Death by Ignorance

Episode Notes A chilling discussion about modern day medical errors and what you can do to help protect yourself.

Episode Notes Nuclear waste is piling up all over our country. It will still be deadly centuries from now. We have a place to put it. It is the best possible place, the safest place, and it has been sitting empty for decades while the plutonium made in our nuclear reactors sits in insanely dangerous holding sites around the country.This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes We are sitting on a time bomb. Drowning in debt and dangerously overextended, we are one more bubble-burst away from the financial crisis which could trigger a global economic collapse. We look at how such a collapse will likely destroy the lives of millions of unsuspecting Americans - in the blink of an eye.This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes The very real danger of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and our ongoing failure to take control of the overuse and misuse of antibiotics on our planet.For more reading, consider the following sources:Alexander Fleming Biography Biography.com (website) August 7, 2019Antibiotic Resistance Position paper World Health Organization, February 5, 2018Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant E. coli in Retail Chicken: Comparing Conventional, Organic, Kosher, and Raised without Antibiotics. Version 2. Jack M. Millman et al. in F1000Research, Vol. 2, Article No. 155. Published online September 2, 2013.Multidrug-Resistant and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Hog Slaughter and Processing Plant Workers and Their Community in North Carolina (USA). Ricardo Castillo Neyra et al. in Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 122, No. 5, pages 471–477; May 2014.Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus: The United States Experience. Tara C. Smith in PLOS Pathogens, Vol. 11, No. 2, Article No. e1004564; February 5, 2015.Detection of Airborne Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Inside and Downwind of a Swine Building, and in Animal Feed: Potential Occupational, Animal Health, and Environmental Implications. Dwight D. Ferguson et al. in Journal of Agromedicine, Vol. 21, No. 2, pages 149–153; 2016.Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Pigs and Farm Workers on Conventional and Antibiotic-Free Swine Farms in the USA. Tara C. Smith et al. in PLOS ONE, Vol. 8, No. 5, Article No. e63704; May 7, 2013.This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes An attempt to make sense of the anti-vaccination movement. We look at the origins of the movement, their beliefs, and how a society can give birth to a movement like this. To read the original MMR-autism paper...https://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-paper.pdf To read the CDC/Danish study...https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2727726/measles-mumps-rubella-vaccination-autism-nationwide-cohort-study Another solid paper refuting the Wakefield fraud...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24814559Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Welcome to Episode 6 of Death by Ignorance!This week we will be taking on Sexually Transmitted Diseases - not literally, of course. We'll look into a little of the history and get you up to date on what's out there, before your date does, if you catch my drift. Everything was going reasonably well until I started looking at the state of sex education in American schools. I kept the rant as short as possible, but I decided not to take it out. You should know what is going on in schools - it will make you very angry. Here is a link to the CDC's most recent update on the diseases, treatments, and a ton of other very useful information. https://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm This CDC website links to a host of other valuable educational resources. The information regarding the current state of sex education was taken from an article written by Dr. Justin Lehmiller and it is available here...https://www.lehmiller.com/blog/2019/3/18/the-state-of-sex-education-in-the-united-states-in-2019 Some of the historical stories were taken from this article, published in the online magazine Aeon... https://aeon.co/essays/getting-down-and-medieval-the-sex-lives-of-the-middle-ages If you do not read this publication already, I strongly recommend you give it a try! Thanks for listening, have a good day, and wash your hands before and after. Got it?Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Some additional resources…This excellent discussion addresses the real costs of energy production - https://skepticalscience.com/renewable-energy-is-too-expensive.htmAll the other climate-change denial arguments you may hear, with some excellent responses for you to consider – https://skepticalscience.com/argument.phpA short article on the growing irrelevance of climate-change denial, from Scientific American - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-increasing-irrelevance-of-climate-change-denial/One of the best resources for straight talk about the environment – https://www.desmogblog.comThis essay figures prominently in my discussion. I am grateful to Brendon DeMelle for writing this excellent essay and urge you to read it in full – https://www.beforetheflood.com/explore/the-deniers/top-10-climate-deniers/Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This is the McAdams Atlantic article from 2016: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-trump/480771/Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Hello all, This week we look into the big business of medical tourism and try to figure out if it a glimmer of hope for American healthcare, or a dumb risk for individual Americans. Here is the CDC's information on the subject: https://www.cdc.gov/features/medicaltourism/index.html This the WMA recommendation document I discuss: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-statement-on-medical-tourism/ This is the FAQ sheet from the Medical Tourism Association: https://medicaltourismassociation.com/content.php/medical-tourism-faq-s.html?url=medical-tourism-faq-s&lang=enSupport Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Thanks for listening. You’re the reason I do this.In Episode 10 we take a good close look into homeopathy. What we see is not pretty.Here are the resources that I refer to in the podcast:This Dr. Stephen Barrett’s website, Quackwatch – if you have never visited, you are missing out on a powerful and important voice in medical skepticism! https://www.quackwatch.org/index.htmlThis Dr. Barrett’s article on the subject of homeopathy – it is solid gold. https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.htmlHere is the Merseyside Skeptics Society – an inspiring organization, and arch-enemy of British homeopathy. This is one place to find Michael Marshall (Marsh) and the home some really awesome skeptical podcasts (“Skeptics with a K”, “Re Reasonable”, and “inKredulous”) http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.ukThis is a link to one of the British Homeopathic Association publications referenced in the podcast. Read with care, it’ll give you a bad headache. https://www.britishhomeopathic.org/evidence/the-evidence-for-homeopathy/This was one of my sources for tracking down the “evidence” for homeopathy. You should read a few of the articles if you want to get a feel for the kind of evidence homeopathy is using. https://homeopathyusa.org/uploads/Homeopathy-Research-Evidence-Base-11-15-2018.pdfThis is one of the articles covering the death of young Francesco Bonifazi https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/belief-in-homeopathy-results-in-the-death-of-a-7-year-old-italian-child/I didn’t use this story from Phil Plait, but it is worth reading. Another sad story that didn’t have to happen. https://slate.com/technology/2009/06/homeopathy-kills.htmlIf you want the complete list of every piece of homeopathic research that I reviewed, shoot me your email address and I’ll send it to you.Thanks again for listening!Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

A discussion about anti-science activism in religion, business, and politics. What is it, where does it come from, who is behind it, and how it threatens each and every one of us.Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Death by Ignorance – Episode 12 – Just a little prickAdditional reading: https://www.amazon.com/Fantasyland-America-Haywire-500-Year-History-ebook/dp/B004J4WNJE https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555 Sherman KJ, Cherkin DC, Deyo RA, et al. The diagnosis and treatment of chronic back pain by acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists. Clin J Pain. 2006 Mar-Apr;22(3):227–234. Barrett, S (30 December 2007). "Be Wary of Acupuncture, Qigong, and "Chinese Medicine"". Quackwatch. http://www.dcscience.net/Ernst-2011-AcupunctAlleviatePainRiskReview.pdf Deare JC, Zheng Z, Xue CC, Liu JP, Shang J, Scott SW, Littlejohn G (May 2013). "Acupuncture for treating fibromyalgia". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 5 (5): CD007070. Seca S, Miranda D, Cardoso D, Nogueira B, Greten HJ, Cabrita A, Rodrigues MA (19 December 2018). "Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Pain, Physical Function and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Evidence". Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine. doi:10.1007/s11655-018-2914-x. PMID 30569405 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3616356 Towler P, Molassiotis A, Brearley SG (October 2013). "What is the evidence for the use of acupuncture as an intervention for symptom management in cancer supportive and palliative care: an integrative overview of reviews". Supportive Care in Cancer. 21 (10): 2913–23. doi:10.1007/s00520-013-1882-8. PMID 23868190. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1466855 Barrett, Stephen. "Auriculotherapy: A Skeptical Look". Acupuncture Watch. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC558023 Cheuk DK, Wong V (May 2014). "Acupuncture for epilepsy". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 5(5): CD005062. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005062.pub4. PMID 24801225. https://books.google.com/books?id=E6oa37ZyTxEC&pg=PA90 Burke A, Upchurch DM, Dye C, Chyu L. Acupuncture use in the United States: findings from the National Health Interview Survey. J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Sep;12(7):639–648. Wu DZ. Acupuncture and neurophysiology. Clinical Neurology & Neurosurgery. 1990;92(1):13–25. Cheng R, Pomeranz B. Monoamineergic mechanisms of electroacupuncture analgesia. Brain Res. 1981;215:77–92. Hui KK, Liu J, Makris N, et al. Acupuncture modulates the limbic system and subcortical gray structures of the human brain: evidence from fMRI studies in normal subjects. Human Brain Mapping. 2000;9(1):13–25. Park J, Linde K, Manheimer E, et al. The status and future of acupuncture clinical research. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Sep;14(7):871–881. Vickers AJ. Placebo controls in randomized trials of acupuncture. Eval Health Prof. 2002 Dec;25(4):421–435. Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Race to the Bottom - the sellout of National GeographicBored to death with 130 years of scientific reportage, National Geographic takes a hard left turn into fantasy-land with the publication of six do-it-yourself guides to home remedies. I recommend the article by Dr. Victor Benson in the September edition of the Skeptical Inquirer Magazine (Vol. 43 No. 5). Our opinions are much the same, but he is less offensive than me in the delivery. I strongly recommend that you don't buy the offending books described in the article, but if you decide you just have to have them, you can have mine. I'll sell them for their actual value, 5 cents each, as long as you pay the postage.Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

An analysis of the US opioid crisis, with particular attention to the rapid recent increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths.Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Death by IgnoranceProgram notes – Episode 15 – The Assassination of TruthReferences1) An article from Chris Cillizza on truth in the 2016 US election https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-campaign-republican-us-election-2016-what-it-says-about-a7022276.html 2) Michael Deacon, writing in the Daily Telegraph (UK) on post-truth politics https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/09/in-a-world-of-post-truth-politics-andrea-leadsom-will-make-the-p/ 3) Gay Alcorn’s article on post-truth politics and the irrelevance of facts from 2014 http://www.theage.com.au/comment/facts-are-futile-in-an-era-of-posttruth-politics-20140227-33m70.html 4) Richard Kreitner of The Nation giving some historical perspective on post-truth politics https://www.thenation.com/article/post-truth-and-its-consequences-what-a-25-year-old-essay-tells-us-about-the-current-moment/ 5) Sam Harris’ short book, “Lying” was a valuable background resource and is well worth your time to read – highly recommended 6) Paul Krugman’s article “The Post-Truth Campaign” from the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/opinion/krugman-the-post-truth-campaign.html and a quote from the piece (that I didn’t include but is worth reading) … "[I]f past experience is any guide, most of the news media will feel as though their reporting must be 'balanced,' which means that every time they point out that a Republican lied they have to match it with a comparable accusation against a Democrat — even if what the Democrat said was actually true or, at worst, a minor misstatement." 7) Ralph Keyes (2004). “The Post-Truth Era: Dishonesty and Deception in Contemporary Life”, A highly recommended read. The pages I referred to are 127 and 128. If you would be interested in looking cooler and smarter than everyone else in the world, consider snagging yourself a Death by Ignorance tee shirt, coffee mug, or Bugatti Veyron (only 10 Bugatti’s left – don’t be left out! Order now) * Sorry guys... I was unable to attach a photograph of the tee shirt design. If you go to the Death by Ignorance webpage, you will see it there! https://death-by-ignorance.pinecast.coTee shirt - $30 Coffee mug - $10 Bugatti Veyron - $1,795,000My oblique reference to Kant’s stability came from Bruce’s Song, written by Eric Idle of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Do yourself a favor and watch Eric performing the piece in his living room – it’s on YouTube. Also, find the footage of the song being sung by the great Christopher Hitchens. He is sorely missed.Bruce’s SongImmanuel Kant was a real pissant Who was very rarely stable Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar Who could think you under the tableDavid Hume could out-consume Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel And Wittgenstein was a beery swine Who was just as sloshed as SchlegelThere's nothing Nietzche couldn't teach ya 'Bout the raising of the wrist Socrates, himself, was permanently pissedJohn Stuart Mill, of his own free will On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill Plato, they say, could stick it away Half a crate of whiskey every dayAristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle Hobbes was fond of his dram And René Descartes was a drunken fart "I drink, therefore I am"Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed A lovely little thinker But a bugger when he's pissedSupport Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceFind out more at https://death-by-ignorance.pinecast.coThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Hello All, This week I decided to take a break from the heavy and controversial topics we've been tackling lately. This episode a brief history of heavy metal toxicity, with a lot of interesting facts about the elements and their relationship with humans over the last 2000 years or so. Hope you enjoy listening.Support Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceFind out more at https://death-by-ignorance.pinecast.coThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Death by Ignorance Episode 17 - AI and the Universal Basic IncomeRecommended reading: 1) Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom 2) Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark 3) The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil 4) Artificial Intelligence by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig 5) Machine Learning by Tom Mitchell 6) The Emotion Machine by Marvin MinskySupport Death by Ignorance by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/death-by-ignoranceFind out more at https://death-by-ignorance.pinecast.coThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.