31. desember 2006

Is the poll half full or half empty? The Associated Press: Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007 The Associated Press: AP poll: Americans optimistic for 2007 Yes, AP Writers Nancy Benac and Darlene Superville are writing about the very same opinion poll! 9:22:59 PM    comment []  trackback []

Anti-vaccination doctor received money from lawyers Alternative medicine proponents often claim that "big pharma" is using its financial muscles to distort research. Now it is revealed that the discredited doctor behind the alarmist claim that MMR vaccinations was linked to autism, received money from the lawyers running a mega-lawsuit to prove that vaccinations were unsafe. Andrew Wakefield, the former surgeon whose campaign linking the MMR vaccine with autism caused a collapse in immunisation rates, was paid more than £400,000 by lawyers trying to prove that the vaccine was unsafe. The payments, unearthed by The Sunday Times, were part of £3.4m distributed from the legal aid fund to doctors and scientists who had been recruited to support a now failed lawsuit against vaccine manufacturers. Critics this weekend voiced amazement at the sums, which they said created a clear conflict of interest and were the “financial engine” behind a worldwide alarm over the triple measles, mumps and rubella shot. “These figures are astonishing,” said Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon. “This lawsuit was an industry, and an industry peddling what turned out to be a myth.”  According to the figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, Wakefield was paid £435,643 in fees, plus £3,910 expenses.  Anti-vaccination hysteria is a dangerous threat to the 'herd protection' needed for vaccinations to be effective. When Wakefield's sham research came out, it caused a dramatic drop in vaccination rates in the UK. Shortly after, measles was on the increase. We certainly know that diseases like measles are dangerous; the claims against vaccinations have so far proven unfounded. 9:04:05 PM    comment []  trackback []

Bangkok bomb explosions kill two - may not be the usual suspects Islamist terrorists have long been causing mayhem in southern Thailand, and today bomb explosions in the capital Bangkok left two dead and several injured. But Thai police does not believe this is the work of Islamists. Police do not believe foreign groups or militants from the Muslim south are to blame, says the BBC's Jonathan Head. Our Bangkok correspondent says many Thais suspect the bombs were the work of opponents of the current military government, which forced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office in September.  The largest bomb or grenade explosion went off near a bus station next to one of Bangkok's busiest intersections, Victory Monument. Police said this caused the biggest number of casualties.  I don't know why the police thinks it is someone else behind it; presumably they have a good reason. It would however make sense for any enemies of Thailand, be it Islamists or others, to hit the capital. The tourist industry is a huge source of income for Thailand, and a number of bomb explosions could easily hurt it enormously. Update: There has been at least one more explosion, reportedly injuring some tourists. The authorities are pointing towards supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Zachary Abuza concurs that the evidence suggests it was not a Jihadist attack. 4:26:59 PM    comment []  trackback []

Saddam Hussein mocked, harassed in the final hours Saddam Hussein's executioners stupidly decided to make his death appear like a sectarian hit. Shia militias now appear to control every part of Iraq's government, including the guards who took over custody from the US military. This is pretty disgraceful. "The guards were dancing in front of him. When Saddam tried to sleep, they were going in, every 30 minutes. They said, 'We didn't let him sleep. We destroyed his personality'." A little after 5am, a number of officials arrived at the jail. Saddam declined breakfast. He asked a guard for a cigarette, but was refused. Then, with his hands tied in front of him, he was led towards the execution cell. There is certainly enough Sunni Iraqis who also detest Saddam Hussein. By doing everything to show off this execution as Shiite mob justice against the Sunnis, the Iraqi government has seriously stoked the fires at a time when they should be doing the opposite. I have absolutely zero sympathy for the mass-murdering Saddam Hussein. It's just tragic that this event was made into a deliberate insult to all Iraqi Sunnis by a militia infested security apparatus. PS: I noted earlier that hundreds of Iraqis had volunteered for the job as Saddam's hangman. They should have been able to find someone acting a bit more professional than these thuggish fans of Moqtada al-Sadr did. 6:39:38 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2007 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.01.2007; 08:23:39.