Author Topic: Politics  (Read 511067 times)

lise

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #340 on: August 31, 2008, 01:35:09 AM »
I'm sorry my earlier statement was easily misinterpreted. I have friends who are scientists and are deeply religious and are able to do both. The results of the science are open to interpretation, but the science itself does not/should not have an agenda.

Bringing it back to politics, my worry about bringing non-scientific theories into the science classroom, besides separation of church and state, is that they make that issue cloudy and that is a very dangerous thing when introducing science as a subject. This agenda does not have to be religious, sometimes it is about putting forward a political end game or making money.

I don't think either of the two main parties is anti-science, but I do believe that in recent history one party has supported science more than the other. A great example of when the religious views of politicians gets in the way is RU486. There was a period in the 90's when the drug was made illegal even for research because of its abortion implications. When it was made illegal there was a study underway where it was proving effective at helping to treat a particularly deadly and difficult to treat type of childhood cancer. The researchers either had to either stop their work or move overseas. By not understanding the nature of drugs and the wider view the politicians involved may have prevented potentially life saving treatment. Drugs are funny that way... thalidomide caused horrific birth defects, but is great at treating leprosy... and poisonous substances similar to mustard gas have been used to treat certain types of cancer due to their short half life and the increased rate at which cancer cells take up nutrients.

When politicians, and general society don't understand the science they either mistrust it, or are prone to listening to the voices yelling the loudest. The only way I know to make this happen less and less is to keep science in the classroom science, so that when students leave the classroom they at least understand the basics.
« Last Edit: August 31, 2008, 01:40:18 AM by lise »
Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist.  Throw some ground balls.  More democratic.

oneaprilday

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #341 on: August 31, 2008, 01:46:08 AM »
Those are great points, lise, and thanks for your clarification. (Now I really need to get to bed - I hope you can get to sleep, too - I'm sorry, as you indicated in another thread, you have worries that are keeping you awake.  :( )

skjerva

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #342 on: August 31, 2008, 12:27:10 PM »
reckon y'all have read this
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
                        - Iris Barry from "The Public's Pleasure" (1926)

Thor

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #343 on: August 31, 2008, 01:37:34 PM »
wow.
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St. Martin the Bald

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #344 on: August 31, 2008, 01:51:01 PM »
Quote
The final point of interest is that Trig Palin has been diagnosed with Down's syndrome (aka trisomy 21). This is an interesting point, as chances of having offspring with Down's Syndrome increases from under 1% to 3% after a mother reaches the age of 40. However, 80% of the cases of Down's Syndrome are in mother's under the age of 35, through sheer quantities of births in this age group.

While I appreciate the implications - this statistic is completely meaningless in this case.

I am not sure what to think other than it is comforting to know that both sides have their own fair share of muckrakers and sensationalists.
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Wowser

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #345 on: August 31, 2008, 02:07:33 PM »
Is the grandson the one who edited her Wiki article?

St. Martin the Bald

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #346 on: August 31, 2008, 02:13:48 PM »
Pudding - you often know exactly when to inject the right amount of levity...
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¡Keith!

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #347 on: August 31, 2008, 03:40:07 PM »
Is the grandson the one who edited her Wiki article?

the user name of the editor was in fact "littleTrig" or something similar

¡Keith!

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #348 on: August 31, 2008, 03:53:35 PM »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrBus8ORR78

CINECAST! Moore and Fowler too.

skjerva

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Re: US Elections 2008 Edition
« Reply #349 on: September 02, 2008, 11:44:50 PM »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrBus8ORR78

CINECAST! Moore and Fowler too.

i'm not sure that is interesting in any way  :-\

but this is funny
But I wish the public could, in the midst of its pleasures, see how blatantly it is being spoon-fed, and ask for slightly better dreams. 
                        - Iris Barry from "The Public's Pleasure" (1926)

 

love