About the flu

I happened to see Dr. K the other day (about something non-flu related), and I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about this year's flu season. Seems that health professionals have been more concerned than normal about it since we have a flu pandemic on average of every 30 years, and since the last one was in 1968-69, we're overdue.

Anyway, this is what Dr. K had to say about the flu:

• The primary symptoms are fever, "aches and pains", and coughing.
  
  
• If you come down with symptoms, you must seek treatment in the first 72 hours. Beyond that, there is little that can be done; either the flu will kill you or you'll get better. Keep in mind that getting medical help can merely mean making a phonecall to your doctor and letting him know what your symptoms are. They may be able to advise you over the phone as to whether you should come in or safely ride it out.
  
  
• The way that the flu usually kills people is by eating lung tissue. That's the main concern about this year's bird flu that health professionals have their eyes on, they are worried that it has a particular affinity for lung tissue.
  

Good luck this flu season!

Science vs. Intelligent Design

Moderator: We're here today to debate the hot new topic, evolution versus Intelligent Des---

(Scientist pulls out baseball bat.)

Moderator: Hey, what are you doing?

(Scientist breaks Intelligent Design advocate's kneecap.)

Intelligent Design advocate: YEAAARRRRGGGHHHH! YOU BROKE MY KNEECAP!

Scientist: Perhaps it only appears that I broke your kneecap. Certainly, all the evidence points to the hypothesis I broke your kneecap. For example, your kneecap is broken; it appears to be a fresh wound; and I am holding a baseball bat, which is spattered with your blood. However, a mere preponderance of evidence doesn't mean anything. Perhaps your kneecap was designed that way. Certainly, there are some features of the current situation that are inexplicable according to the "naturalistic" explanation you have just advanced, such as the exact contours of the excruciating pain that you are experiencing right now.

Intelligent Design advocate: AAAAH! THE PAIN!

Scientist: Frankly, I personally find it completely implausible that the random actions of a scientist such as myself could cause pain of this particular kind. I have no precise explanation for why I find this hypothesis implausible --- it just is. Your knee must have been designed that way!

Intelligent Design advocate: YOU BASTARD! YOU KNOW YOU DID IT!

Scientist: I surely do not. How can we know anything for certain? Frankly, I think we should expose people to all points of view. Furthermore, you should really re-examine whether your hypothesis is scientific at all: the breaking of your kneecap happened in the past, so we can't rewind and run it over again, like a laboratory experiment. Even if we could, it wouldn't prove that I broke your kneecap the previous time. Plus, let's not even get into the fact that the entire universe might have just popped into existence right before I said this sentence, with all the evidence of my alleged kneecap-breaking already pre-formed.

Intelligent Design advocate: That's a load of bullshit sophistry! Get me a doctor and a lawyer, not necessarily in that order, and we'll see how that plays in court!

Scientist (turning to audience): And so we see, ladies and gentlemen, when push comes to shove, advocates of Intelligent Design do not actually believe any of the arguments that they profess to believe. When it comes to matters that hit home, they prefer evidence, the scientific method, testable hypotheses, and naturalistic explanations. In fact, they strongly privilege naturalistic explanations over supernatural hocus-pocus or metaphysical wankery. It is only within the reality-distortion field of their ideological crusade that they give credence to the flimsy, ridiculous arguments which we so commonly see on display. I must confess, it kind of felt good, for once, to be the one spouting free-form bullshit; it's so terribly easy and relaxing, compared to marshaling rigorous arguments backed up by empirical evidence. But I fear that if I were to continue, then it would be habit-forming, and bad for my soul. Therefore, I bid you adieu.

Source: http://abstractfactory.blogspot.com/2005/10/only-debate-on-intelligent-design-that.html

I'm feeling sick...

I have contracted...

Saturday Night Fever

This gruesome disorder is marked by a tendency to shake it to disco.

Find out what you've contracted!