Trump Is Lying. The Issue Is Restriction Of Voting Rights By Republicans

The last several days has brought Donald Trump's rhetoric to a new low.  He has repeatedly lied about how Hillary Clinton, the Democrats and the Media are "stealing" the election.  In reality (which Trump has never had a close relationship with, that I can tell), since the year 2000, out of a BILLION votes cast in the USA, only 31 evidenced cases of voter fraud were found.  However, in the meantime, the Republicans have conducted a concerted effort to try to sway presidential elections by placing unnecessary burdens on voting.

Vote wisely.

Added Sugar Is Pure Empty Carlories

"There are some important nuances here. As the Sugar Association points out, sugar does not technically cause obesity; rather, eating more calories than you burn does. This is at best a half truth. The truer statement, as Action on Sugar makes plain, is that there is absolutely no need for added sugar in the human diet—added sugar is purely empty calories."

Big Sugar Is the New Big Tobacco

This link addresses sugar and refined carbohydrates, but also looks at a type of fat.

What's wrong with the Western diet.

Why Dieting For Weight Loss Is A "Soft" Science

"Tobias urged dieters not to lose sight of the bigger picture. "Low-carb versus low-fat should not be the focus for people selecting a weight loss diet." The focus, she said, should be on improving the quality of food that people eat instead."

We’ve long blamed carbs for making us fat. What if that's wrong?

Criticizing Islam While Defending Muslims

"Yes, Islam is wrong. Yes, Christianity is wrong. Yes, Judaism is wrong. I believe that like I believe I breathe. I don’t doubt that ever. But right now, Muslims, those who believe in Islam, really need our help. There’s refugees who are suffering in a way that history will not be kind to us for ignoring that. We must love them. We just embrace them. We must help them. Even if they believe things that we know are wrong."

Penn Jillette Denounces “Islamophobia” While Defending Fair Criticism of Islam

Dr. Gary Null

Ever hear of him?  Me neither.  Apparently, he is in the same camp as Dr. Oz, Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil.

One Of The Four Horsemen of The Alternative Doesn't Like Us, And More Media Links

Science-Based Thinking: Changing Your Mind In Light Of Evidence

"But it wasn't brainwashing that made Bill Nye change his mind. As he explained in his 2015 book Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World, it was a healthy dose of evidence, coupled with an abrupt awakening to the unscientific nature of the anti-GMO movement."

Why Bill Nye Changed His Mind on GMOs

Perpetual Motion Machines And Pseudoscience

"You still can’t break the laws of physics. It is amazing to me that so many dedicated, talented, and skilled cranks have spend so much time creating elaborate devices that all essentially do the same thing – turn a little bit of the energy from permanent magnets into the illusion of perpetual motion."

Where Does the Power Come From?

Medical Screening And Overdiagnosis

"In the end, science can never really fully answer whether a woman should undergo mammography or whether mass screening programs are worthwhile, be they for breast cancer, prostate cancer, or other diseases. The reason is that, no matter how much science is brought to bear, there will be no escaping that the final decision will boil down to a value judgment informed by the science and that, because, contrary to what Dr. Kopans has suggested in the past, we can’t do a randomized clinical trial of mammography any more because there would not be clinical equipoise, In the US, we are very pro-screening, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that our care is better."

A lengthy article, but worth the read.  This topic does not have black and white answers.

Mammography and overdiagnosis, revisited

Action Is Greater Than Words

"Well done is better than well said" ~Benjamin Franklin, founder of my Alma Mater in 1740. Talk is cheap. Action is required to achieve what needs to happen to make a difference in society. Ben had it correct. Vote (but intelligently after educating yourself), work toward a better society, volunteer and give to help those less fortunate, support your loved ones.

Ya, I know, the above does sound preachy.  But, it does show that one does not have to be religious to make good moral points. Franklin's religious beliefs were complicated but had deistic qualities.  Prior to Darwin, it was reasonable to belief in an interventionist god.  However, after such, - - -

Introduction to Penn

A Look At The Problems With Capitalism (No, Not From Socialists)

"The belief that the government should only intervene to “fix” the market in extreme circumstances, rather than acting as a partner in creating and shaping markets, means we’re constantly putting 'bandages' on problems and 'nothing changes.' The intractability of today’s slow growth and widening inequality can be traced, she says, to the fact that governments in the U.S. and Europe have increasingly shied away from their responsibilities. 'We have to admit that policy steers innovation and growth, and so the question is where do we want to steer them?'”

Capitalism Behaving Badly

Seriously, Religious Apologists, Stuff Like This Makes You Look Ignorant And Desperate

"He’s yet another Christian apologist who concludes that atheists don’t exist and are actually theists. They aren’t atheists because there’s no god; rather, they know that God exists but suppress or reject that knowledge for psychological reasons."

Oh, BTW, I had a great family as I grew up and loved my father as much as any son can.

Are Atheists Just in Need of a Father Figure?

Personal Autonomy And Row V. Wade

"The court classified this right as fundamental, thus requiring any governmental infringement to be justified by a compelling state interest. Roe held that the state's compelling interest in preventing abortion and protecting the life of the mother outweighs a mother's personal autonomy only after viability. Before viability, it was held, the mother's liberty of personal privacy limits state interference due to the lack of a compelling state interest."

Right of Privacy/Personal Autonomy

There is another way of looking at the issue of abortion:  when does the potential person become a person?

If Pro-Lifers Got into the Car Business

A Look At Large Alternatives To Medicine (Quack) Clinics

I have lived and worked in 5 fairly large communities in my career as a physical therapist.  In every community there were chiropractors and smaller "wholistic"/"wellness" Clinics.  In recent years, however, in keeping with the consolidation of legitimate medicine, these alternatives to medicine (Quack) clinics have also evolved into large, and frequently, multi-site operations.  Below is representative of the structure and services provided.  Please note, most services provided by these clinics have not been validated as safe and/or effective by legitimate medicine and any effects probably are placebo.

Practitioners:

Chiropractors
Massage Therapists
Acupuncturists
Reiki Practitioners
Naturopaths

Some of these clinics also have MDs, PA-Cs, NPs and/or Pharmacists to add some cover of legitimacy to a generally unscientific operation.

Services:

Stem Cell Therapy
High Velocity/Low Amplitude (thrust) Manipulation
Massage Therapy (Yes, it sounds legitimate but many procedures are pseudoscience)
Spinal Decompression
Cold Laser Therapy
Reiki
Homeopathy
Acupuncture
Naturopathic treatments

If there appears to be some legitimate services, it is wise to ask for independent medical sources to confirm such.  In addition, it is wise to do a simple internet search of a procedure followed by the word "debunked."   These action should  give you enough information to make an informed choice.

Also, your skeptical antenna should be on alert if the operation has any of the following in its name:

Wholistic
Integrative
Natural
Complimentary
Wellness
Alternative

This article will give you a good look into a typical clinic.

Is Diet Another Word For Fad?

"Anytime the Zeitgeist is that any one nutrient is either a miracle cure or a root of all evil, it's probably wrong. People have lost weight using all sorts of variations in foods and nutrients. Rather than follow the fads, it would be more useful to learn to incorporate reasonable amounts of fat and sugars in one's diet — and to first determine the appropriate number of calories one should consume to either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight."

Fat Is Back And Diet Food Is Out!

Science Is Not Colonialism

"Science is transcultural. Science is, I would argue, anti-culture, it is inherently, therefore, anti-colonial. That is because the very essence of science is to seek objective truth that is separate from the assumptions of any particular culture. Science is about breaking cultural assumptions, dethroning authority and tradition, and using a transparent and egalitarian process to figure out what is really true."

And you thought fundamentalist religion had it wrong.

"Believe Me."

The most frequent phrase of Donald Trump in his quest for the most powerful political office on the planet is, "Believe me."**  Does it sound familiar?  Essentially, it is the mantra of all individuals in positions of power to get his or her followers to believe them.  Do any of the followers of such people ask the important question, "Why?"  Of course not.  From politicians, religious leaders, medical quacks, et al, it is the same:  do not question me, I have the answers.  THIS is the reason for this blog.  THIS is the reason I have devoted the remainder of my life to exposing this bogus process of depriving people of their innate ability to critically think.  Virtually every evil done by a group of any size uses the "Believe me" mantra, explicitly as Trump does, or implicitly, as most others do.

If you question this, please take what I am saying and look back through history to see the pattern.  Look at the religious leaders, the political leaders, the quack medical leaders.  Belief without evidence is not going to get you to the truth.  Demand evidence from any and all who say, in effect, "Believe me", but without supporting evidence.  Science has given us so much information.  It is up to all of us to absorb this information and analyze it, in the light of what scientific experts working in the appropriate fields say that can address the questions you have.

The culture of the USA, and the rest of the world,  is generally ignorant.  Now, before you get your panties in a wad, just do a simple internet search of "Ignorance in the world" and read at least several links.

If you can honestly see yourself as one who accepts the "Believe me" without supporting evidence, then you have a choice: remain ignorant, or be a skeptic/critical thinker and use the resources readily available to educate yourself.  If you agree with me and have been a like-minded thinker, please spread this rare, but valuable, commodity.

** According to multiple reputable fact-checkers, Trumps statements are mostly false.

Culture And Poor Choices

"Both tobacco use and obesity are caused, in part, by our choices. And our choices are influenced, in part, by our culture. An unhealthy lifestyle can be deeply ingrained in a culture. It's certainly much easier to smoke or make poor dietary choices when a substantial number of your friends and family are doing it."

Here are some other points to ponder.  Consider the states where tobacco use and obesity are the highest.  These same states correlate with poverty, lower education and voting for Republicans.

Regional Patterns of Tobacco Use and Obesity Correlate in the U.S.

A Change In The Types Of Supplements Used By The Public

"Dr. Kantor and colleagues suggest that much of the changes in supplement use reflected media reports of the efficacy of the various items in addressing the risk of various chronic ailments — they noted several expert bodies concluded that 'there is either insufficient or no evidence to support uses of MVMM [multivitamin multimineral supplements] or supplements to prevent chronic disease". (See here for our take on those conclusions)."

Americans Catching on that Dietary Supplements are More Fad than Fact

The Anti-Science Side Of The Clinton Campaign

"Other emails show members of Clinton's campaign team collaborating with groups that have a financial interest in promoting pseudoscience. In one email, Gary Hirshberg, who co-founded a company that peddles organic, GMO-free yogurt, is providing the Clinton campaign with science policy advice."

WikiLeaks Reveals Hillary Clinton Campaign Manager John Podesta Believes GMOs Cause Migraines

The Older Generations Have Always Criticized The Younger Generations

"Frankly, denigrating the young is simply what older generations do. While Boomers lambaste Millennials for cavorting on Facebook, chilling with Netflix, and texting away the day, the elder generation of a century past was scolding the young as well, albeit with a bit more eloquence."

Study: Millennials Are Not Lazier Than Boomers

The Arrow Of Time Is Real, But Still A Mystery

"We do understand the arrow of time from a thermodynamic perspective, and that’s an incredibly valuable and interesting piece of knowledge. But if you want to know why yesterday is in the immutable past, tomorrow will arrive in a day and the present is what you’re living right now, thermodynamics won’t give you the answer. Nobody, in fact, understands what will."

An analysis of this major issue in physics.

Where Does Our Arrow Of Time Come From?

Lower Standard Of Care Admission By "Integrative" Family Practitioner

"Integrative medicine gives a physician permission to lower the standard for evidence of safety and effectiveness. After all, alternative medicine that’s been proved is medicine.  But, it is not only in their employment of quackery that integrative physicians are a menace to patients, it is this disdain for conventional medicine too. That disdain came through loud and clear in Dr. Woliner’s testimony, where he defined 'mainstream medicine' as 'patentable drugs and surgery.'"

Is there a distinct standard of care for “integrative” physicians?: The Woliner case

A Perspective Regarding The Treatment Of Bill's Accusers By Hillary Clinton

"Without endorsing any of Hillary Clinton's behavior, or minimizing any unfairness experienced by her husband's sex partners or alleged victims, it seems to me that asking a man or woman to react rationally and sympathetically to a person just as they're revealed to be having an affair with their spouse, or accusing their spouse of a crime, is to demand superhuman self-control and circumspection. Few could do it. In the first case, who wouldn't deeply resent a spouse's cheating partner, and be inclined to see them in the most unfavorable light? In the latter case, who wouldn't believe that their spouse was being wrongly accused, especially if the spouse really did have powerful enemies trying to destroy him?"

Yes, she behaved badly. But under the circumstances, how many people would've managed better? And how is it relevant to the job she may seek?

Trump's Most Dangerous Conspiracy Theory

"The voter fraud conspiracy is especially insidious because it cannot be conclusively disproven. Any investigations that find no truth to the allegations can simply and easily be dismissed as whitewashes and cover-ups. The nature of conspiracy theory is such that any evidence that contradicts or undermines the theory is assumed to itself be part of that that cover up. In this way conspiracy theories are self-perpetuating and what in science is called non-falsifiable; that is, they cannot be proven wrong."

Why Trump’s Voter Fraud Conspiracy Matters

Mature And Decent People Form Opinions Based On Evidence

"The facts here are clear: These men were exonerated. Another man has admitted to committing the crime, as proven by DNA evidence," the campaign said in a statement. "Trump rushed to judgment on the case, has refused to admit he is wrong and continues to peddle yet another racist lie, a pattern for him and a clear reason why he is unfit to be president."

More evidence that Trump is not qualified for the Presidency