Nixing Nonsense

Here is a list of items that are almost certainly false or have actually been proven false. I have hammered a short, fat nail into each one of them.

Astrology
Perhaps the silliest of things that a few people still believe in. I won't debunk it, it's too obvious and has been done many times, speak to a ten-year old if further explanation is needed.

Homeopathy
One of those "alternative" healing methods, it says that the more a medicine is diluted with water, the more effective it becomes! When the obvious nonsense is pointed out, the homeonutters say that the water retains a "memory" of what was in it! If true, this would deal a very serious blow to our knowledge of physics. But of course it's not true. In fact, when subjected to the double-blind testing that all normal medications must pass, it fails; fails every single time. As indeed it must! Otherwise it would just be part of usual medical practice, no need for the nonsense "alternative" label.

As an aside, a few months ago I noticed my local health centre had a brochure pinned to the notice board stating that one of the centre's doctors was a homeopathy practitioner! I was aghast! Here was a person who had a degree in medcine - a science-based discipline - had hopefully been taught how to think correctly and yet was prepared to throw her training out the window. I didn't actually make a formal complaint, but I expressed my surprise that a document advertising mumbo-jumbo was on display in a scientific establishment. The next time I visited, it had gone.

Mediums
A brand of trickery that depends on people believing in spirits, ghosts and some form of afterlife, all of which there is absolutely no evidence for. Never in human history has any "medium" been able to prove their claimed abllities and I would bet any amount of money that none ever will. I notice that mediums always tell people what they want to hear, the "other side" never has any bad news, everything's fine and no blame is ever attached to the living! I also notice that "other side" inhabitants all seem to be dimwits, they never have any useful information to impart, isn't it more likely that it's the dimwitted, unimaginative mediums who are trying to ensure that clients are always pleased and will therefore return?

Imagine the situation where a medium who has just contacted a client's dead husband say; instead of telling her (via the medium) everything's fine here, don't worry, it's not your fault etc., the spirit says:

"You lousy bastard! I blame you for my demise, if you hadn't been whoring around I would never been in the fight and never would've been shot! I'm going to haunt you till the end of time, you evil slut!"

Do you thnk it likely the lady client would have left the seance comforted and pleasantly uplifted by the experience? More likely she would have torn the "medium" a new asshole and refused to pay the fee!

Many of these charlatans have been exposed and some have even confessed their crookery, yet people unwilling to think or prepared to believe nonsense over fact, happily give them money. Amazing, isn't it?

Faith-Healers
These hucksters also depend upon gullible believers-in-magic for their success. However, they are a different breed, they are cruel, heartless and callous creatures who prey upon sick people who may often be terminally ill. Modern medicine has made tremendous advances in recent years but it's still not perfect, there are some unfortunate persons that medicine cannot help and it's those that the faith-healer often swindles. Popular in the USA, these low-lifes have often been exposed but they keep appearing, cheating dying people is a big lucrative business, there will always be some crook willing to do it.

Dowsing
More nonsense, but perhaps not as bad as some. I don't think James Randi's million dollars (see www.randi.org) is in any danger of leaving him on this - or any other - score, no dowser has ever been able to prove any kind of abliity either. But still, even goverment departments have been silly enough to hire them to look for water, oil etc. Is it surprising that dowsers abound?

The Loch Ness Monster
I wonder how much money has been taken by the businesses around the loch and the general area since the tale was invented? I hope they hold an annual thanksgiving party for the kindly person who started the story! The only thing that surprises me about these kind of tales is that there are not more of them, quite a good ploy for an economically depressed town or area. Come to think of it, how about "The Glenrothes Goliath", often seen on Friday and Saturday nights stumbling aimlessly around town.

Christian Scientists
So far, (thankfully) I don't see much evidence of them in the UK but I did come across these maniacs when I lived in the USA. Firstly, let me say that there is absolutely nothing scientifc about them, they're about as unscientific as you can get. They are people who are prepared to let their kids die rather than seek medical help. Craziness of the highest order seems to be a prerequisite for joining their ranks, they think prayer alone can solve any problem, if prayer fails, it's God's will.

These people are seriously sick in the head, and have been responsible for the deaths of many children over the years, many of whom might easily been saved had medical help been sought. They should be in jail but no, they perpetrate their evil ways with impunity. Sadly, now that the religious fanatic Bush is in government, I wouldn't be surprised if they were given federal cash to help them spread their stupidity. And these are the kind of people who maintain that if you're a moral, kind and compassionate person you must be a God believer...Arghhh, excuse me, these cretins make me puke!