h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ictoan
Yes, it IS a worldwide phenomenon. The increase in diseases in humans is also quite provable. I believe it be due to global environmental factors, the excessive burning of fossil fuels, clearance of rain forests etc.

Admittedly, bee-keepers can't entirely escape some of the blame, but not all commercial bee-keepers are guilty. Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.

>>The increase in diseases in humans is also quite provable.

I'd appreciate a source for that. It doesn't seem to align with this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#Variation_over_time

Motorist stopped by police for laughing

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4938881/Motorist-stopped-by-police-for-laughing.html

I know where all the bees have gone. Judging by the monsters I regularaly find in my flats, they get eaten by spiders.

"Hey, go back to your Indiana Jones movie now!"

From SWL's link:

"Can we expect to hear of people being stopped for sneezing or coughing while they are at the wheel?"

Actually, sneezing at the wheel is rather scary when you think of it. I mean, I never managed to sneeze without shutting my eyes.

http://schwicky.net/calvin/show/the_big_sneeze/

http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2009/03/05/8640691.html

Amenhotep III statues found in Egyptian temple.

That's not news, that's exactly where I'd expect to find them.

Amenhotep III statues found on Mars...now *that's* a story!

R

"sneezing at the wheel is rather scary when you think of it"
not as bad as sneezing in a full face bike helmet

But, RF, the Egyptian temple *was* found on Mars

Regarding sneezing in a full face biker's helmet: no need to think about it to find that one scary

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/03/a_box_full_of_o.html

We need an smiley!

Drug smuggler broke leg and made cast from cocaine...impressive ruse...but also had other cocaine in other things...if it hadn't been for the pesky other things he might have gotten away with it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7928353.stm

Ed, I understand about life expectancy figures.

I believe things are on the change. When we get sick in UK at the moment, when we go to hospital it's becoming increasingly likely we pick up a bacterial infection (like bees are experiencing).

Look at HIV in Africa. Look at the global increasing poverty. We will see if your posted figures continue to hold up ..

To be fair to warner, an increase in disease and in life expectancy are not exclusive. We can be sicker and yet live longer due to advanced scientific medical care. Or else people praying for more advanced scientific medical care.

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Seth-world-champion-sandwich-maker/article-747564-detail/article.html

World champion Sandwich Maker is British.

Reminds me of another Sandwich Maker.
... But apparently this one puts beef in it, not Perfecly Normal Beast

>> To be fair to warner

All the same...

>> The increase in diseases in humans is also quite provable.

Go on, then. Prove it to me.

Ed
I'm not going to prove it to you!

If you don't agree that disease is increasing, that's fine with me.
It seems that those who engineered the latest "welfare reforms" ALSO don't think so.

warner



We can postulate two things:

1) air travel means virus's and diseases can spread more easily.
2) the advances in medical science all around the world means we can map the spread of diseases quicker and more accurately.

It does not mean that there is a specific increase in diseases. Spreading one certain virus around more people around the world potentially means that a virus has more hosts in which to grow and evolve as they multiple.




I will take what you believe with a pinch of salt...you have an imaginary friend.

Burning of fossil fuels and clearance of rain-forests will have no effect on the way diseases and virus's move around the world and mutate.

3Dots
>>Burning of fossil fuels and clearance of rain-forests will have no effect on the way diseases and virus's move around the world and mutate.<<

Are you sure that the global environment doesn't affect the transmission of diseases?
What about particulate matter? (Dirt/particles in the air) Doesn't that carry disease?

I note there's an increase in hay fever. I suggest unorthodox explanation (as far as medical is concerned). Perhaps the pollen is becoming coated with fumes from motorways etc, and this is exacerbating bronchial conditions.

Warner

No.



There is also an increase in asthma mainly due to the sheer cleanliness of the modern world i.e. people do not build up a resistance to diseases. So, you could say the modern world does cause disease but only because we are killing so many of the bugs that we do not get a natural resistance to some medical problems. However, I'll live with that as modern medicine has found curse for polio, leprosy etc. It's just a damn shame that people still take things on face value like: the MMR vaccine causes autism which has now caused measle epidemics in the UK. Of course, if people looked into the 'trial' data they would see there is no link. But if people were generally that analytical fewer people would believe in gods.

<>

Out, damn spot.