This week I've had three friends tell me they're enjoying this newsletter. I started this for no personal gain; rather my hope was simply to pass on some benefit from all the time I spend filtering through stuff -- maybe I could surface something you like that you would not have found otherwise, or at least save you some of the sifting time. So I'm thrilled that anyone is getting utility out of it. It is a public site, so feel free to pass on to your friends, but with the caveat that we live in illiberal times and I am not censoring information. I intend this to be for people who are un-offend-able (as I consider myself) or people who know me well enough that I can offend them without repercussion. And now, the links...
The Bullshit
https://walterkirn.substack.com/p/the-bullshit
Walter Kirn is such a gifted writer. It's a brilliant encapsulation of modern life.
Time to Assume That Health Research Is Fraudulent Until Proven Otherwise by Richard Smith, former editor of The BMJ
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/07/05/time-to-assume-that-health-research-is-fraudulent-until-proved-otherwise/
The falsification and irreproducibility of "science" is sneakily one of the biggest stories of our time. It's the type of thing that is so massive and pervasive that it undergirds much of our daily events without even being detected. If something is very often wrong, then reasonable people can disagree whether it is best to assume it is or not. That dramatically alters a cost benefit analysis in certain circumstances, for example whether to take an experimental vaccine.
Buzzfeed: Watching The Watchmen
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kenbensinger/michigan-kidnapping-gretchen-whitmer-fbi-informant
This is a simply stunning account of the FBI's involvement in last year's Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot. Before this country can actually heal, we need a modern Church Committee to figure out what the hell has been going on. Can you believe the following paragraph is in Buzzfeed?!
"An examination of the case by BuzzFeed News also reveals that some of those informants, acting under the direction of the FBI, played a far larger role than has previously been reported. Working in secret, they did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them."
The Bullshit
https://walterkirn.substack.com/p/the-bullshit
Walter Kirn is such a gifted writer. It's a brilliant encapsulation of modern life.
Time to Assume That Health Research Is Fraudulent Until Proven Otherwise by Richard Smith, former editor of The BMJ
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/07/05/time-to-assume-that-health-research-is-fraudulent-until-proved-otherwise/
The falsification and irreproducibility of "science" is sneakily one of the biggest stories of our time. It's the type of thing that is so massive and pervasive that it undergirds much of our daily events without even being detected. If something is very often wrong, then reasonable people can disagree whether it is best to assume it is or not. That dramatically alters a cost benefit analysis in certain circumstances, for example whether to take an experimental vaccine.
Buzzfeed: Watching The Watchmen
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kenbensinger/michigan-kidnapping-gretchen-whitmer-fbi-informant
This is a simply stunning account of the FBI's involvement in last year's Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot. Before this country can actually heal, we need a modern Church Committee to figure out what the hell has been going on. Can you believe the following paragraph is in Buzzfeed?!
"An examination of the case by BuzzFeed News also reveals that some of those informants, acting under the direction of the FBI, played a far larger role than has previously been reported. Working in secret, they did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them."