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

@rse!!!!!!

Also, warner: ploy of the religious number 102: asking for definitive proof of something said by someone when the religious are happy to blither on randomly about god, god god without giving any definitive proof for the god.

Also, one of the wonder drugs to cure leprosy is...thalidomide...

Has anyone mentioned yet that science was recently on the verge of eliminating polio and then religion stepped in Pakistan and Afghanistan and now polio is on the rise again?

Perhaps science or technology has exacerbated a disease or two, but so certainly has religion (polio, HIV/AIDS). But religion certainly didn't eliminate smallpox. Religion hasn't eliminated any disease, now has it?

Is it even possible for one disease to eliminate another?

Yes, religious leaders in Muslim countries have said vaccines from the West are infected etc and the populace have believed them. And 'we' are told we should respect them.

Yes, I see!
Lots of posts, all of a sudden. I wonder if that could be anything to do with the name of the poster, who posted about pollen.

Yes, that's right. Bees depend on pollen for their protein needs.

And, please, don't try telling me that particulates in air can't help spread disease. Why is air-conditioning becoming popular? It's even used in hospitals and prisons, to control infection and stress. It's not just the temperature of the air, it also helps to CLEAN the air.

I'm talking about science here, NOT religion!

warner <

They don't the virus's are spread in the air...nothing to do with 'particulates' or dust or dirt.



No, air conditioning is used to heat/cool the environment.



Yes, clean the air IF the correct class filter meshes have been used. Viruses are smaller than normal dust and dirt and hence can pass through the sizes of normal filters in normal buildings. Higher classes of filter(smaller mesh size) is only used in places where very highly contagious virus's are held or in pharmaceutical places and that's just for very fine dusts. The level class of protection that *may* stop viruses is so fine that the costs involved in installing them in normal buildings is prohibitive and pretty irrelevant. If one person is in a building with a certain virus then personal contact will be enough to spread that virus. No matter of highly proficient air conditioning filters would stop it and hence why they aren't designed to do it




And once again you are totally wrong and ill-informed about the subject.

As an example of the continued decay of American society:


Introduced into the Oklahoma House of Representatives:

'NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 52ND OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT the Oklahoma House of Representative strongly opposes the invitation to speak on the campus of the University of Oklahoma to Richard Dawkins of Oxford University, whose published statements on the theory of evolution and opinion about those who do not believe in the theory are contrary and offensive to the views and opinions of most citizens of Oklahoma. . .'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/03/richard_dawkins_banned_in_okla.php

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

Much of it verbose and ill-informed, it seems.

anhaga


It's the general norm rather than decay it is just that it's bubbling to the surface now that rational truth is poking it's head over the parapet.

The good thing is that there are now people in the US willing to stand up and shout about these sort of actions.

You can guarantee that many people in Oklahoma will say what Dawkins is saying is what they believe.

The Muslims are going to the UN to stop people criticising their religion News channels in the US were up in arms that 'they' would not be able to criticise Islam but the very political machine of the US is allowing Christians to stifle the debate and unsaid criticism of the creationist myth they perpetuate and also inferring that god(s) is(are) uneccessary

They are running scared and falling back on how Christians kept the upper hand: censorship, banning, stifling any voice criticising their beliefs.

What is going on? Bees dying from pollen Warner? What?

Are you insinuating that bees are dying from religious intolerance or lack of faith? I am finding it hard to follow your lack of reason here.

If this thread has been hijacked by a religious discussion I will unsubscribe until normal service is resumed.

>>I'm talking about science here, NOT religion!<<

As are we! Science, unlike religion, has firm rules and the most important one is Show your evidence. Don't say you don't have to prove something. You can't simply declare something is true because you think so, that's religion.You have to show why you think it.

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

>>If you don't agree that disease is increasing, that's fine with me.

It shouldn't be fine! If you have evidence of something and yet I still refuse to agree with it, that means I'm an idiot. Just show me the evidence, and then we can judge.

3Dots,
>>and once again you are totally wrong and ill-informed about the subject. (science)

That's not so, it might be your opinion. My degree courses and post-graduate studies are just as relevant as yours are. (if any)

There's bacterial infection as well as viruses, and in fact, viruses can't be effectively controlled by air-cooling or mechanical/electronic particulate filtering. But bacterial infection can be substantially reduced with suitable air-cleaning equipment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/4935060/Minor-earthquake-shakes-parts-of-Kent.html

Earthquake in kent - did anyone feel it?

RF

Melbourne had an earthquake too

http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/03/06/Earthquake_rocks_Melbourne

(can you lot take your argument elsewhere please - it's all a bit repetitious and tedious - been there, read that )

Good point.

"Tony Blair has taught his first seminar of the "faith and globalisation" course he will lead at Yale University."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7626535.stm

"During the seminar, Mr Blair said: I genuinely believe that the issue to do with faith and globalisation is the single-most determining issue of the 21st century."

Earthquake in kent - did anyone feel it?



I felt the earth move around that time but I wasn't aware we'd had an earthquake in Kent