Fw: wear it only if it fits

Neil Jones Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk
Sun Jan 14 15:12:29 EST 2001


> In defense of Neil (not that he won't hasten to defend himself)
>
> The English language, as spoken by Americans, has nuances that may not
> be grasped by our friends from across the sea.
 
Especially when you come from my part of the UK. Technically English
isn't even native where I'm sitting. Some people genuinely don't speak
it too well.
 
> The verb to skoosh is used (always) as a joke. "Skoosh a spider, you
> gets rain," says the spider warningly in the Pogo comic strip of happy
> memory.
> So most of us knew that Jim was kidding. But some of us did not.
 
It is not a word used here. I only responded after an American did
so along similar lines. The word is not in the Oxford English dictionary.
 
> Neil is not, in fact, old and cranky. He is (from my vantage point at
> least) quite young well-educated in his field, an active worker in
> conservation, and sings in a Welsh chorus that happened to go touring
> through South Florida, which gave me a chance to meet him.
> Our habit of cheerfully teasing each other, however, does not suit his
> style. I suppose you could define that as "humorless".
 
I really do have a good sense of humour. Well at least I think so :-)
If you asked the guys in the choir they all laughed at my mimic act at after
 concert parties.
 
> I agree that it would be nice (sorry, Neil) if he would stop ranting
> about Paul as if he were the Anti-Christ.
 
But he is isn't he! (joke)
 
> Most of us have enough
> scientific smarts to recognize Paul's "science" and "observation" and to
> employ the necessary grain of salt.
> Paul is not going to change his point of view ... his pay check depends
> on it.
 
EXACTLY but how many people can't see this!
 
I have to differ with you.
I am not convinced it is *most* people who can see through his bad logic.
Every time he posts his "creative science" someone chimes in saying
something like "Aw shucks ain't he a clever dude folks".
 
 
> Neil's immortal soul is involved in his ecological position.
 
It isn't just my ecological position. I have an intense dislike of
dishonest salesmen.
 
> And if they would just go out behind the barn and duke it out when they
> feel called by the Lord to do battle, the rest of us could get on with
> our lives.
> Both are (forgive me) utterly inflexible, probably (at least apparently)
> incapable of change. Neither sees a need to change, as far as I can
> tell. I happen to think that (mostly) Neil is right and Paul is wrong,
> but, I, like Jim, am tired of the automatic knee-jerk reaction, the
> ranting, the "I'm right and therefore you're wrong" aspect of the
> interminable pointless argument.
 
I know it may seem that way :-) but it isn't an automatic knee-jerk reaction.
At least 2 people had agreed
with him before I responded and I let his misleading stuff over
global warming go without response a few weeks ago. The usual
unreliable "creative science" from political sources.
 
I have, if you look carefully, changed my position on a few things over
the years. I am always prepared to be persuaded by logic. I try to check my facts
carefully and I have to be convinced a position is correct before I adopt it.
Some people try to con people. I don't like that. :-)
We all have our own biases. I make my position crystal clear in my signature
quote. I try never to say anything that misleads people or that I don't
have evidence to back up.
 
> It spoils discussions to have a couple of the participants *always*
> throwing sand. Let alone hitting each other and passers-by with their
> little buckets.
 
Well if more scientists realised he isn't just being a devil's
advocate and spoke up I would be content to sit back. I'd much rather
not "throw sand" but all that is needed for the triumph of evil is
that the good do nothing. Look in the archives. I am quite prepared to
debate the issues logically with people who put their point *honestly*.
 
Remember this is a serious issue and this is the guy who spoke against
my friend who posted a plea to help save the "world's rarest butterfly"
from extinction. I cannot believe that anyone who *really* cares about
conservation would do such a thing.
 
I will never see a Passenger Pigeon alive or a Xerces Blue. I have seen
Bay, Quino, and Sacramento Mountain Checkerspots but if nothing is done
to continue to preserve their declining habitat others will not have
the privilege that has been granted to me.
 
In my own country I have to work quite hard to find species that flew
in my folks' backyard in my childhood and as Anne says I am not an old man.
 
--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve
 
 
 
 
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