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I agree, that is interesting, and I wonder if it can tell us anything about the development of those languages. I suppose the name "John" started out in some particular form a couple of thousand years ago, which became altered as it passed into different languages. I wonder if there are any...

Here's an interesting article on the same subject: http://www.behindthename.com/articles/2.php I've often wondered why parents give their children bizarre names. The article suggests that it may be intentional: It may well be that peculiar names, which are likely to cause other children to...

The more I learn about science the more convinced I become that science and logic can explain everything that can be explained. But at the same time, the more tolerant I become of other people's beliefs. I believe (know) that who we are, how we think and how we understand the world is...

"Will all great Neptune's oceans wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand would rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine Making the green one red" - Macbeth

Depends on the floor and if it's cold! I like to walk through grass or sand with no shoes on. Separate shampoo and conditioner or combined?

From QCA, the government-sponsored body responsible for the National Curriculum in the UK:

There are a few. The nearest to me is Mow Cop, which is actually a folly. It is really atmospheric there. The last time I went there was in a misty November. It seemed Shakespearean somehow, with the mist swirling round it.

I like history of science best of all. I love to learn how big discoveries came about, and how they were usually not accepted without a struggle. One of my favourites in this genre is Longitude by Dava Sobel. In fiction I like to read classic novels, science fiction, children's fiction and...

My favourite by a mile is Macbeth, which I studied for my GCSE. I was lucky enough to have an English teacher who helped us fall in love with Shakespeare. I can practically quote the whole thing from memory. I also love A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is so funny and magical. :-)

My favourites are Wells in Somerset and Chester. Wells Cathedral is mainly Gothic. You could spend hours looking at the carvings on the west front alone. Inside there is beautiful, mysterious stained glass, and the second oldest clock in Europe, which has an automaton you can see every...

I would be afraid in those situations because of my human nature - it would be an instinctual reaction. But my reasoned, rational response is not one of fear. Oops, you're right - though of course much of the chemistry is transient. Still, I'm more than my atoms! OK, I sort of get it. But...

Scientism gets a negative reaction. Many people assume that it is a bad thing, but do we really know what it is? Its bad reputation is probably based on a definition like this one: That seems like a pretty shoddy definition to me. Define 'exaggerated' in this context, for a start. Is using...

Just as a couple of examples, how about the likelihood that scientists will find cures for many diseases or develop solutions to environmental threats?

Sorry to go a bit offtopic Revenant :gomen: Yes, that's exactly what it does. What neuroscience tells me about consciousness means I don't have to be anxious about what will happen, as I 'know' that when my brain dies, I die. What I feel instead is a kind of annoyance that I won't have time to...

Is marital sex offered in exchange for favours? Sometimes maybe, but I doubt it's the norm. That implies that women 'put up with' sex if they think they can get something out of it, but women like sex too you know! To answer the question, I think it's an oversimplification to compare sexual...

Custodial services = prisoner transport Private hire vehicle = taxi

I can tell you from personal experience that they do, for me at least! It brings me a lot of comfort to believe that whatever mistakes I make ultimately don't matter for me, as no matter who you are you will get the same fate after death. Science and rational thinking also bring me a lot of...

Waffles is the only sweet I know from Belgium - again, not really a cake though. Unless chocolate counts as a sweet of course! I like Belgian waffles with sliced banana and maple syrup. How do you guys eat them?

We have that here too. My house has a lean-to porch at the back that is just a corregated plastic roof screwed to some battening against the outside of the kitchen wall, with a 'wall' of tongue-and-groove the other side and a door at the end. The floor is just the bare flagstones of the back...

I voted no, because I don't believe in using negative terms such as 'weak' or in labelling people in general. There are many different kinds of atheists and many different kinds of religious people who all have different strengths, talents and priorities. Why would an atheist want to call...