Under the house is not a cancer clinic

The definition of quackery – offering cure for cancers bought of the internet being supplied by untrained staff in someone’s garage.

Choice quotes:

“We haven’t announced it yet, we haven’t told the world, it’s very secret.” (Naturopaths don’t care about curing cancer, they care about making money).

“It’s not a garage, Chris, it’s under the house*, okay” (In response to why she was not operating but in her “backyard, garage”).

You’ll all be quite thankful that successful investigation and prosecution has seen Ms Newlands fined $12,000 and banned from “making any claims she is able to treat, cure, or benefit any person suffering from cancer”.

I must say, it is good to see some action, but it is awfully lenient (especially seeing as she was charging $2,000 per client). And I don’t think I’m alone in being a little perturbed that making such claims (when not a registered medical practitioner) is not already an offense of some kind.

(Press release and more info at Sceptic’s book of Pooh-Pooh)

*For those of you not familiar with Queensland architecture. Most older “Queenslander” style homes are built up on stilts to promote airflow. “Under the house” is usually an semi-enclosed space not fully protected from the elements that can be used as a storage area, carport, laundry and/or tool shed.

Snakes on a Bus

APN: Centrelink, Australia’s welfare agency has decided that a wildlife rescuer should carry his rescued wildlife on the bus.

In Australia “rescued wildlife” doesn’t mean cats and dogs, not even kangaroos, typically means snakes, spiders and other nasties people want out of their house.

Matthew Moon, a disability pensioner applied for a volunteer work fuel allowance to carry out his duties collecting unwanted snakes from properties in the Mackay region.

Moon has been denied the allowance repeatedly because he cannot show that he is physically incapable of getting the bus. But somehow he doesn’t think that it will be acceptable to get on a bus with a bag of serpents.

Moon will continue to rescue snakes despite the decision.

Image credit: “Snakes on a Bus” By tvetter2 for the Mate a Movie 12 contest @ Worth1000.com