Gossip

Gossip is so boring. I don't think these is a less interesting anything to have to listen to. Maybe listening to a lecture on the profits and losses of a private bank in Sudan might be less intersting, but highly doubt it.

Why are women so uninteresting almost all the time...

What doesn't kill you...

This just released in the Journal of Experimental Medicine people who were infected with the H1N1 Swine flu last year have had a great immune response. Of the 60 million people who fell ill and survived the team examined a small group and found that their bodies produced a broad range of highly effective highly reactive antibodies. These antibodies seem to be more effective than this year's vaccine and go on to provide immunity against the spanish flu and H5N1 bird flu...

The human body freaking rocks.

The research released by this team suggests that the human body has, given the time and exposure to antigens, has produced a significantly more effective set of defences and antibodies that any of the teams of scientists around the world making the various flu vaccines.

Would you go to the moon?

I have been thinking about space travel quite a lot recently. Space travel as well as categorical thinking. You see, if you ask people would they pay to go to the moon, most people would say no. Categorically. For a number of very good reasons. Like for example, going to the moon seems to be extraoridnarily dangerous. Most of us don't consider the view worth the risk that we won't return. Or that we will get some kind of illness from the sun rays or this sort of thing. The latter fear probably being completely unfounded. But we don't know. And lack of information is as good a reason as any to be afraid of something.

To which I say, okay, if it were safe, and your return to earth (should you wish to return) garunteed, and there were no serious health implications aside from th muscle atrophy or what ever it is that makes you have to be put in a wheel chair when you get back to earth...would you pay to go to the moon. Still most people would say no. The reason being, going to the moon seems to be extraordinarily expensive. People say, if I had enough money to go to the moon, I would go everywhere on earth first. And build a huge house, with swimming pools and discos and have lots of friends who come and see me.

To which I say, okay, well what if you could go to the moon for $20,000... This is about the cost of a university education. What if it were less. Only $5,000. or $2,000. Or how about you have the billions of dollars, you have been all over earth, done everything from fasting in the tibetian mountains to million dollar shopping sprees in Qatar to sitting at the 0 yardline at the Super Bowl...taken dinner with Angelina Jolie and Nelson Mandela...how about then...

Usually people stop and start to think now. Start to say...well maybe then...but.

But usually the answer is still almost always a categorical no. Moon = a place i don't want to go.

But here is the thing. If someone on TV went to moon and found some little animal or something that was very adorable or breathes fire or something. I bet then you would want to go.

I think the main reason people don't want to go to the moon, is the belief that it isn't very interesting. It is like going to Siberia or the middle of the Sahara. Very hot or cold. Lots of rocks and sand. Maybe a beautiful sunset or something. But I guess the fact that the sun only sets once a month and once it does you are in complete darkness is a bit unsettling.

The moon is a place for doing science experiments, like proving Gallileo was write, or playing golf (which in my opinion is the least interesting sport in the universe)...not much of a tourist destination. So I guess I understand why most people don't want to go. I mean, would you?

Thank you, we're leaving

This is the name of a campaign being run by the doctors union in the Czech Republic. The campaign, like all union campaigns are for better wages. Understandably so. In the Czech doctors, even when working overtime, can expect to gross about $2000US a month. While this is enough to support a pay check to pay check style life with a tiny bit of savings (if you don't play, travel or buy toys) this is but a pittance compared to the costs of education, responsibility and regulations that doctors must procure. So the campaign, where doctors across the country, and en masse, are handing in their letters of resignation. On March 1st of this year, Czech Republic will find itself suddenly squeezed for doctors. Unless the government does something about the salary of doctors. While it seems like a very effective way to get the government to listen up, isn't this kind of hostage taking some what contrary to a doctor's calling in life? The "Thank you, we're leaving" campaign is basically taking patients as hostages in a fight against the government. This is an ugly and dangerous precedent. Although it seems that the government is not to concerned with the pirate doctors' threat I wonder how relations can be repaired and these honorable men and women who help save, maintain and improve the quality of life for some many individuals can find the recompense they deserve.