Archive for the 'Badscience' Category

Expelled

Published
by
badchemist
on April 15, 2008
in Badscience, Creationism, Cunts, Education, Evolution and Religion
. 1 Comment

Most people who are likely to read this blog will have no doubt heard of Expelled by now. For those who haven’t Expelled is supposedly a documentary into the imaginary suppression of academics who question evolution. In reality it is a piece of creationist propaganda.

If you like to know more about Expelled go to this lovely website by the National Center for Science Education all about Expelled.

If you are wondering why the word Expelled is appearing so often in this post it is part of a nasty atheist, pro-science conspiracy to try and get the first hit on google for Expelled to be the NCSE site. Yes, that’s right, we’re google bombing Expelled.

If you’d like to join in just write a brief post about Expelled but everytime you write Expelled link it to www.expelledexposed.com.

Homeopathy + Physics = Utter Nonsense

Published
by
badchemist
on March 30, 2008
in Badscience, Barking, homeopathy and video
. 1 Comment

I’m hosting this video here just in case it disappears from youtube again. This is Dr Charlene Werner butchering physics beyond all recognition and tarnishing the names of Einstein and Hawking along the way. Unlike Werner I won’t be removing the video if the comments become less than complimentary.

I won’t bother giving a critique of the errors in this video, they are all glaringly obvious, I’ll allow you to have the fun of trying to spot them all.

Netcetera are a pathetic, cretinous excuse for a webhost

Published
by
badchemist
on February 18, 2008
in Badscience, Joseph Chikelue Obi and Libel
. 0 Comments

Netcetera the ‘webhosts’ for the excellent Quackometer have bowed under the pressure of the Joseph Chikelue Obi and taken down the Quackometer site with immediate effect. Here we have the worst form of censorship. The Quackometer was one of the best resources around for the debunking of pseudoscience and because of a couple of quacks and charlatans complaining it has been removed. In both cases the complaints of defamation had no grounds, otherwise fellow bloggers, like myself, who mirrored the offending articles would probably be on the receiving end of legal letter by now. If Netcetera actually cared about their customers, or even had a backbone they would have read the offending pages, and those that followed, and realised that both the SoH and Obi were taking a speculative swipe at those who have criticised them.

Thankfully there are some webhosts who understand the idea of customer service. Positive Internet, saviours of badscience.net, are currently working with Le Canard Noir to transfer the Quackometer to there servers. This is how, in my ideal little world, all companies would be run - make you money from big customers and help out the underdog who is being treated unfairly. Long live Positive Internet, long live the Quackometer (once it returns) and all hail those who are willing to fight against the endarkenment and those profiteering of its back.

*Edit*

For those who are looking for shared hosting I though I’d give you a few more reasons to use Positive Internet over Netcetera if the above is not enough (this may display a slight bias).

1. Netcetera is cheaper per month compared to Positive but charge for MySQL storage.

2. Positive Internet host FOSS legend Richard Stallman as well as the mirroring Debian Linux

3. You get full shell access even on shared hosting

4. Netcetera use Windows servers, ’nuff said

Currently I’m using Lunarpages for my hosting who have thus far been excellent. I am tempted by a change to Positive though, full shell access is almost too tempting to resist.

Update: the netcetera quackometer fiasco has now been picked up by ZDNet.

Voluntary regulation of CAM - more psuedo-regulation

Published
by
badchemist
on January 6, 2008
in Badscience, KKKly Mail, Regulatory Bodies and Society of Homeopaths
. 0 Comments

It’s been a while since I posted: thesis writing, job hunting and Xmas have taken their toll. Anyway hopefully I’ll be able to find some more time now.

Now for the point of this post. According to the Daily Hate there is to be new regulation of CAM. beginning in April. I’m all for proper regulation of CAM, too many charlatans have been peddling their snake oil for far too long, so this should really make me happy - unfortunately it doesn’t.

The Foundation of Integrative Health the organisation set up by probably the worlds most famous CAM advocate, HRH the Prince of Wales, are behind the scheme. More info about it can be found here. Apparently the scheme is

… being modelled on the General Medical Council and will follow Government guidelines for self-regulatory bodies.

but, with current legislation,

Although the council will be able to strike practitioners from the register there is nothing to stop them continuing to give treatments.

So although this will give the public a single place to see if their preferred charlatan CAM practitioner is recognised to practice to a professional standard there is still no way of preventing sub-standard quacks from practising their ‘art’ except in a few areas where statutory regulation already exists (chiropractors and osteopaths) or where such regulation is to be introduced (trad. chinese medicine and acupuncture). Hopefully this body will take their responsibilities more seriously than the SoH fiasco and the like and actually remove practitioners who fail to meet guidelines as otherwise this will be an utterly useless list.

UPDATE: When I wrote this earlier I was in a bit of a hurry and forgot one major point. The treatments/practices covered by this new regulatory body have very little, if any, evidence for their efficacy. Now I don’t care if someone wants to waste their money on useless treatments as long as the treatments are not being mis-sold as effective and they are being used for self-limiting conditions where the placebo effect can be of particular benefit. Unfortunately producing a regulatory body for snake oil only adds credence to the claims particularly as it is, in part, funded by the NHS.

EDIT: By way of Freudian slip I managed to put the Princess of Wales.

The danger of delusions

Published
by
badchemist
on November 19, 2007
in Badscience and homeopathy
. 1 Comment

I’m not sure I should really be commenting on this as some may consider it exploitation of someone else’s grief in attempt to prove my argument. If it comes across that way I apologise in advance, it is not intentional I am merely righting this to highlight the dangers that misinformed delusions can produce.

Many of you will already have heard about the tragic death of 9-month old Gloria Thomas. Briefly, she Gloria died from sepsis which is likely to have been contracted through her cracked skin as a result of improper treatment of severe eczema; eczema that her father, homeopath Thomas Sam, had tried to treat with magic water. It has been announced today that her her parents may face criminal charges over her death.

This demonstrates the awful consequences that can befall those who are too wrapped up in their delusions to realise that proper medical intervention is required. I am sure that Thomas Sam believed he was doing what was best for his daughter when he tried to treat her with magic water, faith healing if you will, which makes this case all the more tragic. Due to his unwavering belief in a practice that has no basis is evidence not only has he lost a daughter but he and wife may lose their freedom and their son may lose his parents, temporarily at least.

Can anybody out continue to tell me that homeopathy is harmless, even for treating ailments that would generally be considered to be self limiting, such as eczema?

Jazz to cure all ills

Published
by
badchemist
on November 18, 2007
in Badscience, Barking, Medicine and Health, Resonance, Society of Homeopaths and homeopathy
. 5 Comments

I realise that I seem to be posting a lot tonight but boredom, beer and thesis avoidance has led to me following some interesting links. Thanks to the comments on DC’s latest post of homeopathy I’m come across this gem from Peter Chappell.

Those of you who read Bad Science will already have heard of this chap and his supposed ability to cure AIDS with iTunes. Not only can he do that but he cure H5N1 bird flu in humans with it too. You can download a free version of his resonance recordings from that site or you can download it here.*

Now to my, admittedly untrained, ear this just sounds a bit like rather mediocre jazz. Consequently I propose that if we take the Miles Davis back catalogue and use it to cure all ills. Although, as Peter Chappell is a homeopath, we may need to dilute it infinitesimally - Robbie Williams’ swing album should suffice.

Disclaimer

*According to the original download site:

In the event of Bird Flu (avian influenza - H5N1), we will endeavour to sustain pressure on our servers due to any increase in traffic however we are unable to guarantee uptime. Not only failure of the servers that support our site but electricity might fail, other unforseen factors may come in to play. For this reason, it is much wiser if you get supplied now.

Therefore I am mirroring the file here to reduce load on their servers in the event of a H5N1 break out. If the owners of the file wish for me to remove this file contact me at the email address here.

Australian homeopaths flout code of conduct too

Published
by
badchemist
on November 18, 2007
in Badscience, Regulatory Bodies and homeopathy
. 2 Comments

In my previous post I commented on some rather dubious content on the website of an Australian homeopath. This website belongs run by Frances Sheffield, RN, CM, DRM, MHlthSc.Ed., a professional member of the Australian Homeopathic Association. The AHA describes itself as (emphasis mine):

The Australian Homoeopathic Association is the largest and only national association of professional Homoeopaths in Australia, with branches throughout the country.

consequently it has a Code of Conduct (PDF). Section 2.9 of this code of conduct reads thus:

In announcing homoeopathic services, members shall state no more than the place and time of their practice, their qualifications and the services they are offering. The information contained in such announcements shall be factual and explanatory, not in the form of emotionally persuasive advertising, not claiming superior competency or implying cure of any named disease and not offering guarantees of a particular outcome as an inducement.

Now does implying protection from a disease that can not be prevented using conventional medicine contravene these regulations? A complaint may have to be made…

Homeopaths screwed over Meningococcal vaccine

Published
by
badchemist
on November 18, 2007
in Badscience, Victories and homeopathy
. 0 Comments

Via Bad Science and Bad Homeopathy I’ve learned that, due to some intervention by the Australian Skeptics, Australian authorities have banned 200C Meningococcal vaccine. There’s a video news report about it at Bad Homeopathy.

Obviously, being Homeopaths, they’re feeling hard done by. They aren’t trying to sell Meningococcal vaccines, they’re trying to sell a homeopathic remedy for side effects of the real vaccine. If you watch the video around about 15 seconds in you’ll see a bottle of the remedy in question. It’s quite understandable that a lay-person could mistake this for an effective vaccine - thank goodness the Aussies have regulated against this misleading and utterly useless piece of crap.

Another thing that struck me about this ‘vaccine’ is that it’s supposed to treat the side effects of the real vaccine. Now if, hypothetically, homeopathy worked and someone was to take both the real vaccine and the 200C version how does the magic water differentiate between the useful effects of the vaccine, i.e. prophylaxis for Meningococcal C, and the potential side effects?

Although this may have been genuine case of a misunderstanding, worryingly there are Australian homeopaths that claim to be able to protect you against Men. C. Don’t worry though, apparently they are not homeopathic vaccines:

…article regarding homeopathic immunisation - the use of Homeopathy to protect against epidemic diseases. It is important to note that while it is certainly possible to immunise homeopathically, there is no such thing as a homeopathic vaccine or a process known as homeopathic vaccination. Both terms are inaccurate when referring to homeopathic immunisation.

As normal this site contains the usual list of homeopathic half truths; protecting themselves from litigation (surely a 200C dilution of lawyer could do this) whilst slamming evidence-based medicine. Look at the this from the readers questions (my emphasis):

1. Are you telling people not to vaccinate? This could place their lives at risk.

Not at all. Vaccines may be an appropriate option for some people but unfortunately, as acknowledged by their manufacturers and health officials, vaccines do carry risks. I am providing information about another option that is both safe and effective so people can make fully informed decisions on how to best immunise for their situation.

For some, vaccines are inappropriate or even dangerous. They can be contraindicated in those who have severe illness, suppressed immunity, or who have had previous reactions to them. For these people, homeopathic immunisation is a safe and effective alternative - something I am sure they would like to know.

Finally, in the case of meningococcal disease, homeopathic immunisation can also save lives and reduce disability from strains for which there is no vaccine. The following question addresses this issue more fully.

So, in answering one question they manage to criticise EBM and make unsubstantiated claims about homeopathy several times. The Meningococcal vaccine does have side-effects and can’t be given in certain circumstances , this is known due to scienific research; unfortunately it’s the best thing we have for the prevention of meningitis C. Homeopathic immunisation has NO evidence and is NOT effective in the prevention of meningitis. Such unsubstantiated claims are outright dangerous and go further to show that the homeopaths are either too wrapped up in their own delusions to realise how dangerous their advice can be or are unscrupulous quacks profiteering from the anxieties of others. I’ll let you make up your own minds.

BBC Misunderstands Processor Technology Again

Published
by
badchemist
on November 12, 2007
in Badscience, Media, Science Communication and Tech
. 0 Comments

I wouldn’t normally bother with this as it’s just too easy but it’s not the first time I’ve seen the BBC misunderstand the technology of processors.

…Intel has replaced the gate dielectrics, previously made from silicon dioxide, with a material based on the metal hafnium.

Hafnium is a so-called high-K material, which refers to its dielectric constant, and has a greater ability to store electrical charge than silicon dioxide.

Between these two lines they seem to change their mind what they are taking about. Intel has replaced the gate dielectrics with a hafnium based material, hafnium dioxide. If, as they claim in the second line, they had used hafnium they would have made a useless processor. They tell us themselves that hafnium is a metal - it therefore cannot be a dielectric.

Sadly even Intel seem to make this mistake on their own site.

Intel has made a significant breakthrough in solving the chip power problem, identifying a new “high-k” (Hi-k) material called hafnium to replace the transistor’s silicon dioxide gate dielectric

But at least they get it right later on

“High-k” materials, such as hafnium dioxide (HfO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) inherently have a dielectric constant or “k” above 3.9, the “k” of silicon dioxide.

I know this is pedantry to the extreme but it really isn’t that hard to grasp, is it?

Quackometer vs. Society of Homeopaths

Published
by
badchemist
on October 30, 2007
in Badscience, Bullying, Society of Homeopaths and homeopathy
. 0 Comments

A couple of weeks there was a bit of a fuss in the sceptical section of the blogosphere as the Society of Homeopaths tried to silence the Quackometer using bullying tactics. As is to be expected in this day and age bloggers responded and the Society of Homeopaths must have felt rather silly. Le Canard Noir has contacted the Society of Homeopaths regarding this matter but has so far been ignored.

Since the event Quackometer has refused to be silenced and has published another damning article about the Society of Homeopaths. Follow the link and read it. You’ll find it to be a strongly worded but polite article revealing the SoH to be a meaningless organisation who appear to have little interest in regulating their members or in defending their position using rationality and argument. Instead turning to bullying tactics and ignoring their critics.