In the always-overflowing "definitely not autism advocacy" dept., a letter demanding that the NIH fund "scientifically rigorous inquiry into the state of research ethics, industry-academic relationships, and the effect of these relationships on human health" http://www.pharmedout.org/NIHLetter.pdf

Notice the numerous international signatories (Australia, UK, Canada, New Zealand).

Edited by author 11-19-2009 02:42 PM
Ben Goldacre (him again!) makes the top 20 in the Times "100 Best Books of the Decade" http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol.../article6914181.ece

Here's the description:

"Goldacre, a hospital doctor, is a witty debunker of all forms of bad science: quack medicines, ropey dietary theories, incompetent reporting. At a time of increasing credulity, he is a tonic."

While I'm here, here's Stephen Wiltshire's New York (in full) http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/New_York...re.aspx?Size=Medium

Pam Heaton has an upcoming talk in London http://www.bps.org.uk/conferences-and-even...tures-2009_home.cfm

A bit later today (3pm Montreal time, I think) there should be an online interview with Tyler Cowen about his new book http://www.metanomics.net/show/dont_apolog...author_tyler_cowen/

Edited by author 11-17-2009 05:47 AM
Re /m9926 the titles of the papers are very interesting. If you click on HTML or PDF for a paper you get the full text for that paper.

"Cognitive Disability and its Challenge to Moral Philosophy"--a whole special issue of stuff that's mostly way over my head (even when my head isn't bogged down in flu) http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122603154/issue

There are two autism-specific papers (by Ian Hacking and Victoria McGeer). There's a paper by Peter Singer which is about what you would expect. None of it is open access though, sorry. I haven't looked around to see if free copies of any of the papers are hanging around...

re /m9924
the Invisible man is indeed amazing, many thanks for the link.

Even in my current state, this is amazing http://v1kram.posterous.com/liu-bolinthe-invisible-man

Found via Marginal Revolution.

I'm going to have to read it properly when my mind isn't in flu-fog, but this http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200912/dobbs-orchid-gene is probably worth reading.

One of Laurent's doctoral students, Anna Bonnel, successfully defended her thesis yesterday at McGill. So she is now a PhD. Big congratulations to her.

Of course I was at home being miserable, so I missed it all [sigh].

Thanks for the good wishes. Mostly I still can't do anything at all except feel rotten. My advice is, don't get the flu...

Hi Michelle, hope your feeling better by now. A nasty (non H1N1 - I think there has to be a fever for it to be that) flu swept through my house over the last week and a half. I got it first and suffered badly for 24 hours, then the boys and their father were all struck down within an hour of one another two nights later. Good that I was recovered and able to tend to them. Poor Sammy has had it the worst. He was VERY sick for a solid 5 nights. He'd seem a bit better in the day, but worsen at night for some reason. I think I've made this observation before, but for parents who want their kids to stop flapping their hands and "acting autistic" they must love it when their kids are down with the flu. The first sign that Sam was really on the road to recovery was when his little hands started to do their cool little movements again - a sight for sore eyes!

On Friday 13 November 2009, QT - Dinah wrote:

hi, i am new to this mailing list. i would like to say i am sorry to read michelle is unwell and i do hope you feel better soon michelle, i have a bad headcold atm too so i know it is not pleasant, nor is a visit to the dentist. i am not sure what the protocol is when one is new on a list, usually i think some kind of introduction is expected. i am female, 48 years old and i have four children and am married. i also have six cats. and one husband.
i am not sure, michelle, what the purpose is of the mailing list, only that i found myself reading the site the misbehaviour of behaviourists and your personal weblog and found myself agreeing with much of what i read and so i clicked on the subscribe button and hope to read much more in order to inform myself and, i am not not sure what else.

sammi


> Michelle. get well soon! I hope the visit to the dentist
> alleviates the problems that take you there (some of the worst
> physical problems can be dental in my sorry experience) - flu
> with simultaneous dental problems sounds particularly vile.
> Good luck,
> _________________________________________________________________
> To unsubscribe: http://www.quicktopic.com/27/X/vJvhV4fDnBgw7
> Start your own topic in 20 seconds: http://www.quicktopic.com |QT



--

Hi Michelle,

I very much hope you get well soon.

Michelle. get well soon! I hope the visit to the dentist alleviates the problems that take you there (some of the worst physical problems can be dental in my sorry experience) - flu with simultaneous dental problems sounds particularly vile. Good luck,

I quoted Spreckley and Boyd (2009) when it was in press, here http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/2008/12/v...s-about-autism.html , see also the comments. This paper (among many others) is part of my presentation about the quality of autism intervention research.

I have the flu, apparently (no idea which kind). Hard to put two synapses together....