Just found this. What more needs to be said? If you’ve ever inherited a duff project, be it as part of your studies or part of your job – sorry, students, but this shit continues to happen even after you’ve got that precious piece of paper rumoured to shield you from poverty – then this nicely executed Lady Gaga filk sums it up beautifully. Admire the costumes.
Over at DoubleXScience, the frankly amazing Emily Willingham has posted a list of questions you should always ask yourself when unsure whether what’s in front of you is likely to contain any scientific basis whatsoever. The full article, which I urge you to read, contains an explanation of the thinking behind each question.
Every time a medical or scientific claim fails one of these tests, you should be suspicious. It’s a red flag, indicating possible spurious and/or fraudulent claims.
As some day it may happen that a culprit must be found,
I’ve got a little list, I’ve got a little list
Of pseudomedic whackjobs who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed – who never would be missed!
There’s the pestilential famewhores who keep writing for HuffPo
All people who sell cat litter and claim it makes you go
All nurses who think three years’ study makes them PhDs
All acupuncture nuts who make pincushions of your knees
And all woomeisters who on spoiling therapy insist
They’d none of ‘em be missed – they’d none of ‘em be missed!
Some idiot with the vocal talent of a drunken tomcat desecrated Roberta Flack’s soul standard Killing Me Softly (With His Song) on YouTube. Yes, I know Ms Flack didn’t write it, but she made the ditty an international hit. Anyway, this revolting venture was to promote antivax conspiracy theories so nutwhacked that probably even Matt Bellamy, bless him, wouldn’t touch them as inspiration for a song.
Unfortunately despite being short, slight, blue-eyed and British, I am not Matt Bellamy. I took a potshot at antivaxers yesterday though, so I dedicate this little effort to The Skeptical OB and her attempts to educate people in the USA about the dangers of “natural” childbirth and ideologically-driven “midwives”. I place that word in quotes because to me, an European, these people aren’t qualified as such. Here goes:
They’re gonna stick in their hooks
With all the lies in the books
To make a antivax nut out of you
Because their tinfoil hat’s on
They’ll keep an eye on you, son
So they can troll all the things you doBecause the woo never works
They’re gonna give you a smirk
‘Cause they got a campaign ‘gainst vaccine
They’re gonna rip up your heads
All your kids’ health to shreds
Another cog in the murder machine
