Lehmans

Dithering_Dad

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

Still, I don't understand why people would want to make mischief by claiming it will destroy the world. Either they end up wrong and look like fools or...well they wouldn't be in a position to gloat would they? Berks.

Didn't they also say people would die if they travelled over 40mph (or some such figure) when the first trains were being invented.

There are doom mongers in every aspect of life I suppose, yet here we all still are, plodding along as usual.

Generali

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

My understanding is that the collider recreates natural phenomena, but in a particular location where they can be observed, and 100m underground, so no other collisions can interfere with the experiment. i.e just recreating what happens anyway but in controlled conditions.

That is why they don't just look at the naturally occuring collisions.

Still, I don't understand why people would want to make mischief by claiming it will destroy the world. Either they end up wrong and look like fools or...well they wouldn't be in a position to gloat would they? Berks.

According to the bloke I heard on the radio, the reason they know it's safe is that exactly the same thing happens in the upper atmosphere every day only with far more energy and that hasn't created devastating black holes.

Lehmans on the other hand is starting to look like it's going to become a devastating black hole.

Chris2685

They were right, people do die if they travel over 40 mph, but it's usually more to do with their head going through a window rather than the speed itself.
Speed doesn't kill, human idiocy does. Or something along those lines!

Sir_Humphrey

Dithering_Dad wrote: »

Didn't they also say people would die if they travelled over 40mph (or some such figure) when the first trains were being invented.

There are doom mongers in every aspect of life I suppose, yet here we all still are, plodding along as usual.

I read somewhere that religious groups were opposed to the first London Underground line in the 1860s, because they feared the excavations would release Satan from Hell.

EDIT: Actually, I feel quite pleased about this. An experiment that will advance human civilisation goes ahead, and a useless bank goes to the wall. A rare victory for progress.

lostinrates

Sir_Humphrey wrote: »

I read somewhere that religious groups were opposed to the first London Underground line in the 1860s, because they feared the excavations would release Satan from Hell.

And they were right....traveling peak is hell.

Dithering_Dad

When do they start up the fusion generator thingy, now that will advance human civilisation (if it works)

WTF?_2

Generali wrote: »

According to the bloke I heard on the radio, the reason they know it's safe is that exactly the same thing happens in the upper atmosphere every day only with far more energy and that hasn't created devastating black holes.

Lehmans on the other hand is starting to look like it's going to become a devastating black hole.

Nicely wrested back on topic

So will today be the day that Lehmans do a Northern Rock then, I wonder?

It will be interesting to see if the Fed can magic up the cash for a bailout for them like they did with Bear Stearns and Fannie/Freddie. If they do, people are going to start questioning the value of Fed-issued dollars pretty soon.

And if all that comes to pass, what for the future of B&B and HBOS here in the UK? I'd be worried that gormless Gordon is going to use the US example as a template to start rescuing his chums in the square mile.

It will be most interesting to see how the public react to ever larger and more blatant cash handouts to banks at the same time that they are being squeezed with high food and energy prices and seeing non-banking businesses (maybe the one they work for) going to the wall as the recession bites.


Can Gordon make a bad situation worse? My money is on 'yes'.

Chris2685

What do you think would happen if a major bank actually did go bust and basically shut up shop, rather than being bailed out or whatever? It would be interesting and I think pretty scary to see!

Dithering_Dad

Chris2685 wrote: »

What do you think would happen if a major bank actually did go bust and basically shut up shop, rather than being bailed out or whatever? It would be interesting and I think pretty scary to see!

I guess we'd see queues outside all the other banks and people would be stuffing mattresses with money.

We'd all be having sleepless nights due to worry about the financial markets and due to the fact that money mattresses are darned uncomfortable!

WTF?_2

Chris2685 wrote: »

What do you think would happen if a major bank actually did go bust and basically shut up shop, rather than being bailed out or whatever? It would be interesting and I think pretty scary to see!

You'd see what a load of rubbish the FSCS is for starters.

That would undermine confidence in banking in general and any bank looking dodgy (ie. most of them by this stage) would be extremely vulnerable to falling victim to a bank run.


I've said it before - if you have savings them put them somewhere like NS&I (they are the government so they will print money to pay you if necessary) or Northern Rock (the government are underwriting them) now lest you end up worrying about them in a mass financial panic somewhere down the line.