Archives for February, 2012
Psychic Sent to Prison for 5 years for Fraud – So can we jail them all now?
Posted by Mark on February 29, 2012 Via Ed I find out about a Psychic in Colorado sentenced to 5 years for fraud. BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- A woman claiming to be a psychic has been sentenced to five years behind bars for stealing more than $300,000 from her clients. Nancy Marks told her victims she needed their cash and credit card numbers…
Irony meters just exploded all over the world – Natural News has article on how to spot a scam guru
Posted by Mark on February 29, 2012 Mike Adams, HIV/AIDS denialist, anti-vaccine crusader, germ theory denialist, and most recently, promoter of a child-protective services vaccine/sex trade conspiracy, actually has a contributor-submitted article on how to spot a scam guru. The advice in the article isn’t terrible. Don’t believe inflated claims. Don’t believe people who say “anyone can do it” or create fake…
Virginia Ultrasound Bill Back from Dead
Posted by Mark on February 29, 2012 Turns out I gave Virginia governor McDonnell too much credit after he rejected the VA ultrasound bill on the grounds the state should insert itself into medical decisions. He’s gone and flip-flopped as a slightly revised version of the bill passes through the VA Senate: The 21 to 19 vote, mostly along party lines, came…
Pennsylvania next in line to require transvaginal U/S prior to abortion
Posted by Mark on February 28, 2012 Pennsylvania is poised to enact a ultrasound bill even more stringent than Virginia’s failed bill. Even as the transvaginal ultrasound bill in Virginia was causing national outrage, Pennsylvania conservatives were quietly pushing a even more restrictive abortion bill. The legislation is designed with so many difficult and differing restrictions that long-time abortion policy analyst Elizabeth…
Rick Santorum: usually wrong, never in doubt
Posted by Mark on February 28, 2012 There is a joke expression about surgeons, “sometimes wrong, never in doubt.” Depending on how you feel about surgeons I’ve heard it begin “sometimes right” and “even when wrong.” Applied to Rick Santorum, I think it has to be “usually wrong” if not “always wrong” given the serious of ridiculous distortions, lies, and made up…
Elsevier Blinks, Will No Longer Support Research Works Act
Posted by Mark on February 27, 2012 In a victory for science, and those who favor open access for the easy dissemination of scientific results to the public and scientists around the world, Elsevier has withdrawn support for the Research Works Act. I think credit has to go to Tim Gowers calling for and Michael Eisen spreading the word on the boycott…
VA Ultrasound Bill looks Dead
Posted by Mark on February 23, 2012 And good riddance. It sounds like the Governor saw this bill would be more trouble than it’s worth. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) revoked his support for the original bill just minutes before the House began debate on it, saying that the government did not have the power to require the transvaginal procedure. “Mandating an…
Conservatives crow over push for privatization in British NHS, compare apples to oranges
Posted by Mark on February 20, 2012 Hot Air and the daily caller are excited to pronounce socialized medicine dead as the British NHS plans to contract with private hospitals and providers on top of socialized care. From The Caller: Joseph A. Morris, a former Reagan White House lawyer who now serves on the board of the American Conservative Union, told TheDC…
Forcing Doctors to Perform Unnecessary Medical Procedures is Unethical and Unlawful
Posted by Mark on February 19, 2012 Many bloggers and commentators have expressed outrage over the decision by Virginia to require ultrasound examination, possibly transvaginal ultrasound, prior to women obtaining an abortion. From Bill Maher to Dahlia Lithwick people are outraged and have even suggested that it should be considered rape to force women to undergo vaginal examination by ultrasound prior to…
Drug Shortages Reveal the Free Market is Failing Our Sickest Patients
Posted by Mark on February 17, 2012 **Update, the NYT has an editorial in their Sunday edition recommending the passage of two bills in congress requiring advanced notice from drug manufacturers in event of likely shortage. Health affairs discusses the increasingly frequent shortages of critical, life-saving, generic drugs. This is a serious problem that seems mostly limited to the U.S. healthcare system,…
