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: > Does anyone have any other suggestions where the 42 came from? Yep, here's a theory that I once heard bandied around. Rather than thinking of the number think of the sound. For Tea Two. A sort of anagram on Tea For Two, Two for Tea, For Tea Two. :-) Peter

I nead a utility for updating (deleting, adding, changing) *.ini files for Windows. Do I find it on any FTP host?

Does anyone know where I can FTP MPEG for DOS from? Thanks for any help in advance. Email is preferred but posting is fine. Scott ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then don't complain (maybe it wasn't you) that SCSI was so expensive on PC's because all we've had until a year or two ago was the ISA bus. (ie no one buys SCSI for ISA because ISA is slow) Are you saying that SCSI on an ISA bus is not an automatic winner when compared to IDE? I get different transfer rates out of my IDE when I change my ISA bus speed. IDE is just a variant of the old IBM- MFM AT controller. (at least that's how it looks from a software point of view). It was never meant to be an all-encompassing protocal/standard to be implimented across different platforms. Is there any argument that IDE can (or can't) transfer data from the IDE drive at least as fast as the drive is able to provide the data? Are SCSI versions of IDE drives able to deliver higher sustained transfer rates to their SCSI interface (because of a higher RPM platter, different arrangement of heads, etc?)? If data is going from one drive to another, and if SCSI has the ability to perform that transfer without the data having to go through the CPU or main memory, then yes, that is the optimal way to do it. As far as I know, IDE can't do that. But when the CPU wants data from both drives (data to be stored in main memory) are you saying that SCSI can grab data from both drives at the same time *and* store/transfer that data to main memory also at the same time? Working off 1 IRQ and 1 DMA channel on an ISA (or whatever) bus? A friend of mine just got a Maxtor 245 meg IDE drive for $320. (that's 245 million bytes, or 234 mega-bytes). With the basic $20 interface, he gets close to 1 meg/sec transfer on his 286-20. Does your figure include a few hundred $$$ for SCSI drivers? So you're saying that SCSI would have been the default interface type, considering that the vast majority of PC's don't have cd-rom drives or tape backups or etc? That most PC's only have (or had) 1 hard drive and run DOS? That SCSI hard drives cost a lot more than MFM or RLL drives at the time? (and how common were SCSI drives under 80 megs 4 to 10 years ago?) There's a lot more than the lack of a common interface card that prevented SCSI from becoming the connection medium of choice. But on that point, is it faster? This is what all this is about. Do you get more performance for the money. For all the people that will only have a single hard drive in their system (regardless of the OS) will the SCSI choice really give them more performance than IDE? True, but expandibility can also start on the bus, which means the option is there for cd-rom drives or tape backups that run off their own cards. No argument. This is always held up to the first time SCSI buyer as the best reason. But how many SCSI devices will the first time SCSI buyer eventually acquire? Again does it make sense to go SCSI for a single hard drive system? With all the postings on the SCSI I or II specs, are you really sure that PC and Apple SCSI hard drives are compatible? And even if they are, is the data accessible from either machine (ie are there no formatting/ partitioning or file table differences?) Is it really plug'n'play? So the C: drive on the connor becomes a logical D: drive to DOS. Is this really a problem? After having two IDE drives in my system for temporary file transfers, I have never seen any differences when switching between drives, nor have I ever seen any differences when transfering files between drives or to/from the same drive. That is nice (as long as the power supply can keep up). I do believe that there is the possibility for up to 4 IDE drives on a PC.

So, we should ban the ammunition? Why not get rid of the guns? It is worse than others? The National Anthem? Should it be changed too? God Bless America? The list goes on... Then you'd be no better than the people you despise. Oh? An endorsement, or an acknowledgement? I think gods are things that people are proud of, but I don't think the motto encourages belief. Is it? [...] Would you approve of such a motto? And removing the tool will solve the problem? Or will it increase the problem?

I don't have a history handy, but I don't recall that the preponderance of ROY's come from winning teams. In fact, I think team performance is generally irrelevant, as almost always the most deserving candidate wins. Am I wrong? And he is not necessarily on a losing team. While the Angels' staff is still very weak, their everyday lineup is doing quite well, thank you. Snow is playing great. Salmon is learning to make the adjustments. Easley appears fine, but even if he's not Flora is ready to come up. Between Gonzales and Gruber they'll manage the hot corner. Polonia and Curtis are steady and heady. Even Myers and Orton are contributing. Personally, I think they can finish over .500 which makes them a winning team. -- The Beastmaster

(Dean and I write lots and lots about absolute truth and arrogance.) I agree that we'll probably never agree, and I'm starting to feel frustrated, and I'm tired of having my conversations with my husband dominated by this topic (just kidding, :-)). I do have to say, though, that participating in this discussion has been a good learning experience for me. My views on this topic have evolved and clarified through this, and I suspect that we may not disagree as much as we think. I admit that I'm strongly prejudiced against evangelical Christianity, and I may not always be rational in my reactions to it. I grew up in EC, and went to an EC college. It was definitely the wrong place for me, and I react strongly to any implication that EC or conservative Christianity has any sort of stronghold on true Christianity. I shudder when I remember the condescending attitude I had about other Christians who didn't adhere to the EC model. I have come to see that my real objection to this whole notion of absolute truth is the actions I have seen it lead to. I have had some very bad experiences with evangelical Christians claiming to know the truth, and judging me or others based on their belief that they have the answers. Knowing the truth doesn't seem to leave a whole lot of room for others' opinions. I can accept your belief in absolute truth as long as you* don't try to use that belief to try to force others to comply with it, and you are very careful that you don't hurt others with it. Love your neighbor seems to go totally out the window when one knows the truth and believes that everyone should be living by that truth. Other people have convictions about the truth every bit as strong and sincere as yours, based on careful searching, prayer, and their relationship with God. Don't dismiss them because God didn't lead them to the same conclusions as yours. *This is not directed personally at you, Dean.

Tom Barrasso wore a great mask, one time, last season. He unveiled it at a game in Boston. It was all black, with Pgh city scenes on it. The "Golden Triangle" (Pgh's downtown area where the 3 rivers meet) graced the top, along with a steel mill on one side and the Civic Arena (I think) on the other. On the back of the helmet was the old Pens' logo (the really fat little penguin with the blue scarf) the current (at the time) Pens logo, and a space for the "new" (now current) logo. Tommy had designed the mask, and his mother (an artist) painted it for him. But while wearing the mask, the Pens got thumped by the Bruins. The very next game, Tommy was back to the old paint job. A great mask done in by a goalie's superstition.

Archive-name: atheism/logic Alt-atheism-archive-name: logic Last-modified: 5 April 1993 Version: 1.4 Constructing a Logical Argument Although there is much argument on Usenet, the general quality of argument found is poor. This article attempts to provide a gentle introduction to logic, in the hope of improving the general level of debate. Logic is the science of reasoning, proof, thinking, or inference [Concise OED]. Logic allows us to analyze a piece of reasoning and determine whether it is correct or not (valid or invalid). Of course, one does not need to study logic in order to reason correctly; nevertheless, a little basic knowledge of logic is often helpful when constructing or analyzing an argument. Note that no claim is being made here about whether logic is universally applicable. The matter is very much open for debate. This document merely explains how to use logic, given that you have already decided that logic is the right tool for the job. Propositions (or statements) are the building blocks of a logical argument. A proposition is a statement which is either true or false; for example, "It is raining" or "Today is Tuesday". Propositions may be either asserted (said to be true) or denied (said to be false). Note that this is a technical meaning of "deny", not the everyday meaning. The proposition is the meaning of the statement, not the particular arrangement of words used to express it. So "God exists" and "There exists a God" both express the same proposition. An argument is, to quote the Monty Python sketch, "a connected series of statements to establish a definite proposition". An argument consists of three stages. First of all, the propositions which are necessary for the argument to continue are stated. These are called the premises of the argument. They are the evidence or reasons for accepting the argument and its conclusions. Premises (or assertions) are often indicated by phrases such as "because", "since", "obviously" and so on. (The phrase "obviously" is often viewed with suspicion, as it can be used to intimidate others into accepting suspicious premises. If something doesn't seem obvious to you, don't be afraid to question it. You can always say "Oh, yes, you're right, it is obvious" when you've heard the explanation.) Next, the premises are used to derive further propositions by a process known as inference. In inference, one proposition is arrived at on the basis of one or more other propositions already accepted. There are various forms of valid inference. The propositions arrived at by inference may then be used in further inference. Inference is often denoted by phrases such as "implies that" or "therefore". Finally, we arrive at the conclusion of the argument -- the proposition which is affirmed on the basis of the premises and inference. Conclusions are often indicated by phrases such as "therefore", "it follows that", "we conclude" and so on. The conclusion is often stated as the final stage of inference. For example: Every event has a cause (premise) The universe has a beginning (premise) All beginnings involve an event (premise) This implies that the beginning of the universe involved an event (inference) Therefore the universe has a cause (inference and conclusion) Note that the conclusion of one argument might be a premise in another argument. A proposition can only be called a premise or a conclusion with respect to a particular argument; the terms do not make sense in isolation. Sometimes an argument will not follow the order given above; for example, the conclusions might be stated first and the premises stated afterwards in support of the conclusion. This is perfectly valid, if sometimes a little confusing. Recognizing an argument is much harder than recognizing premises or conclusions. Many people shower their writing with assertions without ever producing anything which one might reasonably describe as an argument. Some statements look like arguments, but are not. For example: "If the Bible is accurate, Jesus must either have been insane, an evil liar, or the Son of God." This is not an argument, it is a conditional statement. It does not assert the premises which are necessary to support what appears to be its conclusion. (It also suffers from a number of other logical flaws, but we'll come to those later.) Another example: "God created you; therefore do your duty to God." The phrase "do your duty to God" is not a proposition, since it is neither true nor false. Therefore it is not a conclusion, and the sentence is not an argument. Finally, causality is important. Consider a statement of the form "A because B". If we're interested in establishing A and B is offered as evidence, the statement is an argument. If we're trying to establish the truth of B, then it is not an argument, it is an explanation. For example: "There must be something wrong with the engine of my car, because it will not start." -- This is an argument. "My car will not start because there is something wrong with the engine." -- This is an explanation. There are two traditional types of argument, deductive and inductive. A deductive argument is one which provides conclusive proof of its conclusions -- that is, an argument where if the premises are true, the conclusion must also be true. A deductive argument is either valid or invalid. A valid argument is defined as one where if the premises are true, then the conclusion is true. An inductive argument is one where the premises provide some evidence for the truth of the conclusion. Inductive arguments are not valid or invalid; however, we can talk about whether they are better or worse than other arguments, and about how probable their premises are. There are forms of argument in ordinary language which are neither deductive nor inductive. However, we will concentrate for the moment on deductive arguments, as they are often viewed as the most rigorous and convincing. It is important to note that the fact that a deductive argument is valid does not imply that its conclusion holds. This is because of the slightly counter-intuitive nature of implication, which we must now consider more carefully. Obviously a valid argument can consist of true propositions. However, an argument may be entirely valid even if it contains only false propositions. For example: All insects have wings (premise) Woodlice are insects (premise) Therefore woodlice have wings (conclusion) Here, the conclusion is not true because the argument's premises are false. If the argument's premises were true, however, the conclusion would be true. The argument is thus entirely valid. More subtly, we can reach a true conclusion from one or more false premises, as in: All fish live in the sea (premise) Dolphins are fish (premise) Therefore dolphins live in the sea (conclusion) However, the one thing we cannot do is reach a false conclusion through valid inference from true premises. We can therefore draw up a "truth table" for implication. The symbol "=>" denotes implication; "A" is the premise, "B" the conclusion. "T" and "F" represent true and false respectively. Premise Conclusion Inference A B A=>B ---------------------------- F F T If the premises are false and the inference F T T valid, the conclusion can be true or false. T F F If the premises are true and the conclusion false, the inference must be invalid. T T T If the premises are true and the inference valid, the conclusion must be true. A sound argument is a valid argument whose premises are true. A sound argument therefore arrives at a true conclusion. Be careful not to confuse valid arguments with sound arguments. To delve further into the structure of logical arguments would require lengthy discussion of linguistics and philosophy. It is simpler and probably more useful to summarize the major pitfalls to be avoided when constructing an argument. These pitfalls are known as fallacies. In everyday English the term "fallacy" is used to refer to mistaken beliefs as well as to the faulty reasoning that leads to those beliefs. This is fair enough, but in logic the term is generally used to refer to a form of technically incorrect argument, especially if the argument appears valid or convincing. So for the purposes of this discussion, we define a fallacy as a logical argument which appears to be correct, but which can be seen to be incorrect when examined more closely. By studying fallacies we aim to avoid being misled by them. The following list of fallacies is not intended to be exhaustive. ARGUMENTUM AD BACULUM (APPEAL TO FORCE) The Appeal to Force is committed when the arguer resorts to force or the threat of force in order to try and push the acceptance of a conclusion. It is often used by politicians, and can be summarized as "might makes right". The force threatened need not be a direct threat from the arguer. For example: "... Thus there is ample proof of the truth of the Bible. All those who refuse to accept that truth will burn in Hell." ARGUMENTUM AD HOMINEM Argumentum ad hominem is literally "argument directed at the man". The Abusive variety of Argumentum ad Hominem occurs when, instead of trying to disprove the truth of an assertion, the arguer attacks the person or people making the assertion. This is invalid because the truth of an assertion does not depend upon the goodness of those asserting it. For example: "Atheism is an evil philosophy. It is practised by Communists and murderers." Sometimes in a court of law doubt is cast upon the testimony of a witness by showing, for example, that he is a known perjurer. This is a valid way of reducing the credibility of the testimony given by the witness, and not argumentum ad hominem; however, it does not demonstrate that the witness's testimony is false. To conclude otherwise is to fall victim of the Argumentum ad Ignorantiam (see elsewhere in this list). The circumstantial form of Argumentum ad Hominem is committed when a person argues that his opponent ought to accept the truth of an assertion because of the opponent's particular circumstances. For example: "It is perfectly acceptable to kill animals for food. How can you argue otherwise when you're quite happy to wear leather shoes?" This is an abusive charge of inconsistency, used as an excuse for dismissing the opponent's argument. This fallacy can also be used as a means of rejecting a conclusion. For example: "Of course you would argue that positive discrimination is a bad thing. You're white." This particular form of Argumentum ad Hominem, when one alleges that one's adversary is rationalizing a conclusion formed from selfish interests, is also known as "poisoning the well". ARGUMENTUM AD IGNORANTIUM Argumentum ad ignorantium means "argument from ignorance". This fallacy occurs whenever it is argued that something must be true simply because it has not been proved false. Or, equivalently, when it is argued that something must be false because it has not been proved true. (Note that this is not the same as assuming that something is false until it has been proved true, a basic scientific principle.) Examples: "Of course the Bible is true. Nobody can prove otherwise." "Of course telepathy and other psychic phenomena do not exist. Nobody has shown any proof that they are real." Note that this fallacy does not apply in a court of law, where one is generally assumed innocent until proven guilty. Also, in scientific investigation if it is known that an event would produce certain evidence of its having occurred, the absence of such evidence can validly be used to infer that the event did not occur. For example: "A flood as described in the Bible would require an enormous volume of water to be present on the earth. The earth does not have a tenth as much water, even if we count that which is frozen into ice at the poles. Therefore no such flood occurred." In science, we can validly assume from lack of evidence that something has not occurred. We cannot conclude with certainty that it has not occurred, however. ARGUMENTUM AD MISERICORDIAM This is the Appeal to Pity, also known as Special Pleading. The fallacy is committed when the arguer appeals to pity for the sake of getting a conclusion accepted. For example: "I did not murder my mother and father with an axe. Please don't find me guilty; I'm suffering enough through being an orphan." ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM This is known as Appealing to the Gallery, or Appealing to the People. To commit this fallacy is to attempt to win acceptance of an assertion by appealing to a large group of people. This form of fallacy is often characterized by emotive language. For example: "Pornography must be banned. It is violence against women." "The Bible must be true. Millions of people know that it is. Are you trying to tell them that they are all mistaken fools?" ARGUMENTUM AD NUMERAM This fallacy is closely related to the argumentum ad populum. It consists of asserting that the more people who support or believe a proposition, the more likely it is that that proposition is correct. ARGUMENTUM AD VERECUNDIAM The Appeal to Authority uses the admiration of the famous to try and win support for an assertion. For example: "Isaac Newton was a genius and he believed in God." This line of argument is not always completely bogus; for example, reference to an admitted authority in a particular field may be relevant to a discussion of that subject. For example, we can distinguish quite clearly between: "Stephen Hawking has concluded that black holes give off radiation" and "John Searle has concluded that it is impossible to build an intelligent computer" Hawking is a physicist, and so we can reasonably expect his opinions on black hole radiation to be informed. Searle is a linguist, so it is questionable whether he is well-qualified to speak on the subject of machine intelligence. THE FALLACY OF ACCIDENT The Fallacy of Accident is committed when a general rule is applied to a particular case whose "accidental" circumstances mean that the rule is inapplicable. It is the error made when one goes from the general to the specific. For example: "Christians generally dislike atheists. You are a Christian, so you must dislike atheists." This fallacy is often committed by moralists and legalists who try to decide every moral and legal question by mechanically applying general rules. CONVERSE ACCIDENT / HASTY GENERALIZATION This fallacy is the reverse of the fallacy of accident. It occurs when one forms a general rule by examining only a few specific cases which are not representative of all possible cases. For example: "Jim Bakker was an insincere Christian. Therefore all Christians are insincere." SWEEPING GENERALIZATION / DICTO SIMPLICITER A sweeping generalization occurs when a general rule is applied to a particular situation in which the features of that particular situation render the rule inapplicable. A sweeping generalization is the opposite of a hasty generalization. NON CAUSA PRO CAUSA / POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC These are known as False Cause fallacies. The fallacy of Non Causa Pro Causa occurs when one identifies something as the cause of an event but it has not actually been shown to be the cause. For example: "I took an aspirin and prayed to God, and my headache disappeared. So God cured me of the headache." The fallacy of Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc occurs when something is assumed to be the cause of an event merely because it happened before the event. For example: "The Soviet Union collapsed after taking up atheism. Therefore we must avoid atheism for the same reasons." CUM HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC This fallacy is similar to post hoc ergo propter hoc. It asserts that because two events occur together, they must be causally related, and leaves no room for other factors that may be the cause(s) of the events. PETITIO PRINCIPII This fallacy occurs when the premises are at least as questionable as the conclusion reached. CIRCULUS IN DEMONSTRANDO This fallacy occurs when one assumes as a premise the conclusion which one wishes to reach. Often, the proposition will be rephrased so that the fallacy appears to be a valid argument. For example: "Homosexuals must not be allowed to hold government office. Hence any government official who is revealed to be a homosexual will lose his job. Therefore homosexuals will do anything to hide their secret, and will be open to blackmail. Therefore homosexuals cannot be allowed to hold government office." Note that the argument is entirely circular; the premise is the same as the conclusion. An argument like the above has actually been cited as the reason for the British Secret Services' official ban on homosexual employees. Another example is the classic: "We know that God exists because the Bible tells us so. And we know that the Bible is true because it is the word of God." COMPLEX QUESTION / FALLACY OF INTERROGATION This is the Fallacy of Presupposition. One example is the classic loaded question: "Have you stopped beating your wife?" The question presupposes a definite answer to another question which has not even been asked. This trick is often used by lawyers in cross-examination, when they ask questions like: "Where did you hide the money you stole?" Similarly, politicians often ask loaded questions such as: "How long will this EC interference in our affairs be allowed to continue?" or "Does the Chancellor plan two more years of ruinous privatization?" IGNORATIO ELENCHI The fallacy of Irrelevant Conclusion consists of claiming that an argument supports a particular conclusion when it is actually logically nothing to do with that conclusion. For example, a Christian may begin by saying that he will argue that the teachings of Christianity are undoubtably true. If he then argues at length that Christianity is of great help to many people, no matter how well he argues he will not have shown that Christian teachings are true. Sadly, such fallacious arguments are often successful because they arouse emotions which cause others to view the supposed conclusion in a more favourable light. EQUIVOCATION Equivocation occurs when a key word is used with two or more different meanings in the same argument. For example: "What could be more affordable than free software? But to make sure that it remains free, that users can do what they like with it, we must place a license on it to make sure that will always be freely redistributable." AMPHIBOLY Amphiboly occurs when the premises used in an argument are ambiguous because of careless or ungrammatical phrasing. ACCENT Accent is another form of fallacy through shifting meaning. In this case, the meaning is changed by altering which parts of a statement are emphasized. For example, consider: "We should not speak ILL of our friends" and "We should not speak ill of our FRIENDS" FALLACIES OF COMPOSITION One fallacy of composition is to conclude that a property shared by the parts of something must apply to the whole. For example: "The bicycle is made entirely of low mass components, and is therefore very lightweight." The other fallacy of composition is to conclude that a property of a number of individual items is shared by a collection of those items. For example: "A car uses less petrol and causes less pollution than a bus. Therefore cars are less environmentally damaging than buses." FALLACY OF DIVISION The fallacy of division is the opposite of the fallacy of composition. Like its opposite, it exists in two varieties. The first is to assume that a property of some thing must apply to its parts. For example: "You are studying at a rich college. Therefore you must be rich." The other is to assume that a property of a collection of items is shared by each item. For example: "Ants can destroy a tree. Therefore this ant can destroy a tree." THE SLIPPERY SLOPE ARGUMENT This argument states that should one event occur, so will other harmful events. There is no proof made that the harmful events are caused by the first event. For example: "If we legalize marijuana, then we would have to legalize crack and heroin and we'll have a nation full of drug-addicts on welfare. Therefore we cannot legalize marijuana." "A IS BASED ON B" FALLACIES / "IS A TYPE OF" FALLACIES These fallacies occur when one attempts to argue that things are in some way similar without actually specifying in what way they are similar. Examples: "Isn't history based upon faith? If so, then isn't the Bible also a form of history?" "Islam is based on faith, Christianity is based on faith, so isn't Islam a form of Christianity?" "Cats are a form of animal based on carbon chemistry, dogs are a form of animal based on carbon chemistry, so aren't dogs a form of cat?" AFFIRMATION OF THE CONSEQUENT This fallacy is an argument of the form "A implies B, B is true, therefore A is true". To understand why it is a fallacy, examine the truth table for implication given earlier. DENIAL OF THE ANTECEDENT This fallacy is an argument of the form "A implies B, A is false, therefore B is false". Again, the truth table for implication makes it clear why this is a fallacy. Note that this fallacy is different from Non Causa Pro Causa; the latter has the form "A implies B, A is false, therefore B is false", where A does NOT in fact imply B at all. Here, the problem is not that the implication is invalid; rather it is that the falseness of A does not allow us to deduce anything about B. CONVERTING A CONDITIONAL This fallacy is an argument of the form "If A then B, therefore if B then A". ARGUMENTUM AD ANTIQUITAM This is the fallacy of asserting that something is right or good simply because it is old, or because "that's the way it's always been." ARGUMENTUM AD NOVITAM This is the opposite of the argumentum ad antiquitam; it is the fallacy of asserting that something is more correct simply because it is new or newer than something else. ARGUMENTUM AD CRUMENAM The fallacy of believing that money is a criterion of correctness; that those with more money are more likely to be right. ARGUMENTUM AD LAZARUM The fallacy of assuming that because someone is poor he or she is sounder or more virtuous than one who is wealthier. This fallacy is the opposite of the argumentum ad crumenam. ARGUMENTUM AD NAUSEAM This is the incorrect belief that an assertion is more likely to be true the more often it is heard. An "argumentum ad nauseum" is one that employs constant repetition in asserting something. BIFURCATION Also referred to as the "black and white" fallacy, bifurcation occurs when one presents a situation as having only two alternatives, where in fact other alternatives exist or can exist. PLURIUM INTERROGATIONUM / MANY QUESTIONS This fallacy occurs when a questioner demands a simple answer to a complex question. NON SEQUITUR A non-sequitur is an argument where the conclusion is drawn from premises which are not logically connected with it. RED HERRING This fallacy is committed when irrelevant material is introduced to the issue being discussed, so that everyone's attention is diverted away from the points being made, towards a different conclusion. REIFICATION / HYPOSTATIZATION Reification occurs when an abstract concept is treated as a concrete thing. SHIFTING THE BURDEN OF PROOF The burden of proof is always on the person making an assertion or proposition. Shifting the burden of proof, a special case of argumentum ad ignorantium, is the fallacy of putting the burden of proof on the person who denies or questions the assertion being made. The source of the fallacy is the assumption that something is true unless proven otherwise. STRAW MAN The straw man fallacy is to misrepresent someone else's position so that it can be attacked more easily, then to knock down that misrepresented position, then to conclude that the original position has been demolished. It is a fallacy because it fails to deal with the actual arguments that have been made. THE EXTENDED ANALOGY The fallacy of the Extended Analogy often occurs when some suggested general rule is being argued over. The fallacy is to assume that mentioning two different situations, in an argument about a general rule, constitutes a claim that those situations are analogous to each other. This fallacy is best explained using a real example from a debate about anti-cryptography legislation: "I believe it is always wrong to oppose the law by breaking it." "Such a position is odious: it implies that you would not have supported Martin Luther King." "Are you saying that cryptography legislation is as important as the struggle for Black liberation? How dare you!" TU QUOQUE This is the famous "you too" fallacy. It occurs when an action is argued to be acceptable because the other party has performed it. For instance: "You're just being randomly abusive." "So? You've been abusive too."

Senile keratoses. Have nothing to do with the liver. -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gordon Banks N3JXP | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu | it is shameful to surrender it too soon."

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." -- William Pitt

We will be holding a bake and craft sale at Communiversity in Princeton on Nassau Street, Saturday April 24th 12-4 p.m. to benefit the Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis Foundation, a nonprofit foundation established to encourage research toward a cure for Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis. Our three year old daughter suffers from this disease. Below is a press release that appeared in local newspapers. Hope you can join us. On Saturday, April 24 as part of Communiversity in Princeton, a local family will be having a bake and craft sale to raise money for and create public awareness about a rare disease called Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis. Bill and Marlene Stern's daughter Lindsay is afflicted with this disease characterized by tumors attacking the inside of the larynx, vocal cords and trachea. Caused by a virus, the tumors grow, block the air passages and would lead to death from suffocation without continual surgery to remove the growths. Three year old Lindsay has undergone 11 operations thus far since her diagnosis last year and faces the prospect of over a hundred operations throughout her lifetime. Even though the disease is hardly a household word, it has affected the lives of enough people to inspire the formation of the Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis Foundation, a non-profit foundation whose goals are to provide support for patients and families by networking patients and publishing a newsletter, enhance awareness of RRP at the local and national level, and aid in the prevention, cure, and treatment. Since medical researchers know that the virus causing the disease is similar to those viruses causing warts, they feel a cure would be within reach if money were available for research. Because RRP is rare, it not only gets scant attention but also paltry funds to search for a cure. Part of the RRP Foundation's mission is to change that. Anyone interested in contributing items to the bake and craft sale, please call Marlene or Bill at 609-890-0502. Monetary donations can be made at the Foundation's booth during Communiversity, April 24th, 12 to 4 p.m., in downtown Princeton, or sent directly to:

This notice will be posted weekly in sci.space, sci.astro, and sci.space.shuttle. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list for sci.space and sci.astro is posted approximately monthly. It also covers many questions that come up on sci.space.shuttle (for shuttle launch dates, see below). The FAQ is posted with a long expiration date, so a copy may be in your news spool directory (look at old articles in sci.space). If not, here are two ways to get a copy without waiting for the next posting: (1) If your machine is on the Internet, it can be obtained by anonymous FTP from the SPACE archive at ames.arc.nasa.gov (128.102.18.3) in directory pub/SPACE/FAQ. (2) Otherwise, send email to 'archive-server@ames.arc.nasa.gov' containing the single line: help The archive server will return directions on how to use it. To get an index of files in the FAQ directory, send email containing the lines: send space FAQ/Index send space FAQ/faq1 Use these files as a guide to which other files to retrieve to answer your questions. Shuttle launch dates are posted by Ken Hollis periodically in sci.space.shuttle. A copy of his manifest is now available in the Ames archive in pub/SPACE/FAQ/manifest and may be requested from the email archive-server with 'send space FAQ/manifest'. Please get this document instead of posting requests for information on launches and landings.

My poor old physics intuition will be very surprised if these tiny masses, sitting very close to Jupiter, play any role whatsoever in the problem. Or, to put it more technically, the extra "volume" they add to the phase space of possible capture trajectories is negligible. Jupiter is 2E27 kg, while the Galilean satellites are around 1E23. Also, as I said, the few references that I've looked at do not mention outgassing or breakup as important processes. The important thing is a Jupiter-Sun-comet "reverse slingshot" that leads to a weakly Jupiter-bound orbit for the comet (at least a temporary one).