Apparently based on bad science, alarmist propaganda by an anti-pesticide nut.
‘Silent Earth� raises false alarm about non-existent ‘insect apocalypse�Apparently based on bad science, alarmist propaganda by an anti-pesticide nut.
‘Silent Earth� raises false alarm about non-existent ‘insect apocalypse� Henry Miller | October 20, 2021
...much of Goulson’s evidence is purely anecdotal � such as fewer bugs splattering on the windshields of European cars now compared to the past � and the few studies of global insect populations he does consider are deeply flawed or mischaracterized in his account.
Perhaps the most problematic study of them all is the one that precipitated the insect apocalypse frenzy � a 2017 study co-authored by Goulson with 11 other scientists that compared insect populations in certain German nature reserves over the last quarter century. Its dramatic finding � that the biomass of flying insects had declined an astonishing 76 percent in 27 years � together with Goulson’s eager goosing of the press � generated the apocalyptic headlines he was clearly seeking....
Experts who raised doubts about the study received little attention, but there was much to criticize. Among other things, the researchers in many cases failed to sample the same sites in comparison years � a fundamental flaw that in itself renders the findings suspect, if not totally meaningless. They also used what are called malaise traps to collect their samples. These only collect insects when they are flying, which is highly influenced by other variables like the weather � insects fly more when it is warmer � making the measurements even less reliable, despite the scientists� attempt to account for them. And even though the study took place in nature reserves and did not even purport to test possible causes of decline, Goulson was immediately giving interviews to the press blaming agricultural pesticides (a long time hobby-horse of his), in the absence of any evidence in the study to support the claim. --------------------------- Perspective: ‘Silent Earth� is simply alarmism from an anti-pesticide trustee By Amanda Zaluckyj, The Farmer’s Daughter USA, Published: October 01, 2021
...But it won’t come as any surprise that Goulson isn’t an unbiased and impartial researcher. He’s a trustee for the Pesticide Action Network UK, an activist organization that strives to reduce the use of “hazardous� and “chemical� pest control. Worse, some circles consider Goulson a “scientist for hire.� In other words, his studies elicit the results his clients want.
The good news is that Goulson is wrong. The surveys and studies he’s conducted and relies upon are flawed and incomplete, to say the least. Fortunately, scientist Matthew Moran and his hand-selected team published a comprehensive study in 2020 that challenged Goulson’s conclusions. Moran’s approach took raw data spanning decades for various insects in North America. Guess what? They found no significant change in population... ----------------- Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. This book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf because it was shoved under my nose I thought I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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Looked really interesting, but a number of 1 star reviews state that his conclusions lack foundation. This is backed up by several articles.
Excerpt fLooked really interesting, but a number of 1 star reviews state that his conclusions lack foundation. This is backed up by several articles.
Excerpt from "History News Network", an article by Timothy Furnish
Authors that aim to rewrite 500 years of accepted history should rely less on subjective claims and more on hard evidence. And this is where Menzies ultimately fails to persuade. First, he does not read Chinese and thus cites no primary sources--a problem even if one accepts that the records were all destroyed. Even more fatal to his argument, Menzies often fails to provide corroborating data for many of his claims. To cite just four examples, he: never provides the DNA evidence supposedly linking the American Indians and Chinese; fails to document the discovery of Chinese anchors off the coast of California; appeals to unspecified "local experts," as when arguing that remains of 15th century Chinese shipwrecks have been found in New Zealand; and says that a Taiwanese museum's copy of a Chinese map allegedly showing Australia and Tasmania "unfortunately...has been lost." Questionable speculative leaps are also Menzies's stock-in-trade, as when claiming that the inscription on a stone column in the Cape Verde Islands (off Africa's western coast) is in Maylayam, a language of South India, and that this proves the Chinese were there. Yet why would a Chinese fleet admiral order a message inscribed in a language other than Chinese? And sometimes Menzies just plain contradicts himself, as when he asserts that "sea levels in 1421 were lower than today" (p. 257) because of modern global warming, but then later claims "Greenland was circumnavigable in 1421-2, for...the climate...was far warmer than it is today" (p. 306).
Wikipedia entry for Gavin Menzies:
states that "Historians have rejected Menzies' theories and assertions and have categorised his work as pseudohistory."
So don't bother reading this.
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. This book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf I thought I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read The Debunking Handbook which is available for free here
& follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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Another book on Intelligent Design (ID) recommended by a friend & a store. Challenging the mechanisms of evolution is fine, but this is just bad scienAnother book on Intelligent Design (ID) recommended by a friend & a store. Challenging the mechanisms of evolution is fine, but this is just bad science that is obviously agenda-driven. The only good reviews of this book come from religious sites while the sites devoted to science have negative ones.
Behe apparently maintains that mutations can only break things and an intelligent intervention is required for innovation. That's ridiculous. Anyone who has ever raised bacteria in a pan with an antibiotic or mild poison in it can watch the refutation over a few weeks. There's a 2 minute YouTube video showing this , but it's easy enough to do even in a high school classroom or at home.
How a college professor can spout such nonsense is beyond me. shows where he's cherry-picked data to make his point, a heinous crime. detailing his assertions & why they're wrong.
Do not bother reading this or any other book by Behe. He's obviously a charlatan slightly slicker than since he hasn't gotten sacked yet. Hopefully soon.
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If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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A friend of mine, one of the nicest guys I've ever met, is a Christian fundamentalist. I gave him some books on science & he gave me this one. I reallA friend of mine, one of the nicest guys I've ever met, is a Christian fundamentalist. I gave him some books on science & he gave me this one. I really didn't want to read it & haven't fully, although I've skimmed through parts of it over several months. I couldn't take reading too much at a time, though. It's illogical crap that pretends to be a scientific treatment of Intelligent Design.
It turned me off right from the start with name-dropping ("I know him as Alan." Why should I care?) & went downhill from there. Basically it states that since we intuitively know that complexity requires design, our intuition must be right. This is known as "The Watchmaker Argument" & is supposed to prove that our world must be designed. This is the same old idiocy that ID & Creationists have always spouted. Our 'intuition' tells us Terra is firma & the center of the universe, too. It's wrong. Almost every paragraph seemed to contain such ridiculous pronouncements & illogical twists.
I never found where there was an explanation of how 'God' (This is unapologetically Christian.) came into being. Surely if we & our world are too complex to have arisen by chance then a creator must be even less likely by orders of magnitude. Why isn't this addressed? (If it is & I missed it, please tell me where.) How can anyone think this is rational?
Books like this rely on preaching to the choir, a closed minded way of looking at the universe. Here's a meme that sums it up well: [image]
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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This is book is apparently freely handed out all over & is really awful. It's so pervasive & bad that it even has an article devoted to it here: This is book is apparently freely handed out all over & is really awful. It's so pervasive & bad that it even has an article devoted to it here:
I've never run into it before, so this is a note in case I do. Thanks for the heads up, Ed....more
Apparently very technical, but is pseudoscience using the old argument that some biochemical systems irreducibly complex. Tries to baffle with tech buApparently very technical, but is pseudoscience using the old argument that some biochemical systems irreducibly complex. Tries to baffle with tech bullshit. Read these reviews: /review/show... /review/show...
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If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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Garbage science. Creationist misunderstandings of evolution in book form.
Read this, "Icon of Obfuscation" Jonathan Wells's book Icons of Evolution and Garbage science. Creationist misunderstandings of evolution in book form.
Read this, "Icon of Obfuscation" Jonathan Wells's book Icons of Evolution and why most of what it teaches about evolution is wrong by Nick Matzke
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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I saw this on Downpour.com & thought it might be interesting. Obviously, I didn't read the description closely enough, but I did look at some of the rI saw this on Downpour.com & thought it might be interesting. Obviously, I didn't read the description closely enough, but I did look at some of the reviews here on GR. They made me think this was pseudoscientific crap, so I googled the title & found several sites that debunked it, including the Genetic Literacy Project.
Garbage. Do not read.
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If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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is a chemist, denies there was a Holocaust, & uses chemical forensics to disprove historical fact. Total crap. An attempt to rewrite history us is a chemist, denies there was a Holocaust, & uses chemical forensics to disprove historical fact. Total crap. An attempt to rewrite history using pseudoscience according to this & several other sites which seem reputable.
I believe this book came up when I was reading a discussion on the ethics of using medical data obtained by the Nazis, although I don't recall in what context. I believe this is the article I originally read:
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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Another idiotic anti-vax book recommended to me by Amazon. This article, by a real doctor, pretty well sums this up. Another idiotic anti-vax book recommended to me by Amazon. This article, by a real doctor, pretty well sums this up.
Here's a good excerpt that gets to the heart of the problem: "...Personally, though, I love how Habakus and Holland assert:
Vaccine Epidemic is pro-human rights, pro-science, and pro-justice for those injured by vaccination. The book is not anti-vaccine; it upholds the right to choose and affirms the international human rights standard of free and informed consent to all medical interventions."
Which is a load of fetid dingo’s kidneys. I’ve read one chapter from the book, e-mailed to me by the publicist. It’s a defense of Andrew Wakefield’s fraudulent research leading to his infamous, now-retracted Lancet paper in 1998. It’s chock full of the typical misrepresentations, attacks on Brian Deer, and other nonsense that we’ve come to know (and have contempt for) coming from Wakefield groupies...."
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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Amazon suggested this book to me, so I did some research. It's total bullshit, but Amazon wouldn't let me post this review saying so, even in more polAmazon suggested this book to me, so I did some research. It's total bullshit, but Amazon wouldn't let me post this review saying so, even in more polite terms. The book isn't written by Moulden & he didn't specialize in vaccines, but psychiatry and neuroscience, which he never actually finished his training in.
From Moulden's own "Brief Biography and What we did Wrong with Vaccines"
The Ph.D. was awarded in May, 1999. The M.D. was conferred in June, 2000. I received the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada after passing the LMCC-1 (written) and LMCC-2 (clinical skills) exams in 2004-2005. ... The end-result of my focused, and dogged investigations, born only of a mind that “enjoys figuring neurobiological enigmas out�, has been the discovery not only of the cause of vaccine induced autism and other medical morbidities, but the means to demonstrate this to everyone on a case by case basis. Moreover, the answers that have emerged, has also solved several other medical enigmas and has culminated in a re-write of Louis Pasteur’s, and contemporary Western style acllopathic medicines�, entire medical model � “The Germ Theory� of human disease. As it turns out, the reason we have made a “mess of it� with one size fits all vaccines specifically, and antibiotics and pharmaceutical counter-attack measures in general, is that the Germ Theory was just that � a theory, which has turned out to be wrong, in very fundamental ways.
I look forward to sharing what I have discovered with the world. The medical establishment is very protective of “core dogma� and reluctant and slow to accept change. Recognizing this, I have elected to release what I have discovered, to the lay and the scientific communities, as well as the criminal justice system, in short succession � beginning August of 2008.
From Moulden completed his MD and PhD degrees, but he never finished residency and consequently he never became a practicing doctor. Moulden spent 9 years attempting to complete a 5-year psychiatry residency, but never finished. He spent 4 years in the 3rd year of the program, for example.
IOW, he wasn't trained in & didn't publish in the field, was never peer reviewed, & was never a practicing doctor, yet he thought his overturned current theory in 2008. His bio would be laughable if it wasn't so sad. He committed suicide in 2013. His name & ideas seem to have been used for this book after his death.
Worse, Moulden he was using his website(s) to sell remote diagnoses of brain disorders.
I wonder who is keeping his FB page up? It's here:
Still filled with stupid scare tactics.
No. Hell, no. Only an idiot would take this book or this man (ghost?) seriously.
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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I'm sure she'll be quoted by the anti-vax idiots, but they should note that her book comes with the following disclaimer: Disclaimer: The information iI'm sure she'll be quoted by the anti-vax idiots, but they should note that her book comes with the following disclaimer: Disclaimer: The information in this book is not intended as medical advice. Readers assume sole responsibility for choosing for themselves and their children disease prevention options that are compatible with their convictions. So this book is giving medical advice, but isn't intended as medical advice. Obviously anyone who has shelled out $9.99 for this is an idiot.
Here are 2 items that debunk this better than I could.
According to Atul Gawande in Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, $0.75 is added to the cost of each dose of vaccine & put into a fund for the 1 in 10,000 that has an adverse reaction to a vaccine. No, they're not perfect, but they've helped a LOT.
The CDC has a lot of numbers on just how much along with numbers on what happens to those that aren't vaccinated. It hasn't been that long.
Before the U.S. measles vaccination program started in 1963, about 3-4 million people in the U.S. got measles each year; 400-500 of them died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 4,000 suffered encephalitis (brain swelling) due to measles. Widespread use of measles vaccine has led to a greater than 99% reduction in measles cases in the United States compared with the pre-vaccine era.
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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I've been holding this book up as a joke for years, but wanted to add it here so I could find it more easily. The whole thing seems to be written in cI've been holding this book up as a joke for years, but wanted to add it here so I could find it more easily. The whole thing seems to be written in caps & is always priced ridiculously high. Today, 27Dec2015, it is $144.15, used for a mere $107.88. It's a paperback that is 648 pages long. I can't imagine anyone reading it for free much less spending good money for it, but apparently one GR reader did (a cheap, discontinued Kindle edition) & he actually did a decent review. Note where he shelves this. /review/show...
It is fun to read some of the reviews on Amazon: 5 star reviews: Still a better love story than Twilight. ----- THERE ONCE WAS A BOOK IN ALL CAPS IT MADE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE GO CLAP(S) AT $135 IT KEPT SINNERS ALIVE AND THEY READ IT WHILE TAKING THEIR CRAPS
A 3 star review: I'm sorry, I thought this was a book about birth control and Jesus, but it appears to be written in FORTRAN.
There are 392 reviews as of today. I'm not sure anyone actually read the book, though.
Here is the last paragraph of the book's blurb: REMEMBER: GOD HAS MADE ME A HOLYSPIRIT VOICE FOR THE BRIDE OF GOD & CHRIST JESUS IN 1996 GOD TOLD ME TO TEACH THE GOSPEL ON CABLE TELEVISION IN TUCSON ARIZONA. *CONCERNING THE SINS OF THE CHURCHES: &CONCERNING THE>LACK OF GIVING TO THE POOR & ORPHANS: CHRISTIAN CHURCHES SHOULD: BUILD MORE:> WATER WELLS: & BUILD LOW INCOME HOUSINGS: MATTHEW 25 & ISAIAH 61
Does the string of words above mean anything to anyone? Why is this less offensive than porn? If this is an example of freedom of religion, where does insanity start?
Standard Disclaimer Look at what shelves this book is on. If it is 'did-not-finish' then I tried it & didn't like it. No, I do not have to finish a book to give it a star rating or a review. If you don't like that, tough. Have a nice day.
If the book is on my 'do-not-read' shelf then it was shoved under my nose or something about it made me think I might want to read it. I did some research & found that it was crap. I'll post why I think so & might even rate it with 1 star if it is really bad. If you disagree & want to discuss in the comments, you need to prove that it isn't with solid evidence. That means peer reviewed science, not anecdotes, opinions, or sites that are biased. Read the Debunking Handbook which is & follow its guidelines for providing proof. I'm willing to look at good evidence. I've been wrong before.
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Not the author's fault, just the source. Might not really matter but new info, parts of the story aren't true: Not the author's fault, just the source. Might not really matter but new info, parts of the story aren't true:
Explanation From Posted here in case it disappears.
Shin changes key parts of his story
Here is a statement that I have released to the press:
On Friday, January 16, I learned that Shin Dong-hyuk, the North Korean prison camp survivor who is the subject of Escape from Camp 14, had told friends an account of his life that differed substantially from the book.
I contacted him by phone on Friday and talked to him at length, pressing him to detail the changes and explain why he had misled me. I then passed on this information to the Washington Post, for which I originally wrote a story about Shin in 2008.
[The Post reported its own story, which was published online Saturday, Jan. 17. The New York Times posted its story on Sunday, Jan. 18.]
Shin, 32, who lives in Seoul and whose testimony was a major factor in United Nations condemnation of North Korea for human rights violations, now says that he twice escaped to China from two different prison camps in North Korea. After his first crossing into China in 2001, he says he was caught after four months by local police and sent back to North Korea.
Shin now says that he was tortured in Camp 14 in 2002, when he was 20 years old, as punishment for his defection to China. In the book, he gave an account of being tortured in the camp when he was 13 years old. Shin has been telling that version for nearly nine years, since he first arrived in South Korea from China in 2006 and was debriefed by South Korean and American intelligence officials.
“When I agreed to share my experience for the book, I found it was too painful to think about some of the things that happened,� he said. “So I made a compromise in my mind. I altered some details that I thought wouldn’t matter. I didn’t want to tell exactly what happened in order not to relive these painful moments all over again.�
Escape from Camp 14 was first published by Viking in 2012 and published in paperback by Penguin in 2013. It has been published in 27 languages.
It appears that much of Shin’s revised account is consistent with the story told in the book and with his testimony before a U.N. Commission of Inquiry on human rights abuses in North Korea: He says he was tortured in Camp 14, a sprawling prison in the mountains of North Korea. He also says he escaped the prison in 2005 by climbing over the body of a fellow inmate who was electrocuted on the fence that surrounds the camp.
But he has significantly revised details of his early life and substantially changed the dates and places of major events. He says that he was born in Camp 14, but when he was about six years old, he and his mother and brother were transferred to another nearby prison camp, Camp 18, located just across the Taedong River.
It was in Camp 18, Shin said, that he betrayed his mother and brother, after overhearing their plans to escape. It was also in this camp, he said, that he witnessed the execution of his mother and brother. (In the book, these events were described by Shin as occurring in Camp 14.)
For the first time, Shin now says he twice escaped from Camp 18 when he was a teenager, first in 1999 and then in 2001. After the first escape, he was caught within a couple of days. Following his second escape, he managed to travel to China. But police arrested him there, he said, and sent him back to North Korea. Guards returned him first to Camp 18 and then, for punishment and torture, to Camp 14, Shin said in the interview.
In Escape from Camp 14, Shin describes how guards tortured him by fire in that camp when he was 13 years old, when they suspected him of plotting to escape with his family. His lower back is still scarred from severe burns.
But in the phone interview, Shin said that he was actually tortured much later, when he was 20. It happened, he said, after his return from China. In Camp 14 in 2002, he said, guards confined him in an underground prison for six months, where he was repeatedly burned and tortured.
In was then, he said, that part of one of his finger was mangled, as guards pulled out his fingernails. In Escape from Camp 14, Shin said an angry guard cut off the finger because Shin dropped a valuable sewing machine.
Asked why he had altered such details, when they in no way changed the horror of his story, Shin said he thought the dates, places and circumstances were not all that significant.
“I didn’t realize that changing these details would be important,� he said. “I feel very bad that I wasn’t able to come forward with the full truth at the beginning.�
In light of my conversation with Shin, I am working with my publisher to gather more information and amend the book.
Last fall, the North Korean government released a propaganda video showing Shin’s father. In the video, his father says that Shin never lived in a political prison camp.
Shin has said that the North Korean government was forcing his father to lie.
Now, Shin said in the interview, he realizes that his altered story puts his credibility at question.
“I am asking for forgiveness,� he said....more
The author of Bambi is a case for not judging the whole person by one act. People are complicated & weird. I read somewhere (Cracked.com?) about this The author of Bambi is a case for not judging the whole person by one act. People are complicated & weird. I read somewhere (Cracked.com?) about this book & tried finding it since I didn't believe what they said was true. It was. This is child porn!!!
On Gutenberg & most sites, this book is only in German. I found a poorly formatted & edited English version & skimmed it. It was simply porn featuring a prepubescent Josephine (8 years old?) screwing just about every male she met (including other children, her father, & a priest) in just about every way imaginable.
According to the Wikipedia article,
it might not have been written by Salten & has been the subject of a lot of debate. Porn or art. Seriously?
The end was rather odd. I'm not sure if another book was tacked on or what, but I didn't have the interest to figure it out. Yuck....more
I glanced through the beginning of this & it's awful. It might have a point, but I'm not going to wade through gross gay porn to find it. I don't mindI glanced through the beginning of this & it's awful. It might have a point, but I'm not going to wade through gross gay porn to find it. I don't mind sex in a novel if it has a point, but there didn't seem any point save just how gross he could be....more
She is apparently a conspiracy nut & not particularly well informed. "Dystopian Fiction’s Popularity Is a Warning Sign for the Future" She is apparently a conspiracy nut & not particularly well informed. "Dystopian Fiction’s Popularity Is a Warning Sign for the Future"
She is apparently a conspiracy nut & not particularly well informed. "Dystopian Fiction’s Popularity Is a Warning Sign for the Future" She is apparently a conspiracy nut & not particularly well informed. "Dystopian Fiction’s Popularity Is a Warning Sign for the Future"
Barton’s abrupt, and short-lived, fall from grace began with the publication in April 2012 of his book “The Jefferson Lies,� which portrJunk history.
Barton’s abrupt, and short-lived, fall from grace began with the publication in April 2012 of his book “The Jefferson Lies,� which portrays Thomas Jefferson as an orthodox Christian who saw no need to separate church and state.
Secular critics had long denounced Barton as a fraud who manipulates and misrepresents history to serve political goals. With the publication of “The Jefferson Lies,� several dozen academics at Christian colleges stepped forward to join the chorus.
Led by Warren Throckmorton, a professor of psychology at Grove City College, the Christian scholars tore apart the new book, pointing out a bevy of errors and distortion. Several pastors picked up the thread, organizing a boycott of Barton’s publisher, the Christian publishing house Thomas Nelson. The critiques gained so much steam that Barton’s book was voted “the least credible history book in print� in an online poll by the History News Network.
This book is being held as responsible in three cases of parents killing their children by following its advice. This book is being held as responsible in three cases of parents killing their children by following its advice.
I believe the parents are entirely responsible for their own behavior. Of course, they're obviously stupid, irrational, & ripe for the picking of such con men as the Pearl's, but none of that is excuse enough to torture children to death.
I don't like convicting books or people without some background, so I checked out their FB page & didn't think they sounded too far out. Very religious, possibly even Fundamentalists, but a lot of otherwise decent people are. Then I checked out some of the reviews on Amazon. Several went into detail that convinced me the article was not blown out of proportion. This book does promote child abuse. This one was the best:
This review is by heavenpeas on Amazon (link above, bolding is mine): ... My kids range in age from 14-2 and each of them is a blessing. Each of them is different. Each of them needs something different from us regarding discipline. Love your kids. Get to know them. If you are a believer, ask God for guidance. And DON'T BUY THIS BOOK.
Some excerpts: On p.65 co-author Debi Pearl whips the bare leg of a 15 month old she is babysitting, 10 separate times, for not playing with something she tells him to play with.
After about ten acts of stubborn defiance, followed by ten switchings, he surrendered his will to one higher than himself. In rolling the wheel, he did what every accountable human being must do-he humbled himself before the "highest" and admitted that his interests are not paramount. After one begrudged roll, my wife turned to other chores
On p.59 they recommend spanking a 3 year old until he is "totally broken."
She then administers about ten slow, patient licks on his bare legs. He cries in pain. If he continues to show defiance by jerking around and defending himself, or by expressing anger, then she will wait a moment and again lecture him and again spank him. When it is obvious he is totally broken, she will hand him the rag and very calmly say, "Johnny, clean up your mess." He should very contritely wipe up the water.
On p.79 they recommend switching a 7 month old for screaming.
A seven-month-old boy had, upon failing to get his way, stiffened clenched his fists, bared his toothless gums and called down damnation on the whole place. At a time like that, the angry expression on a baby's face can resemble that of one instigating a riot. The young mother, wanting to do the right thing, stood there in helpless consternation, apologetically shrugged her shoulders and said, "What can I do?" My incredulous nine-year-old whipped back, "Switch him." The mother responded, "I can't, he's too little." With the wisdom of a veteran who had been on the little end of the switch, my daughter answered, "If he is old enough to pitch a fit, he is old enough to be spanked."...
I wonder how long Amazon will keep it on its shelves. From this review, I believe it violates their terms. It certainly violates mine.
Update 9Aug2017 This came up in a FB post. I googled it & found the entire text is available on the Internet Archive . I copied & pasted it to Notepad to keep a copy. Scrolling quickly up through it, I read bits here & there, a few of which I'll quote below. I am totally appalled at the idiocy.
As the boys get older, make sure they are not too much confined to studies. By the time they are twelve or thirteen, they should be pretty well through with school and involved in an occupation with you.
Don't allow the brainless, subversive Sesame Street type propaganda to come into your house.
I have heard a rebellious teenager say, "If they only loved me enough to whip me." Believe that & I have a bridge to sell you cheap.
I can't believe anyone actually believes this crap in this day & age. ...more
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