Bill Gates saw this coming

[n4gix 4,947]

19 hours ago, Avidean said:

Haha, That's hilarious. What's really funny is that I made a humours post in this thread too and it was immediately deleted. But not yours Chock

Had you indicated that it was intended to be "gallows humour" perhaps it would have passed the smell test. Unfortunately it came across as simply making light of a situation and a political commentary.

[Quasimodo 505]

1 hour ago, n4gix said:

Had you indicated that it was intended to be "gallows humour" perhaps it would have passed the smell test. Unfortunately it came across as simply making light of a situation and a political commentary.

Is that what the world has come too? That in general the masses can't tell the difference between humorous commentary and political rhetoric? Either way whats wrong with making political comments or for that matter religious comments. Could it be that we all have the right not to be offended? Or is it just some? I wonder what the corresponding duty to that right is? Oh dear, nough said🤣😒

Edited March 15, 2020 by Avidean

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

2 hours ago, Avidean said:

Is that what the world has come too? That in general the masses can't tell the difference between humorous commentary and political rhetoric? Either way whats wrong with making political comments or for that matter religious comments. Could it be that we all have the right not to be offended? Or is it just some? I wonder what the corresponding duty to that right is? Oh dear, nough said🤣😒

Sounds like you've been to the pub and the banter has rubbed off on ya 🤣

[Quasimodo 505]

3 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

Sounds like you've been to the pub and the banter has rubbed off on ya 🤣

No, I've been to the University before it was a safe space and the banter rubbed off on me.

Edited March 15, 2020 by Avidean

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

2 hours ago, Avidean said:

No, I've been to the University before it was a safe space and the banter rubbed off on me.

Intellectual conversation in a time like this, even better 🤔

 

[kdfw__ 542]

16 hours ago, B7X7-900 said:

It should also be noted that sanitary measures during the middle ages were pretty much non existent. Things were better by 1918 (Spanish Flu) but no where near what we have had at our disposal for the last 50 years or so. My opinion is that a bug is going to have a much harder time racking up body counts than at any time in human history.

 

it should also be noted that the bug has evolved and will continue to evolve.  and whatever we have at our disposal now will not keep us safe if it hits every community like a tsunami.  

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

I think the best example of an ancient public health campaign was Kosher and Halal foods, back before established governments and health departments religion played a large roll. It must have been a historical swine flu epidemic in the middle east that led to not eating pork, and also safe eating practices before things like refrigeration. China also has a great history of public health and safe eating practices going back centuries as well. also better farming practices compared to Europe.

I am no historian but I always figured it was a swine flu at some point that led to religious edicts in the middle east preventing eating pork, maybe someone has better knowledge. 

[Alan_A 1,650]

1 hour ago, Matthew Kane said:

I am no historian but I always figured it was a swine flu at some point that led to religious edicts in the middle east preventing eating pork

Could have been that, or it could have been the everyday risks of undercooked pork - trichinosis and such.

Either way, the ancients often knew what to do, even if they didn't know why.

 

[B7X7-900 10]

7 hours ago, kdfw__ said:

it should also be noted that the bug has evolved and will continue to evolve.  and whatever we have at our disposal now will not keep us safe if it hits every community like a tsunami.  

All viruses and bacteria mutate. Always have. The cold you had last year is not the same strain you had this year.

As a side note, the bubonic plague was caused by a bacterium, not a virus.

Edited March 16, 2020 by B7X7-900
Refinement of statement

[Quasimodo 505]

14 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

It must have been a historical swine flu epidemic in the middle east that led to not eating pork

That comes from the Mosaic law. Book of Leviticus. Mosaic law typically was related to personal hygiene and good health and moral rectitude. Pork is not kosher because pigs have cloven hooves. No animal with cloven hooves is kosher unless it chews the cud.

Hah! I got religion in. So sue me!😁

Edited March 16, 2020 by Quasimodo

[Alan_A 1,650]

1 hour ago, Quasimodo said:

Pork is not kosher because pigs have cloven hooves. No animal with cloven hooves is kosher unless it chews it cud.

That's the rabbinic explanation.  There are others - it's also been suggested that the prohibition is on "ambiguous" animals that aren't one thing or the other - like shellfish that are aquatic but not quite fish.

What seems to happen over time is that rational and abstract explanations get layered over earlier, tribal ones that can be either more mythic, or more pragmatic, or both.  It's not a stretch to think that Mosaic law, which is pretty evolved, is a reinterpretation of something that was originally about food safety.

Old wine in new bottles, as my professor, Theodore Gaster, liked to say.

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Quick Everyone....IT'S AN ALIEN INVASION.....AAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

So what you are really saying here is we all need to stock up on Motor Oil??????     🤣 🤣 🤣

[Dominique_K 10,138]

14 hours ago, Alan_A said:

That's the rabbinic explanation. 

That an Avsim thread morphs into a yeshiva debate about dietary laws is new 😂. Sign of the times ? Anyway, Rambam vs Abarbanel about it : 

https://www.mhcny.org/parasha/1026.pdf

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

48 minutes ago, domkle said:

That an Avsim thread morphs into a yeshiva debate about dietary laws is new 😂. Sign of the times ? Anyway, Rambam vs Abarbanel about it : 

https://www.mhcny.org/parasha/1026.pdf

Yes I wouldn't consider this a 'religious' context, this is in a more Historical Context looking into societal methods of Health and Safety policies from a different era before secular governance, not saying all good with the TOC just a bit of insight into Society Challenge and Change over time

[Dominique_K 10,138]

7 minutes ago, Matthew Kane said:

Yes I wouldn't consider this a 'religious' context, this is in a more Historical Context looking into societal methods of Health and Safety policies from a different era before secular governance, not saying all good with the TOC just a bit of insight into Society Challenge and Change over time

Maimonides (the Rambam) named his book « Guide for the Perplexed » 😉. A book written in the 12th century...

Edited March 17, 2020 by domkle