Myth is critical to conservative politics today, making up some 90% of the justifications for conservative platform and policy worldwide. As such it seems essential for that purpose.

Just to make it clear, while myth is less important to liberal platform and policy, it makes up between 30% and 50% of the justifications for those worldwide.

No society today is built entirely upon science, law, and factual evidence. Some come closer than others, but we have a LONG way to go to become a rational society.

Your COVID claims do not conform to the evidence. In the USA in the last week there were an average of 104,511 new cases detected per day, 4069 new hospitalizations per day, and 291 deaths per day. Those numbers are down from the peaks, but trending UPWARD as compared to last week. In other words, we have a new surge starting and it is killing people. Sane people are taking precautions.

A disease isn't much of a disease if you have to use a test to see if you have it. Respiratory viruses have always been with us, and Corona/Rhino viruses ("a-choo!") are easily the most common ones. If you are sick already, they can present an opportunistic infection that might ultimately push you over the edge. But it is extremely rare for them to be the "cause of death."

So, you are being told a story "out of context." The statements made might (or might not) be factually true, but the ultimate purpose is to manipulate you.

Also, the deadly consequences of these non-"vaccines," and the fact that Big Pharma always knew about them but purposely concealed it, is finally beginning to rise to the surface. I do not believe that Big Pharma will succeed in enjoying "legal immunity" for much longer. This is not medical science – this is a crime against humanity. And the time will finally come when it is dealt with as such.

@enorbet: I think that the key difference between you and me – and I do enjoy these conversations – is that you seem to need a "Big Bang," and I don't.

Just like other people need "and the LORD said, Let There Be ..." And I don't.

Mythology is omnipresent because there is always something we can't rationally explain. And, "the world around us," and even our own bodies, are two of those things. As I have said, this doesn't bother me. I expect it. But I reject "the Big Bang as 'science'" for the same reason that I reject "creation 'science.'" Call it for what it is, and don't apologize for doing it. But don't call it for what it isn't.

@wpeckham: You are entirely correct to observe that every nation has its "founding mythology." There are stories that every schoolboy learns, and principles that are never to be questioned. They are sacrosanct. Even if, as it may turn out and often does, they are not entirely true. They are nonetheless part of the "glue" that holds a society together and gives it identity.

So, "mythology is everywhere, and it is very legitimate and important."

sundialsvcs, I wonder if you could explain why you think I need Big Bang? I certainly don't see that I do. Beyond mere interesting information, my only concern is that humans should agree that the scientific method, the gathering of pertinent data sifted through rigorous testing and serious attempts at falsification, have proven to be, not without any faults but nevertheless and by far the most successful means of arriving at the highest probability of accuracy, fueling the greatest growth in real world knowledge the world has ever seen. It seems to me that anyone, even those who accept the myth that "God helps those who help themselves" must agree, looking at the progress in quality of life, this is a truism. Myth is interesting, fun, and sometimes instructive but Science makes our lives vastly better. In my view anyone who disagrees doesn't know much History.

Other than being a part of that process, how the Universe began has no effect on how I live my life. So please tell me why you think I need Big Bang.

BTW regarding the very idea that Creation Myth and Big Bang are equivalent, have you seen any photos of Creation? There are photos of the backwards progression, tracing each successive step, from 2% to 100% of the span from Big Bang till the present. We have created along that progression line as far back as way less than .001%, which you would have seen documented had you watched the video I linked. Put it this way, if I owed you $100,000,000.00 and shorted you one tenth of one penny would you really be upset and take me to court? The actual difference is even wider but I know you don't like "billions".

So how does that mountain of objective evidence compare to Creation?... any Religious Myth of Creation? Yup, not one shred.

Your stand might have some validity, were it not for the fact we do not want to spread death and that many treatments are of no value once overt symptoms appear. This is true of some respiratory diseases, and conditions such as cancer. This is why we have regular testing for those ata greatest risk. COVID is no different in that respect.

People who test positive and isolate prevent themselves form spreading the virus and infecting others. If you see no value in that, or the lives that saves, then you are not really a human being.

I am confused by your comments about "non-vaccines". Non-vaccines are called "pills" around here. Medically, the vaccines for COVID are exactly that, vaccines. The technology used to create them is vaccine technology that is not new. Trying to relabel them as something else is political claptrap (new Myth?) with no scientific or logical basis. I suggest you study the medical technology a bit.

Regarding the concern over Covid threat: The death toll in the US in 2021 due to Covid19 was roughly 360,000. The death toll during the same period due to auto accidents was far from trivial at roughly 43,000. Due to those odds I wear a seat belt and keep my car in good working order... as well as altered my diet and got 2 vaccinations and a booster and see my doctor regularly. My ex wasn't do fortunate. She died from Covid, gasping for breath. My roommate tested positive for Covid (asymptomatic) despite getting the single Pfizer vaccination yet I tested negative one week after she was diagnosed positive. The vaccines cost me nothing but one day of fatigue and not only did I not get it, I didn't pass it on to anyone. Just like seat belts, even if it wasn't the direct cause of safety, it seems prudent to engage in both.

Maybe I'm overly cautious since one of my uncles got polio before it's vaccine was in wide usage and it was a very hard life for him and he died early and in great pain, but cost/benefit analysis applies I think.

And got plenty of hits including one from the
BBC.
The revamped LHC and the new J Webb telescope promise more interesting discoveries to come.

FermiLab and weight of the W Boson.

Has this thread been locked and doesn't yet indicate so, or have I become persona non grata? This goes through but thanking leclerc78 for the links doesn't... curiouser and curiouser

Hmmm... let's see.... Wow! I can't even post it as attached text. What level of censorship is now available here?

If you're referring to the "Did you find this post helpful?" option, it's never been available in the non-*NIX/general forum.

No. I wasn't. I tried to enter a post that began with thanking leclerc78 for the links and expanding on the fundamental differences between Science and Myth. When I clicked "Submit Rely" I was taken to a page saying I'd been blocked from LQN. So I tried a simple post, the above most recent one, and it posted. When I tried to edit in my attempted post's text I got the same denial. I even tried attaching it as text and quoting it and in each case was denied. I have no clue as to why so I will try again but not in this post since those attempts resulted in a "/dev/null" result. I'll try again in a separate post and if it again fails I'll edit that information in here.

EDIT: Same results - Blocked again.

Cloudflare strikes again! It's getting past a joke. They'll be denying access to Jeremy next.

We've got another thread on LQ about the W boson thing: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...nd-4175710564/