This sort of nonsense should be ridiculed to the max

[renormalised (Carl)]

http://thunderbolts.info/tpod/00current.htm

This sort of pseudoscientific, fantasy driven claptrap should be censored in some way so as to inform people that it's nothing more than nonsensical rubbish with no basis in reality whatsoever. It's this sort of claptrap that is being promoted as "legitimate" science and "alternative" theory that is being soaked up by impressionable minds. It's preying upon people's general ignorance of science and their capacity to be taken in by a seemingly convincing story. But even a cursory inspection of what's being said, if you had even a modicum of science training, would tell you where this sort of thought lies and how much veracity it holds. You can imagine school kids being taken in by this rubbish and I know that some are. That adults would fall for this crud is bad enough but to have it promoted as some realistic alternative to actual science and having kids find it and believe that is, going way beyond a joke. Even as science fiction, it's a bad joke.

What's even scarier is that very similar digressions from reality are being promoted as legitimate avenues of learning and are being supported by politicians, not only here but overseas as well. There are science teachers and parents in the U.S. that are afraid to speak out about the rubbish being promoted as reality because of the power of certain lobby groups and state legislation that's been put into force in some states, promoting the sort of rot that is being bandied about as truth. It's even happening in the U.K. to some extent. Last Sunday's Sunday Sun (QLD) had a 4 page article on what's being taught in the U.K. as "real" science in many schools.

Something should be done about it.

[marki]

Carl I think you may have found your niche or calling in life. The total eradication of the "Electric Universe" .


Mark

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Looks plausable to me. Given more and more proper thinking people agree the earth was created in 7 days, wouldnt plasma discharge occur on a much shorter time scale than water errosion and therefore be a much more likely cause?.

[Astrobserver99 (Rob)]

I have seen a lot of this type of nonsense around the net. I doubt censorship would help much...it would just pop up elsewhere...education might be the key

[joe_smith]

Originally Posted by Bassnut

Looks plausable to me. Given more and more proper thinking people agree the earth was created in 7 days, wouldnt plasma discharge occur on a much shorter time scale than water errosion and therefore be a much more likely cause?.

Hmmm wasn't it created in 6 days?? "he who must not be mentioned" took the 7th day off for a rest

[TrevorW]

It is a disused mining site, the aliens left over 60000 years ago when the vien run dry

[Screwdriverone (Chris)]

How does he get from "where did all the eroded material go"? and "how does water cut vertical cliffs", then state without reason that the valley narrows from this point (which doesnt have any relevance), skip over the plausible explanation of faults causing fractures and depressions in the underlying rock, and then sum it all up with Plasma discharge on an interplanetary scale?????

Must have found a hidden crop in the bush and took some home to try out in his cookie baking,...me thinks.

I agree Carl, Claptrap sums it up succinctly.

Cheers

Chris

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by marki

Carl I think you may have found your niche or calling in life. The total eradication of the "Electric Universe" .


Mark

Mark, you signature sums them up beautifully

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by Bassnut

Looks plausable to me. Given more and more proper thinking people agree the earth was created in 7 days, wouldnt plasma discharge occur on a much shorter time scale than water errosion and therefore be a much more likely cause?.

And we even have a firm date for that occurrence, from the good Bishop Ussher of the CoE. 17th Century ecclesiastical science at its finest

It all started on 23 Oct 4004BC...according to the good bishop and the playschool clock

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by Astrobserver99

I have seen a lot of this type of nonsense around the net. I doubt censorship would help much...it would just pop up elsewhere...education might be the key

Problem is it's coming from so called "educated" people...at least a few of them are. The others might have an education but they've obviously forgotten everything they were ever taught.

Including how to think logically and critically.

What needs to happen is that the educators in schools need smartening up and the role of curriculum setting taken out of the hand of politicians and bureaucrats and put back into the hands of specialised teachers with a lot of experience in the subjects to be taught.

[AndrewJ]

I suggest everyone should be required to reread Asimovs "Foundation" series.
Based on this current thread source and what's also going on with the general dumbing down of society, i reckon we're just entering the age of the priests
Bring on Hober Mallow

Andrew

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by AndrewJ

I suggest everyone should be required to reread Asimovs "Foundation" series.
Based on this current thread source and what's also going on with the general dumbing down of society, i reckon we're just entering the age of the priests
Bring on Hober Mallow

Andrew

It happens all the time with civilisations....they get to a point in their development, then they just fall apart at the seams because they go soft in the head. Or they let the little bit of "termite and mold damage" they seem to have to get out of control. Only one problem with Foundation....who's going to wait around 10000-15000 years for civilisation to come back to prominence

[marki]

Originally Posted by renormalised

What needs to happen is that the educators in schools need smartening up and the role of curriculum setting taken out of the hand of politicians and bureaucrats and put back into the hands of specialised teachers with a lot of experience in the subjects to be taught.

Nearly right mate. What needs to happen is education should be removed beyond any politics and from the control of politicians themselves. Each incoming party thinks it has to make changes whether good bad or ugly no matter what is at stake or the consequences of their desire to big note themselves whilst pulling the wool over parents eyes. Science teachers in WA have just completed a ten year fight with the politicians and silly academics and to some degree we won (polies got kicked out and we retained some sembelance of a workable curriculum). I can tell you straight out that non of this nonsense would ever be taught in a science classroom except with the intention to expose it for the rubbish it is. We need such material to expose kids to the idea of critical thinking and you can bet I have bookmarked that webpage. Have you looked at the preposed national science curriculum?

http://www.acara.edu.au/default.asp

Mark

[Barrykgerdes]

In 2012 you will find out how it happens if you can survive the end of the earth

Barry

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by marki

Nearly right mate. What needs to happen is education should be removed beyond any politics and from the control of politicians themselves. Each incoming party thinks it has to make changes whether good bad or ugly no matter what is at stake or the consequences of their desire to big note themselves whilst pulling the wool over parents eyes. Science teachers in WA have just completed a ten year fight with the politicians and silly academics and to some degree we won (polies got kicked out and we retained some sembelance of a workable curriculum). I can tell you straight out that non of this nonsense would ever be taught in a science classroom except with the intention to expose it for the rubbish it is. We need such material to expose kids to the idea of critical thinking and you can bet I have bookmarked that webpage. Have you looked at the preposed national science curriculum?

http://www.acara.edu.au/default.asp

Mark

That's what it is good for...to show students just what bad science is and how bad it can get.

No, I'll have to have a look at it. One thing I can say is this...students need to know how to read and write properly, as well as have the basic maths skills down pat before they do anything else. Some of the work I've seen uni students submit is atrocious. How they ever got past grade 10, let alone senior high school, is a mystery to me!!!

[DavidU (Dave)]

Plasma discharge
Why not glacial erosion from the ice age?

[marki]

Originally Posted by renormalised

That's what it is good for...to show students just what bad science is and how bad it can get.

No, I'll have to have a look at it. One thing I can say is this...students need to know how to read and write properly, as well as have the basic maths skills down pat before they do anything else. Some of the work I've seen uni students submit is atrocious. How they ever got past grade 10, let alone senior high school, is a mystery to me!!!

Thats easy Carl, It's called outcomes based education. No student is allowed to fail.......they may have their little feelings hurt. That is what we have been fighting for so long.

Mark

[Robh (Rob)]

It's easier to paint fantasy than attempt to understand reality. In fact, for some strange reason, the more absurd the claims the greater the zeal of its followers.
There's a reason so many people are scientifically illiterate. They just don't take the time to read. Running an entertainment system is enough science for them.
As for our impressionable young ... TV, cinema, concerts, celebrities, computer games, shopping, sport and mobile phones. It's all just so time consuming! Who's got time for science?

Learning used to be its own reward. Like wow, I get it!
Nowadays, everything has to have an entertainment or utilitarian aspect e.g. will this make me money?

Regards, Rob.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by marki

Thats easy Carl, It's called outcomes based education. No student is allowed to fail.......they may have their little feelings hurt. That is what we have been fighting for so long.

Mark

Hopefully, that'll mean going back to spelling and maths tests every week to keep them on their toes, and reading, writing, comprehension tests being set on a regular basis. If they do fail, then they sit the tests again after remedial learning and work, until they do pass. Just like when we were going to school.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by Robh

It's easier to paint fantasy than attempt to understand reality. In fact, for some strange reason, the more absurd the claims the greater the zeal of its followers.
There's a reason so many people are scientifically illiterate. They just don't take the time to read. Running an entertainment system is enough science for them.
As for our impressionable young ... TV, cinema, concerts, celebrities, computer games, shopping, sport and mobile phones. It's all just so time consuming! Who's got time for science?

Learning used to be its own reward. Like wow, I get it!
Nowadays, everything has to have an entertainment or utilitarian aspect e.g. will this make me money?

Regards, Rob.

That's exactly right, Rob. The madder the idea, the more zealous and evangelistic its followers are. It's the old religious impulse at work

Not only do they not take any time to read, many of them are functionally illiterate in any case. I've seen students at uni that can't read anything beyond 1 or 2 syllables. At least that's the impression they give. The standard of reading and writing in society in the last 30 or so years has gone down so far it's deplorable. As you mentioned, it's just a click, click, click world with attention spans lasting all of 10 seconds and even there some can't last that long.