Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Cascade of StupiditySpeaking of food, this article in the NY Times (shock) talks about the dangers of consensus among scientists and how it can lead to huge, society changing mistakes. Are you listening GW people?
Except they’re talking about food.
In 1988, the surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, proclaimed ice cream to a be public-health menace right up there with cigarettes. Alluding to his office’s famous 1964 report on the perils of smoking, Dr. Koop announced that the American diet was a problem of “comparable” magnitude, chiefly because of the high-fat foods that were causing coronary heart disease and other deadly ailments.
He introduced his report with these words: “The depth of the science base underlying its findings is even more impressive than that for tobacco and health in 1964.”
That was a ludicrous statement, as Gary Taubes demonstrates in his new book meticulously debunking diet myths, “Good Calories, Bad Calories” (Knopf, 2007). The notion that fatty foods shorten your life began as a hypothesis based on dubious assumptions and data; when scientists tried to confirm it they failed repeatedly. The evidence against Häagen-Dazs was nothing like the evidence against Marlboros.
It may seem bizarre that a surgeon general could go so wrong. After all, wasn’t it his job to express the scientific consensus? But that was the problem. Dr. Koop was expressing the consensus. He, like the architects of the federal “food pyramid” telling Americans what to eat, went wrong by listening to everyone else. He was caught in what social scientists call a cascade.
They go on to show how a few scientists issuing reports from august institutions can influence public policy, which results in new laws and programs that often cost millions of dollars. And all based on mistaken conclusions. When the mistake has to do with human health, that’s a serious issue. It’s also serious when it has to do with the global economy as in global warming. People shouldn’t leap to conclusions because of what a few people say. The fact that they’re scientists is immaterial. All humans are subject to ego and delusion. And group think is a real problem.
As the man said:
‘Insanity in individuals is something rare; but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule.’ — Nietzsche
MMM…chocolate!
I love lava cakes. I’ve only had them twice, but they rock.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Taste the Difference99% Chocolate. Someone puts it to the taste test.
Monday, September 03, 2007
7 Luxury VodkasPeople drinking the one filtered through diamonds should be beaten. The stuff sold to the rich is even more disgusting than some of these green scams.
Friday, August 03, 2007
BurgervilleI’ve been discovering a lot of fun things about the Portland area since I’ve been here, like Forest Park, the largest urban forest in the US, is in Portland. It’s also very dense. And in Oregon, all gas stations are full service and the gas is a lot cheaper than California and Nevada.
But one of the many pleasant things I’ve fond since I’ve been here is Burgerville, which is the best hamburger chain I’ve seen to date. Better than Fat Burger or In-N-Out by far. They’ve got them all around the Washington, Oregon area. The first one was here in Vancouver, Wa in 1961 and I believe the original stand is near my office. They not only have great burgers, their breakfast food is good and their onion rings are awesome. They have a blackberry lemonade with lots of real blackberries in it. Very tasty.
I try not to go there too often, but I’ll admit to having been there three times in the two weeks I have spent up here (I was up here a week two weeks ago). Comics writer and friend Steven Grant says its his favorite Hamburger stand.
Last night a friend also took me to the Skyline Restaurant, which is a diner at the top of the hill over Portland. It is circa 1935 and looks unchanged. They even have the boomerang Formica tabletops ala James Lileks’ The Diner. The food was also perfect Diner stuff. Great shakes and hamburgers.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Royale With CheeseStrange McDonalds food around the world
Friday, June 15, 2007
When Food Fascists WinThere goes another childhood pleasure out the door. Due to pressure from the obesity epidemic clowns, sugary cereals are being discontinued at one major company, along with fun marketing characters.
These are bad times to be a kid. Not only are they taking away your cereal, they are taking away junk food at schools and you can’t go anywhere on your own.
I’m glad I wasn’t born 8 years ago.
[ht: John Cassidy]
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Grow Your Own Mushrooms
The eating kind. There are 4 videos. Follow the links on the side.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Sin City Breakast Tacos
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Belarus Chocolate
I bought three candy bars at the Minsk airport before I left and stuck them in the freezer for a rainy day. I didn’t have any candy when I was there. But Russian Chocolate is excellent. This may be a product of Belarus. Don’t know for sure. They are big, like a Cadbury’s bar.
