Entries in junk science (6)

Monday
07Dec2009

Homeopathy - The Test (BBC Horizon)

Date20091207 at 02:10

via Homeopathy - The Test | Berto: Philosophy Monkey

 

Homeopaths, anti-vaccination loonies and other advocates of “alternative” and more “natural” forms of medicine, or prayer, which are not confirmed through empirical testing and systematic observation, are ultimately enemies of science, reason and evidence.

Learn more about them here, and protect yourself and your loved ones from their corrosive peddling of facile nonsense. It may seem harmless, but when it becomes a substitute for real medicine, it can turn deadly.

If you do believe in the power of homeopathic medicine and wouldn’t mind making some money, which I’m sure could come in handy in this downward spiral economy, you could always decide to enter James Randi’s Million Dollar Challenge: prove, under controlled conditions, that homeopathy (or any other kind of supernatural phenomenon) works. Horizon decided to take the challenge…

 

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Wednesday
28Oct2009

Scientology Watch - France trial panel discussion (on banning Scientology)

Date20091028 at 12:46

This is a particularly interesting and informative panel discussion from June 2009 that aired on on France 24.

The topic is the legal action in France against Scientology. The panelists go into some detail on a person’s right to believe anything at all, versus taking action on that belief that causes harm to others.

Rick Ross, director of the Ross Institute, a valuable resource on cults and new religious movements, makes very clear statements on where Scientology crosses the line into fraud and possible criminal activity. France does not recognize Scientology as a religion, and has found the institution and some members guilty of fraud in that context. 

The “purification rundown” was created by L. Ron Hubbard, who had no medical training or evidence supporting his doctrines. His claim of “elimination of toxins” has been found to be false, furthermore the large doses of niacin can damage the liver. In addition, denial of prescription drugs for treatment of disorders like schizophrenia may have caused at least one death — that of the Scientologist mother who did not allow her son to be treated, and who later killed her.

A point of heated debate is the nature and purpose of a list of sects the French government has compiled. Also discussed are legal proceedings against Christian Scientists and Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny certain medical treatments to their children because of their beliefs.

First a short clip on the French court’s recent rulings against Scientology:

 

Scientologists convicted of fraud in France - By Dorothee Moisan (AFP) October 27, 2009

…The latest case follows a complaint from two women, one of whom says she was manipulated into handing over 20,000 euros for costly products, including an “electrometer” to measure mental energy. …

A second plaintiff alleges she was forced by her Scientologist employer to undergo testing and enroll in courses in 1998. When she refused she was fired. 

The head of France’s interministerial body on cults, Georges Fenech, said he was sorry judges were prevented from tougher action. “I strongly regret that the law was changed discreetly during the trial, just before the trial, without anyone knowing,” he told France 24 television. 

“But I think the provision has been reinstated by parliament, so there could be a ban in future if they offend again.” 

Critics of Scientology have accused Scientologists of “infiltrating” the National Assembly to lobby for the legal change. 

Outraged by the allegation, French Scientology’s lawyer had asked the court to reopen the case to clear her clients of suspicion.

Wikipedia blocked the Church of Scientology from editing entries at the communally-crafted online encyclopedia earlier this year due to an unrelenting battle over the group’s image. 

Should Scientology be banned? Part 1 of 5:

 

Case background

Jens Tingleff on Scientolgy’s profit directive and legal tactics, and the reasons for “cult” designation

Rick Ross on behavior vs. belief, the pattern of complaints, financial exploitation, and other serious allegations

Should Scientology be banned? Part 2 of 5:

 

Raphael Liogier voices concerns regarding sect designation 

Jaques Myard, conservative MP, rebuttal 

Liogier argues against value judgements 

Jens Tingleff states Scientology is a criminal organization, citing successful criminal prosecutions, and that coercion is “written into” Scientology 

Rick Ross on the doctrine of Scientology, its financial hazards and other dangers, the empire left by Hubbard, on Miscavige attaining tax-exempt status in 1992,  U.S. government reluctance to interfere in anything “religious”

Should Scientology be banned? Part 3 of 5: 

 

More background on this and other French court cases against Scientology 

Liogier alleges French obsession with “real” vs. “false” religion 

Myard denies Liogier’s allegations, calling them nonsense and completely wrong, and stressing focus on crimes 

Liogier re-states his concerns, admits ignorance of the current case, and admits to refusing the opportunity to assist in this trial’s defense 

Tingleff concludes that Liogier does not want to discuss the crimes, or discuss anything but Myard’s list of sects

Should Scientology be banned? Part 4 of 5: 

 

The moderator mentions the allegation some were “illegally practicing as pharmacists,” and Scientology’s opposition to drugs for mental illness

Rick Ross on the “purification rundown,” high doses of niacin, Scientology’s war on psychiatry, legal cases against parents for withholding medical care from their children, charges of medical neglect and manslaughter

Myard cites problems with “alternative medicine” and deregulation of “therapist” treatments

Tingleff on the specifics of Scientology cult indoctrination, the price list, the rigid rules for advancement

Should Scientology be banned? Part 5 of 5:

 

Rick Ross rebuts “religious persecution” arguments, claims Rafael is wrongly attempting to re-frame the debate, clarifies the harm vs. belief issue

Liogier agrees momentarily and then argues that sects raising money is not a basis for allegations of fraud

Myard rebuts again

Scientology end-game

 

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Monday
19Oct2009

Bill Maher is the prototype for lazy half-educated Americans

Date20091019 at 03:27

UPDATE: FriendFeed conversation embedded at bottom.

I remind my readers: Most Americans are frankly not knowledgeable enough to read the medical literature and act as their own medical advisor. Arrogant blowhards like Maher will gladly jump the gun, thinking they’ve heroically caught someone out, and make decisions that will cause widespread disease and death. If they only had the chance. Ha ha. Tee hee. Snark snark. Oops.

I’m very open to debate. The topic is scientific (and rhetorical) literacy, and how to improve it across the board.

This one goes out to:

  • Anti-vaccine scare mongers
  • Alternative medicine proponents who profit from fear and confusion
  • Conspiratorial junkies who would sooner believe their government is evil, than believe that 9/11 was a terrorist attack  
  • Anyone who extrapolates small personal tragedies and comes to sweeping generalizations about entire groups of people
  • Anyone who cherry-picks an issue of concern and thinks it grants them the right to throw all of western medicine under the bus
  • Anyone who thinks their bad experience or sloppy “research” into a health concern negates decades of progress made by many thousands of medical professionals
  • Anyone who thinks they have the right to draw outrageous conclusions when they aren’t familiar with the common logical fallacies — that can entrap people much smarter than they

Here is what video I could find, covering Bill Maher’s theories on the state of medicine and health care in the United States.

I’ll summarize:

Western medicine is completely useless because Big Pharma profits from illness, not health. We have made no progress in cancer treatment. Successful cancer treatment requires you leave the country for “alternative medicine.” You can be arrested for practicing or speaking about “alternative medicine.” All medical advancements are erased and doctor’s motives suspect, because of Nasonex. Vaccines are designed to kill you.

Enough preamble, let’s start the show. In chronological order. Chronos yes, Logos notsomuch.

 

Bill Maher - Anti-Pharma Rant - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

 

 

 

 

The fun starts at 2:20 and ends at 5:20

 

 

 

 

The fun goes from 0:50 to 3:30

 

 

 

I’m very happy that Maher’s attempted appeal to anti-government GOP partisanship completely failed. Frist categorically denied that Maher’s conspiracy theories about western medicine and vaccines had any truth to them. More to the point, how pathetic is Maher’s attempt? Does he hope GOP lunacy will save his conspiratorial behind? Thankfully, Frist won’t abandon his profession or his decency to help Maher save face.

 

 

I’m glad Maher seems upset and defensive here, and spent a lot of time on his final show on this topic. His sloppy thinking and cheap laugh lines only highlight the real problem here. And that is, he’d lose this debate to a smart 7th grader. 

He cites death by medical error and concludes we’re a “sick society.” His hyperbole highlights his lack of rigor, his unfamiliarity with logical fallacies and his inability to make coherent arguments. Maher does not want to admit he’s wrong. His three guests try to make fun of him gently, but no, Maher won’t back down. 

PZ Meyers wrote regarding this rant:

The most telling moment for me was when he compares vaccination to global warming and evolution; global warming and evolution, he says, are settled science (which is correct), but vaccination is not. That is not correct. Vaccination works. It’s been tested and measured and analyzed, and vaccinations save lives. It has been settled, repeatedly.

Michael Shermer has commented on RichardDawkins.net on this issue, too. Maybe someday it will sink in.

 

If you want more details on how angry the Scientists are at Maher, use this: 

ScienceBlogs search for Maher+anti-vacc

Here’s a very interesting analysis of Maher’s “I just want a debate” attempted exit strategy. Guess what? No dice! 

Bill Maher digs himself even deeper & the ‘I’m just a humble investigator asking questions’ gambit

I was unable to find video of his very first rant on Larry King in 2005, but you can read about it here. There, Mr. Maher. I’m now officially done with you.

 

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Saturday
19Sep2009

9/11 falsity - Let this be a warning to all of you

Date20090919 at 22:01

UPDATE: FriendFeed conversation embedded at bottom.

Dear reader: if you have “concerns” about the events of 9/11 eight years ago, I ask you to weigh your concerns against events that took place in the last few months. What I am seeing on the Right and on the Left is polarized ideology, misinformation, poor communication, feelings of betrayal, and some real desire for change. Unfortunately, “birthers” “deathers” and “9/11 truthers” are in no position to help anyone effect positive change. 

Apparently the “9/11 truth” movement is still getting some traction. Its most recent attempt at legitimacy is a little fictional scenario cooked up by Alex Jones and Charlie Sheen, where Sheen requests a 20 minute meeting with President Obama… and either asks questions, or just sinisterly intones “we have many questions, Mr. President. Lots and lots of questions.” 

Charlie Sheen asserts that he “wants his country back.” How unfortunate that he’s living in an entirely different country than I am — one that plots horrible attacks against its own population, using thousands upon thousands of criminal participants — none of whom have come forward, not even anonymously.  I’m certain that something shocking and conclusive would have shown up at wikileaks.org in the last 8 years were there any truth at all to this tired, offensive theory.

I’ve heard that there are several people on the right who are seduced by the “9/11 truth” movement. I’m sure Alex Jones doesn’t have any party affiliation at all. His profitable media empire and entire reason to exist is predicated on our government being an evil, sinister, corrupt enterprise focused solely on oppressing its citizens.  I wonder does he have children, and at what age does he tell them they are living in a prison?

The Sheen statements start at 4:12. Leading up to that is the same old tired mash of “unexplained 9/11  facts” some of which are legitimate curiosities, most of which are pathetically laughable.

Now I will cut the crap and give you 3 videos where National Geographic takes these “9/11 truth” people seriously, and tests the theories for possibility, not plausibility. The Purdue simulation took two years to complete. I will henceforth regard people clinging to these theories as willfully delusional, and real burdens to a democratic society. Democracy doesn’t operate on autopilot.

 

 

Matt Taibbi also refutes the possibility of such a huge conspiracy.

 

I’ll let Noam Chomsky have the last word. He’s very succinct and to the point. He is my type of thinker — especially in his pin-pointing of what I call the “conspiracy profiteers” of whom Alex Jones is a prime example.

FriendFeed conversation:

 

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Tuesday
08Sep2009

Petr Buben makes much of the latest 9/11 conspiracy tidbit 

Date20090908 at 01:36
9/11: Science and Conspiracy | National Geographic ~Good progress. At least they mention there is something else than official story. In fact, there is the truth - 9/11 is a controlled demolition. Who did what, and when? Polygraph questioning should tell us. We need independent investigation.

I’m frankly very very tired of the “9/11 Truth” “movement.” I’ve done my own research, and followed up in recent years. I guess I was just irritable and didn’t like seeing this pop up in my friendfeed stream.

I’ve a long-standing ban on Alex Jones and his sites prisonplanet.net and infowars.com. Note that I refuse to link to them - you will have to type into your browser if you just can’t help yourself.

Here is the discussion that followed from Buben’s notion that particles of thermite (or something consistent with thermite)  found recently somewhere proves it was a plot by our government. I’m familiar with the Building 7 side-conspiracy and I frankly don’t know if Petr is confusing the two. I also don’t know why a Czech truck driver would consider himself an expert in forensic science and demolition.

Buben is certainly tenacious — but I do manage to get in a few good ones:

“What? Did you make up any facts since I looked into it years ago? You should bring then to the WTC site this September, and tell the firemen. I’m sure they’ll be fascinated with what you have to say.” - me

NOPE: “Conspiracy: Thermite, which is less traceable, was used in the controlled demolition that brought down the towers. - me
Science: Some truthers claim dust that some New Yorkers found after the attack shares the components of thermite. Scientists assert that even if this dust did contain thermite, it would be impossible to determine whether the thermite came from a controlled demolition or simply from the melting of the airplanes. - me
EMRTC designed an experiment to see if thermite was a plausible option in the collapse of the towers. The thermite in the test was not even able to melt a column much smaller than those in the World Trade Center.” - me
Pity you don’t seem to have read the only citation you made worth reading. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode… - me

Most of the heavy lifting in this discussion was done by the patient alphaxion.

This is for the record. I hope this is the last 9/11 anniversary that I encounter such grandiose stupidity, all of which must be terribly offensive to the many thousands who lost someone, and the millions who have been affected by the fallout.

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