Fallacious Conflation of Homeopathy and Herbalism

The British Homeopathic Association has turned to celebrity endorsement of their sugar pills. Presumably as a distraction from the lack of any real evidence that they work.

Xocai, Norwegian Bloggers and the Streisand Effect

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have debunked the health claims made by some for xocai chocolate – and had run-ins with their marketeers as a result. However, my iss ues with them pale into significance when compared to the experiences of some Norwegian bloggers:

More Measles Nonsense From Natural News

In their eagerness to disprove the necessity of vaccination as an aid to public health, the writers of Natural News seem to have gone from misunderstanding and misinterpreting statistics to plain old making stuff up.

Oh dear, Doctor Jessen!

In tonight’s Evening Standard, Dr Christian Jessen examined the claims that mobile phones cause health problems and came to the conclusion that “the only health issue firmly associated with mobile phones is an increased risk of car accidents for people who use mobiles while driving.” You just know there’s going to be a “but” though, don’t you?

A Xocai Salesman Doesn’t Seem to Like Me

Someone by the name of Adam Paul Green has taken a keen, if not obsessive interest in my blog. As will swiftly become clear, he’s a Xocai chocolate salesman.

More On La Prairie’s Pseudoscience

I was rather narked at Guardian Weekend passively accepting Rachel Simmonds’ pseudoscientific marketting claptrap at face value so I composed the following email:

La Prairie, Bad Science and Conspicuous Consumption

Since Ben Goldacre stopped writing his weekly science column for the Guardian, it seems to me that more bullshit ‘science’ is creeping in. Take this item on rip-off Britain. I refer to the section wherein one Rachel Simmonds attempts to justify La Prairie selling a skin cream for £656. For a 50ml bottle.

Vegetarianism and Thyroid Problems

At the weekend, the Scotsman on Sunday carried an article claiming that a posited increase in thyroid problems in Scotland was down to an increase in vegetarianism.

Strikers’ Demo, London 28 March 2012

There’s been a bit in the news about the teachers’ strike over pensions on Wednesday but remarkably little about the demonstration that took place in London that day. So here are some pictures taken by someone who was there:

Bad Science in “John Carter”

Before I go any further I should say I enjoyed the film – it was hokum but entertaining hokum. Howewver, the pedant in me can’t let the bad science in it go.