In March 2015, the cover of National Geographic featured a picture of the moon-landing with a title The War on Science and a strapline: climate change does not exist; evolution never happened; the moon landing was fake; vaccination can lead to autism; genetically modified food is evil. See Here. Even before elections in Europe and America in 2016 gave us Fake News, a … [Read more...] about Something Happened – to Science and to Us
Modern Myths
Ordinarily Well: Storm in a D Cup
Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants Peter Kramer 2016 This book was very difficult to review. In Ordinarily Well, Dr. Peter Kramer makes two arguments that I agree with. One is that clinical observation—the interaction by which a medical professional learns about a patient—counts for something. The other is that clinical trials, or evidence-based medicine more … [Read more...] about Ordinarily Well: Storm in a D Cup
Kramer v Kramer
Editorial Note: Kramer v Kramer had been a hit movie a decade earlier. Listening to Prozac offered a chance to have a review called Kramer v Kramer but the journal - Psychological Medicine - was not amused and ditched the title. Here'e the review written at the same time as the Porter and others. In a later post I will try to explain what puzzles me about the Porter and other … [Read more...] about Kramer v Kramer
What Happened?
In the early to mid 1990s something happened. The view that many social commentators and academics offer is that neo-liberalism swept into town, dissolved society and turned us all into individuals. This is a non-explanation in that no-one can spell out what neo-liberalism is - so the explanation boils down to something happened. The something is caught in a review of … [Read more...] about What Happened?
Making Medicines Safer for All of US
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTqei5hZ3g Editorial Note: Aberystwyth on the West Coast of Wales is one of the best places in the world to see starlings murmurate. Clive King from the Computer Science Department there also organises TedX talks and on November 24 convened a panel of speakers to talk about murmurating swallows, ambivalent motherhood and … [Read more...] about Making Medicines Safer for All of US
Simony
Before Google the Bible could be pretty confusing. Peter seemed to be a bedrock, a fixed point in the New Testament narrative. Your name will be Peter which means Rock. This of course means that he had another name before being renamed. Looks like it was Simon. So at various points we have references to a Simon Peter. All a touch confusing, especially when a Simon Magus … [Read more...] about Simony
Uninvited Guests
This post is a break in the usual coverage but the contents are just so good they demand to be shared. Uninvited Guests is a brief video produced by Superflux. Superflux have worked and work closely with many of the people that readers of this post are likely to be wary of if not downright hostile to including the United Arab Emirates, the Cabinet Office in the UK, Innovate … [Read more...] about Uninvited Guests
Pandora: Dos Centavos
The recent US Supreme Court approval process for Brett Kavanaugh opened the lid of an earthenware vase marked Trust, when Christine Blasey-Ford stepped forward and said she had been abused by him. The hearings were dramatic. Other dramas never came into the frame. Dr Blasey-Ford had previously been engaged in medical research linked to figures like Alan Schatzberg and … [Read more...] about Pandora: Dos Centavos
The Horrific Effects of Not Being Believed
By most accounts Jose Mario Bergolio is a remarkable person. It came as a shock to his fans then a few months ago when he visiting Chile he came out against victims of child abuse. The issue centered on one bishop whom survivors of abuse fingered as complicit with what had happened. JMB obviously liked the man and took the position he was innocent until proven guilty. When … [Read more...] about The Horrific Effects of Not Being Believed
18 percent
From: Zach Schleien <zach.s@18percent.org> Date: 19 March 2018 at 04:00 Subject: I Started a Slack Group for Mental Illness To: David Healy Hi David, Here’s a story I think would be perfect for David Healy: When one of my closest friends took his own life after his battle with schizophrenia, I resolved to do something constructive for people living with … [Read more...] about 18 percent