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‘Is ‘cloning’ mad, bad and dangerous?’ – an argument revisited

Posted 18 May 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

Six years ago, to mark the then tenth anniversary of the announcement of the birth of the folkloric Dolly the sheep, and in the still reverberating wake of the South Korean cloning scandal, I practiced my fledgling/intermittent/debatable/wanton science communication skills with the penning of an article on the issue of ‘cloning.’ It being an anniversary with a ’0′ on the end, combined with topical relevance, suggested I might be lucky enough to get it published. And I was thus very... Read more

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Grammar and gender

Posted 14 May 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

This is the letter that landed 100 academics the inaugural Idler Academy Bad Grammar award. Well, we might pedantically recoil at a missing comma and a misplaced apostrophe in the very first sentence of the clunky first paragraph; and frown quizzically at the unlikelihood of 100 failed cursory proof-readings of an early draft (which suggests to me that most of the signatories did not see the final version). Feel free to pick me up on any grammatical slips here. But... Read more

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No such thing as ‘Allopathy’

Posted 7 May 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

Over at FreethoughtBlogs, an uncharacteristic petit faux pas in the prolifically excellent ‘A Million Gods‘ motivates me into publicly scratching an irritation. The first time I think I heard/read the term ‘allopathy’ was in the context of something discussing homeopathy. And it seemed quite reasonable to me at the time: homeopathy = ‘like cures like’; ‘allopathy’ = err, something other cures it; or it cures something other. Until I got wise on who coined this term, and why? One Samuel... Read more

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Yet further comment…

Posted 3 May 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

(I know at least one reader will be interested in this, thus making it a topic theme worth continuing…) I have of late been banging my head at the ongoing frustration borne of repeat attempts to post comment on a pretty questionable, seemingly homeopathy-lauding paper published in a scientific medical journal. Yesterday, my eye was caught by something over at the BioMed Central blog, whence appeared an interesting post, entitled ‘Can open peer review work? Biology Direct suggests it can…’... Read more

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Another comment on BMC Cancer, WDDTY and homeopathy

Posted 24 April 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

Well, I don’t know what bugs are at play in the BMC Cancer system. Almost three weeks since submitting the latest re-worked version of my comment (which I append below so it may be read by somebody), not only has it not appeared under the paper in question, but the continued lack of response (excepting one message informing me that – again – my query has been forwarded to the Editorial team) to my interim e-mails to the relevant provided... Read more

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Libel reform – Lords Amendment 2 reinstated…?

Posted 23 April 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

Ping Pong today sees the Defamation Bill back with the Lords, who will hopefully extract the fascistic spanner hurled into its works last week. Scroll down here to Motion B Lords Amendment No. 2 to see the moves to (re-)insert reparative clauses/wording. But that wording… still includes ‘… or is/are likely to cause…’. Which I still find somewhat specious. ... Read more

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Libel reform – Lords Amendment 2 rejected

Posted 16 April 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

MPs have just voted to reject Lords Amendment 2, which would have required corporate bodies to obtain court permission to bring libel cases against individuals (ie, that requiring that they first demonstrate proof of (likelihood of) financial loss; the only measure that would have prevented Simon Singh being sued by the British Chiropractic Association). The interests of corporations have today overridden individual freedom of speech. ... Read more

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Pseudoscience Awareness Week

Posted 16 April 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

Today is the last day of ‘World Homeopathy Awareness Week‘, which commences every year with cult-like commemoration of the birthday of its movement’s founder. The site informs us: ‘WHAW (World Homeopathy Awareness Week) was created to promote homeopathic awareness around the world. During this week homeopaths and friends of homeopathy share with the world the miracles of homeopathy.’ The miracles of homeopathy. Hmm. They are a confused bunch, these people. Trying to couple the irrational miraculous with scientific rationality. Whether... Read more

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Libel reform at risk… again

Posted 13 April 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

In case you’re not aware, the Defamation Bill is at Ping Pong, due to be debated again next Tuesday, 16th. However, despite the recent good news of the agreement to remove the ‘Leveson’ amendment to the Defamation Bill, it seems that there are still some who seek to derail the Bill. The Conservative MP, Sir Edward Garnier, a former(?) libel lawyer, has moved to scupper the Bill through an amendment to remove a central plank – that which protects individuals... Read more

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BMC Cancer, WDDTY and homeopathy: ‘new’ comment

Posted 5 April 2013 by Lee Turnpenny

It took (me) a month to get a comment posted on a paper on BMC Cancer’s site. My abbreviated version (which appeared five days after re-submitting it) has now sat there for three weeks alongside Kausik’s, both seemingly being roundly ignored. As is my query concerning the full text of my original blog post. What to do? Does it matter? Well, actually, as a QuackRag deems that the paper in question constitutes subject(ive) matter for (re-)citation, then yes, I think... Read more

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