Archives
They’re Laughing at US
Posted on July 5, 2020 4 Comments
It has almost been 20 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania of September 11, 2001. Since then, numerous conspiracy theories have been floated in an attempt to explain the unimaginable tragedy that that day was for the families of the victims. These theories range from the insane to […]
When You Only Read the Abstract, You End Up Thinking That Vaccines Cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Posted on December 30, 2019 3 Comments
Anti-vaxxers are spreading a new rumor, and so, here I am, screaming in the wilderness to see if anyone is paying attention. The new rumor is — as you may have guessed from my clever title to this blog post — that vaccines cause autism SIDS. SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is a syndrome in […]
It Kind of Tickles, Does It Not?
Posted on December 11, 2019 2 Comments
There is a great podcast by economist Tim Harford about things that have gone terribly wrong and what we can learn from them. The podcast is called “Cautionary Tales,” and, believe me, they are. If you’re the kind of person who learns from their mistakes and the mistakes of others, you’ll like this podcast. Two […]
Your Views Will Evolve
Posted on November 27, 2019 2 Comments
Time flies, and you all of a sudden find yourself not thinking or acting the way that you used to. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Tell you all about it? Totally.
The Lies People Tell You About Me
Posted on June 10, 2019 1 Comment
It’s funny to me that people spend time in their days to make up stories about me, living rent-free in their heads because they can’t accept facts.
A Brief History of Measles
Posted on February 20, 2019 1 Comment
Measles has been plaguing humanity since around the 12th Century AD. It used to be that the lack of medical care and a vaccine were what caused the epidemics of measles. Today, the causes are mostly due to the human condition: to believing myths, spreading misinformation, inequalities in the delivery of healthcare and public health services, and the willingness of some people to make a buck off the fears of those who are not equipped to know better.
Religious Intellectual Dishonesty
Posted on March 12, 2017
The story goes that I got in trouble with the priest when I was a kid because I asked too many questions. My inquiring mind wanted to know the context of biblical sayings, not just the quotes themselves. That carried on into my teenage years, when I sat in the back of the church and […]
Thimerosal Is a Salt, and It’s Pretty Safe
Posted on October 18, 2016 3 Comments
I completely understand why chemicals are scary. From the time that we’re kids, we’re told that there are poisons out there, and that those poisons are chemicals. They usually have really complex-sounding names, names we don’t use everyday. So I also understand when people are skeptical of chemicals included or added in food. Remember the […]
Antivaxxers Trumping CDC
Posted on October 16, 2016 3 Comments
I’ve always been impressed by the cognitive dissonance exhibited by many in the anti-vaccine community. But it wasn’t until this election cycle thatI comes to understand exactly what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. When I see Donald Trump, a sweat stain that just wont come off your favorite country, tell a lie and […]
The Rorschach Test of anti-vaccine beliefs
Posted on June 15, 2016 1 Comment
You have probably heard by now about a documentary spliced together by known anti-vaccine fraud Andrew Wakefield. I write that it was “spliced together” because so much of it is non-linear. There’s no introduction, thesis statement, and supporting facts. It’s all a hodge podge of talking heads, testimonials, spliced sampling of a recorded conversation of […]
EpidemioLogical 