Life, medicine and stuff

Kids as young as 8 can identify over 120 Pokemon, whereas their knowledge of real flora/fauna (esp local) is extremely limited. We also know that people's respect for their environment is closely associated with their knowledge about it. The challenge then is to make biology as interesting as a card game. http://phylomon.org [Why Conservationists Should…

The British Army have issued their first new camouflage for 40yrs, to cope with changing environments (urban, scrub, desert etc) – early versions developed in 40s by the artist Roland Penrose (Quaker, married to photographer Lee Miller)!

So I see on Unclutter that DSM is considering adding a Hoarding disorder, distinct from obsessive compulsive disorder.   "Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with personal possessions, even those of apparently useless or limited value, due to strong urges to save items, distress, and/or indecision associated with discarding."   Not sure if I understand the…

[On robot sex dolls] "What's outright flabbergasting is the casual creepiness which still dominates the male psyche." "A good sex robot, you'd imagine, would be a vivacious queen of cheeky banter giving you at the very least a fantasy verbal run for your money half-naked round the garden shed…" "Here in 2010 meanwhile, what's been…

I could go on forever about Reuben so I'll just leave him out of it for now! Holidays: Melfort Pier Villa at Olhos de Agua, Portugal – Pao caseiro toasties (like sourdough), tuna stew, sardines. Centerparc with Sie's then to Jonny's for GAP reunion Morton of Pitmilly – Geminid meteor shower Work: SGH locum job:…

In 2006 JAMA published a study of industry initiated RCTs (in Denmark) where researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre and Oxford Centre for Statistics in Medicine found that in half, the sponsor owned the data, needed to approve the manuscript or both (but that this was not mentioned in any of the papers). In a…

Ours will be the first generation in centuries of British history to hand on a less free society than the one we inherited – Henry Porter (Observer). This despite the Freedom of Information Act. Britain has the largest DNA database in the world (over 1 million people, many of them children). Since 2007 we have…

Mortality from alcoholic liver disease has doubled in the past 10 years in the UK; has increased 800% in the under 35s. There will be a 500% increase in the demand for liver transplantation over the next 10 years.

Creative capitalism – as proposed by Bill Gates for tackling global problems, using market forces to support work that improves inequities. Mishmash of government policy, sustainability, corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility etc. Implies that capitalism isn't creative??? Matt Miller suggests that business is better off defining public policy eg encouraging government to provide health care…

David Nutt, chief drugs advisor to the government, was dismissed in November for his stance attacking government policy, specifically the reclassification of cannabis from C to B. This increases the potential jail sentence for possession from 2 to 5 years, and moves it out of the group including ketamine and GHB into the group with…