Monthly Archives: January 2007
Reputations for sale
I wonder what Sense About Science have got to say about the revelations on tonight’s Panorama. It seems that GlaxoSmithKline attempted to show that Seroxat worked for depressed children despite their own studies showing that it actually trebled the risk … Continue reading
In My Language
I just watched a great video on You Tube. It was made by an autistic woman about language and how autistic people are perceived. It really is worth watching.
Gun
When I was ten my parents lived in a small modern house at the end of a terrace. My bedroom was really a box-room built above the stairs and so about a third of the floor area was occupied by a metre … Continue reading
Race and Music
The crazy mixed up world of racial politics is getting itself involved with music again. Usually the only time you hear people talking about race and music is during the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) awards and I’ve always been … Continue reading
I Heart Yamaha
When I’m writing music I usually set up a studio somewhere around the house with whatever equipment I need. At the moment it’s in the spare room and I’m using my most rare and valuable keyboard, a Yamaha VL1. It … Continue reading
The Best American Nonrequired Reading
I’m just coming to the end of the loveliest book I’ve read for ages. The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2005 is a collection of small writings, not all short stories, and every single one is brilliant. I think it may be even … Continue reading
So Macho
Pastor George Hargreaves was talking on Radio 4 on Tuesday from a demonstration that he helped to organise outside the House of Lords. He and his fellow protestors were objecting to a new law that will make it illegal to … Continue reading
Science for hire
Sense About Science is in the news again. The pressure group describes itself as an “independent charitable trust” that responds to the “misrepresentation of science and scientific evidence”. The story they’re promoting at the moment, about how celebrities should check … Continue reading
How do you fend off a dangerous dog?
The BBC has published a namby-pamby article about what to do if a dog attacks you. They suggest that you put your hands in your pockets and turn away. I prefer the advice Richard Ballantine gave in his excellent Richard’s … Continue reading