short notes:
will brady's ruminations
will brady's ruminations
2009-02-23
news blips
• Comet Lulin Approaching Earth. Space scientists from the University of Leicester are keeping a close eye on a ‘green comet’ fast approaching the Earth - reaching its nearest point to us on February 24, that's tomorrow!
Comet Lulin will streak by the earth within 38 million miles – 160 times farther than the moon -and is expected to be visible to the naked eye. Discovered only a year ago, the comet gains its green colour from poisonous cyanogen and diatomic carbon gases in its atmosphere.
This will be the comet’s first visit to the Earth’s inner solar system- and will enable the team from the University of Leicester to gain valuable insights into the comet.
They are using NASA's Swift satellite to monitor Comet Lulin as it closes on Earth. The spacecraft has recorded simultaneous ultraviolet and X-ray images of a comet.
Read the entire article at Science Daily.
• The Lancet, a widely-respected international medical journal, published an essay sharply critical of the psychiatric industry that reviews two books: "The Myth of the Chemical Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drug Treatment" by Joanna Moncrieff and "Side Effects: a Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial" by Alison Bass.
The essayist/reviewer is Athar Yawer, who has written other items for Lancet including essays on the social impact of torture [Nov 29, 2008], whether or not doctors are capable of thinking [Oct 11, 2008], and an evaluation of how much time psychiatrists actually spend with their patients [Jan 26, 2008]. The opening of the last article speaks thus:
How to combat this? The Mayo Clinic conducted a survey in 2006 asking people how should an ideal doctor act?
The difference, unfortunately, is that in psychiatry, forced treatment is considered so acceptable, hardly anyone questions it.
The Lancet and The New York Times make articles available by paid subscription.
• Comet Lulin Approaching Earth. Space scientists from the University of Leicester are keeping a close eye on a ‘green comet’ fast approaching the Earth - reaching its nearest point to us on February 24, that's tomorrow! Comet Lulin will streak by the earth within 38 million miles – 160 times farther than the moon -and is expected to be visible to the naked eye. Discovered only a year ago, the comet gains its green colour from poisonous cyanogen and diatomic carbon gases in its atmosphere.
This will be the comet’s first visit to the Earth’s inner solar system- and will enable the team from the University of Leicester to gain valuable insights into the comet.
They are using NASA's Swift satellite to monitor Comet Lulin as it closes on Earth. The spacecraft has recorded simultaneous ultraviolet and X-ray images of a comet.
Read the entire article at Science Daily.
• The Lancet, a widely-respected international medical journal, published an essay sharply critical of the psychiatric industry that reviews two books: "The Myth of the Chemical Cure: A Critique of Psychiatric Drug Treatment" by Joanna Moncrieff and "Side Effects: a Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial" by Alison Bass. The essayist/reviewer is Athar Yawer, who has written other items for Lancet including essays on the social impact of torture [Nov 29, 2008], whether or not doctors are capable of thinking [Oct 11, 2008], and an evaluation of how much time psychiatrists actually spend with their patients [Jan 26, 2008]. The opening of the last article speaks thus:
Jonathan Radcliffe and Roger Smith reported an observational study of how patients spent their time on psychiatric wards in the UK, during working hours (0900–1700 h, weekdays).1 6% of the patients' time was spent in what might loosely be termed therapeutic interaction. Despite the intense enclosed nature of the ward, 84% of their time was spent interacting with no one at all.An article in the New York Times noted that, perhaps, this is no different from doctors in other disciplines, citing docs as "...arrogant, abusive and disruptive..."
How to combat this? The Mayo Clinic conducted a survey in 2006 asking people how should an ideal doctor act?
The difference, unfortunately, is that in psychiatry, forced treatment is considered so acceptable, hardly anyone questions it.
The Lancet and The New York Times make articles available by paid subscription.
PICTURE CREDITS: Comet from Science Daily; Doctor picture from About.com. As an aside, I found it oddly amusing that the file name for the stock photo of the physician is "evil doc".
Labels: bedside manner, comets, news, physicians, psychiatry
¶ 07:25 0 comments
2007-11-20
news blips
War Porn and silencing soldiers. Hart Williams at his vorpal sword provides a detailed account of soldiers being censored for speaking their mind. Yet another example of the Dubya "do as say not as I do" Administration.
AIDS epidemic threat shrinking?. At Towle Road, a report that the United Nations is lowering the estimates of AIDS cases around the world, citing more accurate reporting. "As medicine improves, the number of people living with HIV is growing, although new infections are dropping and probably peaked around the turn of the millenium.
This is not to drop all concerns, however. "Despite the revised estimates, the epidemic remains one of the great scourges of mankind. This week’s analysis predicts that 2.1 million people died of AIDS in the last year, and 2.5 million were newly infected — or about 6,800 every day."
Where's all the oil? Web-consulting group Civic Actions provides a map.
¶ 09:19 0 comments
War Porn and silencing soldiers. Hart Williams at his vorpal sword provides a detailed account of soldiers being censored for speaking their mind. Yet another example of the Dubya "do as say not as I do" Administration. AIDS epidemic threat shrinking?. At Towle Road, a report that the United Nations is lowering the estimates of AIDS cases around the world, citing more accurate reporting. "As medicine improves, the number of people living with HIV is growing, although new infections are dropping and probably peaked around the turn of the millenium.This is not to drop all concerns, however. "Despite the revised estimates, the epidemic remains one of the great scourges of mankind. This week’s analysis predicts that 2.1 million people died of AIDS in the last year, and 2.5 million were newly infected — or about 6,800 every day."
Where's all the oil? Web-consulting group Civic Actions provides a map.
¶ 09:19 0 comments
2007-02-09
blips + updates
environment: Status report on Connecticut's Eight-Mile River | On Monday, February 12th at 11 am, Freshman Congressman Joe Courtney [CT-D 2nd District] will announce the introduction of his first bill to Congress: Eightmile Wild & Scenic River designation. This will be followed by an opportunity to discuss with the Congressman the Eightmile project and other environmental issues facing the region today. The event is to be held at the Red Mill at Moulsons Pond, 26 Mt. Archer Rd, Lyme, CT.
The Eightmile is an exceptional natural and cultural resource. Residents of East Haddam, Old Lyme, Salem and Colchester have been seeking to have Connecticut's Eight Mile River designated as a Wild and Scenic river for several years now. The effort has had considerable support from elected officials of all political persuasions. Congressman Courtney is quickly picking up on the good work done by former Representative Rob Simmons. Find out more about this effort...
homeless outreach: Advocate for the homeless and champion of social justice Abbe Pierre died recently | He was 94. Born as Henri-Antoine Groués to a moneyed family, he learned early on of the his moral obligation to help the poor.
He became a Capuchin monk while in his teens; worked with the French Resistance against the Nazi occupiers in the 1930s and 1940s, hiding Jewsih children whose parents had been arrested. After World War II he became active at helping the poor, founding the Emmaus movement pushing for affordable housing and laws preventing landlords from evicting poor tenants during the winter months.
In 1992 he refused to accept France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, because of that government's abysmal treatment of the poor. In an interview before he died he admitted one regret, "Everything I was not able to do. Read his obituray from The Guardian...
Thanks to Moyra Peralta and Alice Earl for reminding me of his passing.
drug wars: FDA gives Big Pharma a break on testing | AlterNet reports that the FDA has admitted that pharmaceutical companies it is supposed to regulate have not yet made good on hundreds of promises to test the safety of drugs already approved for the market.
According to a notice published Friday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from October 2005 through September 2006, companies had yet to initiate 71 percent of outstanding "post-market" safety evaluations that companies have promised to undertake for currently approved products they are already selling to consumers. Read the rest of the story...
families: Gay Marriage | NVSH, a grouped based in the Netherlands, has an analysis on the arguement about gay marriage. It's not just about "conservatives" versus "progressives"; it's about the entire set of emotional baggage that huans have about not just marriage, but sexuality in general. Read the rest of the page...
whimsey: Ian's Shoelace Site | Lest my readers think I obsess only about things that are weighty and serious, I had to stop by and wander about Ian's extensive information trove on what some disparagingly referr to as "kindergarten knowledge".
Who'd have thought there was so much technical knowledge and creativity tied up in shoelaces? Most people figure they learned all they needed to know about shoelaces in kindergarten! Ian's Shoelace Site contains all sorts of shoelace information, some of it useful, some just for fun. If you wear shoes with laces (or anything else that does up with laces), you're bound to find something here that they don't teach in kindergarten. Update yourself of everything you've been missing...
Thanks to Lee Fleming, the author of Neurotwitch for exposing me to this lore.
environment: Status report on Connecticut's Eight-Mile River | On Monday, February 12th at 11 am, Freshman Congressman Joe Courtney [CT-D 2nd District] will announce the introduction of his first bill to Congress: Eightmile Wild & Scenic River designation. This will be followed by an opportunity to discuss with the Congressman the Eightmile project and other environmental issues facing the region today. The event is to be held at the Red Mill at Moulsons Pond, 26 Mt. Archer Rd, Lyme, CT. The Eightmile is an exceptional natural and cultural resource. Residents of East Haddam, Old Lyme, Salem and Colchester have been seeking to have Connecticut's Eight Mile River designated as a Wild and Scenic river for several years now. The effort has had considerable support from elected officials of all political persuasions. Congressman Courtney is quickly picking up on the good work done by former Representative Rob Simmons. Find out more about this effort...
homeless outreach: Advocate for the homeless and champion of social justice Abbe Pierre died recently | He was 94. Born as Henri-Antoine Groués to a moneyed family, he learned early on of the his moral obligation to help the poor. He became a Capuchin monk while in his teens; worked with the French Resistance against the Nazi occupiers in the 1930s and 1940s, hiding Jewsih children whose parents had been arrested. After World War II he became active at helping the poor, founding the Emmaus movement pushing for affordable housing and laws preventing landlords from evicting poor tenants during the winter months.
In 1992 he refused to accept France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, because of that government's abysmal treatment of the poor. In an interview before he died he admitted one regret, "Everything I was not able to do. Read his obituray from The Guardian...
Thanks to Moyra Peralta and Alice Earl for reminding me of his passing.
drug wars: FDA gives Big Pharma a break on testing | AlterNet reports that the FDA has admitted that pharmaceutical companies it is supposed to regulate have not yet made good on hundreds of promises to test the safety of drugs already approved for the market.
According to a notice published Friday by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), from October 2005 through September 2006, companies had yet to initiate 71 percent of outstanding "post-market" safety evaluations that companies have promised to undertake for currently approved products they are already selling to consumers. Read the rest of the story...
families: Gay Marriage | NVSH, a grouped based in the Netherlands, has an analysis on the arguement about gay marriage. It's not just about "conservatives" versus "progressives"; it's about the entire set of emotional baggage that huans have about not just marriage, but sexuality in general. Read the rest of the page...
whimsey: Ian's Shoelace Site | Lest my readers think I obsess only about things that are weighty and serious, I had to stop by and wander about Ian's extensive information trove on what some disparagingly referr to as "kindergarten knowledge".Who'd have thought there was so much technical knowledge and creativity tied up in shoelaces? Most people figure they learned all they needed to know about shoelaces in kindergarten! Ian's Shoelace Site contains all sorts of shoelace information, some of it useful, some just for fun. If you wear shoes with laces (or anything else that does up with laces), you're bound to find something here that they don't teach in kindergarten. Update yourself of everything you've been missing...
Thanks to Lee Fleming, the author of Neurotwitch for exposing me to this lore.
Labels: environment, homelessness, news, notables, sexuality
¶ 10:32 0 comments
