Debate - Are we alone in this universe?    Various factors have contributed to the existence of human beings in this world. To mention a few, water from comets, perfect distance from the sun, protection by Jupiter against asteroids headed towards the earth. Do these factors make Earth unique in the universe where life is possible? Opposition can argue that the discovery of water in objects such as Europa or the presence of billions of galaxies should lead us to life outside Earth. Proposer should argue that we are unique, while opposition should argue we are not. Please adhere to standard debate procedures, with lots of scientific arguments.

Intellifive - Kuiper Belt    Kuiper belt refers to the disc-shaped region beyond Neptune, named for astronomer Gerard Kuiper. It is presumed to be remnants from the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.The Kuiper Belt extends from about 30 to 55 AU (One astronomical unit, or AU, is the mean distance of Earth from the Sun: about 150 million kilometers or 93 million miles.) and is probably populated with hundreds of thousands of icy bodies larger than 100 kilometers (62 miles) across and an estimated trillion or more comets. Because KBOs are so distant, their sizes are difficult to measure. The calculated diameter of a KBO depends on assumptions about how brightness relates to size. With infrared observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope, most of the largest KBOs have known sizes.

Debate - Is increased government spending the only way out of recession?    When the economy goes into recession, thousands of people lose their jobs and also corporate profits decline. This reduces both the income tax and corporation tax flow to the government. Because of high unemployment, there is increased use of government programs such as social security benefits. In this given situation, is it prudent for governments to increase their spending causing the deficit to spiral, thereby affecting the sovereign debt rating, and in turn causing further damage to the economy? Should not monetary policy actions such as quantitative easing, increased business lending, and reducing the interest rates be enough to stimulate the economy? Or is increased government spending the only way out of a recession?

External Feed - New giant star dwarfs sun