MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'freedom of speech'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:03:18 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130756&cid=t_135143_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2F9o1-UChiy-0%2F This week Ian Miller’s blog impactednurse.com along with his twitter account and Facebook page have been removed as a result of 'issues' with his employer (The Canberra Hospital). (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130756 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:10:04 +0100 5130756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992692&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsupreme-court-data-mining-ok-even-when-physician-privacy-is-compromised%2F2011.07.01 The Supreme Court has sided with Big Pharma in their challenge to the Vermont Law limiting the pharmaceutical Industry’s access to physician prescribing information. The nation’s high court handed down a verdict Thursday in the Sorrell v. IMS Health case, striking down by a 6-3 vote a 2007 Vermont law that that bans the practice of data mining — the sale and use of prescriber-identifiable information for marketing or promoting a drug, including drug detailing — unless a physician specifically gives his or her permission to use the information. Apparently, Big Pharma’s right to “free speech” trumps my right to privacy. How getting access to my prescribing information has anything to do with free speech is beyond me.  In the twisted logic of the pro-business, anti-citizen Sup... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992692 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:14 +0100 4992692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975827&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ffsa2Wum2Vxs%2F By Julian SanchezI note that I’m not hearing many critics of Citizens United decrying yesterday’s very welcome Supreme Court ruling, in which the majority held unconstitutional a California statute prohibiting the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. Perhaps that’s just because they’re concerned with corporate influence on elections as a policy matter, and not so much about Grand Theft Auto, but as a matter of First Amendment interpretation, it seems as though the elements that supposedly made Citizens United a travesty are present here. As the conservative Justice Alito notes in dissent, for example, the statute at issue here does not prohibit anyone from creating, possessing, freely loaning, or playing violent video games: It regulates only their renta... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975827 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:39:05 +0100 4975827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841431&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmJzoGRuj-4U%2F By John SamplesSteve Simpson and Paul Sherman of the Institute for Justice have written an excellent short essay about Stephen Colbert’s effort to undermine the Citizens United decision. But the joke is on Colbert: Campaign-finance laws are so complicated that few can navigate them successfully and speak during elections—which is what the First Amendment is supposed to protect. As the Supreme Court noted in Citizens United, federal laws have created “71 distinct entities” that “are subject to different rules for 33 different types of political speech.” The FEC has adopted 568 pages of regulations and thousands of pages of explanations and opinions on what the laws mean. “Legalese” doesn’t begin to describe this mess. So what is someone who... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841431 Thu, 19 May 2011 18:33:00 +0100 4841431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225254&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoctors-right-to-freedom-of-speech%2F2010.12.02 Imagine having a medical device that is being tested in multiple centers, but one doctor thinks the device has problems. He says so at a national conference despite glowing reviews by others. Should the company sue the doctor for liable and remove him from their investigative panel? Today, it seems that might not be such a good idea. This is, in fact, what NMT Medical did regarding comments made by Peter Wilmshurst, M.D. regarding NMT’s patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure device called Starflex: NMT sued Dr. Wilmshurst for libel after he criticized its research at a US cardiology conference in 2007. The doctor vowed to take the case to trial in order to defend scientists’ rights to free academic debate. The company threatened Dr. Wilmshurst with libel a second time for subsequen... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225254 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:00:00 +0100 4225254 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214080&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxdKCm7gj4bw%2F By Ilya ShapiroToday, the Supreme Court agreed to review McComish v. Bennett (consolidated with Arizona Free Enterprise v. Bennett), which challenges Arizona’s public financing of elections as an unconstitutional abridgment of speech. Because the case concerns a crucial new battleground in the fight between free speech and “fair” (read: government-controlled) elections, Cato filed an amicus brief supporting the cert petitions filed by our friends at Goldwater Institute and the Institute for Justice. McComish centers on Arizona’s “Clean Elections” Act, which provides matching funds to publicly funded candidates if their privately funded opponent spends above certain limits. In other words, by ensuring that his speech will not go “unmatched” by his opponen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214080 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:40:14 +0100 4214080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197035&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQKJVqmGzqko%2F This article originally appeared in the Washington Times in 2004 and was included in my book The Politics of Freedom. Things to Be Thankful For is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197035 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:21:20 +0100 4197035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4022899&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtXeNkujL5UU%2F By Michael F. CannonIn all of Washington, is there a greater enemy of free speech than Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius? Her department is forcing millions of Americans to finance speech that they oppose, by using taxpayer dollars to broadcast (misleading) television ads that promote ObamaCare. She is using the powers granted her under ObamaCare to threaten insurers with bankruptcy if they publicly disagree with her about the law’s cost. Now, she is decrying the growth of anonymous political speech in congressional campaigns. Would that coerced speech, or government suppression of speech, troubled her as much as anonymous speech. Sebelius: Anonymous Political Speech ‘Dangerous’ is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4022899 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:46:09 +0100 4022899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3959967&cid=t_135143_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F11%2Fin-memory-of-911-2010%2F Today was the 9th anniversary of 9/11 and I have little to say, other than to commemorate the people who lost their lives in that tragedy. Such random acts of violence seem senseless because they are. We try and make sense of them by putting them into some sort of context or definition (e.g., “terrorism”), but at the end of the day, there’s little sense to killing thousands of innocent lives. Although anger is still prevalent when we think of the lives lost that day, 9 years ago, we shouldn’t allow such anger cloud rationality and adherence to the principles that make us Americans. The ridiculous assertions against a mosque and community center, built somewhere in the vicinity of the footprints of the World Trade center, suggests that somehow the Constitution could... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3959967 Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:10:18 +0100 3959967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899640&cid=t_135143_150_f&fid=38374&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FKes8HMA-yac%2Fpharma-social-marketing-and-data-its.html Bill Harriss of the Sigma Marketing Group commented on the winning uphill climb of social media marketing regulations and the FDA. He believes that Pharma is winning the battle, but in addition, the rich data that can come from online analytics that supplement offline data about the behavior of patients in addition to their conversion and adherence rates.Not to mention this brief filed with the US District court:The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) and Pfizer filed a brief with the U.S. District Court in April requesting to limit the FDA’s guidance to prevent the free speech of drug manufacturers on social media sites such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter.Do you believe that Pharma should be granted free speech when it comes to social media marketing? What benefits and drawbacks could thi... ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899640 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:15:00 +0100 3899640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3780339&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRMQg-O5v8k4%2F By David RittgersLouisiana has a new law on the books that outlaws “any electronic textual, visual, written, or oral communication with the malicious and willful intent to coerce, abuse, torment, or intimidate a person under the age of eighteen.” This is a statute aimed at “cyberbullying,” the increasingly common use of text messages and social media as a vehicle for teenage taunting. The issue caught its first big headlines with the Lori Drew case. The case against the Missouri woman hailed into court in California for suicide-inducing internet harassment was a stretch of an existing federal statute that was ultimately thrown out. The government continues to contend that violating a website’s terms of service is a federal crime. The federal cyberbullying statute proposed last ye... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3780339 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:26:01 +0100 3780339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607483&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJZDMtZXK4H8%2F By David BoazMichael Crowley, late of the New Republic and now with Time magazine, writes thoughtfully about Ron Paul, Rand Paul, and libertarianism. Crowley notes that Rand Paul, “more politically flexible than his father,” has plenty of unlibertarian positions. But both of them are tapping into a real strain in contemporary politics: But he, like his father, also knows well that a genuine libertarian impulse is astir in America…. polls show an uptick in both social permissiveness and skepticism of government intervention….[Ron Paul] has already waited a long time — and it appears the country is moving his way. This is a current trend, but it’s also deeply rooted in the American political culture. As David Kirby and I wrote in “The Libertarian Vote&#... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607483 Thu, 27 May 2010 16:17:29 +0100 3607483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3416009&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZ8HOQ9U1GcU%2F By Gabriela Calderon de BurgosEcuadorian President Rafael Correa has long labeled the free press as his “main enemy.” His attitude has unfortunately resulted in official intolerance of individuals critical of the government. The latest example is that of Emilio Palacio, the editor of the op-ed page of El Universo — the newspaper with the highest circulation in the country — who was sentenced on Friday to three years in jail for an op-ed he wrote in August 2009. Palacio accused Camilo Samán, director of a state-owned bank, of having sent protesters to El Universo’s offices after the newspaper reported on possible acts of corruption at the bank. The President has repeatedly stated that Palacio should be punished for what he wrote. In a country where everybody knows that th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3416009 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:39:10 +0100 3416009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294543&cid=t_135143_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F21%2Fworrying-wordpress-shut-down-a-blog-of-a-student-critizing-the-naturopath-christopher-maloney%2F Last Thursday PZ Myers, author of the very successful science blog Pharyngula tweeted that Christopher Maloney was a quack” (see first tweet below). Prior to that tweet I’d never heard of Christopher Maloney. I used to be rather indifferent about homeopaths and other people practicing CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine), thinking that it might help some [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294543 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:59:19 +0100 3294543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916086&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4MAgFTaVjz0%2F Today the House of Representatives is debating H. Res. 672, which would call on the government of Vietnam to release imprisoned bloggers and respect Internet freedom. Here is an article or two about what is happening with Vietnamese bloggers. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916086 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:57:20 +0100 2916086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2751885&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDwgvnW8m64Y%2F The Supreme Court is soon to hear a case that may drastically roll back campaign finance regulation in the United States: The case involves “Hillary: The Movie,” a mix of advocacy journalism and political commentary that is a relentlessly negative look at Mrs. Clinton’s character and career. The documentary was made by a conservative advocacy group called Citizens United, which lost a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission seeking permission to distribute it on a video-on-demand service. The film is available on the Internet and on DVD. The issue was that the McCain-Feingold law bans corporate money being used for electioneering. The right position for the Court is that McCain-Feingold, and all other campaign finance regulation, constitutes unconstitutional limitation on fre... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2751885 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:24:51 +0100 2751885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727409&cid=t_135143_150_f&fid=34889&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmamkting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fpharma-freedom-of-speech-and-ad.html "Freedom of Speech" is a "right" that many commercial entities claim when defending advertising practices. The pharmaceutical industry, for example, has cited their first amendment rights when defending direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) from Congressional foes who wish to limit or ban DTCA altogether.However, it is common practice for individual pharmaceutical companies to limit the first amendment rights of agencies that create DTC and other ads for them. They do this by requiring agencies to sign non-disclosure and work-for-hire agreements before they are hired as an agency of record. Practically all corporations do this, not just drug companies. Corporations are not democracies except when it suits them.Click on image to enlarge and read.Recently, the issue of limiting the rights of... Pharma Marketing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727409 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:20:00 +0100 2727409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2715923&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-7W3ksPPYwI%2F The health care debate has catalyzed a wonderful national clash of cultures centering on freedom versus control. Here’s one example that’s both complex and delightful. Progressive site TalkingPointsMemo ran a story yesterday about a man named “Chris” who carried a rifle outside an event in Phoenix at which President Obama appeared. “We will forcefully resist people imposing their will on us through the strength of the majority with a vote,” Chris said. To many TPM readers, this kind of thing is self-evidently shocking and wrong: Carrying a weapon is inherently threatening, Second Amendment notwithstanding. And vowing to resist the properly expressed will of the majority—isn’t that an outrageous denial of our democratic values? Well, . . . No.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2715923 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:19:49 +0100 2715923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2602003&cid=t_135143_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1882 It’s good to see the BMJ joining the campaign for free speech (only a month or two behind the blogs). The suing of Simon Singh for defamation by the British Chiropractic Association has stirred up a hornet’s nest that could (one hopes) change the law of the land, and destroy chiropractic altogether. The BMJ’s editor, Fiona Godlee, has a fine editorial, Keep the libel laws out of science. She starts “I hope all readers of the BMJ are signed up to organised scepticism” and says “Weak science sheltered from criticism by officious laws means bad medicine. Singh is determined to fight the lawsuit rather than apologise for an article he believes to be sound. He and his supporters have in their sights not only the defence of this case but the reform of England&... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2602003 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:53:13 +0100 2602003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2522999&cid=t_135143_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1812 Here is a short break from the astonishing festival of chiropractic that has followed the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) v Simon Singh defamation case, and the absurd NICE guidance on low back pain. Singh’s statement already has over 10000 signatories, many very distinguished, Sign it now if you haven’t already. And getting on for 600 separate complaints about exaggerated and false claims by chiropractors have been lodged with the General Chiropractic Council and with Trading Standards offices. Click to sign The BCA has exposed the baselessness of most of chiropractic’s claims more effectively than any sceptic could have done. The University of Westminster is seeing the light? It is only recently that the University of Westminster suspended entr... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2522999 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:09:31 +0100 2522999 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452540&cid=t_135143_97_f&fid=36415&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1630 The battle for freedom of speech is under way. Simon Singh is a great science writer and communicator. He is author of The Big Bang, The Code Book, Fermat’s Last Theorem, and, with Edzard Ernst, Trick or Treatment. They are superb books (buy from Amazon). When Singh had the temerity to express an honest opinion, based on the evidence, about that very curious branch of alternative medicine known as chiropractic, the British Chiropractic Association sued Singh for defamation.This was their substitute for producing evidence for their bizarre claims. Chiropractors seem to be particularly fond of litigation, perhaps because they are so short of evidence. Having had legal threats from them myself, I know how scary it can be, Luckily I was saved by a feisty a journal editor.  Sing... DC's Improbable Science blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452540 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:02:26 +0100 2452540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441162&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaMWIjAh3UkY%2F “We don’t want Venezuela to become a totalitarian communist state,” declared Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa yesterday in Caracas at the opening of a major conference organized by the market-liberal think tank, CEDICE. I’m in Venezuela this week with my Cato colleagues Juan Carlos Hidalgo and Gabriela Calderon to participate in the event and to run a seminar for 60 students and young leaders from Venezuela, which took place earlier this week. Vargas Llosa’s concern is not about some remote possibility. Nor is it the opinion of an isolated intellectual detached from reality. His comments received sustained applause from the over-flow crowd of the 600 people in attendance and he has been mobbed by the press since he arrived here yesterday. Venezuela is not yet a full fledged d... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441162 Fri, 29 May 2009 20:03:32 +0100 2441162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441180&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0fd4uSiEySI%2F The Cato Institute media department sent this press release to media outlets in Latin America, after the Venezuelan government tried to shut down a Cato-sponsored conference this week: CAUCAGUA, VENEZUELA—A Cato Institute educational seminar fell victim to an attempt by the Venezuelan government to shut it down for expressing ideas critical of the Chavez regime. Numerous Venezuelan government agencies harassed the Cato Institute event, called Universidad El Cato-CEDICE, or “Cato University,” which took place in Caucagua, Venezuela May 24-26. The event is co-sponsored by the Venezuelan free-market think tank Centro de Divulgación del Conocimiento Económico por la Libertad (CEDICE) and was organized to teach and promote the classical liberal principles of limited government, individu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441180 Wed, 27 May 2009 18:05:43 +0100 2441180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441310&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fspartacus-defence-protecting.html I am SpartacusFollowing on from yesterday's post, Nadine Dorries is silenced, Dizzy now has a detailed report on the precise sequence of events.  Bloggerheads, meanwhile, points out that Nadine Dorries is no blogger, and no blogging hero.There are unspoken rules to which serious bloggers adhere. The most important of those rules is that comments should be open to all and not moderated by the blog owner. Nadine broke that rule right from the beginning by not allowing comments at all and thus reducing her blog to the status of pseudoblog. NHS BLOG DOCTOR readers are familiar with the pseudoblog run by Kent Independent Midwives. Nadine did start allowing comments, but they were moderated, and who knows what did not get through.I hold no brief for Nadine Dorries, but what happened to her is ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441310 Sun, 24 May 2009 20:22:00 +0100 2441310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414751&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvnYUWezQzW8%2F Howard Stern swore off free broadcast radio in 2004 in part because of federally mandated decency rules. The self-annointed “king of all media” may have stepped off the throne in doing so. Them’s the breaks in the competitive media marketplace, contorted as it is by government speech controls. Some would argue that a new king of all media is seeking the mantle of power now that the Obama administration is ensconced and friendly majorities hold the House and Senate. The new pretender is the federal government. And some would argue that the Free Press “Changing Media Summit” held yesterday here in Washington laid the groundwork for a new federal takeover of media and communications. That person is not me. But I am concerned by the enthusiasm of many groups in Wa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414751 Fri, 15 May 2009 15:18:04 +0100 2414751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2386858&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fare-you-now-or-have-you-ever-been.html The Nursing Times ran an article a few days ago about the moves to ban nurses from joining the British National Party. Some interesting comments ensued. The first one started:The British National Party is a legal, registered, political party. It does not tolerate racism or hate in any form, and seeks to protect the history, culture, human rights, and future of the indigenous people of the British Isles.Only the first sentence is correct. Spend a few minutes on the BNP website (and, no, I am not going to link to it, you will have to find it yourself) and it is clear that this party does promote racism and hate in many forms. Look at one of their most recent headlines:African Doctor Kills Suffolk Patient — Why the NHS Needs to be Staffed by British People.Dr Daniel Ubani, an African who wa... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2386858 Mon, 04 May 2009 12:16:00 +0100 2386858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2177464&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fwhat-happened-to-smallpox-and-apology.html Smallpox is an acute contagious disease caused by variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. Smallpox, which is believed to have originated over 3,000 years ago in India or Egypt, is one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity. For centuries, repeated epidemics swept across continents, decimating populations and changing the course of history. In some ancient cultures, smallpox was such a major killer of infants that custom forbade the naming of a newborn until the infant had caught the disease and proved it would survive.Smallpox killed Queen Mary II of England, Emperor Joseph I of Austria, King Luis I of Spain, Tsar Peter II of Russia, Queen Ulrika Elenora of Sweden, and King Louis XV of France.The disease, for which no effective treatment was ever developed, killed ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2177464 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:45:00 +0100 2177464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167519&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fjeni-barnett-mmr-measles-and-bad.html Jeni Barnett, Professor Wibble, Ben GoldacreFor those who do not already know, Ben Goldacre is a highy qualifed doctor who writes a regular column in the Guardian, entitled Bad Science. He is also responsible for the blog of the same name. His Bad Science blog has become the most respected and widely read scientific blog in the UK, and one of the most respected sources of sensible no-nonsense science in the world. Ben writes with a light touch, and uses gentle humour rather than vitriol to unmask the quacks and the pedlars of pseudo-science. Who can forget his wonderful one line dismissal of the “awful poo doctor” herself as “Dr Gillian Mckeith PhD or, to give her full medically recognised qualifications, Gillian McKeith."  Who but Ben Goldacre would go to the extreme of buying one ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167519 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 10:46:00 +0100 2167519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2163545&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fcriminally-irresponsible-or-just-plain.html I cannot put it better than this :I never believed someone could be so stridently, unremittingly, arrogantly wrong.OK, OK, it's a free world, we live in a democracy, but how can any responsible radio station allow this woman to have the freedom of the airwaves?But she may at least help you win a free, signed copy of Ben Goldacre's "Bad Science". Listen to her radio broadcast here. If you can think of one anti-immunisation canard not mentioned in her rant, jot it down and send it to Ben, and he may send you a copy of his book. (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2163545 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:49:00 +0100 2163545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2113757&cid=t_135143_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D832 One of the most extraordinary bits of journalism I’ve read for a long time appeared as an editorial in the Sri Lankan newspaper, the Sunday Leader, on Sunday January 11th 2009   It was reproduced in the Guardian on 13th January, and in The Times.  It was written by Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor of the [...] (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2113757 Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:58:10 +0100 2113757 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035947&cid=t_135143_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F482705218%2F Four years after an agreement supposedly ended a decade-long dispute between a Toronto physician Nancy Olivieri and Apotex, which accused her of badmouthing one of its drug, a new lawsuit has been filed by the drugmaker - and the Canadian Association of University Teachers is now accusing Apotex of trying to muzzle academic freedom. The CAUT says Apotex is trying to silence Olivieri, because its lawsuit, which was filed last month, lists a very broad range of examples in which the drugmaker claims the professor breached their 2004 agreement “not to disparate each other,” according to The Globe and Mail. The lawsuit cites such alleged infractions as attending conferences, chairing panels and having an entry in Wikipedia.” “What is so worrisome is that Apotex seems to... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035947 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:06:01 +0100 2035947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2005659&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2F5-to-save-freedom-of-speech-on-internet.html It’s a simple issue. Freedom of speech on the internet.Free thinking bloggers have open comments with no comment moderation. If there are a lot of comments it is not feasible to check them all before publication.Alex Hilton set up LabourHome a couple of years ago to provide a forum for Labour supporters and, indeed, for anyone to discuss important political matters. A comment came in that was defamatory. As soon as Alex was told, he removed the comment, and offered the front page of LabourHome to the offended person. To no avail. He is being sued. He has a strong defence and, almost certainly, will win his case. But the law is a lottery, and defending an action for defamation is expensive.It is important that we support Alex Hilton.Send £5. Send more. Send less. But sent something, and ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2005659 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:27:00 +0100 2005659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1491988&cid=t_135143_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F2008%2F06%2F03%2Fbrigitte-bardot-on-trial-watch-convicted-of-inciting-hatred-against-muslims%2F No freedom of speech in France. France’s 1960s screen icon Brigitte Bardot received a 15,000-euro (23,000 dollar) fine on Tuesday for inciting hatred against Muslims. In December 2006, the film star-turned-animal rights activist wrote a letter to France’s then interior minister, current President Nicolas Sarkozy, arguing that Muslims should stun animals before slaughtering them during the Aid al-Kabir holiday. She outraged anti-racist groups by saying: “I’ve had enough of being led by the nose by this whole population which is destroying us, (and) destroying our country by imposing their ways.” Bardot, now 73 and suffering from arthritis, was absent from Tuesday’s court hearing in Paris. She wrote to the court saying: “I’m sickened by how (th... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1491988 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:13:09 +0100 1491988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1390992&cid=t_135143_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fgo-away-mr-langham.html There is something peculiarly repulsive about paedophilia. Chris Langham was convicted on several counts of viewing child pornography. I had thought that he was a sickeningly depraved pervert but I gather now that that is not the case. He is not a criminal. He is himself a victim.Mr Langham, 58, of Kent, has denied 10 counts of indecent assault and two counts of a serious sexual offence on a girl under 18 between 1996 and 2000. He also denies 15 counts of making an indecent image of a child in 2005. The court heard police raided his home in 2005 and found images of young girls "being degraded and sexually abused". (Source) David Wilson, writing in the Guardian, also mistakenly thought he was a pervert:We do not know what these indecent photographs look like, but the fact that Langham has b... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1390992 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:04:00 +0100 1390992 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1379352&cid=t_135143_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D6782 Brigitte Bardot in earlier and better times Yeah, Flap knows that is a dated photo of Brigitte Bardot but Flap couldn’t resist - especially a free speech issue. Brigitte Bardot is back on trial in France, facing charges of fanning discrimination and racial hatred against Muslims. In a Paris court hearing Tuesday, prosecutors said they are seeking a two-month suspended prison sentence and a $23,900 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner. Bardot, 73, was not present for the hearing. A verdict is expected June 3. A leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP filed suit last year over a letter that Bardot sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, and which was published in her foundation’s quarterly journal. In the letter to Sarkozy, now the pres... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1379352 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:44:25 +0100 1379352 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1018434&cid=t_135143_85_f&fid=36194&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftesstermulo.com%2F2007%2F11%2F02%2Feven-freedom-of-speech-has-its-limits%2F photo from Yahoo! News Some people just can get so abusive with their rights for free speech. Yes, we can say what we have in mind and we have the right to do so. But shouldn’t we be also responsible as to how we use our rights to free speech? Haven’t we got enough hate in this world that they have to add to it? Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church is a radical anti-gay church who are notorious for picketing funerals of fallen U.S. soldiers to spread their message that “God hates America” and that the war is a “punishment for being tolerant to homosexuals”. And as they wont to do, they have picketed Matthew Snyder’s funeral, thanking God for dead soldiers. Albert Snyder, father of Matthew, sued the church for disrupting their privacy and, winning t... Prudence and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1018434 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:28:00 +0100 1018434