Life, medicine and stuff

Aside from the issue of paternalism, the government is always being asked to apply policies to protect us from some threat or other. These good intentions can often have unintended consequences, not least because we always overestimate rare incidents and underestimate common ones. For example, in the first month of the blackout in the second…

Barack was preferred by 95% of black voters, and the majority of Hispanic voters, but slightly less than half of white voters. Among the under 30s, he was preferred by two thirds. Women were more likely to vote for him than men.

Pets "nurture a sense of responsibility, caring and duty… It is an opportunity often denied to our "have it all" but "have nothing" children. And ultimately pets convey an understanding of the cycle of life and death in a sanitised and medicalised world. "So when I find my 3yr old asleep in the dog's bed,…

Article in the BMJ by Dr Iheanacho saying that the NHS should be more like Lidl. They may be unfashionable, and lack choice, but as supermarkets they offer consistent quality at low prices. The NHS too should aim to cater affordably for most people's needs, most of the time – and always keep an eye…

Saw this film, starring Angelina Jolie and produced by Brad Pitt. Have been mulling over it since. First, I think it is an important film, as well as a great film. You wonder whether anyone said to Pitt/Jolie at the start, "What's the point of a film about the hunt for a kidnapped journalist, when…

So we're trying to encourage Reuben (5 months old, nearly) to sleep better at night. This now involves us taking shifts on the sofa in my trusty old sleeping bag (used daily in India in 2000). I take over baby duty at 4am. R woke up at 4.45, and after taking a small feed fell…

So I finally took the plunge and took a Torx screwdriver to my beloved Mac.  Didn't know what a Torx screwdriver was until I took the baseplate off and found that I couldn't go any further, thanks to asterix-shaped screws!  But a day later I was properly ready.  It was incredibly dusty inside!  Despite being…

Laughed to myself driving home, listening to some Radio4 piece on the quiet carriage on trains, how a nice idea just begs to invite disappointment and the repressed English sulkiness that comes from a reluctance to confront. Alain de Boton pointed out that the reason we hate people who use their mobile phones in the…

Caught Finding Neverland on TV the other day.  I love Peter Pan, and the idea of JM Barrie spinning these stories to these orphaned boys is charming.  Sadly, there appears to be a substantial opinion (based on his writings and his letters) that JM Barrie was a paedophile.  Apart from the 1 brother who died…

Polly Toynbee interviewed city types, promising anonymity in return for honesty. She found widespread ignorance about the realities of inequality in Britain.  In general, they saw no reason for the rich to contribute indirectly or directly to programmes to increase opportunities. Although it is generally believed that higher taxes will drive the rich to other…