These are prescient vintners
CLIMATE change is of great concern to Trevor Dudley. He appreciates that global warming will result in a rise in sea level, and that Venice will flood more often. But how can Majestic Wine stores be privy to precise information on the timing and extent of the effects, so far withheld from us mortals? How else to explain the email the company sent him, headed 鈥1 Week Left! 25% Off Italy鈥?
Tom Ellis notes labelled 鈥渏ust natural little leaves 鈥 no artificial stuff, no GMO or weird science鈥. What products might contain, and proudly proclaim, 鈥渨eird science鈥?
Hiding news under a bushel
UNEXPECTEDLY, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority () sent Feedback a press release announcing that 鈥淧harmaxis Pharmaceuticals Ltd has breached Clause 2 of the ABPI Code of Practice鈥. We delved into the details to try to discover which of our colleagues should be told about this news.
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As far as we can tell 鈥 and we stand ready to be corrected 鈥 the story concerns an anonymous complaint that Pharmaxis, which sells a cystic fibrosis treatment containing the substance , had distributed a publication entitled without first registering it as promotional material.
This publication acknowledges an 鈥渆ducational grant鈥 from Pharmaxis. It was the inclusion of a Pharmaxis advertisement that made one issue 鈥減romotional鈥.
The complaint was upheld and Pharmaxis was ordered to take out an advert publicising this. There are 21 Current Medical Literature titles published by the company ; four acknowledge external grants.
We wondered why we鈥檇 had to work so hard to extract this from the press release. Then we read that the 鈥渁dministers The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry鈥檚 () Code of Practice at arm鈥檚 length from the ABPI itself鈥. Someone of a suspicious inclination might wonder whether clarity was in the interests of the pharmaceutical industry, or conclude the press release really was for Feedback.
An enlightening briefing
STILL thinking in bureaucratese, Feedback is delighted to have discovered more details of the UK government鈥檚 decision to include illegal drugs and prostitution in estimates of gross national income (14 June). At we find a charming and enlightening briefing by the Office for National Statistics. We suspect that Joshua Abramsky and Steve Drew had fun drafting this 鈥 though the definition of 鈥渇un鈥 we use here may be quite specialised.
Feedback naturally has quibbles. Electricity used in indoor cannabis production is 鈥渁ssumed to already be recorded鈥 in 鈥渉ousehold final consumption expenditure鈥. We shall have to think about the economic impact of the meter-fiddling widely reported in this connection. And the assumption that drug dealers 鈥渉ave no labour costs鈥 fails to account for the lookouts on streets near us.
The authors鈥 handling of the vexed question of drugs being 鈥渃ut鈥 is statistically sensitive. We share their subtly expressed sadness that 鈥渢he closure of the Forensic Science Service means that no purity data will be available for future years鈥.
Subtle diplomatic language
MEANWHILE, readers have responded to our appeal for examples of subtle diplomatic language (31 May). When Philip Welsby was chair of a medical staff committee, 鈥渁nnouncing 鈥榯his of course has parking implications for consultants鈥 would see the original topic, no matter how important, sidelined鈥.
Alan Fowler treasures a memo from a Chief Roads Engineer which began: 鈥淚 am sorry if I have introduced an impression of terminal accomplishment into the ongoing decision-making process.鈥 We note that these, like the phrases we reported in May, concern avoiding the risk of moving discussion 鈥渦nnecessarily forward鈥. We鈥檇 also like examples of diplomatic enthusiasm. Photos of hens鈥 teeth are welcome, too.
Celebrate pi approximately!
PI DAY was celebrated in the US on 14 March 鈥 since that day can be written 鈥3.14鈥 in the country鈥檚 date format, which is close enough to the ratio of a circle鈥檚 circumference to its diameter. Derek Woodroffe has been chatting with Feedback about when it could or should be marked elsewhere.
We started with an examination of available date formats. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) format 鈥 according to which this issue鈥檚 date is written 2014-07-12 鈥 is widely used in Japan. It works well for Derek when he is at work, since it鈥檚 easy to get a computer to sort ANSI dates, the chronological order being 鈥渁lphabetical鈥 as it were. Sadly, it appears to rule out celebration of any significant number we can think of.
The UK鈥檚 day/month/year format is equally unhelpful for most famous numbers. After more musing we have agreed with those who promote . British speakers can and should celebrate it later this month on 22/7. Do let us know about any events.
A yet more challenging phone
FINALLY and still numerically, we reported a coastguard emergency phone in Cornwall, UK, labelled 鈥淓mergency phone 999 only鈥 but bearing just three buttons, labelled 鈥1鈥, 鈥2鈥 and 鈥3鈥.
The county of Kent goes one better, for some senses of 鈥渂etter鈥. Jeffrey Borinsky sends a photo of a phone on Walmer beach with the instruction 鈥淟ift up handset. Dial 999,鈥 and just one 鈥1鈥 button.
