Roger Coghill is back.

[Rolfe]

Roger Coghill has returned.

It's a nuisance that he started that bloody thread in the Paranormal forum (though he doesn't think his products are paranormal in action), because the people who would normally assist in his shredding mostly hang about here.

All biologists, biochemists and electromagnetics experts may now consider themselves on duty in the above thread.

And by the way, BSM, he really, really HATES vets, you ought to drop in and say hi if nothing else. Wouldn't you like to know about the great "purpose configured neodymium static magnets" which eliminate 95% of ascarid worms, compared to only 75% eliminated by piperazine? Or how your pets will always choose to drink his "magnetised" water, if only you'd buy one of his magic coasters, also useful to improve the taste of wine....

Come on in, the (magnetised) water's lovely....

Rolfe.

 

[Mojo]

I hadn't realised he was in here. I first noticed him when he was quoted (http://www.protectyourhealth.co.uk/scientists.html) as endorsing a device called the "Phone Dome," which seems to be a small red plastic button which, when stuck on a mobile phone, wards off the evil radiation (the same people also market the "Compu Dome," which seems to be, er, a small red plastic button...).

I particularly liked the stuff on his website about a product called "asphalia." For some reason I couldn't find it there today, but something seems to have been "Removed by request of MHRA" last month. Maybe that was it?

Mind you, the other two alleged phone dome endorsees were even funnier, especially the guy talking about "sitting at out of range distances from TV Gamma Rays."

Didn't find the "Coghill Challenge" very funny though.

 

[Rolfe]

That's the one. That's where it started, too, when Cleopatra read an advertisement for the PhoneShield thing. Roger must have been alerted to the discussion, because he joined up and tried to defend his pseudoscientific BS. Unfortunately he hasn't the first idea what he's talking about, believes every crazy woo theory, and also believes that everyone in the "mainstream" is part of a conspiracy to suppress the dangers of mobile phones and power lines, and that cancer isn't a genetically-mediated condition and is easily curable.

The fun bit is that he never gives up, and although he isn't a scientist he plays one on the Internet. Nice line in technobabble.

He can't manage the forum software, and is incapable of posting other than in the Paranormal forum. Hence he only gets a proportion of the possible debunkers. Hans and Pragmatist and PJ and Bill Hoyt (and others) did a very good job, but I'm sure people like ThirdTwin and Badly Shaved Monkey and Hunstsman and Zombified would be better occupied dealing with this dangerous nutter than squashing poor, harmless Kumar.

Rolfe.

 

[Mojo]

I've had a quick look at the "bioelectromagnetics" thread, but I don't think I can face reading all 2,500ish posts at the moment; my eyes started glazing over after a few pages. I think I'd rather go down the pub. Also, it seems to start a little abruptly. Has it been pruned?

Yes, I think I'd rather go down the pub...

 

[Zombified]

I'm sure people like ThirdTwin and Badly Shaved Monkey and Hunstsman and Zombified

I'm flattered, to be mentioned in such distinguished company!

...would be better occupied dealing with this dangerous nutter than squashing poor, harmless Kumar.

*groan* What a waste of time Kumar is. Oh well, at least I'm not wasting my time trying to explain physics to him any more...

 

[Dr Adequate]

Roger Coghill has returned.

It's a nuisance that he started that bloody thread in the Paranormal forum (though he doesn't think his products are paranormal in action), because the people who would normally assist in his shredding mostly hang about here.

All biologists, biochemists and electromagnetics experts may now consider themselves on duty in the above thread.

And by the way, BSM, he really, really HATES vets, you ought to drop in and say hi if nothing else. Wouldn't you like to know about the great "purpose configured neodymium static magnets" which eliminate 95% of ascarid worms, compared to only 75% eliminated by piperazine? Or how your pets will always choose to drink his "magnetised" water, if only you'd buy one of his magic coasters, also useful to improve the taste of wine....

Come on in, the (magnetised) water's lovely....

Rolfe.

Rolfe is just sore because Mr RW Coghill MA (Cantab.) C Biol. MI Biol. MA (Environ Mgt) (he he he) has blown Rolfe's cover as a member of the Evil International Pro-Cancer Conspiracy.

This description is not incompatible with my argument that lack of oxygen is a prime cause of the metabolic changes which lead to cancer, however inconvenient that may be to the pharmaceutical industry, who peddle high cost chemotherapy products, many of which are ultimately ineffective. I suspect Rolfe is a part of that huge industry, whose ultimate aim is profit not curative treatment, and this is why he is using every means he can to suppress and denigrate these new and proven interventions.

Seriously, folks, this man needs to have his still-beating heart ripped out of his body and sacrificed to the Truth God before his horrified and staring eyes. There's no other way. Bring your own obsidian knife, and hurry while there's still some left to go round.

 

[BillHoyt]

Rolfe,

Thanks for the tip. I'm on it like ugly on an ape.

 

[Rolfe]

Re: Re: Roger Coghill is back.

Seriously, folks, this man needs to have his still-beating heart ripped out of his body and sacrificed to the Truth God before his horrified and staring eyes. There's no other way. Bring your own obsidian knife, and hurry while there's still some left to go round.

Sorry, I just had to quote that because I got the uncontrollable giggles.

There is a copy of the full version of the early pages of that thread, which accidentally got Roger's posts removed during moderatorial action to save it off-line as a result of Roger's repeated reporting of posts he didn't like as "breaking the law".

It all started in a thread begun by Cleopatra, for the completists, but really, never mind the history, this man is pseudoscientific and dangerous. He can't remember what's already been said either, so why should you care? Just get in there and debunk the lying quack.

Rolfe, BVMS, BSc, PhD, CBiol, FIBiol, MRCVS (which might explain the strength of my reaction against him).

 

[Mojo]

Thanks for the link; it all makes a bit more sense now.

 

[Benguin]

If he's got such a bee in his bonnet about mobile phones emitting dangerous rays (or woteva) why not do the sensible, ethical thing and counsel people against using them?

Then he wouldn't have all that hassle and inconvenience of having to sell a dumb bit of nothing to feckless morons for a mere £40. Oh, hang on, I think I get it now.

Here Hans, have you noticed that flattering bio of you he's got on his website?

 

[Zombified]

Seems to have been a rant-and-run...

 

[Benguin]

Seems to have been a rant-and-run...

Maybe he's amusing himself with a sock ... mmm, obsession with magnets and EM fields, tendency to irritate MRC_Hans beyond the call of duty, latching onto any woo-theory about modern tech threatening health .... I wonder what his views are on the tartness of red wine?

I feel another substantiated rumour coming on.

 

[Rolfe]

Oh, Coghill's real enough. Though I wouldn't totally swear he hasn't had other socks here, he seems genuinely incapable of getting out of the "Paranormal" forum area.

And he hasn't been in the habit of ranting and running before.

We'll see.

Rolfe.

 

[Zombified]

And he hasn't been in the habit of ranting and running before.

Appears to be the case this time, unfortunately...

You've been dropping dark hints for a couple of weeks now... any interesting developments you can discuss besides him taking his bogus products off the 'net?

 

[Rolfe]

Appears to be the case this time, unfortunately...

You've been dropping dark hints for a couple of weeks now... any interesting developments you can discuss besides him taking his bogus products off the 'net?

We'll let you know....

He did reappear for a little while on Sunday afternoon, but he didn't post in the thread where he was being summarily shredded, and he hasn't been back since. He seems to have removed the Harmoniser from his product list, but the bogus experiment is still there. Much good removing stuff will do him anyway, as there's an archive copy online, and Claus has the whole lot on CD anyway. Plus, I think this "no editing of posts beyond 2 hours" is a great thing, look at all the stuff he's said that he simply can't retract.

Anyway, noticed this in his "about us" page.

ViewDVD, an Internet based operation designed entirely within the group, is Britain’s largest online DVD rental club, and its revenue provides a steady flow of funds for our research.

So, he runs a DVD rental store, and funds his hobby from that. Better stick to your day job, Roger!

Rolfe.

 

[BillHoyt]

I wonder what his views are on the tartness of red wine?

Place the bottle directly under the apex of a pyramid. Five minutes. Tartness cured. Also works for hangnails, but you need a bigger pyramid.

 

[MRC_Hans]

Yeah, he did remove the harmonizer advert! Great! He also changed the article about my article about him . It now contains only minor lies. In fact it now contains very little, heheh.

I wonder who is doing his website design for him , he is rapidly becoming a contender for the Worst Website Design of the Year.

Hans

 

[Rolfe]

I wonder who is doing his website design for him , he is rapidly becoming a contender for the Worst Website Design of the Year.

Oh, Hans, you didn't notice the sentence before the one I quoted in my previous post? In the part about all the varied and diverse interests of Mr. and Mrs. Coghill?

Galonjaweb provides website design services for the group and outside clients.

"Galonjaweb" is obviously Mrs. Coghill's little enterprise. I wonder how many outside clients she's got?

Rolfe.

 

[Lothian]

I was in Sainsburys recently waiting for a prescription when I noticed they were selling the phone guards. I saw the that Rogers Lab did the testing.

I also noted they had nearby displayed a brochure of products. All sorts of legitimate things included such things as bandages and braces. I recall it was an A4 binder with laminated pages (?)

But there was also contained 2 pages full of magnet ‘therapy’ jewellery. The items were accompanied by claims such as ‘proven to help blood circulation’ that missed the usual ‘thought to’ or ‘believed to’ that they normally contain to get round the fact that they don’t work.

Unfortunately I only saw this as my prescription arrived and was in a hurry to get home before the frozen stuff I bought previously melted but I intend taking a closer look next time and getting a copy so I can complain officially.

I’m interested to know if it was just my store or whether this catalogue is at all Sainsburys stores. I know David Sainsbury’s charity takes an interest in medical matters so it may be worth copying him in.

 

[Psiload]

Check out the latest scam gadget Roger is hawking:

http://www.gainex.co.uk/index.htm

Gainex Magnetic Fuel Economiser

* Save up to 20% on your fuel costs

* Boosts engine performance

* Environmentally kind by lowering harmful exhaust emissions

* Cleans existing carbon deposits on your engine

How Gainex works
Gainex consists of a strip of 4 strong neodymium magnets, coated and wrapped in a waterproof chemical material. When attached to the incoming fuel line, it creates a powerful magnetic field around it. As the fuel sits in the tank, changes in temperature and humidity cause it to expand and contract. Eventually, the hydrocarbon molecules in the fuel begin to attract each other, forming molecular clusters. By applying Gainex to your fuel line, as near as possible to the engine, creates a mode of action, which de-clusters the build up of hydrocarbons in the engine that affects the performance of the car. Once the hydrocarbons are de-clustered, the number of hydrogen atoms exposed to incoming oxygen increases, leading to a more efficient combustion of fuel in both petrol and diesel engines. This then results in a reduction in harmful emission gases and overall improvement in fuel consumption and engine performance
. This technical innovation was designed by Coghill Research Laboratories, specialists in the field of bio-electro magnetics

Be sure to check out the Scientific Tests:

http://www.cogreslab.co.uk/gainextest.htm

And just how does Roger go about testing a device which is claimed to increase fuel efficiency in automobiles? By installing it in an automobile perhaps(tools are not even required for installation)?

Of course not...

By hooking it up to a Bunsen burner, using methane as fuel, and comparing it against A COMPETITOR'S MAGNETIC FUEL-SAVING GIZMO!!!

You've got to marvel at the kind of convoluted, fantastic, bizarro-world logic that Roger applies to testing such a simple, straight forward claim.