Comments on: London’s Biggest Conversation http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html Experiments and Thoughts on Quackery, Health Beliefs and Pseudoscience Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:47:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Anti-D http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7509 Anti-D Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:44:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7509 I'm open to correction, but it appears to me that the authors of this review (which is supposedly evaluating all available evidence) reach contradictory conclusions. On the one hand they say evidence of safety is inadequate (based on their analysis of the evidence), while on the other, they say the safety evidence supports mass immunisation programmes... The evidence points one way, yet they make it point in the exact opposite direction - quite a feat of mental gymnastics... I’m open to correction, but it appears to me that the authors of this review (which is supposedly evaluating all available evidence) reach contradictory conclusions. On the one hand they say evidence of safety is inadequate (based on their analysis of the evidence), while on the other, they say the safety evidence supports mass immunisation programmes… The evidence points one way, yet they make it point in the exact opposite direction – quite a feat of mental gymnastics…

]]> By: Norbury http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7507 Norbury Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:31:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7507 Anti-D, you do understand that the two parts of the conclusion to the Cochrane review don't cancel each other out don't you? Anti-D, you do understand that the two parts of the conclusion to the Cochrane review don’t cancel each other out don’t you?

]]> By: zeno http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7500 zeno Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:39:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7500 I suspect they (CNHC) were able to stop Andy's title (making quacks look respectable since 2008) from appearing when it redirects to the CNHC site.<br/><br/>However, www.ofquack.org.uk still works and probably still logs as the referrer in CNHC's logs, so still very worthwhile using that rather than the CNHC's URL!<br/><br/>It might be good to have a simple web page that has a sentence or two about OfQuack before it re-directs to the CNHC pages? Type in www.ofquack.org.uk and you get 1,820 hits! I suspect they (CNHC) were able to stop Andy’s title (making quacks look respectable since 2008) from appearing when it redirects to the CNHC site.

However, http://www.ofquack.org.uk still works and probably still logs as the referrer in CNHC’s logs, so still very worthwhile using that rather than the CNHC’s URL!

It might be good to have a simple web page that has a sentence or two about OfQuack before it re-directs to the CNHC pages? Type in http://www.ofquack.org.uk and you get 1,820 hits!

]]> By: John H http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7499 John H Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:08:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7499 Andy<br/><br/>You get a mention in Private Eye in connection with OfQuack.<br/><br/>Some git seems to have changed the www.ofquack.org.uk URL so it no longer insults His Righteous Homeodoodah Prince Charlatan and the quacks.<br/><br/>I wonder what naughty boy changed it in the first place ? Andy

You get a mention in Private Eye in connection with OfQuack.

Some git seems to have changed the http://www.ofquack.org.uk URL so it no longer insults His Righteous Homeodoodah Prince Charlatan and the quacks.

I wonder what naughty boy changed it in the first place ?

]]> By: Anti-D http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7495 Anti-D Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:23:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7495 No Chrisp, the author's conclusions were 'The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre- and post-marketing, are largely inadequate. The evidence of adverse events following immunisation with MMR cannot be separated from its role in preventing the target diseases.' The clue is the heading 'Author's Conclusions'... No Chrisp, the author’s conclusions were ‘The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre- and post-marketing, are largely inadequate. The evidence of adverse events following immunisation with MMR cannot be separated from its role in preventing the target diseases.’ The clue is the heading ‘Author’s Conclusions’…

]]> By: Chris http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7494 Chris Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:11:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7494 Andy-D said "Furthermore, the recent death of a child in Geneva, which you mention, does not invalidate the conclusions of this review."<br/><br/>Which were (again):"Existing evidence on the safety and effectiveness of MMR vaccine supports current policies of mass immunisation aimed at global measles eradication in order to reduce morbidity and mortality<br/>associated with mumps and rubella." Andy-D said “Furthermore, the recent death of a child in Geneva, which you mention, does not invalidate the conclusions of this review.”

Which were (again):”Existing evidence on the safety and effectiveness of MMR vaccine supports current policies of mass immunisation aimed at global measles eradication in order to reduce morbidity and mortality
associated with mumps and rubella.”

]]> By: pv http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7492 pv Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:02:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7492 <i>LBC 97.3FM - you are hypocrites - you invite conversation and debate, but scream and shout when it does not go your way. You are the old school, and you fail to understand how there are rafts of people out there that hate how you try to control the media and fill it with vacuous nonsense <b>without any sense of civic responsibility</b>.</i><br/>Exactly. The UK news and trivia media summed up in six words - <b>"without any sense of civic responsibility"</b><br/>May I say, very well put indeed. LBC 97.3FM – you are hypocrites – you invite conversation and debate, but scream and shout when it does not go your way. You are the old school, and you fail to understand how there are rafts of people out there that hate how you try to control the media and fill it with vacuous nonsense without any sense of civic responsibility.
Exactly. The UK news and trivia media summed up in six words – “without any sense of civic responsibility”
May I say, very well put indeed.

]]> By: Anti-D http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7491 Anti-D Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:33:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7491 The Cochrane review cannot find this 'sufficient data' to which you refer. Furthermore, the recent death of a child in Geneva, which you mention, does not invalidate the conclusions of this review. The Cochrane review cannot find this ’sufficient data’ to which you refer. Furthermore, the recent death of a child in Geneva, which you mention, does not invalidate the conclusions of this review.

]]> By: UKdietitian http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7489 UKdietitian Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:16:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7489 Jeni's blog says on its home page -<br/><br/>"UK TV presenter Jeni Barnett's blog: Acting is all about honesty, if you can fake that you can fake anything."<br/><br/>How very true Jeni’s blog says on its home page -

“UK TV presenter Jeni Barnett’s blog: Acting is all about honesty, if you can fake that you can fake anything.”

How very true

]]> By: Chris http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/02/london-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7488 Chris Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:26:00 +0000 http://www.quackometer.net/wpblog/2009/02/londons-biggest-conversation.html#comment-7488 The MMR has been in use around the world since 1971, if not in the UK. One figures that there is sufficient data to make their conclusions.<br/><br/>And it certainly beats one little study of twelve children where it was noted in an American court that the data was very flawed. <br/><br/>And the conclusions that came before your quote make more sense in light of the return of measles with resulting deaths (like the little French girl in Geneva recently). The MMR has been in use around the world since 1971, if not in the UK. One figures that there is sufficient data to make their conclusions.

And it certainly beats one little study of twelve children where it was noted in an American court that the data was very flawed.

And the conclusions that came before your quote make more sense in light of the return of measles with resulting deaths (like the little French girl in Geneva recently).

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