WWTBAM Bored

I showed up with a sign extolling the virtues of scientifically developed Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and they almost beat me to death with it.*

*Obviously, I did not do that, but I strongly suspect that not all science was equally welcome at the marches.

I was equally unpopular with my sign; "Thank you science for Thalidomide".

The March for Science was worldwide. Here is a picture of the march in Minamisoma, Japan.

Spock and bit's posts are even more laughable if, in your head, you read them in the bitchy whiny voice of Sarah Palin.

Science also blinded poor old Thomas Dolby.

Spock wrote:I showed up with a sign extolling the virtues of scientifically developed Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and they almost beat me to death with it.*

*Obviously, I did not do that, but I strongly suspect that not all science was equally welcome at the marches.

Actually, if you go an look for the "best of" signs from the marches, there were several which made fun of the anti-GMO-ers.

And I particularly liked the post that said: There was a pro-homeopathy march the same day. They only had one marcher, but the participant claimed that made it more powerful than the science march.

Pro-science marchers are not the granola-head peaceniks you're thinking of.

And BiT, what exactly is your post intended to make fun of? That scientists are somehow responsible for the horrors of thalidomide, a still-useful drug that was over-prescribed, beginning in Germany, because of a lack of governmental oversight? You're arguing for more government controls?

That scientists are responsible for the tragedy at Fukushima?

You can make that point a lot more effectively by making fun of physicists for insisting that radiation was not dangerous, as late as 1955. Science does make mistakes. But both of these cases you cite are failures of systems, not just one field.

mrkelley23 wrote:

Spock wrote:I showed up with a sign extolling the virtues of scientifically developed Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and they almost beat me to death with it.*

*Obviously, I did not do that, but I strongly suspect that not all science was equally welcome at the marches.

Actually, if you go an look for the "best of" signs from the marches, there were several which made fun of the anti-GMO-ers.

And I particularly liked the post that said: There was a pro-homeopathy march the same day. They only had one marcher, but the participant claimed that made it more powerful than the science march.

Pro-science marchers are not the granola-head peaceniks you're thinking of.

And BiT, what exactly is your post intended to make fun of? That scientists are somehow responsible for the horrors of thalidomide, a still-useful drug that was over-prescribed, beginning in Germany, because of a lack of governmental oversight? You're arguing for more government controls?

That scientists are responsible for the tragedy at Fukushima?

You can make that point a lot more effectively by making fun of physicists for insisting that radiation was not dangerous, as late as 1955. Science does make mistakes. But both of these cases you cite are failures of systems, not just one field.

Actually, thalidomide was a success of the FDA, which persisted in its refusal to approve the drug for use in the United States until the phocomelia came to light. As I recall, the scientist who made the call faced significant political pressure to relent. Nevertheless, she persisted. --Bob

I have mentioned my high-school biology teacher before-she recently retired after 40 plus years, but she still subs so my kids know her and stuff. She was in a group picture at a local Sciencey March, which is fine and I was not surprised. She also recently was on a dream trip to the Galapagos.

A few years ago, I lent her my copy of David Quammen's "Song of the Dodo" which is built on the framework of Alfred Russell Wallace's career and focuses on the field of Island Biogeography and how evolution occurs on islands and so forth.

I never got the book back, but I did see it on her desk at school one day and I picked it up and paged through it, I have never seen a book with so many margin notes and underlining and so forth.

I have to kind of wonder at how "Sciencey" you are as a biology teacher, when an "anti-science" farmer gives you a foundational book that presents so many ideas that are apparently new enough and important enough to you that you have to ruin my damn book.

I noticed the "Rubella-Vaccination" sign in the picture.

I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth,caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base. For example, there is a current measles outbreak in the Somali community in Minnesota.

http://www.startribune.com/hennepin-cou ... 420271103/

ne1410s wrote:Spock and bit's posts are even more laughable if, in your head, you read them in the bitchy whiny voice of Sarah Palin.

You got me, how can you argue with logic like that?

With all due respect to Mr. Kelley, the photo shown above by BobJ confirms every stereotype of the Sciencey Marchers.

Spock wrote:With all due respect to Mr. Kelley, the photo shown above by BobJ confirms every stereotype of the Sciencey Marchers.

And thus the purpose of my post. The march was really a silly thing to begin with. All of these marches make me feel a bit sorry for the state of our society. Everyone who participates I see as someone pining for the old days of the 60's (Summer of Love, Woodstock, Selma, March on Washington, ....), wanting to be a part of history, so they fabricate excuses and "create" their own history, hoping to be in the several social media posts making it to the front page or one day hoping to be able to tell their grandchildren "I was there": The Standing Rock protest, Women's March, a Day without Immigrants, this one.

Spock wrote:I noticed the "Rubella-Vaccination" sign in the picture.

I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth,caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base. For example, there is a current measles outbreak in the Somali community in Minnesota.

http://www.startribune.com/hennepin-cou ... 420271103/

I don't think that's the case, particularly with respect to the measles outbreak a few years ago centered at Disneyland that motivated California to remove religious or conscience-based exemptions from vaccination. Now it takes an honest-to-goodness medical reason (or the kid can't go to school), and a lot more kids are getting vaccinated. I lay the blame squarely on homegrown anti-vaxxers. --Bob

Bob78164 wrote:

Spock wrote:I noticed the "Rubella-Vaccination" sign in the picture.

I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth,caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base. For example, there is a current measles outbreak in the Somali community in Minnesota.

http://www.startribune.com/hennepin-cou ... 420271103/

I don't think that's the case, particularly with respect to the measles outbreak a few years ago centered at Disneyland that motivated California to remove religious or conscience-based exemptions from vaccination. Now it takes an honest-to-goodness medical reason (or the kid can't go to school), and a lot more kids are getting vaccinated. I lay the blame squarely on homegrown anti-vaxxers. --Bob

It's both. Some cultures and belief systems are opposed to vaccination for one reason or another, and there is an anti-vax minority of Americans as well.

Spock wrote:I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth,caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base.

Spock, do you think there are any problems in this country that aren't caused by immigration?

silverscreenselect wrote:

Spock wrote:I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth, caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base.

Spock, do you think there are any problems in this country that aren't caused by immigration?

All the problems in this country are caused by immigrants --- starting in 1492.

BackInTex wrote: All of these marches make me feel a bit sorry for the state of our society.

Are these marches any sillier than the incessant calls to right-wing talk radio?

What's significant about these marches is the fact that they are continuing and that they seem to be tied to other types of political activism as well. Not all that long ago, as you indicated, a march would be a big social occasion and a be-all and end-all. Make a few speeches; get drunk or high; feel good; go home; and hibernate until the next Presidential election. That's changing in 2017. The results are showing up in bits and pieces due to the scattering of off-year and special elections, but they are up. Democratic and left-wing interest is up. That's how a 20 point Republican district in Georgia is now dead even, and a 30 point Republican district in Kansas was chopped to under double digits. Democrats are more willing to mobilize and organize GOTV efforts and we hope that will translate into fielding better candidates as well.

Bob Juch wrote:

silverscreenselect wrote:

Spock wrote:I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth, caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base.

Spock, do you think there are any problems in this country that aren't caused by immigration?

All the problems in this country are caused by immigrants --- starting in 1492.

So the folks already here just appeared one day?

silverscreenselect wrote: and we hope that will translate into fielding better candidates as well.

Not a high bar

BackInTex wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:

silverscreenselect wrote:
Spock, do you think there are any problems in this country that aren't caused by immigration?

All the problems in this country are caused by immigrants --- starting in 1492.

So the folks already here just appeared one day?

I suppose the primitive humans that crossed the Bering Strait could be called immigrants.

BackInTex wrote:

silverscreenselect wrote: and we hope that will translate into fielding better candidates as well.

Not a high bar

Here in the Sixth District, the Democratic candidate for Congress in 2016 was Rodney Stooksbury. Here's an article about him:

http://beforeyoutakethatpill.com/blog/2 ... tooksbury/

Tom Price won almost 62% of the vote against Stooksbury.

Stooksbury actually did better than the last two Democrats who ran in the Sixth. In 2014, Robert Montigel lost 66-33: https://patch.com/georgia/roswell/monti ... l-district

In 2012, Price beat Jeff Kazanow 65-35. https://archive.is/Olw4E. And, in 2010, Price was unopposed.

Those are the candidates the Democrats have routinely thrown out in so-called Republican districts far too often, poorly funded gadflies with no organizations, no experience, and no support.

earendel wrote:

Bob78164 wrote:

Spock wrote:I noticed the "Rubella-Vaccination" sign in the picture.

I submit that most cases involving measles outbreaks and so forth,caused by non-vaccination is related to immigration at the base. For example, there is a current measles outbreak in the Somali community in Minnesota.

http://www.startribune.com/hennepin-cou ... 420271103/

I don't think that's the case, particularly with respect to the measles outbreak a few years ago centered at Disneyland that motivated California to remove religious or conscience-based exemptions from vaccination. Now it takes an honest-to-goodness medical reason (or the kid can't go to school), and a lot more kids are getting vaccinated. I lay the blame squarely on homegrown anti-vaxxers. --Bob

It's both. Some cultures and belief systems are opposed to vaccination for one reason or another, and there is an anti-vax minority of Americans as well.

Re: The American anti-vaxxers are probably not as physically concentrated as the (for example) Somali community in Minnesota. A Measles outbreak is more likely to spread in the concentrated immigrant communities.

Spock wrote:

earendel wrote:

Bob78164 wrote:I don't think that's the case, particularly with respect to the measles outbreak a few years ago centered at Disneyland that motivated California to remove religious or conscience-based exemptions from vaccination. Now it takes an honest-to-goodness medical reason (or the kid can't go to school), and a lot more kids are getting vaccinated. I lay the blame squarely on homegrown anti-vaxxers. --Bob

It's both. Some cultures and belief systems are opposed to vaccination for one reason or another, and there is an anti-vax minority of Americans as well.

Re: The American anti-vaxxers are probably not as physically concentrated as the (for example) Somali community in Minnesota. A Measles outbreak is more likely to spread in the concentrated immigrant communities.

But that hasn't been the case.

I just wore my "Sod Off Swampy" t to the beach. I did have drive in a SUV past the nuclear power plant to get to the beach