Author Topic: SWINE FLU!!!  (Read 28584 times)

Offline YourMathTeacher

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #100 on: August 31, 2009, 04:06:02 PM »
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I think the Killer Bees were a better analogy. I remember that hysteria. The news showed the map of Central and North America, and gave the timeline for when they would arrive in certain parts of the US. That paranoia sparked a few feature movies that made most people afraid to go into a field. Couple that with Jaws and I was afraid to leave my house as a child.
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Offline The Spy

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #101 on: August 31, 2009, 08:19:58 PM »
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I think the Killer Bees were a better analogy. I remember that hysteria. The news showed the map of Central and North America, and gave the timeline for when they would arrive in certain parts of the US. That paranoia sparked a few feature movies that made most people afraid to go into a field. Couple that with Jaws and I was afraid to leave my house as a child.
Except the threat of killer bees is still very large and growing. Perhaps it isn't as sinister and deadly as sensationalists thought it would be, but since I am a beekeeper I have been keeping my eye on the migration of killer bees and it is inevitably expanding northward.

Thus, the killer bee scare just goes to prove my point that although paranoia should be avoided, caution in both cases is very much warranted.
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Offline Prof Underwood

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #102 on: August 31, 2009, 11:49:16 PM »
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Except the threat of killer bees is still very large and growing.
Based on the minimal amount of research that I did on this, killer bees "have become the preferred type of bee for beekeeping in Central America and in tropical areas of South America because of improved productivity." and they only kill 1-2 people in America each year.  Comparing this to 355 Americans dying from falling off a ladder, I'm not worried.

Offline Colin Michael

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #103 on: September 01, 2009, 10:23:27 AM »
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Y2k and 2012, all over again.
Actually, the Mayans thought that in 2012, demons would pour forth from the center of our galaxy to chew everything up. I recently read "Maya Cosmogenesis 2012" and smirked a lot. :)

Quote
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment [was] as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts [were] like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads [were] as it were crowns like gold, and their faces [were] as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as [the teeth] of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings [was] as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power [was] to hurt men five months.
Dum, dum, DA!
αθαvαTOι θvηTOι θvηTOι αθαvαTOι ζwvTεs TOv εKειvwv θαvαTov Tov δε εKεivwv βιOv TεθvεwTεs -Heraclitus

Offline JSB23

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #104 on: September 01, 2009, 11:56:21 AM »
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If Obama AND his liberals get re-elected*
I's just funny to me how people blame all the countries problems on the leader that's been in power nine months whose trying to fix the country, not the one that was in power for Eight Years and completely screwed it up in the first place.
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Offline TechnoEthicist

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #105 on: September 01, 2009, 12:15:09 PM »
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I will say this again...BOTH parties are at fault for the mess we are in...quit with the partisan comments...

Offline The Guardian

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #106 on: September 01, 2009, 12:34:26 PM »
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+1
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Have you checked the REG?
Have you looked it up in ORCID?

Offline crustpope

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #107 on: September 01, 2009, 01:02:41 PM »
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I will say this again...BOTH parties are at fault for the mess we are in...quit with the partisan comments...

yes I agree.  I just read where the Banks that were "too big to fail" have gotten bigger since last fall.  Am I alone in thinking that this is a problem?  Why were they allowed to get "too Big" (and btw, while I do have some left leaning tendencies, I dont think that ANY firm is too big for the economy to take behind the woodshead and put it down.  If you run your buisness into the ground then you deserve to watch it die a miserable death)  and if they are "too Big" then they should be broken up into smaller more managable pieces.

I cant believe that these banks are still in their present forms and we have BOTH parties to thank for that and it makes me MAD
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Offline JDS

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #108 on: September 01, 2009, 01:06:44 PM »
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You understand the economy about as much as the leftist kitten to the left understands you.

And I mean "you" in the general sense, not you personally, reader of this post.

Offline crustpope

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #109 on: September 01, 2009, 01:36:02 PM »
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You understand the economy about as much as the leftist kitten to the left understands you.

And I mean "you" in the general sense, not you personally, reader of this post.

Since that comment came after my post it is hard not ot take offense at it.  I hope there is some sort of clarification that is clearer than that second sentance bcause it really doenst make any sense?  who is "you"?
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Offline JDS

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #110 on: September 01, 2009, 01:46:11 PM »
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I should clarify further. By "you," I meant your mom.

Offline crustpope

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #111 on: September 01, 2009, 01:52:50 PM »
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I may be alone here but I really dont find that funny
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Offline The Spy

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #112 on: September 01, 2009, 03:09:05 PM »
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Colin, that is a funny parallel but simply inaccurate. If you look into the legend of Mayan Cosmogenesis, you will find the Christian doctrine can hardly relate to the outlandish drug-inspired conclusions which the Mayan and Toltec priests arrived at.
Except the threat of killer bees is still very large and growing.
Based on the minimal amount of research that I did on this, killer bees "have become the preferred type of bee for beekeeping in Central America and in tropical areas of South America because of improved productivity." and they only kill 1-2 people in America each year.  Comparing this to 355 Americans dying from falling off a ladder, I'm not worried.
It is an ironic truth in beekeeping that the more productive a colony, the more aggressive it is. I concur that the productivity of the bee is attractive, but not to my neighbors or to anybody for that matter. I find that 1-2 death statistic very misleading for a few reasons:
1. It does not account for total loss of life, but only human deaths. Livestock isn't even considered a part of the damage caused by these bees, and I would speculate based off of the behavior of bees, that the fatality rate is much higher in other animals.
2. "Deaths" does not encompass total attacks from Africanized Honey Bees, but only accounts for fatalities. I have met plenty of people who have been stung hundreds of times in one confrontation and lived to tell the tale. Are these attacks not significant?
3. This statistic is young, much like with the Swine Flu and has yet to grow. We are starting to see these bees pass their genes northward. When the bees, like the flu virus, are widespread, then we will see much more scary statistics. Compare the few deaths in America to the many 100+ deaths south of our borders, and you might see our numbers rise to meet theirs in due time.

You can take all three of my responses and link them to our huge analogue concerning the Swine Flu.

I also want to make one final point: As a beekeeper, I have to look at my bees and determine what strain of genetics I want my bee to have. Do I want a hundred hives that are pleasant and worthy of barehanded treatment, or do I want half of that many hives which are capable of twice the productivity but are also more menacing and dangerous? After twelve years of tossing this question around in my head, the answer is most clearly the former. Just because the feisty hives can do twice as much work, does not cut my work in half. The time that I waste trying to ward off the evil and painful bees is not well spent and not worth the effort in my opinion.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2009, 03:11:38 PM by The Spy »
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Offline Prof Underwood

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #113 on: September 01, 2009, 05:06:34 PM »
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1. It does not account for total loss of life, but only human deaths.
I can't find any stats on how many cows are killed by bees, so I guess I'll have to leave this one alone :)

2. "Deaths" does not encompass total attacks from Africanized Honey Bees, but only accounts for fatalities.
I've been stung by bees many times, and I would propose that if the bees aren't killing people, then it's not significant enough to be worthy of raising nationwide alarm.

3. This statistic is young, much like with the Swine Flu and has yet to grow. We are starting to see these bees pass their genes northward. When the bees, like the flu virus, are widespread, then we will see much more scary statistics. Compare the few deaths in America to the many 100+ deaths south of our borders, and you might see our numbers rise to meet theirs in due time.
That's a fair criticism.  So I looked it up.  "South of our borders" in Mexico, there were a total of 88 deaths due to all hornets, wasps, and bees (not just the "killer" ones).  Comparing this to the 233 deaths by being struck by lightning puts this stat into perspective.  I'm still not concerned about this.

Just because the feisty hives can do twice as much work, does not cut my work in half. The time that I waste trying to ward off the evil and painful bees is not well spent and not worth the effort in my opinion.
That may be your assessment, but it seems that most of the people who have lived with these bees for a while disagree with you.

Offline Colin Michael

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Re: SWINE FLU!!!
« Reply #114 on: September 03, 2009, 08:32:37 PM »
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Colin, that is a funny parallel but simply inaccurate. If you look into the legend of Mayan Cosmogenesis, you will find the Christian doctrine can hardly relate to the outlandish drug-inspired conclusions which the Mayan and Toltec priests arrived at.
Or if you look at the fact that they were written on complete different continents unable to communicate with each other.

Hm...

Could the Mayan writings also have been written as a political critique of their nation disguised in metaphor? That'd be a cool parallel.
αθαvαTOι θvηTOι θvηTOι αθαvαTOι ζwvTεs TOv εKειvwv θαvαTov Tov δε εKεivwv βιOv TεθvεwTεs -Heraclitus

 


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