Didn't work. Photo credit: Boomtrain
I really should have known better. The Twitter discussion that follows took place over the past three days. It was prompted by my article about Miami's use of toxic organophosphate insecticides to kill mosquitoes, and how they work biochemically. DDT was used in the title ("Organophosphates: Zika Caused Florida To Embrace Insecticides Way More Toxic Than DDT.") for perspective. It had nothing to do with the article. It wasn't even mentioned. Not everyone agreed with this. Especially Ed. He is quite obstinate. I now have a stomach ache. Maybe even an ulcer. Thanks, Ed. The reason: Ed. He is supernaturally annoying. See for yourself. 
Ed: (Something written in another tongue) 
Lessons learned: (1) There are times when a Twitter discussion is a terrible idea. This was one of them. (2) There are certain topics where rational discussion is impossible. DDT is one of them. Vaccines are another. The mere fact that Andrew Wakefield is still considered to be a hero by some, rather than being in prison, is all the evidence you need. If people have their minds made up about something, no matter how crazy, they will argue, but not listen. Save your time and your stomach. (3) Speaking of stomachs, we at the American Council believe in data, not fairy dust. I made the claim that Ed is annoying enough to have impacted my gastrointestinal system. Here are my data to support the claim:
Where the hell did my Tums go?
Josh Bloom
Dr. Jonathan (Josh) Bloom, ACSH's Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania. During his 20-plus years in drug discovery at Wyeth, his research group discovered the antibiotic Tygacil®, approved in 2005. He holds 25 issued patents and has authored 35 academic papers. Since joining ACSH in 2010, he has written more than 2,000 articles and dozens of op-eds for major newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune.
