JW

Dr. Offit is one of my heroes.

Revisado: 02-06-19

Very much enjoyed learning of his experiences in his brave defense of science and critical thinking. Pretty sad that that requires bravery, but I digress. A lot of otherwise smart people have fallen for the load of s*&^ about vaccines. Are vaccines 100% safe? No, of course not. But it is difficult to think of any medical treatment with a superior risk benefit profile, or one that has saved so many young lives. You can’t blame “the republicans” or red states for this special breed of science denial. Idiocy cuts across the political spectrum, but have to give liberals the edge on this one.

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As applicable in 2018 as 2006. . .

Revisado: 07-21-18

This could have been written last week, which is slightly depressing. Nevertheless, it a concise description of the (ongoing) challenges in pharmaceutical development, including the misalignment of the time required to bring an NCE to market and the time horizons of investors. The model for improving R&D productivity is interesting, but 12 years later I do not believe we are any closer to removing major obstacles. No wonder smart phones and tablets are improving way faster than medicine.

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(Mostly) fact based

Revisado: 03-12-18

This was not the left wing conspiracy rant I feared, the information was consistent with my understanding of the evidence. Monona made solid arguments for tighter consumer good regulations in the US, at least matching the EU. She definitely understands the basic science, although the book was written to be easily understood by a layperson. Overall pleasantly surprised and persuaded.

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Frank, inside perspective on the follies of unintended consequences in medical reform

Revisado: 02-25-18

It is also a personal story, touching on the common midlife crisis and search for professional meaning as a career in medicine did not turn quite as expected. The reality of skewed incentives in the field, overdiagnosis, and over-treatment does not get the publicity of under-access to healthcare, although they probably are related. Reviewers who accuse the author of *&^ing that he does not make enough money either completely missed the point or did not finish the book.

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Outstanding

Revisado: 02-07-18

Read his previous book, Overdiagnosed. This is a great follow up. As a biomedical researcher, Dr. Welch has changed the way I think about medical technology and the benefits of incremental “enhancement”.

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Outstanding

Revisado: 11-15-17

Loved the section on the failure of capitalism in Latin America, something few economics text cover. Very interesting from start to finish.

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Fascinating, sad story

Revisado: 06-17-17

The author does a brilliant job revealing depth of all characters, even the "bad guy(s)." The entire story is almost always more nuanced than what we read in newspapers.

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Not the same old story

Revisado: 05-27-17

Insider's account of cycling and doping culture. This book finally swayed my opinion on Lance's legacy. "Everyone was doing it" and "level playing field" do not fit a complete understanding of facts. With apparent willingness to sabotage other riders behind the scenes, one wonders if Lance was even the most talented rider on his team (if it were a level playing field). . . Tyler is a tough dude, his own story is interesting irrespective of his more famous former teammate.

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Rewriting the narrative

Revisado: 03-20-17

I was conflicted about the Snowden story. I hold some libertarian values, although I have since come to believe libertarianism is rooted in idealistic naivety. . . A truly libertarian from of government is not practical given realities of human nature. Everyone is not an ethical humanist. Society benefits from protection of consequences, even unintended ones, of stupid and self-destructive decisions.

I challenge anyone that considers Snowden to be a patriotic hero to read this book, consider the facts, and explain why you still think he is an American patriot. There were other ways to accomplish his alleged mission without hand delivery intelligence to our political enemies. I am open minded, my mind can be changed, but it would take one hell of an argument to convince me is is not a narcissistic traitor. Much like Putin, he is a great liar. Convincing, sincere delivery. I completely understand how people find both Putin and Snowden credible and honest. Even when I KNOW Putin is lying, I find him believable. That might be the trait that Trump so admires about Putin--80% approval rating, in part, because he is a MUCH better liar than Trump. Trump is better than average liar, I think he is able to believe his own BS, but he is no Putin.

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Great lecturer, very enjoyable

Revisado: 02-14-17

Having read and studied a lot in this area, I did not expect to learn many new fact, or busting of old myths, but in fact I did. And the things I already knew were explained in such an interesting way that I still enjoyed and benefited, will help me to explain things in future. No vocal fry, great speaking voice as well.

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esto le resultó útil a 152 personas