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more on Junk Science Awards...
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 04:56:47 -0500
Begin forwarded message: From: Rod Van Meter <rdv () tera ics keio ac jp> Date: December 7, 2004 7:58:00 PM EST To: dave () farber net Cc: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com> Subject: Re: [IP] Junk Science Awards... Reply-To: rdv () tera ics keio ac jp For IP, if you wish... Steve Milloy, the man behind JunkScience.com, is an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a commentator for Fox. This does not make him automatically wrong about any individual point; indeed, some of the possible ethical conflicts he discusses seem particularly relevant, and he's often right about anti-science hysteria on e.g. cell phones. However, it is well worth noting that there is a strong bias in the topics he chooses to highlight. He is a strong opponent of almost any form of regulation. No opportunity to criticize the science behind mercury or arsenic poisoning or artificial estrogens disrupting biosystems is passed up, though any supporting science he can't think of a way to criticize goes unmentioned. Most especially, he is a skeptic of global warming, both whether it is happening at all and whether humans are at fault. He will cite, for example, that 2003 was a cold year in Japan, after a several-year warming trend, but 2004 having broken numerous records will pass unremarked. The IPCC and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment come in for particularly strong criticism. On his page of links, you won't find a single one supporting global warming, but a dozen or so dissing it (many supported directly by the fossil fuels industry). His definition of "junk science" seems to include whatever he doesn't like; he is not in particular after scientific fraud (e.g., Schon at Bell Labs, who seems to have totally escaped Milloy's attention) or faith healers/dietary supplements and the like. He seems to have a particular dislike of the J. American Medical Association, the CDC, and researchers from Harvard. Harvard appears 187 times in a search of his site. By all means, read his stuff; I do. He cloaks himself in the rhetoric of skeptics such as James Randi. I would suggest that applying a healthy dose of skepticism to Milloy's own rantings is appropriate. --Rod ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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