Max Gogarty is Alive!

link

The Science Diploma

The Qualifications and Curriculuum authority was formed in 1997, during Labour’s first year of government. They are responsible for this document, dated April 2009:

Criteria for the Diploma qualifications in science at foundation and higher levels

Here are some of the more interesting learning outcomes for science diploma qualifications that I am cherry-picking, but reproducing verbatim:

Learners must know and understand:

• how to interpret consumer information on consumer products

• positive and negative lifestyle choices, including diet, drugs, exercise and sexual activity

• the effects of lifestyle choices on how the body functions and the implications for the health of the individual and society

• the importance of confidentiality when handling and storing data on the

individual and how this is protected by legislation

• how to communicate with individuals at different life stages. [e.g. the elderly]
  

• the ethical considerations of using and handling plants and animals

• the organisations and agencies that use science and the goals they work to

• the science these organisations and agencies use and the social, economic and environmental contribution they make to meeting major challenges

• the methods used by the private and public sectors to promote change in society. [in relation to energy use]

There’s also a fantastic diagram that makes everything clear:

Update: I should of course credit Ben Goldacre for sticking the link to this document and yesterday’s swine flu links in his twitter feed.

Idiots’ Guide to Swine Flu

I don’t know what to make of this swine flu stuff.

Prison Planet think it’s a plot by Obama to wipe out a chunk of the Earth’s population and earn some money for himself.

The chinese medicine community have come up with a cure a full 6 months ahead of the so-called scientists. I trust that they will have developed this medicine to their usual high standards.

Kabbalic numerology has something to say about this all, but what that it I can’t figure out.

Helios Homoeopathy have a range of cures for swine flu available too. You can buy them straight of their website too! Such kind-hearted souls, not at all vultures preying on the naive.

Of course, this might all just be a plague on the Mexicans for being dog-eating catholics.

Obviously one of these groups must be correct, but which one? I mean, why would people believe this if it weren’t true?

I’m confused.

Twitter

I’m on twitter now!

http://twitter.com/robin_bruce

I seem mostly to be writing about reconfigurable computing stuff. I’m going to leave the reporting on the end of the financial world stuff to others now, it’s no big secret now.

Credibility

A few people have engaged me recently on my fairly apocalyptic views regarding the economy. A common criticism I’m getting is that I couldn’t possibly know better than the people in Government, because being in Government gives Brown et al access to much better information and analysis than I see.  So I give you someone with more credibility: Simon Johnson, former chief economist of the IMF. Few people have been in a better position to learn about the state of the world economy and of the nature of the economic crisis than him. Since he resigned from the IMF he has been in a position to give his honest opinion on things. To see the opinions of someone with far greater credibility than me and a deeper understanding of the crisis, read this.