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Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
I was warned about my blood pressure when this was recommended to me... ... and I soon realised how apt that warning was !
I agree with most of the comments made by others - well, the 4- and 5-star commentators. Whilst reading the book, a number of thoughts passed through my mind, ranging from 'idiots running the asylum' to 'Emperor's New Clothes' .. many of which have appeared in others' comments here.
Yes, it should be compulsory reading for voters / MPs / Euro MPs / News Editors ( the Press, the BBC and other TV stations). Copies should be circulated to all... more info
Nullius in Verba As someone who studied the history of BSE in great detail I can assure you that the public 'scare' was based not on journalistic sensationalism but very hard science. The scientific evidence of the transmissibility of prion diseases across species barriers had been uniquivocally established by that time. That fact was carefully kept from the public in order to safeguard the beef industry. By whom? Senior officials responsible for public safety. Disinformation was advocated among senior officials with... more info
Always question the data and/or evidence We are all familiar with recent media-driven hysteria such as foot-and-mouth disease, BSE/madcow disease, dioxin poisoning in Belgium, child-abuse in the UK etc. The question is, what is the anatomy and the psychosis of such scares? What drives scares in today's enlightened, Post-religious modern Western society? In this riveting book, Christopher Booker and Richard North take a deeper look into recent scares and reveal an intriguing pattern:
- The scare is usually based on genuine concern that... more info
Are we following the herd on this one? I had high hopes for this one, but having dug behind some of the statistics it seems that the authors are also guilty of pushing scare stories. For example, data on salmonella infections/deaths is presented on page 45. The authors make the point that the number of deaths at the time of the crisis is less than in 1982. What is not stated is that 1982 appears to be something of an aberration, the highpoint of some 30 years data (data available from Hansard - Written Answers).
In other places the... more info
