Comments on: Endangered Species – The Chemistry Set http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/ Sermo humanus per verba irata Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:31:33 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: baby reflux http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12407 baby reflux Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:32:18 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12407 I wish any of the home remedies for acid reflux worked well I wish any of the home remedies for acid reflux worked well

]]> By: Jim http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12406 Jim Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:40:41 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12406 Reading all this brought some great memories back..I used my dad's garden shed as a makeshift lab as a 13 to 14 year old and the local kids,especially working class types, thought it was a really geeky thing to do but I didn't care, I was passionate about it. It was seen as a bit eccentric back in the early 1970's by some, but now that we live in such a nasty, paranoid and litigious society here in the U.K., an intellectual kid with a home laboratory would likely be gossiped about and branded a future child abuser because he's into science and not celebrities.How on earth did we get into this state of affairs? And how different it was when I was a kid..a few boys even then were only interested in stinks and bangs if they owned a chemistry set but no harm done as I remember.Generally, though, the vast majority of kids at school hated chemistry with a passion and the tiny, tiny minority who didn't were seen as geeky but otherwise ok. Having seen today's chemistry sets, I agree they have become very sanitized ghosts of what they used to be, which is a sad but glaring sign of the times....even so, I'm surprised that the toy makers have bothered to market any kind of chemistry set these days....wouldn't a Jeremy Kyle 'guess the child's father' set be more appropriate in these days of dumbing down and sheer paranoia of everything/everybody? I clearly remember chemicals such as sulphur and magnesium ribbon in my Thomas Salter set back then. But now? Shock, horror, a child may get hurt/contract cancer/burn the house down and the toy manufacturer sued....that is why kids now will never see the chemistry sets of those days.The paranoia and decline appeared around the mid-eighties until we ended up with sets which are more 'art' than science. And besides, computer games and chucking bricks at firemen are much more fun than wimpy,square and geeky chemistry sets...well, thats how it looks to us oldies. Reading all this brought some great memories back..I used my dad’s garden shed as a makeshift lab as a 13 to 14 year old and the local kids,especially working class types, thought it was a really geeky thing to do but I didn’t care, I was passionate about it. It was seen as a bit eccentric back in the early 1970’s by some, but now that we live in such a nasty, paranoid and litigious society here in the U.K., an intellectual kid with a home laboratory would likely be gossiped about and branded a future child abuser because he’s into science and not celebrities.How on earth did we get into this state of affairs? And how different it was when I was a kid..a few boys even then were only interested in stinks and bangs if they owned a chemistry set but no harm done as I remember.Generally, though, the vast majority of kids at school hated chemistry with a passion and the tiny, tiny minority who didn’t were seen as geeky but otherwise ok. Having seen today’s chemistry sets, I agree they have become very sanitized ghosts of what they used to be, which is a sad but glaring sign of the times….even so, I’m surprised that the toy makers have bothered to market any kind of chemistry set these days….wouldn’t a Jeremy Kyle ‘guess the child’s father’ set be more appropriate in these days of dumbing down and sheer paranoia of everything/everybody? I clearly remember chemicals such as sulphur and magnesium ribbon in my Thomas Salter set back then. But now? Shock, horror, a child may get hurt/contract cancer/burn the house down and the toy manufacturer sued….that is why kids now will never see the chemistry sets of those days.The paranoia and decline appeared around the mid-eighties until we ended up with sets which are more ‘art’ than science. And besides, computer games and chucking bricks at firemen are much more fun than wimpy,square and geeky chemistry sets…well, thats how it looks to us oldies.

]]> By: efleaa http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12321 efleaa Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:11:20 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12321 Hello, Very well written article, keep up the good writing, thanks Jerry. Hello,
Very well written article, keep up the good writing, thanks Jerry.

]]> By: Freedom Geek http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12319 Freedom Geek Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:20:40 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12319 Great article. I was however disappointed by the commenters trying to twist this into a pro-gu control argument. Just stop banning things for our "safety" if as used by a sensible and responsible person does not result in harm. We need to stop constructing our society around the stupidest and evilest people in it Great article. I was however disappointed by the commenters trying to twist this into a pro-gu control argument. Just stop banning things for our “safety” if as used by a sensible and responsible person does not result in harm. We need to stop constructing our society around the stupidest and evilest people in it

]]> By: YourNemesis http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12317 YourNemesis Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:13:45 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12317 Shut the fuck up Clint, pack your bags, and go live somewhere idiots are welcome. Wait a minute; you're already there (USA), fuckface! Shut the fuck up Clint, pack your bags, and go live somewhere idiots are welcome. Wait a minute; you’re already there (USA), fuckface!

]]> By: D R Lunsford http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12262 D R Lunsford Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:01:57 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12262 While I agree with you in spirit, the fact that you made this a Repo vs. Demo, liberal vs. conservative issue shows that you are really part of the repressive problem, not part of the free solution, to use a chemical term. YOU are the issue. It's people like YOU who brought this about. Now go off somewhere and hide in shame. -drl While I agree with you in spirit, the fact that you made this a Repo vs. Demo, liberal vs. conservative issue shows that you are really part of the repressive problem, not part of the free solution, to use a chemical term. YOU are the issue. It’s people like YOU who brought this about. Now go off somewhere and hide in shame.

-drl

]]> By: Home Chemistry in the Golden Age of American Science – Zoonomian http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12137 Home Chemistry in the Golden Age of American Science – Zoonomian Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:12:24 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12137 [...] Twelve Angry Men Blog [...] [...] Twelve Angry Men Blog [...]

]]> By: mateo http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12122 mateo Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:19:23 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12122 Great... another site I can bookmark and never come back to Great… another site I can bookmark and never come back to

]]> By: johe http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12121 johe Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:43:14 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12121 Thank for information Thank for information

]]> By: anonymous http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12076 anonymous Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:32:36 +0000 http://12angrymen.wordpress.com/2007/10/31/endangered-species-the-chemistry-set/#comment-12076 Amazing. All the bullshit about terrorists getting hold of chemistry sets to build homemade bombs is fascinating. If we're going to outlaw dangerous toys, lets start with gun control. I don't see why hunting should be condoned - killing of any life form for sport is maniacal and disgusting. Let's bring back the chemistry sets of yesterday, and get rid of the guns and ammunition of today. If a terrorist is going to kill us with ammunition, at least let him home make it, rather than walk into a damned gun shop where he can buy it straight off the rack. It's surprising how idiotic and short-sighted some people really are. Amazing. All the bullshit about terrorists getting hold of chemistry sets to build homemade bombs is fascinating.

If we’re going to outlaw dangerous toys, lets start with gun control. I don’t see why hunting should be condoned – killing of any life form for sport is maniacal and disgusting.

Let’s bring back the chemistry sets of yesterday, and get rid of the guns and ammunition of today. If a terrorist is going to kill us with ammunition, at least let him home make it, rather than walk into a damned gun shop where he can buy it straight off the rack.

It’s surprising how idiotic and short-sighted some people really are.

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