The 20th century philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, opened his seminal work, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus with the words, "The world is everything that is the case." This means that there is no individuality separate from the world. If that is true, then consciousness cannot be considered a property that resides in a single brain -- Descartes' "Cogito Ergo Sum," (I think therefore I am.)-- but a property of the world-at-large. There is no individual consciousness, even though there are individual brains.

This view also corresponds with the Eastern view of the Vedic and Buddhist teachers.

I agree with Professor Noe. Professor Crick may be a Nobelist, but he only understands reductionist science, like most biologists, do.

Most if not all of these movements challenging Obama's birthright are not much more than concealed, and ill-concealed expressions of racial hatred. These people are obsessed about the idea of a half-black president in the White House, and that is what drives them nuts. They are mentally sick people.

Well, as long as George Bush is going to issue a blanket pardon, and by definition he can apparently make that blanket as big as he wants, I want him to pardon all my credit card debts, since compared to torturing prisoners, being in debt is not much of a crime. What? You don't agree that my credit card debts are more pardonable than torturing prisoners illegally? In that case, never mind.

Being of Jewish ethnicity, Arlen Specter has apparently forgotten how strong anti-Semitism still runs in this country. And now he is appealing to bigotry to win an election for the Republicans. Shame on Arlen Specter.

Heather said: As I was writing those words, a message popped up in my e-mail in box. It's from Barack Obama. Subject: "It's in your hands, Heather." Obama wants to know if I can make a donation of $250 or more as soon as possible, presumably so he can preempt the entire prime-time lineup on every network tomorrow night with a three-hour TV ad. What will he air this time? A variety show? A live fireside chat? A three-ring circus?

Sorry Heather, but I got the same "It's in your hands," email myself. It is the standard donations plea that Obama sends out with the default $25 donation selected, but in the actual donations page you can donate as much as $2,300 or as little as $1. And there is nothing about another pre-emptive prime time show as Heather cutely suggests.

Why does Heather feel she has to spice up her article with this kind of artless drivel?

1. The march to Fascism instigated by Bush/Cheney

2. Class warfare (poor vs. rich, black vs. white, you name it)

3. The politics of fear practiced by the right wing

Yes, you did your math and your math shows that Obama needs to be worried. But so does McCain. However, since you are putting on just the mathematics hat, you are totally ignoring the current context of global economic meltdown which is unavoidably tied to the policies of a failed administration. In other words, you should also have put on your economist's hat, which would have told you that Obama is riding a wave of economic discontent bigger than anything that has happened since FDR.

So bottom line is that your analysis is strictly mathematical in context, and ignores the most important political reality of the day...the failed economic policies of 8 years of George Bush.

Change is needed and people want a change. That trumps any of your mathematical analysis.

Let's see, SNL making fun of Palin means she can sue them and Palin/McCain can slander Obama at will, calling him a terrorist and that's OK? Sounds fair to me.

If a protracted political campaign can be likened to a war in miniature, one can see that political strategy and military strategy have many elements in common, among the most important are: leadership -- the ability to rouse people to action, correct use of resources, timing, tactics, overall goals of the operation, a "steady hand at the tiller," and so on. By all of these measures, Obama has clearly shown himself to be a better field general than the supposed military man McCain.

The ready to be Commander in Chief question should be put to rest forever. Colin Powell was absolutely correct to see Obama as the better Commander in Chief.

McCain did pay tribute to his fellow POW'ers last night, even saying that some suffered more than he did. But there was little doubt that the script was all about himself. It would have been much more generous of him if instead he had just paid tribute to his comrades and let it go at that. Instead the focus was on himself.

Last night he even admitted something that the press has not picked up on, that his being shot down was partly the result of an error in judgment. He was pushing his luck. Read this (emphasis mine):

"On an October morning, in the Gulf of Tonkin, I prepared for my 23rd mission over North Vietnam. I hadn't any worry I wouldn't come back safe and sound. I thought I was tougher than anyone. I was pretty independent then, too. I liked to bend a few rules, and pick a few fights for the fun of it. But I did it for my own pleasure; my own pride. I didn't think there was a cause more important than me."

End quote

Some of his fellow pilots believe McCain was flying below the prescribed altitude when he was shot down by flack. Judgment?