The BCA Drops the Case Against Simon Singh
The title says it all. But read about it in full on the BBC. Here are the first two paragraphs.
The British Chiropractic Association has dropped its libel action against the science writer Simon Singh.
Dr Singh was being sued by the organisation because of comments he had made in the Guardian in 2008 about the effectiveness of chiropractic.
I’m very happy for Simon, as this sort of case and costs give British justice a bad name.
If Simon had said something that was truly offensive, then the case should have been quickly found in the BCA’s favour.
If on the other hand what he said was fair comment or genuine scientific unease, then it should have been quickly settled the other way.
But the case was not and it cost Simon upwards of a six figure sum. That is too high a cost to get real justice, as how could the average man on the Clapham Omnibus be able to afford such a sum?
But will Simon’s comments about chiropractors really make much difference? I’ve used them in the past and in most cases they have done just a little for the problems I’ve suffered from. On the other hand, others swear by their treatments and go all the time. We all have our views and follow them, so I suspect you’ll either back Simon or the BCA.
In one case though, I had spectacular results from an alternative form of therapy. At school my humerus was broken in a bullying incident and I’d been plagued by pain in the upper arm and shoulder for well over forty years. I’d seen several doctors, surgeons and osteopaths and no-one had been able to sort it out. I’d even had a full MRI Scan.
But then I went to a guy, who put judo players back together. He analysed the problem and gave me a set of exercises to do. The result was that the shoulder acted like the other.
If there is a moral, it’s that you must try everything.
But let’s not resort to law to stop the competitors or promote things that may be against the established order.
The good methods will eventually win out and there will be losers.
A Gluten-Free Lunch at Newmarket
I went to Newmarket races this afternoon. Judging by the number of cars in the car park, a lot of other people had the same idea. I blame the sunshine! It was cold though, but people were wrapped up well, as this photo shows.
Newmarket Races
Note the large number of cars in the background.
I needed lunch and went to the Bistro. If I’d done this some years ago and asked if the liver was gluten-free, I’d have got a blank look. But for the last couple of years, they’ve known what was in any of the meals.
The liver was excellent and as I was driving I washed it down with a pint of Diet Coke. The cost was even reasonable for a racecourse, or even any sit-down meal with service, at twenty pounds. That service was very much on the good side of four out of five.
They only charged two pounds for the Coke, which is about the same you’ll pay for it in a motorway service station. And in that case you don’t get a glass and you have to pour it yourself.
I Like This Poster
Innocent have been using rabbits to advertise.
The Innocent Rabbit
Why do we like rabbits, when they are so destructive?
For instance, they tend to dig holes in fields, which horses put their feet in and then suffer damage like broken legs.
Give me hares anytime!
The Anonymous Widower 