally syndicated and averages over 13.5 million listeners weekly, making Rush the #1 Radio Talk Show Host.<ref>
[http://www.talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34 The Top Talk Radio Audiences] Tallkers magazine online</ref>

==The Limbaugh Letter==
The Limbaugh Letter is a monthly publication that contains conservative articles and humor in Rush's style.

==1/2 Hour News Hour==
Rush has appeared on the 1/2 Hour News Hour "comedy" show on the Fox News Channel. <ref> The show received negative reviews from left and rightwing viewers, and continues to receive lower viewership then "The Daily Show", which it is accused of being a lame rip-off of. Fox News has noticed this, and the show is at ten on Sundays, by no means prime time.
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021602098.html Fox News Channel's '1/2 Hour News Hour': Right Funny, in Spots] washingtonpost.com</ref>

==Controversy==
Limbaugh underwent a scandal several years ago when his housekeeper was caught purchasing prescription narcotics, and it was revealed that Limbaugh was addicted to prescription drugs. He has since claimed to have been rehabilitated.

Another scandal occured when Limbaugh made a joke in which he allegedly referring to Chelsea Clinton as "the White House dog". Chelsea was thirteen at the time. Limbaugh, however denied that he was talking about Chelsea, stating that he was not making a joke, and Chelsea's picture was accidentally put up on the screen<ref>MotherJones: [http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/1995/05/ivins.html "Lyin' Bully"]</ref>.

Limbaugh has also been criticized for his comments regarding Michael J. Fox's participation in Claire McCaskill's 2006 senate campaign in Missouri. In his radio broadcast, Limbaugh criticized a campaign commercial Fox filmed in support of McCaskill's position on stem cell research. Limbaugh accused Fox of being off his medication in order to generate sympathy. In the commercial, Fox is visibly swaying and moving in sudden, jerky movements which are the symptom of Parkinson's Disease, and the reason the acclaimed actor quit the hit show [[Spin City]].<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2006-10-24-limbaugh-fox_x.htm], USA Today</ref>

Another scandal occurred when Limbaugh was returning from a vacation in the Dominican Republic and customs officials found him illegally carrying Viagra prescribed to another man in his luggage.<ref>CBS on Limbaugh's Viagra[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/national/main1753947.shtml]</ref>

==Trivia==
*He is deaf in his left ear.
*He has six toes on his left foot.

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html Official Rush Limbaugh website]
[[Category:Biographies]]