Simon Singh
oracknows | February 22, 2015Oh, goody. Here's something we didn't need here in the US. While Australian skeptics have successfully been rallying to put a stop to a series of lectures from American antivaccine activist Sherri Tenpenny, we're going to have to put up with a far bigger name in quackery showing up right here in the good ol' U. S. of A. I'm referring to His Royal Highness, the Quacktitioner Royal, Prince Charles, the next King of England. Yes, in March he and Camilla will be here on a four day tour that will include a trip to Louisville to give the keynote address to a symposium on health and nature on March…
oracknows | April 15, 2010Today is a great day.
Today, British science writer Simon Singh accomplished something I would never have believed possible, given British libel laws and a very bad ruling by Sir David Eady, the presiding judge, a ruling characterized as astonishingly illiberal. Despite the long odds, Singh appealed the ruling and actually won.
As a result, the British Chiropractic Association has thrown in the towel on its bogus libel action against Singh:
Having carefully considered its position in the light of the judgment of the Court of Appeal (1st April 2010), the British Chiropractic Association (BCA)…
oracknows | April 1, 2010I was wrong.
I know it doesn't happen that often, but I'm forced to admit it. I was wrong. I predicted that Simon Singh would likely lose his appeal against an astonishing illiberal ruling on his libel case by Sir David Eady. Singh, as you may recall, is the British science writer who wrote a now infamous article about chiropractic, in particular, Singh labeled claims that chiropractic could treat colic, sleeping and feeding problems, ear infections, asthma, and prolonged crying as "bogus." Specifically, he wrote that the British Chiropractic Association "happily promotes bogus therapies."…
ddobbs | April 1, 2010
from "Would dew believe it: The stunning pictures of sleeping insects covered in water droplets," at the Daily Mail
Given the day, we find both foolishness and meat.
Fun stuff first:
Science, Nature Team Up on New Journal - ScienceNOW
Does the WTF1 gene trigger the inferior supra-credulus? @edyong209 falls for the whole thing: http://bit.ly/bLlzqx
Getting real:
Is the Mirror Neuron theory unfalsifiable?: Greg Hickok thinks so.
Pfizer paid $35m to MDs and Researchers. Latter claim $ doesn't influence practice.. Somebody's mistaken.http://s.nyt.com/u/N5m
Motherly love may alter genes for…
sciencepunk | August 11, 2009SÃle Lane at Sense About Science reports:
Simon Singh announced today that he will continue the fight in his libel case with the British Chiropractic Association after his application to appeal the preliminary ruling was rejected last week. He has now has the option to try and overturn that decision at an oral appeal. If this fails his case will be tried on a meaning of a phrase he did not intend and is indefensible. This highlights the problem of narrow defences that, along with high costs and wide jurisdiction, make the English libel laws so restrictive to free speech.Simon said today: "I…
sciencepunk | June 24, 2009
News just in: tomorrow's issue of Nature will feature a full page ad donated by the magazine asking people to sign up to the campaign to keep libel laws out of science. Managed by Sense About Science, the petition has already collected over 12,000 signatures, from world-renowned scientists and journalists to informed and passionate members of the public. If you haven't done so already, visit the website and show your support. You can also purchase badges and t-shirts, money raised from these will go toward a legal fund for others facing libel attacks.
The Culture, Media and Sport Select…
sciencepunk | June 9, 2009
Le Canard Noir reports on a dramatic turn in the ongoing ruckus between chiropractors and supporters of Simon Singh: the McTimoney Association, an organisation of chiropractors, has ordered its members to remove their websites with immediate effect.
Date: 8 June 2009 09:12:18 BDTSubject: FURTHER URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!Dear MemberIf you are reading this, we assume you have also read the urgent email we sent you last Friday. If you did not read it, READ IT VERY CAREFULLY NOW and - this is most important - ACT ON IT. This is not scaremongering. We judge this to be a real threat to you and…
sciencepunk | June 4, 2009
Simon Singh has announced that he intends to appeal Judge Eady's ruling:
The article was about an issue of public interest, namely childhood health and the effectiveness of particular treatments for some serious conditions. Hence, I was not prepared to apologise for an article that I still believed was important for parents to read, and which I believed was accurate and legally defensible.The final reason for fighting on was that I knew that I was able to devote the time, money and energy required for a long legal battle. Most journalists would have been forced to back down and settle under…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009Nick Cohen has a great article in the Observer discussing the British Chiropractic Association's legal action against science writer and producer Simon Singh:
Reputable medical authorities could test the evidence and decide whether the treatments work or not. Instead of arguing before the court of informed opinion, however, the BCA went to the libel courts and secured a ruling from Mr Justice Eady that made Singh's desire to test chiropractors' claims next to impossible. Because Singh used the word "bogus", the judge said he had to prove that chiropractors knew they were worthless but "…
sciencepunk | May 13, 2009
David Green says:
I understand that Simon Singh will announce whether he will appeal on Monday 18 May 2009 at a public support meeting to take place in London at 6.30pm.The venue will be the Penderels Oak, the usual meeting place of London Skeptics in the Pub. As well as Simon Singh, the leading UK journalist Nick Cohen will be speaking. Other speakers are currently being confirmed. For more, see Jack of Kent's blog.I also have an article in this week's New Scientist, see here.Many thanks for your support!
Sadly I'll be in London a day too late to attend, but if you're in the area you should…
oracknows | May 9, 2009...because they blog under the shadow of the United Kingdom's insane libel laws.
Witness this travesty of a ruling on the libel case against Simon Singh by the British Chiropractic Association, as related by Jack of Kent.
I first learned about the UK's exceedingly plaintiff-friendly libel laws when, shortly after I became interested in Holocaust denial, I followed the libel case against Holocaust historian Professor Deborah Lipstadt brought by Holocaust denier David Irving for, well, quite properly calling him a Holocaust denier in one of her books. What makes British libel laws so plaintiff-…
sciencepunk | May 6, 2009
If you're free in the capital today, head to the Royal Courts of Justice for the preliminary hearing of the British Chiropractic Association's libel case against science writer, journalist and broadcaster Simon Singh. The hearing will clear up some legal grey areas and decide what the judge requires as a valid defence for the full trial in autumn.
The case stems from comments made by Simon in his book Trick or Treatment, and an article published in Guardian entitled "Beware the spinal trap" (mirror). The BCA seem to consider it defamatory to tell people there is no evidence that the…