Monday Open Comments

Over almost two decades, John Ioannidis has been the strongest voice of reason among all scientists anywhere and everywhere. He is not the most popular man campus because he exposed hundreds, if not thousands, of “scientific papers to false and their processes and results impossible to reproduce.

The scientific literature is filled with information that is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong. Is there any- thing we can do to improve the credibility of medical research?

Our media is constantly churning out conflicting and misleading stories about medicine and health issues. This obviously creates confusion in the general public and in the professional medical community. But it’s not just the general media that exaggerates and misinforms. The scientific literature is filled with false and exaggerated claims. Is there anything we can do to improve the credibility of medical research studies? What should we believe when it comes to medical science?

It’s not that there’s a dearth of information or studies. There are more than 20 million papers in the medical scientific literature published to date, and two million more added every year. There are also more than 10 million research- ers working in the medical research field. But scientific literature is filled with findings that don’t always stand the test of time or are flawed from the begin- ning. A majority of the studies are minor and show problems in their design, the way they were conducted, the way they were reported, and the way they are interpreted. It’s critical to scrutinize all aspects of the research process in order to more accurately understand the credibility of each piece of medical evidence. Only by doing that, will we have a real chance to decrease cost, improve efficiency, enhance health, and save lives.

Here is another excellent video from John Ioannidis titled, Why Most Clinical Research Is Not Useful.

The most downloaded scientific paper from all the open source platforms since 2005 is by John Ioannidis and has 3,106,389 views and 75,249 saves:

Why Most Published Research Findings Are False


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49 responses to “Monday Open Comments”

  1. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    These men have destroyed,…….
    Monday again and I have a busy week but we’re have more fine weather, we just need a little rain.
    Mornin’ Gang

  2. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    My @ 5:24 AM, I know all the men in the pictures and why they’re in the line-up but what exactly did LeBron James do, other than get in the bed with China?

  3. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Third!

    If we had heavy storms, i slept thru them. I’ll have to go check my analog rain gauge in a bit.

    1. Super Dave Avatar
      Super Dave

      No Rain For Me!!! Film at 11.

  4. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Time for a make you smile moment, out of Huntsville Alabama;

    Moms Welcome Babies Named Johnny Cash and June Carter at Same Alabama Hospital on Same Day

    “We want them to keep in touch. It’s too big of a coincidence not to,” June’s mother Sophie Clark said of the two newborns.

    Both members of one of country music’s most famous couples were accidentally honored on the same day in an Alabama hospital!

    Moms Sophie Clark and Nicole Davis each gave birth on April 10 at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children in Huntsville, and coincidentally named their respective babies after June Carter and Johnny Cash, who were married from 1968 until their deaths in 2003.

    Clark, 22, welcomed her daughter June Carter Clark at 2:30 p.m. and hours later, Davis and her husband welcomed their son Johnny Cash Davis into the world at 9:50 p.m., per Good Morning America.

    When nurses found out that two strangers who decided to name their kids after Cash and Carter gave birth on the same day, they facilitated a meeting between the babies in their bassinets and their parents.

    The coincidence was only uncovered because Sophie’s uncle struck up a conversation with baby Johnny’s father.

    “I was very shocked. I was so excited when I found out,” Sophie, whose sister helped her and her husband name their first child, told GMA. Baby June’s middle name is her father’s first name.

    She learned of the baby boy’s name first. “And I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ ” she said of her reaction when she learned that the babies had the same birthday.

  5. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    It’s been dry here with little chance for rain through this week. The Weather Guessers were showing the map this morning and that big front sitting on the Mississippi between Louisiana and Mississippi will peter out by the time it gets here. They’re showing 30% & 40% for Tuesday but I don’t believe it for a minute, this ain’t my first rodeo. We need a 80%-90% chance to insure we’ll get any rain.

  6. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Well I have once again missed the Flora-Bama Mullet Toss for 2024……Bummer 😉

  7. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    A man after my own heart;

    Captain John Lappo, USAF, flew a Strategic Air Command Boeing RB-47E Stratojet UNDER the Mackinac Bridge in 1959! At its highest point under the main span, the bridge is 115 feet above the water. The RB-47 itself is 28 feet high and was flying at about 75 feet, leaving only 12 feet above Lappo’s aircraft!

    When asked why he did it, Lappo said, “It’s just a sense of adventure that some men have and some don’t.”

    Lappo was court-martialed for the stunt and permanently removed from flying status, though he remained in the Air Force, served in Vietnam, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1972. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 83.

    Have you ever heard of this incident before?

    1. Texpat Avatar
      Texpat

      Strangely, I remember that incident from when I was a boy. It stuck in my memory.

  8. Bonecrusher Avatar
    Bonecrusher

    re O/C: The primary problem here is the wholesale rejection of basic Judeo/Christian morality and absolute truth coupled with the love of money/fame/power. At this point, most of government and those suckling as the teat of same are worshippers of the Whore of Babylon.

    Cheerful Monday to you all.

  9. bsue54 Avatar

    It was nice to wake up this morning and see no sign of last nite’s storm aside from everything being wet… There was a lightening strike not long after we turned in but since we live in the forest, that’s not unusual…

    1. Shannon Avatar
      Shannon

      Yes, I was watching the radar and noticed the worst of it stayed north of y’all.

  10. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Two donkeys loose on Greenbriar.

    1. Tedtam Avatar

      Are there Democrats campaigning in town, seeing as how two jackasses got loose?

      1. GJT Avatar
        GJT

        No, these were being productive mowing grass. 😀

  11. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    In the market for a 3/4 ton truck. I despise vehicle shopping. So far just in the online perusing mode right now, dang they high priced with high mileage.

    1. Tedtam Avatar

      Hubby purchased a 1990 Chevy from some guy in….Missouri? He searched online for a replacement vehicle for his work truck. He ended up flying up there and taking a taxi to….Stanton, MO? I think I remember Stanton. He liked the truck though it needed work, and drove it home. It’s getting repainted and repaired now, and he’s preparing to put new workboxes and a lift where he removed the bed (now for sale). It was preferable to buy an old truck and pay to get it fixed than to buy a new one and deal with all the electronic crap. Fortunately, we have a tenant who does excellent body work, someone we trust.

  12. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    My son has my tractor doing a little more dirt work around his new shop. Yesterday morning he called saying it shredded the fan belt, I was busy so couldn’t help, but we found O’Reilly’s had a belt. I told him to check alternator and water pump to make sure they didn’t lock up, he said they seemed fine so he replaced it which required removing the drive shaft at the front of the motor. He put it all back together and sure enough he got about fifteen feet and alternator locks up and shreds the new belt 😀 My tractor group says bearings are available at parts stores so I’m going to see what’s involved in tearing it down rather than buying some cheap Amazon replacement.

    Edit: Kubota wants $200 for an alternator but can find online for $69 but just don’t trust that.

    1. Super Dave Avatar
      Super Dave

      Go with the Kubota, you’ll not be sorry. Actually $200 bucks isn’t bad these days. That said, it’s probably a little guy, 35-50 Amp. When we replaced the alternator on or old 73 CJ-5 Huntin’ Jeep the part was listed at 35 amp but the smallest they had was a 50 amp and it was a whooping $35 bucks in 2002. Oh and by that time, truck alternators were already over 100 amps and expensive. 😉

  13. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    I had an old Toyota pickup back in the 90’s. It would eat guaranteed (free) NAPA alternators about once a year. 🙂
    But they were pretty easy to install.

    1. GJT Avatar
      GJT

      I pulled that drill on a ‘96 Ford Explorer we had with brake pads, I got free replacement pads from AutoZone but I was having to replace them every 15K miles pretty much lol. This was back when a good alternative to asbestos pads hadn’t been worked out yet. I finally paid the price for OEM and they lasted longer.

  14. Tedtam Avatar

    I made two rosaries yesterday, so I’m skipping my make-rosary time this morning. I have stuff piling up on my desk. I told Hubby I must’ve had some intense dreams last night – “You know how it is when you wake up and even though you can’t remember the dream, it’s still ‘with you’?” He knew what I was talking about.

  15. Tedtam Avatar

    Today’s C&C looks interesting, as always. Particularly troubling is more sunlight on the lies about the jab info. That particular item has always bothered me. When “they” lied about the numbers, folks who might otherwise have made wise decisions, didn’t.

    Good morning, C&C, it’s Monday! This week, we’ll pass through another month of 2024, creeping that much closer to the year’s big event. Today’s roundup gets you up to speed on everything you need to know: Trump and DeSantis meet and the media is off to the races; troubling admission by AstraZeneca shines a light on the repugnant edifice of jab dishonesty; extreme weather hits the midwest; and Jonathan Turley exposes how ridiculous is the Trump Trial, tracking our C&C observations.

    Off to read the whole thing fer m’self now…

  16. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    Last night while Shannon was sleeping 759,100 birds flew in migration over Austin County, Texas.

    Peak Migration had 231,600 birds in flight headed NNE at 24 mph and altitude of 1,700 feet.

    There were over a million birds flying over Austin County on Saturday night.

    Extremely cool new website on bird migration over the United States. Birdcast.info from the best ornithologists in the world at Cornell University.

    Enter your town here for data.

    1. GJT Avatar
      GJT

      Waller County had 178,000 fly over doing 18mph at 1,500 ft.

    2. Super Dave Avatar
      Super Dave

      Dang we had 230,400, peak 63,900 heading NNW at 30 MPH, 2K feet. Now that is a neat website, wife will love this. One of the birds listed was a Summer Tanager and my wife saw one last week. She didn’t recognize the call so she record it and looked on her App, later we confirmed it with a visual. 2 more birds listed are the Blue Grosbeak and the Rose Breasted Grosbeak both birds we’ve seen here this time of year just not this year yet.
      We’re lucky to have all sorts f birds here and my wife has become something of an expert with her Bird App. 😉

  17. Tedtam Avatar

    Texpat, I think I’ve told this story here before, but your bird story reminded me of one of my most memorable childhood moments:

    I was across the street with our neighbor, Julie, currying her pony, when she looked up into the distance and asked “What’s that?” I followed her gaze and saw a large spot in the sky, way off. We curried and watched as that dot grew larger and closer. We stopped currying when we realized what it was – a flock of thousands of birds. Smaller birds, maybe sparrows.

    We stood there, mouths agape, as the birds passed overhead (we got lucky, if you know what I mean). What made the flock so incredible, in addition to the size of it, was the shape of it. It was basically a very, very, very long rectangle. The sides looked as if they’d been smoothed out with a ruler, they were so straight. I don’t know how deep the flock was, but it must’ve been at least ten deep. It was so long that at one point we could see neither the beginning nor the end. We watched until the end point disappeared into the far end of the sky.

    What was amazing was that we were the only ones who saw it. No one else on the street was outside or looking up. I will never forget the sound of the birds: soft chirping, and their wings beating the air was like the softest of waterfalls in the sky.

  18. Tedtam Avatar

    And it looks like I’ve developed a second trigger finger: my right hand index finger. It’s not as strong a trigger as the one on my left hand, thank goodness. Pretty soon I’ll only be able to point at myself. 😉

  19. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    Don’t miss this link for the most downloaded scientific paper since the founding of the Public Library Of Science (PLOS). It has been viewed over 3,000,000 times and downloaded over 75,000 times.

    Why Most Published Research Findings Are False

    Dr. John Ioannidis and his team at Stanford compiled a long list of peer-reviewed scientific papers published in America some years back. The project inspired other scientists to similar projects like Retraction Watch.

    If someone publishes the results of experiments and declares certain conclusions, the standard is the results have to be repeatedly reproducible. In something like 80% of these papers, the results could not be repeated.

  20. Tedtam Avatar

    Skipping a lot of the C&C, I find Mr. C’s discussion of the Trump trial both amusing and insightful:

    The Hill ran an encouraging, hilariously-written Jonathan Turley op-ed on Friday, headlined “On Alvin Bragg and the art of not taking the law too seriously.” Of course I loved it, since Turley agrees with us. The trial is a joke about a farce.

    Following last week’s testimony, Turley explained, Donald Trump’s trial is increasingly looking like a mad, Rube Goldberg-style prosecution machine being run by a pack of midwit lawyers who don’t take the law too seriously.

    /snip

    Smart people like Jonathan Turley are starting to realize how threadbare is portly Alvin Bragg’s dumb criminal case. Here’s how Constitutional scholar Turley described the legal issues, if you can call them that: [insert quote]

    /snip

    Turley then caught a trick I’d missed. Showing a spark of neuronic life, mid-trial last week, in mid-case, or ‘mid-stream,’ Bragg ditched his original campaign finance reporting crime for a different weird, unused New York election law — surprise! — this one prohibiting an “unlawful conspiracy to promote an election”:

    In the trial, Bragg added a type of frying pan flip to his Rube Goldberg contraption by arguing that Trump may have been trying to hide his violation of another dead misdemeanor under yet another New York election law prohibiting “conspir[ing] to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.”

    In other words, Trump was conspiring to try to win his own election. Even though the notations were made after he had already won the election. Even though Trump was running for a federal, not a state office.

    So Bragg would use one dead misdemeanor to trigger a second dead misdemeanor to create a felony on the simple notations used to describe payments for a completely legal nondisclosure agreement.

    The op-ed continued by then analyzing last week’s testimonial evidence (mostly from David Pecker), and what it all added up to — if anything — was just as disjointed and unfathomable as were the criminal charges.

    Here’s hoping the prosecutor gets hoisted mightily on his own petard. Not holding my breath. This is NY, after all.

  21. Tedtam Avatar

    From the C&C comments:

    Mild myocarditis, temporary flu like symptoms and the occasional slightly irritating dirt nap, i.e. Moderate Graveyarditis.

    Sometimes the comments are as amusing as the column prose.

  22. Tedtam Avatar

    I’m watching some of the J6 video clips via the link from CFP, and I just saw something truly amazing.

    In one video, the legislators are being herded “to safety,” and of course they are all wearing masks. I kid you not, one guy not only had a mask but a PLASTIC BAG OVER HIS HEAD.

    I’m guessing he was a leftie.

    1. Bonecrusher Avatar
      Bonecrusher

      I’m kind of surprised that the Rio Grande isn’t full of alligators; the water stays warm most of the year and there are lots of fish. . . .

  23. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    NYT has a bunch whiny, entitled brats they are profiling from the student riots. Yawn…I’ll pass. It’s been said before many times as Ed Driscoll notes with this.

    “I would like to observe that the older generation had certainly pretty well ruined this world before passing it on to us. They gave us this Thing, knocked to pieces, red-hot, threatening to blow up; and then they are surprised that we don’t accept it with the same enthusiasm with which they received it.”

    — John F. Carter Jr., “These Wild Young People’ by One of Them,” in the Atlantic, 1920.

  24. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    BY Hamza Howidy in Gaza: Message From a Gazan to Campus Protesters: You’re Hurting the Palestinian Cause 

    Protests are spreading across the United States at college campuses, where university students are gathering in the name of Palestinian rights and occupying campus spaces with tents. Sadly, not everyone who purports to support Palestinians is truly interested in safeguarding our rights.

    It pains me to say this as a Palestinian from Gaza. As my home is destroyed and too many killed, I never thought I would find myself criticizing those speaking up. And yet, I cannot be silent about what I am seeing. The truth is that the manner in which many gather to voice their support for Palestinians does more to hurt our cause than help it.

    Guess what, Ms. Howidy, they don’t really care what you think, a genuine resident of Gaza.

    You know what would help the Palestinians in Gaza? Condemning Hamas‘ atrocities. Instead, the protesters routinely chant their desire to “Globalize the Intifada.” Apparently they do not realize that the Intifadas were disastrous for both Palestinians and Israelis, just as October 7 has been devastating for the people of Gaza.

    1. Bonecrusher Avatar
      Bonecrusher

      As Ron White so eloquently phrased: “You can’t fix stupid.”

  25. Texpat Avatar
    Texpat

    Want to know if Biden has ever issued a National Security Memorandum for Ukraine. What are they doing ? Who is responsible for missiles supplied by the US landing in Russian civilian territories ? WHO IS MONITORING THE UKRAINIAN ARMY ? Tell me when the US State Dept has ever issued instructions to Zelensky about how to fight the war ? How many Democrats in Congress and DC have gone on the record micromanaging the war in Gaza ???

    WASHINGTON — Some senior US officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find “credible or reliable” Israel’s assurances that it is using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, according to an internal State Department memo reviewed by Reuters and reported by the news agency on Saturday.

    Other officials upheld support for Israel’s representation. Administration officials have repeatedly said they have not found Israel in violation of international law.

    Under a National Security Memorandum (NSM) issued by US President Joe Biden in February, Blinken must report to Congress by May 8 whether he finds credible Israel’s assurances that its use of US weapons does not violate US or international law.

  26. squawkbox Avatar
    squawkbox

    Republic First Bancorp of Pennsylvania is the first bank failure of 2024. Half of the deposits were uninsured, too many ‘unrealized bond losses’ on their balance sheet. Republic First had the same issues as the others that failed last year.

    The great Britt Gillette gives an excellent appraisal of the problems plaguing the banking system. suggests their may well be at least 7 more banks closing “soon”.

    Oh BTW Hello kitty is celebrating 50th birthday November 1.

  27. Shannon Avatar
    Shannon

    Never heard of Trigger Finger, but I knew about Dupuytren’s.

    Dupuytren’s versus Trigger Finger.

  28. Tedtam Avatar

    After watching the video, my diagnosis is confirmed: trigger finger. The symptoms match perfectly. It’s worse first thing in the morning. (Most things are, when discussing aches and pains.) There are mornings where I wonder if (1) I’ll ever be able to close that left middle finger safely again, or (2) will I be able to pull that sucker straight. I usually avoid closing that finger to the point where it “sticks”.

    The right index finger is a much less severe case. Much of the time I don’t even notice it. That’s a good thing. But first thing in the morning and occasionally during the day, especially if I’m retaining water, I can feel it.

    I find that if I pull the finger it relieves the “stickiness” of the finger. Almost to normal sometimes.

    I think it’s happening because I have a habit of curling my hand up under my pillow, under my head. I think I put too much pressure on my hands during the night.

  29. Adee Avatar
    Adee

    Nice to wake up this morning and see that we had two tenths of rain in the gauge overnight, delivered without thunder. It only left some small puddles on the driveway that are now gone. Grass looks bit greener today.

  30. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Well since my wife’s hens are at max production with the warmer weather, I decided to make some Candied Jalapeno Deviled Eggs. It’s been awhile since I’ve made them, not sure why. 😉

    1. Tedtam Avatar

      She still have/using her egg apron?

      1. Super Dave Avatar
        Super Dave

        Sometimes but she has a hard time keeping up with it. I tell her to leave it in her Mule but you know how that goes. 😉

  31. Tedtam Avatar

    My NASA Sis has been in a big texting confab with one of my brothers. Seems she’s finding black widows on her property, with egg sacs. She has Sjorgens Syndrome and is also fighting a sinus infection, so she feels weak and it hurts for her to bend over. Plus, as she says, “She’s chicken”. She’s already fallen once trying to kill one spider sac. If I were able to bend over and move I’d offer to drive to her place and help her, but I think we’d both end up in the pool.

    But the texts are funny. She’s able to both cuss and laugh at the situation.

    1. Super Dave Avatar
      Super Dave

      Not to be rude but is this sister normal, I’m not keeping up. 😉

  32. Super Dave Avatar
    Super Dave

    Burnt Dawgs fer supper and dang they were good. I gave Dawg a half of one, she loves them too.

  33. GJT Avatar
    GJT

    Went over to my son’s this morning and got my tractor alternator off and torn apart no problem, definitely locked up bearing. Went to the local NAPA and yeah, they can get me two new bearings in a couple hours but they want $37 each. I mean, i could order a complete alternator for $69 so WTH? These are tiny little bearings. Ordered on Amazon, set of two for six bucks. I would love to support local and, presumably USA, but geez man, thats ridiculous.

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