oracknows

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David Gorski

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski. That Orac has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 30 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: oracknows@gmail.com

Posts by this author

October 30, 2008
I've written here before about nutritional supplements. Specifically, I've expressed my dismay at the double standard, codified into law in 1994 in the form of the DSHEA. This particular bit of truly awful law in essence took away the power of the FDA and FTC to regulate dietary supplements, except…
October 29, 2008
...the editors of Seed Magazine have endorsed Barack Obama for President. In other news, the Pope remains Catholic, and bears have been observed relieving themselves in the woods.
October 29, 2008
Longtime readers of this blog know that my original exposure to antivaccination conspiracy theories first occurred in the context of the now pseudoscientific and discredited hypothesis that somehow the mercury in the thimerosal preservative that used to be used in vaccines was the cause of autism.…
October 28, 2008
Warning: Some of the links in this post go to hate sites. I include them because I think it's important for people to see exactly what white supremacists say in their own words, if they are curious to do so and thus learn how low these people will go. However, if you're at work you may not want to…
October 28, 2008
The other day, I thought it was about time that I did some of that cool and fancy ResearchBlogging.org stuff, you know, to keep this blog from being nothing more than a collection of not-so-Respectfully Insolent spleen venting at generalized stupidity. I realize that those are some of the funnest…
October 27, 2008
Hot on the heals of my post earlier today about the flurry of misinformation-laden ads being aired in Michigan to try to prevent Proposition 2, the proposed amendment to the Michigan State Constitution that would allow embryonic stem cell research using embryos that would be discarded from…
October 27, 2008
Two years ago, there was a brouhaha in Missouri over a ballot proposal to allow state funding for embryonic stem cell research using discarded embryos from fertility clinics. The issue made national news, including some rather despicable rhetoric from Rush Limbaugh about Michael J. Fox, who made…
October 26, 2008
I don't recall where I saw this, but I've been meaning to post it. What better time than a not-so-lazy Sunday, when I have to work on a talk, paper, and other things? (It's either this, or no blog for you on Monday; I think you know which you'd prefer.) For those of you not familiar with Captain…
October 25, 2008
Think this election is bad? Think it's really negative? Think it's really vicious and nasty? Think again. Negative campaigning and vicious attacks by candidates on each other have been with us since at least the election of 1800. If anything, these days elections are probably tamer. The difference…
October 24, 2008
You remember Dr. Rashid Buttar, don't you? He's that blight on North Carolina's medical establishment, known for his "transdermal chelation therapy" that he's unable to demonstrate as being able to be absorbed through the skin, much less chelate anything (arguably a good thing, actually, because at…
October 24, 2008
There are times in every physician's career when he or she faces a patient with a serious, even life-threatening disease or condition, who, for whatever reason, does not want treatment. These can be incredibly frustrating and challenging patients. Most physicians try reason, cajoling, and…
October 23, 2008
...is here at The Uncredible Hallq, and it's a fine collection of the latest skeptical blogging. Meanwhile the countdown towards #100 continues. Next up is King of Ferrets Ferret Cage, who will be hosting the 99th Edition of the Skeptics' Circle a fortnight hence, on Thursday, November 6, 2008. I…
October 23, 2008
I'll give Mike Adams one thing. He's consistent. Consistently a crank, that is. Yes, that purveyor of woo, paranoia, and conspiracy theories, not to mention the creator of one of the five largest repositories of quackery support on the Internet, NaturalNews.com, the other three being Mercola.com,…
October 22, 2008
After posting about some openly racist McCain supporters from--sadly, as it is a state in which I lived for eight years and happened to like, by and large, particularly since it's the state where my wife hails from--Ohio, I hadn't planned on doing more posts like this. But a theme emerges, and I…
October 22, 2008
I hate it when an article starts right out with a rather annoying usage of terminology, even when it provides information that interests me: (AP) -- Nearly a fourth of widely used new-generation biological drugs that treat several common diseases produce serious side effects that lead to safety…
October 21, 2008
Yike. I've been truly remiss in my duty. The Skeptics' Circle is a mere day and a half away. But it's not too late to submit your best skeptical work to Chris at The Uncredible Hallq. So, if you wanted to submit a post this week but haven't gotten around to it, there isn't much time left.
October 21, 2008
Oprah Winfrey supports quackery. That has been richly demonstrated over the last few years, particularly with her gauzy, praise-filled segments featuring such pro-woo luminaries as Jenny McCarthy, her frequently having physicians boosters of "alternative medicine" like Mehmet Oz and Christiane…
October 21, 2008
I've been very critical of The Huffington Post since shortly after its formation three years ago, when (I believe) I was the first blogger to notice a proliferation of antivaccination propaganda at the then brand new group blog. It is a situation that the HuffPo has maintained to the present day.…
October 21, 2008
After having seen the worst, it's encouraging to see that it's not all bad: Hat tip to Coturnix...
October 20, 2008
I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief when I saw this: It boggles the mind that in 2008 such views still exist. I lived in Ohio for eight years, and I had no idea. Of course, I did live in Cleveland...
October 19, 2008
Note: The following is a collaborative post between James (a.k.a. Dad of Cameron of Autism Street) and Orac. Feel free to tell which parts were written by whom.:-) Jenny McCarthy's latest book, Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds, contains a foreword penned by "…
October 19, 2008
This about sums it up for me:
October 18, 2008
There's not much to add here, other than Jenny McCarthy needs to be stopped. Stopping her is even more important than stopping Sylvia Browne. As vile as Sylvia Browne is, at least she doesn't endanger millions of children by self-righteously promoting antivaccinationist lies that have already…
October 18, 2008
Orac gets e-mail. Most of it's just brief notes with a link that someone thinks I should check out (and possibly blog about). Even though I occasionally make sarcastic remarks about being deluged with one story or other from time to time, I actually do appreciate those. Many have been the times…
October 17, 2008
It's time. Well, it's sort of time, anyway. As you know, it's been over three months since I last indulged in my little Friday exercise known as Your Friday Dose of Woo. At the time it was because I couldn't get myself into the appropriately light-hearted but nonetheless just vicious enough frame…
October 16, 2008
Here's a new one on me: Senator Obama's support for preventative medical care is another little noted but important key point of difference with Senator McCain that emerged from the debate. Under Obama it is far more likely that insurance plans will cover alternative medicine, including acupuncture…
October 16, 2008
Was it just me, or did anyone else find it jarring when suddenly John McCain interjected special needs children and autism into the debate last night? As you may recall, a few months ago he was tripped up by the antivaccine fearmongers who think, despite an absence of scientifically compelling…
October 16, 2008
I thought I had seen it all. Ever since I first discovered the antivaccination movement that is utterly convinced, despite all evidence to the contrary, that mercury from the thimerosal preservative that was in many vaccines until the end of 2001 or, more recently, vaccines themselves cause autism…
October 15, 2008
Three months ago, our dog Echo died a mere three weeks after we discovered a tumor on her flank. That tumor turned out to be hemangiosarcoma and was already widely metastatic. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but amazingly it has. My wife and I still miss her--a lot. Now GruntDoc reminds…
October 14, 2008
Why, oh, why do I keep perusing NaturalNews.com? Why do I subject myself to wave after wave of neuron-apoptosing stupidity of a magnitude that even activation of NF-kappaB, Akt, and neuronal cell survival signaling pathways can barely keep the killing stupidity at bay? I guess it's because it…