[meteorite-list] Family ClaimsMeteoriteFellInTheirCourtyardinIndia

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:57:28 -0500
Message-ID: <BAY111-F196CFCCF4D7D066830652BB3E10_at_phx.gbl>

I agree with Chris although he likely could have worded himself a little
better. Our peer review system keeps pseudoscience out of the scientific
field, with little exception, which is something MOST, but not all,
countries seem to lack.

The poll numbers quoted also seem quite a bit off to me, and are possibly
because of the way the question is worded. A great example of this is the
crack down on online gambling "because kids were getting addited to
gambling."

The poll questions, which first classified a kid as anyone under 23, have
you even gambled. As almost 80% had said they gambled at least once, it was
declared a crisis situation.

Another funny question (in my opinion) was "Have you gambled in the last six
months?" Those that answered yes, were declared addits.

This study was used as evidence to ban online gambling, and while online
gambling likely is not a good thing, the poll in my opinion was tainted and
therefore worthless.

I could very well seeing that gallop poll quoted as saying something like
"Do you believe in a higher power?" Which may mean something completely
different to Chris then me.

Mind you 50% is an accurate number here in Kansas (but not the larger
cities), yet across the US, 30% is much more accurate I think, and according
to most Christian organizations, this number appears to be dropping. And
then one must consider times have changed, that 30% contains 100 different
beliefs and many accept science, meaning simply because someone says they
are Christian, does not mean you know how they think. Most of the
creationist I have seen the last two years, now accept evolution, which
includes the creationist theme park, and if I remember right is in Illinois
and to my knowledge is the only one. I may be wrong on the later but I live
in Kansas and we do not have such a theme park, and I am smack in the middle
of "bible country" as they say. I think I could safely bet that this list
has several Christians that accept the age of meteorites.

In another related note I got a galllop pole this last week on the US postal
service. I mail 2-3 times a week, get 20-25 packaged a week, spend a couple
thousand a year on stamps I do not use, so one would think I would be the
perfect person to poll. However I didn't like half the answers I was
allowed to choose from so I am not going to fill it out.

Remember according to the Gallop polls Kerry won the last election.

So unless one sees the questions, and has other facts, such as were the poll
was taken, they have to be taken with a grain of salt.

I would however argue with one of Chris' points, and that is I think the US
media is just as bad as any other country in reguard to meteorites. But the
US media is not a group of scientists.

Mark
Received on Thu 09 Aug 2007 08:57:28 PM PDT