Matharu's Rants and Raves

DC’s Improbable Science has an article http://www.dcscience.net/?p=2829 titled “A handy list of dimwitted members of parliament” which starts:

An‘early day motion1 (EDM 908) has been tabled in parliament which opposes the conclusions of the science and technology committee report on the evidence for homeopathy. After two weeks it has been signed by an amazing 55 MPs. That is 8.5% of all 646 MPs.  Nothing shows more clearly the scientific illiteracy that prevails in the House of Commons (and, perhaps, the results of the mass mailing of MPs by homeopaths, who are clutching at straws)..

These MPs are all people who have difficulty with the idea that pills which contain nothing can have no effect above placebo.  It isn’t rocket science.

Are these MPs displaying their ignorance of the scientific process by supporting a demonstrable pseudoscience? You decide.

Here’s the current list of these MPs (republished from DC’s Improbable Science):

It seems that the BBC is much like any other large news organisation; perhaps better than some and perhaps worse than others. It has time pressures to produce something that is current and topical. And this can lead to poor research, poor quality assurance and poor implementation with biased reporting and inaccurate information. I certainly don’t buy into any romantic notions or myths that the BBC is impartial and infallible.

DC’s Improbable Science has an article describing “some truly appalling reporting of science by the BBC” at http://www.dcscience.net/?p=2813. We definitely do need to be on the guard against nonsense and DC’s Improbable Science blog is one of those places to allows us to do that.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

Apparently there’s an old saying, “Don’t kick a man when he’s trying to apologise”. Or something like that. And so I welcomed the news of several universities dropping “degree” courses in homeopathy. It can’t have been an easy thing to do but I’d like to think that the universities recognised the need to maintain intellectual honesty and integrity over any money grabbing schemes using dishonest degrees.

But the dropping of homeopathy degrees hasn’t been undertaken everywhere as there are still some courses out there. A recent DC’s Improbable Science blog article at http://www.dcscience.net/?p=2747 details examples of where homeopathy is still being taught and also details the lack of cooperation from universities in providing information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Dear universities and other institutions of learning, be honest. Give us the truth…it may hurt right now but you will help to create a legacy that will be admired.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

Say it ain’t so! DC’s Improbable Science provides another great article at http://www.dcscience.net/?p=1812 on what are obviously cash-cows for the University of Westminster. Cash-cows, yes, but also bullshit degrees. IMHO of course!

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2009

More hot stuff from DC’s Improbable Science  http://dcscience.net/?p=1284

DC makes some very pertinent points regarding the decline of rigour within the Health Professionals Council (HPC), and the growth of nonsense. Nonsense is as nonsense does.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2009

Some progress, of sorts http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7956378.stm

The MHRA has upheld the complaint about the wording used to advertise the medical efficacy of Prince Charles’s Dutchy Originals "Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture" and "Duchy Herbals Hyperi-Lift Tincture".

Now, I’m no fan of the MHRA as they are not fully transparent and have washed their hands in dealing with certain products. But at least the MHRA announcement, and the BBC’s reporting of it, will reach a wider audience and act as a warning to those that may otherwise have fallen victim for the disingenuous antics of Prince Charles’s company and other promoters of quackery and pseudoscience.

It’s a pity that the BBC didn’t mention the good work done by The Quackometer, DC’s Improbable Science, and other websites.

Further background information is here:

1. http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/03/duchy-originals-pork-pies.html
2. http://dcscience.net/?p=920
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7934568.stm
4. http://www.metalvortex.com/blog/2009/03/11/277.html

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2009

Thanks to a couple of blogs I was brought up to date on the silly antics of LBC and their harassment of Ben Goldacre.

Ben Goldacre’s badscience article provides a lot of information and also I gotta thank DC’s Improbable Science article for a reminder.

Copyright © 2009 Kulvinder Singh Matharu – All Rights Reserved

Another interesting DC’s Improbable Science article, this time highlighting the woo-ness of certain “degrees” at Thames Valley University and the lack of critical thinking that is leading to the increase of dumb and dumber “degrees” at a number of universities.

The trouble with most folks isn’t so much their ignorance, as knowing so many things that ain’t so. – Josh Billings

Copyright © 2008 Kulvinder Singh Matharu – All Rights Reserved

I was reading another great article at DC’s Improbable Science, and I was laughing at the antics of the University of Wales but also crying at their contradictory and inconsistent messages on using scientific rigour but who were really actively supporting quackery. Money, money, money.

Copyright © 2008 Kulvinder Singh Matharu – All Rights Reserved

The article University abandons homeopathy “degree” over at DC’s Improbable Science site explains how the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) dropped the “BSc” course on pseudoscience known as homeopathy.

However, it seems clear from Kate Chatfield’s e-mail and the clarification that DC provides that the e-mail is highly misleading and seems to demonstrate a lack of understanding of why homeopathy is not a subject that should be given degree status. Homeopathy, as a pseudoscience, abandons the scientific process and promotes unclear thinking…it opens the door to superstition.

Copyright © 2008 Kulvinder Singh Matharu – All Rights Reserved