Alfred de Tavares <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Very well expressed, Santosh, you and Mario, carry debate back to GBS-GKC level, leaving us PGWs chuckling merrilly... > From: Santosh Helekar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >I will let you in on a secret about me. I take criticism much better than praise.
Mario responds: Let's not all get carried away here. I did say that Dr. Helekar was fastidiously objective, TO A FAULT. What I essentially opined was that he is not anti-religion per se, he is really pro-science across the board and lets the chips fall where they may. A scientist is trained to not take anything on "faith", hence the false impression that he is anti-religion since religion is founded on faith. Dr. Helekar is doggedly consistent in relying on science and empirical evidence, but this may sometimes lead to a misunderstanding or misinterpreting someone else's motives, perhaps inadvertantly. For example, in the infamous Battle of the Behinds, he was able to clearly show with statistical evidence that there was LITTLE risk to the public from AIDS-infected needles left in public places. However, I was never able to understand why that led to extreme umbrage at the notion that people should still watch where they sat in a public place, the only point I was trying to make. I failed to get him to see this point. I unintentionally succeeded in making him lose his cool. The hoax email I initially posted was bogus as an issue, as any review of the archives will prove that I never disputed George Pinto's disclosure of this message as a hoax, and in fact, immediately informed the entire list of people who received that email along with me of the hoax. What some may have misunderstood was that I had chided George in my response to him about some smart-alecky comments he had made on unrelated matters. My suggestion was somehow interpreted as a slap at people who may leave AIDS-infected needles in public places, whereas I could care less about THEIR motives. Surely Dr. Helekar will agree that LOW probability doesn't mean NO possibility, and I'm also sure Dr. Helekar knows that when someone is suspected of being exposed to AIDS, whether through an infected needle or not, it takes months of painstaking medical tests and check-ups before they can resume their normal lives, free from dread that they may have contracted this deadly disease. This is what motivated me, not any hostility towards AIDS patients, drug users, empirical scientists or anyone else for that matter.
