Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Ichenoumon and I were discussing giraffes briefly on another thread. I'm killing a little time so I thought I'd google giraffes. Found this and I offer it up for discussion.

Gouging, biting, hair pulling OK. Nothing below the belt.

1 posted on 03/12/2005 1:11:24 PM PST by jwalsh07
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies ]


To: jwalsh07; Ichneumon; Torie; RobRoy; xzins; AndrewC; betty boop; Alamo-Girl; Heartlander; js1138

Short neck or long neck?


2 posted on 03/12/2005 1:14:47 PM PST by jwalsh07
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: jwalsh07
Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for posting this.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "NASCAR Lessons for Democrats"

3 posted on 03/12/2005 1:36:05 PM PST by Congressman Billybob (Proud to be a FORMER member of the Bar of the US Supreme Court since July, 2004.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: jwalsh07
The evolutionary biologist Dobzhansky's famous statement that "nothing in biology can be understood except in light of evolution" is a grand claim, which I believe is, in the end, true. But we have a lot of work to do before we get there, and we should not be satisfied with short-cut evolutionary "explanations."

Keep the faith. Look for evidence. Sharpen the theories. Until you "arrive", continue to proclaim the assumptions as truth because you believe, in the end, that it is true. Call it science. Keep the faith.

4 posted on 03/12/2005 1:51:01 PM PST by Rocky
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: jwalsh07

She overlooked the saliva soaked Barbie dolls, but now,
Mrs. Geoffrey Giraffe (right) has finally had enough
and has filed for divorce from the Toys R Us mascot.

5 posted on 03/12/2005 1:52:30 PM PST by hole_n_one
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: jwalsh07
So, even without growing taller, the giraffe ancestor could have competed on even terms for those lower leaves.

Natural Selection isn't about competing on even terms.

8 posted on 03/12/2005 2:07:10 PM PST by Oztrich Boy (The true danger is when Liberty is nibbled away, for expedients. - Edmund Burke (1799))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: jwalsh07

It is ALL speculation, and sometimes just watching the discussions is great sport! 8^>


46 posted on 03/14/2005 7:24:49 AM PST by RobRoy (Child support and maintenence (alimony) are what we used to call indentured slavery)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: jwalsh07

Here is an example of why I think the evolution theories and process are bogus.

In the early 1980's, I lived in a suburb of Seattle and worked downtown as a commercial real estate agent. Let's imagine that thousands (or millions) of years from now archeologists dig up some – but not all – of the records of this present day. For arguments sake, lets say they are able to ascertain where I lived, where I worked and things like bus schedules, routes, etc. Let’s further say they were unable to discover my job function at my place of work and only had partial knowledge of our culture and lifestyles.

So, here is what they have discovered about me and my occupation (all true, btw):

I lived less than one block from the bus stop.
My place of business was 1.5 blocks from the downtown bus stop.
My working hours were from 8:30 to 5:30.
The bus left my house at 8:03 and arrived downtown at 8:24.
The bus left downtown at 5:39 and arrived at my house at 6:13.

Their conclusion: I rode the bus to work every day.

Make sense. And as the old Genesis song says, “They’re trying to find themselves an audience. Their deductions need applause.”

They are too smart by half. They did a lot of work and came up with some really good analysis.

But they are dead wrong! I needed my car in my job so I drove to work. But they didn’t have the information necessary to even guess at that answer. And to make it worse, when I became a computer programmer and, again, worked downtown, I rode my bicycle, leaving the car and bus.

I don’t mind them saying that they “theorize that I MAY HAVE rode the bus to work, but I don’t want them cramming it down my throat as fact. That is intellectual arrogance, and really makes them look just, well, silly.

And I treat them accordingly.

That said, I have a great deal of respect for those who gather the evidence and say “Robroy MAY HAVE taken the bus, and it is what the evidence we have so far would SUGGEST, but we cannot be certain of what happened. The investigation is ongoing. Once we find the 'missing links' in the data, if we find them, we can then say with certainty how Robroy got to work every day. In the meantime, this is our BEST GUESS.”

And trust me, all hypotheses regarding evolution are "best guesses." Nothing more and nothing less, regardless of how much research, education, "peer reviewed papers" and "facts" you care to back it up with.


47 posted on 03/14/2005 7:43:16 AM PST by RobRoy (Child support and maintenence (alimony) are what we used to call indentured slavery)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

To: PatrickHenry

Fascinating article on Giraffe evolution. You may want to ping the list.


48 posted on 03/14/2005 7:35:01 PM PST by curiosity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson