Denialism

Month: May 2008

  • Now that spring is here…

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    MarkH
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    Spring is here, despite this week’s frost (I’m really happy I didn’t get around to planting last weekend). I love being outdoors, but my work keeps me inside a lot. Now that the days are longer, I have more opportunities to take my kiddo outside exploring. Her favorite thing to do is go “hiking”, which…

  • Compassion? You don’t KNOW compassion!

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    MarkH
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    We’ve often discussed the tactics favored by denialists, and prominent among these is the ad hominem attack. Physicians who speak out against quackery and speak up for science-based medicine are often often accused of lacking compassion. Orac wrote a little bit about the topic today. (OK, Orac never writes a “little bit” about anything, but…

  • Fighting HIV—the boring version

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    MarkH
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    The fight against HIV occurs on several different levels: prevention of transmission and acquisition, treatment of the infection, and prevention and treatment of opportunistic illnesses. Prevention has been addressed extensively (and perhaps will be again later), and opportunistic illnesses is a huge topic, so first I’ll delve a bit into the origins and biology of…

  • The Ghost of Henry Ford I

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    MarkH
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    Given Ford’s early track record, this story out of California is rather disturbing. (Via PZ). A SoCal Ford dealership is using prejudice against non-Christians as a prominent selling point for their business. Henry Ford I was a well-known antisemite, and published the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in his personal rag, the Dearborn Independent.…

  • Denialist award—Andrew Schlafly, Esq.

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    MarkH
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    I am giving out a previously non-existent award today to a truly great denialist. Andrew Schlafly, spawn of anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly and some long-forgotten sperm-donor (ironic, eh?), was not content just being the legal counsel to the uber-crank Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. No, he had to take it one step further, and clog…

  • Skeptic’s Circle Number 87 is up

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    MarkH
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    It’s a must read over at action skeptics. Dirty limerick skepticism! Of note, Orac on quackademic medicine, and Greta Christina on the science of sexuality.

  • When a patient asks for the unusual

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    MarkH
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    Here’s the conundrum: Let’s say your patient’s insurance has decided that they will pay for 12 sessions of reiki for, say, back pain. All that the patient needs to have this therapy approved and paid for is their primary care doctor’s referral. Let’s say that doctor has examined the evidence, and found reiki to be…

  • Science ain’t over ’til, um…well, never!

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    MarkH
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    Over at sciencebasedmedicine.com, Mark Crislip has a great post on the history of medical advances. First, go read it. WAIT! Don’t forget to come back and read the rest of my post! OK, you can go now.

  • Another legal tactic from the anti-vaxers

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    MarkH
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    Here’s an interesting one for ya. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting on a vaccine injury case filed by an Atlanta couple. The story is familiar and sad—a child starts off as a normal baby, and eventually develops a devastating neurologic illness. Based on the fact that symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders happen to show up around…

  • A hint of sanity from McCain

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    MarkH
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    John McCain has succumbed to sanity—or perhaps to political expediency. Either way, he has finally rejected the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee. If you’ll recall, Hagee is one of those wacko cult leaders on the right-hand side of the Evangelical movement (I hope). He hates Catholics, and thinks Jews are just great! (That is, if…