BBC South West on the evils of homeopathic "vaccines"

Sam Smith presents an investigation of homeopathic "vaccines" (14th January 2013, BBC South West, Inside Out). The pills contain nothing whatsoever, but are promoted for serious infections like whooping cough and even meningitis. Of course they don't work, and if a child dies because if their use, that should constitute manslaughter.

As far back as 2006, homeopaths were caught out recommending their sugar pills for prevention of malaria. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/5178122.stm
Even Peter Fisher, the Queen's homeopathic physician (that isn't a joke) said that the practice made him "very angry"

The MHRA (Medicines and Health regulatory Authority) has been warned about this for many years by bloggers, and even by a BBC Newsnight programme, but it has done nothing. Neither has the General Pharmaceutical Council. These expensive bodies have failed shamefully in their duties.

The Department of Health has done nothing either. On the contrary, they have hindered efforts to ensure honesty.

"The Future of Skepticism Online: Crowd-Sourced Activism" - TAM 2012

Skeptic blogs and podcasts are plentiful and excellent, but often end up "preaching to the choir" of the already skeptical. Are there ways to use other online tools to reach out to the general public? Tim Farley of WhatsTheHarm.net and Derek Colanduno of "Skepticality" give you the answer in this workshop from TAM 2012.

Book Review: Good Gladys - Embrace the Dead by Martin Renaud

Good Gladys Embrace the Dead.
by Martin Renaud.

It was an easy to read book, ideal for a read on holiday for instance.

I liked the main character "Sauce", he had his problems but curiosity got to him and he took on the investigation with a lot of encouragement from Dara.

The plot is unusual and there are quite a few twists and turns which are unexpected.

The main characters were all good and fitted in well with "Sauce". I did not like the inclusion of the two young boys in the abduction though, it left a bad taste to the story, although that is just my own personal preference, each person will take something different from this part of the story.

I think there could be further stories to be written involving  "Sauce" and "BT" working together. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a light murder/mystery, without all the blood and guts of some books that are out there.

Review by @SusieD


Official Description

A murder mystery with a psychic twist.

News reports that the famous psychic Good Gladys is missing coincide with the brutal stabbing of her business manager. Gladys's daughter Dara asks an old friend, private investigator Byrne Aase, to help find the murderer. She claims that the man the police have in custody is innocent. In fact, she believes that the accused is her mother, having been transformed into a man during a seance gone awry.

Excerpt:

“Remember that day we left for St. Martin?” asked Dara, sitting down on the edge of the sofa. “I took you home, just before we left, so I could pack a few clothes for the trip. You met Mummy and talked with her while you waited for me.” Sauce turned and raised his eyebrows. “Good,” she continued. “Do you remember the first thing you said to her?”
“No, but I hope she took offense.” 

“It was perfect. Mummy asked you some self-aggrandizing question like, ‘How do you like the place?’ You looked her in the eye and—oh, I loved your answer so much it was etched in my memory. You said, ‘Bankruptcies and broken families from your thievery is all I see.’” Dara paused, and Sauce smiled. “You despised what she was doing as much as I did. But like me, you didn’t hate her.” 

“I didn’t? You don’t know that,” challenged Sauce. “I certainly knew enough about her, from the talk shows and celebrity gossip in the news, to hate her. ‘Good Gladys, psychic to the stars’ they call her. I can predict the future better than her. Believe in Gladys’s ability to talk with the dead and she will stay in your life until you are out of money. Gladys is the kind of person people either love for the wrong reasons, or hate for the right ones.”
“I never said you loved her. No, I agreed with Mummy that you are much more useful to us than a fawning admirer or a starched-shirt, lawyer-for-hire, yes man. You understand her.” Dara smiled. 

Sauce tried to resist the manipulation. “Here’s the best I can do. Leave, and I’ll mull it over. I promise I won’t say no until I call you tomorrow.”

Print and Kindle versions

The Randi Show - The Burzynski Clinic and Cancer Quacks

Randi opens up about his experience with cancer and how chemotherapy saved his life. Plus, we look into Stanislaw Burzynski, a Houston doctor who has been performing experimental cancer treatments that many medical professionals and science advocates say are unethical. For more information about Burzynski, visit TheHoustonCancerQuack.com

Atheist Experience 795 Christian says children aren't innocent so raping them isn't so bad

Matt Dillahunty, Tracie Harris discuss the morality of god with a Christian, Christian demonstrates he has no morals.