Quelle Horreur

EoR's world is shattered. Plastic Bertrand did not sing on Ça plane pour moi, the seminal Punk anthem. Next thing you know, someone will claim the Sex Pistols were only in it for the money. Or that Crass were funded by BAE systems. Or that The Dead Kennedys had all their songs written by Paul McCartney.

Dingle Update

Inquest into Dingle death

The State Coroner has delivered his findings in the Penelope Dingle case. The homeopath involved, Francine Scrayen is described as

"was not a competent health professional" and had given "dangerous advice" to Mrs Dingle when treating her.

Dr Peter Dingle is described as

"a victim of his own misinformation" and had "no qualifications in health and wellness".

It is also recommended that the two doctors involved, William Barnes and Igor Tabrizian, be referred to the Medical Board of WA.

Mr Hope said Dr Barnes' suggestion Mrs Dingle use vitamin C and Carnivora to potentially stop the tumour growing and Dr Tabrizian's failure to examine her properly was enough reason to refer them to the board.

Despite this, the Coroner seems ambivalent about homeopathy.

Giving his recommendations, the coroner said homeopathic treatments should not be outlawed but nor should they be legitimised.

But he recommended federal and state health authorities review their legislation regarding complementary and alternative treatments.

This sounds like the recent UK decision that homeopathy should continue be supported precisely because it doesn't work. And despite the fact that

He said that if she had not spent a year seeking the advice of Mrs Scrayen rather than seeing a doctor, she may have survived.

In The Forests Of The Night

Having recently looked at the persistent myth that the Australian bush is infested with wandering panthers, lions and sundry other Big Cats, EoR is pleased to report that a tiger that escaped while being transported to a vet in South Africa has been recaptured.

Tigers, native to Asia, are usually only found in zoos in South Africa, which is home to numerous species of big cats.

Fernandes said the tiger would be returning to his home at a private game reserve.

The head of a private security network coordinating the search had told Reuters it was likely the biggest tiger hunt Africa has ever seen.

Presumably, that would be because it's the only tiger hunt Africa has ever seen?

Ken vs Reality

Both Jo Nova and Andrew Bolt chortle over the latest Global Warming Conspiracy evidence, produced by the indefatigable Ken ("retired school principal"). Ken compares Bureau of Meteorology raw data against the High Quality Adjusted Data, and finds a difference (as you'd expect):

That’s 0.6 degrees C / 100 years for the raw data. The adjusted trend is 0.85.

Which becomes Jo Nova's headline of "Australian warming trend adjusted UP by 40%". Here's the graph Ken has produced to show his results:



Now EoR is not a climate scientist, and he finds these number things hard to get his head around, but surely one set of data shows an increasing trend, while the other set of data shows a slightly less increasing trend? Which would indicate, no matter how you twist the data, that climate is warming? Strangely, none of these fiercely independent investigators seems to mention that fact. Indeed, they seem to be conceptually blind to that particular elephant as they pursue their rigidly ideological paths.

This the same day that the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration in the US has released its 2009 State of the Climate report. They've even produced a cute graphic which shows how many predictors of global warming are confirmed by the data:

"When we follow decade-to-decade trends using multiple data sets and independent analyses from around the world, we see clear and unmistakable signs of a warming world."

Download the full report (6.6 MB).

The IPCC conclusion (Alley et al. 2007) that “warming of the climate system is unequivocal” does not rest solely upon LSAT [Land Surface Air Temperature] records. These constitute only one line of evidence among many, for example: uptake of heat by the oceans, melting of land ice such as glaciers, the associated rise in sea level, and increased atmospheric surface humidity (fig. 2.5). If the land surface records were systematically flawed and the globe had not really warmed, then it would be almost impossible to explain the concurrent changes in this wide range of indicators produced by many independent groups. The observed changes in a broad range of indicators provide a self-consistent story of a warming world.
State of the Climate in 2009, p. S26

Homeopathy - Doesn't Work, Deserves Government Funding

Some excerpts from the UK Government response to the Science and Technology Committee report 'Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy' :

8. We agree with many of the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations. However, our continued position on the use of homeopathy within the NHS is that the local NHS and clinicians, rather than Whitehall, are best placed to make decisions on what treatment is appropriate for their patients - including complementary or alternative treatments such as homeopathy - and provide accordingly for those treatments.

37. Homeopathy has a long tradition in Europe and is a recognised and widely used system of medicine across the EU. The Government takes the view that consumers who choose to use homeopathic medicines should be fully informed about their purpose and assured that standards of quality and safety are maintained. If homeopathic medicines were not subject to any kind of regulatory control consumers would not have access to such information or assurances. Conversely, if regulation was applied to homeopathic medicines as understood in the context of conventional pharmaceutical medicines, these products would have to be withdrawn from the market as medicines. This would constrain consumer choice and, more importantly, risk the introduction of unregulated, poor quality and potentially unsafe products on the market to satisfy consumer demand.

40. The main public health risk that can arise from homeopathic medicinal products is their inappropriate use in serious conditions. The National Rules Scheme (NRS) is based on the premise that public health protection is better served where it is clear that the use of these products should be restricted to minor self-limiting conditions. In response to recommendation 30, that claimed indications should not be permitted in products without demonstrated efficacy, we do not think public health will be enhanced by increasing the proportion of over the counter medicinal products sold without information as to their intended purpose.

48. The regulation of homeopathic products enables the MHRA to protect the public from unsafe products and unwarranted claims to treat serious illness. The requirement for regulation of homeopathic products is laid down in a European Directive and is a treaty obligation of the UK.

To summarise the twisted logic: homeopathy doesn't work, so it should only be used for conditions that would resolve themselves anyway (because, if you refused this placebo, the conditions would resolve themselves anyway). Homeopathy should, nonetheless, still remain government supported and funded because, even though they don't qualify as 'medicines', consumer choice requires that they be called 'medicines'.

A Plague of Cats on Your House!

The NT News is a wonderful newspaper. Fond of reporting the UFO scourge that plagues the Northern Territory. Fond of rehashing as headlines decades old stories of the Territory Tiger in order to promote a book.

The earliest account was from 1883 by SA explorer Charles Winnecke. The journal of his exploration on the WA-NT border says Winnecke came across a "wild cat of an extraordinary size".

"The brute was nearly as large as a leopard," he wrote.

Ms Lang said these cats had a lifespan of 20 years - but the sightings have continued for 150 years.

"We know the earliest circus menageries started up around 1850, so it's conceivable that the odd circus cat could have ended up in the bush," she said.

"Transport arrangements were notoriously dodgy back then and escapes happened all the time."

EoR would love to see the evidence of these escapes. But there's even photographic proof of this mythical beast:



Now EoR may just be a closed-minded skeptic disbeliever, but that looks like someone's kitty cat going for a stroll in a Territory backyard. Possibly it's an albino tiger after all, though. Or, as the Centre for Fortean Zoology implies, a lion.

Like evidence of UFOs, when video is taken it's usually shaky, blurry, and short (presumably because the person filming is so terrified their whole body is shaking from fear).

Vision captured yesterday by a resident of the Otway Ranges appears to show a black cat-like animal walking through a paddock.

Occam's Razor would suggest that the most likely explanation for a 'black cat-like animal' would be a black cat. Big Cat chaser Mike Williams describes his challenge:

"But the problem is they're showing several different colour variations of coats. So I have been forced to say there is more than one species of cat, which makes it even harder for me to try and prove."

EoR would have thought multiple species would make it easier. So many more Big Cats, so much easier to find one. Just one. Please. If it's not a Big Cat, then it must be Yowies.

These mythical and elusive beasts are spotted all across Australia, including Western Australia where they range from at least Karridale to Yanchep (though that might be a 'bear' or 'some kind of mutant' so it might not count).

Not only are all these beasts almost invisible, they leave no scats, or bones when they die, just like ghosts.

Where do all these Big Cats come from? People 'theorise' that they might be remnant thylacoleos, that they escape from circuses (now that circuses don't have exotic animals, they'll find it harder to push that one), or that every visiting US Navy ship during the Second World War dumped its panther mascot in the bush (note, not at the port, but they must have deliberately and maliciously transported them to the bush to release them into the wild) or, going even further back, miners who came over from the US to the Australian Gold Rush brought their panthers with them. If you find some of those 'theories' more than slightly silly, you're not alone.

When evidence isn't forthcoming, and doesn't even match the plethora or purported sightings, you could surmise the sightings were wrong. Or, in the classic tradition of deniers everywhere, claim a government cover-up.

But the report didn’t go they way they wanted so they buried it, but an FOI flushed it out. Dr Johannes Bauer, experienced in big cat surveys in China and Nepal and a lecturer in environmental management at the University of Sydney, was asked by the NSW government in 1999 to report on big cat sightings in the area. Bauer examined evidence including photos of mauled livestock, analysis of droppings, casts of paw prints and scratches on trees. His findings were kept secret until they surfaced late last year in the Department of Agriculture report. “Difficult as it seems to accept the most likely explanation of the evidence is the presence of a large feline predator in this area, most likely a leopard, less likely a jaguar “. So, we continue collecting reports and are about to get some dna done on hair samples.

Since a Big Cat would be a top predator in the Australian bush it should have no trouble surviving and, since these reports have appeared for nearly two centuries, they must also be breeding (EoR considers that the likelihood of every passing circus losing a Big Cat or two and covering it up is unlikely). EoR once did a calculation based only on one breeding pair, not living particularly long, not producing large litters each time, and still came up with a figure in the thousands for the number of Big Cats that should now be roaming the bush. Yet they remain as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster. Or the Yowie.

If you're going to venture out into the depths of the Australian Big Cat infested bush, EoR advises you to heed the advice of the NSW Department of Primary Industries: 'Black Cat' identification.

"How many times have I told you that homosexuality is only to be used for revolutionary purposes?"

The film LA Zombie ('an erotic gay satire') has not been banned in Australia, but 'refused exemption'. One means the film cannot be shown in Australia. The other, um, means the film cannot be shown in Australia (it's a subtle difference). Not even at a film festival where only adults would see it. Now a film depicting 'wound shagging' and ejaculating blood may not be to your taste, but if you go to a film festival to see a Bruce LaBruce film, EoR concurs with Julie Rigg that you'd have a pretty good idea what sort of film you're about to see. If anything, it sounds just as much postmodernist as pornographic. Furthermore, if the film hadn't been refused exemption EoR, and countless others, would never have heard of it.

Meanwhile, a submission to an Australian Senate Committee reviewing the proposed internet filter has had a link to a YouTube video censored even though the video can be legally purchased in Australia, and even though the internet filter is only supposed to deny access to material that is not legal in Australia. They also censored a link to the Amazon.com page for Ken Park (as if no one would ever be able to find the film at Amazon otherwise).

As to just which material you can legally own in Australia, some Australians are more equal than others (particularly if you're Aboriginal):

"It is lawful for Australian citizens to possess, own, read or view, give away and purchase RC (Refused Classification) content in all forms, except in Western Australia (which has a state law which criminalises possession of RC content) and parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory associated with the Aboriginal Intervention (where possession of content rated higher than MA 15+ is an offence)."

As if this is not silly enough, the Government is proposing that ISPs retain the web browsing history and emails of all users. A consultation paper on this matter that has been released under FOI has had around 90% of it censored. A legal officer from the Attorney-General's Department explains why:

"I consider that release of such documents may lead to premature unnecessary debate and could potentially prejudice and impede government decision making."

You wouldn't want any premature discussion of a major data retention initiative. Just look at how much furore discussion of the internet filter has released.

EoR thinks it is about time for the Revolution:

"The Revolution is my boyfriend!"

No Muslims In Parliament! Cast The Atheists Out!

EoR has tried to stay out of commenting on the political marketing Australia is currently being subject to (and will it ever rate better than Masterchef?) but he feels compelled to note the racist and outdated views of members of the Opposition.

David Parker, a Liberal Party candidate, has been sacked after a bizarre rant against Muslims (but he's not anti-Muslim, of course).

"I'm not anti-Muslim. I believe every one should have their own beliefs," he said.

"But I don't know if we want at this stage in Australian politics a Muslim in the Parliament and an atheist running the Government."

(...)

"I made a comment that I believe God is the only way to Heaven and we shouldn't have a Muslim candidate running in that area," he said.

"I don't believe that's exactly in line with what we believe as Australians."

Mr Barker says he is a Christian but is not against Muslims.

"I'm not attacking them on the basis of their faith, I'm attacking them on the basis of their ideology," he said.

"As far as I'm concerned every Muslim in Parliament is a step towards a Muslim Parliament, but I'm not against Muslims."

David Parker is not anti-Muslim, he's just doesn't think they should be in Parliament (because giving people an equal go is so Unaustralian). And it's not their faith he disagrees with (even though he seems to be under the strange delusion that there's only one — Christian — god) it's their 'ideology'. EoR doesn't know what he means be that subtle difference, but suspects it's some insinuation of taking over Australia and instituting a Caliphate. Remember: one (non-practicing) Muslim in Parliament and, before you know it, we'll have a Muslim Parliament! Stop the terror now! He has now been replaced as a candidate by the improbably named Venus Priest.

Meanwhile, over here in the West, sitting member Don Randall also believes religion is a crucial issue in this election.

The member for Canning says many people in his electorate and across the country do not like the fact Ms Gillard is an atheist.

(...)

"It's a criticism of the fact that the electorate has deep concerns about an un-godly leader leading Australia," he said.

Mr Randall says Australia was built on Christian values, which provide the basis for being a better leader.

"We expect out leaders to convey and portray good Christian values," he said.

EoR doesn't know which to fear more now: the Muslim Parliament, or the Ungodly Parliament. How on Earth could an ungodly leader be expected to lead Australia in the best interests of all without recourse to the mysterious advice of a (Christian) god?

Christian values which built this country. Like transportation.

Christian values which have served throughout two millenia to build a better society.

Christian values which have helped leaders to steer their country away from ungodly ways.

Christian values of tolerance and love.



Don Randall appears to be blissfully unaware of the place of religion in Australia:

Australia has no official state religion and people are free to practise any religion they choose, as long they obey the law. Australians are also free not to have a religion.

Australia is a predominantly Christian country, with around 64 per cent of all Australians identifying as Christians. However, most other major religious faiths are also practised, reflecting Australia’s culturally diverse society.

Religious freedom is safeguarded by section 116 of the Australian Constitution, which prohibits the federal government from making any law establishing any religion, imposing any religious observance, or prohibiting the free exercise of any religion. Individuals are free to express a diversity of views, as long as they do not incite religious hatred.

The Men Who Microwave Goats

The US Army's Active Denial System, a "non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel weapon" has finally seen service in Afghanistan.

The ADS works by projecting a focused beam of 3.2mm wave electromagnetic radiation at a human target. This heats the water and fat molecules on the skin, causing their temperature to rise by up to 50C.

The Greeks, of course, thought of it first.

There were safety concerns about the ray weapon in 2007, and these still seem to be a burning issue. The weapon has also been almost immediately withdrawn from Afghanistan without being fired. It seems it has limited uses.

Other problems come from the limitations of the device itself. Rain, snow and fog hamper its effectiveness, and it can be blocked by highly reflective materials such as aluminium foil. In many situations – particularly in busy crowds – working out the right range will be complicated, and there is also the possibility of targets finding themselves unable to move out of the path of the beam.

EoR imagines the Taliban are arming themselves with tinfoil hats. The ADS costs $5 million. A tinfoil hat a few cents (though it might make them more noticeable to passing drones).

Strangely, rubber bullets also appear less effective than they did. The Guardian in 2007 states:

The beam has a range of up to 1km, 10 times that of other non-lethal weapons such as plastic bullets or beanbag-firing guns.

The Telegraph in 2010:

the ADS has a range of up to 500m, 10 times greater than current non-lethal weapons such as rubber bullets.

Is That A Thermoregulater, Or Are You Just Pleased To See Me?

While on the subject of what prehistoric beasts were actually like, here's some interesting recent research from the University of Western Australia looking at why those reptiles had such large crests and other features. Dr Joseph Tomkins, the lead author of the study, argues that such features were part of a sexual attraction strategy, rather than being used for thermoregulation. In terms of heat control, the features were either larger than necessary, or unnecessary.

Tomkins and his colleagues found that the relationship between body size and crest or sail size was very similar to what you'd expect from a sexual trait in a creature alive today, but even more so.

'We expected there to be a relationship, but we were really surprised at how exaggerated the structures of these fossil creatures were in comparison to existing animals.'

'In red deer, large males have large antlers. Also in stag beetles, bigger males have big mandibles. It's even the same in stalk-eyed flies: the stalks on the largest males are disproportionately large. But the head crest of pteranodon in particular outclassed these traits,' says Tomkins.

Presumably, this just goes to show that size does matter.

Tomkins, an expert in so-called sexual selection – how different traits have evolved to attract a mate – says, 'While I was doodling a sail-backed lizard, it suddenly struck me that the sail had to be sexually selected.'

EoR trusts that 'doodling' is not a euphemism in this context.

Prehistoric sexual preferences

St Galileo

EoR has always been fascinated by the preoccupation with Saintly relics. Now he can make a pilgrimage to Florence and join in the celebrations, as he worships the three fingers and molar of Galileo.

“He’s a secular saint, and relics are an important symbol of his fight for freedom of thought,” said Paolo Galluzzi, the director of the Galileo Museum, which put the tooth, thumb and index finger on view last month, uniting them with another of the scientist’s digits already in its collection.

'Secular saint' is a new one on EoR, and he's not really sure what that means. Though it's probably no sillier than the 21 foreskins of Jesus (presumably some sort of circumcisory equivalent of the miracle of the loaves and fishes). Thankfully, all dissension has now ended since the Holy Prepuce has ascended into Heaven and became the rings of Saturn.

So what would Galileo be the patron saint of? Deluded self taught scientists with theories that will overturn the scientific establishment if only they would listen?

Time To Move On Andrew

Thanks to Andrew Bolt, we now know that even New Scientist has admitted the Climategate reviews were a whitewash. We know this because he links to a New Scientist editorial.

In Bolt's dog whistle world, if the science isn't addressed by the reviews, then the science is disproven. Strangely, he fails to link to other New Scientist articles of recent time, such as:

Climate scientists respond to 'climategate' report (Bolt actually removed this link from the editorial he reposted - if he'd turned the page of the issue in which the editorial appears he would have found this article).

IT'S time to abandon the black-and-white fiction that human-induced climate change is fact or conspiracy. Instead, accept that the climate is changing and that there are shades of grey about how fast, how severe the impact will be and what we can do about it.

That's the message from leading scientists digesting the UK's official report into the "climategate" affair, in which private emails from the nation's Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Norwich were made public in November 2009.

Muir Russell, a former civil servant who spent seven months investigating the affair, concluded in his official report, released on 7 July, that "the rigour and honesty of the scientists involved are not in doubt". But he exhorted them to show more openness, to shed their "unhelpful and defensive" attitude when responding to requests to share their data and to make more effort to engage with climate sceptics who dispute their data and conclusions.

(...)

Questioning climate science is what good scientists do, (Brian) Hoskins (of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change) adds. "As for people with a political agenda, will the report silence them? No."

It's almost as if Brian Hoskins could psychically foresee the reaction of Andrew Bolt!

Climategate inquiry: no deceit, too little cooperation

Climate change report is 'reliable but flawed'


As always, Bolt enjoys cutting and pasting and then watching his commenters rant on. The first comment, from Andrew of Ipswich, is so wonderful that, thankfully, it saved EoR from having to read through the rest of them.

this is particularly surprising as New Scientist has been a bastion of warming for a few years now. To the point that I didn’t bother buying it as the articles just annoyed me

Because when you don't like science, you should just ignore it.

Thistle Thoughts

EoR, having accidentally sat on some thistles, ponders the State of Things.

If someone invites you to go parasailing, decline. It won't be as much fun as you imagine.

The Global Warming Denier 'Suicide Bomber' Mindset?

Andrew Bolt's readers detest refugees arriving by boats. They detest Muslims. They detest suicide bombers. A brief perusal of his blog will show that those three groups are pretty much identical. But EoR wonders just how dissimilar his core audience is from suicide bombers.

Ariel Merari has spoken to suicide bombers who failed at their mission in order to investigate their motivation and psychology (and, yes, this is a particularly self-selecting group since we can't investigate successful bombers, and the findings may only apply to Palestinians). He found a number of characteristics:

None of the 15 would-be suicide bombers we interviewed suffered from a psychosis, but they had one of two personality types. Two-thirds were dependent-avoidant: such people find it hard to say no to authority figures and are more likely to cooperate to carry out tasks against their own judgement. They are also greatly influenced by public opinion. The rest were impulsive and emotionally unstable. (...) Some of them apparently enter a psychological state known as a dissociation, in which they shut themselves off to disturbing thoughts.

The overwhelming majority of Bolt's commenters are climate change deniers. Far in excess of even increasing public opinion on the subject, and astronomically above the support for such contrarian views amongst climate scientists. There is no acceptance of possible catastrophic outcomes of global warming, or even of less catastrophic but nonetheless significant issues (such as more powerful hurricanes, flooding, decreased rainfall). Views which contradict their own (and which are in the majority) are typecast as conspiracy, whitewash or, ultimately, they are simply ignored because the cognitive dissonance between belief and reality is too difficult to reconcile. Christopher Monckton, as an example, would seem to fall in the "impulsive and emotionally unstable" group, and possibly narcissistic.

The organisers of suicide bombers, on the other hand, are different types:

They are not dependent - they are manipulative. They are much more intelligent than the bombers (...). Some had university education. They were not psychopathic. They were very pragmatic, they believed they were doing it for their nation and that it was the right thing to do. They did not express any moral doubts about it.

Who are the leaders of climate change denial? The Lavoisier Group. Exxon Mobil. Koch Industries. And more. All organisations with a clear commercial agenda (just like the tobacco companies before them).

EoR is not, of course, suggesting that climate change deniers are potential suicide bombers, but the psychological similarities in opposing an unacceptable worldview are fascinating for understanding just why people promote these views, or believe them.

The Higher Mathematics of Idiocy

EoR is thankful that Chevrolet UK has finally come up with a desperately needed piece of science that the world has been suffering for centuries without. Not a cure for cancer. Not an answer to global warming. Not a Unified Field Theory. No, far more important than that, the formula for the perfect handshake.

PH = √ (e2 + ve2)(d2) + (cg + dr)2 + π{(4<s>2)(4<p>2)}2 + (vi + t + te)2 + {(4<c>2 )(4<du>2)}2

(e) is eye contact (1=none; 5=direct) 5; (ve) is verbal greeting (1=totally inappropriate; 5=totally appropriate) 5; (d) is Duchenne smile - smiling in eyes and mouth, plus symmetry on both sides of face, and slower offset (1=totally non-Duchenne smile (false smile); 5=totally Duchenne) 5; (cg) completeness of grip (1=very incomplete; 5=full) 5; (dr) is dryness of hand (1=damp; 5=dry) 4; (s) is strength (1= weak; 5=strong) 3; (p) is position of hand (1=back towards own body; 5=other person's bodily zone) 3; (vi) is vigour (1=too low/too high; 5=mid) 3; (t) is temperature of hands (1=too cold/too hot; 5=mid) 3; (te) is texture of hands (5=mid; 1=too rough/too smooth) 3; (c) is control (1=low; 5=high) 3; (du) is duration (1= brief; 5=long) 3.

It's 'developed by scientists' so it must be real (even though the press release also states it was only developed by one (psychological) scientist.

EoR expects that, by the time you've worked out all those variables and come up with your answer, your punter will have wandered off to another car yard.

What Is Wrong With This Advertisement?

"The Animal Planet Triceratops sit on is a strong and sturdy and can hold up to 125lbs. The triceratops is covered in high quality plush material to ensure a comfortable ride. It even makes realistic Triceratops sounds. Batteries included. Age range 3 years+."

Howard Sattler-Meryl Dorey Love-In

Regardless of the Australian Antivaccination Network having being publicly slammed for lies and deception, Howard Sattler again featured Meryl Dorey today as his favourite vaccination expert. Those familiar with Meryl's tactics would be unsurprised that her statements consisted mostly of lies. Okay, only of lies. This is EoR's summary (EoR's editorial comments are in italics):

The AVN provides a balance of information. The medical community only provide one side.
We have no problem with anyone deciding to vaccinate as long as they make an informed choice.
We never say vaccination is dangerous.
You wouldn't go into surgery without a second opinion. (But would you go to a conspiracy theorist for it, or would you choose another surgeon?)
MMR hospitalised her son with encephalitis! (She should be lucky he didn't get autism). Nobody will ever say that it wasn't 100% linked to his vaccine.
Dr Rachel Dunlop is not a medical doctor (neither is Meryl — why didn't she say this?).
Skeptics are saying there's no such thing as free speech in Australia!
The NSW HCCC report "supposedly" did an investigation. We're going to the Ombudsman unless they withdraw their findings.
An independent investigation would never have proceeded with the complaint.
Skeptics don't want people to have access to this information.
Howard called for skeptics to have the 'intestinal fortitude' to call in.
First caller labelled Meryl a "champion", thimerosol was a "big fraud", autism diagnoses have increased because of vaccinations. Meryl said he had a "lot of good points". She doesn't assert vaccination is leading to a rise in autism, rather it's many research papers that are proving it.
We have security because the Library has had Skeptics contact them (It must be those free-speech hating terrorist skeptic breakaway group that only exists in Meryl's increasingly conspiracy-ridden mind).
Val of Langford rang: a granddaughter got really ill after vaccination and then became autistic. The doctor doesn't seem to see a problem with it.
Julia of Gwelup rang: her child had a strange reaction to whooping cough vaccine. The clinic sister said don't give any more of those shots. He is okay now though he was very active as a child (but not ADHD active) and maybe that was due to vaccination (maybe not).
Steve of Belmont: was fearful when he read of the vaccination/autism link. The Health Department bully because they won't cover the cost of importing special non-autism causing individual vaccines from the UK.
Troy of Greenmount: concerned about people being persecuted for airing an opinion. Government is in bed with Big Pharma.
Raz of Mundaring: never vaccinated because a friend's children became sick. Used homeopathic vaccination instead (Meryl pointed out that this was a very valid method (EoR points out that it's also a very valid method of doing nothing)).
Scott of Thornlie: (at last, one of those evil skeptics — but why didn't he demand that Meryl be censored like all skeptics do?) asked how many people have polio today? Pointed out that herd immunity has an effect which is way people aren't getting sick (Meryl missed the point and rambled on about "my research").

Howard stated he had emails and tweets from skeptics and then said "where are you?" Didn't he just answer his own question? Howard has a problem with emails. He's old school and doesn't see them as a valid form of discourse. Perhaps Angry of Perth should write him a lengthy letter. Twitterers are "gutless wonders". Meryl confirmed that skeptics "can't argue with the facts so they attack the person."

Unlike the Big Pharma funded skeptics who are all demanding Meryl be silenced and all her 'information' removed from the interwebs, EoR doesn't really care what she says. She has her delusions and she's entitled to them. If she wants to make a webpage with those fallacies and lies that's her right. If she wants to get people to pay her for those lies, well, there's a sucker born every minute.

What EoR has a problem with is Sattler's constant promotion of Meryl as a vaccination free-thinking* campaigner (always without anyone speaking for "the other side") because "I don't necessarily agree with her but she's entitled to her opinion." EoR wonders why Sattler doesn't give half hour slots to neo-Nazis? To Islamic terrorists? Aren't they entitled to their opinion as well? Isn't Australia a democracy (as he and his callers argue)? Shouldn't they be able to promote their particular ideologies via his radio show?

Update: The audio, if you have the strength for fullscale delusional raving, is available via The Skeptics' Book of Pooh-Pooh.

*That's 'free-thinking' as in 'free of thinking'.

Cure Diabetes By Spending Your Money Now!

In a week which has seen Big Pharma chastised for not revealing all the results relating to Avandia, it's good to see that Big Altie seems to follow exactly the same game plan.

I don’t know how many trials they have today, but from a company that has 20 hidden trials in which to hunt for an isolated positive result in one subscale from one variable, this does not feel like compelling evidence.

So, up to 80% of claims made about various nutritional supplements are unfounded.

As a high-level researcher, constantly seeking out the latest information, and presenting this is a fully informed scientific manner (though never as a 'medical' doctor, of course) EoR expects that Dr Peter Dingle will very quickly amend many of his claims that promote these sort of supplements and foods, as well as his listing of books for sale (you will note that there is no medical advice there, only the sort of information you'd suspect an environmental toxicologist was qualified to give, hence titles such as "6 Week Healthy Eating Planner", "The DEAL for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids", or even "The Science of Achieving Goals").

Another book listed there is "There is a Cure for Diabetes" by Gabriel Cousens, MD (which, of course, is not medical advice from Dr Dingle since he's not making this claim, only selling the book). Yes, there is a cure for diabetes! Lying GPs will try and convince you otherwise, but don't trust them. Because you know they're all in the pay of Big Pharma.

Conventional medicine remains utterly ignorant of the healing power of raw living foods, preferring instead to rely on patented chemical medications that simply don't work to heal anyone or anything. No person suffering from diabetes has ever been cured of diabetes through pharmaceutical medications. It has never happened in the history of medicine. And yet type-2 diabetes can be cured at a rate of 90% - 95% with a raw living foods diet.

A 90% cure rate! From juicing and 'non-dead' foods alone! EoR is deeply, deeply impressed. Where are the studies supporting this claim? You'll never see them. Big Pharma must be suppressing them, as Lifestyle4Health clearly shows (EoR thinks he's got the conspiracy chain correct here): World Diabetes Day is international (this is not a sign of success, but of Evil Illuminati Control) and its theme is 'education and prevention'; since there's no mention of 'cure or reversal' this is not a sign these things don't exist, but that they're being suppressed; pharmaceutical commpanies provide 'educational grants' to support World Diabetes Day; pharmaceutical companies sell diabetes drugs... Yes: pharmaceutical companies want to make as many of you sick as possible! By funding an organisation with the aim of preventing diabetes. EoR sometimes finds it hard to get his head around the altie conspiratorial mindset. Maybe his tinfoil hat is not set correctly.

A thought strikes EoR: since pharmaceutical companies are only doing this to maximise profits by hiding the cure they have for diabetes, a clever Big Pharma company could release that cure, take all the profits away from the other companies, and laugh and sing all the way to the Illuminati Controlled Bank.

There is a Cure for Diabetes is an Amazon bestseller even though it garners a number of one star reviews, and one that wanted to give it zero stars:

When phrases as ludicrous as "reset the DNA through green juice fasting" appear in the official summary of a book, you know you're in for a fast-talking ride with a quack. Your DNA (remember, the foundational molecules of genetic expression resident in nearly every cell of your body?) does not get "reset" by anything you eat.

Assuming that his approach could possibly be a cure (which would contradict verified principles of diabetic pathology and physiology), it would be great to see Cousens submit an actual clinical study for peer review. Unfortunately, such careful, impartial research isn't quite as profitable as writing a best-seller. Why make sure what you're promoting is true when you can rake in the cash?

Zero stars.

Dr Dingle (not a medical doctor, remember) nonetheless obviously sees some hidden merit in this inestimable tome, as do his customers since the book has sold out.

More Warmist Alarmism

While Russia is suffering an unprecedented heatwave, the rest of the world is warming as well:

Last month was the hottest June ever recorded worldwide and the fourth consecutive month that the combined global land and sea temperature records have been broken, according to the US government's climate data centre.

The figures released last night by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggest that 2010 is now on course to be the warmest year since records began in 1880.

EoR waits to see this reported by Andrew Bolt.

Russia Enjoys the Benefits of Higher Temperatures

Here in the antipodes EoR doesn't hear much news from Russia, but the BBC reports that western Russia is suffering a heatwave:

For the past two weeks temperatures across much of western Russia have soared past 35C, in the hottest and longest heatwave in decades.

Russia is also suffering what is thought to be the worst drought in more than 100 years.

There has been virtually no rain since winter and crops are shrivelling.

"We've had 10mm of rain, scorching hot temperatures over 35C, which have just burnt all the crops up," says Colin Hinchley, a Briton who now farms in Penza near the Volga river, in southern Russia.

"Winter wheat crops are 50% of the yield, and spring crops, in some cases, are going to be virtually none."

(...)

The heatwave is expected to last another week. By then Moscow may well have broken through its highest ever temperature of 36.6C.

Now, EoR is not going to claim that this has anything to do with global warming (though a 100 year drought is obviously climate related) but it does show what effect global warming might have and the catastrophic effects an abnormal increase in temperature can have: crops are affected by a small heatwave and people are dying (admittedly drunk Russians, where alcoholism is a national pasttime). The Moscow Times, in its idiosyncratic way, advises:

Russia's top public health official, Gennady Onishchenko, has advised Muscovites to stay away from the sun, subsist on a diet of fruits and vegetables, and not go overboard fighting the weather.

Of course, if global warming was real (it's not, we all know it's a World Green Communist Illuminati Conspiracy) then that would actually be a good thing. CO₂ is good for plants, and the more the stuff the more plants will grow. Never mind less water, or changing climates and ecosystems. Or even that more phytoplankton means more gets eaten. Just so in Russia, a heatwave is good. Air conditioner sales have soared. Except this has now led to stock shortages. Ice cream sales have also soared. Except freezers are breaking down in the sun and prices have had to be lowered. EoR can't quite see the positive aspect of melting asphalt and dangerous pollution from peat bog fires, but he's sure there's a rightwing think tank website with a header image of flowers somewhere masquerading as the Truth About Climate Change that will assure him these are also good things to have.

So, just one small weather event (note again: EoR isn't claiming here this is or isn't related to climate change) has had devastating consequences, some of which related to crops are obviously going to have longterm impacts in the future.

If weather gets colder for any reason then that, of course, means climate is also cooling. Is that clear? Hotter temperatures=weather; colder temperatures=climate. So simple any fool could understand it. Even a trolling journalist.