Hate Mail - 2011

This collection of mail to The Millenium Project covers correspondence received during 2011. My replies are in italics.

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Mail received from January 1, 2019

Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:08:54 +1000
From: "pool family"
Subject: Anitbio feedback

Dear Ratbags

I write to let you know about an out of date page on your website. https://ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/antibio.htm

I don't see anything there which is out of date, other than the statement that I manage the Australian Skeptics web site. I no longer do this and this fact is now noted. I have checked the AntiBio web site and there doesn't seem to be anything there which would make me change my mind about anything else I said.

It might be worth your while revisiting this item given 6 years has past since you posted this baseless information. It would seem that gathering facts is something you don't do very well so I write to inform you that I've had an Antibio system treating the water in my domestic pool for six continuous years without issue. My pool contains 82,000 litres of pure fresh water and the only treatment it has received in six years is from the Antibio system. No other antibacterial additions – without fail.

I congratulate you on the robustness of your immune system. I assume you are still filtering the water. By the way, an Olympic-sized pool is about 30 times as big as yours so one would assume it would take 30 AntiBio gadgets to keep one of them clean, but the AntiBio web site still shows only one mobile phone charger being used. It is normal for treatment things like this to scale with the application and the fact that it seems that "one size fits all" is evidence that the thing doesn't do much at all. If you doubt me, compare the size of your sand filter to the one at the local council pool.

My local pool shop were very interested when I installed this system and collected weekly water samples for the first three months of operation. They were shocked that this technology works and departed muttering about having to charge me for future water analysis because they doubted being able to make money from me by selling chemicals. My local pool shop undertakes more assessment than you appear to!

I'm surprised that they haven't signed on as distributors of the AntiBio device. Perhaps they thought that selling tested methods of controlling pool water quality was preferable to selling kits consisting of some wires, a couple of hose clamps and a mobile phone battery charger.

By the way, have you had any water quality checks done since the initial six months? Your filter can make the water look clean but most of the bugs are invisible even when a lot of them are in the water.

I also notice that you continue to speak on behalf of the Australian Skeptic Association, a group to which I belonged until I visited your website six years ago whilst deciding to buy an Antibio unit. I was your website and one eyed ideology that lead me to feel that this was not something I wanted to be part of. I'm an engineer, a practical person who is not prepared to disregard a new idea until it can be tested. Apparently, you are not of the same mind.

I do not speak for Australian Skeptics (there is no Australian Skeptic Association) and never have unless I have specifically said so at the time. If my comments about AntiBio drove you away from the organisation then you could not have been much of a fan in the first place.

While I can't tar all Skeptics with the same brush, your website does contain some relevant and valid social comment but the overwhelming smell of arrogance is enough to turn me off.

Thank you. Constructive comment is always welcome.

I don't expect you'll reconsider your position, although a little more objective factual homework wouldn't hurt.

I've had a look at the scientific "research" conducted on behalf of AntiBio and I would say that they are the ones to do some more objective factual homework. As an example, if you are doing a study to test the ability of something to reduce microbiological population and a seperate system monitoring chlorine injection fails allowing more chlorine than usual to enter the water you cannot then claim that the device under test had any effect on microorganisms. If the research cited on the AntiBio web site is indicative of what passes for PhD-level standards in some parts of Griffith University then I can only feel sympathy for the friends of mine who work or study there or who are alumni, because their work will be devalued by such amateurism.

Jaimes Pool

You can see more about the AntiBio scam here.

From: Kathryn Hodges
Subject:
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:03:14 -0500

Peter,

Your site happened to come up on a search and I read the story about the man with spinal surgery whose outcome was poor("CRA"). Though uncertain about your medical training, contracted fingers is a sign (Dupuytren's Contracture) is a sign of spinal cord pressure which can be from nicking the cord or bleeding around the cord. The surgeons would likely have been very busy for 4 hours and it is not uncommon to have to schedule emergency surgery to go back in and correct this problem.

They didn't schedule emergency surgery. They scheduled another operation a week later. In any case, as the entire story by the CRA saleswoman is so full of holes, lies and inconsistencies there is no reason to believe anything about the operation. If the operation ever took place, of course.

I personally observed this happen and though the nurses missed the sign when the surgeon saw it post-op, he ordered immediate imaging and surgery less than 24 hours after the procedure. Perhaps you would have commented differently if you were commenting on a procedure you understood better.

As I said above, the second surgery was scheduled for a week later. The only reason they operated sooner was that there was a sudden availability of an operating theatre. Except that the whole story is a lie.

Sometimes things don't work out well and stimulation and diligence can be the vehicle which best heals the nervous system, though optimal nutrition is most helpful and food is a challenging source of nutrition.

Food is the only source of nutrition, although occasionally supplementation might be necessary. For example, if a drastic diet change happens there might be a need for supplements until the effect of the change is known. This is what happened to me after I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes – I took vitamin supplements for a few weeks because suddenly I was eating half as much food.

See what this is about here.

Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 11:14:43 -0400
Subject: Re: Tweet @ President Obama
From: Philena Rush

I just wanted you to know that I'm personally unsubscribed from ONE.org over this vaccine non-sense. Since I'm one of those "misguided" parents who's daughter became autistic 24hrs after the MMR shot, I wish an organization like ONE.org would fight the right battles when it comes to vaccines.

Thank you for informing me about ONE.org. I hadn't been aware of them and the excellent job they do in raising awareness of problems in the world. I am particularly pleased that they are campaigning strongly for better vaccination to fight childhood diseases and HIV/AIDS. They fight the real battles.

You aren't misguided because you have an autistic child. You are misguided if you think that the MMR vaccine had anything to do with the autism.

First of all, the science of vaccines is outdated. Personalized medicine is the key to creating effective vaccines. But when microbiologist try to file patents for creating a vaccine based on an individual's DNA, they get hidden, or mysteriously commit suicide... Right...

Wrong. If you are going to make statements like this then names, places and dates are required. Don't believe everything you read on anti-vaccination liar web sites. Better still, don't believe anything you read there.

Anyway, for the past 50 years, the science of vaccines only focused on the mass distribution of vaccines and all the chemicals added to vaccines.. The FDA disapproves personal vaccines because vaccines require a double-blinded study.  Now, how in the world can you test a vaccine on someone else, when it's based upon your DNA?

You can't, but as vaccines based on individual DNA aren't ever going to be made there is no reason to do any tests.

And since Dr. Wakefield continues to be discredited, he is a Gastroenterologist not a Pediatrician.

His speciality has nothing to do with why he was discredited. He was discredited because he lied, took money, abused children and behaved unethically.

This explains why not only did my daughter lose eye-contact and speech, but she stopped eating as well, and I had to revert back to blander baby food, but before the shots she was eating Stage 3 foods and finger foods. But for some reason people think it's all in our heads??

You might like to explain what ex-Dr Wakefield's medical speciality had to do with your child.

Nobody has ever said "it's all in your heads". What has been said is that MMR does not cause autism, but autism is usually detected at about the age that the child receives the vaccine. It's called coincidence.

There are too many chemicals added to vaccines.. The vaccine issue is misguided by many parents who are anti-vaccine.. I'm NOT anti-vaccine, because the vaccine's themselves are not the cause of the rise of autism, but it's everything else they put in the damn vaccines for mass distribution.

And what additives in the MMR vaccine could be causing autism? Please do not mention thimerosal, because it has never been there. Please do not mention squalene, because we make that in our bodies and it is essential for life. Please do not mention aborted foetuses, because that is a lie. Please do not mention antifreeze, because that is another lie.

Would someone plz, look into exposes these issues? It's 2011 and we are still using 1950 science?

Actually, it is 2011 and we are using 2011 science. Remember what I said above about believing anti-vaccination liar web sites?

This needs to be stopped. Personalized medicine would ruin the pharmaceutical industry. Follow the money!!

Did you follow ex-Dr Wakefield's money? You know, the £500,000 he was paid to find what the lawyers wanted him to find, or the money he would have received from his measles vaccine patent if he had managed to get MMR off the market. That sort of money

Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:47:03 +0100
From: Sam Hall
Subject: Comment / Feedback

You have clearly mastered the art of modern technology comms, use and abuse.

I too work for a computer consultancy, perhaps one more sucessful than yours. Why are you so afraid to set up a blog ( i cant call it a website as its just your drivel on there) and allow others the freedown to post commnets viewable to all. Are you scared that people may actually post far more powerful data and facts than anything I have red from you ? You are a coward – who thinks themselves particularly smart, get your picure up there...courage of your convictions etc.

If you are so right on your subject matter allow people to reply in public and you may find your audience are far more vociferous than you think.

What will your legacy be – a follower, i see no leaders here.

As is the case for ALL criticism I receive about the site, your email and this response will be published.

It helps to have a look around before you make a fool of yourself.

Mail received in previous years
1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 onwards
Mail received from January 1, 2019