I Speak of Dreams

What Is this Twitter #Sciencemob?

It all started with a series of tweets from Homeopathyinfo (http://twitter.com/homeopathyinfo/).

Which struck me as very, very funny. 

So I said

And nominated a bunch of people to be part of the #sciencemob.  Eventually http://twitter.com/kashfarooq/  asked for a list, so I made one:  http://twitter.com/lizditz/sciencemob.

Generally the criteria for being on the list is pretty simple:

• science / reality based
• Forthright about challenging pseudoscience (homeopathy, chiropractic for anything other than low back pain, reiki, etc.)

Then the fooling with images began:

 

and  then I looked for images of, well, polite protest, and found this:

 

Finally, the admirable http://twitter.com/Anonymoosh/ created the best image:

So there you have it: #sciencemob on twitter.

Bleachgate, "Mineral Miracle Solution", and Quack Marketing

Update September 20 2010 Martin Robbins at the UK paper the Guardian has a long story, The Man Who Encourages the Sick and Dying to Drink Industrial Bleach

July 30 2010 It all started on July 30, 2010.  My pal Abel Pharmboy posted an urgent FDA warning at Terra Sigillata

FDA Warns Consumers of Serious Harm from Drinking Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) Product contains industrial strength bleach

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to take Miracle Mineral Solution, an oral liquid also known as “Miracle Mineral Supplement” or “MMS.” The product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health.

Abel twittered it and I did too. I was curious and poked around on the MMS websites --there are several -- and what I found appalled me. I passed on what I'd found to Abel.

August 2 2010 AboutLawsuits.com, which covers personal injury law, posts a warning to consumers.  America's Watchdog posts a similar warning, as does Wallet Pop

August 3 2010 PatrickPretty.com, which covers Ponzi schemes and internet crime, posts a Bulletin: Do Not Ingest

August 6 2010 Abel included some of my findings in his follow-up post at Science Based Medicine, Can it get any worse?: industrial bleach as cancer and HIV cure

August 10 2010 Rhys Morgan (a young Welshman) posts a tweet video and a post on his website   about being banned on the Crohn's syndrome forum  (Crohn’sForum.com)  for discussing how dangerous the MMS  "treatment" is.

August 12 2010 Noodlemaz (a UK blogger) posts the story to date: MMS: Purely a figure of your imagination, including a transcription on an interview of MMR's "inventor".  Depleted Cranium (a US blog) posts An Extraordinarily Dangerous Quack Product

August 13 2010 Thinking is Dangerous posts a short interview with Rhys Morgan, and Alice in Galaxyland goes into the background on MMS and explains, re Rhys Morgan's banning:  "A forum moderator myself, I am stunned. Stunned that safety warnings were hidden; stunned that science was silenced."

August 14 2010 Rys Morgan updates what has happened: his story has gone viral.

The UK has relatively stringent laws on medical claims in advertisements, which may get the UK distributors in trouble.  The US has significantly weaker protections....but the US  MMS marketers are getting nervous and making plans.

This is an unsubstantiated report from "Food for Thought"  a blog that promotes but does not sell MMS:

On the heels of their warning, a convoy of FDA agents appeared at PGL International  in Spokane, Washington, and their fulfillment house, intent on gathering “forensic” evidence of wrongdoing.

On the same day, on the other side of the world, agents from the Drug Regulation and Monitoring Agency, a unit of Japan’s Ministry of Health, visited an MMS supplier in Tokyo, while agents from the Health and Hygiene Agency made another impromptu call to a distributor in Osaka.

According to a reliable source, the tone of the Japanese encounters was decidedly different from those in Spokane. After three days of investigation, the FDA representatives made their objective very clear; a full recall of all MMS sold.

The PGL website reads:

Following discussion with FDA officials, Project GreenLife is effecting an immediate voluntary recall of its sodium chlorite solution product labeled MMS Miracle Mineral Solution, Premium Water Purification Drops

Update: Canada issued a health warning advisory on MMS May 12, 2010

Consumer Health Digest, July 29, 2010

Consumer Health Digest, July 29, 2010.

CDC blasts improper hair and urine tests. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has severely criticized the misuse of hair and urine tests to diagnose heavy metal toxicity. Last year, investigators from its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluated a suspected outbreak of antimony toxicity among fire fighters in Boca Raton, Florida who had been wearing fire-retardant pants that contained various chemicals. The investigation was triggered by hair analysis and urine toxic metal tests that had been ordered by a chelationist (Leonard Haimes, M.D.) and performed by a commercial laboratory (Doctor's Data). Doctor's Data's reports alleged that all 30 of the fire fighters who had undergone hair analysis had antimony levels much higher than the "reference range" and that 23 who also had urine toxic metal testing showed "high" mercury levels. After a thorough evaluation found no real evidence of toxicity, the investigators advised:

The decision to perform laboratory testing for heavy metals, including antimony and mercury, should be based on whether or not documented health symptoms are consistent with overexposure to these metals. It is important to use reliable and recommended testing methods with well-validated reference ranges to measure the concentration of heavy metals in the body. Because results from elemental hair analysis and post-chelation-challenge urine tests do not provide sufficient evidence of heavy metal toxicity, they should not be used to justify searching the workplace for exposures or to treat heavy metal toxicity. In particular, they should not be used to justify chelation therapy, which can be potentially harmful to a patient. [dePerio MA, Durgam S. Evaluation of antimony and mercury exposure in firefighters. [Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 2009-0025 and HETA 2009-0076-3085. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, June 2009]

After the CDC investigation was completed, most of the Boca Raton firefighters were reassured and withdrew their workers compensation claims. The rest of the claims were dismissed by the city, but the financial and/or emotional damage to the participants was considerable. At least 30 fire fighters spent about $500 each for their worthless evaluations by Dr. Haimes. The improper assessments caused widespread concern among the fire fighters, many of whom sought further medical evaluation elsewhere. Although most feel reassured, some have lingering doubts about what to believe. The City of Boca Raton, which is self-insured, spent many thousands of dollars processing the worker's compensation claims, and the manufacturer of the fire-retardant pants lost sales of a perfectly good product. Quackwatch has additional information on hair analysis and the urine toxic metals test.

Back in the Saddle: Skeptic Bloggers

My down-under pal EoR who blogs at the Second Sight, has resumed blogging!  Huzzah!  Check out the posts on  Pyramidal Memories Transmutation and Angels Want Your Money

Bronze Dog is also back blogging. Check out Pushing the Product and I Did My Own Research

What Are The Most Important Research Questions About Interventions for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders?

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders is a phrase used in educational circles to refer to students with ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Severe Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Eating Disorders, Autism, and Schizophrenia

John Wills Lloyd wants to help from readers:

 Help me identify important research questions about interventions for students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. As I noted in a parallel post on LD Blog, these need to be BIG IDEA questions. What do teachers and parents need to know about how to help students with EBD?

Examples (just for provoking discussion):

• Do consultation teams have greater benefits than school-wide behavior plans in reducing problem behavior?
• Do students with EBD benefit differentially from highly structured classroom arrangements?
• What procedures produce the best outcomes for students with EBD when they are 25 years old?
• How can teachers monitor progress in student behavior across time, a la CBM for academic performance?
• What specific competencies make teachers more or less successful in promoting learning by students with EBD?

Please think about issues that are balanced between general and explicitly testable. This is just a little crowd sourcing inquiry.

I hope your suggestions will illustrate ideas that actually can be investigated using rigorous scientific methods. Finding the fundamental causes of EBD, although an important concept, is off base for this thread. I’m hoping to talk about the fundamental actions that educators can undertake.

Don't answer here! Go to Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Blog (EBDblog) and leave your comment there.

http://ebdblog.com/2010/08/what-do-educators-need-to-know/

What Are The Most Important Research Questions About Interventions for Learning Disabilities?

John Wills Lloyd wants to know your ideas on the

the three (or two or four) most important research questions about Learning Disabilities interventions. These need to be BIG IDEA questions. What do teachers and parents need to know about how to help students with LD?

Examples (in no order; I’m just hoping to provoke discussion):

• Does RTI really help prevent problems in (a) reading, (b) writing, (c) math, and (d) social-behavioral outcomes? Does effectiveness vary by age?
• Do curricular approaches produce different benefits for students with LD?
• What procedures produce the best outcomes for students with LD when they are 25 years old?
• What specific competencies make teachers more or less successful in promoting learning by students with LD?

Please think about issues that are balanced between general and explicitly testable. This is just a little crowd sourcing inquiry.

Don't answer here! Go to the Learning Disabilities blog and leave a comment http://ldblog.com/2010/08/11/what-do-we-need-to-know/

From Bronze Dog, A Clear Example of Insult vs. Ad Hominem Argument

Commenting at Orac's post, Yes, there really are people who don't accept the germ theory of disease, the blogger Bronze Dog wrote a helpful mnemonic example:

There's a big difference between an insult and an ad hominem fallacy. The former is a conclusion independent of the topic of discussion. The latter is an integral premise used to form an invalid conclusion about the primary topic. There's a difference between integral and independent....

Insult: "You're an idiot because you used fallacies X, Y, and Z in this discussion about germ theory."
Ad Hominem Fallacy: "You're an idiot, therefore we can conclude A, B, and C about germ theory based on you being an idiot."

Now that I can remember.

And Bronze Dog promises to get back to blogging regularly.  He (or she) had better, 'cause I've subscribed to the blog feed.  You should too.

Thinking About Urban Agriculture in a Nuanced Way

Sharon Astyk, who writes the blog Casaubon's Book (more about the backstory here and here) has posted something really subtle in "What Are You Breeding For?"   The gist of the post (from my point of view) is that any choice has unintended (and perhaps overlooked) consequences.

The urban agriculture part is Sharon's effort to breed healthy, hardy, goodnatured goats that would be an asset to a backyard farm.

The urban agriculture part isn't currently one of my interests, but I like following along at home.

NoGoBlogHer Party & HomeHer10

From To Be Thode

I really wanted to go, you know. I've been having a lot of fun with #HomeHer10, started by @backpackingdad, and then it took on a life of its own. MommaFindings has some more coverage.

So, on to Thode's questions:

1. When did you start blogging?

December 3, 2003. Wow, six and a half years. The very first post.

2. Why did you start blogging?

I had been reading blogs for a while before that, and was tired of commenting only -- reacting to what others wrote or thought. I've always thought of my blog as a kind of cross between The New Yorker and the old Saturday Evening Post -- only about things that interest me.

3. What is one thing you are going to do this week that is WAY cooler than going to BlogHer?

Probably my younger stepson's 30th birthday party.

4. Share a post that you think says a lot about you or is your favorite. (share the link in YOUR post so we all can see)

This is making me think. I took down a lot of the more personal posts a couple of years ago, at the request of a family member. Said family member is no longer with us, though, and I could now repost them...Maybe I will. I can't point to just one post. I like my Annals of Quackery series. I should fire it back up.

The Great Northern Adventure (Take Two) Day 2

Day 2 begins in Vancouver and ends at Echo Valley Ranch. 

We arose, breakfasted at the Fairmont Waterfront breakfast buffet, and proceeded to the Vancouver Aquarium.

The breakfast buffet was good enough -- the usual array of cold and hot cereal, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon sausage, bacon, baked goods, and fruit.  I can't comment on the cost as it was included in our room price.  I have to say I love breakfast buffets as I am a grazer by nature, and can have a few bites of very many items. 

After breakfast we took a cab to the Aquarium, which is in Stanley Park.  I particularly wanted to tour the British Columbia exhibit and watch the belugas.  Happily, you can too, via the Beluga Cam.  I strongly recommend that you pre-purchase your tickets online and arrive about 15 minutes before opening time to avoid waiting in line.

If I were planning to spend the whole day, I would try to book one of the animal encounters. My choice would be the beluga encounter, the steller sea lion encounter, or the sea turtle encounter. Another thing I would love to do (if the dates worked out) is a family-themed sleepover

As I said, we only had the morning, but there's much more to explore in Stanley Park.  I particularly would like to visit the Shakespeare Garden and take tea at The Teahouse.

From the Aquarium we proceeded to Aviation (a charter firm) for the 40 minute flight to Echo Valley.  The flight was pleasant and uneventful.  As always, there's some bumpiness when flying over the mountains, and for those who haven't flown in a small aircraft, the plane seems to get too close to the terrain.

It was quite hazy as we flew in. 

We were met at the Echo Valley airstrip by our host, Norm Dove, and the ranch's general manager, Flint.  There were hugs all around -- this was Renee and Ruth's fifth visit to Echo Valley.  Flint ferried us to our several domiciles.  Renee, Ruth and I are in [] while Jumper Girl and Leona are sharing the bunkhouse.

Flint mentioned that there were two fires burning nearby, which was the source of the haze.  The ranch is in the Cariboo district, but can be affected by fires elsewhere.  At least one is burning in the Kamloops district.

By the time we had unpacked and freshened up, it was time to mosey down to the lodge for dinner.  Echo Valley Ranch is not the place to go for a weight-reduction vacation.  The chef, Kim [] trained in Denmark and worked at a number of four-star restaurants before taking up his post at EVR. 

Dinners are served family-style.  That night's menu was baked herbed salmon with an herbed sauce of the bernaise family, a melange of vegetables, and jasmine rice.  The salmon was perfectly cooked.The sauce on the rice was particularly delicious.

After dinner we signed up for the next day's activities. Jumper Girl, Ruth and I wanted to ride both in the morning and the afternoon; Renee wanted to ride only in the morning and have a spa treatment in the afternoon. Leona, being pregnant, isn't riding at all on this trip.  She signed up for a spa treatment in the morning and flyfishing with Flint in the afternoon.

The upside to the fire haze: the moonrise (waning, just past full) was spectacular!