Comments for Informal Skepticism

Comment on This is the stuff that pisses me off by naontiotami

naontiotami — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:31:45 +0000

I’m sorry you didn’t find it as infuriating as I did, but I just look at that and see people lying to children. I mean, seriously…

Comment on This is the stuff that pisses me off by seantheblogonaut

seantheblogonaut — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:27:16 +0000

Not as bad as I was expecting, it reminds the moderates just how stupid the Religious right is.

Comment on Hard work pays off… by podblack

podblack — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:44:54 +0000

You’re wonderful. Thanks so, so much!

Comment on Is this a harmful use of homeopathy? by Irving

Irving — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:10:40 +0000

Okay I can see these points on the side against homeopathy. But when this “wellness” centre obviously states that it is helping women make the most of their current situation by giving them a livelihood and councelling, it seems that homeopathic treatment is simply being used as a form of councelling, to give the women some form of hope or reassurance. What would be morally wrong is if they were informing the women that they were being cured, rather than helped. For the placebo to work, obviously some kind of deception would need to be in place, but as long as they were not preaching the treatment as a “cure,” what is the real harm in giving some impoverished women a bit of hope?
The fact that this centre clearly states it is a “Wellness” centre, and that the clinic provides HIV SUPPORT, and not treatment, is a clear sign that they are merely playing psychologists and helping these people out in another, also important way – through information and hope.

Comment on Ugh! I’ve been tagged! by The 6 Things Meme « (((Billy))) The Atheist

The 6 Things Meme « (((Billy))) The Atheist — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:30:43 +0000

[...] Myers, who was tagged by The Science Pundit, who was tagged by The Darwin Report, who was tagged by Informal Skepticism, who was tagged by Scepticon, who was tagged by PodBlack Cat,taggged by Wandering in the [...]

Comment on Is this a harmful use of homeopathy? by Maria

Maria — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:54:23 +0000

The very suggestion that HIV/Aids or any other medical condition is treatable with homeopathy is irresponsible and potentially dangerous. It gives the wrong impression both about the ‘remedies’, which have no active ingredients, and about the nature of the condition.

It seems that homeopushers are increasingly getting away with exploiting the ignorance and fears of the most desperate and vulnerable. I agree with Dr Rachie. It’s disgusting.

Comment on Is this a harmful use of homeopathy? by Rachael Dunlop

Rachael Dunlop — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:18:43 +0000

Oh how this stuff makes my blood boil. The first red flag should be hoisted with “wellness”, which means nothing scientifically or medically.

Don’t forget that Mbeki is an AIDS denier (i.e., HIV does not cause AIDS) and his government took that platform for many years. I think recently (I may be wrong) they have started to back down a little. I was discussing this with Steve Novella on Friday night. But what remains in the aftermath are charlatans selling vitamin pills and touting them as cures for AIDS.

Go here to see a great article about AIDS deniers and the internet age written by Tara Smith and Steve Novella
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040256&ct=1

It is true that poverty is a problem, but several years ago the big pharma (conspiracy! conspiracy!) made available generic drugs to African countries at a reduced price (not reduced enough as far as I understand).

Of course this is bad. I went to a lecture earlier this year where access to HIV pharmacotherapies is now classified as a basic human right, and denial a breach of. HIV has now become as issue of an abuse of human rights and this includes the prescription of alternative therapies – an alternative to what? Something that works? Homeopathy for AIDS? Most heinous.

Homeopathy in liquid form is water, in pill form sugar and water and maybe some binding agents. Nothing else. I detail the dilution process, beyond any remaining active ingredient, in the comments to my recent blog, in response to someone who believes.

Go here http://skepticzone.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/woo-woo-in-australian-pharmacies-an-ongoing-problem/#comment-76 and scroll down to the comments to see the craziness that is homeopathy.

People believe some weird shit, but enforcing it on the sick, desperate ad destitute is in my opinion tantamount to human rights abuse. Disgusting.

Dr Rachie

Comment on Ugh! I’ve been tagged! by thedarwinreport

thedarwinreport — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:09:10 +0000

Mercy. I submit to your tagging. You win. America is now part of Australia. From now on it will be called "Down Over". 6 Random Things About Me

Comment on Ugh! I’ve been tagged! by I’ve Been Tagged… Now Release Me Back Into Suburbia « The Darwin Report

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:32:20 +0000

[...] just received a shot across my bow from InformalSkepticism aka NaonTiotami. In other words, he’s tagged me. I’ve always known America and [...]

Comment on Skeptical Podcasts by Scepticon

Scepticon — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:05:31 +0000

Hey, like the new site. Only 5 podcasts in common with me on this list. Any, I here by Tag you, consider yourself tagged. You know with a tag. I don’t know, blame Podblack.