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	<title>Comments on: The future of skepticism</title>
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	<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/</link>
	<description>Skepticism. Critical thinking. Podcast. Community.</description>
	<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:32:06 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: ty</title>
		<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/#comment-1230</link>
		<dc:creator>ty</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:03:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dbskeptic.com/?p=155#comment-1230</guid>
		<description>Andy I won't respond even if I want to because it's too important to me. Me being hostile never changes someones actions and I only truly unload on someone when I think their argument is very harmful to people so don't take it on a personal level. I don't know, maybe you influence lots of people on this site.

Look you seem to be able to reason and everyone including me has lots of wrong assumptions and opinions because no one has studied everything and has prejudice, so I ask you to read the arguments against this type of vaccine and consult yourself and do as you will.

You could study the fraud in the danish study as well as Bush admin's false promises of the thimerisol being removed and the still controversial flu vaccine and other vaccine additives. 
There's lots of research connecting thimerisol to autism and this has a following in science. 

Regarding the coverup conspiracy I mentioned, below is a link tying together big pharma with news outlets re: vaccines and how that works. There is more on this at counterpunch .com and other alternative media sites. Also I recommend counterpunch to anyone as an excellent site for politics, it isn't dem or repub:
http://www.counterpunch.org/dachel09272007.html
Best, 
Boyd (ty)</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Andy I won&#8217;t respond even if I want to because it&#8217;s too important to me. Me being hostile never changes someones actions and I only truly unload on someone when I think their argument is very harmful to people so don&#8217;t take it on a personal level. I don&#8217;t know, maybe you influence lots of people on this site.</p>
<p>Look you seem to be able to reason and everyone including me has lots of wrong assumptions and opinions because no one has studied everything and has prejudice, so I ask you to read the arguments against this type of vaccine and consult yourself and do as you will.</p>
<p>You could study the fraud in the danish study as well as Bush admin&#8217;s false promises of the thimerisol being removed and the still controversial flu vaccine and other vaccine additives.<br />
There&#8217;s lots of research connecting thimerisol to autism and this has a following in science. </p>
<p>Regarding the coverup conspiracy I mentioned, below is a link tying together big pharma with news outlets re: vaccines and how that works. There is more on this at counterpunch .com and other alternative media sites. Also I recommend counterpunch to anyone as an excellent site for politics, it isn&#8217;t dem or repub:<br />
<a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/dachel09272007.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.counterpunch.org/dachel09272007.html</a><br />
Best,<br />
Boyd (ty)</p>
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		<title>By: DB Skeptic</title>
		<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/#comment-1225</link>
		<dc:creator>DB Skeptic</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:40:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dbskeptic.com/?p=155#comment-1225</guid>
		<description>Hi Ty,

Thanks for the response. Due to the length of what you've written, and me trying to survive the US holidays, it'll take me a little while to respond. But I'll have an answer for you, and will post that answer to this article.

Andy</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Ty,</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. Due to the length of what you&#8217;ve written, and me trying to survive the US holidays, it&#8217;ll take me a little while to respond. But I&#8217;ll have an answer for you, and will post that answer to this article.</p>
<p>Andy</p>
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	<item>
		<title>By: ty</title>
		<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/#comment-1221</link>
		<dc:creator>ty</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:13:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dbskeptic.com/?p=155#comment-1221</guid>
		<description>Hi Andy,

I'm having a hard time figuring out if you're being serious. Vaccines are causing  autism and there is in fact a conspiracy to cover this up and it is part of a large worldwide program. 

That last part of course can be dismissed offhand but you need to actually study the area before your "critical logical thinking skills" get involved. But here's an article for starters (and this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding evidence, you should try google, have you?)

And one more thing. Do you realize you're acting as a camouflage to getting this information out there by glossing over it, and so complicit in the crime and now answerable to millions of kids? What is your answer to these children now that you've spread lies of this magnitude in a public forum? I think the answer is to take down the article. 

---------

 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency that oversees the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently conceded the first vaccine-autism case.

This case was filed in the no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program as part of the Autism Omnibus proceedings in the U.S. Federal Court of Claims.

It was one of the first three cases chosen that alleged Thimerosal in childhood vaccines significantly contributed to a child developing autism.

Clifford Shoemaker, of Shoemaker and Associates of Vienna, Virginia, is the attorney of record in the Hanna Poling v. Secretary of HHS (case: 02-1466V).

Experts filing on behalf of the petitioner, Hanna Poling, included pediatric neurologist, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman of Johns Hopkins University, and Maryland geneticist and epidemiologist, Dr. Mark Geier of the Genetic Centers of America.

This concession shows the dishonesty of the continual media spin coming from public health officials and others who maintain there is no evidence that Thimerosal, or any other part of any vaccine, has ever caused autism or, for that matter, has harmed anyone in any way.

The facts are that the Vaccine Compensation Act has already compensated over 2,000 individuals who proved that they were harmed by vaccines, resulting in settlements of nearly two billion dollars.

Additionally, hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific/medical articles from some the world’s best universities have long implicated Thimerosal in vaccines as a causal factor in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism.

Furthermore, in 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Government Reform Committee, after a 3.5-year investigation, concluded that Thimerosal caused the autism epidemic and that the FDA and health authorities were guilty of “institutional malfeasance” in covering it up.

Evidence supporting the connection between mercury and autism include:

1. Published studies from the US and France showing that urinary porphyrins, a biomarker for body-burden of mercury, are elevated in patients diagnosed with autistic disorders (http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org).

2. A published study by researchers at Harvard University that found twice as much mercury and oxidative stress in the brains of those with an autism diagnosis as found in the brains of those who were normal.

3. A study from the US showing a significant relationship between increasing blood mercury levels and an increased risk of a diagnosis of an autistic disorder.

4. Numerous papers by independent researchers showing a link between increasing mercury exposure from childhood vaccines and the risk of a child developing an autistic disorder.

5. Several papers showing that adding low levels of Thimerosal to certain blood, brain, eye, immune, liver and/or muscle cells poisons their cellular mitochondrial pathways and can induce cell death.

Today, despite being banned in Europe and restricted in 7 U.S. states, Thimerosal-containing flu vaccines are still recommended for routine administration to pregnant women and infants, with little or no warning of the presence of this known poison in these and other vaccines.

Vaccines have and will continue to save many lives. However, an immediate ban and recall of vaccines and other drugs containing mercury compounds used in their production must be instituted immediately to stop the epidemic of developmental disorders, including autism, caused by the unsound use of mercury in medicine.

For more information, please visit CoMeD’s website:

www.mercury-freedrugs.org

---------------------
What is your answer to the children Andy? And what's your rebuttal, is it just that you haven't heard of this autism and metals connection and assumed it wrong because the govt and corp. controlled media programmed you to trust them? Also, do you work for a vaccine company? Come out with it.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Andy,</p>
<p>I&#8217;m having a hard time figuring out if you&#8217;re being serious. Vaccines are causing  autism and there is in fact a conspiracy to cover this up and it is part of a large worldwide program. </p>
<p>That last part of course can be dismissed offhand but you need to actually study the area before your &#8220;critical logical thinking skills&#8221; get involved. But here&#8217;s an article for starters (and this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding evidence, you should try google, have you?)</p>
<p>And one more thing. Do you realize you&#8217;re acting as a camouflage to getting this information out there by glossing over it, and so complicit in the crime and now answerable to millions of kids? What is your answer to these children now that you&#8217;ve spread lies of this magnitude in a public forum? I think the answer is to take down the article. </p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;</p>
<p> The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency that oversees the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently conceded the first vaccine-autism case.</p>
<p>This case was filed in the no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program as part of the Autism Omnibus proceedings in the U.S. Federal Court of Claims.</p>
<p>It was one of the first three cases chosen that alleged Thimerosal in childhood vaccines significantly contributed to a child developing autism.</p>
<p>Clifford Shoemaker, of Shoemaker and Associates of Vienna, Virginia, is the attorney of record in the Hanna Poling v. Secretary of HHS (case: 02-1466V).</p>
<p>Experts filing on behalf of the petitioner, Hanna Poling, included pediatric neurologist, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman of Johns Hopkins University, and Maryland geneticist and epidemiologist, Dr. Mark Geier of the Genetic Centers of America.</p>
<p>This concession shows the dishonesty of the continual media spin coming from public health officials and others who maintain there is no evidence that Thimerosal, or any other part of any vaccine, has ever caused autism or, for that matter, has harmed anyone in any way.</p>
<p>The facts are that the Vaccine Compensation Act has already compensated over 2,000 individuals who proved that they were harmed by vaccines, resulting in settlements of nearly two billion dollars.</p>
<p>Additionally, hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific/medical articles from some the world’s best universities have long implicated Thimerosal in vaccines as a causal factor in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism.</p>
<p>Furthermore, in 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Government Reform Committee, after a 3.5-year investigation, concluded that Thimerosal caused the autism epidemic and that the FDA and health authorities were guilty of “institutional malfeasance” in covering it up.</p>
<p>Evidence supporting the connection between mercury and autism include:</p>
<p>1. Published studies from the US and France showing that urinary porphyrins, a biomarker for body-burden of mercury, are elevated in patients diagnosed with autistic disorders (http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org).</p>
<p>2. A published study by researchers at Harvard University that found twice as much mercury and oxidative stress in the brains of those with an autism diagnosis as found in the brains of those who were normal.</p>
<p>3. A study from the US showing a significant relationship between increasing blood mercury levels and an increased risk of a diagnosis of an autistic disorder.</p>
<p>4. Numerous papers by independent researchers showing a link between increasing mercury exposure from childhood vaccines and the risk of a child developing an autistic disorder.</p>
<p>5. Several papers showing that adding low levels of Thimerosal to certain blood, brain, eye, immune, liver and/or muscle cells poisons their cellular mitochondrial pathways and can induce cell death.</p>
<p>Today, despite being banned in Europe and restricted in 7 U.S. states, Thimerosal-containing flu vaccines are still recommended for routine administration to pregnant women and infants, with little or no warning of the presence of this known poison in these and other vaccines.</p>
<p>Vaccines have and will continue to save many lives. However, an immediate ban and recall of vaccines and other drugs containing mercury compounds used in their production must be instituted immediately to stop the epidemic of developmental disorders, including autism, caused by the unsound use of mercury in medicine.</p>
<p>For more information, please visit CoMeD’s website:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org" rel="nofollow">http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org</a></p>
<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;<br />
What is your answer to the children Andy? And what&#8217;s your rebuttal, is it just that you haven&#8217;t heard of this autism and metals connection and assumed it wrong because the govt and corp. controlled media programmed you to trust them? Also, do you work for a vaccine company? Come out with it.</p>
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		<title>By: starlatk</title>
		<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/#comment-547</link>
		<dc:creator>starlatk</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:28:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dbskeptic.com/?p=155#comment-547</guid>
		<description>"Scammers will always be around unless we increase people’s exposure to critical thinking. There will always be people trying to take advantage of others, and there will always be people ready to believe lies. We can lessen the damage with education and activism... Critical thinking and a desire for knowledge can help define what religion really is, an ancient superstition, created at a time when people needed answers and didn’t know any better. Religion serves much the same role today. It shouldn’t have to."

Now, maybe you've shied away from the other obvious manipulator of false thoughts, as naming it in this current landscape may be getting into tricky (and perhaps unbiased) territory. However, it is important to recognize the role of politics and the media in these times of waning skepticism. Let's take out the actualities of who's campaign said what and when on what channel... but instead look at how millions of millions of citizens can be easily swayed into believing things that may or may not be true through political statements and talking heads, and media manipulation of topics. 

These are such powerful tools, as any social observer knows.  Historically, they have not always been used in the same way, or for the same reason, as they are today. Political campaigns, political parties, and the use of political situations were much different, even when we were children. Almost any event (like a natural disaster or a child learning to read), can be turned into a political strategy piece for a campaign. This is done so with help from the Media, which has also changed tremendously. Are media outlets unbiased? Do they give the whole story? Are they true to relaying real information, or instead writing in order to sell?  And if a news source is relaying the most accurate information, how are we the public aware of its accuracy- where can we put our trust? 

I'm only touching on the issues here, but I believe that these two forces (Politics and Media) are some of the most powerful influencers of public thought (for the good or for the worse). They should be recognized as such in order for critical thinking to survive along with these modern social messengers into the future.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Scammers will always be around unless we increase people’s exposure to critical thinking. There will always be people trying to take advantage of others, and there will always be people ready to believe lies. We can lessen the damage with education and activism&#8230; Critical thinking and a desire for knowledge can help define what religion really is, an ancient superstition, created at a time when people needed answers and didn’t know any better. Religion serves much the same role today. It shouldn’t have to.&#8221;</p>
<p>Now, maybe you&#8217;ve shied away from the other obvious manipulator of false thoughts, as naming it in this current landscape may be getting into tricky (and perhaps unbiased) territory. However, it is important to recognize the role of politics and the media in these times of waning skepticism. Let&#8217;s take out the actualities of who&#8217;s campaign said what and when on what channel&#8230; but instead look at how millions of millions of citizens can be easily swayed into believing things that may or may not be true through political statements and talking heads, and media manipulation of topics. </p>
<p>These are such powerful tools, as any social observer knows.  Historically, they have not always been used in the same way, or for the same reason, as they are today. Political campaigns, political parties, and the use of political situations were much different, even when we were children. Almost any event (like a natural disaster or a child learning to read), can be turned into a political strategy piece for a campaign. This is done so with help from the Media, which has also changed tremendously. Are media outlets unbiased? Do they give the whole story? Are they true to relaying real information, or instead writing in order to sell?  And if a news source is relaying the most accurate information, how are we the public aware of its accuracy- where can we put our trust? </p>
<p>I&#8217;m only touching on the issues here, but I believe that these two forces (Politics and Media) are some of the most powerful influencers of public thought (for the good or for the worse). They should be recognized as such in order for critical thinking to survive along with these modern social messengers into the future.</p>
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		<title>By: DB Skeptic</title>
		<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/#comment-541</link>
		<dc:creator>DB Skeptic</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:52:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dbskeptic.com/?p=155#comment-541</guid>
		<description>Thomas,

I don't have much control over which ads show - this is determined by Google. Read more detail at &lt;a href="https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=9713&#038;topic=8441" rel="nofollow"&gt;this link&lt;/a&gt;.

Thanks,

Andy</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thomas,</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t have much control over which ads show - this is determined by Google. Read more detail at <a href="https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=9713&#038;topic=8441" rel="nofollow">this link</a>.</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Andy</p>
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		<title>By: Thomas</title>
		<link>http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/09/06/the-future-of-skepticism/#comment-540</link>
		<dc:creator>Thomas</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:16:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dbskeptic.com/?p=155#comment-540</guid>
		<description>Meet Christian Girls Free
Meet / Chat with Christian Singles 100% Free to Join. Enjoy Today. 

That is the google ad right below your article.

Great paper, a joy to read.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Meet Christian Girls Free<br />
Meet / Chat with Christian Singles 100% Free to Join. Enjoy Today. </p>
<p>That is the google ad right below your article.</p>
<p>Great paper, a joy to read.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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