The Skeptics Guide to the Universe Forum

Quote from: jt512 on Today at 02:36:46 AMAre you from New Zealand?

I come from Down Under the Land Down Under 

I'm an Aussie from Tassie. Hence my screen name.

Quote from: jt512 on Today at 02:36:46 AMDoctors aren't scientists.

Fair point. But it would be fair to say medicine is an applied science.

So they are in the science field and should be using science to diagnose. So while not scientists they are also not, not scientists. If that makes sense.

Quote from: jt512 on November 27, 2023, 08:03:48 PMThose who are less capable, go into industry. Naturally, that's a simplification; but it has been my observation that it usually holds.

The mining and fossil fuel industries don't employ the least capable geologists to make multi $Billion decisions that can make or break companies and are the backbone for countries GDP 

I would think that philosophy would hold for most scientific endeavours that have a profit margin and shareholders to placate.

You get the best and you pay them accordingly.

Some may go into science for the right reasons, but not every medical student wants to save the world. Some go into with the plan to be a high end surgeon making millions.

Islamaphobia is real. There are right-wing fundies that are terrified of Islam and see all Muslims as potential terrorists. Hawkins does play into that irrational fear. Whether he intentionally means to or not.

Most of us Atheists have no problem with Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism etc

Many religions have their extremists. Most of us have a problem with them.

In the other milestones category:

Today is the 60th Anniversary of one of History's most memorable days.

Today 60 years ago the BBC aired the 1st Episode of Doctor Who. 😎

Apparently some rando politician got shot in the US the day before. But who remembers that 

Quote from: Harry Black on November 22, 2023, 11:06:18 AMKurt and Wyatt Russel play older and younger versions of the same character involved in starting the organisation that investigates Godzilla and Kong in the movies.

I haven't seen Ep.3 yet. I really enjoyed the first 2 Episodes.

I am intrigued to see how they explain old Shaw's (Kurt's) age.

The character is born in 1924 (we see his file) and they visit Shaw (Kurt) in 2015. So he is either a very fit 91 yo or there is some time-whimey shenanigans going on.

The fact they haven't tried to age Kurt up, suggests the latter.

Quote from: arthwollipot on November 20, 2023, 04:57:55 PMYeah, our Greens are relentlessly oppposed to nuclear energy too. And GMOs. I vote for them because I like all their other progressive policies, but on these two issues I disagree with them.

They're also opposed to Hydro-Electric schemes and many proposed Wind Farms.

A lot of NIMBYs in the Greens Party

Quote from: bachfiend on November 20, 2023, 09:39:55 PM

Quote from: Tassie Dave on November 20, 2023, 08:24:35 PM

Quote from: Harry Black on November 20, 2023, 04:36:27 AMHeadgear in boxing seems likely to cause more brain damage.

I have the same view of helmets in American Football. It can be argued that the players are sustaining worse long term brain injury (CTE) by wearing the helmets. They go in much harder and faster than they would if they weren't wearing a helmet.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is caused by repeated concussion.  Concussion is caused by rotation injuries.  Helmets are good at preventing direct injuries, such as scalp lacerations, bruises and skull fractures, not so good at preventing rotation injuries.

I'm bemused by the rare AFL player who wears a very light helmet, thinking that he's protecting himself from serious injury.

Most AFL players who have worn helmets do it to protect a previous impact injury. It will get them back into the game faster while the bone damage is still healing.

Caleb Daniel is an exception. He started wearing a helmet in his junior days, because it was the only way his mother would let him play and he just kept wearing it.

You do see it more in the AFLW. I think it is because of the higher rate of concussions and the lower impact required that causes some women to wear them. I don't think it makes a great difference, except peace of mind.

There was one female player (Heather Anderson) who wore a bright pink helmet so her visually impaired mother could recognise her on the field more easily (As well as to try and reduce concussion). Unfortunately she committed suicide last year and was found to have had CTE. She was the first Female Professional Athlete in the world to be Diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Indians fans are flooding social media and accusing the Aussies (and especially Mitch Marsh) of disrespecting the Trophy   

They are lucky it's not an actual cup. Otherwise it would be full of beer. 

It's their cup, they can do with it whatever they want 




The win makes Nasser Hussain's excuses for the England performance more amusing.

England, apparently, performed badly because of the gruelling Ashes series 

The Aussies have been on tour for most of the last 5 months. They come back with the ICC World Test Championship Trophy, The Ashes retained (just) and the ODI World Cup Trophy. 

Quote from: Harry Black on November 20, 2023, 04:36:27 AMHeadgear in boxing seems likely to cause more brain damage.

I have the same view of helmets in American Football. It can be argued that the players are sustaining worse long term brain injury (CTE) by wearing the helmets. They go in much harder and faster than they would if they weren't wearing a helmet.





 

Quote from: DevoutCatalyst on November 19, 2023, 07:42:57 PMIf this is an example of the quality of Australian Broadcasting Corporation productions, good on you Aussies.

Auntie (ABC) has a very good reputation for high quality productions.

It is my tax dollars that pay for it, so you're welcome 

Quote from: bimble on November 19, 2023, 01:59:06 PMCummins said the plan was to quiet the crowd and they certainly managed that.

It was amazing how quiet 130,000 people can be 

It was a good game to watch and not only because the Aussies won. Both sides had their chances to win the game.

It would be fair to say I'm ecstatic with the result  , especially after my first post in this thread, was pointing out that we were at the bottom of the table after 2 games.



It proves the adage that "it's not how you start that matters. It's how you finish"

9 straight wins, including the most important one 

I couldn't read the article without subscribing, so I don't know whether the story goes into sports where head injuries are done on purpose.

In my younger days I was a fan of boxing. I started to fall out when the thugs like Tyson came into the sport and we started to see champions like Ali deteriorating physically.

Now I can't stand the sport and think it should be discouraged at the youth levels. I know they have padded helmets and restrictions in the amateurs and junior ranks, but I am not a fan of sports where trying to hurt your opponent is encouraged.

Don't even get me started on MMA and that Slap Fighting BS. They are just sports for people who love violence.

Aussie Rules, Rugby, cricket, Hockey (Field), Horse racing (plus most other major sports) in Oz takes head injuries seriously and has taken huge measures to eliminate and/or mitigate head injuries.

Aussie Rules & Rugby (League & Union) have banned any tackle that could, potentially, cause head injury. Players face penalties for any play that causes contact with the head. These can range from free kicks against for minor contact, to sin bin (a sending off in Rugby League) to missing many games for major contact.

Most sports are trying to coach players out of playing styles that cause head high contact.

Cricket, after the death of an Australian player in 2014, have redesigned helmets. (Phil Hughes died days after being hit in the temple by a ball that knocked him out and put him in a coma. He was wearing a helmet)  The ICC (The International Cricket Council) has also introduced Head Injury Assessments for any hit to the head in matches whether the player is wearing a helmet or not. Helmets are now mandatory in Australia for batters facing medium or fast bowlers.

It is impossible to eliminate all risks and keep full contact sport enjoyable for both the participants and the viewers.

Quote from: daniel1948 on November 17, 2023, 11:32:37 AMMeanwhile, non-competitive sports (jogging, cycling, swimming, paddling, hiking, etc.) provide fun, healthy exercise without the need to be the "best" at anything.

All of those sports have competitive competitions where people try to be the best and many risk death and major injury to do them. We have many mountain bike trails, that people do for fun, that are down the steep side of a mountain. There is no medal or title for doing them. Death or serious injury would result if you crashed at speed.

There is a thrill for some people at testing their limits. Not everyone wants to do sport safely and co-operatively. Danger and competition can be a major driving force for many sports people.

Cycling is a sport where many people die doing it competitively and for fun. All sports you mention have a risk element, especially if done in the "wild" i.e open ocean, the bush etc and done at the limits of a persons capability.

Quote from: bimble on November 16, 2023, 01:30:12 PMOooo, that game ended up a lot closer than I thought it would after the end of the first innings!

At least it ended with the right result 

Australia into the final and South Africa to continue their search for their first ever cricket World Cup another year.

It is hard to see India not winning, but Australia has shown often at these events that they can never be written off.  It is why, over both Men's and Women's cricket, we have made 28 World Cup finals (out of a possible 43) and won 20 (so far) of them. South Africa has never made a Men's world cup final (They have made 1 Women's final and lost)

Go Aussies  on Sunday night/Monday Morning.

The Aussie media have been having a bit of a laugh at former England captain Nasser Hussain's excuse to explain England's poor World Cup performances. Apparently, it is because of their gruelling Ashes campaign. Poor England, no other country has any idea how hard it is to play a gruelling Ashes series.   

They had the added hardship of playing at Home, on familiar grounds, in front of a friendly crowd on pitches prepared for their style of play. Imagine if they had to travel to the other side of the world to play on foreign pitches, in front of a hostile crowd, on pitches not suited to their style of play. Then having to fly home for a short rest before flying across another ocean to play a series of matches in a country that actively hates them (South African). All before this World Cup.

Australia did all that and still made the Final. Needless to say Nasser Hussain is being ridiculed in Aussie media and social media. As he should