A question about time and the refractive index?

A question asked about recent spaceship program shutdown?

• First I would say, I would really recommend to read all of what I wrote here - it might interest you and it might not. I go a little off the subject in the end but I touch interesting subjects. Want to also see how you guys react to this maybe I don't understand something and you might enrich me with your share of information! Sorry for the length but I feel it's worth it! So, I asked a question on the spaceship program shutdown yesterday here, and lots of interesting people pointed out they're thoughts on the subject. This is the link to my question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai0VWVLVzJKl3zaV15xLnQt7SAx.;_ylv=3?qid=20110722021354AA0U223 I would like yo mark some of they're words and point out my thoughts back even though it's not a chat room or a forum where you can chit chat. I would really want to point out what I think was interesting see what you guys say about it. I am myself not a native American, thus I was not born in the US. But soon will get my citizenship, and excited to be formally part of this great nation! :) So, when asked my question a guy answered me: "Have you been listening to the news.....we do not have a budget for anything anymore. We even stopped giving money to Pakistan...imagine that !" I couldn't really pass this comment without saying something. Are you one of those who still listens to the news? I mean come on! The first day I opened CNN and watched their broadcast I realized there's nothing positive you can learn from watching the news. And I'm not talking about other news companies I just picked up the one you can at least watch some how once in a while. Maybe once a week for the weather broadcast. Second comment to my question: "It not only sounds stupid, it is stupid. SETI has as yet made no contact with extraterrestrials....." This is the part where I don't like to say but I ought to since I think it's about time we, Americans, and I say we since I soon will be part of it and it hurts me to see how "naivety" is still a major problem in the US. You see when asking that question I was interested only in someone who heard the same thing as I did - and to try track the source from where that rumor came - of course I know what rumor is! And like I stated it was stupid from the beginning since like it's been said, there's lot of holes in that story that don't make any logical sense. Like why only Americans were informed and not the Russians and the Chinese if it happened. And so on.. But when people commented me these two comments that I quoted here, I was just hurt seeing people so blindly believe to everything. Who said SETI will inform us, the ordinary people, on any message that might come? Are you working for SETI to say so confidently that "SETI has not received any message yet.." What makes you think so? When you say so say "I would like to think they did not". Don't say it like you work there and you know for sure just because it has not been announced publicly. I am not trying to make a point here but just to comment back to these 2 people. I do agree with most of the comments. I just had an argument about these two. When you read the question in the link provided you'd see what I'm talking about. I would personally think you are stupid if approach to me outside and say "Didn't you here what they say in the news? they say we don't have money! so we gotta be not having money for real! This nation has so much money ... and I see it (as non native) how much money is being spent on a daily basis, just for nothing! for some bulshit. And this guy says we don't have money. Btw, I am coming from western Europe. I know quality life what is it. And believe me, if the US cut on that bulshit we can save lots of money. This nation was living on high standards for 200+ years. And when somebody losses his job, he goes and kills all his family and burns the house. Cause he just lost his job - he thinks the whole world has ruined upon him. Comeeee onnnn!! No seriously, take my words seriously. I remember these incidents when the economy was showing first signs of braking apart. You think it's right? I don't thinks it's right. Only my opinion but I already skipped way beyond the subject I started from. Sorry for my grammar and if I offended someone - I apologize again, some of you (and I understand) might not understand my way of thinking. But I can assure you it's just weird sounded to you once, maybe twice. But once you really think deep enough it starts to make sense. At least a little bit.

• Answer:

  " . . . I was just hurt seeing people so blindly believe to everything." Son, there's a light year of difference between "blindly believing everything" and discounting a rumour which is patently ridiculous, and not just for the reasons that you point out yourself. I note in your last answer that you describe yourself as a "sceptic". A sceptic is someone who will not believe something until there is reasonable evidence for it. You're doing the opposite. You're choosing to believe something is true without evidence, until someone proves to you that it is not.