Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[kinboshi]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

[Claw75]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

[pokerfan]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if many of the minions just assumed, so many people are utterly stupid.

I was more specifically thinking about any UK military person/MEDC person with half an iota of brain power and interest in 'science'.


So I take a stick, and I click onto it a magic the gathering card, now IM A BOMB FINDER.


tbf, Bush was president, so I don't know why i'm surprised by anything.

You can't fool Bush....

[kinboshi]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

I didn't mention chiropractic or homoeopathy, but I've just addressed that now

[tikay]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

I didn't mention chiropractic or homoeopathy, but I've just addressed that now

Or speed limits...

[Geo the Sarge]

Obviously he's a git, but.....


I don't get how it got this far. You'd think one person in any nations military outfit might just question what they are and how they work, and when told the wishy washy utter shit that was used to describe it's effectiveness that it was pretty obvious. They are supposed to be vaguely in the know about war and shiz. I just don't get it.

That was my first thought, but then I saw on the news that people in Iraq have been done for taking backhanders and it all makes sense. At each stage of the chain, the person buying them/approving the purchase knew/suspected they were bullshit but corruption is so endemic out there that they didn't really give a shit. Of course, they then can't not use them as so much money has been spent on them so the charade continues to the end.

And there you have it.

+1

A lot of our politicians aren't much better to be honest. Too often our own forces have been issued with inferior equipment than is readily available due to some minister or other involved in procurements has a vested interest.

While the equipment in these cases may work, quite often the better "deal" is in the procurement of a lesser product.

Geo

[kinboshi]

Obviously he's a git, but.....


I don't get how it got this far. You'd think one person in any nations military outfit might just question what they are and how they work, and when told the wishy washy utter shit that was used to describe it's effectiveness that it was pretty obvious. They are supposed to be vaguely in the know about war and shiz. I just don't get it.

That was my first thought, but then I saw on the news that people in Iraq have been done for taking backhanders and it all makes sense. At each stage of the chain, the person buying them/approving the purchase knew/suspected they were bullshit but corruption is so endemic out there that they didn't really give a shit. Of course, they then can't not use them as so much money has been spent on them so the charade continues to the end.

And there you have it.

+1

A lot of our politicians aren't much better to be honest. Too often our own forces have been issued with inferior equipment than is readily available due to some minister or other involved in procurements has a vested interest.

While the equipment in these cases may work, quite often the better "deal" is in the procurement of a lesser product.

Geo

It's disgusting really.  They know they aren't on the front line, and they must view the soldiers as 'expendable'.  The problem with wars, they're usually not fought by those that start them.

[Laxie]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

I didn't mention chiropractic or homoeopathy, but I've just addressed that now

Or speed limits...

Or religion...

[Machka]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

I didn't mention chiropractic or homoeopathy, but I've just addressed that now

Or speed limits...

Or religion...

Or bomb detecting dowsing rods. 

$40,000 each.

"I'll take $85,000,000 worth", said the Iraqi government’s Ministry of the Interior.

http://www.badscience.net/2009/11/wtf/

[tikay]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

I didn't mention chiropractic or homoeopathy, but I've just addressed that now

Or speed limits...

Or religion...

Or bomb detecting dowsing rods. 

$40,000 each.

"I'll take $85,000,000 worth", said the Iraqi government’s Ministry of the Interior.

http://www.badscience.net/2009/11/wtf/

Ha, excellent find, Aaron.

Do keep the tone up, they are discussing "totty" next door. So coarse, so common, that Tom.

[Doobs]

Very similar to the way AIDS was tackled in South Africa, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. People peddling snake-oil for money and they couldn't give a shit about who it harms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_denialism

People will believe anything it seems.  There's this bloke in Italy called the 'Pope'...

Look at Andrew Wakefield and the MMR link to autism.  Despite the fact he's been completely discredited and his 'studies' have shown to be shams and there is no link between MMR and autism, many still think there must be 'something' valid in what he said.  There are still parents who don't vaccinate their children against these fatal and preventable diseases.

Brilliant - 39523 posts over a number of years succinctly morphed into a few short paragraphs

I didn't mention chiropractic or homoeopathy, but I've just addressed that now

Or speed limits...

Or religion...

Or bomb detecting dowsing rods. 

$40,000 each.

"I'll take $85,000,000 worth", said the Iraqi government’s Ministry of the Interior.

http://www.badscience.net/2009/11/wtf/

I remember watching a story about this on Newsnight a few years ago.  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8471187.stm

which lead to this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8475875.stm

"Tests have shown that the technology used in the ADE651 and similar devices is not suitable for bomb detection. As non-military technology it does not need an export licence, and we would not normally need to monitor its sale and use abroad.

However, it is clearly of concern that it is being used as bomb detection equipment. As soon as it was brought to the attention of the Export Control Organisation and Lord Mandelson we acted urgently to put in place export restrictions which will come into force next week.

We will be making an order, under the Export Control Act 2002, banning the export of this type of device to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The reason the ban is limited to these two countries is that our legal power to control these goods is based on the risk that they could cause harm to UK and other friendly forces.

The British Embassy Baghdad has raised our concerns about the ADE651 with the Iraqi authorities.

We have offered cooperation with any investigation they may wish to make into the how the device came to be bought for their military as bomb detection equipment."

Despite the above, they seem to be still using them in Iraq today.  That really is wtf?

Love Ben Goldacre

[tikay]

Good grief.

[Machka]

My post reminds me of two more books I recommend you add to your list and read at the earliest opportunity.

Both by Ben Goldacre.

Bad Science - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X/?tag=bs0b-21

Bad Pharma - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007350740/ref=nosim?tag=bs0b-21

[kinboshi]

Bad Science is a brilliant book.  Ben Goldacre is also very good live, the Uncaged Monkeys tour was fantastic, a nerdgasm.

[Machka]

Bad Science is a brilliant book.  Ben Goldacre is also very good live, the Uncaged Monkeys tour was fantastic, a nerdgasm.

I sat and watched the Parliament Live Webstream last night for 30 minutes (A phrase I never thought I'd say!) where Ben Goldacre pretty much schooled two representatives from the multi-billion pound companies GlaxoSmithKline and Roche.

From about 19:08 onwards.

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13017