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In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 1:31 am
(This post was last modified: June 26, 2010 at 1:40 am by Violet.)
Is it better for the longevity of a virus, bacteria, or genetic disease to kill its host... or would it be better for (for the thing in question) to not kill its host?
Also, what do you hate most about sickness? (If several things are more or less equally bad... vote for several)
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 2:50 am
Bacteria - yes, as their environmental requirements are low and can withstand long periods (on the scale of decades) of no growth.
Virus - not really, as their spreading and life time guarantees their success. Unsuccessful viruses weed themselves out of the population, but have a mostly assured survival as they can be crystallized.
Genetic diseases are errors in the genome and hence spread only by our selfish genes.
I hate being not able to breathe.
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 8:16 am
(This post was last modified: June 26, 2010 at 8:16 am by Pippy.)
I love virii, they are fascinating. They are not wholly alive, at least with locomotion, growth and reproduction without being parasitic. Like zombies, but better. The greatest piece of programming ever. Bacteria get a bad name, they are actually our friends. And what else is there... What is rabies again? Starts with a P... I forget.
Sickness is all right, as the Buddha said, life is suffering.
-Pip
Pathogen? I still can't remember.
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 8:42 am
(This post was last modified: June 26, 2010 at 8:43 am by Violet.)
(June 26, 2010 at 8:16 am)Pippy Wrote: Sickness is all right, as the Buddha said, life is suffering.
-Pip
You like sickness and suffering? I beg of you: take mine. 
Quote:Pathogen? I still can't remember.
Lots of things begin with 'P'. Was it-
Pestilence? <-bad
Periods? <-bad
Pneumonia? <-bad
Polio? <-bad
Parasites? <-bad
Pakistan? <-bad
Pimps? <-bad
Puberty?
Parkinson's disease? <-bad
Pastors? <bad
Perfection? <-bad
Pippy? <-bad 
Pantomimes? <-bad
Professor Putricide? <-bad
Pokemon?
Picachu? <-bad in OU, but with a light ball it can hit very hard in UU
Pineapples? <-bad
Peanuts? <-bad
Pentagon? <-bad
Parallel Universes? <-bad
Porn?
Lots of things... most of them bad (marked!  )... any of them a match? 
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 8:52 am
(June 26, 2010 at 1:31 am)Saerules Wrote: Also, what do you hate most about sickness?
The sickness itself I'd say.
Ace " I'm sick"
Sister " Well it could be worse you know."
Ace "It could have been fucking better!"
I hate being sick. Really fucks up the day. Can't have sex or anything because you're too unwell.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan
Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.
Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.
You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 8:53 am
(June 26, 2010 at 8:16 am)Pippy Wrote: What is rabies again? Starts with a P... I forget.
Pathogen? I still can't remember.
Prion?
"God is dead" - Friedrich Nietzsche
"Faith is what you have in things that DON'T exist. - Homer J. Simpson
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 9:02 am
The most successful viruses are the ones that don't kill their hosts. Swine flu was a very successful virus because it didn't kill many of it's hosts, allowing it to spread.
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 9:28 am
(June 26, 2010 at 8:52 am)Ace Wrote: I hate being sick. Really fucks up the day. Can't have sex or anything because you're too unwell.
Now we get to the heart of the matter! 
I hate coughing. It kills your throat and draws attention to you. Especially at work. People look at you like you have the plague or something.
As to throwing up, yes, I hate it, but I think just being nauseas is worse. If I have to hurl, just let me do it. The first three moths of incubating suck because of this. I was nauseas, but hardly ever actually threw up. Suckville.
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Like most people, I hate being sick. Mainly because being sick = being weak/ incapacitated. Which in turn means that I get fed up and bored rather quickly.
I also have a particular dislike of vomiting. I really really hate throwing up. Yuck.
Another thing that I hate which isn't on the list: With some illnesses you can't think straight. Anything involving a fever does that to me- my brain just packs up and goes on holiday if I have a temp. And I really don't enjoy not being able to think straight.
He who desires to worship God must harbor no childish illusions about the matter but bravely renounce his liberty and humanity.
Mikhail Bakunin
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything
Friedrich Nietzsche
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RE: In sickness and in health
June 26, 2010 at 4:33 pm
(This post was last modified: June 26, 2010 at 5:17 pm by Autumnlicious.)
(June 26, 2010 at 8:16 am)Pippy Wrote: I love virii, they are fascinating. They are not wholly alive, at least with locomotion, growth and reproduction without being parasitic. Like zombies, but better. The greatest piece of programming ever. Bacteria get a bad name, they are actually our friends. And what else is there... What is rabies again? Starts with a P... I forget.
Sickness is all right, as the Buddha said, life is suffering.
-Pip
Pathogen? I still can't remember.
The plural of virus is viruses, idiot.
They are not alive - they are simply rogue genetic programs that have been selected for in the mechanisms of hosted reproduction. Zombies at least have the semblance of having hijacked human-like body.
A pathogen is an infectious agent that can cause a disease.
A prion is an aberrant protein that folds other proteins to match itself.
Rabies is not a prion. Creutzfeldt-Jakob is.
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