My qualifications in homeopathy: the truth and nothing but the truth

This could (and perhaps should) be a very short post: I HAVE NO QUALIFICATIONS IN HOMEOPATHY! NONE!!! [the end] The reason why it is not quite as short as that lies in the the fact that homeopathy-fans regularly start foaming from the mouth when they state, and re-state, and re-state, and re-state this simple, undeniable […]

Read the rest here: My qualifications in homeopathy: the truth and nothing but the truth

American Loon #2064: Preston Noell III and the TFP

Preston Noell III is the Chicago bureau director the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, Property (TFP) –  a Catholic extremist, fundamentalist, pseudo-military, anti-gay group linked to Brazilian neo-fascists; the American branch is one of many autonomous national...

Read the full lunacy: #2064: Preston Noell III and the TFP Encyclopedia of American Loons

Three Trends In “Alternative Dentistry” Part 2: Material Testing

By guest blogger Hans-Werner Bertelsen It is possible to have an allergic reaction to the materials used in dentistry. These reactions may be type I reactions (immediate) or type IV reactions (delayed). While type I reactions are characterized by the release of humorally active substances and may lead to asthmatic attacks, mucosal swelling, and the […]

Read the rest here: Three Trends In “Alternative Dentistry” Part 2: Material Testing

American Loon #2063: Wade Nobles

Wade W. Nobles is professor emeritus in the Department of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University, and a pioneer of the African-American psychology movement. Now, Nobles has indeed made some serious and notable contributions to research. But Nobles is also a promoter of some baffling...

Read the full lunacy: #2063: Wade Nobles Encyclopedia of American Loons

Anti-vaccine people are going to kill us all: Exhibit #605,678

Check out this story from Houston: “A nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital has been discharged after she posted information on social media about a boy who tested positive for measles, hospital officials said Tuesday afternoon. … The nurse posted about the child on an anti-vaccination group’s Facebook page called Proud Parents of Unvaccinated Children-Texas, according […]

Read more at: Anti-vaccine people are going to kill us all: Exhibit #605,678 by Reuben

Chiropractic neck manipulations can damage your eyes

Central retinal artery occlusion, nystagmus, Wallenberg syndrome, ophthalmoplegia, Horner syndrome, loss of vision,  diplopia, and ptosis are all amongst the eye-related problems that have been associated with chiropractic upper spinal manipulations. Often the damage leaves a permanent deficit – happily, not in this instance. American ophthalmologists reported the case of a 59-year-old Caucasian female who […]

Read the rest here: Chiropractic neck manipulations can damage your eyes

Three Trends In “Alternative Dentistry” Part 1: The Concept of Projections—Of Meridians and Temporo-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD)

By guest blogger Hans-Werner Bertelsen Holistic ideas are booming, and they do not stop at dental medicine, where procedures and techniques that take an alleged ‘holistic’ approach are becoming more and more popular. Are these procedures and techniques effective, and do they offer a benefit over their conventional counterparts, or is it rather the providers […]

Read the rest here: Three Trends In “Alternative Dentistry” Part 1: The Concept of Projections—Of Meridians and Temporo-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD)

American Loon #2062: Art Nitz

Yes, that list again. The Discovery Institute’s petition A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism is, if the purpose really was to showcase the scientific dissent for Darwinism, a pretty self-undermining affair, something that is splendidly illustrated by this effort. Anything that...

Read the full lunacy: #2062: Art Nitz Encyclopedia of American Loons

Herbal suppositories for bacterial vaginosis?

Bacterial vaginosis is a common condition which is more than a triviality. It can have serious consequences including pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, postoperative vaginal cuff infections, preterm labor, premature rupture of membranes, and chorioamnionitis. Therefore, it is important to treat it adequately with antibiotics. But are there other options as well? There are plenty of […]

Read the rest here: Herbal suppositories for bacterial vaginosis?

Did you know that I falsified my qualifications?

Did you know that I falsified my qualifications? Neither did I! But this is exactly what has been posted on Amazon as a review of my book HOMEOPATHY, THE UNDILUTED FACTS. The Amazon review in question is dated 7 August 2018 and authored by ‘Paul’. As it might not be there for long (because it is […]

Read the rest here: Did you know that I falsified my qualifications?

American Loon #2061: Sandy Nichols

Sandy Nichols is an alleged alien abductee and Founder and President of the Alien Research Group (ARG) (website here), a Tennessee organization ostensibly created “for the study of alien abductions” but that really just works to help alleged abductees get their stories out. The ARG...

Read the full lunacy: #2061: Sandy Nichols Encyclopedia of American Loons

Some homeopathic products contain active substances after all – dangerous ones, that is!

The ‘Healing Revolution’ began, according to BIO KING’s website, more than 25 years ago with the establishment of King Bio. Its founder, Dr. Frank King, was inspired to find the root causes of illness and empower the whole person. He cultivated an interest in developing pure water-based homeopathic medicines – a type of natural product that was not, […]

Read the rest here: Some homeopathic products contain active substances after all – dangerous ones, that is!

American Loon #2060: Diem T. Nguyen

Diem T. Nguyen is a chiropractor, “functional wellness practitioner” and conspiracy theorist who runs something called the NorCal Natural Integrative HealthCare (oh, yes: both natural and integrative, since neither word means anything in this context, but are good dog whistles for...

Read the full lunacy: #2060: Diem T. Nguyen Encyclopedia of American Loons

Why do we see measles outbreaks left, right and centre? Ask your SCAM provider!

On this blog, I have ad nauseam discussed the fact that many SCAM-practitioners are advising their patients against vaccinations, e. g.: Andrew Wakefield, Donald Trump, SCAM, and the anti-vaccination cult More on vaccination scepticism, and the plea for a no-fault vaccination injury compensation scheme Naturopaths’ counselling against vaccinations could be criminally negligent HOMEOPATHS AGAINST VACCINATION: […]

Read the rest here: Why do we see measles outbreaks left, right and centre? Ask your SCAM provider!

An RCT suggests that homeopathy can prevent epidemics!!! But how reliable is this evidence?

In one of his many comments, our friend Iqbal just linked to an article that unquestionably is interesting. Here is its abstract (the link also provides the full paper): Objective: The objective was to assess the usefulness of homoeopathic genus epidemicus (Bryonia alba 30C) for the prevention of chikungunya during its epidemic outbreak in the state […]

Read the rest here: An RCT suggests that homeopathy can prevent epidemics!!! But how reliable is this evidence?

German pharmacists fail their customers when advising them on homeopathy

A few days ago, I published an article in the ‘Sueddeutsche Zeitung’ (a truly rare event, as I have never done this before) where I argued that German pharmacists should consider stopping the sale of homeopathic remedies. It violates their ethical code, I suggested. While this discussion has been going on for a while in […]

Read the rest here: German pharmacists fail their customers when advising them on homeopathy

American Loon #2059: Troy Newman

Yeah: that Troy Newman. Troy Edward Newman-Mariotti is the president of Operation Rescue and a board member of The Center for Medical Progress, which has nothing to do with medical progress. (The Center was, for instance, behind the phony Planned Parenthood “sting” videos.) He is also the...

Read the full lunacy: #2059: Troy Newman Encyclopedia of American Loons

THE USE OF CAM IN PALLIATIVE CARE IS HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC.

The aim of palliative care is to improve quality of life for patients with serious illnesses by treating their symptoms, often in situations where all the possible causative therapeutic options have been exhausted. In many palliative care settings, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used for this purpose. In fact, this is putting it mildly; […]

Read the rest here: THE USE OF CAM IN PALLIATIVE CARE IS HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC.

Is music a practical therapy for hypertension? Sadly not, I think

Music therapy is the use of music for therapeutic purposes. Several forms of music therapy exist. They can consist of a patient listening to live or recorded music, or of patients participating in performing music. Music therapy is usually employed to complement other treatments; it is never a curative or causal approach and mostly aimed […]

Read the rest here: Is music a practical therapy for hypertension? Sadly not, I think

American Loon #2058: Cynthia Nevison

Cynthia Nevison is a climate scientist, and although she is right about climate – as far as we can tell, her efforts support the consensus among experts thoroughly anchored in an enormous body of evidence pointing in the same direction – that doesn’t make her an expert on other areas of...

Read the full lunacy: #2058: Cynthia Nevison Encyclopedia of American Loons

The vicious spiral of German adult education steeped in woo

About 7 months ago, I contacted a German journalist who I knew and trusted to tell her about the incredible quackery-promotion performed by Germany’s institutes of adult education, the ‘Volkshochschulen‘ (VHSs). After I had been invited to give a few lectures for the VHSs, I had conducted some preliminary research and realised that, nationwide, they […]

Read the rest here: The vicious spiral of German adult education steeped in woo

American Loon #2057: Randy Neugebauer

Robert Randolph “Randy” Neugebauer was the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 19th district from 2003 to 2017, and was in 2011 named “the most conservative” member of the House. Neugebauer was a member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, and his background there might perhaps help explain his proposed...

Read the full lunacy: #2057: Randy Neugebauer Encyclopedia of American Loons

Peter Fisher (1950-2018)

I am truly saddened and shocked to hear that Peter Fisher has died. Apparently, he was cycling to work on 15 August, when, at 9.30 am, he was hit and fatally injured by a lorry. The Faculty of Homeopathy published the following statement: The Faculty of Homeopathy has to announce with great sadness, news of the […]

Read the rest here: Peter Fisher (1950-2018)

No, Kiddo. Venezuela Doesn’t Have a Measles Epidemic Because of Socialism. It’s Because of People Like You.

We were going to write a big old blog post on how Socialism and Capitalism are not opposites of each other. We were going to tell you that there are Capitalist societies deeply embedded in Socialist states. And then we were going to argue against The Kid’s assertion that Venezuela has a measles outbreak because […]

Read more at: No, Kiddo. Venezuela Doesn’t Have a Measles Epidemic Because of Socialism. It’s Because of People Like You. by Reuben

Until the precise risks from chiropractic manipulation are known, patients are better served by other treatments

I know, I have reported about the risks of chiropractic manipulations many times before. But I will continue to do so, because the subject is important and mentioning it might save lives. The purpose of this study from the US was to determine the frequency of patients seen at a single institution who were diagnosed […]

Read the rest here: Until the precise risks from chiropractic manipulation are known, patients are better served by other treatments

American Loon #2056: Roger D. Nelson

Global consciousness (or “field consciousness”) is the idea that when groups of people focus their minds on the same thing, they can mentally influence physical reality. The idea is often associated with Dean Radin (though there are others working on something similar to the idea...

Read the full lunacy: #2056: Roger D. Nelson Encyclopedia of American Loons

Is kinesiology tape helpful for back pain? A new study attempts to find out (but fails miserably)

Kinesiology tape KT is fashionable, it seems. Gullible consumers proudly wear it as decorative ornaments to attract attention and show how very cool they are. Am I too cynical? Perhaps. But does KT really do anything more? A new trial might tell us. The aim of this study was to investigate whether adding kinesiology tape […]

Read the rest here: Is kinesiology tape helpful for back pain? A new study attempts to find out (but fails miserably)

Tdap vaccine is not linked to autism, just like any other vaccine (including the flu vaccine)

I remember when my dad told me that there was no such thing as Santa Claus. He sat me down and told me that it had been him all these years who had been buying me gifts and placing them under the tree. It was quite a shock to have this revealed to me; it […]

Read more at: Tdap vaccine is not linked to autism, just like any other vaccine (including the flu vaccine) by Reuben

American Loon #2055: Richard William Nelson

Richard William Nelson is a young-earth creationist Internet troll and author. Nelson is of course not a scientist – some undergrad classes in biology really doesn’t make you one – but nevertheless doesn’t mind taking on the whole of science in his book Darwin, Then and Now, The Most...

Read the full lunacy: #2055: Richard William Nelson Encyclopedia of American Loons

Be very careful before accepting any ‘evidence’ about the benefits of acupuncture

I have often cautioned my readers about the ‘evidence’ supporting acupuncture (and other alternative therapies). Rightly so, I think. Here is yet another warning. This systematic review assessed the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD). Nine trials involving 653 women were selected. A meta-analysis demonstrated that the acupuncture group had a […]

Read the rest here: Be very careful before accepting any ‘evidence’ about the benefits of acupuncture

Cervical cancer rate declines after introduction of HPV vaccine – new evidence

... This year, a solid systematic review, the most powerful research in the hierarchy of biomedical science, along with other studies, have been published that provide strong evidence that the HPV vaccine reduces the cervical cancer rate. Now we have a new study to add to the body of science supporting the effectiveness in preventing cancers of the HPV vaccine... Cervical cancer rate declines after introduction of HPV vaccine – new evidence

Is alternative medicine a conspiracy theory in disguise?

It has been shown repeatedly that a ‘conspiracy mentality’ is associated with usage of alternative medicine. But perhaps alternative medicine is itself a conspiracy theory in disguise? One of the questions I invariably get after a public lecture is the one about alternative medicine being the victim of some sort of sinister plot. This notion […]

Read the rest here: Is alternative medicine a conspiracy theory in disguise?

American Loon #2054: Linda Nelson

Altmed comes little more ridiculous than homeopathy, which is so desperately nonsensical that even hardened New Agers have occasionally been caught hesitating when hearing what it actually is and how it is actually supposed to work. But homeopathy also has the trappings of a cargo cult...

Read the full lunacy: #2054: Linda Nelson Encyclopedia of American Loons

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #32

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week.

Editor's Pick

Scientists mock Trump’s tweet on wildfires as ‘comedically ill-informed’ and ‘unmitigated crap’ 

Trump's climate denial is "a crime against the planet" warns climatologist.

 

Embers Smolder from Wildfires Near Clearlake Oaks, California, On August 5, 2018. Credit: Noah Berger/AFP/Getty Images

Two years ago, an actual headline from CBS in Sacramento was, “Donald Trump Tells California ‘There Is No Drought’ As Drought Continues.”

And now, on Sunday evening, Trump’s denial of reality in California continued, as he attempted to blame the ever-worsening wildfires in the state on everything but climate change.

“California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized,” the President tweeted. “It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!”

The tweet came just hours after the Trump administration declared the California wildfires a major disaster. 

Scientists mock Trump’s tweet on wildfires as ‘comedically ill-informed’ and ‘unmitigated crap’ by Joe Romm, Think Progress, Aug 6, 2018

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Links posted on Facebook

Sun Aug 5, 2018

• New research, July 2-29, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Aug 3, 2018
• State of the climate: 2018 set to be fourth warmest year despite cooler start by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Aug 1, 2018
• California vows to fight Trump EPA's move to freeze fuel economy rules by Elvan Halper, Tony Barbosa & David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, Aug 2, 2018
• At peak of European heatwave, Portugal battles wildfire, power outage by Andrei Khalip, Reuters, Aug 4, 2018
• Our climate plans are in pieces as killer summer shreds records by Angela Dewan, CNN, Aug 5, 2018
• California's destructive summer brings blunt talk about climate change by Rong-Gong Lin Ii & Javier Panzar, Los Angeles Times, Aug 5, 2019
• Scorching Summer in Europe Signals Long-Term Climate Changes by Alissa J. Rubin, World, New York Times, Aug 4. 2018
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #31 by John Hartz, Skeptical Science. Aug 5, 2018

Mon Aug 6, 2018

• Arctic carbon cycle is speeding up by Esprit Smith, Vital Signs of the Planet, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Aug 3, 2018
• New EPA Chief Makes Clear: The Easing of Environmental Rules Will Continue by Georgina Gustin, InsideClimate News, Aug 2, 2018
• The EPA’s bizarre justification for rolling back fuel efficiency standards by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 3, 2018
• The Problem With The New York Times’ Big Story on Climate Change by Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, Aug 1, 2018
• Inquiry Ends Into Exxon Mobil’s Accounting Tied to Climate Change by Claire Ballentine, Business, New York Times, Aug 3, 2018
• Could the heat and extreme weather shift climate change denial? by Nick Miller, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 4, 2018
• On climate change, it’s time to start panicking by Matthew Rozsa, Salon, Aug 5, 2018
• Scientists mock Trump’s tweet on wildfires as ‘comedically ill-informed’ and ‘unmitigated crap’ by Joe Romm, Think Progress, Aug 6, 2018

Tue Aug 7, 2018

• Capitalism Killed Our Climate Momentum, Not “Human Nature” by Naomi Klein, The Intercept, Aug 6, 2018
• Wildfires continue to char California, but one is in a destructive league of its own by Kristine Phillips & Sarah Kaplan, Nation, Washington Post, Aug 5, 2018
• The GOP and Big Oil can't escape blame for climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Environment, Guardian, Aug 6, 2018
• Mendocino Complex blaze is now largest wildfire in California history by Peter Fimrite & Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, Aug 6, 2018
• AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s claims on Calif. wildfires inaccurate by Ellen Knickmeyer, AP News, Aug 7, 2018
• Planet at Risk of Heading Towards Apocalyptic, Irreversible ‘Hothouse Earth’ State by Stephen Leahy, Scorched Earth, Motherboard, Aug 6, 2018
• Scientists Have Uncovered a Disturbing Climate Change Precedent by Peter Brannen, The Atlantic, Aug 6, 2018
• Domino-effect of climate events could push Earth into a ‘hothouse’ state by Jonathan Watts, Environment, Guardian, Aug 6, 2018

Wed Aug 8, 2018

• The Health Risks of Our Sweltering Summers by Vijay Limaye & Kim Knowlton, EcoWatch, Aug 5, 2018
• Analysis Reveals That World’s Largest Battery Saved South Australia $8.9 Million In 6 Months by Kyle Field, CleanTechnica, Aug 6, 2018
• Domino effect could heat up Earth by 5 degrees Celsius — despite Paris climate deal by Katharina Wecker, Deutsche Welle (DW), Aug 6, 2018
• Don’t despair – climate change catastrophe can still be averted, Opinion by Simon Lewis, Comment is Free, Guardian, Aug 7, 2018
• The spiralling environmental cost of our lithium battery addiction by Amit Katwala, Wired, Aug 5, 2018
• Destructive Flood Risk in U.S. West Could Triple if Climate Change Left Unchecked by Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News, Aug 6, 2018
• Parts of Spain and Portugal are more than 46℃ – here’s what is going on by Glenn McGregor, The Conversation UK, Aug 6, 2018
• California’s Record-breaking Fire Isn’t the Week’s Worst Climate News by David Wallace-Wells, The Intelligencer, New York Magazine, Aug 7, 2018

Thu Aug 9, 2018

• Caribbean states beg Trump to grasp climate change threat: 'War has come to us' by Oliver Milman, Environment, Guardian, Aug 7, 2018
• Ocean temperatures hit record high off San Diego, another extreme weather milestone by Doyle Rice, USA Today, Aug 7, 2018
• California’s wildfires are hardly “natural” — humans made them worse at every step by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 8, 2018
• New South Wales drought now affects entire state, BBC News, Aug 8, 2018
• Green, green hills: Pakistan's incoming government pledges to plant billions of trees by Rina Saeed Khan, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Aug 8, 2018
• Soggier forest soils thwart the uptake of climate-warming methane, Mongabay, Aug 7, 2018
• Will Dimming the Sun Cool the Planet and Help Crops? by Annie Sneed, Scientific American, Aug 8, 2018
• Factcheck: How global warming has increased US wildfires by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Aug 9, 2018

Fri Aug 10, 2018

• Germany Faces Worst Harvest in 24 Years After Extreme Drought by Agnieszka De Sousa, Bloomberg News, Aug 8, 2018
• One of the largest banks issued an alarming warning that Earth is running out of the resources to sustain life by Jerremy Berke, Business Insider, Aug 7, 2018
• This graphic explains why 2 degrees of global warming will be way worse than 1.5 by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 6, 2018
• NOAA Lowers Hurricane Season Forecast, Says El Niño Likely on the Way by Sabrina Shankman, Inside Climate News, Aug 10, 2018
• Clean energy is catching up to natural gas by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 8, 2018
• Red Cross warns of food crisis in North Korea as crops fail in heat by Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters, Aug 10, 2018
• Climate Change Denialists Never Had It So Good. So Why the Angst? by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Aug 8, 2018
• Why NPR Doesn't Mention Climate Change in Every Fire Story by Elizabeth Jensen, NPR Ombudsman, KQED Science, Aug 9, 2018

Sat Aug 11, 2018

• In trying to save the planet, we might just change global politics forever, Opinion by David Wearing, Voices, The Independent, Aug 10, 2018
• New research, July 30 - August 4, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Science, Aug 9, 2018
• Terrified by ‘hothouse Earth’? Don’t despair — do something. by Eric Holthaus, Grist, Aug 7, 2018
• Welcome to the Pliocene by John Mason, Skeptical Science, Aug 10, 2018
• Volcanoes show why solar geoengineering can’t save our food from climate change by Umair Irfan, Energy & Environment, Vox, Aug 8, 2018
• Could  by Dairy Cows Make Up for California's Aliso Canyon Methane Leak? by Phil McKenna, InsideClimate News, Aug 10, 2018
• Crucial global climate fund facing ‘massive challenges’ by Megan Darby & Karl Mathiesen, Climate Home News, Aug 9, 2018
• Climate change not the only threat to giant pandas, study says by Seán Thór Herron, Carbon Brief, Aug 7, 2018

from Skeptical Science
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I know, because I have done my research

How often do we hear this sentence: “I know, because I have done my research!” I don’t doubt that most people who make this claim believe it to be true. But is it? What many mean by saying, “I know, because I have done my research”, is that they went on the internet and looked […]

Read the rest here: I know, because I have done my research

American Loon #2053: Bradley Nelson

Chiropractic is still a kind of gateway woo. For Bradley Nelson, a chiropractor and craniopath and “renowned holistic physician and lecturer” it has led to something he calls “the Emotion Code” and “the Body code”, special, trademark healing secrets combining an impressive array of...

Read the full lunacy: #2053: Bradley Nelson Encyclopedia of American Loons

A triumph for ‘GOOD THINKING’, and the end of homeopathy on the NHS in England

The following announcement was made by the NHS on 7 August 2018: The Governing Body of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) today approved changes that mean NHS funded homeopathy will only be available in exceptional circumstances in the area. The changes will mean the CCG’s Individual Funding Request (IFR) […]

Read the rest here: A triumph for ‘GOOD THINKING’, and the end of homeopathy on the NHS in England

American Loon #2052: Daniel Neiman

Daniel John Neiman is the owner of the paranormal website “Anomalous Experience” and pretty much a crank of all trades – he is, for instance, a creationist and parapsychology proponent, and fills out his creationist and parapsychologist views with an impressive array of pseudoscience and...

Read the full lunacy: #2052: Daniel Neiman Encyclopedia of American Loons

Beware of predatory conferences: they want your cash and offer nothing worthwhile

We probably have all heard of predatory journals. The phenomenon of ‘predatory conferences’ seems to be less-well appreciated. Hardly a day goes by that I do not receive emails like the one below: ________________________________________________________ Dear Dr. E Ernst , Good day! After the success of Traditional Medicine-2018 in Rome, Italy, on behalf of the Organizing […]

Read the rest here: Beware of predatory conferences: they want your cash and offer nothing worthwhile

American Loon #2051: Penny Nance

Penny Nance is the current president of Concerned Women for America (CWA), the fundamentalist, wingnut activist hate group founded by Beverly LaHaye – they call themselves an amalgam of “policy experts and ... activists[s]” who take an explicitly anti-feminist approach to politics as...

Read the full lunacy: #2051: Penny Nance Encyclopedia of American Loons

Random thoughts on the issue of an ‘open mind’

They say that minds are like parachutes – they function only when open. Having an open mind means being receptive to new and different ideas or the opinions of others. I am regularly accused of lacking this quality. Most recently, an acupuncturist questioned whether acupuncture-sceptics, and I in particular, have an open mind. Subsequently, an interesting […]

Read the rest here: Random thoughts on the issue of an ‘open mind’

The Society of Homeopaths have a Code of Ethics, but seem to ignore it. I wonder why!

This recent announcement by the Society of Homeopaths (SoH), the organisation of non-doctor homeopaths in the UK, seems worthy of a short comment. Here is the unabbreviated text in question: Two new members have been appointed to the Society’s Public Affairs (PAC) and Professional Standards (PSC)  committees for three-year terms of office. Selina Hatherley RSHom is […]

Read the rest here: The Society of Homeopaths have a Code of Ethics, but seem to ignore it. I wonder why!

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #31

Stories of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... Photo of the Week... SkS Spotlights... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week...

Stories of the Week...

Scorching Summer in Europe Signals Long-Term Climate Changes

 

People trying to cool down in the Trocadero Fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Credit: Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

In Northern Europe, this summer feels like a modern-day version of the biblical plagues. Cows are dying of thirst in Switzerland, fires are gobbling up timber in Sweden, the majestic Dachstein glacier is melting in Austria.

In London, stores are running out of fans and air-conditioners. In Greenland, an iceberg may break off a piece so large that it could trigger a tsunami that destroys settlements on shore. Last week, Sweden’s highest peak, Kebnekaise mountain, no longer was in first place after its glacier tip melted.

Southern Europe is even hotter. Temperatures in Spain and Portugal are expected to reach 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend. On Saturday, several places in Portugal experienced record highs, and over the past week, two people have died in Spain from the high temperatures, and a third in Portugal.

But in the northernmost latitudes, where the climate is warming faster than the global average, temperatures have been the most extreme, according to a study by researchers at Oxford University and the World Weather Attribution network. 

Scorching Summer in Europe Signals Long-Term Climate Changes by Alissa J. Rubin, World, New York Times, Aug 4. 2018

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California vows to fight Trump EPA's move to freeze fuel economy rules

 

Vowing to defend California's authority to set its own greenhouse gas emissions rules, Gov. Jerry Brown said the state would fight the new EPA plan “in every conceivable way possible.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

The Trump administration Thursday pushed ahead with plans to unravel the federal government’s most effective action to fight climate change — aggressive fuel economy standards aimed at getting the nation’s cars and trucks to average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025.

After months of discussion and drafts, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration formally unveiled their plan to rewrite those rules and replace them with ones so lax that even automakers are wary.

The administration’s plan would freeze mileage targets in 2020 for six years. It would also move to end California’s power to set its own, tougher greenhouse gas emissions standards and nullify the state mandate that automakers sell a specified number of electric vehicles.

EPA officials sought to portray the proposal as the administration’s opening bid in a negotiation with California. State officials, however, loudly denounced the plan as too extreme and threatened to fight it in court. California and the 13 other states that follow its more stringent rules argue the Clean Air Act empowers them to keep the Obama-era standards in place in their markets.

California vows to fight Trump EPA's move to freeze fuel economy rules by Elvan Halper, Tony Barbosa & David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, Aug 2, 2018

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Toon of the Week...

Hat tip to Moms Clean Air Force Facebook page.

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Quote of the Week...

“In the past, we had this kind of heat wave once every 10 years, and now we have them every two years or something like that,” said François-Marie Bréon, a climatologist and deputy director of the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Science, a research institute affiliated with France’s National Center for Scientific Research. “That’s really the sign of climate change: We have heat waves that aren’t necessarily more intense but that are more and more frequent.”

Scorching Summer in Europe Signals Long-Term Climate Changes by Alissa J. Rubin, World, New York Times, Aug 4. 2018

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Graphic of the Week...

 

California vows to fight Trump EPA's move to freeze fuel economy rules by Elvan Halper, Tony Barbosa & David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, Aug 2, 2018

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SkS in the News...

John Cook is extensively quoted by Shannon Osaka in her Grist article,A climate denial video has 6 million views. Facebook doesn’t care. posted on July 31, 2018. The lead quote:

John Cook, who focuses on climate misinformation as a professor of cognitive science at George Mason University, says he hasn’t heard of the social media giant flagging any climate denial content. “Facebook’s fact-checking algorithms are a bit of a black box,” he tells Grist via email. (The social media site did not respond to a request for comment.)

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Photos of the Week...

 

 

 

Changes observed in vegetation, permafrost, and coastal erosion at the Yukon's Qikiqtaruk-Herschel Island Territorial Park between 1987 (top) and 2017 (bottom).

Credit: Isla Myers-Smith/University of Edinburgh

Arctic carbon cycle is speeding up by Esprit Smith, Vital Signs of the Planet, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Aug 3, 2018

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SkS Spotlights...

The purpose of CoalSwarm is to create shared information for the worldwide citizens’ movement seeking to address the impacts of fossil fuels and move to cleaner sources of energy. The Global Coal Plant Tracker has information on 13,000 existing and proposed coal plants worldwide. The CoalWire newsletter is a global weekly news digest. The CoalSwarm portal on SourceWatch contains over 9,000 wiki articles providing a constantly expanding reference. FrackSwarm provides a reference on oil and gas, including hundreds of major pipelines and  LNG (liquified natural gas) terminals. CoalSwarm’s reports can be found here.

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Coming Soon on SkS...

• The GOP and Big Oil can't escape blame for climate change (Dana)
• Pollution is slowing the melting of Arctic sea ice, for now (John Abraham)
• Climate change science comeback strategies (Karin Kirk)
• State of the climate: 2018 set to be fourth warmest year despite cooler start (Zeke Hausfather)
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #32 (John Hartz)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #32 (John Hartz)

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Climate Feedback Reviews...

Washington Post story puts recent weather extremes in accurate climate change context

Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to review the article, Climate change is supercharging a hot and dangerous summer by Angela Fritz & Joel Achenbach, Health & Science, Washington Post, July 26, 2018

Three scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'very high'.

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Accurate.

Review Summary 

This story in The Washington Post lists a variety of extreme weather events seen around the Northern Hemisphere recently. The article explains that some of these types of weather are known to be connected to human-caused climate trends.

Scientists who reviewed the article found that this scientific context was accurately provided. Heatwaves and intense rainstorms, for example, are increasing in severity and frequency. Some weather patterns—like slow-moving meanders in the jet stream—are indeed less clear and consequently subjects of active research. 

Washington Post story puts recent weather extremes in accurate climate change context, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, July 31, 2018

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SkS Week in Review... 

• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #31 by John Hartz
• New research, July 2-29, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki
• Permafrost and wetland emissions could cut 1.5C carbon budget ‘by five years’ by Robert McSweeney (Carbon Brief) 
• Coming full circle: from study to comedy sketch to study by BaerbelW & David Kirtley
• Climate change made 2018 European heatwave up to ‘five times’ more likely by Robert McSweeney. Carbon Brief
• America spends over $20bn per year on fossil fuel subsidies. Abolish them by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Environment, Guardian)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #30 by John Hartz

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Poster of the Week...

 

from Skeptical Science
via IFTTT

American Loon #2050: John Nail

We don’t know much about John Nail, but at least Nail is a creationist – and apparently a teacher at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Sedalia, which is what makes us take note since his position gives him an opportunity to fill students’ heads with his deranged ideas. In 2013 he laid some of...

Read the full lunacy: #2050: John Nail Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chiropractic for back or neck pain? Not nearly as good as some seem to believe

It is no secret to regular readers of this blog that chiropractic’s effectiveness is unproven for every condition it is currently being promoted for – perhaps with two exceptions: neck pain and back pain. Here we have some encouraging data, but also lots of negative evidence. A new US study falls into the latter category; […]

Read the rest here: Chiropractic for back or neck pain? Not nearly as good as some seem to believe

There is no better treatment than homeopathy – at least for the homeopath!

Vis a vis the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, why are there so many clinicians (doctors as well as lay practitioners) who still believe that homeopathy is working? And why are there so many patients who still believe that homeopathy is working?  These are questions that puzzle me quite a bit. Of course, there is no simple, […]

Read the rest here: There is no better treatment than homeopathy – at least for the homeopath!

American Loon #2049: John Nacco & Bob Pearson

We haven’t really dealt sufficiently with technowoo (like this), and probably ought to remedy the situation somewhat. There is, for instance, a multitude of fuel-saving devices on the market – products and techniques that purportedly help your car save energy by, well, customers not...

Read the full lunacy: #2049: John Nacco & Bob Pearson Encyclopedia of American Loons

Chiropractors: dammed if they do, and dammed if they don’t (abandon the subluxation myth)

Many experts have pointed out that the subluxation myth (which is at the core of chiropractic history, theory and practice) lacks sufficient evidence to even reach the level of a theoretical construct. In fact, it is no more than pseudoscientific dogma. I have discussed the issue repeatedly, for instance here, here and here. The myth […]

Read the rest here: Chiropractors: dammed if they do, and dammed if they don’t (abandon the subluxation myth)

American Loon #2048: Sue Myrick

For a long time – 1995 to 2013 – Congress was plagued by Sue Myrick, representing North Carolina’s 9th congressional district. Myrick was the kind of representative who was concerned that Muslim terrorists – Hezbollah, in particular – may be learning Spanish and disguising themselves as...

Read the full lunacy: #2048: Sue Myrick Encyclopedia of American Loons

If you don’t like satire and sarcasm (or happen to be a chiropractor), please don’t read this

Chiropractors will never cease to amuse and amaze me. Today, I received this comment to a recent post of mine; its author is a chiropractor by the name of CD White (I never met the man [surely it’s a man] and don’t know where he’s from): Someone is suffering from a love of credentials (small […]

Read the rest here: If you don’t like satire and sarcasm (or happen to be a chiropractor), please don’t read this