[Bored chemist]

Big Al should know. He's the genius who said the N.T. was written 200 years later.

How silly!
We all know the rewrite was 300 years later.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

But that's just historical fact; so Duffy's going to ignore it and say something rude in an attempt to divert attention from his lack of credibility.

[duffyd]

In a nutshell, surgical masks are intended to stop staff sneezing and spitting into open wounds. They do that very well. But operating theaters and clean wards have positive pressure filtered air, so in most cases it's reasonably safe to inhale, and the mask doesn't have to fit closely. 

Thus a surgical mask is a socially good thing to wear in public in the current circumstance, as you may be infectious without knowing it. But it is pretty useless for self protection in a crowd (like a tube train) or when handling a patient who is known to be infectious because it won't protect you against inhaled aerosols. A builder's dust mask is a better fit and is designed to prevent the inhalation of droplets and particles. A valve is useful in a high performance HEPA mask so you can exhale without steaming up your goggles!

Don't know about you boys, but I trust my very life to a guy who despises people who try to save his behind. In case you haven't noticed Big Al knows everything. He knows Christ was one heck of a nice fella. How he knows that is anyone's guess. O no! I forgot. He knows because 200 years after something (he won't say what) happened somebody wrote something about somebody called Jesus that suggested He was a good ol' boy, so Al believes. Now, that is science, baby.

[duffyd]

I take my hat off to Big Sweet Old Al. He uses science alone to draw his conclusions about anything and everything. Just ask him. He always doublechecks the latest research before he offers his opinion. And when he doesn't know, he calls you names and mentions how he despises you and everyone who follows Christ.

That's MY BOY!

[duffyd]

I made a summary for my daughter:

The bottom line is that cell towers are very bad, cell phone use should be minimized and WiFi should not be used unless necessary.

My symptoms. Which varied depending on exposure and time.
Typical radiation values (in peak uW/sqm) are: 3,000 in old house next to tower, 300 next to other towers, 30 when I screen our old house, 2 in suburbia away from a tower, 0.2 in our new house, 0.02 in the country-side and on holiday. The legal limit is 10,000,000 which uses heating as a criteria.

A sharp rise in tinnitus
Noticed that a drop in hearing which got worse with time
Disturbed sleep waking tired scrambled dreams
Memory loss and problems spelling.
Mental confusion.
Skin growths on my forehead.
Clumsiness and dyslexia loss of balance
Four episodes of brief full body convulsions
Hand tremors
Nausea
Headaches
Anxiety and irritability.
Irregular heatbeat at times.
Higher than usual blood pressure.
Peripheral neuropathy in feet and toes.
Frequent diarrhoea
Severe and sharp pain in my right eye socket near my nose
3 metal tooth fillings fractured and broke
Knee replacement healing reversed when exposed
Burning sensation in my right hip where a nerve was being compressed.
Sharp stabbing pain in my side where I have a neuroma and the nerves have no myelin sheath.

My wife had similar symptoms (excepting teeth and knee) but not as bad. However, she had had facial basal cell carcinoma and a melanoma on her chest. She said if her cell phone was next to her at night she would feel unwell.

Our dogs showed depression and hearing loss.

I sympathize, Clive. Same exact things happened to me the day I got married.

So it is my punishment for having been married seven times, is it? 

I've been married 12 times and the symptoms you describe hit me on my first. Things got progressively more disastrous with each subsequent knot tying event. Today, I consist of a skull, a few neurons, and I can twitch my nose which works my computer. Oxygen and nutrients are pumped into my carotid artery. No eyes, no ears, no mouth, body's been gone since #8. So, YOU'RE A LIGHTWEIGHT

[duffyd]

All signs of ageing. Pity, but that's how Duffy's god designed us.

It breaks my heart to see Big Al wallow in so much misery every second of every day. He's had a terribly difficult life. He deserves more pity from us. Obviously, he can't generate enough on his own. I feel for you Al. I know how rough it's been for you. Tragic. Just so tragic. Everyone always singled you out. Poor, poor Al. Don't cry Al. It's going to be okay.

[Bored chemist]

Duffy's going to ignore it and say something rude in an attempt to divert attention from his lack of credibility.

I must be clairvoyant or something.

[alancalverd]

How do I know what I know? I sometimes read the bible when I'm waiting my call in an operating theater.

[duffyd]

How do I know what I know? I sometimes read the bible when I'm waiting my call in an operating theater.

Now you're talking, Big Al. Brain transplants are happening. Ask them for a newer model. Even though the one you got failed miserably, the recent batch are working marvelously as you can see in the former Chuckles Manson. In fact, that unit may be the one they fit into you. 

[duffyd]

How do I know what I know? I sometimes read the bible when I'm waiting my call in an operating theater.

Busted. It's true. They wrote the N.T. 200 years after 400 years since then and 1,200 years as soon as it was. And you believe it. Atta boy Big Al. Use your new, old, brain just like you haven't.

[duffyd]

In the meantime, science supports the fact that spiritual warfare rages behind the scenes. Souls are up for grabs. Who will win them is uncertain. Diverting attention from that reality works when people are happy and moving along without too much resistance. We've seen in our recent past that Someone is crying out for our attention and rapid deterioration is on the horizon. He has many tools to remind us we are not in charge. No matter how much we learn through science, we forget quite quickly that eternal repercussions are a breath away.

Haiti
Puerto Rico
Jakarta
Japan
Pinatubo
Iran
AIDS
Ebola
Drug abuse
Vietnam
WWII
Korea
The Balkans
Holocausts in Germany, Rwanda

The Reality is this. When a jet filled with passengers and crew suddenly plunges 35,000 feet without warning, "GOD help me" is the refrain repeated over and over no one is embarrassed to scream. That's scientifically proven. He always responds.  Heaven is moments away.
 

[alancalverd]

When a jet filled with passengers and crew suddenly plunges 35,000 feet without warning, "GOD help me" is the refrain repeated over and over no one is embarrassed to scream. That's scientifically proven. He always responds. 

At last, scientific proof of the beneficence of the almighty.
If we compare the outcomes of AA11 (11/9/2001), AF447 (1/6/2009) and BA09 (24/6/1982) the first conclusion is that Duffy's loathsome deity hates Americans (3000 dead) and Frenchmen (228 dead) but is, of course, on the side of the  British (no casualties).

The odd thing is that the first two cases involved fully functioning aircraft, whereas BA09 had all four engines flamed out. So consider US1549 (15/1/2009) (low altitude, full of Americans, just like AA11) - no major injuries. 

Ergo, Duffy's god prefers gliders. Which explains why glider pilots deserve the obeisance of mere mortals. We were put on this earth to save mankind. 

[alancalverd]

Postscript.

Whilst I have no doubt that Jonah Duffy has witnessed and faithfully recorded many uncontrolled descents, I have it on good authority from a forensic phonetician who has analysed dozens of cockpit voice recorders, that the last word on every tape is always "sh1t!". Interesting that, whatever their native language or religion, even in moments of extreme stress, pilots continue to speak English. That's professionalism. 

[duffyd]

When a jet filled with passengers and crew suddenly plunges 35,000 feet without warning, "GOD help me" is the refrain repeated over and over no one is embarrassed to scream. That's scientifically proven. He always responds. 

At last, scientific proof of the beneficence of the almighty.
If we compare the outcomes of AA11 (11/9/2001), AF447 (1/6/2009) and BA09 (24/6/1982) the first conclusion is that Duffy's loathsome deity hates Americans (3000 dead) and Frenchmen (228 dead) but is, of course, on the side of the  British (no casualties).

The odd thing is that the first two cases involved fully functioning aircraft, whereas BA09 had all four engines flamed out. So consider US1549 (15/1/2009) (low altitude, full of Americans, just like AA11) - no major injuries. 

Ergo, Duffy's god prefers gliders. Which explains why glider pilots deserve the obeisance of mere mortals. We were put on this earth to save mankind.

 Wormwood, a new recruit, is under the tutelage of senior commander Screwtape.  He is green behind the ears and tends to think like his human patients do. Screwtape becomes impatient with his lack of progress tempting humans, constantly reminding him that the death of anyone on good terms with the Enemy is the loss of all they hold dear.

"The War is relevant, writes Screwtape, only in that it affects the Patient’s state of mind. The mere fact of air raids on the Patient’s town should be, for Wormwood, beside the point. Wormwood should be trying to keep the Patient alive. Young tempters are being swayed by Hell’s own propaganda, writes Screwtape. Hell has made humans think of death as evil, but, if their souls are prepared like the Patient’s is, death is a good thing. It brings them to the Enemy. Wormwood must remember that it is very difficult for humans to persevere. He should keep the Patient alive until middle age. Then, the Patient may become worldly and lower his guard. Even if the Patient is prosperous, Wormwood can use his good fortune to make him love the earth and not the Enemy. Young people even if they are not religious, are idealistic and detached from the world. It is easier to wean their souls off of eternal thoughts little by little over the course of many years."

A few Spark notes on letters18-21 of CS Lewis' work on training of junior devils in The Screwtape Letters.

[duffyd]

When a jet filled with passengers and crew suddenly plunges 35,000 feet without warning, "GOD help me" is the refrain repeated over and over no one is embarrassed to scream. That's scientifically proven. He always responds. 

 Wormwood, a new recruit, is under the tutelage of senior commander Screwtape.  He is green behind the ears and tends to think like his human patients do. Screwtape becomes impatient with his lack of progress tempting humans, constantly reminding him that the death of anyone on good terms with the Enemy is the loss of all they hold dear.

"The War is relevant, writes Screwtape, only in that it affects the Patient’s state of mind. The mere fact of air raids on the Patient’s town should be, for Wormwood, beside the point. Wormwood should be trying to keep the Patient alive. Young tempters are being swayed by Hell’s own propaganda, writes Screwtape. Hell has made humans think of death as evil, but, if their souls are prepared like the Patient’s is, death is a good thing. It brings them to the Enemy. Wormwood must remember that it is very difficult for humans to persevere. He should keep the Patient alive until middle age. Then, the Patient may become worldly and lower his guard. Even if the Patient is prosperous, Wormwood can use his good fortune to make him love the earth and not the Enemy. Young people even if they are not religious, are idealistic and detached from the world. It is easier to wean their souls off of eternal thoughts little by little over the course of many years."

A few Spark notes on letters18-21 of CS Lewis' work on training of junior devils in The Screwtape Letters.

Screwtape advises Wormwood, "Above all, do not attempt to use science (I mean, the real sciences) as a defence against Christianity. They will positively encourage him to think about realities he can’t touch and see. There have been sad cases among the modern physicists. If he must dabble in science, keep him on economics and sociology…" From The Screwtape Letters

[duffyd]

Lewis is no respecter of persons. Here, in Screwtape, he criticizes Christians who succumb to the lure of sacrificing their pure faith for modern social/economic movements.
"Let him begin by treating the Patriotism or the Pacifism as a part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the “cause”… Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours — and the more “religious” (on those terms) the more securely ours. I could show you a pretty cageful down here…"

[CliveG]

Why have no protection when some protection is better?

Because it produces a false sense of security.

From your quote

Live viruses could be detected in the air behind all surgical masks tested.

i.e. they don't really work.

I'm not against masks, I'm against bad masks.

So why do the news networks educate the public about how to wear a mask and take it off, rather than wear no masks.

Of course, you would rather die than wear a mask that was not 100% effective. And also infect other people. Yes, I have said it before, God uses not only our arrogance but our ignorance against us.

[Bored chemist]

So why do the news networks educate the public about how to wear a mask and take it off, rather than wear no masks.

For the same reason they show pictures of young pretty women. It sells better.

Of course, you would rather die than wear a mask that was not 100% effective.

No, I wouldn't .
In saying I would you are both arrogant and ignorant.

God uses not only our arrogance but our ignorance against us.

Perhaps you should be more careful.

When a jet filled with passengers and crew suddenly plunges 35,000 feet without warning, "GOD help me" is the refrain repeated over and over no one is embarrassed to scream.

And the plane crashed because there's no God there to save it.
Or maybe He is real, but He just likes to watch the survivors suffer.

[alancalverd]

Like most schoolkids, I read Screwtape and don't need to have passages repeated here. But for all his excellent writing, Lewis doesn't seem to have addressed the fact that Duffy's god dislikes functioning jet engines and innocent civilians  but is happy to save some planes when the fires go out. Except sometimes.

Now here's the difference between us. A gullible believer will say "God works in a mysterious way", or try to excuse an action for which a human being would be hanged. A scientist would say "No evidence of third party intervention, therefore no evidence of third party."

A real scumbag would note that 9/11 killed more infidels than muslims, and is therefore the work of a greater god than  Duffy's.

[CliveG]

Why have no protection when some protection is better?

Because it produces a false sense of security.

From your quote

Live viruses could be detected in the air behind all surgical masks tested.

i.e. they don't really work.

I'm not against masks, I'm against bad masks.

I have to quote your post once more.

In reply you said you said I was wrong that you would die than wear a surgical mask.

But here you say an ordinary surgical mask is not only a waste of time, but gives a false sense of security and therefore should not be worn. Yet your link showed a 6 fold reduction. To me that means you have improved your chances by at least 83 percent. It may even be that the lowered viral load gives a 95 to 99 percent protection against infection. If you get an infection by wearing no mask, you might die. You prefer to wear not mask, hence it is logical for me to state that your choice is a risk of dying rather than wearing a mask with a lower risk of dying. I can logically say you prefer to die rather than wear a surgical mask.

Oh course, I could also say you do not want to admit you have been wrong in you posts about masks. I could make further logical deductions about that but you seem to be rather touchy so I will leave it.

[CliveG]

When it's all over (if ever) and we take stock, we will indeed have a better appreciation of God. He is the evil bastard who created humans as food for parasites. Which is why human parasites evangelise.

God cannot be a bastard because he has no mother and no father. 

Is it not better to reduce the population drastically and save the planet than to allow humans to extinct themselves and most other life?

And if the world is a better place and more spiritual, should we not be thankful?

If you want perfection in your God you are doomed to be continually disappointed (and angry), because you God is not the true God.

What about my post 699 about a post-covid world?