Interesting Links for 13-09-2023

[andrewducker]

1. Loughborough University student's device detects sport concussions in 10 seconds

(tags:brain injury Technology )

2. Inside Russia's undercover crackdown on gay men in Chechnya

(tags:lgbt russia OhForFucksSake torture homosexuality )

3. One in three female surgeons have been sexually assaulted at work in the last five years.

(tags:doctors abuse assault OhForFucksSake women uk )

4. Note: attempting to get rid of sunken explosives by dropping explosives on them, while moored directly above, is not a good idea

(tags:explosions history ships ocean viaDanielDWilliam )

5. Everyone in America is getting a Covid booster (unlike the UK, where it's only the very old)

(tags:USA vaccination Pandemic )

Comments

[fub]

4. Noted. "explosives" go on the list of things that you should not clear up with explosives, right up there along with "beached whales".

#3

[danieldwilliam]

Judging by some of the comments my mum's former colleagues made at her wake I don't think the situation today is any better than it was in the 1960's and 70's.

Re: #3

[andrewducker]

That is terrible.

I hope that this report helps to change things.

Re: #3

[danieldwilliam]

I hope so. It's a bit of funny environment I think and an acceptance of more senior people's bad behaviour seems (or seemed) to be seen as par for the course. Not just sexual harrassment but other forms of bullying, difficult working conditions and long-hours and short staffing.

So if I were going to pick an industry that would be slow to change surgery would be on my list.

At least, judging by the conversations I've heard medics have with each other.

Re: #3

[andrewducker]

Ah yes, the "Smith is a genius, so we can't sack him, even if he does set fire to the office twice a year." approach. Totally ignores the number of possible other geniuses that won't work for you because they don't want to be on fire.

Re: #3

[snippy]

There are literally studies saying that no matter how much of a genius the jerk is, the jerk brings down total productivity. Not just because people won't work for you, but also because the ones who stay employed are less productive because of the jerk in their environment.

Re: #3

[autopope]

I'm going to note wrt. surgeons and sexual assault that (a) there's reputedly a higher than normal rate of psychopathy among surgical specialities -- having low empathy can be an asset when your job involves cutting people up -- and (b) surgery is an artisanal specialty: surgeons take years to train, are minimally interchangeable, and skill/experience makes a profound difference to outcomes.

So (b) means there's intense pressure on management to put up with asshole rock stars, and (a) means you're more likely to get predatory/assholish behavior.

(Finally, there's the subsequent reporting that most medical students get zero training on sexual harassment in the workplace and how to deal with it. Which doesn't just affect surgeons, but almost all medical staff.)

Re: #3

[andrewducker]

It's possible that (a) is true because it makes them better surgeons.

And also possible that there are lower levels of empathy because shitty behaviour by some has driven out anyone with a shred of humanity left in them.

Re: #3

[hairyears]

Not only, but also...

The systematic use of sleep deprivation and acute stress is central to the process of training (and selecting by elimination) junior doctors in teaching hospitals.

It's remarkably effective in eliminating empathy.

We observe this in other professions - law, banking, and the larger accountancy firms - where 'the last man standing' from the graduate intake acquires a grisly collection of adaptive psychoses and a distinctive management style which generates profits (and further career advancement) by burning people out.

Re: #3

[autopope]

That's another good point.

(I'm going to say nothing about how front-line military service generate stress and induce severe sleep deprivation: the implications should be obvious.)

[mtbc]

Will pass (4) on to a colleague who misses various meetings apparently due to their own maritime disasters. Though, also, my grandfather was in marine ordnance disposal.

(5) is very annoying and rather wtf.

[lilysea]

Everyone in America is getting a Covid booster (unlike the UK, where it's only the very old)

It makes sense to vaccinate everyone because

a) everyone, even healthy people in their 20s and 30s, can suffer long-COVID, increased rate of stroke, increased rate of heart disease

b) having a large % of vaccinated people in the community acts as a "ring" of protection around medically high risk people because it helps cut down on transmission

[andrewducker]

I completely agree.

[melita66]

Headline's misleading. CDC has said it's recommended for anyone over 6 months. If the shots aren't covered by private health insurance or medicare, retail price is around $100 per dose. CDC has stated that they'll work with communities to provide free or low-cost doses to help transition because the federal emergency is "over."

[dewline]

Ending that federal declaration was an idiot's move. Never mind whether the idiot in question was well-intentioned or not.

[channelpenguin]

5. But can you ask for a booster and get it? Like a flu jab. I'm pretty sure that's how it's working here in Germany. I mean to go and find out in the next week or so.

[fanf]

As far as I know, it’s impossible to get a COVID jab in the UK (even privately) unless you are in an NHS approved category.

[channelpenguin]

Oh. That's disappointing. I do hope it's not the same here.

[dewline]

Yeah, that's just horrific.

[nineveh_uk]

No. In addition to the age categories, people in various clinical risk groups get one, but there is no option to request one. I had a UK booster last year because my doctor agreed it was a good idea and shoved me in under the closest option, and I'll ask the same this year and hope for the best, but if you just reasonably don't want to catch Covid there is no route.

[autopope]

No, you can't.

Although the Tories did hint that they're going to let patients pay for a booster privately within the next year.

Which is utterly shitty and offensive but I'm going to be queuing up and yelling take my money the instant it's available ...

[channelpenguin]

Pragmatically, logically - surely the cost in lost working time, sick pay, loss of tax income (self employed etc) and medical costs from lots of people getting sick (some long term) HAS to be more than the cost of giving all adults a booster? So it should be a no-brainer. (Even if you don't care about the human misery).

And of course I'd pay too. Anyone with the cash to spare would. I've had COVID (once) and even though it was mild (likely because I'd had 3 shots, but not one for 9 months) it wasn't something I want to repeat if it's at all avoidable.

If vaccination everyone is not being done for "the looks", because it makes it obvious that COVID isn't "over" or "nothing to worry about" then that's both illogical and despicable.

[autopope]

The problem is that the government has agreed (with itself) that "the pandemic's over". So rolling out boosters would be a tacit admission that they were wrong, and if they're wrong about something as screamingly important as "plague's over, people", what else could they be called out over?

They're only bothering with the crumblies and clinically vulnerable because if they didn't a whole lot of people would certainly die at great expense, clogging up ICUs for weeks on their way out. Somebody might notice.

Remember, the current government is a bunch of cynical asset-strippers and neoliberal ideologues as deeoly stupid as Liz Truss. And there's not a scientist among 'em. (I can't help thinking that even Thatcher would have been better at handling this crisis than the post 2019 shower.)

[andrewducker]

You'd think so! I'd love to understand what the nominal maths looks like.

[lilly_c]

5 I'm in Scotland and getting my covid boosters. I work in sector where that and yearly flu jags are mandatory.

[andrewducker]

If only I was too!

[conuly]

5. Everyone in America is getting a Covid booster (unlike the UK, where it's only the very old)

Everyone seems to exclude the uninsured, because if you still don't have insurance you probably also don't have $130 for a shot.

[darkoshi]

The article says "A Biden administration program to provide the shots without cost to people who don’t have insurance is also expected to be in place within 48 hours of the CDC decision, agency officials said."

[cmcmck]

I'll give you very old! :op

[darkoshi]

Everyone in America is getting a Covid booster (unlike the UK, where it's only the very old)

Only 17% of Americans got the last booster, so it's not likely to be a much higher percentage for this one. I am glad we will have the opportunity to get it though.

[jducoeur]

Polls I've seen suggest that it'll be higher this time around, but with an even sharper blue/red divide in whether people plan to get it.

[anna_wing]

Are there countries near the UK where boosters are available to non-citizens upon payment?

[andrewducker]

Not that I can see.