[CliveG]

Quote from: CliveG on Today at 08:33:04

    Note the use of distancing.

Stacked just about as close as they could be, given that you needed to be able to get a stretcher between the beds.

Those examples were the ones (like the army) that promoted dying - and they die they did. The survivor said that afterwards many people in civil society were afraid to mingle or come close to others - those were the survivors.

[CliveG]

Are you trying to pretend that social change is not happening? Because that's pretty obviously a silly idea.

Not all. There is massive change across Chinese society - except for governance which has relaxed but remains authoritarian and centralised. BC seemed to be saying that the change was restricted and narrow.

[CliveG]

Quote from: CliveG on Today at 08:33:04

    Now, about God's lessons.

The ones he "teaches" by randomly killing people?

Good one. Finally.

Many lessons are learned the hard way. I know that. While I say that God reluctantly allows people to die so that a lesson might be learned, I have some reservations about how much responsibility he can avoid. Yesterday (almost in anticipation of your question) I thought about the lessons I have learned. Certainly I have suffered. Certainly my late wife died. If he has put me on a path to teach me lessons then he may have had a hand in that. I do not begrudge what he might have to do.

I have learned to deal with suffering in the way that Buddha taught. That is why I say that all "religions" have an element of truth in their teachings.

I will meet my late wife in the afterlife and my soul will evolve spiritually. God did allow Jesus to die and to die in horrible suffering.

Of course if that example is scaled up then then one could say that God may have had a hand in the pandemic. The only way I can avoid a contradiction is to say that my hypothesis does not allow God to be perfect, and also that the Ultimate Intelligence may be writing part of the script for the dream.

I do not pretend to know it all. As with all of us, I have to make some assumptions but I prefer to make ones that are the most logical and account for observations of ALL of us and not a narrow scientific class who intentionally confine themselves to physically observable phenomenon.

[CliveG]

In 1994 the importation of cheap goods from China boosted the economy at first and then devastated local manufacturing.

That is in my next book.

And your first book is?

[Bored chemist]

BC seemed to be saying that the change was restricted and narrow.

No, he didn't.

where great social change is taking place.

Again, you need to stop lying about what people said. (or "bearing false witness", as it's sometimes called)

Good one. Finally.

You decided to reply; finally.

And in all His infinite wisdom, he couldn't do a better job of teaching than killing random people.
That's a really rubbish God, isn't it?

[CliveG]

I am supremely confident our economy is going to come back like a raging herd of angry bulls.

Just about everything you have posted here indicates that you have great faith in things for which there is no actual evidence.

How many times do I have to say I have no "faith". I have a hypothesis to explain the world and some of the events that science cannot explain. You deny "real" evidence in preference for "actual" evidence - whatever "actual" is.

In about 1963, when I was a teenager, I experienced "ball lightning". It was a charged cracking blue ball of dust that emerged from the back of our TV set. Nothing like seeing the "real" thing. Debate about the existence of ball lightning has raged for years.

Sorry. I have mixed up duffyd and BC in the last few posts. Some of you may have noticed.

[Bored chemist]

when I was a teenager, I experienced "ball lightning". I

That's a novel euphemism.

Debate about the existence of ball lightning has raged for years.

Not really.
Essentially everyone believes it exists.
There's lots of debate about the cause and nature, but that's a different issue.

[CliveG]

when I was a teenager, I experienced "ball lightning". I

That's a novel euphemism.

Debate about the existence of ball lightning has raged for years.

Not really.
Essentially everyone believes it exists.
There's lots of debate about the cause and nature, but that's a different issue.

How old are you? And how is your memory? My statement was quite factual and I followed the debate for decades because the phenomenon was so startling. Researching the topic on the internet is not the same. People twist the facts. Older newspapers and periodicals are not searchable for the most part. Journalists will invent things if the truth is not juicy enough. So even if you gave me references and links I still say you are "doing the same just to be contrary".

[alancalverd]

I've seen ball lightning, and once played in a band and flew in developing clouds (not at the same time) with a trombonist whose job at the UK meteorological office was to investigate rare phenomena - of which ball lightning was the most-reported and least-understood.  We played some good balls but never managed to video ball lightning.

[CliveG]

I am quite disappointed at the "scientists". There should be no mask controversy.

The efficacy of masks to both expel and inhale various sizes and types of wet and dry particles should be a matter of experiments that are part of the database of knowledge. Yet one sees "experts" giving opinions and just fueling the confusion.

I see people expressing their opinions and making up the "science" as they go. No wonder the West is going to suffer the consequences of arrogance where individuals are more concerned with public relations and spin than blunt truth or common sense.

No-one seems to be able to tell the public the bald truth. They think it will create panic or some other unwanted effect. Uncertainty and confusion will just make things worse in the long run. People need to change and pull together. When the elite are seen as ignorant and waffling and contradicting themselves there is no inspired leadership. The world needs change and leaders who put people and principle before money and power.

Give us the science in the way a six-year old could understand. So said Einstein. Graphs and technical detail for both the lay person and the technically inclined.

[CliveG]

I've seen ball lightning, and once played in a band and flew in developing clouds (not at the same time) with a trombonist whose job at the UK meteorological office was to investigate rare phenomena - of which ball lightning was the most-reported and least-understood.  We played some good balls but never managed to video ball lightning.

You and I have had some strange events in common. We should get together for a beer some time. 

You are correct that there were reports of sightings but no pictures or videos and the arguments were about the mechanics and the physics with a split in those who believed and those who did not. Basically a problem of anecdotal evidence.

[CliveG]

I like and respect Chomsky. What does that say about me?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/noam-chomsky-coronavirus-pandemic-prevented-200403113823259.html
The coronavirus crisis could have been prevented because there was enough information available to the world, according to Noam Chomsky, who has warned that once the pandemic is over, two critical challenges will remain - the threats of nuclear war and global warming.
..."This coronavirus pandemic could have been prevented, the information was there to prevent it. In fact, it was well-known. In October 2019, just before the outbreak, there was a large-scale simulation in the United States - possible pandemic of this kind," he said, referring to an exercise - titled Event 201 - hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"Nothing was done. The crisis was then made worse by the treachery of the political systems that didn't pay attention to the information that they were aware of.
"On December 31, China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of pneumonia-like symptoms with unknown origins. A week later, some Chinese scientists identified a coronavirus. Furthermore, they sequenced it and provided information to the world. By then, virologists and others who were bothering to read WHO reports knew that there was a coronavirus and knew that had to deal with it. Did they do anything? Well yes, some did.
"China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore began to do something, and they have sort of pretty much seemed to have contained at least the first surge of the crisis."
..."Possibly, a good side of the coronavirus, is it might bring people to think about what kind of a world do we want.
"We should think about the emergence of this crisis, why is there a coronavirus crisis? It's a colossal market failure. It goes right back to the essence of markets exacerbated by the savage neoliberal intensification of deep social-economic problems."
..."Labs around the world could be working right then on developing protection for potential coronavirus pandemics. Why didn't they do it? The market signals were wrong. The drug companies. We have handed over our fate to private tyrannies called corporations, which are unaccountable to the public, in this case, Big Pharma. And for them, making new body creams is more profitable than finding a vaccine that will protect people from total destruction."

An interesting documentary often seen on RTTV.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent
Four years after publication, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media was adapted as Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992), a documentary film that discusses the propaganda model of communication and the politics of the mass-communications business, as well as a biography of Chomsky. The film was directed by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick.

[duffyd]

If anyone would care to explain why God doesn't exist, I'd enjoy reviewing your theories and data.
Many are adamant that there is no evidence for his existence, but they aren't convincing. If you would like to share a viable theory, please don't hesitate.

[duffyd]

Is anyone familiar with a rational, logical, documented theory that clearly refutes the existence of God? Again, I'm not asking for you to repeat an old theory, rather, if you care to offer conjecture, please include data that is verifiable, thorough and scientifically valid.
So far, I haven't seen a single argument that is sustainable, intelligent or persuasive, but I would love to see what you have.
 

[duffyd]

In 1994 the importation of cheap goods from China boosted the economy at first and then devastated local manufacturing.

That is in my next book.

And your first book is?

Originally we called it, "What Ho Murray?" We changed it to, "Hey! I Think There's Ladies Here" But it is better known for its subtitle, "Don't Run For A Bus, There'll Always Be Another"

[duffyd]

BTW, I want to repeat: Science provides overwhelming reasons why GOD must be. Even to suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

[CliveG]

Is anyone familiar with a rationale, logical, documented theory that clearly refutes the existence of God? Again, I'm not asking for you to repeat an old theory, rather, if you care to offer conjecture, please include data that is verifiable, thorough and scientifically valid.
So far, I haven't seen a single argument that is sustainable, intelligent or persuasive, but I would love to see it.

So would I.  👍 👍 👍

Sunday. The sun is out. I will enjoy the day and nature. Our garden is lovely. A slow day with nothing new to report. Hannity gave Cuomo a talking to about a 2015 report advising NY to buy ventilators - with an accurate report about a possible pandemic. Cuomo wasted money on pet projects.

[CliveG]

Originally we called it, "What Ho Murray?" We changed it to, "Hey! I Think There's Ladies Here" But it is better known for its subtitle, "Don't Run For A Bus, There'll Always Be Another"

ISBN number? Or link?

My book on Smashwords is ISBN:  978-0-620-80927-6  (eBook). Read the Second half. Pseudonym Dan Seyr. It needs updating but still some things of interest. I will put a free pdf on Google drive with a link shortly. But I want to update it. Especially with the feedback I have from this site.

[duffyd]

Originally we called it, "What Ho Murray?" We changed it to, "Hey! I Think There's Ladies Here" But it is better known for its subtitle, "Don't Run For A Bus, There'll Always Be Another"

ISBN number? Or link?

My book on Smashwords is ISBN:  978-0-620-80927-6  (eBook). Read the Second half. Pseudonym Dan Seyr. It needs updating but still some things of interest. I will put a free pdf on Google drive with a link shortly. But I want to update it. Especially with the feedback I have from this site.

Oh, it's been banned in every country in the world. Many governments required mass burning enforcement. They said it was the sickest, most disgusting, inaccurate, devious, evil, raunchy, filthy, depraved piece of junk ever committed to paper. I say it was not inaccurate.
It was about my feeding and bathroom habits since birth. It was actually very informative. But, they claimed they measured a major increase in severe agita, nervous indigestion, mass hysteria, suicidal and uncontrollable homicidal ideations, depression, lactation in adult males, tachycardia, hallucinations, strep throat, bed wetting, night terrors, and aneurysms directly attributable to reading the first paragraph. I thought it was pretty good. They allege millions became violently ill, so that ended that little project.

[duffyd]

BTW, I want to repeat: Science provides overwhelming reasons why GOD must be. Even to suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

Ali Binazir did the calculations and decided that the chances of anyone existing are one in 10 to the 2,685,000th power.
 Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil. is a graduate of Harvard College, UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Cambridge University.