OT: Read In Magazine

[Raging Deadstar]

I still think "scientific experts" are like hannibal lecter. They're strapped up and stored somewhere, and when a disaster happens they get wheeled out, sprout some gibberish and then are locked away again for next time.

[Ragnarok]

Kamog said:
In the past few days I remember reading that cell phones might cause brain tumors or something, so kids shouldn't talk on cell phones.

That was said to be true a few years ago when cell phones first started becoming a big thing. But I haven't heard anything similar to that in at least 3 or 4 years...

[AMF]

It is, unfortunately, not uncommon nowadays for people to interpret the world around them, and make decisions, based more on ideology or personal beliefs rather than on facts derived rigourously. The scientific method is the most useful (and sucessful) application of the human mind to solving the problems of the human condition than any other - such as faith or personal beliefs - will ever be.

Not believing in a problem doesn't make it go away.

EDIT: spelling errors, some minor grammar errors

[Hunpecked]

Atrocities writes:

>>I read today in a magazine in the Dr. Office that the Earth has moved about 760,000 miles closer to the sun over the Last four years

Perhaps this is a misinterpretation of the article. The earth's orbit is an ellipse; the earth-sun distance varies from 91.4 million miles to 94.5 million miles over the course of a year. Every year.

http://www.weathernotebook.org/trans...000/12/19.html

>>the moon is moving away from the Earth

Yes. The moon is slowing the earth's rotation with its effect on the tides. The tides are accelerating the moon into a higher orbit. In some distant future the same side of the earth will always face the moon.

>>the polar ice caps are melting in the Artic

The earth's climate[s] is always changing. As recently as 900-1100 AD Greenland really was green, before the "little ice age" hit Europe.

And the vast majority of all species that ever lived on earth are now extinct.

Have a nice day.

[Kamog]

It would good if the earth's rotation slows down and the days get longer. I could use some more free time per day...

[dogscoff]

They need to slow down the Earth so that weeks get longer, and we can have a six-day weekend and just five days at work.

Could someone organise that for me please?

Ta.

[AgentZero]

Kamog said:
Yeah, I keep hearing that too and we're not ready for one. Fortunately, Vancouver is safe from tsunamis because the island will get hit and block them from reaching Vancouver.

Except for the people ON the island, which includes pretty much my entire family.

I remember a few years ago, one of the Irish 'low-brow' newspapers published an article saying that Cork was due to be nailed by a massive tsunami caused by an underwater volcanic erruption/seismic event. The tsunami would supposedly obliterate Cork and cause massive flooding all along both coastlines. 1/3 of Ireland's population was expected to perish and 80-90% of the survivors would be without food or shelter. 30% of the survivors of the initial event were predicted to die within a month of the event.
After a while, other papers started to pick up the stories, and eventually even a couple of the respectable papers started running it. Few days later the Irish Times published a story detailing how the 'SCIENTIFIC PROOF' that PROVED this event will HAPPEN within a few MONTHS was actually a hypothetical study carried out to assess the effects of a 500km/h tsunami hitting the south coast of Ireland.

Just a case of one reporter completly mis-interpreting what they were reading, and everyone else jumping on the bandwagon so as not to get left behind on a story.

Of course, anyone with half a brain cell to bounce around should have been able to tell the whole thing was theoretical. After all the report (published Dec2002, I think) started out, "On April 3rd, 2003 at 12:17pm, a tsunami of incredible force will strike the south coast of Ireland."

12:17pm, huh?

[Caduceus]

Wait, is someone claiming that the media is selling a product? I, for one, am shocked.