Skeptimite

Stephanie Messenger talking SIDS and Vaccines

2012-02-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went to see Stephanie Messenger give a talk on “Your Vaccination Options” plus “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome”.

Approximately 35 people showed up; plus a couple of babies, toddlers and young kids. A couple ladies were clearly pregnant.

Unless otherwise noted, these are the words of Stephanie Messenger (SM); however I may have paraphrased in places. Here are my notes from the event:

SM starting by making it very clear that she has no qualifications to speak on vaccination or SIDS; however she has been researching the subjects for many years. She also made a point of saying that if you have a problem with this you could leave now and get a full refund.

SIDS has no known cause. There are risk factors, including smoking (no brainer). Babies should be sleeping on their backs.

A book was then promoted: “Cot Death Coverup” from New Zealand, based on the work of Barry Richardson of the UK. The book discusses Toxic Gas Theory. The organisation “SIDS and Kids” are not interested in this theory; they claim it is disproven. The organisation has been hijacked by scientists.

A poster was then displayed titled “SID FACTS” with a number of claims:

In 2008/09 (12mth period) 39 babies died from unexplained causes in QLD alone. That is 1 baby every 9 days.
Close to 50% of these babies were co-sleeping when they died
17 babies were sleeping on their stomach while at least 15 babies were sleeping on their back when found dead
180,000 cot mattress covers have been sold in New Zealand

Next we were shown a graph “Cot Death Rate for 1st and later babies of solo parents (Britain 2005). This basically showed that later children and children of older parents were at great risk of cot death.

Toxic Gas Theory:

mattresses contain fire retardants
all mattresses (except organic) contain phosphorus, antimony and arsenic
mattresses absorb body fluids- sweat and urine
heat – fever is enough heat to generate gas
something vague about bacteria

Safety Mattress Cover

covers the mattress like a big bag
200,000 sold
not one death

Deliberate Cover Up

table of sleeping positions was deleted from government report
tabled showed nearly half of SIDS babies were on their back

Don’t use normal plastic to cover your mattress

use food grade polyethylene ; has no phosphorus
SM sells this off the roll for larger mattresses; 150 micron

Comment from the audience: Bubs N Grubs sell organic latex mattresses with coconut husks. This resulted in much discussion. SM said “some plant matter has phosphorus”

SM then promoted a study she wants to conduct into the usual sleeping positions of babies

300-350 babies required
need to check the sleeping positions of babies over 14 nights.

Most babies sleep on their stomachs

Babies get fever from vaccinations

The timing of vaccinations co-incides with SIDS

SM stated “I no longer believe vaccines cause SIDS”

Vaccines poisons babies and they take a longer time to die from it; it is not overnight.

We were then taken thru the definitions of “Beliefs” and “Knowledge”

The whooping cough epidemic along the eastern seaboard (Cairns to Melbourne) is mostly in the fully vaccinated.

Vaccine ingredients poster:
1. Amonnium sulphate
2. Beta-propiolactone
3. Genetically modified yeast, animal bacterial and viral DNA
4. Latex rubber
5. Monosodium glutamate
6. Aluminium
7. Formaldahyde
8. Microoranisms
9. Polysorbate
10. Tributylphosphate
11. Glutaradehyde
12. Gelatin
13. Gentaminici sulphate & polymyxin
14. Mercury (still in some vaccines, despite denials)
15. Neomycin sulphate
16. Phenol/phenoxyethanol
17. Human and animal cells

Attributed to vaccines poster (lists each vaccine with relevant side effects, the text of which was too small to read)

Hep B
MMR
Whooping Cough
Hib
Oral Polio
Chicken Pox
Flu

Some doctors don’t vaccinate

Packaging inserts:

Written in doctors lingo
Print too small to read
Too hard to understand.

The gist of this was to relay the idea that although information about vaccine side effects are supplied with the vaccine, they written and presented in such a way as to make it as difficult as possible to read and understand.

It is compulsory to vaccinate in the US

A vaccination compensation fund was setup with $2billion
Capped pay outs, so that amount represents a lot of claims
Keeps running out of funds
Pays about ¼ of applications
Pays compensation for vaccine induced autism.

There was a nurse in the audience who constantly interrupted, I have only noted a few of her comments

Nurse “patients are never told the risks before vaccination”

SM then told us that although babies get sick and even die as a direct result of vaccination, it is not recorded on the chart or death certificate. For example, the vaccine might cause encephalitis leading the hospitalisation or death. The hospital chart or death certificate with say encephalitis as cause of illness or death; not the vaccine. This means that we bury our heads in the sand on vaccine reactions.

Immunisation Vs Vaccination

Two totally different meanings
The name was changed as part of the brainwashing efforts

More talk about packaging inserts:

Does anyone know what Otis Media is?
It means “ear infection”
It is written on the packaging inserts in “doctor speak” so you won’t understand it

Clinical Trial Vs Field Trial

Clinical Trial

Conducted by drug companies on animals and humans
Efficacy determined by raised antibody levels

Field Trial

Not formally carried out
The only people getting sick are fully vaccinated
Medical community says “would have got it much worse if not vaccinated”

In Qld in 1998

Four deaths from measles
3 were vaccinated
The one un-vaccinated death was an immunocompromised aboriginal

“Darker skin or slanty eyes” means more adverse reactions.

Raised antibody levels not scientifically proven to raise immunity EVER

Small pox mass vaccination correlated with a spike in disease

We were shown a graph that measles was already on the decline since 1870 and by the time the vaccine was introduced in 1970 it was already nearly gone.

Diseases already dropping when vaccines introduced:
Tetanus – mostly caused by rose thorn scratches in elderly people
Hib
Measles
Whooping Cough
Polio

Vested interest in vaccines:
Drug company

Multi billion dollar industry

Doctors

Consultation fees
Government incentives
Funding from drug companies for research
Gifts from drug companies
Free education from drug companies: “junkets”

Scientists

Prestige
Ego-maniacs

Government

Political parties funded by drug companies
Universities funded by drug companies
Who pays? Taxes!

Why do people have faith in the medical industry?

Fear is used to promote vaccination in hospitals; this is a great reason for home births.

Many people die in hospital for reasons other that what they went in for.

Doctors have gone on strike twice in the world

Once in LA and once in Israel
Death rates dropped both times

Doctors have the shortest life expectancies; why go to them for health advice?

Doctors treat the symptoms of disease, not the cause.

SM recommends you go to a natural therapist before you get sick.

Lady in the audience comments “vaccination in schools without consent is coming soon” *audience gasps* The same lady goes on to say that the Australian constitution has been changed again to allow this.

(For the record, the Australian constitution has not been amended since 1977)

Vaccination is NOT compulsory, you do have choices.

So What Can You Do?
1. Follow the government recommended vaccine schedule
2. Select from the government list
3. Homeopathic vaccination – Isaac Goldens produces a kit, Rachael Gleeson is a Brisbane homeopath, half of homeopaths do not believe in homeopathic vaccination as it goes against like cures like.
4. Create a naturally healthy lifestyle.
5. Do nothing – western lifestyle leads to reduced mortality.

SM says that if you do 1,2, or 3 you should also do 4; but if you do 4 why bother with the others?

Then SM did a bit of showman ship, she held up an object covered with a cloth. With a big gasp from the audience, she revealed a life size baby doll stuck like a pin cushion with needles.

Just the needles on the schedule, plus vitamin K
Baby gets 4 needles every visit

This is what anti-vax scare mongering looks like

A doctor in the audience then spoke up. She was a pediatrician, but is now a GP. She has been in court for five years because she signs so many conscientious objector forms.

Another audience member then shouted out that injection of RFID chips is coming soon.

The nurse then commented that she refuses to vaccinate kids.

SM then tells us the flu vaccine leads to an increase in Alzheimer’s.

Autism: many studies have duplicated Professor Wakefields work.

There is no autism in the unvaccinated.

Another audience member “treat the side effects with homeopathy”

I now quote SM “It is good for babies to catch diseases at the right time designed by nature”.

Most diseases appear in the fully vaccinated.

Question from the audience: A friend is travelling overseas and won’t be allowed back in Australia without vaccination. SM answers: only one vaccine is a requirement, that is for yellow fever when you travel to Africa or the Amazon. She suggests you go via another country before coming home to get around quarantine.

The nurse then told us she has a child and is having trouble finding daycare that does not have policy of compulsory vaccination. We were then told they must allow for conscientious objectors.

SM informed us that if required she would supply the name and phone number of a local doctor as required to get your form signed.

From the audience “From July there will be no payments without vaccination”
1997 immunisation act must allow for conscientious objectors.

SM told us that you will always be exempt if you join a religion that won’t allow vaccination. She said to visit www.churchofcl.com, download a form and join. SM appeared extremely smug as she told us this, so I am guessing she has her finger in that pie. Having a look at the website, it appears the church only exists on the internet.

When her kids were in school, she wrote on the forms “toxic garbage keep it away from my children or I will sue you”.

SM told us a story of a new father who got his conscientious objector forms signed as soon as his baby was born. At the hospital, he insisted that there was to be no Vit K injection. The doctors insisted and the matter went to court. SM advised him to collect the baby and leave the hospital before they could inject. The story carried on for a while, with the father going back to court, SM advising him to move interstate and “go off the grid” and in the end the baby got all the injections.

Our nurse then spoke up again, “tell your doctor, this is NOT for debate, I will not allow vaccination of my child”. SM then suggested to tell the doctor that bullying will not be tolerated.

Homebirths and homeschool give you more control.

People who don’t vaccinate accept responsibility for health.
People who do vaccinate shift the responsibly onto the vaccine

Homebirth deaths make the news, hospital deaths are not newsworthy.

Boiling water makes fluoride worse.

Hospitals use tap water with fluoride to make baby formulae

This was on a car parked outside. There was at least one more anti-fluoride sticker

Grandparents – time to take action kit $7.50

Get to work on kids partners, start by planting seeds (ie indoctrination) with fluoride in tap water before first pregnancy so you can work up to vaccine “truths”
Check out Ian’s Voice http://iansvoice.org/default.aspx

People who vaccinate are loonies.

19th year educating people

Get the message to pregnant women. Buy some of our postcards and hand them to pregnant women you see, just say “you might need this information” and walk away. (I thought this sounded a bit creepy).

Our lovely nurse again “The AMA was setup by political activists to call homeopaths and naturalists quacks”

Someone called out from the back; I didn’t get all the words, but it was something like “Bill Gates….population control…. GMO….” You get the picture.

In the US it is now illegal to grow your own vegetables.

SM now plugged her organisation, for only $25 year you can support my work.

Next we pushed some products:
Negative Ions kill bacteria in 60 seconds

Panty Liners

Green strip is negative ions
Rub on cuts and bites. Malaria was mentioned.

Toothbrushes

Light activates negative ions in metal rod inside handle
No toothpaste needed

For some reason, we then had some talk about the new airport scanners. They are x-rays that cause cancer and sterilisation (population control was mentioned again).

SM went on to tell a story of going thru an Amsterdam airport. Instead of going thru the metal detector, she got a good frisking from a Dutch woman “rather enjoyed it actually”. SM went on to tell another story of how she managed to sneak thru US customs without being scanned or frisked.

Gardasil

Original tv adds said “may” prevent cervical cancer. The “may” got removed
SM saw “that Frazier person” just after he invented Gardasil
Gardasil was always intended for Girls AND boys.

A picture inside the newsletter. Fair and reasonable vaccine discussion hey?

Then SM promoted a book:
“Melanies Marvelous Measles” for $20
The purpose of this book is to educate children. SM said that she even told her kids to run away from school if they have to to avoid vaccination.

SM told us the Australian Skeptics “those nasty people” don’t like her book; this brought muttering from the crowd. An audience member right behind me said something along the lines of “its run by doctors”.

My original plan was that after the seminar was finished, I was going to hand out the Five Vaccination Myths fliers like I had done at Woodford. At Woodford, these fliers were well received and I met some really lovely people. Even before SM said this about the skeptics, I was re-evaluating my plans. After that comment, I decided to stay incognito. It is a very uncomfortable feeling sitting in a crowd of people who are hostile simply because you do not share their delusions and paranoia.

Next we had a promo for SM’s new book “Sarah Visits a Naturopath” which is out next week.

For some reason, we then heard about GM foods and were told to read the labels and never eat anything with canola.

The doctor in the audience gave another rambling speech that started with GM food and ended with “go with God”.

Then we were told about a poultice to draw out the toxins from vaccination. There are two versions, one made from potato and another from charcoal.

The nurse spoke up again to tell us that Florence Nightingale was against vaccination. Personally, I am not sure how the opinion of a nurse who died 100 years is relevant to modern medicine. I guess this would be appeal to authority and perhaps appeal to antiquity.

SM wound up by telling us that she has monthly support groups in Cleveland, Gold Coast and Toowoomba and another is coming soon to Redcliffe.

Once the seminar was over, two tables were open for business selling postcards, books, negative ion panty liners and toothbrushes.

To summarise my experience, this seminar seams to be a load of scare mongering, leading up to a serious sales pitch.

I guestimate she took in around $600 in ticket sales. That would cover her expenses of hiring the hall and preparation of materials (which would be used over a number of events) with plenty leftover to make a nice paypacket for an afternoons efforts.

At the end of the sermon seminar we had a number of sales pitches for her books, panty liners, tooth brushes and other items for sale at the venue. I can tell you first hand, the tables were packed with customers. We also had a big pitch to sign up to help her “work” for $25 year. In return, you get a newsletter, which is littered with adds for her own products and has a an order form on the back for products ranging from $15 to $45.

SELL SELL SELL

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FIVE MYTHS ABOUT VACCINATION - FLIER

2012-02-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

This flier was produced by Andrew Gould @arthwollipot and reviewed by Dr Rachel Dunlop @DrRachie

It is free to download and use for the purpose of spreading vaccine awareness. Please contact Dr Rachie and Andrew before making any modifications.

To download the pdf, simply click on the picture below.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

SIDS AND VAX TALK TODAY!!

2012-02-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

G'day beautiful people, it is time to put your skeptical boots on and head over to Hamilton! Anti-vaxxer Stephanie Messenger is putting on a talk linking vaccines to SIDS. Check out the flier:

Location, Location, Location:

The Vaccination and SIDS semi mar on 18/2/12 at 2pm is at Hamilton Town Hall - corner Rossiter Pde and Racecourse Rd Hamilton. Enter via Rossiter Pde door. Call XXXXXXXXX if you have a question. Stephanie

I have my ticket and will be going along, taking notes and checking things out. I will not be making a fuss during the show.

After the seminar, I plan to hand out the "Five Myths About Vaccinations" flyer. I would love you to join me in the fun.

If you want to help hand out fliers, please show up about 3:45. As soon as the show is over, I will head out side and distribute fliers.

After wards, we might head over to the Hamilton Hotel for a couple of quick ales. Follow @skeptimite for the latest!

2012-01-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

"The Christmas tree flourishes as a symbol of everlasting life. That life and light of course is Christ, whose birth to Mary fulfills a prophecy of joy and salvation." John Boehner, Speaker of the House (USA)

I heard this quote today on the Freedom From Religion Podcast and could not help the mental imagery. The dried up husk of religion should be tossed out along with the dead tree.

Skeptimite in the media

2012-01-03T03:05:00.000-08:00

I will try to keep a complete list of everywhere I appear in podcasts, newspapers or whatever. I like to call this "Ego Central".

3 Jan 2012 - The Bruising Adventure of Clumsy Girl. Blog - Vaccination Talk at Woodford with video of yours truly.

31 Dec 2011 - The Skeptic Zone Podcast. Daniel Raffaele and I chat with Richard Saunders about the SAVN and Operation Nutcracker

30 Dec 2011 - "Vaccination debate gets heated at Woodford Folk Festival" Article in the Courier Mail online where I am interviewed regard the appearance of Meryl Dorey at the Woodford Folk Festival

29 Dec 2011 - Some of the SAVN crew are interviewed by on the Token Skeptic podcast about our response to Meryl Dorey appearing at the Woodford Folk Festival. While I don't actually feature on the show, I was "the man on the ground" handing out fliers and so on.

19 Dec 2011 - Meryl Dorey is interviewed by Tiga Bayles on 98.9fm, an Indigenous radio station here in Brisbane. I call in to question some of her claims Click here to listen to the podcast A full transcription can be found at ratbags.com with special yellow highlighter to point out where Meryl gets it wrong.

15 Dec 2011 - 4BC with Meryl Dory and Chrys Stevenson. I called in with my cents.

Woodford Folk Festival Media Release

2011-12-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Woodford Folk Festival –“Vaccination Saves Lives” Campaign

MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday, 27 December 2011

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL – EMBARGOED UNTIL 1:45pm, Thursday 29 December

Vaccination advocates urge Woodfordians, “Look to the heavens for inspiration during Dorey speech”

Following two weeks of intense public pressure, the Woodford Folk Festival has cancelled a solo presentation by Meryl Dorey of the Australian [anti] Vaccination Network. In its place will be a panel discussion between Ms Dorey and Professor Andreas Suhrbier, head of the immunovirology laboratory at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. The discussion will be moderated by Dr John Parker, a veteran of Doctors without Borders.

This is an important concession on behalf of the organisers, but does not go far enough. Ms Dorey should never have been booked to appear at the Festival. Certainly, once organisers realized a public health warning had been issued against Ms Dorey’s organisation by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission and that the AVN had its fundraising authority revoked by the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing for 23 breaches of the act, Ms Dorey’s invitation should have been withdrawn.

While unhappy that Ms Dorey will still be speaking at Woodford, the Stop the AVN Facebook group, a loose-knit consortium of concerned citizens, scientists, doctors and nurses, decided to use a little humour in order to have ‘the last word’.

The group has hired an aircraft to fly over the Woodford Folk Festival site during the two hours surrounding Ms Dorey’s appearance.

Between 1.45 and 3.45pm on Thursday, 29 December, the plane will tow a banner with the message: VACCINATION SAVES LIVES.

Volunteers will be on the ground to hand out flyers after Ms Dorey’s appearance in the Blue Lotus tent at 2.15pm. The flyer addresses some of the myths about vaccination and counters them with facts.

Despite her claims to the contrary, Ms Dorey is not an expert, nor does she hold any qualification, in medicine, science, statistics or immunology.

There is no debate about the safety or efficacy of vaccines within the mainstream medical and scientific community – that is, among experts in the field.

The allegation that vaccines are not safe or effective is discredited by scientific evidence and relates to a wider set of new age conspiracy theories involving concerns about ‘one world government’, the Illuminati, chemtrails and AIDS denialism. This is the kind of ideology which informs Ms Dorey’s creative reinterpretation of the scientific data.

Ms Dorey plays down this aspect of her beliefs in her public appearances, explaining to her Yahoo group on 29 July, 2009:

“While we are already seen as rabid, idiotic fringe-dwellers by so many in the mainstream, it does our argument no good at all to bring in conspiracy theories which, though we may subscribe to them, are unprovable.” (Emphasis added.)

While almost every medication has the potential to create adverse reactions in certain individuals, the risk of a reaction more serious than a little localised pain and swelling and a slight fever after a vaccination is exceedingly small. The medical and scientific overwhelmingly agree that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any small risk.

Photos from Woodford

2011-12-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

I was at the Woodford Folk Festival to see Meryl Dorey from the Australian Vaccination Network spin her web of delusion. Here are my photos from the day, feel free to use any photographs with attribution to Phil Kent or Skeptimite. If you would like larger files please let me know @skeptimite or skeptimite AT gmail d0t c0m.

It doesn't take long to find the Woo in Woodford

Meryl on the schedule, no mention of Professor Suhrbier, who is a real star

I wonder if Meryl bought one to protect her from the ebil septics

The Blue Lotus, our venue

I love the funny signs around Woodfood. "this venue uses smoke, strobe and other hallucinogenic effects"

AVN Propoganda prominently displayed. For the record, there was some pro-vax material on the table, apart from ours

Some of the interesting characters of Woodfordia

The propaganda table, with info on homeopathy, crystal healing and more

Orchid Essence, Essence of Angels, Crystal Light Healing

(no indication of how you get the essence out of an angel, gentle squeezing perhaps?)

Our moderator was a local GP, whose name escapes me right now.

I would love to live on Lamington Drive

Is it a bird, is it a plane, oh yeh it is a plane!

This guy took my photo while I was talking with the press, so I took his photo. I did'nt mean to get such a bad shot, it was the best I got.

My fave slide from the Professor

Look what happens when you vaccinate.

Ex-Doctor Wakefeild's fraud

with added emphasis

Where is that yellow highlighter?

More highlighting

Standing room only

This guy was defending Wakefeild "he was stitched up!"

I met a real life fairy!

Cool hats

Homeopathic first aid. Enough said; for now.

Iridology

For your keys to hang on, get it?! Well, I chuckled.

Thirsty?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Live From Woodford

2011-12-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Right now I am sitting in the Blue Lotus tent at the Woodford Folk Festival, waiting for the start of what should be a very interesting session featuring Meryl Dorey head of the Australian Vaccination Network and immunologist Professor Suhrbier of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.

I don’t mean interesting in that I will be sitting in fascination by the unveiling of facts that a science geek would expect from such a line up. Interesting in the context that I will see an actual expert speak about vaccination followed by a self proclaimed expert. One is a professor of good standing and will rely on actual science, carefully examined in light of years of training to understand the nuances of his specialised field. The other has no qualifications and uses gish gallop, mis-representation and outright lies to promote her anti-vaccination dogma with zealous ferocity.

As I sit here, I know that other blog posts are appearing on the internet, news articles are being written and a plane is flying over my head towing the message VACCINATION SAVES LIVES. A small group of concerned citizens have coalesced around a facebook page called Stop The Australian Vaccination Network. They are people with empathy for the unnecessary suffering of others. Science tells us that vaccinations really do save lives. Smallpox is extinct, polio is wiped out in the first world, measles and many other diseases are preventable and could be pushed to extinction with mass vaccination programs.

The folks at StopAVN have pooled their talents and resources to help ensure that the facts about vaccines are promoted and that the lies are shouted down. The StopAVN volunteers have created websites, blogs, printed brochures, visited Woodford and even created a Wiki in their own time, with their own money. Our message is easily summarised in three words: Vaccination Saves Lives.

Getting vaccinated not only reduces the risk of you getting sick, but it reduces the chance that you will spread that illness to your family, your neighbors, or anyone else you come in contact with. The life you save maybe a baby whose parent you stood behind at the checkout. Even better, the risk to you is almost zero.

If you are at Woodford, come and say hi. I will be outside the Blue Lotus tent after the show handing out fliers. I will be easy to spot, my shirt says VACCINATION SAVES LIVES.

www.StopAVN.com

StopAVN on facebook

And a few more worthy blogs to check out:
Daniel Beeblebrox: Musings of Someone With Too Much Time On His Hands
http://danspaceman.blogspot.com
Jason Brown: A Drunken Madman
http://www.mycolleaguesareidiots.com/
Scott Hansen: Disconnection
http://skepticalskotty.blogspot.com/
Jasmine Marosvary: A Pile of Ducks
http://www.purplefae.com/
Not really a blog, but there in spirit -
Peter Bowditch: RatbagsDotCom
http://www.ratbags.com
Dave The Happy Singer
http://www.davethehappysinger.com
In Your Face
http://immaletyoufinish.blogspot.com/
Heidi White: Empty Episodes of an Elated Eggrings
http://eggrings.blogspot.com/
Shelley Stocken: There Should Be A Sign - http://shellity.blogspot.com
Chrys Stevenson: Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear
http://thatsmyphilosophy.wordpress.com/
Phil Kent: Skeptimite
http://skeptimite.blogspot.com/
Maureen Chuck: mochuck
http://mochucksmusings.blogspot.com
Tracey McDermott - Random Thoughts from Rosalie
http://randomthoughtsfromrosalie.blogspot.com/
Ken Wood
http://meryldorey.org

Join the fun!

2011-12-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

OK folks, the pressure is on. Meryl is due to speak at the Woodford Folk Festival on Thursday and I need some volunteers to join in the fun.

You will be needed for less than an hour, to help hand out fliers and make the vaccine message heard. You are free to enjoy the rest of the festivities how you see fit. I will be going for the full day to make the most of it.

Our activities will be friendly and non-confrontational.

I intend to attend Meryls talk and take what notes I can.

The talk starts at 2:15 in the Blue Lotus room. Get there early if you want to see the talk. If you only want to hand out fliers, you will need to be there by 3:15 for the end of the talk. I would like to meet a couple of volunteers early to distribute fliers and plan.

Additionally, I would like people to bring cameras and video recorders to get peoples reactions after the show.

There will be a little surprise for those attending, which I think will make the effort worth while.

This is your chance to do some real skeptical activism and help save lives. Let’s stop Meryl’s madness.

Buy your ticket online

Shoot me an email, a tweet @skeptimite, sms or call 0417 696 739 to confirm you are coming.

It is time to get off the armchair and enjoy a day out, either that or stick a fork in your eye to dull the pain of Meryl getting away with it!

A Brief History of Meryl at Woodford

2011-12-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network is schedule to appear at the Woodford Folk Festival. This has created a buzz amongst those who opposed Ms Dorey’s views on vaccine safety.

You may be wondering what all the fuss is about, so here is a very brief history of Meryl Dorey, the AVN and the Woodford Folk Festival.

According to their facebook page, the AVN was created in 1994 by people concerned “about protecting the rights of Australians to make free and informed health choices.” Sounds noble, the only problem is that this group reduces your ability to make free and informed health choices by muddying the available information with mis-information, conspiracy theories and outright lies. I won’t go into details as others have done this already; see Jason Brown’s excellent wiki.

In breif:

The Woodford Folk Festival is a 6 day music and lifestyle festival held in QLD.
Meryl Dorey has appeared several times at the Woodford Folk Festival
The Australian Vaccination Network is subject to a public health warning
The Australian Vaccination Network had their charitable status revoked
Ms Dorey was scheduled to appear twice at this years event to give her “1 in 38” talk, incorrectly linking high rates of autism to vaccine. She is also scheduled to appear in a forum on toxicity, with a variety of other non-experts and a GP.
The Woodford Folk Festival has come under fire for inviting Ms Dorey and for a lack of response to the issue.
The QLD Minister For Health, Geoff Wilson stated “don’t take her nonsense too seriously”
Finally, the Woodford Folk Festival responded by changing Ms Dorey’s talk to a forum giving equal time to immunologist Professor Suhrbier. Look at what a small group of committed citizens can do - get the program changed on a major folk festival and shift attention from the festival to the benefits of vaccination.

It is still very worrying that an anti-vaccination nutter is being given any time to promote her woo. There is a danger of putting her next to an actual expert is that she will get credibility and seen as equal, which could not be further from the truth. Ms Dorey will lie and twist the Professors words to suit her self.

For more information, take a look at these resources:
StopAVN Website
StopAVN on facebook
Jason Brown’s A Drunken Wiki
Mamamia article by Peter Bowditch
Demonstrable Liars and Constructive Public Vaccination Debate

WHAT NEXT WOODFORD?

2011-12-20T16:38:00.000-08:00

It seams pretty clear that the Woodford Folk Festival has a cunning plan to ignore all the complaints about Meryl Dorey appearing this year and hope the controversy goes away.

I have news for the Woodfordians; the skeptical community will not get bored with this and we will not be distracted. We will continue to fight Doreys’ nonsense with facts and actual science.

It is not too late for the Woodford Folk Festival to do the right thing. They should remove Dorey from the program and replace her with an actual expert to answer questions about vaccination.

Bill Hauritz, executive director of the festival says “We’ve already entered into contracts with Meryl Dorey and we cannot break those contracts now”.

I bet there is a clause in the Dorey contract to allow you to cancel on grounds of bad faith or public health. Did Dorey disclose the HCCC public health warning? How about the fact that the AVN had their charitable status revoked? Either would be grounds for canceling the contract, surely.

Canceling Dorey would send a clear message that the community is intolerant of BS

Mr Hauritz says “I honestly haven’t seen the contracts”. If you haven’t pulled out the contract by now and thoroughly reviewed it what does that say about your management and PR skills?

Let’s work on the assumption that the contract is water tight and there is no way to prevent the Dorey disaster. Here are a couple of suggestions for the Woodford Folk Festival.

1. Apologise publicly. Say something to the effect that “we got this one wrong, Ms Dorey was clearly a bad choice, we failed to do our research before booking her. We are very sorry for the possible harm that giving Ms Dorey a public platform may have”.

2. Promise never to have Ms Dorey on the schedule again. This one should be a no brainer. A simple way to distance the Woodford Folk Festival from this PR disaster.

3. Put in place a policy to ensure that future speakers on important topics are vetted to ensure their suitability. Inviting controversial speakers is to be applauded. Examining every side of a topic is a worthwhile exercise. However, you have a responsibility to ensure that your speakers can distinguish fact from fiction and you should not give fringe nutters a special place to promote harmful ideas. If Ms Dorey is a vaccine expert, then I am an expert on intergalactic space travel since both sets of knowledge come from fiction.

As others have pointed out, this is not about free speech, this is about giving a known liar a special platform to promote outrageous ideology.

I will be at Woodford to see Ms Doreys’ version of free speech. I am looking forward to seeing how others will counter it with their own free speech.

My part will be very low key, I will observe, take notes and hand out some fliers after the show.

4BC with Meryl Dory, Chrys Stevenson and Myself!

2011-12-15T16:25:00.000-08:00

Radio interview of Meryl Dory and Chrys Stevenson talking about vaccines and the Woodford Folk Festival. Yours truly makes an appearance. I was surprised when I tried calling the talkback line and got put straight thru.

Click here to download audio file

Enjoy,
Phil.

New Year’s Eve a woo promoting movie

2011-12-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

Wifey and I just got back from seeing the new movie New Year’s Eve. As a movie it was boring. They spent the entire budget on the cast, which was extensive and included some of my faves. The plot was dull, the characters were not engaging, there were very few laughs and the ending was predictable.

For a skeptic though, the worst part was the shameless promotion of the Power Balance rubber bracelets. These things have been shown to be a scam of the worst kind and are a rip off.

Two characters in the film were show wearing them. Jensen, a famous musician played by Bon Jovi wore a black one, which kept flipping from inside out to right way out between scenes. Elise, Jensen’s back up singer, played by Lea Michele wore a pink band.

The product placement in the film was not even subtle. At one point Elise is seen twisting the band in frustration, complete with close up showing the brand name clearly. Later, her beau retrieves the band and returns it to her glass slipper style; complete with another close up. Throughout the movie the bands are clearly visible.

Much to the annoyance of Wifey, I sat thru the entire credits to the very end to see if there was a statement of endorsement. Nothing was mentioned.

Once I noticed the bracelets, I did watch for other product placement. The only other obvious one was for another Warner Bros Film, Sherlock Holmes in the form of a Times Square bill board in one scene.

I have no issue with product placement if it feels natural and does not distract from the film. This film failed. It probably would not bother me so much if the product was ethical and the film was otherwise good; no such luck.

Bottom line, go see another movie.

UPDATE:
I tweeted about this and included @powerbalance. They replied:

This company sells a fraudulent product, should we believe them?

Moncktonation - a new word for skeptics

2011-12-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

For a while I have been thinking about the dishonesty of some of the enemies of rational thinking, including climate “sceptics”, homeopaths and the like.

All of these types of people engage in a variety of dishonest behaviors. They cherry pick data, quote out of context, use anecdote instead of evidence and so on. Some of them outright lie.

I have been tweeting this frustration and have been looking for the word that best describes this behavior. I had been using disingenuous, but it turns out this doesn’t quite fit. Specious was suggested, but again it isn’t the right fit. Lie was another suggestion, but I would like a word with more subtlety.

Over the weekend, I tweeted that I wanted a word that means “to intentionally misrepresent another person's opinion/statements to support the opposite point of view”

Tanya Ha of Catalyst fame, tweeted “Moncktonation” as a suggestion.

"Moncktonation" to intentionally misrepresent another person's opinion/statements to support the opposite point of view

Mr Monckton is a well known climate change denier, who is guilty of all the tricks to try and deceive his audience into believing his point of view. He cherry picks, mis-quotes and all the rest.

So I propose that skeptics may now use the word Monktonation in reference to anyone who goes out of their way to misrepresent any information or other persons views.

CALL TO ACTION - Meryl Dorey at Woodford Fok Festival

2011-12-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

CALL TO ACTION

OK Folks, it is time to get out of the arm chair and put your skeptic boots on.

As you have probably heard, Meryl Dorey of AVN infamy is booked to speak at the Woodford Folk Festival on Dec 29 and 30. If you are not aware of the situation check out the @drunkenmadman blog and wiki for the facts and links.

What to do?

Step one:
Email, tweet and phone everyone involved to let them know your concerns. The wiki has links with contact details.

Comment on blogs and web articles. The Mamamia article by Peter Bowditch is a great place to start, with more info and comments.

Also spread the word to your twitter followers, facebook friends and so on.

Step two:
Get to Woodford. We need skeptics on site to record (if legally possible) Meryls talk, take notes and per haps hand out fliers. I hope that someone very capable will be able to ask Meryl some tough questions in the Q&A.

I am thinking perhaps handing out fliers while wearing t-shirts that say “Vaccines Save Lives” or similar might be the way to go. Skeptics can then answer questions from the public in a calm and rational manner.

At this stage, I hope to be there for both days. I am happy to car pool from Brisbane northside, although I only have a two seater.

All feedback, comments and suggestions welcome.

Please get in touch @skeptimite or phil.kent at bigpond.com

2011-12-10T06:57:00.001-08:00

My photos of the lunar eclipse Dec 11 2011

It was overcast all day and only cleared for a short while to get these shots.

Homeopathy for Aquariums

2011-12-09T19:19:00.001-08:00

In the skeptical community sometimes the question is asked, “if you had no morals, what scam would you do?”. The question is just a bit of fun; an exercise in trying to see how the woo woo merchants think.

My answer is that I would make homeopathic products for sale to the aquarium industry. Many aquarium products are hit and miss; often due to poor aquarium husbandry and sometimes bad information. Packaged into a harmless excipient (just like real aquarium medication tablets are; a tiny bit of active ingredient with a lot of filler) the homeopathic fish products would do no harm. They would not help either. Homeopathy is well known to be completely ineffective for any ailments in humans or animals. Check this article for a brief introduction to homeopathy

I think such as scam would work quite well, especially in the chain stores which often have poorly trained staff selling the product that makes the most profit for the company. In many cases, a fish will die regardless of treatment. In the case of spontaneous recovery; perhaps by resolving the underlying problem, it will be claimed that my miracle cure saved the day. If the fish dies, then obviously nothing could have saved it. Ka’ching! If I were such a heartless bastard to do such a scam, I would not even bother to put the homeopathy in the pills. I would just order a bunch of blank pills and put them in bottles with different labels “Miracle Fungus Cure”, “No More Bloat” or “Fish Prozac”! I would even offer a money back guarantee, knowing full well most people won’t bother and with the super high profit margin I would be able to afford to give a fairly high percentage of refunds. Actually, being smart I would send the retailer a replacement bottle to put on their shelf; it would cost me bugger all.

It would be too easy. I know where to get the pills and the bottles pre-labeled. I used to be a sales rep in the aquarium industry, it would be all too easy to get the product on the shelves. A slick brochure and a stand at the Pet Expo would go a long way.

Looking at my bank balance, it is sad that I am not a heartless bastard.

The fact is most problems with aquariums are due to water quality. Over feeding, not enough water changes, too many fish and on we go. If you are having problems with your aquarium get expert advice. Go to a reputable aquarium specialist or have a professional come to your home to check up on the aquarium. Do not trust your friends Uncle who had fish once. While there are exceptions, you should not expect to get the best advice from a general pet store and especially chain stores.

The fabulous Dr Rachel Dunlop (@DrRachie) brought to my attention that at least one homeopath recommends homeopathy for fish illness.

In that article, it is suggested to add one pill of treatment per liter of aquarium water. Even for a very small aquarium of 50 liters (60cm, 2’) that means adding 50 pills to the water. Homeopathic pills are made by adding a drop of liquid preparation to a “blank” excipient pill, usually containing sucrose.

OK, so now homeopaths want to flog their magic to fish keepers. What’s the harm? Apart from making your wallet lighter without any possibility of helping your problem? Good question. Based purely on conjecture, I have concerns about the contents of the excipient. In particular I am concerned about the effects of sugar in the aquarium.

Bacteria love aquariums; they are temperature controlled, have plenty of oxygen and have plenty of nutrients, like ammonia and fish poo. Even so the limiting factor for bacterial growth is usually nutrients. Overfeed your fish and watch the water go cloudy. The cloudiness is bacteria blooming. When this happens the bacteria use more oxygen for metabolism. This leaves less oxygen for the fish, which if bad enough can lead to fish death; especially if the fish are already suffering from disease or poor water quality.

In some cases, the exponential growth of bacteria can quickly lead to a situation where oxygen levels get so low that all the fish die; leaving you with a stinking mess. I have seen this too many times.

What does this have to do with homeopathy? Imagine adding sugar to your aquarium. This would be a lovely source of nutrients for bacteria. In a well established, properly care for aquarium that is not overstocked it would probably only cause a small blip. In the real world, you are adding pills because the fish are sick. Often sick fish equals poor water quality. Sounds like a risk to me.

Won’t the filter take care of the sugar? You can add activated carbon to some filters to polish the water, however they will also remove the active ingredient (if there were any). In a healthy aquarium dissolved organic compounds are broken down buy “good” bacteria, which grow on a surface such as your filter sponge or in the gravel. These bacteria are very slow growing, which is why it takes so long to establish a new aquarium. If you suddenly add an influx of new nutrients, such as fish food or sugar, the good bacteria are overwhelmed. Instead free living “bad” bacteria grow very rapidly, making your water cloudy.

I am not going to go into detail about the different bacteria and their life cycles, there are hundreds of articles on the web.

I know what you are thinking; “this is all conjecture”. True. Although I have some experience. Over the years I have tried just about everything you can do to an aquarium, including many methods of getting the new aquarium established. I have even tried adding sugar; which resulted in a cloudy mess of water. I know anecdote does not equal evidence or that table sugar does not equal homeopathic pills. So I am going to try a little experiment; sample size of one.

In my garage I have over 4,000 liters in various aquariums used for my business. I am going to put a few goldfish in an established, healthy aquarium and I am going to dose it with the recommended rate of Brauer Sleep and Insomnia Relief tablets at the recommended rate of one tablet per litre. The aquarium I am using holds approximately 160 liters, so I am adding 160 tablets, which cost me $32. This NOT a cheap way to medicate an aquarium.

What will happen? Well, if homeopathy works on fish, then all the fish should go to sleep. I doubt that will happen, but we will see. I am curious to see what, if any effect there is on water quality. I am 50:50 which way it will go as this is a well maintained aquarium that has a partial water change every two weeks, has no gravel to trap waste and is powered by an excellent filter (Ehiem 2228) which is also regularly serviced.

I am reporting on my plans before I start the experiment and will report back once the results are in. This should only take a few days.

PS: I know my skills with Photopaint are not terrific, but you got the idea didn't you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: My little science experiment has been post-poned due to other commitments that have come up. I will get to it over the Xmas break.

Meryle Dorey in QLD

2011-12-09T19:01:00.001-08:00

I have just heard via Drunken Madman that the lies of Meryl Dorey are coming to the Woodford Folk Festival. I have written the following email to the organisers of the festival. You can send your own email to qff@woodfordfolkfestival.com.

For more information on the antics of Meryl take a look at:
http://danamccaffery.com/
http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Decisions/Public-Statements-and-Warnings/Public-warning-against-Australian-Vaccination-Network--AVN-/default.aspx
http://www.olgr.nsw.gov.au/charitable_latest_news.asp
http://www.facebook.com/stopavn/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello,

I have just heard the Meryl Dorey is attending your festival. I am very concerned for the health of the Woodford and surrounding community if Ms Dorey is given a platform to speak. In her home region, there has been an increased incidence of whooping cough. In 2009 Dana McCaffery died of whooping cough.

As you have no doubt been made aware by now, her opinions on vaccination are fringe at best. They are in fact, outrageous and dangerous. Meryl Dorey is a quack with no qualifications in the field who should never be given a free pass to spread her ignorance.

I urge you to carefully consider what is best for the patrons of your festival.

Thanks,

Phil Kent

A practical example of how the human mind works

2011-09-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

My dear brother just sent this to me on email, I thought the skeptical community would appreciate the example how the brain can be so easily distracted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the picture, we will analyze what it represents to some groups of people.

Read the review after the photo...

- For young men, it's a nice figure . The really observant will see the
thong.

- The sicko's will imagine her as an unclothed woman.

- The wise men will ponder the presence of mind of the photographer in the face of such beauty and gratitude that it was shared with humanity.

- For half of the women, this is an ordinary woman who should not have left home dressed that way.

- The other half is wondering where she bought that blouse.

- The wise women imagine the misery that this will be at 50.

- Children, the curious, and monks will probably notice a dog driving the taxi.

Don't be alarmed, I didn't see the dog either.

Death of an atheist

2011-09-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

After the resurrection?

I don’t fear death anymore. I am afraid in the manner in which I might die. I wonder what those last few hours or moments might be like. Will it be quick; or will I know in advance? Will I have months to prepare or catastrophe? Yes, I am afraid of dying. Who isn’t? I am not afraid of what comes after. I am not afraid of death.

As an atheist, I believe that after you die, nothing happens. There is no soul. You cease to be. Kaput! Why be afraid of nothing? For a theist, death can be a frightening prospect with every manner of hell, demons and mean as fuck gods to torment your immortal soul. Oh yes I can hear you cry out, “what about the eternal reward of heaven?” Say you manage to win a backstage pass to hang out with JC, Big Daddy and the Third Wheel, what about your loved ones that lost? While your livin’ it up in the afterlife, your buddies are getting stomped in the mosh pit of hell. Are you really going to enjoy yourself with that knowledge? Heaven, hell or reincarnation are all fairy tales, so why fret?

The real beauty of being an atheist is you don’t have to waste time about groveling to a myth, or tithing to a corporation. I can get on with life. Knowing that this life is it, I am free to enjoy it. There is no second chance.

What about getting something positive out of my own death? I am an organ donor. While I don’t want to die, when it happens perhaps someone else will have a life. I would also like my remains to be donated to science. Perhaps I can help train the doctors of the future, or help scientists learn more about the human body; or even the disease that claims me. If science doesn’t want me, then I think it would be nice to be buried at sea. I enjoy the irony that I could get to feed all the little fishes of the sea. Plus I don’t like the idea of hogging a piece of real estate for eternity or all the emissions for cremation.

Why would I care what happens after I die if I believe there is no afterlife? I won’t get to take pleasure in seeing someone make use of my liver. I take pleasure in it now. I know I am doing the right thing by my fellow man; just by signing a bit of paper letting my loved ones know what I want. Once I am finished with it, please make use of my old body.

My uncle recently passed away. He donated his body to science. I could not be prouder.

The only caveat to all this rambling is that if I had the funds I would be very selfish and have my body cryogenically preserved. Yeh, I know the odds. So the freezing process destroys your cell walls. Who needs ‘em?! There is that nagging little doubt, that can not be proven one way or the other that in a century or more the technology might be able to repair that damage or rescue the data off this mushy computer. Think about what life was like 100 years ago, now imagine waking up 100 years in the future. Wow. I wonder if I will meet Leela?

Anti Muslim propaganda

2011-08-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

As I write this I am very disturbed. I just received a forwarded an email from a Christian.

The theme of the email is nothing new to atheists, it concerns ensuring you mark your religious point of view correctly on the census. In this case, it is aimed at ensuring you state Christian; even if you are not practicing any faith. As an atheist I encourage you to mark “no religion” if you don’t believe in God/s.

I am disturbed at the bigotry portrayed in the email. The author clearly has anti-Muslim views. The text of the email is clearly not just aimed at increasing the Christian numbers on the census but also to put Muslims in a bad light.

Terms like “muzzys” and the “muslim threat” are intended to portray Muslims as being of less worth than other Australians.

One of the many things I love about being Australian is the variety of people is nation is made up of. We get to experience a taste of many cultures that ultimately make Australia what it is now and what it will be in the future.

The email is copy and pasted in full below. All grammar and spelling are as I received it.

******************************************************************

Re: A MUST READ Census 2011 - please pass this on to all your friends

The Muslims are organizing for the coming census.

They feel there are more of them than what has been stated.

They want a bigger say in how Australia is run.

Make sure that those of us who care,let the Government know that there are plenty of non-muzzys as well.

(Try not to declare 'Jedi' or 'Pastafarian' or a belief system that would negate efforts to contain the muslim threat)

I,for one,do not want to see more mosques,burqas,demands for sharia law,cases of female genital mutilation 'Dalek-like creatures on summer beaches,cruel halal slaughter and other backward practices not needed here in Australia.

It is really scary to see that the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
have been campaigning their Muslim followers since 2009/2010 to ensure that
they complete the census religion question/s in order to "determine
representation in Australian Federal & State Politics" & "how government
funds (Federal & State) is spent in the planning & location of services &
allocation of resources for the Muslim community" , This was downloaded
from the Australian Federation of Islamic Council's website.

Please pass this on & don't forget to answer any/all religious question/s as
"CHRISTIAN" (OR YOUR UPBRINGING FAITH) for all members of your household.

Regards,

WHICH WITCH IS WHICH?

2011-04-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Based on the current science, we know that homoeopathy does not work. It is no better than modern day witch craft. So why do homoeopaths still push their products as being an alternative to medicine? I suggest the typical homoeopath falls into one of three categories.

1. The Homoeopath that does not or can not understand the science. This person reads the available literature, but their ability to grasp the science, see the flaws in bad studies and so on is lacking. This person might also be mostly reading the “science” that is promoted by other homoeopaths. Their bias ensures that they will always see positive results but never the negative. Someone who is unable to understand the evidence for their chosen field is un-qualified to practice in that field.

2. The Homoeopath that pays no attention to the science, but uses their own experience and insights to guide them. This person is a faith healer. Evidence is irrelevant. This person only responds to positive anecdotes from their own experience and their clients; while glossing over the failures. This person genuinely believes that homoeopathy works, but for all the wrong reasons. Faith healers have no business dispensing “medicines”, even placebos.

3. Then there is the Homoeopath that realises that homoeopathy does not work. This person is intentionally committing fraud. If you fall into this category, you should be jailed. You know that your product is a sham and that it has the potential to cause injury or death by delaying or preventing your clients from getting the medical help they need.

I further suggest that the big manufacturers of homoeopathy are well aware that there products are worthless. So the CEO's of those companies also fall into the third category.

Bottom line, it does not matter which category you put a homoeopath in, they have no business dispensing “medicine” or even giving advice on health issues.

Lord of the Frauds

2011-04-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

One Fraud to rule them all,
One Fraud to find them,
One Fraud to bring them all,
And in the darkness bind them

It occurred to me that this quote from Lord of the Rings fits Andy Wakefield perfectly. Anti-vaxxers are ruled by his fraudulent study, it inspired a whole movement that can not get past the fact that their inspiration is fraud. This fraud has found all those people looking to blame something for the illness of their child. It is very sad that they latched onto a deception and are now ruled by it. They are trapped in the darkness of the anti-vax world and can not see the light that science shines on the subject. I feel sorry for them.

Elephants and Mice, or Cowards and Censors?

2011-04-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I can not abide it is people who push their worthless "medicine", especially homeopaths. When examined as a whole, the science shows that homeopathy has no value. Yet people with vested interests and those that are emotionally attached continue to push this 200 year old rubbish to increase their income and spread their faith in magic pills.

Today, I have found something worse. The homeopathic censor. On occasion I put my skeptic hat on and dare to comment on some of the non sense that is put on the web. Most specifically I have had cause to comment on a blog post at "Elephants and Mice". Previously my comments on this blog have been “moderated”, by which I mean not published. Clearly, the only way to get your comments published here is to agree whole heartedly or post something that the owner feels they can rip into. Today though, my comments were posted, but only after being edited. I feel violated. I put a lot of thought and effort into writing a comment only to have a fraction published and for the published part to be made fun of in the most bizarre fashion.

To the owner of Elephants and Mice, I am publicly calling you a coward. I challenge you to publish the full comment and put down the censors knife.

Editing comments is only one step from out right lying.

IMHO, the moderation feature on a blog is to ensure that the comments are not abusive, do not contain foul language and so on. It is not there to allow censorship.

I will be posting a link to this in the comments of Elephants and Mice. If you have the nerve to publish it, I am sure my little blog will be attacked by you and your minions. Unlike you though, I will not censor the responses to suit my agenda.

The full comment is as follows. Only the first two paragraphs were published. You can find the edited version here.

You guys are great, you go direct to attack mode. How fun.

I have no knowledge of this alleged fraud, which is why I have not commented specifically on it. I do know many applicants to the million dollar challenge simply will not agree to reasonable test conditions.

"But then again, as an organizer of the secret meetings and organizing of skeptics it is par for the course for you. " This is pathetic. How you managed to make this jump of logic is beyond me. I am no organiser of skeptics and if there are secret meetings, they are secret from me. More likely, they are not secret, its just you were not invited.

You can appeal to authority all you want. Even Nobel winners make mistakes.

rside: You are making sweeping generalisations and assumptions. The skeptic movement is chock full of real scientists who make themselves heard if any skeptic gets the science wrong; including Randi. While Randi is not a scientist he relies on scientists for the best information out there. True believers look to their token scientists as if they are priests who can do no wrong. For the record, my diploma is in applied science; so rasberries to your assumptions.

You call me a skeptic as if it were an insult. I wear that label proudly. All good scientists are skeptics. The first thing a good scientist does is try to dis-prove their own hypothesis. If the idea passes well designed tests, then maybe it has some merit.

Science has nothing to do with being loud or nasty. It is a process. An idea must stand up to peer review, it must be repeatable and it must be able to withstand criticism.

To summarise, you folks have made a number of assumptions and generalisations in your responses which are not true. You attack the person who provides any opinion which does not match your own. You do not provide worthwhile evidence. You can distract from the real issue all you like by alleging fraud and so on, but it does not help support your claims about homeopathy.

The fact is homeopathy does not work and you can not let go of your beliefs. You do not have the ability to examine the evidence in a rational and impartial fashion. Probably because you have financial and emotional attachments.

The final answer to the republic question

2011-02-17T04:01:00.000-08:00

Way back when we had a referendum to answer the republic question once and for all; I was of the opinion if it ain’t broke don't fix it. In those days I had not been convinced that there was any point to Australia becoming a republic. It all sounded like a lot of hassle for not much gain. However, if a referendum were held tomorrow I would be far more likely to vote for it. I'm still not fussed one way or another. The only argument that holds any real sway for me now is the fact that Australia is so multi-cultural. We are no longer a bunch of poms invading this land. We are not even just Europeans any more. Now we are every nation all mixed up; that is what makes Australia great. I love travelling around and seeing all types of people.

The Union Jack on our flag no longer represents the history of Australia and all her people. This one is simple to fix, just remove the Union Jack. A blue flag with the Southern Cross and the Commonwealth Star suits me fine. The Commonwealth Star represents all the states and territories and can be made bigger to fill the void. While the Southern Cross (at least for me) represents that we are all one people under the Southern Cross. That is one problem solved.

I say the first Australians have a point when they say "Invasion Day" instead of "Australia Day". Again, easy fixed. Move the day to another date that has no meaning one way or another. Who actually thinks about ole Cookie at Botany Bay while wearing the Green and Gold and cheering at the cocky races? While we are at it, lets have an extra day off for "First Australians Day" as a celebration of Aboriginal culture.

Now the biggie... what do we do about the Monarchy? I reckon I have come up with the perfect solution. We need to have a competition to find Australia’s most Aussie Chick. It would make for great tv. My vote is for Kylie Mole. We then marry her to Prince Harry. Harry needs to become an Australian citizen and breed up lots of little Aussie Princes and Princess. We can then ditch Queenie, Charlie and Willy; we will have the party Prince. Maybe the first generation of Aussie royals can breed with the Dutch Royals to get Mary's bloodline back in Australia.

Hazza, as I like to call him, can be King of Australia. We will keep him busy cutting ribbons and greeting foreign leaders while we get on with business.

Everyone is happy, the flag is fixed, we have proper celebrations of being Australian and our history and we have severed formal ties with England; plus we have our very own Monarchy for the tabloids to scrutinise.

And the best part, we have a blood nut King! How Aussie is that?

Skeptimite had spoken.

Brissy Resolution Run with Magic Holograms and Magic Water

2011-01-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend (before the floods) the Fit One and I took part in the 2011 Resolution Run. I walked 5km and she ran 10km in the rain. We started together and I finished a few minutes before she did; which I say means I won.

During the entire event I only counted 3 magic hologram wristbands. This is a huge improvement on most events, where you see loads of them. I was saddened to see a very obese lady who was putting in a huge effort doing a 10km walk and wearing a magic hologram. Having seen the Fit One battle obesity, I have an idea of the emotional and physical torment she was probably going through. Some schmuck has taken advantage of her, probably taken $60plus out of her pocket and given her false hope. She could have better spent that money on joining a weight loss group, good nutrition or a pedicure. At lease there were no magic holograms for sale at this event. Not a single brand was represented. HOORAH!. For a moment I wished I had a stand selling Placebo Bands; a bit of money could have been raised for charity and spread the message of critical thinking. All up, the event was well organised and everyone seemed to be having a great time... until I got to the finish line.

And Then There Was Magic Water....
As I hobbled across the finish, I was handed a bottle of Aqua Essence Water (http://www.aquaessence.com.au). That was nice, I was thirsty. At face value, it seams to be as good a product as any other spring water. Even better it is packaged into nifty "bottles" that they say use 70% less plastic than a regular bottle and are recyclable. Very good. The problem is when you read the other claims on the package under the heading "key health benefits " It's natural Alkaline levels (pH 7.8) ensure superior hydration, providing you with a blend of healthy minerals to fight diseases and slow down the ageing process." Sure, right. No credible evidence for this is provided on the packaging or the companies web site. On the web site, you can down load a pdf "fact" sheet on water pH (http://www.aquaessence.com.au/softpack/waterph.pdf). This sheet is gibberish. Any one with the most basic understanding of pH will see these guys have no idea. The big error, oxygen levels are not related to pH. Water with lots of Hydrogen (one H of H2O) or lots of Hydroxide (another H and the O in H2O) does not equal high levels of oxygen. Temperature, air pressure, salinity, and B.O.D among others have a far greater effect on oxygen levels than pH. The info sheet also uses words and phrases including energy production, detoxify heavy metals, tumor cells thrive, fatigue, illness, stress, toxic overload and immune reactions. This is all sounds very science, though I suggest it is mostly meaningless.

The company states the product has a pH of 7.8. I have not bothered to test the pH, I doubt it really matters. The idea that a moderate pH of 7.8 will have any effect on the body after it meets pH of 4.0 in the stomach is doubtful at best. pH of 4.0 is as acid as pH 9.0 is alkaline. pH 7.8 will be quickly reduced to pH of 4.0 in the stomach. Brisbane tap water routinely has a pH of 7.8 plus (I have lost count of the times I have tested tap water). When I was living in Canberra, the pH was usually even higher. No need to buy magic water for an alkaline drink, tap water so much cheaper. Any decent pool shop or pet shop should be able to tell you the pH of your tap water.

Buying Aqua Essence water for its supposed health benefits is a total waste of money. I believe this company is falsely advertising its product as having properties that are dubious at best. Shame on you Aqua Essence.

And Then More Magic Holograms....
While waiting for the Fit One to finish her run I observed the prizes being awarded to the winners of the races. Each place getter was presented with a free Power Balance Pack...... my heart sank. The announcer guy happily called out each winner and every time thanked Power Balance for sponsoring the event. As a wise man once said “This turd won't flush”. Power Balance should get the idea and quietly sneak away with their ill gotten gains.

Resolution Run Organisers, You Are Not Off The Hook...
I get that greedy individuals and companies (such as Power Balance and Aqua Essence) want to make a quick buck by resorting to Woo Woo. However, the Resolution Run web site (http://www.resolutionrun.com.au/) talks about helping Australian's get fit and healthy. I understand that an event like this needs to have sponsors and that products that promote health and well being are the obvious match. However, the organisers need to vet their sponsors to ensure the products that are being promoted are genuine and live up to expectations. By accepting these sponsors they are promoting these products to a great number of people who may be looking for any product that looks like it might help. Morally the organisers have a duty to investigate those products. After the race I had a very breif chat with the announcer guy. I asked if he was aware of the ACCC news regarding Power Balance. He replied that they were, but they were already locked into the sponsorship and that Power Balance would not be used as a sponsor again. I suggested that some research was warranted before accepting a new sponsor. He replied that they did research and Power Balance seamed credible. I suggested that if they did a Google search they would have quickly found loads of information from skeptics that would have alerted them to the mis-information Power Balance provided. The announcer guy just looked at me funny. I thanked him and went on my way. This event was otherwise well organised and run very professionally, so I see no excuse for not doing some simple research on the sponsors.

To summarise:
Aqua Essence Water: FAIL
Power Balance: FAIL (as usual)
Resolution Run: FAIL

Thanks for reading!

Magic Holograms

2010-12-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I am at the Bribie Island Triathlon. Normally at these events I see many hologram bracelets for sale in merchandise stands. While they are for sale, they are not on prominent display. Hopefully this means the retailers are catching on to how bad these products are. The down side is, I have never seen so many of these bands being worn by competitors. Normally, I would see see around half a dozen and would consider ten sightings to be unusual. Today, I lost count with the number being at least thirty, probably much more. Perhaps I need to rally local skeptics to come and do demonstrations to show up how bad these holograms are. I have decided to make of a shirt that says "MAGIC HOLOGRAM BRACELET WINS SHONKY AWARD", or something to that effect.

2010-11-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

First day of Tam. I got to meet most of the big names, Randi, Dunning, SGU crew, Saunders and Dr Karl. What fun!