health and medicine
Goldacre: 'Argument is about capitalism, not food '
Ben Goldacre points to the analogies between the 'organic' food argument and the BigPharma vs homeopathy/'alternative medicine' - mainly that all niches will be filled under capitalism.
Ben Goldacre, of Bad Science fame, reports on the Soil Association's response a recent Food Standards Agency (FSA) report on organic food. Goldacre says the FSA's report shows "that organic food is no better than normal food, in terms of composition, or health benefits".
Not-so-fat cats: How the rich got thin
I came across an interesting Daily Mail article today (yes it does happen occasionally), which says that fat women are unfairly excluded from top jobs. Now the idea that sexism exists in the workplace, particularly at higher levels, is a bit of a no-brainer, but it got me thinking...
In amongst the statistics from the survey used for this piece came a couple of interesting notes:
Quote:
Up to 61 per cent of top male bosses were found to be overweight, which is higher than the U.S. average of 41 per cent among similarly aged men.
Anti-vaccination crap undermines attempts to eradicate measles
A paper in medical journal The Lancet last week shows that poor vaccination uptake in some European countries has lead to measles outbreaks across Europe, with just five countries in Europe accounting for 85% of cases. The growing 'exportation' of measles from Europe to regions thought to be clear of measles has undermined immunity elsewhere and setback the worldwide eradication program.
After the previous discussion of the measles outbreak in Cheshire, a timely paper in The Lancet last week highlighted how daft anti-vaccination nonsense is.
Psychologists protest against involvement in torture
Over 400 psychologists in the United States are currently withholding dues to the American Psychological Association over its failure to explicitly condemn all forms of torture.
Recently, the American Psychological Association (APA) passed a new resolution reaffirming its position against torture as defined in Article l of the United Nations Declaration and Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Water, energy and crisis in Bangladesh
How water and electricity scarcity impacts on life and politics. Plus a brief look at the ongoing governmental crisis.
Quote:
The administration of most essential public utilities specially water and electricity is in serious jeopardy in the capital [Dhaka], causing untold suffering to the city dwellers.
The erratic power supply leads to disruption to smooth water supply to the city dwellers who are reeling from power and water crisis during the ongoing dry season.
