I don't think it is a crime to not be particularly knowledgable in science. Most of the examples given were just people relaying their misunderstanding of a topic. The one that gets me all up in knots is the vaccination/Autism connection. Here we have two people, competing to run a nation, relaying an apparent myth. There are thousands of parents who are opting not to vaccinate their children againsts debilitating and potentially deadly, but preventable diseases because leaders and celebs tell them not to. Considering it is completely unfounded since no apparent link has ever been made between vaccination and autism, it's tragic. On Cafemom.com, there is a whole group called novacs, dedicated to mothers who opt not to vaccinate and encourage each other to scare other mothers into doing the same. They should be publicly castigated for that, alone.

Towards the end of the campaign, McCain changed his position on the autism/vaccine link. BA blogged about it.

Link

Send it to law school?

__________________
"Probably the last sound heard before the universe folded up like a paper hat would be someone saying 'What happens if I do this?'"

"Have you ever tried going mad without power? It's boring. Nobody listens to you."

Lets see: Kate Moss, Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore... I can´t see why they were supposed 'to know better' [and do they really 'profess to know better'?]. I have deep reasons to deem these folks complete nullities. I´d never expect anything good coming from them.

__________________
What brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart

Kate Moss, Demi Moore, not so much. But in the case of Oprah Winfrey, Argos, yes, she does profess to know better. Constantly. Her entire marketing empire is centered around selling that very proposition.

__________________
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling [faces] lyin' to ye' everywhere ye' go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

In Oprah's defence, I watched an episode of her show which was about autism, and although she allowed one of her guests to speak about the theory that links the disease with vaccination, she did not endorse it herself, and she also had a guest doctor who denied the link on the same show.

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"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire.
"All your bias are belong to us" Ara Pacis.

My goodness, a piece of new-age feel-good bunk she didn't fully endorse... _and_ presented the science in a fair way? I'm sincerely shocked. Disinfo, did Oprah have a goatee that day or something?

__________________
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling [faces] lyin' to ye' everywhere ye' go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

Maybe it was her evil twin hosting the show that day.

__________________
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire.
"All your bias are belong to us" Ara Pacis.

Erm that's the guy! lol. Barry of that Ilk is the Australian entertainer.

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You're right of course. I start listening at 7.30.

'In Our Time' is the best of Radio 4s progs that cover science.

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Okay, let's not go slandering leeches now. You'll get someone else ticked-off at me.

David.