Pommygranate: October 2006

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Lancet - sensation seekers?

From the medical journal that brought you this 'peer-reviewed' article in early 2004,

The medical journal that published a controversial study linking MMR to autism says, with hindsight, it would not have published the paper.

Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet told the BBC the researchers had a "fatal conflict of interest",

this 'peer-reviewed' article in Jan 06

Indian experts say a new study which found that some 10 million female foetuses may have been aborted in the country in the past 20 years was sensationalist and inaccurate.

this from the New York Times in 1999

a 'prestigious' medical journal is publishing a study suggesting that genetically modified food may be harmful, even though the research has been widely criticized by scientists and was found wanting by some of the journal's own referees.

and now 655,000 deaths in Iraw (+/- 600,000).

Left-wing site, IraqBodyCount ridicules the methodology here

Play any of these at my funeral and i'm taking you with me

A survey for the Bereavement Register has unearthed the 20 most popular songs requested at funerals.

Despite 'Goodbye My Lover' by James Blunt topping the poll, Mark Roy (the founder of the Bereavement Register) said without any trace of irony,

Gone are the days of dirges of yore, instead we are seeing contemporary music that is easier to relate to,"

That Top 10 in full;

1 - "Goodbye My Lover" - James Blunt

2 - "Angels" - Robbie Williams

3 - "I've Had The Time Of My Life" - Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley.

4 - "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler

5 - "Pie Jesu" - Requiem

6 - "Candle In The Wind" - Elton John

7 - "With Or Without You" - U2

8 - "Tears In Heaven" - Eric Clapton

9 - "Every Breath You Take - The Police

10 -"Unchained Melody" - Righteous Brothers.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Favourite books

The Observer lists their Top fiction books of the past 25 years.

Their Top 10 are;

Disgrace (1999)
JM Coetzee

Money (1984)
Martin Amis

Earthly Powers (1980)
Anthony Burgess

Atonement (2001)
Ian McEwan

The Blue Flower (1995)
Penelope Fitzgerald

The Unconsoled (1995)
Kazuo Ishiguro

Midnight's Children (1981)
Salman Rushdie

The Remains of the Day (1989)
Kazuo Ishiguro

Amongst Women (1990)
John McGahern

That They May Face the Rising Sun (2001)
John McGahern

My Top 10 would be;

Atomised - Michel Houellebecq
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Atonement - Ian McKewan
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Attwood
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Great Gatsby - Scott Fitzgerald
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
Cocaine Nights/Super Cannes - J.G. Ballard

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Spineless Spaniards

The Spanish clearly don't do irony very well...

Spanish villages are toning down traditional fiestas in which revelers blow up dummies representing the Prophet Mohammed for fear of offending Muslims.

Why you ask?

it could hurt some people's feelings

So what are they celebrating at these fiestas?

Villages all over Spain hold annual festivals to commemorate the "Reconquista," the reconquest of Spain by Christians from the Moors, which was completed in 1492 after more than 700 years of Muslim rule in much of the country.

Is there a more spineless country?

via LGF