Mike Leipe
@mleipe.bsky.social
"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one." - Voltaire
Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa, Canada
Or, for the next 3-ish years, Little Steven's "Voice of America".
"We knew right from wrong once upon a time".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrX...
"We knew right from wrong once upon a time".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrX...
Voice Of America
YouTube video by Little Steven - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Or, for the next 3-ish years, Little Steven's "Voice of America".
"We knew right from wrong once upon a time".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrX...
"We knew right from wrong once upon a time".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrX...
Yup. And some will jump on that sort of thing and use it as ammunition in their crusades to discredit nutrition science.
Sadly, some of those who are inclined towards this sort of doubt-mongering are currently in charge of your national health institutions.
Sadly, some of those who are inclined towards this sort of doubt-mongering are currently in charge of your national health institutions.
November 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Yup. And some will jump on that sort of thing and use it as ammunition in their crusades to discredit nutrition science.
Sadly, some of those who are inclined towards this sort of doubt-mongering are currently in charge of your national health institutions.
Sadly, some of those who are inclined towards this sort of doubt-mongering are currently in charge of your national health institutions.
Agreed.
I see a lot of a sort of "well even the official mainstream experts with all their highfalutin' statistical skills can't agree on what this means so it's essentially meaningless" rationale for dismissing quantified-evidence-based science and analysis and thereby sowing doubt.
I see a lot of a sort of "well even the official mainstream experts with all their highfalutin' statistical skills can't agree on what this means so it's essentially meaningless" rationale for dismissing quantified-evidence-based science and analysis and thereby sowing doubt.
November 23, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Agreed.
I see a lot of a sort of "well even the official mainstream experts with all their highfalutin' statistical skills can't agree on what this means so it's essentially meaningless" rationale for dismissing quantified-evidence-based science and analysis and thereby sowing doubt.
I see a lot of a sort of "well even the official mainstream experts with all their highfalutin' statistical skills can't agree on what this means so it's essentially meaningless" rationale for dismissing quantified-evidence-based science and analysis and thereby sowing doubt.
I can't help but wonder how much of a role this sort of vulnerability to "statistical shenanigans" plays in distrust of science and institutions. For those - most of us - who don't understand this level of analysis, falling back on social media anecdotes in our search for certainty can be tempting.
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
I can't help but wonder how much of a role this sort of vulnerability to "statistical shenanigans" plays in distrust of science and institutions. For those - most of us - who don't understand this level of analysis, falling back on social media anecdotes in our search for certainty can be tempting.
Thanks for the heads-up, I've just pre-ordered it for my e-reader. Really looking forward to this one. 👍
November 10, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Thanks for the heads-up, I've just pre-ordered it for my e-reader. Really looking forward to this one. 👍
Fall colours are great when they're on the trees, not so much when you find yourself spending a couple hours a week raking them off your lawn. Worth it, though, IMHO, and a lot less work than shovelling the 5 - 15 cm of snow that are forecast for later today.
🤞->⛷️
🤞->⛷️
November 9, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Fall colours are great when they're on the trees, not so much when you find yourself spending a couple hours a week raking them off your lawn. Worth it, though, IMHO, and a lot less work than shovelling the 5 - 15 cm of snow that are forecast for later today.
🤞->⛷️
🤞->⛷️
Something else the podcast touches on near the end also struck me reading her books - her dietary advice generally seems quite reasonable. I can understand why some who follow it might end up feeling better, but that in no way supports her assertion that it's all about the avoidance of seed oils.
November 7, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Something else the podcast touches on near the end also struck me reading her books - her dietary advice generally seems quite reasonable. I can understand why some who follow it might end up feeling better, but that in no way supports her assertion that it's all about the avoidance of seed oils.
Appropriate to include her IMHO, as she seems to be the most outspoken in this space, having published two books on the subject. Also, it's her that people point me towards to justify their assertion that the anti-seed-oil thing is scientifically justified. And she's been on this track for 5+ years.
November 7, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Appropriate to include her IMHO, as she seems to be the most outspoken in this space, having published two books on the subject. Also, it's her that people point me towards to justify their assertion that the anti-seed-oil thing is scientifically justified. And she's been on this track for 5+ years.
I've two of read her books. Classic examples of what @caulfieldtim.bsky.social calls "sciencesploitation", cherry-picking impressive-sounding studies and scientists that support her hypothesis while ignoring or dismissing the wider body of research and evidence. Very speculative and mechanistic.
November 7, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I've two of read her books. Classic examples of what @caulfieldtim.bsky.social calls "sciencesploitation", cherry-picking impressive-sounding studies and scientists that support her hypothesis while ignoring or dismissing the wider body of research and evidence. Very speculative and mechanistic.
Cool! If you drop me a line next time you're headed that way maybe I'll stowaway in your suitcase. Although as I recall you travel pretty light, so I'll need some advance notice to lose some weight.
November 2, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Cool! If you drop me a line next time you're headed that way maybe I'll stowaway in your suitcase. Although as I recall you travel pretty light, so I'll need some advance notice to lose some weight.
Here's the correct link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smiley%...
Smiley's People - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 2, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Here's the correct link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smiley%...
November 2, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Thanks for giving me an excuse to read the book again! 😉
November 2, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Thanks for giving me an excuse to read the book again! 😉
I don't imagine Smiley's gold lighter is still lying on the ground there where Karla dropped it...? Any idea, @nickharkaway.com?
November 2, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I don't imagine Smiley's gold lighter is still lying on the ground there where Karla dropped it...? Any idea, @nickharkaway.com?
My main interest would be WWII-era historical artefacts. Most have been destroyed, but my understanding is that there's still enough around to make it worth a trip for me.
I've got relatives I'd like to visit there, too - it's not often I get to meet someone who shares my surname!
Some day...
I've got relatives I'd like to visit there, too - it's not often I get to meet someone who shares my surname!
Some day...
November 2, 2025 at 5:37 PM
My main interest would be WWII-era historical artefacts. Most have been destroyed, but my understanding is that there's still enough around to make it worth a trip for me.
I've got relatives I'd like to visit there, too - it's not often I get to meet someone who shares my surname!
Some day...
I've got relatives I'd like to visit there, too - it's not often I get to meet someone who shares my surname!
Some day...
Definitely one of the few cities still on my bucket list.
November 2, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Definitely one of the few cities still on my bucket list.
Did you first take Manhattan?
November 2, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Did you first take Manhattan?
Meanwhile, here in Canada, 6 hours drive from the most distant city in Vermont, I've just had a tumour removed from my lung, my 4th cancer surgery. Pre-op, surgery, 5 nights in the hospital, post-op follow-up, etc., total cost for this one was $93.60, for hospital parking.
There is a better way. 🇨🇦
There is a better way. 🇨🇦
November 1, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Meanwhile, here in Canada, 6 hours drive from the most distant city in Vermont, I've just had a tumour removed from my lung, my 4th cancer surgery. Pre-op, surgery, 5 nights in the hospital, post-op follow-up, etc., total cost for this one was $93.60, for hospital parking.
There is a better way. 🇨🇦
There is a better way. 🇨🇦
I grew up in the mountains of northern British Columbia, and people often ask me how I could leave such a beautiful place. Every time I leave the house in the fall here in eastern Ontario I have an answer to that question. And even in winter, with all the gorgeous browns in the fields.
October 7, 2025 at 11:46 AM
I grew up in the mountains of northern British Columbia, and people often ask me how I could leave such a beautiful place. Every time I leave the house in the fall here in eastern Ontario I have an answer to that question. And even in winter, with all the gorgeous browns in the fields.
I also recall people saying that this coin was disrespectful to the monarchy, because it had a picture of the queen with a bear behind.
October 6, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I also recall people saying that this coin was disrespectful to the monarchy, because it had a picture of the queen with a bear behind.
Feels a bit like passing the buck, including potential liability, from HHS to clinicians.
October 1, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Feels a bit like passing the buck, including potential liability, from HHS to clinicians.
At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, I can't help but wonder how much of the "talk to your doctor about acetaminophen in pregnancy" guidance will result in malpractice lawsuits by mothers who were told by their physicians that it's okay to take it and ended up with children on the spectrum.
October 1, 2025 at 2:14 PM
At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, I can't help but wonder how much of the "talk to your doctor about acetaminophen in pregnancy" guidance will result in malpractice lawsuits by mothers who were told by their physicians that it's okay to take it and ended up with children on the spectrum.