farmdoc's blog post number 678

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…

1. Torah Bright won Australia’s first gold medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics [1]. Funny that – I thought Torah Bright was an evangelical Jewish sect.

2. talking of Olympic medals, the Vancouver Winter Olympics is the first Olympics whose medals contain recycled materials, i.e. gold, silver and copper from recycled e-waste [2]. Well done, Canada.

3. a mere month before the event, Qantas was announced as the naming rights sponsor for the 2010 Australian F1 Grand Prix [3]. Where the bloody hell have you been until now, Qantas?

4. I read that cat food has been successfully used to control cane toads – by attracting carnivorous meat ants that eat and kill baby toads [4]. Will the ants follow the toads – which themselves were originally introduced as a biological control – and become a major environmental scourge?

5. I came across this fascinating article about how love improves health [5]. I’ve been in love with Sweetheart Vivienne for over 45 years; and I’m healthy for my age. QED.

6. this paper describes methods of muscle cramp prevention [6]. It says quinine’s effective but unsafe; and vitamin B may be the best bet. It doesn’t mention corks in the bed.

7. I read this report of the promising early results of using paracetamol to help prevent heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers [7]. It may be the next wonder drug, but the article cautions that paracetamol is now Australia’s commonest cause of liver failure, having passed hepatitis and alcohol.

8. Darling Indigo, on her blog, offered ‘Indi’s random giveaway’. Coco the wombat [8a, 8b] hopes she'll win.

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.

farmdoc's blog post number 664

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…

1. with the 2010 Australian F1 Grand Prix only 43 days away, the GP Corporation announced that the rock group Simple Minds will play concerts at this year’s event [1]. I rest my case.

2. with the race only 43 days away and sans naming rights sponsor, a hero of mine, Kevin Summers, offered A$3,000 for the naming rights – to plug a play he’s directing. He’s not heard back yet. [2] Surely three grand’s better than nothing. Shame on you, GP Corp. But go, Kev!

3. Nutrition Diva explained how to know that the fish fillets you buy are fresh and healthy, and how to thaw frozen fish without it turning to mush [3]. Sounds sensible to me.

4. UK peer Baroness Tonge said Israel should set up an inquiry to disprove allegations that its medical teams in Haiti harvested organs of earthquake victims for use in transplants [4a, 4b]. The anti-Israel Baroness beggars belief. But the Elder Of Ziyon has the perfect solution [4c].

5. I read two articles about anti-Israel bias infecting medical journals [5a, 5b]. Wouldn't it be a great idea if medical journals wrote about medicine.

6. a research study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that Australian GPs rarely follow guidelines when managing new episodes of low back pain [6a, 6b]. Ho hum.

7. it was reported that three Australian mining companies, i.e. Newmont Mining (ranked third), Rio Tinto (fourth) and BHP Billiton (tenth), were in the top-ten most controversial companies in the world last year [7]. Ho hum again.

8. the Events section of Sweetheart Vivienne’s website’s been filling up [8]. And there’s more in the pipeline. When will I ever see her?

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.