Miscellaneous

Off topic: Cancer treatment hype gives false hope to many patients

After Michael Uvanni’s older brother, James, was diagnosed with a deadly form of skin cancer, it seemed as if everyone told the family what they wanted to hear: Have hope. You can beat this, and we are here to help.

The brothers met with doctors at a half-dozen of the country’s best hospitals, all with impressive credentials that inspired confidence…. Patients and families are bombarded with the news that the country is winning the war against cancer. The news media hypes research results to attract readers. Drug companies promise “a chance to live longer” to boost sales. Hospitals woo paying customers with ads that appeal to patients’ fears and hopes.

“I’m starting to hear more and more that we are better than I think we really are,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society. “We’re starting to believe our own bullshit.” SNIP…

Study Finds Link Between Brain Damage and Religious Fundamentalism

Excerpt

From Alternet via Bia Winter

Excerpt

A new study published in the journal Neuropsychologia has shown that religious fundamentalism is, in part, the result of a functional impairment in a brain region known as the prefrontal cortex. The findings suggest that damage to particular areas of the prefrontal cortex indirectly promotes religious fundamentalism by diminishing cognitive flexibility and openness—a psychology term that describes a personality trait which involves dimensions like curiosity, creativity, and open-mindedness.

Religious beliefs can be thought of as socially transmitted mental representations that consist of supernatural events and entities assumed to be real. Religious beliefs differ from empirical beliefs, which are based on how the world appears to be and are updated as new evidence accumulates or when new theories with better predictive power emerge. On the other hand, religious beliefs are not usually updated in response to new evidence or scientific explanations, and are therefore strongly associated with conservatism. SNIP

The link between highly-polluted air and the risk of developing dementia

Recommended article: Why Clean Air Is Important for Your Health

Scientists believe there may be a link between highly-polluted air, and the risk of developing dementia. It has been found that people with dementia have high levels of magnetite in their brains, though it is not clear whether or not these elevated levels are related to dementia.

If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home or community, there are some steps you can take to clean it up. First, you’ll want to assess whether your local area has polluted air or not. In some cases, you can actually see the smog over a city. A tight-fitting mask that filters pollutants would do the trick here. At home, you’ll need to use your HVAC, and a portable air purifier is also recommended.

Take a look at this guide and discover more about the connection between dementia and dirty air, and learn how to clean the air around you. SNIP

Russia Hysteria Infects WashPost Again: False Story About Hacking U.S. Electric Grid

I have been a subscriber to the Washington Post for some time and have generally found it to be an excellent source of information on what is happening in the world. However it seems even the WP is not immune to false news stories (my last posting – to be deleted shortly). The following was sent in by Swedish investigative journalist Mona Nilsson…..The Post’s story also predictably and very rapidly infected other large media outlets. Reuters thus told its readers around the world: “A malware code associated with Russian hackers has reportedly been detected within the system of a Vermont electric utility.”….

Excerpt:

The Washington Post on Friday reported a genuinely alarming event: Russian hackers have penetrated the U.S. power system through an electrical grid in Vermont. The Post headline conveyed the seriousness of the threat:

The first sentence of the article directly linked this cyberattack to alleged Russian hacking of the email accounts of the DNC and John Podesta — what is now routinely referred to as “Russian hacking of our election” — by referencing the code name revealed on Wednesday by the Obama administration when it announced sanctions on Russian officials: “A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials.”…. The article went on and on in that vein, with all the standard tactics used by the U.S. media for such stories: quoting anonymous national security officials, reviewing past acts of Russian treachery, and drawing the scariest possible conclusions (“‘The question remains: Are they in other systems and what was the intent?’ a U.S. official said”)….. What’s the problem here? It did not happen…. SNIP