Denialism

Author: Chris

  • Galileo to Get Statue at Vatican

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    Today’s Journal reports on the delicate task of creating a monument to Galileo Galilei at the Vatican. But there’s still some opposition. Check this out from the very end of the article: On the other side of the barricades, meanwhile, some Roman Catholics think the church has already done more than enough to make up…

  • Freshpeople: Be Smart About Credit

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    The new students have arrived at UC-Berkeley, closely pursued by hordes of credit card marketers. Right by my office is a bank that literally has 12 employees out front hawking credit cards and new accounts. Freshman friends, don’t get your first credit card from the guy on the street offering you a t-shirt or worthless,…

  • In More Serious Evolution News…

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    Gawker published this gem today.

  • I am embarrassed

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    by the San Francisco Chronicle for giving a lot of uncritical coverage to a pet psychic in “Marla Steele makes pet talk a two-way street.” This “psychic” discusses Reiki (and the ability to do it from a distance–“energy broadcasting”), among other thing. And here’s the reporter’s hardball question: What do you say to skeptics? I…

  • Trick or Treat! Alternative Medicine Book Review in the Journal

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    Today’s Journal is worth a read for this important development: something reasonable actually appeared in the Opinions section! Scott Gottlieb, one of the AEI’s ogres, penned a review of Trick or Treatment, a book on America’s obsession with alternative medicines, by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst. This apparently is not your typical rant against alternative…

  • $30M in Fines for Scam “Created by a Teacher”

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    The FTC has piled on Airborne, one of the most annoying consumer scams in the market. The vitamin pill was advertised to prevent colds. And it was created by a teacher! But the FTC concluded: …there is no competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims made by the defendants that Airborne tablets can…

  • Is Obama THE ONE?

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    Is Obama the Antichrist? No, according to Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series, who told the Journal that: “The antichrist isn’t going to be an American, so it can’t possibly be Obama. The Bible makes it clear he will be from an obscure place, like Romania,” the 82-year-old author said. Phew! Maybe it’s…

  • Putting the Rose to Bed

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    Okay, as Denialism’s lawyer, let me get to the issue of the rose tattoo. A medical procedure is a battery. Patients consent to it, thus allowing the doctor to engage in even invasive touching without liability for the battery. The scope of consent is key, however. Many individuals have a rough sense of consent; they…

  • The Joys of the Skymall Catalog

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    I just returned from a wonderful trip to Turkey and London, and the flight gave me the opportunity to spend hours with one of my favorite diversions, the Skymall Catalog. Admit it! You look at this thing full of wonders, and wonder who in the world buys them! Check out this whopper: the “Aculife Therapist…

  • 2nd Amendment Right to the Poop Gun?

    —

    by

    Chris
    in

    I wonder whether the Heller decision is broad enough to give me an individual right to own a poop gun, AKA, the “Brown Note.”