The unimportant news thread

Started by Lethevich, March 05, 2008, 07:14:50 AM

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Iota

Quote from: Iota on May 29, 2021, 05:46:51 AM

In terms of the thread title, that does seem to qualify rather convincingly as fairly unimportant news ...

p.s  I refer above to Canal 26's reporting of the 'news' that Shakespeare has died. Coming back to the thread, it seemed like it might be read as referring to PD's posting of the story being unimportant. Not so of course.  :)

drogulus


     Helio got #4

     

     

     
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Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

LKB

It's probably already too late, Karl.

We've been radiating artificial signals out into space for over a century. Any ETs within a hundred-light-years' bubble with the requisite detecting technology will know our location, if nothing else.

But the murderous nature of Homo Sapiens, coupled with the capability of detonating nuclear weapons in space, might give prospective interplanetary aggressors pause. Hopefully we won't have to find out.
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

SimonNZ

I heard someone, I think it was Brian Cox, saying the bottleneck and lottery level fluke that allows single cell organism to becpme multi cell and for runaway evolution to began may be far far less likely than people had already thought and that planets capable of supporting life may never have experienced that necessary chance occurance.

André

Interesting. I didn't know that.

drogulus

#3946
Quote from: LKB on June 13, 2021, 10:32:02 AM


We've been radiating artificial signals out into space for over a century. Any ETs within a hundred-light-years' bubble with the requisite detecting technology will know our location, if nothing else.



     Time is as much a barrier to contact as space. With billions of years of starting points to play with I don't see how aliens develop in parallel to us in a way that makes contact a reality.

     I think we should look for a pale blue dot with the possibility of lots of interesting creepy crawly things on it. I'd be happy with that.
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SimonNZ


drogulus

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Karl Henning

Quote from: SimonNZ on June 13, 2021, 10:49:06 AM
I heard someone, I think it was Brian Cox, saying the bottleneck and lottery level fluke that allows single cell organism to becpme multi cell and for runaway evolution to began may be far far less likely than people had already thought and that planets capable of supporting life may never have experienced that necessary chance occurance.

There's (erm) hope yet, then ....
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

T. D.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/57480597

American middle distance runner Shelby Houlihan has been banned from athletics for four years after testing positive for a prohibited substance - which she blamed on a burrito.

The 28-year-old says she was told in January the anabolic steroid nandrolone had been found in a doping sample.

Olympian Houlihan said it may have come from eating a pork burrito, which she said could lead to a false positive for nandrolone, the night before her test.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: T. D. on June 15, 2021, 06:34:37 AM
https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/57480597

American middle distance runner Shelby Houlihan has been banned from athletics for four years after testing positive for a prohibited substance - which she blamed on a burrito.

The 28-year-old says she was told in January the anabolic steroid nandrolone had been found in a doping sample.

Olympian Houlihan said it may have come from eating a pork burrito, which she said could lead to a false positive for nandrolone, the night before her test.
I remember reading something some time ago (perhaps in past year + probably older due to covid) of another athlete ....I want to say from maybe Argentina or Chile(?) testing positive for a steroid and blaming it on eating an animal product...which apparently is commonly used in their animal production in their country (a steroid).  Will see if I can find an article about it.  Whether or not one could eat enough of this meat for it to show up in an athlete's system or not and in high enough levels.....? Will look into your article in a bit.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Karl Henning

Quote from: T. D. on June 15, 2021, 06:34:37 AM
https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/57480597

American middle distance runner Shelby Houlihan has been banned from athletics for four years after testing positive for a prohibited substance - which she blamed on a burrito.

The 28-year-old says she was told in January the anabolic steroid nandrolone had been found in a doping sample.

Olympian Houlihan said it may have come from eating a pork burrito, which she said could lead to a false positive for nandrolone, the night before her test.

Darn those pulled-pork burritos, anyhow!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

T. D.

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on June 15, 2021, 01:24:14 PM
I remember reading something some time ago (perhaps in past year + probably older due to covid) of another athlete ....I want to say from maybe Argentina or Chile(?) testing positive for a steroid and blaming it on eating an animal product...which apparently is commonly used in their animal production in their country (a steroid).  Will see if I can find an article about it.  Whether or not one could eat enough of this meat for it to show up in an athlete's system or not and in high enough levels.....? Will look into your article in a bit.

PD

Famous cyclist Alberto Contador blamed a clenbuterol positive test on beef. I think other cyclists have used this excuse.
The standard American athletic excuse has been "tainted (dietary) supplements," but I think some have tried meat as well. If you follow such things closely, some really bizarre rationalizations have been put forth.

Karl Henning

Quote from: T. D. on June 16, 2021, 04:58:39 AM
Famous cyclist Alberto Contador blamed a clenbuterol positive test on beef. I think other cyclists have used this excuse.
The standard American athletic excuse has been "tainted (dietary) supplements," but I think some have tried meat as well. If you follow such things closely, some really bizarre rationalizations have been put forth.

Doesn't pass the sniff test.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

T. D.

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on June 16, 2021, 05:40:26 AM
Doesn't pass the sniff test.

OK, then try this one on for size:   :laugh:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/apr/22/lashawn-merritt-drugs-male-enhancement

LaShawn Merritt blames failed drug test on 'male enhancement product'
Olympic champion says he took over-the-counter medicine
'It was a foolish, immature and egotistical mistake'


I'm pretty sure even weirder excuses have been posited...  :o

T. D.

https://sports.yahoo.com/chicago-cubs-star-ben-zobrist-alleges-former-pastor-had-affair-with-his-wife-defrauded-charity-lawsuit-015746364.html

Former Chicago Cubs star Ben Zobrist filed a lawsuit last month alleging that his former minister had a sexual relationship with his wife and defrauded his charity foundation, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Zobrist is seeking $6 million in damages in the lawsuit against Byron Yawn — his former pastor and current CEO of a Nashville-area counseling firm. It was filed last month in Nashville Circuit Court.


mabuse

Quote from: T. D. on June 16, 2021, 12:11:11 PM
I'm pretty sure even weirder excuses have been posited...  :o

I hope you like soap opera  :D

Athletics: Ophélie Claude-Boxberger inflexible in front of his judges Paris (AFP)
The athlete Ophélie Claude-Boxberger, specialist in middle distance and tested positive for EPO a year and a half ago, maintained Monday before the anti-doping justice to have been doped without his knowledge by his ex-father-in-law, during of a hearing which did not allow to remove the gray areas. The enigma Ophélie Claude-Boxberger (OCB), which risks up to eight years of suspension.
https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-03-15-%0A---athletics--oph%C3%A9lie-claude-boxberger-inflexible-in-front-of-his-judges---france-24%0A--.rJZexkmpX_.html

T. D.

Here's a list of some oddball sports doping excuses:

https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/ridiculous-doping-excuses/

Included is a case where the "eating tainted beef" plea worked!
I recall cyclist Tyler Hamilton's surreal "chimeric twin" rationalization, but that one didn't get far.  :laugh:

Also (with some overlap):
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2017/08/the-weirdest-performance-enhancing-drug-excuses-in-sport.html
https://latinamericanpost.com/21248-the-most-unusual-excuses-of-athletes-who-have-tested-positive-for-doping (contains another penile extension excuse)
https://www.vegasodds.com/worst-doping-excuses-in-sports/

The lists are 2020 and earlier, so they don't cover some of the recent farces.


mabuse

Thanks for the links, T.D.  ;D

Some people go so far in their denial, it's fascinating...   ::)