Gabfest: And Thereby Hangs A Tail

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Cimorene, Jan 9, 2017.

  1. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    Oh, I don't know - a young white woman whose shenanigans led to Very Important Rich People losing A Lot of Money. My preferred strategy, now that we have a billionaire paying the legal bills, would be to blame it all on shifty Sunny B. He is not quite as photogenic, so all sorts of chicanery can be foisted upon the paunchy Ramesh. Although looked at closeup, the blonde Liz's preternaturally astonished and unblinking eyes do betray a not-so-glamorous delusional mania. Will she now switch back to her softer, more vulnerable, female voice-register for her testimony, I wonder.
    Indeed! For a time, she became quite the poster-girl for Women in Tech. What a letdown.

    If shady scientific goings-on is your thing, I'd be impressed if you have heard of Gallo v Montagnier. I would recommend this story about the discovery of HIV as the cause of AIDS. The book is a tour de force - one that makes no concessions to publishers' condescending views of their readership**, and more importantly, one that cost our fraudster hero a Nobel Prize that was subsequently awarded to the French scientist he schemed against. This book has the level of detail I enjoy, but that's not everyone's cup of tea, I know!

    On the fictional end, I would recommend this novel - the plot, with all the ambiguity inherent on the frontlines of research, is deftly handled, although the characters are often not — it's fluff, but still, a very entertaining light read.
    :beer-toast1:

    **Partly responsible for The Unbearable Lightness of Carreyrou, one suspects.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2019
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  2. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Congrats.
     
  3. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Surprise delight- a moment of ecstasy.
     
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  4. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Despite the age difference, most accounts of their relationship described him as almost reverential towards her. She fired him as soon as she started feeling the heat from regulators, so I have no doubt part of her defense will be to throw him under the bus. At her last court appearance she was already looking the part of the misunderstood girl next door. The chemical blonde hair, harsh eyeliner, menswear inspired outfits were all gone. I wouldn't put it past her to show up pregnant at the trial to trigger the jury's empathy. Did you read this story about her bizarre final days at Theranos?

    You got me really curious about this book though it is oddly difficult to find. Not available at any library around me. I did manage to get my hands on a second hand copy on Amazon. I was reading about Luc Montagnier on Wikipedia and was disappointed to find that he seems to have gone off the deep end. Like Harvey Dent said when you fight monsters you either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain. The corollary for Nobel laureates seems to be: you do something great and die a legend, or live long enough to become a crackpot. James Watson and his arguments for the racial basis of intelligence, Roger Penrose and 'quantum consciousness', and now Montagnier and his research on high dilutions of DNA. He has made a bunch of homeopaths very happy. Why do these brilliant men go off the rails in their eighties and tarnish their legacies?

    SMBC had a funny take on this -- Natural life cycle of a physicist.
     
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  5. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    This post made my date.
    Best wishes to you and husband. :blush:
     
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  6. girvani

    girvani Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear @kaniths ,

    I was thinking about you and you certainly made us all happy. Brilliant news. Take care both of you and lots of love to you.
    Vani
     
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  7. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    I Pray for speedy recovery of @kaniths spouse.
     
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  8. kaniths

    kaniths IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank y'all for the wishes and prayers. :blush:
     
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  9. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:Any food in small quantity is PRASADAM.
    When offered in large quantity like a pyramid of rice it is Sadam.
    Thanks and regards.
    God bless.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2019
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  10. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    Sir I'm very glad you remembered this..
    Nothing like a special blessings Like this.. Semiya paal payasam is getting ready by MIL.

    IMG_20190817_100534.jpg
    Home made cup cakes for the birthday baby by my cousin who has recently started baking. IMG-20190816-WA0026.jpg
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2019
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