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De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Observations From the Back Row: 5-29-11

...
“De Omnibus Dubitandum”

"Forecasts are just that: forecasts. All that matters is what actually happens. We should keep this in mind as we consider whether to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Past forecasts of rising temperatures, sea levels, and droughts and other extreme weather events due to rising concentrations of carbon haven't proven any more reliable that NOAA's annual hurricane forecast. Until their reliability improves, it would be irresponsible to base policy on them." - Amy Ridenour, president of the National Center for Public Policy Research.


Only an EcoDictatorship Will Save the World! Democracy be Damned! Thanks to the Global Warming Policy Foundation we can finally See the Light!, and it shines from Germany’s green government advisers. Get Ready. To save the world you must give up the right to vote. To cool the planet, you will forgo the right to have a say in the laws of your land. Why? There are gifted, anointed higher beings out there (who knew?) and they are smarter than the masses. They may not know what an 8-sigma-tree is, but they know how to control the weather…… Forget the environment, this is about power. Ask not how climate scientists could be so narcissistic, with such overt megalomania, but how any other field could possibly compete to attract people with inborn grand delusions of the most planetary kind?

Kyoto deal loses four big nations France: Russia, Japan and Canada told the G8 they would not join a second round of carbon cuts under the Kyoto Protocol at United Nations talks this year and the US reiterated it would remain outside the treaty, European diplomats have said.

Global Warming Promoters’ Unsustainable Accusation Tactic ……I began asking various other politicians, policymakers, and internet forum posters what justified their pro-AGW positions, and invariably received the same answers: ‘the science was settled, don’t listen to skeptics, they’re paid by fossil fuel industries to confuse the public’. They never said how skeptics’ science assessments were wrong. I ignored the corruption accusations, wondering why they resorted to such a weak defense tactic………And here I am, yelling, “Stop! Are you insane? Nobody ever told how skeptic scientists’ criticisms were wrong, or proved their conclusions were outright fabrications created in coal and oil industry executive conference rooms!!”…….despite all I’ve heard about the loyalty of the mainstream media to the cause, all these problems must smell like blood in the water to some of them………..

Fireworks now under Greenie attack
Fireworks shows are among thousands of events in San Diego each year that need environmental review under a Superior Court ruling on Friday…….“What’s next, a lawsuit against swimmers for polluting the ocean with their suntan lotion?” Roth said.

GOP presidential hopefuls shift on global warming [When sitting on the couch with Pelosi] Gingrich [used to say’] "We do agree that our country must take action on climate change." Since that appearance, [he] has called for the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency. He's also spoken out against a Democratic bill that passed the House in 2009 that would have limited emissions of greenhouse gases and created a market for pollution permits to be bought and sold….he doubted there was a connection between climate change and the burning of fossil fuels. "The planet used to be dramatically warmer when we had dinosaurs and no people," [and] "To the best of my knowledge the dinosaurs weren't driving cars."…..

Romney, Pawlenty and Huntsman potentially come into the race with even more climate baggage, since each of them as governor supported a regional "cap-and-trade" program to reduce greenhouse gas pollution…… The biggest reversal has come from Pawlenty, who a year after signing a law in Minnesota to cut greenhouse gas emissions was featured in a radio ad for the Environmental Defense Action Fund. Joined by then-Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, now a member of Obama's Cabinet, Pawlenty called on Congress to limit the pollution blamed for global warming. "If we act now," he said in the spot, "we can create thousands of new jobs in clean energy industries before our overseas competitors beat us to it."…… Huntsman…Obama's former ambassador to China……as governor of Utah, he appeared in a 2007 ad for an environmental advocacy group in which he said, "Now it's time for Congress to act by capping greenhouse gas pollution." He also signed an agreement with seven other Western states and four Canadian provinces to reduce greenhouse gases. Since then, other states have pulled their support……

If anyone has a clean record on climate change….it's….Sarah Palin……she has been steadfast in saying human beings are not responsible for climate change and that proposals to limit pollution threaten the economy.

My Take - How foolish can these people be? First of all, it was obvious to me from the very beginning that global warming was a load of horsepucky simply because it failed the history test. We know that the Earth has had warming and cooling trends forever. We also know that during these warming trends it was substantially warmer than it is now, or even a decade ago. What we have to ask is this; did any of the terrible things the greenies are predicting now happen then? The answer is no! There is nothing in the historical record to indicate that any….I mean any….of these disasters they are predicting occurred then. If that is so….and it is….why should we believe that these things will occur now? The answer is that we shouldn’t!

So when someone with my limited access to information and to the experts can see this so clearly we have to ask; how did these people, who are at the center of information, not see it? I wonder what last final piece of information Newtie finally got that made him aware that the EPA needed to be eliminated. What final piece of information did Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty or Jon Huntsman, get that made them aware they were being duped….or stupid? Oh Wait….I know….I know…..it was poll information. Whew…..I was worried there for a minute. For a minute there I thought they may have been reading science commentaries.  I know you are feeling really confident now!


White House reveals plan to streamline Endangered Species Act Earlier this year, President Obama outlined his plan to create a 21st-century regulatory system – one protects public health and welfare while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation. His Executive Order on Regulation, in short, said the following: Always consider costs and ways to reduce burdens for American businesses when developing rules; expand opportunities for public participation and public comment; and ensure that regulations are driven by real science. The President also called for an unprecedented government-wide review of regulations already on the books. As a result of that review, more than two dozen agencies have identified initiatives to reduce burdens and save money. Read the agency plans and share your comments, feedback and questions.

Their View: Last chance for the dunes sagebrush lizard After waiting a decade, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has finally proposed to list the dunes sagebrush lizard under the Endangered Species Act. Federal protection for this species can't come too soon. ...

US keeps bluefin tuna off endangered list The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was putting Atlantic bluefin tuna on a watchlist of species at risk but would not classify it under the Endangered Species Act, which would bring legal protections. ...

Hundreds of Endangered Plants Need Help to RecoverThe Fish and Wildlife Service works to keep plant wildlife from going extinct by enforcing the Endangered Species Act, which became law in 1973 and prohibits any activities that could jeopardize the survival of plants and animals listed under the law.

Salmon-Crested Cockatoo to be protected under ESA The salmon-crested cockatoo is now listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Native to islands in eastern Indonesia, the parrot is at risk due to logging in its lowland rainforest habitat, ...

Navy and Animal Law Enforcement Crack Down on Beach Laws The patrolling is an effort to ensure protection of sensitive natural resources, including species protected under The Federal Endangered Species Act. The California Least Tern and Western Snowy Plover, both of whom are protected under the act, ...

Bat versus turbine issue focus of special meetingA plan being developed by BP Wind Energy, Sempra Generation and Dominion Energy for approval by the fish and wildlife service would include measures for long-term conservation of the Indiana bat, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act.

More global calls for DDT reintroduction in malaria fightRECENT reports indicate that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is going to ignore orders by the United Nations (UN) by starting to produce the insecticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) again – as the drug is much needed to reduce the number of premature deaths caused by malaria…..In the 1940s malaria was rampant, particularly on the coast, at which time DDT was introduced by an Italian Doctor, George Giglioli. By 1951, malaria and its principal carrier had been completely eliminated from the coastal areas, including Georgetown, by means of a highly focused house spraying campaign.



"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax -
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."

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American Council on Science and Health, 2011: Week 20

The presence of linked articles here are merely a way of showing what is going on, whether I agree or disagree with the positions presented. I have highlighted what I think are "must read" articles with asterisks. Rich Kozlovich

Another HDL-raiser bites the dust
In a large, federally-funded trial investigating niacin (vitamin B-3), researchers hoping to harness its known ability to raise HDL, or "good cholesterol," levels to prevent heart disease were once again disappointed.

****Some European officials still bitter over aspartame’s sweet results 
Even though its been decades since numerous international governmental health authorities approved the use of aspartame as a food additive, the European Commission is not satisfied with the abundance of studies on the matter and is asking the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to conduct and expedite yet another re-evaluation of the artificial sweetener by July 2012.

My Take - No matter what these people say about their desire to follow the science the result is always (and I mean always)the same when the science proves their unwarranted claims to be junk science...."We need more studies". The reality is that they could care less about honest science. They have conclusions and the only data they will accept are data that support their conclusions; all else must be ignored. What we need to do is stop listening to these whack jobs and start seeing them for the costs they incur.  Where are the ambulance chasers when you need them?

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend Memorial Day is fast upon us, and we'd like to wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable long weekend. The holiday is often acknowledged as the official start of summer, which means kids will be swimming in pools and on beaches, while families everywhere will be firing up the grill for those long-awaited burgers and franks.

Youth no guarantee against high blood pressure The number of young adults with high blood pressure appears to be on the rise.

When female patients miss a beat, doctors shouldn’t  Physicians should more closely follow those female patients in whom they detect an irregular heart rhythm, findings from the 15-year Women's Health Study suggest.

****Vintage virus: Why are we still dealing with measles in 2011? Measles cases in the U.S. this year are at their highest since 1996, the CDC reports.

****A non-mercurial discussion about mercury  Concern about mercury levels in everything from fish to drinking water is enduring fodder for health scares. The truth, though, is that our environmental exposure to mercury is not a real cause for concern.

****Calling Jack Bauer! The CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have a number of upcoming meetings scheduled to discuss whether to endorse a new meningitis vaccine for infants. Though nothing on the CDC website mentions the cost of the vaccine as part of the agency's deliberations, one of the groups invited to the meetings, The Keystone Center, received a letter which effectively says just that.

****Can autism risk be reduced with prenatal vitamins? Sounds too simple. A new study on the potential causes and prevention of autism has been released, and this one may result in a rush to the vitamin store.

My Take - What should this study really highlight for society?  They don't have clue what causes autism!  They do know there is a genetic link, but this is it.  So no matter what unfounded claims the media propounds.....no one really knows, so for activists to make unfounded (and it turned out ot be fraudulent) claims about vaccinations is not only outrageous, it is criminal in my opinon.   

****Should Lap-Band be approved to tighten the belt of teenage obesity? Allergan Inc., maker of the weight loss device Lap-Band, is seeking FDA approval to extend the use of the device to obese teenagers.

My Take - I find this whole thing to be disturbing! I hate it when claims are made about those opposing this as being “based mainly on a moralistic ‘blame the victim’ philosophy”. That is a red herring fallacy.

Normally I am in total harmony with Gil Ross, who I have tremendous respect for, but the reality is this. The baseball diamonds are empty almost every day! Why? For whatever cultural reason the kids aren’t exercising as they used to; therefore, the kids do have to watch their consumption. They won’t of course! Under normal conditions what kids eat is largely immaterial in my opinion as kids have always consumed junk food, and stayed trim for the most part because they were running, playing ball, doing things constantly that required physical activity.

There have always been kids with real weight problem. Do we remember the old Our Gang” movies? One of their fellows was named “Chubby”…because he was fat. And that was during the Great Depression.

So where does that leave us?

This is a modern cultural problem, and it is a serious one. However, I don’t like this whole thing about surgery to cure obesity for three reasons. One; once this is done they will then have a nutritional needs issue requiring supplementation for the rest of their lives; remember this procedure changes the plumbing and how people digest their food.   Two;  I  know people who have had this procedure, and I absolutely know that bariatric surgery isn’t anywhere near one hundred percent effective, and personally, I think the success rate isn’t all that great.  Three;  many people with the surgery end up being as fat as they were at the beginning because they continue to eat badly. That is a fact! And I wonder if this isn’t so for the Lap- Band surgery. So, if and when these things fail, then what? Another surgery?

I am, for the most part, very tolerant of people’s rights to live their lives anyway they choose, including being fat if they wish, or having surgery if they wish, but to start "fixing" this problem in children with this kind of surgery is in my opinion wrongheaded.  But there is one thing we should get clear. Not in all cases of course, but for the most part it really is their fault, and this isn't any form of moralizing, it is merely a statement of fact.   

I have gained a lot of weight over the years for two reasons. One, I eat too much…and love it! Secondly, I have arthritis very badly and it is difficult for me to do the physical things I used to do easily just a few years ago, including exercise. Do I eat anywhere a much as I did then? Not at all; and yet in spite of my reduced intake I still have a problem with weight gain. Why? Because I didn’t’ adapt to my changing circumstances. I needed to reduce my intake of calories even further and exercise more; and it all really is “MY FAULT”. Get over it!

Pulling the shades over your eyes about sunscreens  As spring turns to summer, ACSH anticipates better beach weather, plenty of summer movie sequels, and a new seasonal scare from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Well, the EWG has yet to disappoint us, and this time, they're warning us about sunscreens that may contain phototoxic and "dangerous endocrine disrupting" chemicals such as retinyl palmitate and oxybenzone, respectively.

_______Smoking Section________

There was so much said about smoking this week I decided to organize the articles into one section. RK

 

What’s good for the goose should be good for the gander, as far as cigarette claims are concerned  On his tobacco blog, Tobaccoanalysis.com, ACSH scientific advisor Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, addresses the misleading claims of a recent article published in Tobacco Control, in which the authors reprimand the tobacco industry for not doing enough to lower the levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) in cigarettes over the years.
State funding of smoking cessation in Tenn?  Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey released a statement last week proposing that his state approve funding smoking cessation drugs and counseling under their Medicaid program, TennCare.

Setting the facts straight about smokeless tobacco An editorial warning about the alleged dangers of smokeless tobacco - posted on a local South Dakota news website, TheDailyRepublic.com - had ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross riled up this morning since it "contained more falsehoods and misleading statements in the fewest words that I've had the displeasure to read recently."

Welcome news on snus Can smokeless tobacco products satiate a smoker's nicotine craving while simultaneously serving as a smoking cessation aid? And if so, is it conceivable that such a transition might result in net harm, paradoxical as that seems?

Swedes support snus, and the E.U. should too Speaking of snus, three members of the Swedish Parliament recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Swedish newspaperGöteborgs-Posten, requesting that the E.U. lift the ban against Swedish snus.

Smokeless in the City: Camel Snus ad campaign launched as NYC smoking ban is extended Today readers of a number of newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, U.S.A. Today and The New York Daily News, will encounter a full-page advertisement for Camel Snus.

New York City kicks more butts today New York City anti-smoking laws are today extended to include city parks, public beaches and pedestrian malls.
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****Environmental org chips in to chemophobia with acrylamide litigation
According to an organization called the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), Dr Soda Co., a refreshment services provider in California, is in violation of the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, otherwise known as Proposition 65.

Don’t lay it on too (Simply) Thick, warns FDA SimplyThick, a product used to thicken breast milk and formula, should not be used to feed premature babies, the FDAwarned yesterday.

Tripping on a “legal” online high Just as it's not advisable to purchase your prescription medications online, it's probably not a good idea to find your drug highs there either.

****Great strides for public health Last week, the CDC released the results of a study that enumerates "Ten Great Public Health Achievements" in the U.S. from 2001 to 2010.

You can prevent swimmer’s ear, and more As the swimming season approaches, it's worth taking a look at these simple steps for avoiding the unpleasant experience of swimmer's ear, a common malady that accounted for 2.4 million health care visits in 2007, according to the CDC.

If there is a health scare today, the American Council on Science and Health will most likely have the answer by tomorrow; and for members it will appear in your e-mail. No effort on your part, except to read the answer. All that the ACSH is interested in are the facts and they are prepared to follow them wherever they lead. Who can ask for more?  Please Donate Now!

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Friday, May 27, 2011

Observations From the Back Row: 5-27-11

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“De Omnibus Dubitandum”

Recently I was foolish enough to try to reason with an environmentalist. But it became obvious that he had his mind made up and didn't want to hear any evidence to the contrary. The Pope is more likely to have read Karl Marx than an environmentalist is to have read even a single book that criticized environmentalism. – Thomas Sowell

Today’s Theme


Scientific Integrity is an Oxymoron!
Or
If there wasn’t for “Yellow Journalism”, there wouldn’t be any journalism at all!

"Nature" magazine calls on UVA to stop obstructing AG Cuccinelli's investigation of Michael Mann Long misconduct investigations do not serve anyone, except perhaps university public-relations departments that might hope everyone will have forgotten about a case by the time it wraps up. But in cases such as Wegman's, in which the work in question has been cited in policy debates, there is good reason for haste. Policy informed by rotten research is likely to have its own soft spots. Those who have been wronged deserve resolution of the matter. And one can hardly suppose that those who have been wrongfully accused enjoy living under a cloud for months.

Horner: Michael Mann may have something to hide Over the weekend on “The Score” radio show, we followed-up on the story of how Chris Horner, working with the American Tradition Institute, had filed a freedom of information request with the University of Virginia for emails and materials former UVA Prof. Michael Mann generated during his time at the school. What we learned from our interview with Horner is jaw-dropping.

When what Horner termed “a gaggle of pressure groups” got wind of people lurking around Mann’s emails, they descended on UVA stating, in effect “don’t you dare co-operate with law enforcement to release the records the taxpayer paid for in a fraud pre-investigation under a statute that passed unanimously [in the Virginia General Assembly],” that nowhere provides an exemption for academics.

"The Worst Environmental Disaster in U.S. History!" (One Year Later) "There's just no data to suggest this is an environmental disaster, “said Marine Scientist and former LSU professor Ivor Van Heerden who also works as a BP spill-response contractor. “I have no interest in making BP look good — I think they lied about the size of the spill — but we're not seeing catastrophic impacts. There's a lot of hype, but no evidence to justify it." …….The reasons for this “disasters’” fizzling out are many and were apparent to non-hack scientists from the get-go. To wit: “People don’t comprehend how so much oil could break down in such a short time period,” explains Dr. LuAnn White, a toxicologist with the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, who also serves as Director of the Center for Applied Environmental Health. “But we have natural oil seeps in the Gulf, and over 200 genera of microbes that break down oil already exist there.” “It cannot be repeated often enough,” says Louisiana Marine Biologist Jerald Horst , Crude oil is a natural substance, its biodegradable. It’s a feast for microbes. And these consumed most of it from the BP spill.”

“Ah!” you ask. “But what about that poisonous chemical used as a dispersant for the oil?”

You probably ingested traces of this poisonous chemical compound with last night’s dinner, and other traces probably coat your pots, pans, cups, spoons and forks right now. Some people call the dispersant Corexit 9500—and some call it “soap.” Essentially it’s Dawn dishwashing detergent.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax -
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Extreme Weather Events

By James A. Marusek

(This first appeared on Jim's site Impact (http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/) on 26 May 2011 RK)

Hurricanes and tornadoes are some of the most destructive forces in nature. They are also the definition of pure chaos. They tend to occur with little warning and leave behind a path of great destruction. In 2005 and 2006, I peered through the dark shroud of events past, analyzing the data from 55 years of major Atlantic Hurricanes (Category 3‐5) and major North American tornadoes (F4 and F5) to see what could be learned. This groundbreaking study lead to the development of a forecasting tool, called the storminess analysis.

The results were presented in a paper, "The Art of Forecasting Extreme Weather Events", which was given at the Second International Conference on Global Warming and the Next Ice Age sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory in July 2006.

The analysis uncovered two significant trends:
• It was already recognized that major Atlantic hurricanes occur in long‐term multidecadal cycles. This analysis showed that the same is true for major North American tornadoes, they also occur in long‐term multi‐decadal cycles.
• The analysis showed that the annual number of major Atlantic hurricanes had an inverse relationship with the annual number of major North American Tornadoes. Peak tornado years produced minimal hurricanes. And peak hurricane years produced minimal tornadoes.
Since this was an inverse relationship, it was felt that combining both major hurricanes and tornadoes into one metric called storminess might be productive. Once this was done, a very intense short‐term cycle became visible. A forecasting tool was then developed based on this pulse cycle. A forecasting tool is only as good as its ability to generate accurately predictions. And the best way to measure the tool's accuracy is to generate forecasts.

This was done with great success in 2006 and 2008. The third tests for this tool was for this year, 2011. The following forecast was generated over a year ago and published in the Greene County Daily World: “It is very likely (82 percent probability) that next year, the year 2011, will be another extreme weather year. If the multi‐decadal cycle remains in the strong hurricane phase, the year will likely produce a minimum of five major Atlantic hurricanes.

 But this strong hurricane phase began in 1995 and this cycle will be coming to an end soon. If this occurs in 2011, storminess rather than producing an extreme hurricane season; might materialize as a strong tornado season likely producing a minimum of 23 major U.S. tornados (Enhanced Fujita scale EF4‐EF5).”

This year already produced 19 major U.S. tornados and the year is still early. Perhaps it is time to end the long tradition of throwing good money after bad by supporting models based on the unfounded Global Warming Theory that only demonstrates success in predicting events after they happen. And instead invest in tools with a proven track record in making successful future long‐range predictions.

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Bogus Sex Scares Used to Ban BPA - The BPA File, Part Five

By Alan Caruba

This first appeared here, in Alan's site, Warning Signs.

Over the course of the first four elements of The BPA File, we have documented a massive, global campaign to ban bisphenol-A, BPA, a chemical that has been safely used for more than a half century to protect metal and plastic containers for food and liquid against spoilage and the resulting hazard to health.

Every day, somewhere in the nation and the world, there is a constant repetition of lies regarding BPA They frequently target the fears of mothers of newborn infants, but also allege a wide variety of other health threats including a healthy sex life for men and women.

In the same fashion that the global warming hoax was spread and maintained by a campaign that asserted that everything from frizzy hair to blizzards was the result of a dramatic warming cycle that was either happening or predicted to happen, the effort to ban BPA uses the same technique.

The campaign is pursued by a coalition of environmental and consumer activist groups that depend on such scare campaigns to maintain funding and secure members who can be relied upon to ignore or reject the science that disputes such campaigns.

In May 2011, the Miami Herald published what read like a news release by the Natural Resources Defense Council that asserted “Bisphenal-A associated with obesity, lower sperm counts, and pre-cancerous changes in the body is found in the bodies of 90 percent of Americans. Now a study shows that you can halve your levels of BPA and other chemicals within three days through a change in diet.”

Three distinct “scares” are captured in this news release, all aimed a fears regarding health, but none of them reflect the fact that trace amounts of BPA is routinely excreted and thus poses no threat. It also fails to reveal that the “studies” always involve administering large amounts of BPA to laboratory mice in a fashion that does not reflect actual exposure.

The ultimate target of the anti-BPA campaign is the widespread use of plastic containers of food and liquids, along with its use to line the insides of metal cans for that purpose.

From its earliest origins, environmentalists have sought to ban chemicals in general even though plastic has transformed and enhanced life around the world. In the U.S., the average life expectancy in the last century rose from thirty-seven in 1900 to the current seventy-eight years!

Earlier this year, the German Society of Toxicology released a review of more than five thousand previous studies of BPA exposure that concluded that BPA “exposure represents no noteworthy risk to the health of the human population, including newborns and babies.” Researchers concluded that BPA is neither mutagenic nor likely to be a carcinogen.

This, however, has not deterred the constant repetition of lies asserting that BPA is a health threat, nor a variety of efforts, including proposed State bans on the use of BPA. In April 2011, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a 14-page report that included three pages of intensely documented notes, that refuted efforts by the Maryland legislature to ban infant formula and baby food packaging that contains more than 0.5 parts per billion (ppb) of BPA.

“In public policy, bad ideas have an unfortunate tendency to spread,” said Dr. Angela Logomasini, PhD. Efforts in Maine, Maryland, and even in Congress to ban BPA portend a host of food-born diseases and even death if such bans continue to be enacted.

The source of these bans is the environmental movement that first came to public notice when they succeeded in getting DDT banned. The result has been a rise in malarial deaths in nations that followed suit and in the swift explosion of the bed bug plague in the U.S.

So vast have been the campaigns against the beneficial chemicals that protect human health that a word was coined to identify the phenomenon—chemophobia. It is an irrational fear of chemicals when, in fact, the human body is a chemical factory, producing chemicals for digestion, hormones, and others, all the while cleaning the body of chemicals it rejects.

Simple common sense suggests that parts-per-billion of any substance cannot possibly pose a risk or threat.

In his book, “The Precautionary Principle: A Critical Appraisal of Environmental Risk Assessment”, published by the Cato Institute, author Indur M. Goklany, wrote “In keeping with its origins of technological skepticism, the precautionary principle has also been increasingly invoked as justification, among other things, for international controls, if not outright bans, on various technologies, which—despite substantial benefits to humanity and, in some cases to certain aspects of the environmental—could worsen other aspects of the environment or public health.”

At the heart of environmentalism is the core belief that humans are endangering the Earth by the use of the remarkable technologies that have been developed in the past century.

That is why, by spreading lies about sperm counts, endocrine disruption, and non-existent threats to infants and adults via plastic and metal containers of food and liquids, the ultimate agenda to reduce the worldwide human population is central to the campaign against the use of BPA.

There are no feasible substitutes for BPA. Banning it will guarantee the people will die.

© Alan Caruba, 2011

Alan’s work has a sense of timelessness about it, so anyone perusing these articles in the future will find them equally insightful as they were when originally written. For Alan's latest thoughts go to his blog, Warning Signs. For his past works go to The National Anxiety Center. I would also recommend reading his last book, Right Answers.


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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Autism Doctor A Fraud, But Hardly Alone

BY MICHAEL FUMENTO

This appeared in Mr. Michael Fumento's blog here on January 10, 2011

"A deliberate fraud." That's what the British Medical Journal, one of the world's most prestigious periodicals, has written of the study that kicked off the current anti-vaccine movement. It's "clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare," it said in a heavily documented editorial.

The lead author of that anti-vaccine study, which also appeared in one most respected medical journals, The Lancet, was British physician Andrew Wakefield. And its consequences, as I write in AOL News, include millions of terrified and confused parents, large drops in vaccination rates and death.
This is the face of pertussis.

Many people, including me, have spent years puncturing his claims and those of his acolytes in the anti-vaccine movement. But a media that thrives on sensationalism instead played up the phony link.

Yet while this "deliberate fraud" has been exposed, others continue to go unchallenged, or worse, get trumpeted by reporters who should know better.

Last year the World Health Organization, having exaggerated the world AIDS problem by 12-fold, then hyped SARS and then spent four years terrifying us over avian flu (remember avian flu?), converted the mildest flu strain in decades (swine flu H1N1) into the first flu pandemic in 41 years simply by rewriting the flu pandemic definition. Aiding it was a study in Science magazine that completely misrepresented the citations it used as authority.

Likewise, San Francisco last year became the first jurisdiction in the country to put warning labels on cell phones, influenced in great part by a series of studies published in peer-reviewed journals alleging they cause brain tumors. Yet as I wrote in a CEI paper, "Celling Fear," they're all by a single environmental activist and totally fly in the face of the main body of research. Plus the city relied on an Environmental Working Group paper that used citations saying exactly the opposite of what the report claimed.

Why does fraudulent science thrive? Better to ask, "Why not?" It pays.

Even when the fraudsters get caught, they often laugh all the way to the bank. Wakefield gets more than $300,000 a year in salary alone from an anti-vaccine group.

Why! That's even more than I got for writing that article for AOL News!

January 10, 2011 03:11 PM • Diseases (other than AIDS and cancer) ~ Hysteria ~ VaccinesRecent Posts

At some point someone is going to have to ask who is responsible for all of the unnecessary deaths because people have stopped vaccinating their children.  Wakefield is certainly one of them, but what about these Hollywood celebrities who are promoting this stuff?  You know the ones who were waiting tables and parking cars before they became "stars".  Perhaps it's time the ambulance chasing attorneys got involved.  Wouldn't it be ironic if Erin Brokovich was the one to start the ball rolling?  RK

Global Warming Fraud: Somebody Needs to Go to Jail

By Alan Caruba (November 2009)

The revelations that scientists at the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (CRU) doctored the data supporting the global warming claims of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) means that EVERYTHING attributed to or based upon “global warming” is invalid.

It means the Kyoto Climate Protocols that nations agreed to on December 11, 1997 and which entered into force on February 16 2005, and all subsequent agreements based on “global warming” have no validity, scientifically or as the basis for public action by any nation, state, province, city or town.

It means that Al Gore’s pusillanimous “documentary” is a fraud along with just about every other statement uttered by any scientist, academician, or politician claiming that something, anything, should be done to avoid “global warming.”

There is no “global warming”, if by that discredited term, you mean a dramatic increase in the Earth’s temperature, the vast rising of ocean levels, the melting of the polar ice caps, and the thousands of other things attributed to a massive fraud orchestrated by the IPCC and a vast network of scientists and environmental groups that benefited from the billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars they received in grants and other payments for their “research.”

Global warming, allegedly the result of rising levels of “greenhouse gas emissions”, primarily carbon dioxide (C02), underwrites the sale of “carbon credits” that industries, utilities, and other entities purchased for the “right” to use energy and as further revelations about the doctoring and virtual invention of false scientific data become known, it means those sales were a complete fraud.

It was never really a secret. You could have read about in “Climate of Extremes: Global Warming Science They Don’t Want You to Know” and a dozen other books I can put my hand on this very moment. The only thing missing was the proverbial “smoking gun” and the revelations about the CRU now confirms what the “deniers” and “skeptics” kept saying.

It’s worth keeping in mind that in several Northeastern States, utilities were required by law to purchase these worthless carbon credits and spend millions, not on improvements to the electric grid, not on building more capacity to serve their customers, but on what is worthless paper.

Someone needs to go to jail.

The release of thousands of emails and other data, now believed to be the work of a conscious-stricken CRU insider, will as they are examined in detail reveal what has long been known to those actively opposing the “global warming” fraud. As Christopher Horner, the author of “Red Hot Lies”, recently noted, the CRU and its lead scientists refused for years to release the data which they alleged proved that “global warming” was happening.

This data and the periodic reports of the IPCC are the basis for the existence of the IPCC, the Kyoto Protocol, and the “cap-and-trade” legislation awaiting a vote in the U.S. Congress. Horner observed “After running out of excuses, in September CRU’s Phil Jones simply claimed that he had lost the data so, sorry, no one can check it.” Horner called it “implausible beyond comprehension.”

And yet the United States and the representatives of many other nations will gather in Copenhagen in December for yet another UN conference on climate change, the now preferred synonym for “global warming.” Basing any international treaty on climate change or global warming is an utterly deceitful act.

The IPCC conference is based on the original Kyoto Protocol and, since there is no global warming, and since the science supporting it has been revealed to be false and misleading, no action should be taken other to disband the IPCC entirely.

All U.S. laws and regulations based on the so-called “global warming” should be reexamined and exorcised from the Congressional Register and from all state bodies of law. Most certainly, “cap-and-trade” should be withdrawn from further consideration.

Beyond that, school books about the environment must now be reviewed to determine how much of their content is invalid as well.

The undoing of this fraud must begin and begin NOW!

© 2009 Alan Caruba.
All rights reserved.

Alan’s work has a sense of timelessness about it, so anyone perusing these articles in the future will find them equally insightful as they were when originally written. For Alan's latest thoughts go to his blog, Warning Signs. For his past works go to The National Anxiety Center. I would also recommend reading his last book, Right Answers.

Dr. James Hansen: When Bad Science Meets Bad Politics

By Alan Caruba
(January 2009)

Everyone knows who Al Gore is, but the snarky little so-called scientist in the Green pea patch of global warming has long been Dr. James Hansen, the Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS).

Since 1988, Dr. Hansen has been spreading alarms about global warming and, despite the fact that the Earth has been cooling since 1998, he continues to abuse the truth and, while on the public payroll, to seek the spotlight. He has done this for many years, most recently claiming he was being censored by the Bush administration.

At a recent Capital Hill hearing, Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA) reminded him that “You are speaking on federal paid time. Your employer happens to be the American taxpayer.” Rep. Issa then revealed that an Internet search demonstrated that, in 2008, Dr. Hansen had engaged in more than 1,400 interviews and appearances.

Despite evidence that GISS had been deliberately releasing false data that the Earth was warming, Dr. Hansen’s most recent egregious behavior included a personal letter to President Obama outlining his plans to save the planet.

Signed by both himself and his wife, Dr. Hansen said that proposed cap and trade regulations are not enough. Indeed, he proposed that all coal fired generating plants be closed down. Since coal provides just over 50% of all the electricity generated in America, this is absurd.

Dr. Hansen, though, isn’t opposed to just coal. He has made it known that oil company executives should be charged with crimes against humanity because of the same greenhouse gas emissions that the use of oil products such as gasoline represents as well.

The truth, however, is that greenhouse gas emissions, chiefly carbon dioxide, have virtually nothing to do with the Earth’s climate. Anybody who tells you this is lying to you. Water vapor, also a greenhouse gas, plays a far greater role and you never hear the alarmists refer to it.

As reported in the January issue of Environment & Climate News, published by The Heartland Institute, “NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies was forced to admit it committed an egregious error when it publicly claimed October 2008 was the warmest October in history.”

“It turns out October 2008 was nowhere near a record. Global temperature measurements of the Earth’s lower atmosphere by NASA satellite instruments show it was fairly typical compared to temperatures over the past 30 years and significantly cooler than average temperatures over the past seven years.”

How, then, did GISS manage to get it so wrong? Because NASA needs funding and the best way to get it is to cook the books, to demonstrate the importance of GISS in presenting data and predicting trends. Lies, however, are of little value when it comes to science and Dr. Hansen in particular should be held in the greatest contempt for his claims about global warming over the years.

That didn’t prevent the American Meteorological Society from recently bestowing its highest honor on Dr. Hansen. This is a shameful act by an otherwise respected professional group.

For the record, 1934 was the warmest year in U.S. history, not 2006 as GISS had publicly announced. Only four of the top eleven warmest years have occurred since 1954.

What this means is that, despite having three or more temperature measuring satellites, NASA’s ability to collect data from NOAA and foreign sources to determine global temperatures cannot be trusted because of its deliberate misstating of that data.

Dr. Hansen is far less a scientist than a political agitator. In this he has been enriched by sources outside the U.S. government, his employer. In 2001, he received a Heinz Foundation award that included a payment of $250,000 for his promotion of the global warming hoax. If the name sounds familiar, Teresa Heinz is married to Sen. John Kerry and guess who Dr. Hansen endorsed for president in 2004?

Investors Business Daily has reported that Dr. Hansen had been funded by George Soros’ Open Society Institute by as much as $720,000 for the purpose of his public advocacy of global warming. This is the deliberate politicizing of science that debases its essential neutrality and objectivity.

Why should a man with the audacity of claiming that President Obama has only four years in which to save the world be allowed to hold such a critical position in government?

It’s not like his government pension wouldn’t be enough to live on if he was replaced. He would continue to rake in thousands of dollars to distort the truth about greenhouse gases and a global warming that doesn’t even exist. Al Gore would see to that.

© 2009 Alan Caruba.
All rights reserved.

Alan’s work has a sense of timelessness about it, so anyone perusing these articles in the future will find them equally insightful as they were when originally written. For Alan's latest thoughts go to his blog, Warning Signs. For his past works go to The National Anxiety Center. I would also recommend reading his last book, Right Answers.

###

American Council on Science and Health, 2011: Week 19

The presence of linked articles here are merely a way of showing what is going on, whether I agree or disagree with the positions presented. I have highlighted what I think are "must read" articles with asterisks. Rich Kozlovich

ACSH attends Swank-y event promoting women’s health Last night, ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross and Lana Spivak attended the American Cancer Society's one-year anniversary celebration of Choose You, co-hosted by executive producer and Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank (photo below).

FDA panel urges baby-friendly dosage instructions on acetaminophen (Tylenol) labels In a unanimous 21-to-0 vote, an FDA advisory panel recommended that the FDA require labels for acetaminophen-containing pain relievers to include weight-based infant dosage instructions to help prevent overdoses.

Listen up, boys and girls: HPV news for everyone For women over 30, a human papillomavirus (HPV) screening test may out-perform a Pap smear in predicting cervical cancer risk, according to a study by the National Cancer Institute.

Unwanted results on unplanned pregnancies We were shocked and disappointed to read that an average 40 percent of pregnancies in our country are unwanted or unexpected.

Another coffee perk: lower risk of high-grade prostate cancer A large study from the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that regularly drinking even one cup of coffee daily may reduce a man's risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer.

***Predicting longevity and curing cancer — quackery, or mere exaggeration?  Two new recent stories are, according to ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross, both eligible to receive honorary status in the false claims department for their misrepresentation of facts and science.

My Take - I highlighted this because it is a perfect example of how media types can distort reality.  There may be some validity to the curative properties of a chemical known as dichloroacetate (DCA), however just because the pharmaceuticals refuse to fund it doesn’t make this a conspiracy and this article shows why.  I resent these kinds of accusations.  The truthful facts on this issue will never catch up to the lie because so many will repeat the lie....and if it is some idiot Hollywood celebrity she would have ended up on Oprah spewing out nonsense, and Oprah would have been totally impressed.  Then again...she did start Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz on their journey....mores the pity!

***Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Agricultural livelihood or malaria eradication in Uganda  African farmers face great hardship as they must choose between protecting their agrarian livelihood or protecting themselves and their children against malaria, according to an article in yesterday's The New York Times.

No one immune from effects of closing ERs The number of urban and suburban emergency room shut-downs has increased by 27 percent between 1990 and 2009, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The weight of defensive medicine in South Florida Ob-gyn doctors in South Florida are engaging in some ethically questionable defensive medicine practices by refusing to see pregnant women who are obese.

Kudos to Butterworth’s “Fear In A Can” ACSH would like to tip its hat to Trevor Butterworth for his insightful op-ed, "Fear In A Can," in The Daily.

Dr. Ross talks to Dr. Joe  In case you missed it, listen to ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross talk chemophobia, radiation scares, and the promotion of sound science with beloved chemistry professor and radio show host Dr. Joe Schwarcz on The Dr. Joe Show.

More chemical hysteria: All smoke and no fire, thankfully A study published today in the journal Environmental Science and Technology has been pounced on by breathless media eager to help chemophobic activists fan the flames of hysteria about chemical flame retardants in baby products made with polyurethane foam.

***Big Government takes on Mr. Potato Head Why has the potato been made a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) "10 Least Wanted List" for school menus?

My Take - This isn’t the job of the federal government….but that is what happens when you take government money and give bureaucrats so much authority.  The fact of the matter is this; when you dance with the devil you won’t call the tune, you won’t pick the dance, you won’t lead and you may not be allowed to leave the dance on your own.

Fight activist food nonsense: Save Ronald McDonald! A misguided but bombastic effort ostensibly about the fight against childhood obesity comes in the form of a letter to McDonald's Corp that asks the franchise to stop marketing "junk food" to kids, and, specifically, to retire Ronald McDonald.

Better than milk and cookies? The most recent trend in sleep aids comes not in capsule form but in the crumbs of a baked good.

Smallpox: W.H.O. and HHS agree to keep it in reserve U.S. health secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the World Health Organization (WHO) assembly decision not to recommend the destruction of the last known smallpox virus stockpiles - located in Russia and the U.S. CDC in Atlanta - for at least another five years.

New, desperately needed drug against hepatitis C approved As expected, the FDA has just approved Merck and Co.'s highly anticipated anti-hepatitis C drug, Victrelis (generic name, boceprevir).

Indiana bill on tobacco taxes: Less harm, less tax Indiana's Republican governor (and potential presidential candidate) Mitch Daniels is expected to sign an omnibus bill that includes tobacco harm reduction language specifically stipulating that tobacco taxes reflect the potential for adverse health effects posed by the product.

*** Food for thought: Functional foods all hype? ***Whether you're in an all-natural foods store or the ubiquitous big-chain grocery store, you'll find health claims on all kinds of foods. Are they really true, or are they all hype?

Commonsense health tips in the news, with more coming soon Though today's New York weather may not look it, spring is in the air and summer is fast approaching. For many, this means that it's time for spring cleaning.

Smallpox: W.H.O. and HHS agree to keep it in reserve U.S. health secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the World Health Organization (WHO) assembly decision not to recommend the destruction of the last known smallpox virus stockpiles - located in Russia and the U.S. CDC in Atlanta - for at least another five years.

Sensible revisions proposed to Consumer Product Safety ActThe Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 is currently being reconsidered after a House sub-committee last week approved a proposal that would lessen the stringent requirements for expensive testing for lead and phthalates in products that might be used by children.

Sickle cell drug for babies, too A new study published in The Lancet finds that hydroxyurea, a cancer drug which has been used used to treat sickle cell disease in adults and adolescents since 1995, is also safe and effective for infants.

The New York (Not-With-The) Times skips the good news: infant deaths down, life expectancy up  The "paper of record" may not yet have broken the news, but it's terrific news indeed: infant deaths across the world have fallen as life expectancy has increased, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Friday.

My Take - Everything we are told should bear some resemblance to what we see going on in reality.  Those countries that are the most advanced, use the most synthetic chemicals, vaccinate their populations, have extensive use of personal transportation, have chlorine and fluoride in their water, have extensive use of energy live the best, longest and healthiest lives.  Does anyone wonder why so many believe all the lies of the green movement, the EPA and all of their acolytes?  To quote the King of Siam……It is a puzzle!

Diabetics may be at increased risk for cancer A study just published in the journal Diabetes Care found that diabetic men and women were 10 percent more likely to have had a cancer diagnosis of any kind.

If there is a health scare today, the American Council on Science and Health will most likely have the answer by tomorrow; and for members it will appear in your e-mail. No effort on your part, except to read the answer. All that the ACSH is interested in are the facts and they are prepared to follow them wherever they lead. Who can ask for more? 
Please Donate Now!###

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Observations From the Back Row: 5-19-11

...
“De Omnibus Dubitandum”

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. I have said more than once that history never repeats itself: what happens is that people keep forgetting it. Opposing this new authoritarian collectivist green offensive is "The Battle of Our Times". Let all who are here remember that we are on the stage of history, and that whatever our station may be, and whatever part we have to play, great or small, our conduct is liable to be scrutinized, not only by history, but by our own descendants.
H. L. Mencken, Gerard Jackson is Brookes news economics editor, Viv Forbes, Winston Churchill


Psst. Got any raw milk?
Buying unpasteurized milk in Maryland requires jumping through hoops
When the truck carrying the goods pulls up to Suzy Provine's flower shop in Millersville, as many as a hundred people may show up to get their fix. They'll snatch up their share of the contraband and take it back to their homes, where they are free to consume it in peace…….Laurie Bucher, chief of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Center for Milk Control, said there are good reasons for banning the sale of raw milk. Drinking it is risky, and could lead to salmonella poisoning……."We can't change people's minds, but we're here to protect the public's health," Bucher said. "Even the advocates will tell you, they know they're taking a risk, but they feel the benefits outweigh that risk."……. "The further we get away from nature, the worse food is for us," said Ashley Fuchs, a Crofton mother of two and former pediatric nurse.

My Take - These are the same people who are in love with regulations on everything else. "The further we get away from nature, the worse food is for us". What nonsense! We have heard this claptrap for so long everyone has stopped thinking critically. The further we have gotten away from nature the longer healthier lives we have lived. Once again…..everything we are told should bear some resemblance to what we see going on in reality.

Ron Paul battles FDA over drinking raw milk
……In a statement introducing the legislation, Paul said it would remove “an unconstitutional restraint on farmers. Many Americans have done their own research and come to the conclusion that unpasteurized milk is healthier than pasteurized milk,” Paul said today. “These Americans have the right to consume these products without having the federal government second-guess their judgment or thwart their wishes. If there are legitimate concerns about the safety of unpasteurized milk, those concerns should be addressed at the state and local level.”…. “It’s protectionism for industry. Because remember industry makes a lot of money on processing but they make no money on raw milk that comes directly from a farmer to consumer,” he said. “So this is a blowout where people are saying ‘Hey let the farmers feed us and stop getting between the farmers and the consumers.’”

My Take – So…..it’s “protectionism” for industry is it?  Although I don't question that this goes on all the time, all you have to do is take a look at the tax code.  However, I have to ask; how did they convince everyone of the need to process milk in the first place if there was no need? When I was in school we were taught of all the health factors involved. Did all of that change?

More Scientific Studies Indicate That Cell Phones are Harming Bees
Scientists may have found the cause of the world’s sudden dwindling population of bees – and cell phones may be to blame. Research conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland has shown that the signal from cell phones not only confuses bees, but also may lead to their death. Over 83 experiments have yielded the same results. With virtually most of the population of the United States (and the rest of the world) owning cell phones, the impact has been greatly noticeable.

My Take – I think this study needs further investigation. For fraud!

Another Stupid Greenie Idea! 
The pledge by Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak to roll back key provisions of the Ontario Green Energy Act is a courageous move and deserves to be applauded. It will likely spark intense debates as we head into the upcoming election. It is hard to say whether public opinion will be on his side, but the facts certainly are. The Green Energy Act (GEA) was proposed as both an environmental policy and a job-creation policy. It is misguided on both scores.

The “Tar Sands” Campaign and the Suppression of North America’s Energy Potential Environmentalism is attacking Alberta’s oil sands industry. Their “Tar Sands” campaign is best understood when placed within the grand crusade to suppress North America’s energy potential. Canada and USA have combined oil reserves of several trillion barrels. Over 2 trillion barrels are recoverable with existing technology at current prices. Combined Canadian and American petroleum consumption is 10 billion barrels a year. These countries possess centuries of oil supply.

‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ duped by family’s sick claim
Ty Pennington and the philanthropic crew of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" have been giving families the houses of their dreams through sweeping seven-day renovations and reconstructions since the series premiered in 2004. The uplifting reality show brokers in hardest-luck cases that sometimes appear too sad to be true. And in some cases, as it turns out, they are: according to a recent trial in Oregon, it seems the would-be do-gooders were duped by a family falsely claiming two very sick young daughters.

Climate Depot
Please talk a look at this site.  It is a wealth of information.  RK

'Exploding' watermelons hit farmers in China
A rash of "exploding" watermelons has hit farmers in eastern China after they sprayed their crops too liberally with growth-accelerating chemicals.  "On May 7, I came out and counted 80 (bursting watermelons) but by the afternoon it was 100," said Mr Liu who told China Central TV that three acres of his melons had exploded. "Two days later I didn't bother to count anymore."

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax -
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."

###

Monday, May 16, 2011

Observations From the Back Row: 5-16-11

...
“De Omnibus Dubitandum”
Furthermore, if America was culturally rational, a snake oil salesman like Al Gore would be publicly mocked, horsewhipped or sued into oblivion as an utter fraud for his massive global warming scam perpetuated against the American people. However, these are perilous and perverse times we live in today where good is considered evil and evil touted as good, virtuous and laudatory.  Ellis Washington.

Flashback: Gingrich Out-greens Al Gore?  Newt Gingrich has guzzled Al Gore’s Kool-Aid. Now he wants us and the Republican 2008 presidential candidates to drink it, too. The former House Speaker’s latest book, “A Contract with the Earth” co-authored with Palm Beach Zoo CEO Terry Maple, is an appalling paean to environmental naivete and taxpayer-subsidized profiteering. While the book’s theme — i.e., let’s all just happily pitch in and do what it takes to save the environment — may sound reasonable, at least on a superficial basis, Mr. Gingrich’s notions are often wrong or simply bizarre, and his prescriptions amount to little more than a full embrace of rent-seeking “green” business and left-leaning eco-activist groups, both of which often masquerade as “protectors” of the environment. Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich Commercial on Climate Change

My Take – The man is a smooth talker giving the impression of great intelligence. However, perhaps this is an illusion. After all, he is a greenie, which makes him irrational and misanthropic and he has the moral fiber of a goat.

Saving the lady's slipper URBANA, Ohio - There is an elegant little orchid in the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve that has put botanists and conservationists in a precarious place. It's called the small yellow lady's slipper, and it is an endangered species in Ohio. It grows only here and in one other site, in Geauga County……… The orchid blooms over a short, two-week period in early May. It grows only in fens, which also are exceedingly rare in Ohio……. About 90 percent of the wetlands, bogs and fens that once covered Ohio have been drained, mainly for agriculture. Those that remain are precarious ecosystems that experts say require active and careful preservation……."We're trying to conserve these habitats over time for a whole fleet of species," she said. "The rare ones are indicators of the overall health of the habitat."When you see the rare ones declining, it's typically not good for the overall habitat." So an orchid can act as an indicator - a canary in the coal mine, so to speak. And in this case, a very popular canary.

My Take –If this species is so biologically incompetent that it can only survive in this particular environment it should disappear. Over 95% of all species that have ever lived have gone extinct.

Extinction is the rule, not the exception.

Did that change their eco-system? Of course! But so what? Eco-systems are not static. They are changing all the time based on changing conditions. What is the big deal if an eco-system is altered by man? The end result is the same. One eco-system is replaced by another that is biologically competent to survive the change and life goes on.

This idea that each and every species is absolutely essential in order for all other species to live is nonsense. I keep reading that unknown species are going extinct every day. How do they know that if they are undiscovered and unknown? And if this is actually happening; what terrible things have happened as a result? Since there clearly is no evidence that anything terrible has happened, can we conclude that these species aren’t going extinct and they are lying, or can this mean that it doesn’t matter to the rest of the universe that all of these species are gone? All of these unknown species that are going extinct every day touted by people like E. O. Wilson are nothing more than the electrons in his computer when he shuts it off…..every day! Everything we are told should bear some resemblance to what we see going on in reality. This, just as all the other greenie scare mongering, is irrational.

Royal Skepticism Required Prince Charles likes to talk about “sustainability” so much that he used a version of the word 32 times in his speech about farming at Georgetown University last week. I didn’t attend the event because I was too busy planting crops here in Iowa. Commoners have to work for a living, after all. But I did find the time to read the text of his remarks. As I made my way through his address, the Prince of Wales turned me into the prince of wails--I wanted to howl in anguish over this man’s bizarre views of agriculture.

My Take – Does anyone really wonder why the queen doesn’t abdicate in favor of her son? Considering the whacko things her husband and her heir say…it must really be trying to have to sit between these two loons.

School Boots Boy Scouts for Mother Earth The school in my neighborhood told the Cub Scouts this week that their flyer cannot be distributed because it mentions God in the 12 core values. While this constitutional misstep is unseemly, it is somehow made worse when contrasted with the always-welcome creed of environmentalism. Like any normal American, I appreciate living in clean, healthy surroundings. But the green movement went past the point of preachy years ago. Environmental respect advanced from the “don’t be a litterbug” messages of the 1960s to that crying indian commercial of 1970 to the recycle obsession of the past thirty years. Somewhere along the tour, the movement got mystical.

For some time now, environmentalism has looked, walked, and quacked like a religion.

They really do want to send us back to the caves Half of Renewable Energy is Wood, Charcoal, and Animal Dung
The IPCC recently released the Summary of a report about renewable energy. Both Pielke Jr. and Donna Laframboise have mentioned it, and once the final report comes out at the end of the month I'm sure we'll hear more about it. However, in looking over the report I was stunned to find out what the IPCC considers as renewable energy……….. Why is this a problem? Look at their definition of traditional biomass: "Traditional biomass is defined by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as biomass consumption in the residential sector in developing countries and refers to the often-unsustainable use of wood, charcoal, agricultural residues, and animal dung for cooking and heating. All other biomass use is defined as modern". Traditional biomass means cooking on wood stoves, it means difficult wood collection (done mostly by women), it means smoke inhalation and deforestation. Basically, traditional biomass is another way of saying abject poverty. It means no access to energy at all. Calling traditional biomass renewable energy is more than a stretch….

Global Warming Fraud Creates Third World Food Crisis How saving the planet causes famine: the climate crisis melts away but global food shortage is legacy of the foolish rush to biofuels. Evidence for dangerous, human-caused global warming was always slim, now it lies cruelly exposed both by a cruel blowback and it’s not just coming from within the science. A far more devastating catastrophe is unfolding and it is entirely the product of the mad rush to biofuels: third world famine. Today a whopping 6.5 percent of the world’s grain has been stripped from the global food supply. That’s the kind of catastrophic cut in food supply that triggers a tipping point so that Third World hunger explodes into mass starvation. Why did it happen?

Myths About Oil and GasAs voters around the country wince at rising gas prices, panicked Democrats, in a rush to cover the failure of their all-or-nothing bet on the alternative energy industry have started singing a familiar tune – blame the oil and gas industry. Instead of facing the reality of his owned failed policies, President Obama is calling for an end to the "tax giveaways" he claims amount to $4 billion in “subsidies” to the energy industry.


"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax -
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."

###

Sunday, May 15, 2011

American Council on Science and Health, 2011: Week 18

The presence of linked articles here are merely a way of showing what is going on, whether I agree or disagree with the positions presented.   I have highlighted what I think are "must read" articles with four asterisks. - Rich Kozlovich

****Has glass ever been “proven safe”? The first lines of Dominique Browning's op-ed in yesterday's The New York Times gave us a glimmer of hope that the newspaper was finally starting to publish sound science opinion pieces about the baseless controversy surrounding bisphenol A (BPA).

My Take - Although this question may seem a bit silly on the surface, it is in reality most serious.  Those pushing the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) aren't merely asking for an "update" on products as claimed.  This bill will require manufacturers to prove that their products are "safe" before they can be used.  The reality is that this is impossible to prove anything is safe.  It is called proving a negative and is scientifically impossible.  By creating this impossible standard they will have effectively imposed the Precautionary Principle on the nation.  Yet.....the vast majority of products we use have never been proven to the "safe", including glass.  We know glass isn't safe....it breaks and cuts people.  I would also like to know how they would create a standard for "safe" since this is impossible to prove and what testing could they possibly require to prove the impossible.  To get this in perspective; ask someone if they are cheating on their spouse.  When they say "no"; ask them to prove it.  They can't!  You can only prove what people are doing, not what they are not doing.  The same is true of products.  Once again.....You cannot prove a negative.

Appendicitis: Not so fast with the scalpel A new study in The Lancet led by Dr. Corinne Vons of the Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris and Université Paris XI finds that assessing the need for surgery in appendicitis patients using radiological tests (such as CT scans) is not sufficiently reliable to avoid surgery by treating with antibiotics.

Outsourcing clinical trials — this is supposed to make our drugs safer?
Clinical drug trials are going global as big pharma seeks to further cut costs while also accumulating "treatment-naïve" patients who may be more suitable for testing new drugs.

****Childhood leukemia and proximity to nuclear power plants: No link
Although this concern seemed alarmist from the start, it is comforting to know that the results of a just-released 35-year study conducted by scientists on the Committee of the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) find that there is no increased risk for leukemia among children living near nuclear power plants in the U.K.

My Take - It is time that we got rid of the idea that "no level of radiation is safe".  That is nonsense.  We are exposed to natural levels of radiation that is often time higher than the levels caused by industrial accidents.  There is one more issue here, and that is cancer clusters.  No one....and I mean no one.....has been able to explain these clusters, or link them to any exposure of any kind anywhere; which is one of the reasons they have stopped investigating them.  Get over it!  

New Zealand Health Ministry opinion on e-cigarettes is pro-harm reduction ACSH gives two cheers to the New Zealand Ministry of Health for acknowledging that electronic cigarettes are "far safer" than traditional cigarettes.

FDA approves rapid MRSA diagnostic test The FDA has just approved a new diagnostic test that will expedite the time needed to confirm a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.

Interval breast cancers may be more aggressive New research shows that breast cancers discovered between regular mammogram screenings (interval cancers) are more aggressive than those detected during routine screening.

Crying over chocolate milk: L.A. schools’ ban of flavored milk would accomplish nothing The nation's second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, may ban chocolate- and strawberry-milk from school menus next year in response to activists, as well as to Food Revolution TV host Jamie Oliver, all of whom consider flavored milk a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic.

****More autism in South Korea? Autism may occur more frequently in South Korean children than among those in the U.S., according to a new study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

****Parents of autistic kids have enough problems without quack “cures” An article appearing in the Los Angeles Times reveals the extremes to which desperate parents will go to help their autistic children.

My Take - This is such an emotional issue for so many parents who are suffering the anxiety and concern for their children's future.  They all have to ask the same question; what happens to my children after I am gone.  We have to stop thinking the government will be family for us.  We have to stop underming, as a society, the very concept of traditional family and the loyalties and responsibilities that concept imparts. 

Colonoscopies: Many need longer pause between screenings We here at ACSH have persistently advised Americans 50 years of age and older to have a colonoscopy at intervals recommended by the G.I. experts, and we have detected sub-optimal rates of these cancer-preventing procedures.

Who knew? (Not enough folks): Smoking causes blindness
Is there a link between smoking and blindness? If you weren't aware that there is, it's probably for lack of a national awareness campaign.


****Are breastfed babies better behaved?British researchers have found yet another reason for mothers to breastfeed their babies.

Hospital sanitary measures need improvement Is your doctor's necktie transmitting resistant bacteria to your hospitalized loved-one? Quite possibly.

****The Hijacking of Earth Day (The American Spectator) By Dr. Gilbert Ross. The last weekend in April saw the confluence of Earth Day and World Malaria Day. The very first Earth Day back in 1970 found many of us devoted to saving the world from polluting corporations and their toxic smog. And in fact, over the course of the next two decades or so, major strides were made in cleaning up our air and water.

These next three are for those suffering from arthritis pain 24/7

Not so fast with the celebrations over Celebrex Published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, a new study led by Dr. Nadir Arber of Tel Aviv University found that people taking Pfizer's anti-inflammatory pain pill Celebrex (celecoxib) were less likely to develop polyps in their colon, but they did experience a higher risk of cardiovascular problems.

NSAIDs and heart attacks: More bark than biteA startling headline warns that patients may be at risk of heart attack or death following even short-term treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Blood cancer risk with acetaminophen use may be small, but other risks still exist Yet another new study will have people questioning the safety of medications long believed to be as harmless as rainwater.

Drugs as good as invasive procedure for heart disease, but not enough docs prescribe them In 2007, a large 33.5-million-dollar trial, known as the COURAGE trial, found that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) offered fewer benefits over drug therapy for the treatment of stable heart disease.

HIV treatment: an incredible advance We reported on a study in November about the marked efficacy of Gilead Sciences, Inc.'s HIV drug Truvada for protection against the transmission of HIV between male partners. Now a new trial carried out by researchers with the HIV Prevention Trials Network shows that such preventive anti-retroviral protocols dramatically reduce HIV transmission in heterosexual couples.

Menthol controversy keeps smoldering A potential ban on menthol cigarettes got some momentum, based upon three studies published in the latest edition of The American Journal of Public Health.

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If there is a health scare today, the American Council on Science and Health will most likely have the answer by tomorrow; and for members it will appear in your e-mail. No effort on your part, except to read the answer. All that the ACSH is interested in are the facts and they are prepared to follow them wherever they lead. Who can ask for more?  Please Donate Now!

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