It’s not strictly anything to do with us, or our work, but cool Friday afternoon fodder! We’ve got our second office Flip video camera, does that count?

Movieclips rocks…

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

We’re only about half way through the slowest relocation in history, but already the office is looking sparse.

Having set the wheels in motion, Aislin took the sensible option and buggered off to Bulgaria. Pato’s been out and about meeting Bridon, MSI, Siemens and er, Cumins. So it’s been a little quiet around here and I’ve been left wondering why we need a bigger office!

But need it we do, and although I may miss wandering through a desolate Epworth on a sunny morning or dodging the doddery old drivers stuck in first gear,  as Nog says, the car will have barely enough time to warm up by the time it gets from home to Armthorpe. Plus it’s an exciting new step in our evolution, so come on Team Beno!

 

Calow on top form again

The Wrong Guy

Statins with your burger? Better add a pregnancy test too

This story came out on 12 August 2010. I follow BBC Health news on Twitter and they announced:

“Fast food outlets should consider handing out cholesterol-lowering drugs to combat the effects of fatty food, link here

The article opens with: “Fast food outlets should consider handing out cholesterol-lowering drugs to combat the effects of fatty food, say UK researchers. Taking a statin pill every day would offset the harm caused by a daily cheeseburger and milkshake, the Imperial College London team said. It would only cost 5p a customer – similar to a sachet of ketchup.”

Dr Darrel Francis, one of the team of researchers, was quoted as saying: “Importantly, even partial adherence to statin therapy conveys a mortality benefit, suggesting that statins do not need to be taken daily to have some protective effect”.

I checked the source of these incredulous comments (we’ll cover why below). The researchers were Emily A. Ferenczi, Perviz Asaria, Alun D. Hughes, Nishi Chaturvedi MDa and Darrel P. Francis. Their article “Can a Statin Neutralize the Cardiovascular Risk of Unhealthy Dietary Choices?” was published in the American Journal of Cardiology August 2010. You can read the summary here.

Invariably, I go back to the original medical journal article and find that the media have sensationalised a serious piece of research, taken one statement out of context and blown it out of proportion. Not in this case. The researchers managed to do that in their original summary – here’s an extract:

“The risk reduction associated with the daily consumption of most statins, with the exception of pravastatin, is more powerful than the risk increase caused by the daily extra fat intake associated with a 7-oz hamburger (Quarter Pounder®) with cheese and a small milkshake. In conclusion, statin therapy can neutralize the cardiovascular risk caused by harmful diet choices… Routine accessibility of statins in establishments providing unhealthy food might be a rational modern means to offset the cardiovascular risk. Fast food outlets already offer free condiments to supplement meals. A free statin-containing accompaniment would offer cardiovascular benefits, opposite to the effects of equally available salt, sugar, and high-fat condiments. Although no substitute for systematic lifestyle improvements, including healthy diet, regular exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation, complimentary statin packets would add, at little cost, 1 positive choice to a panoply of negative ones.”

The only declaration of interest for the article was “Dr. Francis is supported by grant British Heart Foundation, London, United Kingdom.” (Those are the exact words – there may be an ‘a’ and a ‘from the’ missing). Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation is also quoted in the article. It would be fair to say that Weissberg is quite a fan of statins – Dr Michael Eades does a great blog here showing how Weissberg was defending statins back in February 2007. Eades says “The British Heart Foundation is also funded by, among others, companies that make statins.” I did a quick check on the BHF site this morning and found nothing clearly declared. A separate search on Pfizer (makers of Lipitor) and the BHF reveals a funding relationship – small to Pfizer but useful to the BHF.

Should Google be investigated to see what personel data it collected from personal Wi-Fi networks in the UK. (as is being done in other Countries) I believe this info was obtained from their street car Camera.This must be an invasion of peoples privacy, some people think the camera itself was an unwanted intrusion. I think Google is overstepping the mark if it is found that they gathered any personell data without the consent of the individuals concerned. You now have to wonder what info Google is collecting from people who use its search engine. I use Google everyday but I would hate to think that my loyalty is being misplaced. Trust should be a 2 way event. There are many other search engines available so if one proved to be untustworthy you could use another or better still alternate your search engines on a regular basis. I do not think legislation is needed at the moment, but they need to get their act together.

Gutzon Borglum, who designed the Mount Rushmore monument, was an active member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Says John Mcwade: “The Mt. Rushmore we know today — this American icon — was not Mr. Borglum’s first design. Nor was it his second, nor even his third. For 14 years he adjusted his models for what the rock and his artistic eye would allow. He fussed and he cussed and he made tries that failed. His original vision had Jefferson on Washington’s right, but he began carving against engineering advice that the rock there would not hold. When his crew was stopped by the bad rock, he — aarrgh! — did the only thing possible: he set dynamite and blew his baby out of America’s history books.”