Science

Pretty much all of us in medicine have had to do some research during our careers, and we've had to publish. It's been a necessary part of our training. I, like many others, didn't enjoy it very much and was glad to get it over with and return to a career of clinical medicine. But that's not to say having done it was without value. It taught us a lot about the pitfalls and errors of research, and how to look critically at the published work of others.
One of the great principles of science to my mind is that of uncertainty, or tolerance. The history of medicine, and science in general, is full of instances when cherished long held beliefs have had to be discarded in the face of new evidence. This happens because some individuals question accepted wisdom, and investigate it. Some areas of practice fail to live up to that scrutiny and we all have to take on new ideas as a result. This is how science advances, through the acknowledgement that we may be wrong.
When an area of science is repeatedly investigated, and results confirmed, this adds more and more credibility to that area. If we try really hard to disprove something, and fail, that adds great credibility to the theory under investigation. It follows then that scientists should be prepared to gladly open their data to scrutiny, and to encourage others to try and disprove their work.
I have recently come across a quote from an eminent scientist. I'm not going to identify him, or his field, I don't want to get distracted by the subject, but stick with the principle. He is quoted as saying;

“We have 25 or so years invested in the work. Why should I make the data available to you, when your aim is to try and find something wrong with it.”

To my mind this man has become lost in his own ego. He appears totally unwilling to have others see his data, or test his theory. He has crossed the line from being an open minded scientist of humility, and become a quasi religious figure demanding respect for his dogma. What a complete knob!

Confusion

Like most people, DZ reads the newspapers. He doesn't actually go into a newsagent and pay for a great wad of pulped tree though, finding it easier and cheaper to view the papers online, apart from those nasty graspers who have a paywall. He's also partial to those spoof newspapers, such as "News Thump" and the "Daily Mash".
Sometimes, when reading these spoof papers it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling that you are reading a genuine newspaper, and sometimes, when reading a conventional paper you feel you may be reading a spoof. Especially today. read the following five headlines. Three come from spoofs, and two from a "proper" paper, (obviously that excludes the daily mail). From just reading the headline, can you be sure which is which?

"Dietary advice was fruit company conspiracy"

"Your Child's school attendance is absolutely mandatory"

"North Korean men ordered to get Kim Jong Un's haircut"

"Homeopathy products recalled over fears it may contain actual medicine"

"Health not that important"

Riddle

Why is Ashutosh Maharaj like a Norwegian Blue parrot. 'Cos he's not dead, he's just reached samadhi.

Resign!

Sign this petition. The intro doesn't do justice to this man's sheer awfulness and ineptitude. It hasn't mentioned the present crisis of morale caused by his handling of staff pay, or his sympathy towards quackery.

Lent

Apparently, so I'm told, we are in a period known to some as "Lent", when, for reasons not clear to me some people choose to deny themselves certain pleasures of life for a few weeks. I think that if  I were to abstain from the things I like to do, and die during that period, I'd be pretty cross. I prefer to live each day as if it were my last. 'Cos one day it will be.

Fear

This is an interesting article I read this morning with a few little interesting points in it. Firstly I had no idea that Pakistan had such things as porn cinemas. Bearing in mind how fundamentalist they seem to be over there I'm far more surprised at their existence than the fact that they get bombed. In fact I'd say that such an occurrence would be a pretty sure bet.

Secondly one of the quotes reveals a level of racism even within Pakistan between it's different ethnic groups. Commenting on the ladies performing in these films one man said "These are not Pashtun women. These are Punjabi." Oh well, that's all right then.

But my favorite quote is from one of the managers of such a place, bemoaning the effect that bombings are adversely affecting his business, who said "People are afraid to come" Quite!

Stupidity

When DZ goes to social gatherings, he's often disheartened by the fact that everyone he meets there seems to be some sort of utter fuckwit. I suppose it's a curse associated with having an intellect the size of Brazil. Only recently I was cornered by an ignorant bore telling me how the world energy crisis was easily solvable but the solution was being supressed by "BIG OIL". When he finally got to describing the process it was clearly nonsense but he was convinced, having seen it explained on that most reliable of sources, youtube. When I tried to explain the flaws, including deviation from basic laws of physics, he immediately glazed over and I realised that I would be better off talking to the barmaid, who at least was nice to look at. I got to wondering, how is it that you can't get through to stupid people. That there is a section of society so refractory to education that you may as well not bother, and put them to work up chimneys and down mines at the age of 5. And then I saw this, which explains everything.