The Lay Scientist

In the aftermath of major blogging landmarks like the BCA Statement takedown and the Jeni Barnett affair, I've received numerous e-mails on the subject of how it is that we manage to coordinate so much action so quickly on these key issues. Many thoughtful alternative medicine practitioners and anti-vaccination activists have speculated that there might be more behind some of our blogs than meets the eye... drug company funding perhaps, or a network of sock puppets created by Ben Goldacre. Well today, for the first time ever, I'm going to blow the lid off the whole skeptical blogging scene, and expose the secret cabal that runs the "Bad Science Community."

Seeing GQ's Rock Stars of Science campaign for the first time gave me the same sort of instinctive reaction that I got when I saw OK Magazine's Jade Goody Tribute Edition released before she'd actually, y'know, died; or when I boarded the train to Windsor & Eton a few nights ago to find that somebody had sprayed bright-pink vomit on the floor of the carriage. I felt disgust, repulsion and hatred, but I couldn't immediately figure out why it bothered me so much.

Back in January, London-based LBC Radio broadcast a show hosted by Jeni Barnett that has become infamous. In an hour long segment, all sorts of wild claims were made about MMR by the host, covering the full spectrum from the vaguely reasonable to the nonsensical. Health professionals who phoned-in to the show were shouted down, while a homeopath caller was given free rein to make a range of wild accusations. In short, it was a travesty, so much so that a complaint was made to OfCom, who have today issued their ruling.

Andy Lewis of Quackometer fame has obtained documents from the Department of Health under the Freedom of Information Act indicating that the Complentary and Natural Healthcare Council, dubbed OfQuack by critics, will receive a further £409,300 of taxpayers' money to bail them out after their failure to establish a sustainable business model. Meanwhile, the regulatory body have issued a frankly ridiculous statement calling out a certain "Mr. Smith" for writing about them on the internet.

Yesterday I highlighted the fact that the BCA misrepresented the findings of a Cochrane Collaboration meta-study in their press release detailing the evidence for the efficacy of chiropractic in dealing with various childhood illnesses. I say evidence, but I actually mean 'evidence', in the same sense that Britain's Got Talent is a 'talent' show. Anyway, with this being quite a serious matter I thought I'd refer it to Britain's top chiropractic regulators, the GCC.

I'm overhauling the site theme now, with the aim of making things simpler, cleaner, easier to navigate, and more readable. This is the first theme I've created myself; It's a bit of a work in progress, and there are a bunch of things I'm not quite happy with yet, so please leave any comments and feedback you have here. Also, try out the new menu bar to find posts on particular topics, or by particular guest bloggers.

Argh! And we're down again, after the site borked itself. Damnit.

Well over a year after Simon Singh's 'libelous' article on Chiropractic was published; with Singh preparing to launch an appeal against Eady's ruling in the preliminary hearing of the result trial; and with the chiropractic profession under siege from a PR nightmare; the British Chiropractic Association have finally decided to release the evidence that they claim backs up their promotion of Chiropractic treatments. In doing so, they have misrepresented the evidence for the effectiveness of chiropractic in treating bed-wetting.

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. A vestige of a vile virus vanished, stands vivified. A re-visitation of a by-gone vexation, wreaking its violently vicious and voracious violation of Vista's registry. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

I've been up all night.

Virus writers should hang.

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The 'chiropocalypse' continues. Hot on the heels of the McTimoney Chiropractic Association's urgent request that members remove their websites and medical claims; the United Chiropractic Associated have issued their own urgent call to members as the fall-out from the British Chiropractic Associates increasingly disastrous libel action continues.

Absolutely stunning news this morning via Le Canard Noir. Our campaign to hold chiropractics in the UK accountable to regulators for their false claims, has been more effective than anyone thought possible, and has resulted in the McTimoney Association deleting its website, and advising its members to do the same and remove their websites from the internet.