The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:20 am  

Once again contagion of Europe starts in Greece. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 64079.html Is this the beginning of a rebalancing of human populations? This could be alot worse than economic turmoil - a return to the days of huge numbers dying of infectious disease. That's something most of us haven't had in our lifetimes. This was always inevitable - destroying bacteria creates niches for other, potentially more virulent ones. Linking with the Pfizer thread, there isn't enough in it for drug company's to try to develop new wonder drugs. Do governments need to step in, or will capitalism triumph? (PS: Is it those clever Germans who have released the bacteria into the failing member states in order to reduce their pensioned populations?).

Once again contagion of Europe starts in Greece. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 64079.html Is this the beginning of a rebalancing of human populations? This could be alot worse than economic turmoil - a return to the days of huge numbers dying of infectious disease. That's something most of us haven't had in our lifetimes. This was always inevitable - destroying bacteria creates niches for other, potentially more virulent ones. Linking with the Pfizer thread, there isn't enough in it for drug company's to try to develop new wonder drugs. Do governments need to step in, or will capitalism triumph? (PS: Is it those clever Germans who have released the bacteria into the failing member states in order to reduce their pensioned populations?).

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:22 am  

Has anyone checked to see whether the sky is still where it's supposed to be today?

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:22 am  

Someone in my office just sneezed.

Am I now allowed to kill them?

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:22 am  

Dally wrote: Once again contagion of Europe starts in Greece. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 64079.html Is this the beginning of a rebalancing of human populations? This could be alot worse than economic turmoil - a return to the days of huge numbers dying of infectious disease. That's something most of us haven't had in our lifetimes. This was always inevitable - destroying bacteria creates niches for other, potentially more virulent ones. Linking with the Pfizer thread, there isn't enough in it for drug company's to try to develop new wonder drugs. Do governments need to step in, or will capitalism triumph? I'm sure BG can find a bot to replace you?

Dally wrote: Once again contagion of Europe starts in Greece. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 64079.html Is this the beginning of a rebalancing of human populations? This could be alot worse than economic turmoil - a return to the days of huge numbers dying of infectious disease. That's something most of us haven't had in our lifetimes. This was always inevitable - destroying bacteria creates niches for other, potentially more virulent ones. Linking with the Pfizer thread, there isn't enough in it for drug company's to try to develop new wonder drugs. Do governments need to step in, or will capitalism triumph? I'm sure BG can find a bot to replace you?

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:23 am  

Mintball wrote:

Has anyone checked to see whether the sky is still where it's supposed to be today?

I accept it was a link to a ridiculous newspaper.

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:24 am  

I just hope no one in Saturday night's crowd has recently returned from Southern Europe or India.

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:32 am  

Mintball wrote:

Has anyone checked to see whether the sky is still where it's supposed to be today?

Thought you liked the Independent, Minty?

A very good example of an answer based on who has written the post, as opposed to the post itself.

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:40 am  

ROBINSON wrote:

Thought you liked the Independent, Minty?

A very good example of an answer based on who has written the post, as opposed to the post itself.

a) The Independent can be piss-poor sometimes and decent on others. It's on a general decline at present, though – and that's not a comment on any editorial political stance, perceived or otherwise.

b) The poster in question has been described as a Chicken Licken character for some considerable time – and it was not something that I first used.

c) The story is not, of itself, new. Concerns over this have been being raised for years. Not only the over-use of antibiotic medicines, but (as I've pointed out more than one, here and elsewhere) the crackpot obsession with 'antibacterial' products of a variety of natures – from chopping boards to soaps to the bleedin' hand pumps for the soaps. But marketing is a factor that has seen countless people buy into an utter terror of germs – and the purchase of antibacterial products. There's a reason that, personally, I absolutely will not have such products in the house.

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:16 am  

Mintball wrote:

Concerns over this have been being raised for years. Not only the over-use of antibiotic medicines, but (as I've pointed out more than one, here and elsewhere) the crackpot obsession with 'antibacterial' products of a variety of natures – from chopping boards to soaps to the bleedin' hand pumps for the soaps. But marketing is a factor that has seen countless people buy into an utter terror of germs – and the purchase of antibacterial products. There's a reason that, personally, I absolutely will not have such products in the house.

One of the products that we sell involves all employees placing their hands onto a plastic coated plate at the start and end of their shift, the same plate. We started to notice the appearance of "antiseptic gel" dispensers alongside our equipment a couple of years ago, these apparently were at the request of the employees who were terrified of placing their hand onto something where another person had placed their hand previously.

As a side issue the alcohol in the gel affects the plastic coating on our equipment so we asked if the gel could be moved to the other side, ie AFTER they have placed their hands then they clean them, you'd be surprised how many objected to that.

Anyway, the main point is that this is on building sites, big rough tough builders, lads who have spent all day long touching things that other people have touched, some of whom have probably been digging out sewage pipes or working with foul water in plumbing issues, lads who wouldn't even consider to wash their hands after visiting the toilet, or who sit down and eat their sandwiches at lunchtime without washing their hands - they suddenly, a couple of years ago get absolutely paranoid about the spread of "bird flu" that they demand hand cleansers on building sites, I'd laugh at most of them if they weren't bigger than me, especially when you go inside the portaloos on those building sites.

Re: The revenge of Gaia? : Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:29 am  

I can't thin of anything even approaching funny about the prospect of visiting a builders portaloo.

Unless I had an array of antibacterial products.