Phwaaooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
*mercury shoots out of top of thermometer*
Attention all moon landing sceptics Page 21
Quote: sootyj @ July 22 2009, 1:01 PM BSTHow do we know Columbus landed on America?
I thought Columbus just made it as far as the West Indies and that it was Americo Vespucci (sic) was the one who actually made it to mainland America, thusly having the whole place named after him?
Forget the Moon landings, my two favourite scientific conspiracy theories are 'The Singularity' and 'Grey Sludge'.
The Singularity - when scientists create an AI that is smarter then ourselves who goes on to destroy us (yep, SkyNet from Terminator) - this has been predicted as happening as early as 2019.
Grey Sludge - scientists create destructive all consuming nano-bots that eat everything and replicate at an expedential rate so that in a few years, the surface of the Earth is completely barren except for pools of nano-bots that resemble grey sludge.
Just to be all Aaron-y for a second 
, I always thought that our Moon was spelled with a capital 'M' and that other moons were spelt with a small 'm'.
Has no one mentioned Auden's poem Moon Landing yet? They don't get much gayer than this:
Moon Landing
By WH Auden
It's natural the Boys should whoop it up for
so huge a phallic triumph, an adventure
it would not have occurred to women
to think worth while, made possible only
because we like huddling in gangs and knowing
the exact time: yes, our sex may in fairness
hurrah the deed, although the motives
that primed it were somewhat less than menschlich.
A grand gesture. But what does it period?
What does it osse? We were always adroiter
with objects than lives, and more facile
at courage than kindness: from the moment
the first flint was flaked this landing was merely
a matter of time. But our selves, like Adam's,
still don't fit us exactly, modern
only in this---our lack of decorum.
Homer's heroes were certainly no braver
than our Trio, but more fortunate: Hector
was excused the insult of having
his valour covered by television.
Worth going to see? I can well believe it.
Worth seeing? Mneh! I once rode through a desert
and was not charmed: give me a watered
lively garden, remote from blatherers
about the New, the von Brauns and their ilk, where
on August mornings I can count the morning
glories where to die has a meaning,
and no engine can shift my perspective.
Unsmudged, thank God, my Moon still queens the Heavens
as She ebbs and fulls, a Presence to glop at,
Her Old Man, made of grit not protein,
still visits my Austrian several
with His old detachment, and the old warnings
still have power to scare me: Hybris comes to
an ugly finish, Irreverence
is a greater oaf than Superstition.
Our apparatniks will continue making
the usual squalid mess called History:
all we can pray for is that artists,
chefs and saints may still appear to blithe it.
August 1969
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ July 22 2009, 2:12 PM BSTI thought Columbus just made it as far as the West Indies and that it was Americo Vespucci (sic) was the one who actually made it to mainland America, thusly having the whole place named after him?
America was most likely named after a Welsh merchant who lived in Bristol, named Americ, who funded Cabot's exploratitive trading missions to the continent. The tradition then was that land was named after the person who paid for the exploration. It wasn't until after the Americ-funded journeys that the word 'America' started appearing on the maps.
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 22 2009, 2:16 PM BSTAmerica was most likely named after a Welsh merchant who lived in Bristol, named Americ, who funded Cabot's exploratitive trading missions to the continent. The tradition then was that land was named after the person who paid for the exploration. It wasn't until after the Americ-funded journeys that the word 'America' started appearing on the maps.
So America's really just another Welsh unitary authority then. Good. I always thought so.
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 22 2009, 2:16 PM BSTAmerica was most likely named after a Welsh merchant who lived in Bristol, named Americ, who funded Cabot's exploratitive trading missions to the continent. The tradition then was that land was named after the person who paid for the exploration. It wasn't until after the Americ-funded journeys that the word 'America' started appearing on the maps.
I did not know that,thanks for that. Sorry to take this off topic with Trufax about America but these have always tickled me -
The USA was nearly called Columbia
The original flag was going to be a snake with the words 'Don't tread on me' written on it
Britain was going to support the Confederacy in the Civil War but only if they abolished slavery.
The annexation of Texas ended when Britain agreed to consider it as a separate sovereign nation. Soon after it became the last continental United State.
Quote: roscoff @ July 22 2009, 2:20 PM BSTSo America's really just another Welsh unitary authority then. Good. I always thought so.
Then they're welcome to our Assembly.
Quote: Kenneth @ July 22 2009, 2:15 PM BSTHas no one mentioned Auden's poem Moon Landing yet? They don't get much gayer than this:
Moon Landing
By WH AudenIt's natural the Boys should whoop it up for
so huge a phallic triumph, an adventure
it would not have occurred to women
to think worth while, made possible onlybecause we like huddling in gangs and knowing
the exact time: yes, our sex may in fairness
hurrah the deed, although the motives
that primed it were somewhat less than menschlich.A grand gesture. But what does it period?
What does it osse? We were always adroiter
with objects than lives, and more facile
at courage than kindness: from the momentthe first flint was flaked this landing was merely
a matter of time. But our selves, like Adam's,
still don't fit us exactly, modern
only in this---our lack of decorum.Homer's heroes were certainly no braver
than our Trio, but more fortunate: Hector
was excused the insult of having
his valour covered by television.Worth going to see? I can well believe it.
Worth seeing? Mneh! I once rode through a desert
and was not charmed: give me a watered
lively garden, remote from blatherersabout the New, the von Brauns and their ilk, where
on August mornings I can count the morning
glories where to die has a meaning,
and no engine can shift my perspective.Unsmudged, thank God, my Moon still queens the Heavens
as She ebbs and fulls, a Presence to glop at,
Her Old Man, made of grit not protein,
still visits my Austrian severalwith His old detachment, and the old warnings
still have power to scare me: Hybris comes to
an ugly finish, Irreverence
is a greater oaf than Superstition.Our apparatniks will continue making
the usual squalid mess called History:
all we can pray for is that artists,
chefs and saints may still appear to blithe it.August 1969
Big poofy poet poncing about.
(And this from a man who ran away to America during the 2nd World War.)
Quote: roscoff @ July 22 2009, 2:20 PM BSTSo America's really just another Welsh unitary authority then. Good. I always thought so.
Well, it's violent, the people can't read and it's full of nationalistic, xenophobic, inbreeding farmers.
Quote: Griff @ July 22 2009, 2:30 PM BSTI'm pretty sure the Rev. Moon is a capital M. That's what he told me at the brainwashing ceremony anyway.
There's that very funny Moonies film, 'Four Thousand Weddings And A Deprogramming'.
Quote: roscoff @ July 22 2009, 12:44 PM BSTHere's a list
JFK
Bobby Kennedy
Roswell
Martin Luther King
Moon landings
Princess Diana
9/11
7/7All have conspiracy thories (there are probably more but my small brain can't think of any) but none have been proved. Are governments that good at keeping secrets? On the evidence of the leaks that occur on a regular basis I would think not.
Don't forget Paul McCartney!
Has any one landed one on Rev Moon?
Mr Spoon went to Button Moon...
Ha! Putters fell for one of the most obvious hoaxes ever. How was he going to survive in a bleach bottle huh?
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ July 22 2009, 2:29 PM BSTWell, it's violent, the people can't read and it's full of nationalistic, xenophobic, inbreeding farmers.
I shall not dignify those remarks with a reply. Oh...I just did. You forgot sheep shagging and Tom Jones by the way. Lightweight.