Articles written by Robert Williscroft

What is Helium

About me - Robert Williscroft

I served 23 years in the U.S. Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I commenced my service as an enlisted nuclear Submarine Sonar Technician, was selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program, and graduated from

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Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God What is your understanding of God?: 1 of 118
I came out of a Christian Pentecostal background. As a young man I genuinely believed the doctrinal precepts with which I was raised, and planned to enter the ministry. Nevertheless, my minister parents encouraged me to explore my world. I was bright and read widely, consuming seven or eight books a week from the age of eight... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Terrorism Terrorism: An epidemic of fear: 1 of 36
If you had a neighbor who dressed in the fashion of one of the local gang-banger outfits, who tended to hang out with similar friends, who - when talking - used gestures typical of the gang-banger crowd, you could reasonably assume that he belonged to the local gang.Transfer your venue to the Palestinian Territory, and add to... More..
Arts & Humanities > Philosophy (Other) Perception: Where is the 'real' world?: 1 of 35
Carl Jung, the influential psychologist from the mid-20th century, called it the "Aha Experience."It's happened to you several times in your life: that defining moment when you look up from a difficult problem and discover the solution that indescribable feeling of "Aha I've got it!"Young scientists often describe that the fi... More..
Health & Fitness > HIV / AIDS The facts about AIDS (HIV): 1 of 25
AIDS - Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. Thought by many to be the scourge of the millennium, in the last decade AIDS has become a household word and, for many, a terrifying end to a troubled life.During the second Reagan presidential campaign in 1983, then Secretary of Health and Human Services, Margaret Heckler, and Robe... More..
Arts & Humanities > Philosophy (Other) Time travel theory: 1 of 24
Isaac Newton defined how we think of time: as a flowing river moving at constant speed from the past to the future, never deviating, never changing. We are born, we live, we die. A tree is planted, grows, is felled, cut up, and becomes a house. Snow and rain fall in the mountains, gather into brooks and streams, merge into ri... More..
Sciences > Astronomy Could there be life on other planets?: 2 of 42
Go with me on this one for a while...Imagine a great civilization long ago somewhere in the universe - far from Earth, far from our Solar System. Imagine a thriving people filling a planet with themselves and their products - and their waste.Picture a teeming world, overflowing with everything that is familiar to us on our ow... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religious Speculations & Criticisms Science and belief: 2 of 39
Writing in the Washington Post on Thursday, May 5, 2005, Peter Selvin said: "Alarmed by proposals to change how evolution is taught, scientists and teachers are mobilizing to fight back, asserting that educational standards are being threatened by what they consider a stealth campaign to return creationism to public schools."... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Taxes: 1 of 18
When my father passed away in early 1987, my attorney sister and I took on the formidable task of plowing through the papers he left behind. Among them we discovered a series of letters that clearly illustrates a prevalent fact in our society.My father was a kind and gentle man - except when it came to communicating with the ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Climate Change Is global warming a threat or an opportunity?: 1 of 16
Everybody understands how a backyard greenhouse works. Sunlight shines through the glass and gets trapped inside as heat. Even on a cold winter day, the inside of a greenhouse will be warm and cozy. In fact, if you do not block some of the incoming light, it can actually get too hot. This is why one often sees whitewash on th... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Will Iraq ever form a legitimate government?: 2 of 27
After we took Baghdad, there was a lot of discussion about what kind of government we should establish. As you know by now, we gave the Iraqis a Parliamentary constitution. At that time, I joined the debate, arguing for another kind of constitution - one more like ours. Here is what I wrote then. Judge for yourself whether or... More..