Interesting stuff
@bonza I think the links you provide are really good and the quotes relating to an independent (of governments, industry, academia, etc) oversight, replication and verification body that actually does its own replication of research studies are spot on.
The problem we currently have is, for instance wrt covid vaccines, we are actually listening to and taking into consideration the "research" and "results" from clinical trials and studies by the vaccine manufacturers themselves - there is such a massive conflict of interest here and I don't know how humanity can be so stupid.
I mean, humanity seems to be even relying on vaccine advice and opinion by Bill Gates, as evidenced by all the videos and news articles out there with him recommending with a straight face the Pfizer vaccine as the most effective and that the best way out of covid is to get the whole world vaccinated with it. Yet the vested interest here is just mind boggling. How did things come to this?
@BB how to we explain, or more accurately justify or rationalise, the success of science? Only by if you're prepared to accept that the scientific process and scientific discovery as a "shotgun" or "needle-in-the-haystack" approach (there's probably a better analogy):
Out of all the absolutely massive, monumental volume of "scientific research" out there, only a very tiny, minuscule handful of it makes its way into the "public domain" of our everyday lives. The rest ends up on the academic scrapheap.
If you're prepared to accept all the:
- research fabrication and misconduct,
- inability to replicate research either by data not being provided, research trial and experimental design and methodology not being properly detailed, or replication studies getting totally different results,
- difficulty in assessing the appropriateness of design and methodology, even for experts,
- sheer number of cases of very questionable design and methodology
- data snooping (which used to be called data mining but the term is used differently nowadays)
- private interests and agendas,
- poor and pointless research that has no impact,
- etc
as simply just "part of the scientific process", and the benefit of the outcomes of science that do make it into the public domain as outweighing all of these points, then all good that's just a personal judgement
@blindboy , what’s needed is more transparency from pig pharma and governments. The Pfizer contracts with governments are secret ( apparently ) and now through FOI the FDA is slowly releasing the Pfizer trials for its covid vaccine at 500 pages a month. With over 300,000 pages it’s estimated to take 55 years. To me without transparency, all it does is increase mistrust in both pig pharma and governments. I don’t for a moment think everything is fraudulent but there have been plenty of cases where this has happened over the last 20 - 30 years. Something needs to change .
"" The only way to ensure that, they conclude, is to have trials conducted in a public-health system or by an independent institution funded by a tax on the industry. This would work only with government support, which has been lacking.""
identifying and dismantling the shortcomings of neoliberalism... now we are talking!
but, sadly, 'the resistance' is strong...
"If you're prepared to accept all the:
- research fabrication and misconduct,
- inability to replicate research either by data not being provided, research trial and experimental design and methodology not being properly detailed, or replication studies getting totally different results,
- difficulty in assessing the appropriateness of design and methodology, even for experts,
- sheer number of cases of very questionable design and methodology
- data snooping (which used to be called data mining but the term is used differently nowadays)
- private interests and agendas,
- poor and pointless research that has no impact,
- etc
as simply just "part of the scientific process", and the benefit of the outcomes of science that do make it into the public domain as outweighing all of these points, then all good that's just a personal judgement.
gsco, I am not prepared to accept that but as science is conducted by human beings who are just as fallible as those working in any other area, I am not sure what you want me to do about it. It is good to highlight the problems as that causes increased scrutiny at every level of the process, but in the end, if a decision has to be made, the wisest course is to follow the existing evidence. And in the end the public health record, over many decades, demonstrates that it is worth the cost of the consequences. In terms of our personal health, which is all most of us can hope to control, I maintain your best protection is to minimise the use of all pharmaceuticals and do your research before using any.
"do your own research". that usually ends with someone dressed in a shaman outfit.
its deeply disappointing that given the current state of affairs right now. with society currently a tinderbox. the drug companies are resisting change to improve the integrity of the scientific processes involved in their industry. they have a moral duty to do more to combat the mistrust in society towards vaccine hesitation and government decisions and public health.
yet they haven't.
supa just posted another example with pfizer's stubborn drip feed release of data. Moderna is currently battling US claims for IP rights .. both companies have received huge financial sums from taxpayers.
this shit just feeds into distrust. they need to do more as responsible corporate citizens
BB I take a slightly different stance of being prepared to accept all the peripheral fluff and “churn factor” (my above points inc human error/fallibility, etc) of the scientific process as being overshadowed by the striking benefits to humanity of genuine, meaningful, important and impactful pure scientific discoveries that improve the lives of everyone.
But the problem as I see it is nowadays the balance is accelerating in the wrong direction and the current trajectory towards complete warfare like tactics of misinformation and propaganda in the medical space in pursuit of profit at the expense of ordinary people needs to be pulled up, by a global independent body.
You said “the wisest choice is to follow the existing evidence.” I think nowadays it’s getting increasingly difficult even for experts and doctors to discern what is genuine hard evidence vs smoke-and-mirrors and profit driven misinformation. Just look at the vaccine vs ivermectin debates and links in the other threads. You can find “evidence based science” to support whatever opinion you so desire.
You also said: “do you own research.” But of course it’s impossible for the average person to understand and decipher medical research and commentary around pharmaceuticals - even doctors are fast losing their ability to keep up.
There’s currently no place to go to get proper advice and opinion, and again as evidence I just cite all the mayhem and differing opinions out there relating to covid vaccines and treatments.
I feel that as an ordinary citizen I’m completely in the dark and unable to make an informed choice about anything relating to health and medicine.
It’s getting to the point of I’d lean more towards shortenism’s and blowin’s medical advice over my local doctor’s since at least they don’t have to keep their medical jobs and can thus call it as they see it.
I don’t feel like I have anywhere trustworthy to turn to - not doctors, governments, the WHO, TGA, academics, health “experts”, medical research.
Everything and everyone seems compromised. I’ve lost all trust.
Edit: I see basically the same thing is being said in other threads..
This could be relevant, I haven't read it yet
https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/biggest-pharmaceutica...
And sometimes they don’t play nice https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/company-news/pfizer-latin...
lulz
"A fisherman's unexpected catch forced the closure of two Perth beaches on Saturday.
Swanbourne and North Cottesloe beached were closed after a fisherman caught a large tiger shark before midday."
https://www.9news.com.au/national/wa-news-fisherman-catches-large-tiger-...
Interview with James Nestor the author of Breath (not the Winton novel for those who came in late).
Pelagic Company comments are bit out of line..
I was in the Ments in 2004 and a very reliable (person who was involved in the rescue) told me the following tale. A new boat operator (non-indonesian)) invested a seriously large amounts of money on a vessel and on the very first charter the local captain ran it aground on a reef every single skipper knew about. The boat was destroyed and the captain miraculously got another skipper's job a week later.
udo wrote:Pelagic Company comments are bit out of line..
How fucked is that, just naming the wrong company and no effort to edit their post or apologise even after being called out for it multiple times. Cuntz
goofyfoot wrote:udo wrote:Pelagic Company comments are bit out of line..
How fucked is that, just naming the wrong company and no effort to edit their post or apologise even after being called out for it multiple times. Cuntz
It's a telling comment thread, hey? Nothing to do with 'news', just an opportunity to torpedo a competitor.
Absolutely, it’d be a nice relaxed lineup next time these two boats paddle out at the same wave together.
Pelagic has now edited / corrected their insta..
Oh dear..
Interesting.
Wow very interesting, especially the second half.
Report - Wreckage is all cleaned up and with little Damage to the Reef
I wonder how much diesel she had on board?
https://www.gofundme.com/f/praya-mentawai-shipwreck-clean-up-and-support...
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
geez you'd hope all those funds do go to clean up, ...and not cleaning up...
fuck sponsoring those cowboys (and their lifestyle) to get another rig back up
looking at the numbers on gofundme, what they've done, and what stuff costs, they're already there
Epic boatfail
Always wanted to say that here.
Big Pharma’s Favorite Democrats Saved the Drug Industry Half a Trillion Dollars
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/11/big-pharma-democrats-prescription-dru...
Garden colours to herald the impending start of Summer. The koel has arrived from its Northern home ( New Guinea? ) and is busy binge eating palm fruit before regurgitating the gut-enzyme triggered seeds throughout the garden. Baby palms are expensive at Bunnings so it’s like it’s sharting lobsters and pineapples.
I’m not sure the resident red wattlebirds are too stoked about it’s arrival as the Koel is a cuckoo and preys on their nests to lay its eggs for the wattle birds to raise. The baby Koel kicks the competing wattlebird chicks from the nest and it’s incessant demands for food run the adult wattlebirds ragged.
Funny old bird the Koel. Clumsy and lazy. It’s behaviour leads me to think it’s in some kind of narcotic state or maybe pissed. Perhaps the palm fruit in its guts acts like betel nut? It just sits there with its blazing red eyes and doesn’t seem too perturbed when the other birds humbug the shit out of it, nor when I get within a few feet and check it out.
It’s an iconic indicator of the looming Christmas hearing it’s lunatic ascending call at dusk and dawn. Summer is one of my favourite four seasons!
The Covid enforced prolonged duration of time embedded in the one spot is pretty damn cool in a lot of ways. Getting deeper into the area, it’s environment , wildlife, waves , weather patterns and people.
I dig it.
Nice return post.
They came through here a month or more ago.
Few channel billed cuckoos still around, about the only bird that can give the Koel a run for it's money in making a helluva racket.
Sounds and looks like the break did you good blowin, welcome back , nice photos
Been some pretty epic battles with pythons in the chook sheds lately.
Came out to a kerfuffle and python had a big rat in a death grip.
Which is fine.
Same same echoing FR and SF, Blowin great post, epic garden BTW.
What others said above good one blowin
Looks like a Balinese garden, nice one
The Koels have been going nuts down here for 2-3 months now. Are they always around and just fire up when looking for a mate?
And yeah that garden is lush.
A fella I know just found this washed up on a beach on the mid Nth coast. Anyone got any idea what it might be? I’m hazarding a guess that it’s a wave rider buoy or current buoy. It looks like an expensive bit of kit. Solar panels and heavy for its size. It’s got a few registration numbers on it :
CA14684 SY
SY/ 150910
And
KT-690S
P4134
Any leads would be appreciated.
Looks like it is one of these.. https://www.radiobuoy.com/webls-en-us/product-%E8%A1%9B%E6%98%9F%E6%B5%A...
Used for Tuna fishing.
Interesting.
The wave buoys are Datawell and yellow, while also labelled. It did but they recovered it.
Sorry just edited my post after I saw your post and clicked on it. You're right, KT-690S satellite buoy
Yep. That’s it. Thanks very much.
Yep. That’s it. Thanks very much.
https://theconversation.com/tens-of-thousands-of-tuna-attracting-devices...
Oh it's a FAD, yeah nice.
.
UK gunning to make the wolf whistle to women illegal. Too bad if you’re a woman who enjoys the compliment, the narcs have said that no one should experience the horror of public appreciation of beauty.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/pestering-women-in-street-to-be-outl...
ahhh... the the good old plausable deniability...
again...
"Women's Tennis Has Balls. Does Wall Street?
Cowardice and courage on the question of China.
China is ruled by an increasingly totalitarian regime that uses technology to spy on its citizens. It is, at this moment, carrying out a genocide against its Uyghur Muslim population. It regularly vanishes people who dare to dissent. And it wants to control the terms of debate, politics and business worldwide.
Having disappeared doctors and scientists who tried to blow the whistle on Covid-19, the Chinese Communist Party has now targeted Peng Shuai, a tennis star who accused a former top Chinese government official of sexual assault. “Even if it is like an egg hitting a rock, or if I am like a moth drawn to the flame, inviting self-destruction, I will tell the truth about you,” she wrote on the social media platform Weibo. Then her message disappeared. And so did she.
These are facts discoverable to any American with an internet connection, which the hedge fund investor Ray Dalio surely has in his Greenwich, Connecticut, mansion.
Smart guy, one imagines, to be trusted with managing $150 billion of other people’s money, as his company Bridgewater does. But when Dalio was asked yesterday on CNBC about China’s human rights record, and how he thinks about it with regard to his investments, he feigned ignorance.
“I can’t be an expert in those types of things,” he told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin. “I really have no idea.” He went on to compare China’s government to that of a strict parent, and offered some mush of moral relativism about how the United States does bad things, too. This from a man who wrote a book called “Principles.”
You really should watch the whole thing: ..."
https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/womens-tennis-has-balls-does-wall
lol I was wondering if the US media would turn on Dalio after his new book release. Surprised it didn't turn on him sooner actually. I could imagine that pretty well the whole US population are not going to like what Dalio has to say in his new book. He's predicting the end of US hegemony, basically the disintegration of US society, and the rise of China to be the new global power and leader in the world, in our lifetime. And Dalio is also backing his predictions with massive dollars invested in China and what he sees as the changing world order. Not many US people want to hear that about their 'great' country...
Anyone on the Gold Coast….wowza, what a lightening show on now. Amazing.
Have it cunts