HIV vaccine into Human trials

[Dame Eldgeth]

I think GOF hit the bullseye on that one. 
Yes, "news" is one of my other rants.  And yes, I have a bunch of them.
It may be more titillating to hear about a single missing child in Florida than, oh, European economics.  But which one is more important?  Which one will have more effect on our lives? 
And I know, there are so many "experts" willing to tell us what to do,  how are we supposed to decide who to listen to?
I wish more people used their critical thinking skills to help them sort it out.
But no, it's usually a case of whoever looks best on camera, and speaks in a tone of authority, wins. 

[GrumpyOldFart]

It may be more titillating to hear about a single missing child in Florida than, oh, European economics.  But which one is more important?  Which one will have more effect on our lives?

This reminds me of an exchange from an old Heinlein book:

"I don't pay attention to politics."

"You should, it's barely less important than your own heartbeat."

" I don't pay attention to that either."

 

[Usdrothek]

Politics is important but it should run smoothly and uninterestingly out of everyone's day to day life. Its only when a government is inept or corrupt or both that it gets attention.

Case in point, Australia's sorry excuse for a 'government'. Worst government in our history.

[GrumpyOldFart]

It's not just in politics, it's everyday life. I used to work in electronics (various sub-industries), often as a field tech dealing with customers, and one of the major reasons I got out of it was that I felt like I couldn't keep my self-respect and still do my job. One or the other, but not both. Pointing out to a customer that the reason he's having so much trouble is that my own company's sales department sold him a piece of worthless crap really isn't one of my options.

One of the best bosses I ever had took me aside and explained it to me one day:

"When I bought this business, I nearly went broke the first couple of years, because I thought the same way you do. It was really hard for me to come to terms with the fact that if a customer comes in wanting some cheap, shiny piece of crap, you don't want to talk him out of it. Talking him out of it won't make him buy something decent from you. It'll just run him out the door and make him go buy his cheap, shiny piece of crap from someone else."

 

Let's just say that I wasn't always a grumpy, cynical old fart. I was taught to be one.

[Dame Eldgeth]

Oh, wow GOF, reminds me of the scene from "Ruthless People", still one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend  it.
Usdrothek, I am completely with you.  Government should be mostly boring.  In fact, someone in Canada recently made that comment.  He is glad that their government is boring, after all they could have all the "exciting" crap going on in the US.
But it's the wrong kind of excitment.  I really don't care about Newt's wife's hair (I understand it has its own Facebook page now). 
It's rather like an auto accident, I can't make myself look away.  Look!  Look at all the wealthy people slinging mud at the other weathly people because they are, um wealthy!

[Dame Eldgeth]

There's a really cool picture in National Geographic this month of a bioluminescent kitten, product of the search for a cure for HIV/AIDS.