Should Joe Cahill have been executed in 1948?

Down

down here

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If one suspended a taut string at the same height between Belfast and Dublin, high enough to be above the horizon for the full 100 miles, and then threaded a frictionless bead onto the string, it would not move. If Dublin was "down here" from Belfast the bead would slide from B to D. I suppose you meant "here in the South".

Taut string

"If one suspended a taut string at the same height between Belfast and Dublin"

Would the string be parellel to sea leve (hard to achieve, because of earths curvature), or could we take the airports as a reference?

So then if we set the string an equidistant height above the ground for Aldergrove and Dublin Airports, 265 and 223 feet respectively, the bead would be inclined to go towards Dublin.

So I suppose in this case, "down here" stands?

Re: Taut string

What's the chances of a bomb scare around Newry disrupting the string and the bead having to travel by bus between Newry & Dundalk?

Re: Down

Aren't you neglecting the Coriolis effect?

Here's a movie demonstrating it - coriolis.mov

Execute?

Not too keen on organised religion but I always liked their list of ten commandments!

Take the "Fifth" I say!

Is the earth flat after all?

Repaymaster, the coriolis effect would be negated by the string which constrains the bead from moving off its longtitudinal course.

Michael poses a more difficult issue with the experiment. Because of the supposed curvature of the Earth the taut string would in fact be at its lowest above sea level around Dundalk. A bead released from Belfast would indeed fall towards Dundalk and then have enough momentum, bomb scares notwithstanding, to reach Dublin so that from a Belfast perspective Dublin is "down". But if a Dublin woman released a bead from her end the exact opposite would happen and she would see Belfast as being down from Dublin - so we see, ala Einstein, that "down" is relative.

Of course, to both the Belfast and Dublin observers Dundalk would be very down, but we don't need this experiment to tell us that!

Then it occured to me that what is so special about a 100 miles. I set up two poles in my garden a few metres apart with a taut string stretched from equal heights on each pole. Because of this supposed earth curvature the middle of the string should be slighlty lower than the the two ends. I released the bead - and what do you know - it didn't move.

This appears to be convincing evidence, first produced here on AAM, that the Earth is after all flat and that feckless heathen Galileo was wrong after all.
BTW I think Joe should have got life but never released.

Catenary

[broken link removed]

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Catenary.html

The curve a hanging flexible wire or chain assumes when supported at its ends and acted upon by a uniform gravitational force. The word catenary is derived from the Latin word for "chain."

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What was described was a frictionless bead and string. The resultant catenary would mean that the bead would be at its lowest point in Dundalk.

PS no one should be executed ever.


ajapale

Re: Catenary

PS no one should be executed ever.

I agree. No one, no matter what they do, should be executed. Saddam should not be executed (even though he undoubtedly will be). Hitler (if he'd ever been caught) should not have been executed. Even George Bush...well...even he shouldn't be executed!!

His latest gaffe

piggy

if a man murdered your children in a grotesque manner and was give a sentence of 10 years and was guaranteed to reoffend upon release AND
you had the opportunity to kill him with no consequences to you WHAT would you do.

me, i'd kill im

Crazy argument to start with

Apart from the bead, I am actually surprised that this discussion continued from the first post.

Is it akin to arguing that the policeman should have been aborted, as he was destined to become part of an imperialist, religiously bigoted police force, whose main raison d'etre at that time was to ensure the prosperity of one side of the community, hence creating people like Joe Cahill on the other side, who were willing to die for their cause............

If it had not been for the policeman and his accompanying State, Joe Cahill might've concentrated his efforts on a cure for..........cancer?

Re: Crazy argument to start with

Or a cure for Capitalism!!!!!!!!

Joe Cahill

Redboy... are you smoking drugs....

Re: Joe Cahill

Another highly intellectual comment from the elusive Owensy!!

Don't let this thread descend into personal abuse please. Attack the post, not the poster.

Never say Never

Not too keen on organised religion but I always liked their list of ten commandments!

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The commandments say "shalt not" - but that is general quidance, there are allowable exceptions e.g.:

4. Honour your Father and Mother. Not if they are Hitler or Margaret Thatcher.

7. Thou shalt not steal. Was it okay to steal Trevelyan's corn so your child could live to see another day?

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. If Cameron Diaz promised to give €1m to charity for one night of fun with you, would you be morally justified in taking up the offer?

8. Thou shalt not lie (or words to that effect). If the Nazis caught you behind enemy lines and asked you for details of your mates' whereabouts, would you be justified in throwing them off the scent?

And finally the fifth:

Surely, surely, the Brits were right to go to war against Hitler.

Re: Never say Never

If Cameron Diaz promised to give €1m to charity for one night of fun with you, would you be morally justified in taking up the offer?

Frankly Fadder Shamus I'm rather shocked. I fear you may be losing your faith. Sexual promiscuity outside the bounds of marriage!!!? We can't have that condoned by the Church can we?

Theology

WADR, piggy, I think your awareness of the theological aspects of carnal knowledge are somewhat lacking.

The key thing is NOT to enjoy it. Traditional techniques such such closing your eyes or thinking of England and/or George Bush have been superseded by technology.

Devices can be ordered from Vatican on-line such as the CPI (Carnal Pain Inducer). This is a thin electronically operated band which is slipped around...(I don't want to be too graphic here). But when the..er..stiffens the CPI induces an excruciating pain. I believe latest theological thinking is that the CPI, more than negating the damage done by the primary act, actually earns Indulgences.

Reverting to topic, I think Joe deserves canonisation.

Re: Theology

I'm not sure I'd personally be capable of anything if I was thinking of George but okay then...just as long as you wouldn't actually be enjoying it.

Apologies to piggie

Sorry, piggy, I see now you have an acute awareness of the theological implications of pleasurable carnal knowledge.

I personally recommend strongly the use of CPIs to my pre marriage instruction candidates (ok, I get a small commission on sales).

I hate to boast about my dedication but I usually offer to demonstrate the use of CPIs to my female instructees (not the fat ones of course).

I have to say that the pain has been so excruciating that I have always been forced to press the emergency off button. But having started, I find I do have to finish.

Never say never

10 commandments... Good
Godwin's Law....Applicable....Good...
Bye!