What did you do during the Covid-19 pandemic dad?

[Gob]

Well, this is now a great "laffs" debate.

Thanks for the chuckles guys!!

[ex-khobar Andy]

However, religion, the opium of the people, is pushed on us from cradle to grave, and will indeed be the death of us due to the lack of understanding and tolerance they falsely preach.

I think you mean that human beings tend to intolerance (perhaps even of religion) and that lack of understanding is a common trait among people.

As one who preaches and knows many who do, I reject your blanket simplifications. I hope you work out your deep-seated trauma one day

All roads lead to Popper in the end. "[H]uman beings tend to intolerance" - is the corollary of "me against my brother; my brother and me against our cousins; our family against the village; our village against the town; our town against the city; our city against the country; our country against the world." I can't say it better than the intro to the Wikipedia piece on the Paradox of Tolerance: The paradox of tolerance states that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually seized or destroyed by the intolerant. Karl Popper described it as the seemingly paradoxical idea that, "In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." The paradox of tolerance is an important concept for thinking about which boundaries can or should be set.

All religions do some great things. Feeding the starving; healing the sick; comforting the bereaved; and so on. Paul told us in 1 Corinthians that of the three great gifts of god, faith, hope and charity, charity was the greatest. You don't have to be a Christian to agree with the sentiment. And how can any of us live without hope? (Especially during these times: I hope to read the CoV literature, both fiction and non, which will come out of this era. Will we see another Defoe [Journal of the Plague Year] and another Marquez [Love in the Time of Cholera]?). But WTF was faith doing in that sentence, even on the same page?

But faith? There's a clue in the subtitle: The One True Faith. The great monotheistic religions have something similar and I suspect that the polytheistic ones do too. If I choose to be decent to my neighbor why does Paul think it's better to do it from a standpoint of belief in some chosen chap from a couple of thousand years ago who also, reportedly, thought it a good idea?

I get that religion is a source - or at least an apparent if indirect source - of much that is good in the world. But is also the font of much of the world's intolerance. Don't take my word for it: take theirs. Jesus told us (at least according to his buddy John who should know - he was there) that "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." How very Trumpian! You are nothing without me and you will get nowhere! Only those of you who acknowledge me are worthy. That to me is the essence of intolerance.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Well, this is now a great "laffs" debate.

Thanks for the chuckles guys!!

Agreed, Gob. Sorry 'bout that.

[Burning Petard]

Yes indeed. One must be prepared to exercise a healthy and strong sense of humor when reading Karl Popper, unless you are a very young person who takes philosophy seriously because you have a short, limited exposure to the reality of life.

snailgate

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well, this is now a great "laffs" debate. Thanks for the chuckles guys!!

Arse. (He wrote affectionately).

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." How very Trumpian! You are nothing without me and you will get nowhere! Only those of you who acknowledge me are worthy. That to me is the essence of intolerance.

Unless of course it's true. The intolerance then is from those who don't believe and who reject. But you are in error in "acknowledge". What is to be believed is that he died in our place - the essence of compassion and charity - and healed the division between man and God. It's not a matter of "acknowledging" him - any more than it's a matter of "acknowledging" the life-guard who just save you from drowning.

Even if it's not true, it is merely foolish. Not intolerant. (Though sometimes I'd like to take an unchristian machine gun to some of his sop-called followers) tut tut.

[Gob]

The intolerance then is from those who don't believe and who reject.

Choosing not to believe in a superstition is not "intolerance".

[RayThom]

As for us atheists, trying to lump us into a nefarious, murderous, class that includes Stalin is just plain christian fundamentalist preaching, doom and gloom, bullshit. 99.99% of atheists practice benign, live and let live, humanism. More than you can say judging by christian history -- now and then. All varieties of religion, and religious cults, for that matter.

I understand why you are so bitterly obtuse. If you read with comprehension you would note that your paragraph above exactly proves my point.

1. In relationship to atheists as a "nefarious, murderous class that includes Stalin" i wrote this:

Does that sound right to you? It doesn't to me.

We agree. So much for your "just plain christian fundamentalist preaching" bullshit

2. To the contrary, you are the one constantly bitching, broadcasting your prejudiced blanket aspersion that "religion" consists 100% of evil people doing their best to destroy everyone else. You just don't see that the one position is as blindly stupid as the other, do you?

I judge by the history of people and it's people who make life worse or better, and they will use politics, faith, lack of faith, hatred of the other, covetousness and any excuse to be the people they are and achieve their selfish ends. Non-religious leaders have caused more death and suffering in the world than religions have ever (yet) managed. But I don't allege that all atheists, nor yet most atheists, nor yet the huge majority of atheists espouse such behaviour. So, lay off the insulting hostility eh? Remember, Jesus wants you for a rainbow

Meade, hostility? You read way too much into what I pointed out. I only appear hostile to you because I don't agree with you. You may be younger than me but I get a definite stern father vibe from you. I find it arrogant and annoying yet easy to tolerate. I am hostility free -- that's who I am.

I suppose I'll just have to go to my grave blissfully obtuse, while you stand on your pulpit looking down on the flock of sheep as you espouse your fundamentalist christian values. Who will be the first to test the unknown? Only time will tell. Good luck.

AMEN

[MajGenl.Meade]

Fine, Ray. You stop making smug generalizations and I'll stop pointing them out
xoxo

[RayThom]

Fine, Ray. You stop making smug generalizations and I'll stop pointing them out. xoxo

See what I mean? You can't help yourself, grandpop.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Well that wasn't so smug. I'll let it pass

[MajGenl.Meade]

The mayor of an Oklahoma city amended an emergency declaration requiring customers to wear face masks while inside businesses after store employees were threatened with violence.

Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce announced the change Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the declaration took effect.

“In the short time beginning on May 1, 2020, that face coverings have been required for entry into stores/restaurants, store employees have been threatened with physical violence and showered with verbal abuse," City Manager Norman McNickle said in a statement. "In addition, there has been one threat of violence using a firearm."

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/0 ... /24182438/

"These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal."

[Long Run]

Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce

Bunch of cowboys live there, no wonder.

[Gob]

A couple were fined for breaking the coronavirus lockdown rules by making a 135-mile round trip to a coastal resort "to smell the sea".

The pair were caught by police after travelling from Boston Spa, near Wetherby, to Whitby.

Police said it was "not a reasonable excuse to travel into our area and they were told to return home immediately".

It comes after two motorcyclists were fined for travelling 200 miles to buy fish and chips in the seaside town.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-y ... e-52544864

[Gob]

A couple who made up a batch of home-brew beer to get round South Africa's tough alcohol ban during lockdown died in agony after drinking one bottle of the ale each.



Tony Hilliar, 54, and Alida Fouche, 42, had run out of their own supplies of alcohol and decided to make their own brew with no end of the controversial restrictions in sight.

It is believed both collapsed at their home in Port Nolloth in Northern Cape province after sampling the homebrew and that estate agent Tony made a desperate call for help.

The rest of the batch which had not been drunk was also seized and taken away for laboratory testing.

Close friend Tommy Cockcroft, 52, said: 'They both liked a drink at the end of the day which is typically South African but thanks to this poorly thought out government ban there is no alcohol.

'Everyone is making their own beer so Tony did as well but it seems something went terribly wrong with the brew and that they both collapsed and died very senseless deaths.

'This alcohol ban is just beyond total belief and there is no sense whatsoever in it and the sooner people are treated like grown ups the better' he said.

Ok, I'll bite. I've had some dodgy brews in the past, but how is this so lethal?

[RayThom]

Hmm, good for what ales you... NOT!

How can you screw up homemade brew? I was making beer back in high school and we never got sick.

Maybe this couple substituted Clorox for water on our Grifter-in-Chief's recommendation. I get a feeling this was more a suicide than an accidental poisoning.

[Crackpot]

Not sure what could cause near immediate death I have heard of home brewing creating nome nasty infections if proper sanitary practices were not followed. I would guess creative ingredient usage.

[MajGenl.Meade]

One suspects a sanitation error and I'm far from the only person in South Africa who hopes that's all it is

All kinds of nasty gremlins can arise if containers are not properly cleaned. Unless they were cooking alcohol rather than beer, methanol poisoning shouldn't be a problem. Some fruit beers can have slight methanol content, as I understand it but not enough to hurt.

Hope not anyway. My pineapple brew in the well-cleaned plastic container under the sink needs a few more days to find out. Wonder who I can give the first glass to - just for safety's sake....

[ex-khobar Andy]

I really don't know what can go so wrong in beer making. Distillation can go awry and you get methanol (wood alcohol) boiling over and being concentrated in the distillate. There have been a number of incidents in which someone added methanol to beer or wine in the belief that alcohol is alcohol and it's all good. Living and working in the alcohol-free (allegedly) Middle East I reckon I've made at least a thousand litres of beer and wine from not very good source material and no-one ever got sick.

Beer (specifically small beer) was often made as a way of purifying water.

[RayThom]

I suspect the "bouquet" should be a dead giveaway.

Then again, if you have a close relationship to alcohol that won't stop you.

Years ago, while vacationing in Wildwood, the guy in the next room bought my opened bottle of Aqua Velva for $5. No bars were open on Sunday, IIRC.

[MajGenl.Meade]

There have been a number of incidents in which someone added methanol to beer or wine in the belief that alcohol is alcohol and it's all good.

Yes, that's a distinct possibility. Apparently crocodile bile is another additive that might crop up (although not in Mozambique)

Brewing beer at home has a much less serious effect (vs. distilling alcohol) but is still cautioned against. There are no known toxic microorganisms that can survive in beer but your drink can become contaminated. Contamination can easily occur at every step of the home brewing process.

Two natural causes of contamination are wild yeast and bacteria. Bacteria such as Lactic acid bacteria and Acetic acid bacteria can be found in homebrewing materials like grain, hops, additives, vessels, tubes and other brewing equipment.

In 2015, 69 people died and 196 were admitted to hospital after consuming contaminated Pombe, a traditional Mozambican beer, at a funeral in Mozambique. A report from a multi-disciplinary team from the National Health Institute revealed that the beer contained the bacteria Burkholderia Gladioli, not crocodile bile as was first reported.

Signs for a contaminated batch of beer include:

– foul smell
– foaming bottle
– mold floating on top
– a bad taste that worsens over time.

The safest thing to do in this case is to abstain from producing your own alcohol during the lockdown. Your stomach and liver will thank you.