<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:00:43 GMT--><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Journal of Skepticism</title><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/</link><description></description><lastBuildDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:31:59 +0000</lastBuildDate><copyright></copyright><language>en-AU</language><generator>Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)</generator><item><title>Darwin Day 2012 at Perth Zoo</title><category>Atheism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:28:40 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/darwin-day-2012-at-perth-zoo.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14997185</guid><description><![CDATA[<p><span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/170px-1878_Darwin_photo_by_Leonard_from_Woodall_1884_-_cropped_grayed_partially_cleaned.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1329056000237" alt="" /></span></span>Yesterday marked the 203rd Birthday of Charles Darwin, and it was 152 years, 2 months, 19 days ago on&nbsp;24 November 1859&nbsp;that Darwin first published his ground breaking work titled: <em>On the Origin of Species</em> which gave us the theory of evolution by natural selection. The book was written with a laymen audience in mind so that the general public could understand the significance of Darwin's findings, and to this day Darwin's theory still stands as scientific fact.</p>
<p>To celebrate the Birthday of Charles Darwin <a href="http://www.perthatheists.org">Perth Atheists</a> held a picnic in Perth Zoo.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Charles Darwin was also a member of the Glutton Club which would meet once a week for the purpose of eating animals not normally found on menus. <span>During the voyage of the&nbsp;</span><span>Beagle</span><span>, he ate many of the animals that he discovered. Including the &nbsp;L<span>esser Rhea which he ate by mistake thinking it was the more common (and already documented) Greater Rhea. Realising that he had just eaten one of the specimeins he was currently searching for Darwin gathered up what was left of the Lesser Rhea and sent it back to London to be studied and now <span>Rhea Darwinii</span><span>&nbsp;is named after him.</span>.&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p><span class="full-image-float-right ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/Meerkat.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1329116971632" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 200px;">Great for Soup</span></span>Unfortunately we were not allowed to eat any of the animals at Perth Zoo, not even the Meerkats which look like they would go well with soup. So instead of eating the Zoo's animal collection we held talks on the topic of Biology and Evolution. Our speakers were <span>Rachael Richards, high school biology teacher who has seen creationism taught in high schools in WA. Mike Bamford, zoologist / ecologist / ornithologist / herpetologist and David Frank; head of <a href="http://www.perthatheists.org">Perth Atheists</a> as MC for the event.</span></p>
<p><span><span>After the main event David and Mike had a brief discussion about the possibility of eating a Gal&aacute;pagos Tortoise and other animals not commonly found on Australian menus.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R8K7OygU6fA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></span></p>
<p><span><span>So Happy Darwin Day 2012, go and eat an endangered species to celebrate.</span></span></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14997185.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Google owes you nothing; get over it.</title><category>Privacy</category><category>The Panopticon</category><category>technology</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:28:51 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/google-owes-you-nothing-get-over-it.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14800452</guid><description><![CDATA[<p><strong>Pseudonyms on Social Networks</strong></p>
<p>Today it seems that bitching about Google is a fashionable trend. Last year we had the so called '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymwars">Nym Wars</a>' where people complained about having to use their real name instead of a pseudonym on <a href="http://plus.google.com">Google Plus</a> a new social networking site operated by Google.</p>
<p>Given that Google Plus is a social networking site the idea of being anonymous is an oxymoron because a name does not equal an identity. Names alone mean nothing, it is the information attached to that name that make up the identity. A pseudonym offers no privacy in the context of a social network because if you're going to maintain a friends list and communicate with people on that list in a forum that allows other to observe your discussion, then you're are very quickly building a profile of yourself for the world to see. Combine that profile with photographs and information shared by your friends and suddenly any privacy you thought your pseudonym offered is gone; and it's not coming back.</p>
<p><strong>Keeping your eggs in one basket.</strong></p>
<p>When Google began to suspend users for non-compliance of their real names policy some users found themselves locked out of not only Google Plus but also Gmail, Calendar etc, because Google links accounts across it's multiple services. Therefore if you get banned from one service, you get banned from all services. I don't know if Google has a means in place to only terminate individual services linked to an account rather than ban the whole account, but I hope users would learn a lesson from this.</p>
<p>It's never a good idea to put all or even a significant amount of data into any one company. I know plenty of people who use Google services for everything Documents, Email, Calendar, Address Book, it's insane how much data people are trusting to Google. Not because Google are bad (they aren't) but because Google is a single entity. If you find yourself cut-off for any reason then you're screwed. Especially if you use a&nbsp;Gmail address in which case you lose your email address aswell. (This is why I use my own domains)</p>
<p><strong>You can opt-out.</strong></p>
<p>Google has just announced that it will begin sharing user data amongst the multiple services that it offers.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Google announced on Monday that it would be enacting a new privacy policy that, when customers agree to it, will allow the company to collect and store information across all of its services. Not only that, but Google will share information gathered across those services in order to "maintain, protect and improve" the services, but also to target search results and ads for each user. There is no way to opt out of the information-sharing aside from deleting your entire account and saying goodbye to your Gmail, YouTube videos, and Calendar, among other things.</p>
<p>....</p>
<p><span>Privacy groups such as Common Sense Media are concerned about users' inability to opt out of the information collection and sharing. "Even if the company believes that tracking users across all platforms improves their services, consumers should still have the option to opt out,"&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><strong>-<a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/pascals-wager-googles-new-privacy-policy-could-anger-ftc.ars">ArsTechnica</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is just common sense, Google are going to collaborate their records to make statistical analysis more efficient. This is for data that Google already collects from their own users, people who choose to use their service. The concern is that users "Can't opt-out" which is not true. Users have to option of not using Google services. I should point out that most of Google's services are provided for free, and no one is "required" to use them.</p>
<p>Google is a private company offering services to the public; they don't owe the world. If you don't like the terms of service them your opt-out is to simply not opt-in by putting all your information into Google. I'm a Google user myself but there is some information I choose not to put into Google, while other information I am happy for them to have.</p>
<p>You have a way to opt-out of Google, by not using their (free) services if you don't like the terms that come as part of the deal. You will only become Google's bitch if you let it happen. The same applies to Facebook and Twitter. Take control of your data and realise that <strong>Google don't owe you anything</strong>.</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14800452.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Justice for Wakefield</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:44:30 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/justice-for-wakefield.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14736864</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>The modern anti-vaccination movement began when a paper written by Dr Andrew Wakefield was published in the Lancet medical journal in 1998. The now infamous paper suggested a link between the Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccine and the development of Autism in children.</p>
<p>However over the following years researchers were unable to reproduce Wakefield's results to confirm this hypothesis. However despite this Wakefield paper caused panic amongst parents leading many of them to abandon vaccination all together, and so the modern Anti-vaccination movement was born.</p>
<p>Wakefield's paper was later retracted from the journal after extensive research by the scientific community concluded that it was '<span style="text-decoration: underline;">bogus</span>'; for lack of a better word.</p>
<div class="articleBody">
<blockquote>
<div id="_mcePaste">A prominent British medical journal on Tuesday retracted a 1998 research paper that set off a sharp decline in vaccinations in Britainafter the paper&rsquo;s lead author suggested that vaccines could causeautism.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div>
<div id="_mcePaste">The retraction by The Lancet is part of a reassessment that has lasted for years of the scientific methods and financial conflicts of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who contended that his research showed that the combinedmeasles, mumps and rubella vaccine may be unsafe.</div>
<div class="articleBody"><strong>-<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/health/research/03lancet.html">The New York Times</a></strong></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">Unfortunately by this time allot of the damage has already been done and we now have Die Hard Anti-vaccine fanatics the <a href="http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Media-Releases/PUBLIC-WARNING-/default.aspx">Australian Vaccination Network</a> who continue to cite Wakefield's discredited paper to scare parents into not vaccinating their children.&nbsp;</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">Dr Wakefield was struck of the UK medical register for his misconduct.</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">
<blockquote>
<div class="articleBody">A U.K. medical regulator revoked the license of the doctor who first suggested a link between vaccines and autism and spurred a long-running, heated debate over the safety of vaccines.</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">Ending a nearly three-year hearing, Britain's General Medical Council found Andrew Wakefield guilty of "serious professional misconduct" in the way he carried out his research in the late 1990s. The council struck his name from the U.K.'s medical register.</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">.....</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">A 2004 statistical review of existing epidemiological studies by the Institute of Medicine, a respected nonprofit organization in the U.S., concluded that there was no causal link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Some autism activist groups, however, continue to advocate against vaccinations for children, despite the lack of scientific evidence for such a link. <strong>-<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704113504575263994195318772.html">The Wall Street Journal</a></strong></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">and the trouble for No-longer-a-doctor Andrew Wakefield continues thanks to journalist Brian Deer who has further exposed Wakefield as a fraud.</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">
<blockquote>
<div class="articleBody">THE doctor who sparked the scare over the safety of the MMR vaccine for children changed and misreported results in his research, creating the appearance of a possible link with autism, a Sunday Times investigation has found.</div>
<div class="articleBody">Confidential medical documents and interviews with witnesses have established that Andrew Wakefield manipulated patients' data, which triggered fears that the MMR triple vaccine to protect against measles, mumps and rubella was linked to the condition.</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">.....</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">However, our investigation, confirmed by evidence presented to the General Medical Council (GMC), reveals that: In most of the 12 cases, the children's ailments as described in The Lancet were different from their hospital and GP records. Although the research paper claimed that problems came on within days of the jab, in only one case did medical records suggest this was true, and in many of the cases medical concerns had been raised before the children were vaccinated. Hospital pathologists, looking for inflammatory bowel disease, reported in the majority of cases that the gut was normal. This was then reviewed and the Lancet paper showed them as abnormal. <strong>-<a href="http://briandeer.com/solved/st-fixed-data.htm">Brian Deer</a></strong></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody">However the Die Hard Anti-vaccine fanatics are still backing Wakefield even after his research has been shown to be a fraud. <a href="http://nocompulsoryvaccination.com/2012/01/26/can-we-see-justice-at-last-for-wakefield-and-walker-smith/" rel="nofollow">Meryl Dorey</a>&nbsp;certainly still supports him and she's as fanatical anti-vaccine as you can get.</div>
<div class="articleBody"></div>
<div class="articleBody"><strong>So I support calls for justice when Wakefield is concerned. That of course means a long prison sentence for this fraud who gave birth to the modern anti-vaccination movement.</strong></div>
</div>
<div class="runaroundLeft articleInline">
<div class="doubleRule columnGroup"></div>
</div>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14736864.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Punished for paying; why piracy is the rational choice.</title><category>Filesharing</category><category>technology</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:09:58 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/punished-for-paying-why-piracy-is-the-rational-choice.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14578319</guid><description><![CDATA[<p><span class="full-image-float-right ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/dvdsamples2.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1326555269740" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 200px;">Some of my DVDs</span></span></p>
<p>I like movies and TV shows, especially if it's comedy. Even more so if it's British comedy. As a result I have four draws like this (picture right) full of DVDs. However despite the fact that I buy DVDs I am a strong advocate of digital piracy and strongly support the views of the <a href="http://www.pirateparty.org.au/">Pirate Party of Australia</a> especially the decriminalisation of non-commercial copyright infringement. But I'm happy to pay for quality content even if paying is technically optional.</p>
<p>So on a recent trip to the UK I brought some DVDs an amongst the DVDs I purchased was Series 1, 2 and 3 of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners">The Inbetweeners</a> a show I would never have known about had I not previously downloaded and watched it from The Pirate Bay.</p>
<p>Content piracy lead me to discovering the show and eventually purchasing it; presumably this should be a good thing.... Right?</p>
<p>Well not quite. It wasn't long after arriving back in Australia that I decided to play a disc from the set.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/diskregion2.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1326556956809" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 500px;">This bullshit doesn't happen on pirated content.</span></span></p>
<p>I know should have seen it coming, the disk is designed not to play in Australia I can still watch it on my PC, however I can do that with the pirated version anyway. In fact since the store purchased copy can't be run from my DVD played this means that the pirated copy is actually more versatile than the copy I paid for. I thought paying for content was the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">right</span> thing to do yet consumers get punished for doing just that.</p>
<p>This isn't the first time I've run into bullshit on DVDs. There is a myriad of other bullshit that you need to put up with from DVDs, Clips and presentations that you can't skip, menus that are slow to load and/or confusing, Scenes from you movie you're about to watch, anti-piracy propaganda and commercials and region coding.</p>
<p>With a pirate copy you don't have to put up with any of those problems. Just open the file once it's finished downloading. In fact allot of DVD players today allow you to plug a USB drive into them and play the video file direct from the drive. No formatting to DVD required. So I have to ask..... <strong>What's the point in paying for content when you are subjected to this sort of bullshit?</strong> It makes far more sense to just download the movies and tv shows. <strong>The pirated product is not only cheaper but works better too.</strong></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14578319.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>The Australian Vaccination Network is being brought to it's knees.</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:35:02 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/the-australian-vaccination-network-is-being-brought-to-its-k.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14531978</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>There was a time when Mery Dorey of the deceptively named "Australian Vaccination Network" would be called upon as a medical expert on vaccination. When the media used to treat her as a credible source for information on vaccines. Before the Health Care Complaints Commission issued it's <a href="http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Media-Releases/PUBLIC-WARNING-/default.aspx">public warning</a> against her.</p>
<p>Since then things have been going downhill rapidly for Dorey and her organisation, very rapidly. Only a few months later the Australian Vaccination Network had it's charitable <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anti-vaccination-group-stripped-of-status/story-e6frf7ko-1225938818276">status revoked</a> preventing Dorey from engaging in fundraising activities.</p>
<p>The loss of charity status appears to be taking its toll. 'Reasonable Hank' from Stop the AVN has pointed out the difficulty Dorey is having delivering her magazine; to the point where she is attempting to <a href="http://reasonablehank.com/2012/01/09/the-avn-and-their-sometimes-magazine-redefining-the-language/">redefine the meaning</a> of the word subscription in a desperate attempt to justify failure to fill her orders. Of course this doesn't stop Dorey from selling the subscriptions even if there is no magazine to ship.</p>
<p>Meryl Dorey sent out a newsletter on Monday confirming what many of us have already suspected and hoped for; the Australian Vaccination Network is indeed being brought to it's knees by the skeptical community, health authorities, media and medical professionals.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">It is necessary, once again, to ask you to read about another ignorant and vicious allegation by Stop the AVN (SAVN) and the Australian Skeptics. Without any cause whatsoever, both myself and the AVN National Committee are being accused of fraud because our magazine, Living Wisdom, is late.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">You would know - and I have been quite open about this - that Living Wisdom magazine is very delayed in its publication. And there is good reason for this. Here are just some of the jobs that are necessary, day-to-day for the AVN to continue operating: <br /></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>answering all phone calls; </strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>entering all orders;</strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>keeping the accounting      programme up to date and reconciling all accounts; </strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>sending out all orders;</strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>writing the blog;</strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>maintaining the Facebook      and Twitter sites; </strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>producing this      e-newsletter; </strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>moderating and      contributing to the email discussion group;</strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>organising regular      seminars (arranging venues, accommodation, transport, slides, advertising,      etc.);</strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>preparing webinars; and </strong></li>
<li style="color: red;"><strong>assisting an      ever-increasing number of people who are in legal strife because of their      vaccination decisions (more about this a bit later on) </strong></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color: #666666;">Previously, we had 5 people in our office to perform these jobs - a graphic designer, a bookkeeper/office manager, her assistant, an advertising salesperson plus me. Now, there is just one person to keep it all under control - me. When it comes to the day-to-day work of the AVN, there is nobody else besides me to do the job (though our committee does an incredible amount to support me and other AVN members, the tranny of distance means they cannot be working here on the spot). <strong>-Meryl Dorey</strong></span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>So while Meryl Dorey insists that SAVN are not scoring any victories the truth is that the Australian Vaccination Network is battered and broken. Dorey has lost her hold on the media, lost all her staff and is struggling to keep the organisation together.</strong> All thanks to a dedicated group of individuals called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/stopavn">Stop the AVN</a> who are dedicated to holding Meryl Dorey and the Australian Vaccination Network accountable for the dangerous misinformation that they spread. As for the slow but certain demise of the Australian Vaccination Network, I'll drink this scotch to celebrate. <span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/20120111_221537.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1326292111798" alt="" /></span></span><br /></span></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14531978.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Stephanie Messenger makes me sick.</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:09:56 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/stephanie-messenger-makes-me-sick.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14303178</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>One of the downsides of following issues of science denialism is that you often have to encounter the very worst of our society. There are allot of unpleasant characters out there who take advantage of people either for some quick cash or to back an ideology.</p>
<p>Stephanie Messenger is one such individual. She has written a book titled Melanie's Marvellous Measles where she glorifies childhood disease. To make matters worse the book is intended for children, to tell them that disease is a good thing.<span class="full-image-float-right ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/cover-front-NEW.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1324724009015" alt="" width="174" height="246" /></span></span></p>
<blockquote>
<p>This book takes children   		aged 4 - 10 years on a journey of discovering about the ineffectiveness   		of vaccinations, while teaching them to embrace childhood disease, heal   		if they get a disease, and build their immune systems naturally. <strong>-<a href="http://naturematters.info/">Book Description</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Meanwhile the World Health Organisation has this to say about Measles:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><span>Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a  virus. In 1980, before widespread vaccination, measles caused an  estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.</span></p>
<p><span>It remains one of the leading causes of death among young  children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective  vaccine. An estimated 164 000 people died from measles in 2008 &ndash; mostly  children under the age of five. <strong>-<a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/">World Health Organisation</a></strong><br /></span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><span>Yet, people like Stephanie Messenger openly advocate Measles for children. Messenger is not a doctor, knows nothing of medicine and yet she tells children that disease is good for them. Contrary to the overwhelming consensus of the medical community.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Stephanie Messenger is an inhumane child disease advocate. It is sickening that people like her exist, but unfortunately they do and those of us who see these people with their true colours have a moral obligation to shine the spotlight on them.</strong><br /></span></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14303178.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Meryl Dorey and the AVN are anti-vaccination.</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:45:25 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/meryl-dorey-and-the-avn-are-anti-vaccination.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14229712</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>Meryl Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network has hit back at her critics by claiming not to be anti-vaccination. However we (her critics) have allot of evidence to support the position that she and her appalling organisation are indeed "anti-"vaccination.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anti">Anti</a></p>
<p>a person who is opposed to a particular practice, party, policy, action.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mery Dorey and the AVN are absolutely opposed to vaccination and it doesn't take allot of effort to expose her for this. In fact not only is Dorey a liar but she is also an incompetent liar and so her lies are easily exposed for what they are. This is her latest claim about not being 'anti-vaccine'.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I understand why it is so important for a certain segment of the  community to use that term. To call someone &lsquo;anti&rsquo; anything  automatically paints a picture in people&rsquo;s minds of something negative.  &lsquo;Anti&rsquo; is a prefix with bad connotations and labelling the AVN as  anti-vaccine will mean that some people will form an opinion of this  group based solely on that incorrect moniker. It&rsquo;s a calculated tactic  by those who oppose our rights to choose &ndash; but it is not accurate and  using that term is immoral if it doesn&rsquo;t accurately describe us &ndash;  especially after we have said so many times that we are not  anti-vaccine. <strong>-<a href="http://avn.org.au/nocompulsoryvaccination/?p=1254">Mery Dorey</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>However on the 4th of February 2010 Dorey clearly stated on Facebook that she was Anti-Vaccination. We even have a screenshot for this:</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-dorey-antivax.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1324576106921" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>So Dorey claims not to be 'anti-vaccine' but asserts that she would <strong>never </strong>take another vaccine ever. Just to help clarify Meryl's position a little further the AVN currently sell t-shirts with the statement "Love them protect them never inject them." and yes there is a screenshot:</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-3347-love-them-protect-them-never-inject-them-shirt.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1324576725889" alt="" width="498" height="309" /></span></span></p>
<p>However Meryl is silly enough to still have this item on sale in the AVNs <a href="http://shop.avn.org.au/products/Love-them-%28text-only%29-T%252dShirt.html">online shop</a>. Seriously if you're going to make a bullshit claim at least remove contradictory evidence from your own website.</p>
<p>Mery Dorey has also likened vaccination to "<a href="http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/vaccination-is-the-equivalent-of-child-rape.html">Child Rape</a>".</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 554px;" src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/vax-rape.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1324575024961" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>In Meryl's fantasy world Vaccination = Rape therefore if you support vaccination, you also support child rape. This is a disgusting assertion to make, and exposes the vileness to Meryl Doreys anti-vaccination ideology. Of course most people are overwhelmingly opposed to child rape, but that has no relation to vaccination; unless you're Meryl Dorey.</p>
<p>The New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission had a few words to say about Meryl and her organisation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>by the Health Care Complaints Commission under section 94A of  the Health Care Complaints Act 1993</strong></p>
<p>The Health Care Complaints Commission has investigated two complaints   about the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), a non-profit   organisation registered in New South Wales that provides information   about vaccination. The complaints alleged that the AVN provides   incorrect and misleading information about vaccination.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Commission&rsquo;s investigation of the complaints focussed on the  material presented by the AVN on its website <a href="http://www.avn.org.au/">www.avn.org.au</a>.</p>
<p>The Commission&rsquo;s investigation established that the AVN website:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>provides information that is solely anti-vaccination </li>
<li>contains information that is incorrect and misleading </li>
<li>quotes selectively from research to suggest that vaccination  may be dangerous.</li>
</ul>
<p>On this basis, the Commission recommended to the AVN that it should   include a statement in a prominent position on its website to the   following effect:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>The AVN&rsquo;s purpose is to provide information against vaccination, in   order to balance what it believes is the substantial amount of   pro-vaccination information available elsewhere. </li>
<li>The information provided by the AVN should not be read as  medical advice. </li>
<li>The decision about whether or not to vaccinate should be made  in consultation with a health care provider.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Commission recognises that it is important for there to be debate   on the issue of vaccination. However, the AVN provides information  that  is inaccurate and misleading.</p>
<p><strong>The AVN&rsquo;s failure to include a notice on its website of the   nature recommended by the Commission may result in members of the public   making improperly informed decisions about whether or not to  vaccinate,  and therefore poses a risk to public health and safety. </strong></p>
<p><strong>-<a href="http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Media-Releases/PUBLIC-WARNING-/default.aspx">Health Care Complains Commission; NSW</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>So did the Office of Liqueur, Gaming and Racing. Who later <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anti-vaccination-group-stripped-of-status/story-e6frf7ko-1225938818276">revoked the AVN's charitable status</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The organisation's website is misleading in that it may lead  people  making donations to believe they are donating to a cause  which promotes  vaccination, whereas the organisation adopts an  anti-vaccination  position. <strong>-NSW Office of Liqueur, Gaming and Racing</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>We also have this truly fantastic quote from Dorey on Yahoo groups a few years ago:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There will come a time &ndash; I pray to God that it will happen in my   lifetime &ndash; when those who have pushed vaccines upon innocent, helpless   babies &ndash; doctors, pharmaceutical companies, government officials &ndash; will   be proven to have lied and cheated these instruments of death into our   children&rsquo;s bloodstream. When that occurs, the outcry will be heard   around the world and there will not be enough hiding places on the globe   for these murderers to hide or enough money to pay for compensation.  Of  course, it will be too late for the babies, like this poor child, to  be  saved. But we will be able to take satisfaction from the fact that   never again will anyone have to be pushed to poison their child because   for once and for all, it will be known as poison and we will all  wonder  how it was we fell for the vaccine lie for as long as we did. <strong>-Meryl Dorey,</strong> <strong>AVN Yahoo! Group, Tue 16 December 2008 9:08 pm Message #36449</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Meryl Dorey and the Australian Vaccination Network are strongly opposed to vaccination in any way shape or form and it seems unlikely that this ideology will ever change. Meryl continues to place half baked ideology ahead of science and reason. No matter how many times she is exposed (often due to her own stupidity) as a liar she is likely to continue repeating the same lies and her critics will continue to hold her accountable.</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14229712.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Meryl Dorey and Woodford Folk Festival</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:30:45 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/meryl-dorey-and-woodford-folk-festival.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14103795</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>Ok, I've been slow to get around to this but Meryl Dorey of the <a href="http://www.danbuzzard.net/anti-vax">Australian Vaccination Network</a> is set to speak at the <a href="http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/">Woodford Folk Festival</a>. Somehow Meryl has gotten the idea that skeptics are going to write to the organisers to ask that she be removed as a speaker. So she's asking her supporters for help to ensure that she will get the chance to spread her dangerous lies and misinformation.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Of course, Stop the AVN (SAVN) and their minions are once again trying  to&nbsp;censor this side of the issue. Through one of their main spokespeople  &ndash; a&nbsp;prominent character with both the Australian Skeptics and SAVN,  they&nbsp;have started a campaign on the internet via blogs, their Facebook  page and&nbsp;emails to the Woodford management and their sponsors.</p>
<p>....</p>
<p>We urgently need anyone who believes in freedom of speech and  communication (no matter what your opinion is about the benefits and  risks of vaccination) to send letters to the organisers and the&nbsp;sponsors  to let them know that there is a real need in the community  for&nbsp;information on the other side of the vaccination issue. <strong>-Meryl Dorey</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course her paranoia isn't unfounded because that's exactly want we're doing.<strong> Here's the email that I sent</strong>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Dear Woodford Folk Festival.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I write to you to express concern about your decision to include Meryl Dorey of The Australian Vaccination Network as a speaker at this year's festival. While Mrs Dorey bills herself an a 'expert' on vaccination the reality is in fact far different. Last year the Health Care Complaints Commission conducted an investigation into the information that Ms Dorey and the Australian Vaccination Network provided to the public and concluded: <a href="http://skep.li/HCCC-Report">http://skep.li/HCCC-Report</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>"the Australian Vaccination Network's purpose is to provide information against vaccination in order to balance what it believes is the substantial amount of pro-vaccination information available elsewhere;<br /> the information should not be read as medical advice and;<br /> the decision about whether or not to vaccinate should be made in consultation with a health care provider."</em></p>
<p><em>&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>The HCCC also issued a public warning about Ms Doreys organisation: <a href="http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Media-Releases/PUBLIC-WARNING-/default.aspx">http://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/Publications/Media-Releases/PUBLIC-WARNING-/default.aspx</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Australian Vaccination Network was later stripped of it charity status for failing to act in good faith: <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anti-vaccination-group-stripped-of-status/story-e6frf7ko-1225938818276">http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/anti-vaccination-group-stripped-of-status/story-e6frf7ko-1225938818276</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Mrs Dorey is not an expert on vaccination or any other area of medicine and spreads discredited information in order to push a medical ideology that is not supported by science or any credible medical association. The misleading and false information provided Mrs Dorey has the potential to do serious harm to the community.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I implore you to reconsider Meryl Doreys inclusion on your list of speakers.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Kind Regards,</p>
<p>Dan Buzzard,</p>
<p>Concerned Citizen</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course I BCC'ed the email to Meryl so she has the right of reply.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-woodfordff-meryl.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323858311070" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14103795.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Homeopathy killed Steve Jobs</title><category>Homeopathy</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:00:45 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/homeopathy-killed-steve-jobs.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:14081335</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>The late Steve Jobs was yet another victim of the great medical scam that is <a href="http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/james-randi-on-homeopathy.html">Homeopathy</a>. I am left wondering how many more lives must be lost due to this scam. Steve Jobs died of Pancreatic Cancer in October this year after delaying vital surgery in favor of Homeopathy.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>ALTERNATIVE medicine is unethical,  criminal and likely contributed to the death of Apple boss Steve Jobs,  visiting professor Edzard Ernst says. </strong></p>
<p>The world's first professor of complementary medicine was in  Adelaide yesterday to speak at the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science  Association conference at UniSA.</p>
<p>Famous for causing an uproar  when, in July, he labelled Prince Charles a "snake oil salesman" for his  dandelion and detox remedy, Professor Ernst yesterday spoke of the  dangers of unproven complementary medicine.</p>
<p>"They mislead people  to the point of being quite dangerous,&nbsp;all of this is idiotic rubbish,"  he said, calling for more rigorous testing of claims. <strong>-<a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/quackery-likely-in-jobs-death-expert/story-e6frg12c-1226220539673">Perth Now</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Homeopathy is not supported by empirical evidence, yet it's proponents continue to promote and sell it in order to turn a profit. Homeopathy is not medicine and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">should never be used</span> to treat cancer or any other ailment. If you watch just one news segment this year make it this one:</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3bYAgR71NBY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-14081335.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Classroom Socialism</title><category>Politics</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:16:06 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/classroom-socialism.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:13957484</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>I agree with this.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>An economics teacher at a local school made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Gillard/Brown&nbsp; socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. <br /><br />The teacher then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on the Gillard/Brown plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).<br /><br />After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. <br /><br />The second test average was a D! No one was happy. <br /><br />When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. <br /><br />As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. <br /><br />To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the teacher told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. <br />It could not be any simpler than that.<br />&nbsp;<br />Remember, there IS a test coming up. The next election.<br />&nbsp;<br />These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:<br /><br />1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.<br /><br />2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.<br /><br />3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.<br /><br />4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!<br /><br />5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. <strong>-Received via forwarded email, original source unknown.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>I didn't write this but I found it interesting and wanted to share it. Particularly with the current socialist movements that seem to be making allot of noise these days with calls for 'Wealth Equality'.</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-13957484.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>The Burzynski swindle changes tact.</title><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:02:39 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/the-burzynski-swindle-changes-tact.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:13943956</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>It appears the <a href="http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/11/the-false-hope-of-the-burzynski-clinic.html">Burzynski Clinic</a> has dropped Marc Stephens as their hired goon because he evidently sucked at playing lawyer. Now they are hiring a "Law Firm" called Dozier Internet Law although considering they had their marketing person misrepresent themselves as a lawyer it's hard to tell just how legitimate Dozier Internet Law really is.</p>
<p>This is what they write on their blog:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Attack bloggers" need to be reined in. We are having pretty good  success dealing with these types without having to file lawsuits all the  time, but when it comes to push, we usually will pull the trigger and  sue the "attack blogger". It's not free speech to create outrageous lies  and propagate them all over the web. So, if you get a communication  from us, be it a letter, a copy of a lawsuit, or a telephone call,  consider the consequences that are about to ensue.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>So, when you get a communication from us, understand the consequences.  These lawsuits will show up on the front page of Google results under  your name. SEO is not the sole province of bloggers, by the way. While  your lawyers, particularly those involved with the public interest  groups, use your case to gain attention and raise contributions, your  reputation is being ruined forever. Your reputation as an employee, your  reputation as a college applicant, your reputation as a job applicant,  your reputation as a private person, your reputation as a husband, and  your reputation as a father or mother. Maybe you won't be confronted  with it, but the impact will likely be profound, from prospective  employers passing your resume by to parents avoiding you at school  functions. It will happen. <strong>-<a href="http://johndozierjr.typepad.com/dozierinternetlaw/2008/04/dozier-intern-5.html">Dozier Internet Law</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>I think there could be more to this threat than just legal proceeding. Rhys Morgan who was recently threatened by the Burzynski Clinic had google street view photos of his house emailed to him, this was intended not as a legal threat but as a general threat of "We know where you live". Legitimate Lawyers don't care where you live, but hired thugs who wish to operate outside of the law do.</p>
<p>Now Burzynski has teamed up with Dozier Internet Law who are threatening to ruin their victims reputation as Employees, College Applicant, Job Applicant, Private Person, Spouse, Father or Mother. I have to ask 'How does being sued for libel ruin a college application?' (being sued isn't a crime) unless of course you have people like Burzynski who threaten to call your school as they did to Rhys Morgan, or threaten to interfere with your family as they suggested to Andy Lewis.</p>
<p><strong>Perhaps I'm reading to far into this but if the Burzynski Clinic is willing to threaten a 17 year old blogger (Rhys Morgan) outside of the legal process by sending him photos of his house and threatening to call his school then I don't think it is to far fetched to envision these crooks harassing employers, family members and other people connected to their critics.</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://rhysmorgan.co/2011/11/threats-from-the-burzynski-clinic/">Threats from The Burzynski Clinic</a> <strong>- Rhys Morgan</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/11/the-burzynski-clinic-threatens-my-family.html">The Burzynski Clinic Threatens My Family</a> <strong>- Andy Lewis</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/burzstatement.jpg">Press Release November 2011</a> - <strong>Burzynski Clinic</strong></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-13943956.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Dr Stanislaw Burzynski's cancer scam.</title><category>Free-Speech</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:03:40 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/dr-stanislaw-burzynskis-cancer-scam.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:13915350</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>Their are many frauds, cheats and conmen out their to make a quick buck from the suffering of others. But there are none quite so vile as those who target cancer patients. When I first learned of The Burzynski Clinic I was immediately reminded of <a href="http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/scammed-to-death-how-francine-scrayen-killed-penelope-dingle.html">Penelope Dingle</a> who was scammed into her grave by a fraud out to make a quick buck. As far as fraud goes you can't get much lower than conning terminally ill patients and their families for easy money.</p>
<p>Dr Burzynski is one of these lowest of the conmen. He sells an unproven, unscientific cancer treatment called Antineoplaston Therapy. This treatment has been criticised by scientists, doctors and skeptics alike. Dr Stanislaw Burzynski has even been on trial for <a href="http://www.ncahf.org/nl/1997/3-4.html">cancer fraud</a> in the past.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>At the moment, there is very little solid scientific evidence to show  that antineoplastons are effective at treating cancer, and virtually  all the research in this area has been carried out by Burzynski and his  team &ndash; a red flag to the scientific world (<a title="&ldquo;Cancer cured for good?&rdquo; &ndash; Gc-MAF and the miracle cure" href="http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2008/12/03/cancer-cured-for-good-gc-maf-and-the-miracle-cure/" target="_blank">as we&rsquo;ve discussed before</a>).</p>
<p>To explain, scientists are not stupid &ndash; whether they work for  independent organisations like a research charity or a pharmaceutical  company &ndash; and they can spot a bandwagon rolling towards them from a  great distance.&nbsp; Once the evidence starts to fall into place about the  potential effectiveness of a discovery, it&rsquo;s guaranteed that the  scientific community will start to pay attention and jump on.</p>
<p><strong>The fact that no other labs have managed to replicate Burzynski&rsquo;s  apparent success with antineoplastons or are interested in developing  the treatment raises questions.</strong> <strong>-<a href="http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2011/11/25/hope-or-false-hope/">Cancer Research UK</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>However Dr Burzynski won't let a little thing like lack of evidence stand in the way of some easy cash and he's not afraid to threaten people who expose his scam. Recently 17 year old blogger <a href="http://rhysmorgan.co/blog/">Rhys Morgan</a> was threatened by the Burzynski Clinics marketing department; which is apparently also the legal department.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Eventually, I decided to write a rather scathing blog about Burzynski and the treatment, <a href="http://thewelshboyo.co.uk/2011/08/the-burzynski-clinic/">which you can find here</a>.  The thought of someone being promised an effective treatment when in  fact, it&rsquo;s at best unproven disgusts me. The blog went up on August  11th, 2011. A few comments were posted but it soon disappeared into  obscurity again.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Then, out of the blue, on the 3rd of November, I received an email from a  man called <strong>Marc Stephens</strong>, claiming to represent the Burzynski Clinic.  He was threatening to sue me for libel for my previous blog about the  Burzynski Clinic. <strong>-<a href="http://rhysmorgan.co/2011/11/threats-from-the-burzynski-clinic/">Rhys Morgan</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>However Rhys isn't the only blogger to be threatened by Marc Stephens. Andy Lewis has also <a href="http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/11/the-burzynski-clinic-threatens-my-family.html">received legal threats</a> for criticising the Burzynski swindle. <strong>However legal threats are no substitute for evidence and so far all the evidence points to Dr Burzynski being a callous fraud who like many others in Alternative Medicine is happy to cheat the terminally and their families out of cold hard cash with empty promises and false hope.</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The bottom line is that Dr. Burzynski is not a miracle worker. He is not  a doctor who sees something that mainstream science has not and who  therefore has a cure for many cancers that mainstream medicine scoffs  at. He is not a bold visionary. Rather, he appears to be a man pursuing  pseudoscience. The reason that mainstream scientific medicine has not  accepted the existence of antineoplastons or their efficacy against  cancer is because there is no credible evidence to support this thrapy  and no one other than Dr. Burzynski has been able to replicate his  results. <strong>-<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/05/harnessing_peoples_good_to_pay_for_woo.phpRespectful Insolence">Orac; Respectful Insolence</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is one scam I'll be looking into allot further. I consider bogus cancer treatment to be amongst the most heinous of pseudo-science. Using legal threats as a means of censorship also does not sit well with me. The Burzynski Clinic has my attention.</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-13915350.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Moron Medical students boycott evolution lectures.</title><category>Atheism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:54:31 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/moron-medical-students-boycott-evolution-lectures.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:13889511</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>So apparently some Muslim medical students are boycotting lectures on evolution because conflicts with their stonage ideologies. I have to wonder why would a religious person study medicine in the first place, if anything such activities involve acting against the will of god. Creationist like to assert that their god is all powerful yet he apparently needs a helping hand from mere mortals.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Muslim students, including trainee doctors on one of Britain's leading medical courses, are walking out of lectures on evolution claiming it conflicts with creationist ideas established in the Koran.<br /><br />Professors at University College London have expressed concern over the increasing number of biology students boycotting lectures on Darwinist theory, which form an important part of the syllabus, citing their religion. <br /><br />Similar to the beliefs expressed by fundamentalist Christians, Muslim opponents to Darwinism maintain that Allah created the world, mankind and all known species in a single act. <strong>-<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066795/Muslim-students-walking-lectures-Darwinism-clashes-Koran.html">Daily Mail</a><br /></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Are these really the people that we want to become Doctors, the type of person who puts ideology before science? Religion has no place in medicine and the witch doctor needs to become a thing of the past.</p>
<p>If you want to believe God created the universe and everything in it that's fine, but you can't then take up a scientific field and complain that science doesn't agree with your opinion. If you disagree and think your religion is of any value or worth then you deserve to be kicked out of the medical course. We want <span style="text-decoration: underline;">competent</span> doctors not religious apologists.</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-13889511.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Anti-vax kook wants medical professionals dead.﻿</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:34:05 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/anti-vax-kook-wants-medical-professionals-dead.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:13794915</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>The anti-vaccination movement is full of nasty individuals, but it's not often that I find one quite so repugnant as Mark Sircus who actually advocates the lynching of Centers for Disease Control personnel. Mark Sircus writes a blog post titled "<span>String the Bastards Up</span>" where he openly states the following:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Before I go into detail about what has been clear to many of us for years I want to bring the image of the case of a monster who commits mass murder and torments children and their parents. In this case we have a group of them who deserve to be lynched and they work for the federal government at the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). <strong>-<a href="http://blog.imva.info/world-affairs/string-bastards">Mark Sircus</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course Meryl <em>"I have a brain"</em> Dorey of the Australian Vaccination Network is onboard with this one. Evidently these people are so opposed to life saving medicine that they would advocate murder, both Mark and Meryl are long past the point of reason and are now well and truly into the ideological fanatic stages of insanity.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-string.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1321795486309" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 471px;">Meryl endorces Mark Sircus</span></span></p>
<p>The anti-vaccination movement is really a cult against health and medicine. It is based solely on an ideology instead of science. Allot of people have legitimate concerns about vaccination and there's nothing wrong with them seeking more information. But the danger comes from people like Meryl Dorey and Mark Sircus who not only spread lies and misinformation based on an ideology but may also be capable of so much worse; fanatical ideology is dangerous.</p>
<p>However some people who follow the anti-vaxxers are simply misguided by the lies a deceit they are fed by the fanatics and really believe they are being fed good information. However this time some of Doreys followers may have seen the anti-vax cult for what it is.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-string2.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1321795542899" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 411px;">Loyal subjects sense a disturbance in the force.</span></span></p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-13794915.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Meryl Dorey has a new kook!</title><category>Anti-Vaccination Network</category><category>Skepticism</category><dc:creator>Dan Buzzard</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:59:18 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/meryl-dorey-has-a-new-kook.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">485894:5532353:13716769</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>It looks like that public health menace Meryl Dorey of the Australia Vaccination Network has found a new loon to worship on twitter. His name is Dr. Leo Rebello (<a href="http://twitter.com/DrLeoRebello">@DrLeoRebello</a>) and he's quite the kook. He  bills himself as a "<em>Holistic Health Guru. [sic]</em>" which lends severe  doubts about his credentials. Meryl has been retweeting some of his nutty twitter comments.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-new-kook.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1321278850999" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 529px;">Comments Meryl retweeted.</span></span></p>
<p>Of course he doesn't supply any reference for his claims; so Meryl and Leo have something in common there. I have long learned that kooks don't like evidence because it all too often conflicts with their ideologies. However Dr Rebello is even more loopy than Meryl and makes her look like Einstein by comparison. Here's some more of his wisdom.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-new-kook2.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1321278878327" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 513px;">Comments too nutty even for Meryl.</span></span></p>
<p>I especially like the "VacciNAZIS" but of course no anti-vaxxer is complete without some child rape. Well a comparison between child rape and vaccination that is. They can leave the actual rape for the Catholic Church.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.danbuzzard.net/storage/avn-new-kook3.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1321278941421" alt="" /></span><span class="thumbnail-caption" style="width: 517px;">Catholics and Anti-Vaxxers rejoice.</span></span></p>
<p>At the start of the year Meryl Dorey claimed that an Australian court had ordered the <a href="http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/vaccination-is-the-equivalent-of-child-rape.html">rape of a child</a>. "<em>Court orders rape of a child. Think this is an exaggeration? Think again. This is assault without consent and with full penetration too. [sic]</em>" In the minds of both Dr Leo Rebello and Meryl Dorey giving a child life saving medicine the the equivalent of rape. I honestly believe that some people; especially those who oppose life saving vaccination are simply beyond reason.</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.danbuzzard.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-13716769.xml</wfw:commentRss></item></channel></rss>
