The scary, the strange, the paranormal...

[mwelch8404]

Fair one mate. It is an interesting field. The possible migratory paths are fascinating too.

I'm still wondering about the prehistoric redheads (mummies) buried with gold jewelry in Mongolia and the blond prehistoric mummies in China. I guess we could bring in the 12 Tribes... ;-)

 

[Andy BB]

Backing away from the "rubbishing superstition" mode in case of yellow cards

Interesting factoid on height of modern man, a topic being discussed earlier in the thread - one I came across a decade or so, but didn't believe until I checked the facts out.

The height of the average Japanese male increased by over 6 inches in the first generation following WW2. Apparently this was purely down to the increase in the amount of protein in the diet following the American occupation. Yes, Big Macs are good for you! And apparently studies done on sailors' bones around the time of the Mary Rose showed similar height averages to the previous generation of Brits - the current generation is significantly taller (as anyone who has had teenage kids will confirm!)

 

[zarkwon]

I definitely ate more chicken dippers than my dad and my boy eats more than me. He's gonna have to watch out for those Beech beams when he grows up.

 

[789987]

Backing away from the "rubbishing superstition" mode in case of yellow cards

Interesting factoid on height of modern man, a topic being discussed earlier in the thread - one I came across a decade or so, but didn't believe until I checked the facts out.

The height of the average Japanese male increased by over 6 inches in the first generation following WW2. Apparently this was purely down to the increase in the amount of protein in the diet following the American occupation. Yes, Big Macs are good for you! And apparently studies done on sailors' bones around the time of the Mary Rose showed similar height averages to the previous generation of Brits - the current generation is significantly taller (as anyone who has had teenage kids will confirm!)

i'm suprised it was down to increased protein. i thought the japanese diet was heavily fish based. also maybe being bigger isnt better!!

"Although it is increasing, the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Japanese population remains lower than that in the US and other Western populations. However, with changes in Japanese lifestyle since World War II, the prevalence of such risk factors as hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes has increased, possibly predicting further increases in the incidence of CHD and other cardiovascular disease in Japan."

http://eurheartjsupp.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/suppl_A/A8.full

 

[_mark_]

Anyone who has seen a ghost tends to believe in them thereafter. I have two friends who both had profound supernatural experiences, one of whom would not return to his house until it was exorcised - nor would his cat and dog! He won't discuss it either and when pressed becomes very anxious.

 

[HHazeldean]

Anyone who has seen a ghost tends to believe in them thereafter. I have two friends who both had profound supernatural experiences, one of whom would not return to his house until it was exorcised - nor would his cat and dog! He won't discuss it either and when pressed becomes very anxious.

I completely agree, those who haven't seen them tend to be less inclined to believe in some kind of supernatural.

 

[markie*mark0]

I personally am logically minded, level headed and very skeptical. But that doesn't mean there are things that i don't understand or science/logic cannot explain.

I've not experienced any "scary, strange or paranormal" going's on in my life time, but that doesn't mean i haven't had a thought run through my head suddenly when i've been awoken by a akward noise, I shrug it off and go back to sleep.

 

[Biker]

I completely agree, those who haven't seen them tend to be less inclined to believe in some kind of supernatural.

Can't wait to read Zarkwon backpeddle once he sees his first ghost. okenest:

I'll be bowing out of posting in this thread too. It's interesting to read, but having had so many heated debates over the years and found they didn't resolve anything I find this one heading in the same direction... in circles.

 

[HHazeldean]

Can't wait to read Zarkwon backpeddle once he sees his first ghost. okenest:

I'll be bowing out of posting in this thread too. It's interesting to read, but having had so many heated debates over the years and found they didn't resolve anything I find this one heading in the same direction... in circles.

Indeed. I was surprised by how heated this thread has become and why. hmmmmm......

 

[rik_uk3]

Science Vs Supernatural will always attract the god question. There has been some good debate though. If you are not interested or think the discussion not to your liking then by all means stop reading. Players petitioning the ref for yellow cards for others is frowned upon, to continue your analogy. Especially when they are not even playing fair and appear only to be on the pitch to heckle the players. Walking off the pitch when being outplayed is fine if you like but then calling for the game to be stopped is just bad form.

Not outplayed, but as neither will accept the others view this thread has become pointless.

Now I really am out of this one

 

[BorderReiver]

Evolution has been substantiated not proven (a very fine difference granted and FWIW I believe in evolution) There are, as Mwelch pointed out however, several theories of eveolution rather than one (at least several variations of the theory) Darwin's original concept of slow and gradual was complicated with the discovery of several mass extinctions; mostly now explained by various catostophic events. As far as the scientific meaning of "theory" vs the everyday meaning; Actually it IS the same for both.

Wrong.
Scientific Theory comes from everyday theory: you first have to wonder, theory, then work and investigate and prod and find out how and why, then you have a Theory.

A Theory is not the definitive answer, it's the latest we have on the evidence our current level of technology provides.

One of the biggest steps, IMO, in human evolution, was the development of curiosity and the awareness of "self". This fired off "spirituality" which unfortunately was hijacked by organised religion. The stultifying effect of this religion was obvious during the "Dark Ages" when the absence of any progress was painfully obvious. This is beginning to happen again in the USA and other countries with increasing "fundamentalist" influences.

 

[789987]

lol

 

[Grendel]

True enough but I think we've hijacked the original poster's intent. I believe he was trying to get some campfire ghost stories.

At last a post i understand

As a paranormal investigator (or a nutter with delusions some may think on here) I like ghost stories even if some people on here don’t believe in such things. I never believed in the paranormal until I experience non-logical or scientifically explainable things in the past. I’m all for proving so called paranormal experiences fake which is why i became an invesitgator but in certain circumstances there are no scientific answer to them.

As far as the original topic, I was coming out of an observatory one morning at about 1 am. The wind was picking up blowing dust and the sky was clouding up. Since this is an observatory, it was several miles out of town and away from any "civilization," meaning light pollution. I had stayed to finish up my paperwork, so everyone had been gone for nearly an hour. I checked to make sure my truck keys were in my hand before I locked the door, since getting locked out makes for a long, cold walk. I started on the 100 meter or so walk to my truck. I was about a third of the way there when a screech owl let one go. I never did decide if my heart stopped or just beat so fast I couldn't tell, since it was so far up my throat it was nearly between my ears. Nearly a wiper there.

A truly touching cloth moment:yikes:

 

[Andy BB]

i'm suprised it was down to increased protein. i thought the japanese diet was heavily fish based. also maybe being bigger isnt better!!

"Although it is increasing, the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Japanese population remains lower than that in the US and other Western populations. However, with changes in Japanese lifestyle since World War II, the prevalence of such risk factors as hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes has increased, possibly predicting further increases in the incidence of CHD and other cardiovascular disease in Japan."

http://eurheartjsupp.oxfordjournals.org/content/6/suppl_A/A8.full

The amount of protein in the Japanese diet up to WW2 was incredibly low, hence the amazing height increase in one generation. Sure, fish was consumed if affordable, but in very small quantities - nowhere near enough to meet modern recommendations of protein intake. The old racial slurs - bandy-legged, small etc - had a basis in fact, rickets being one of the major causes apparently.

 

[Manacles]

Backing away from the "rubbishing superstition" mode in case of yellow cards

Interesting factoid on height of modern man, a topic being discussed earlier in the thread - one I came across a decade or so, but didn't believe until I checked the facts out.

The height of the average Japanese male increased by over 6 inches in the first generation following WW2. Apparently this was purely down to the increase in the amount of protein in the diet following the American occupation. Yes, Big Macs are good for you! And apparently studies done on sailors' bones around the time of the Mary Rose showed similar height averages to the previous generation of Brits - the current generation is significantly taller (as anyone who has had teenage kids will confirm!)

We're back to isaac Newton here,...maybe when he said "If I have seen further it was because I was standing on the shoulders of giants" it was a protein related comment

 

[santaman2000]

The amount of protein in the Japanese diet up to WW2 was incredibly low, hence the amazing height increase in one generation. Sure, fish was consumed if affordable, but in very small quantities - nowhere near enough to meet modern recommendations of protein intake. The old racial slurs - bandy-legged, small etc - had a basis in fact, rickets being one of the major causes apparently.

You're quite right about the fish consumption being reliant on affordability. The primary component of the diet until then was rice. I am surprised to learn of thr issue with Rickets though. I thought that was primarily caused by a deficiency of vitamin D which is readily obtained by exposure to sunlight.

 

[santaman2000]

Yes diet caused health problems are on the increase. However they generally are not related to increased protein intake; at least not directly related. The maladies you describe are more commonly caused by the fat content of high protein foods. Also there is a difference between "larger" (meaning general body size; muscles, bones organs) and "fatter" which is where many of us are now going. However excess protein can damage the kidneys and some recent size increases may be artificially caused by harmful use of steroids.

Apparently increased protein intake also affects animals. Biologists have recently come to believe that Kodiak Brown Bears and Grizzly Bears are one in the same species. The current thinking is that the Kodiak is larger only because of its higher protein Salmon diet.

 

[santaman2000]

Wrong.
Scientific Theory comes from everyday theory: you first have to wonder, theory, then work and investigate and prod and find out how and why, then you have a Theory...

They are the same definition.

 

[santaman2000]

Wrong.
Scientific Theory comes from everyday theory: you first have to wonder, theory, then work and investigate and prod and find out how and why, then you have a Theory.

A Theory is not the definitive answer, it's the latest we have on the evidence our current level of technology provides.

One of the biggest steps, IMO, in human evolution, was the development of curiosity and the awareness of "self". This fired off "spirituality" which unfortunately was hijacked by organised religion. The stultifying effect of this religion was obvious during the "Dark Ages" when the absence of any progress was painfully obvious. This is beginning to happen again in the USA and other countries with increasing "fundamentalist" influences.

"Fundamentalist" is by definition an absence of organization.

 

[SimonD]

"Fundamentalist" is by definition an absence of organization.

I don't think the absence of organization has anything to do with the definition of "fundamentalist" has it? Could you elaborate please?