Posts by Bart Janssen

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  • Hard News: Behind the Paywall,

    the quality of investigative reporting has dropped. That sort of thing needs a large organization behind it, to buy the stories.

    Yes and no. Yes it helps to have the resources of a large organization. But it very much depends on the organization. Some large organizations create environments where there is less freedom. Could Watergate have been uncovered if the journalists had been required to produce a story per day in addition to investigating?

    And where do freelance journalists fit into the mix? Would they be better served by some clever direct to consumer model that paid them directly rather than selling to an aggregator like a newspaper?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    It does seem that it is the collection of symptoms that is the key to CFS. Any one symptom could derive from another cause but having all says it's this damn thing we don't really understand yet that we call CFS.

    The importance of that is that it changes the treatments and it changes what it means for the patient. Fatigue caused by one source may well be treated well with a particular approach but if the fatigue is part of CFS then that treatment becomes inappropriate.

    That has implications for how easy it is for a GP to recognise. Most GPs are unlikely to see many cases.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    Er, Lucy, you want to revisit this statement?

    I'm not Lucy (she's prettier) but I'll comment.

    Cell lines are not humans. Just because you can have an effect in cell cultures where the compound you are playing with is in direct contact with the cells does not mean it has any effect when delivered through the gut and then (maybe) through the bloodstream and then (maybe) to the cells of interest in a whole organism.

    This is a nice study and interesting. What now becomes an interesting question is why don't high doses of vitamin C do anything in whole people?

    Because that is what Lucy pointed out, no study has shown that high doses of Vitamin C, delivered orally do anything for any disease including cancer. So please by all means eat fruit and veges but IMO spending money on vitamin tablets is a waste of time ... unless you have a specific health issue that requires specific supplements.

    What this may suggests is that delivering vitamin C to the tumour directly may do something interesting but we are a long way from showing that.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: Behind the Paywall,

    Who's doing the investigative reporting while everybody is busy doing the commentary?

    Why can't we subscribe to the investigative journalist directly?

    Do they have to deliver the whole piece at once or can that kind of discovery be a conversation with the reader as well. Perhaps with reader input.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Hard News: Behind the Paywall,

    I reckon the future for online journalism is about having fantastic conversation starters and then starting great conversations between interesting people (with money to spend). Supported by advertising and/or donations. I don't think the iPad is the saviour for these.

    You mean like ... Public Address!

    And why wouldn't it work for the iPAD? The iPAD is just a medium, a very sexy cool medium but in the end just a place to view content. Where I think the iPAD will win is that it just may be the right size. Small enough to go in a bag, large enough for my eyes to read the text and to see good pictures if that makes it the perfect device for viewing the news then it may well save journalists, assuming you can find any of those.

    And the most important question is

    Where is the PAS app?

    As for how will journalists make money out of internet news, I don't think we've seen the answer yet. One part of the answer I suspect is that journalists will make money more directly from people who want to read stuff from a particular journalist rather than from a business entity.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    Seriously, would you all just listen to me for a second and NOT TELL ME HOW TO FIX THINGS?

    But if you just turn that wheel there half a turn clockwise ....

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    Saying, "You should try ...

    So is there a difference between saying "you should try..." and asking "Have you tried ...?"

    I know I'm trying to justify my need (see there I admit it) to advise. But also part of it is my innate/inept curiosity. One of the things I like about this thread is that it's really clear from the CFS patients here what does not work (pretty much everything) and from that you actually learn something about the disease.

    You also learn something about how hard it is for those with it.

    As for people having a PhD in themselves, I'm sorry but I really have to disagree. I'm smart and knowledgeable and eminently capable of doing research. But that did not stop me from being completely ignorant about my depression. That needed someone else's expertise to show me stuff about myself. I agree that patients have a strong motivation for doing research on their condition but I think assuming that people have done that research is not safe. That's no excuse for being rude but dammit I'd rather be rude than not ask the question that might make someone's life a lot more pleasant.

    Besides it's either that or I have to weed Emma's garden and since I can't pull finger to weed my own ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    Don't offer advice. Not even if you mean well. Just don't do it. Especially if you have never had to cope with the condition yourself.

    You have no idea how much stress it causes me to follow that advice :). I think I'm genetically programmed to advise :). Just slap me and I usually remember to stop.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    No CFS in the genealogical line that I know, but lots of allergies. I wonder if that's linked?

    If it is immune system linked then there will certainly be a genetic component. But the genetics of the immune system is far from straightforward so it won't be a simple relationship.

    I'm not sure we're in that much of a vacuum though.

    Cool fact sheet Russell, and yeah I guess it really is a disease that affects women more than men, hmmm now why could that be? So many of the points on this thread are listed clearly. Except for the care and support that PAS contributors share for each other.

    And sorry for the post spam there were just a bunch of things I wanted to comment on - especially the food - hungry now.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Up Front: Something Chronic,

    Heh, since I'm a make it up as you go kind of cook, there's no telling whether I can reproduce past successes :D

    I hate that. My better half does that and then can't remember next week how she made that wonderful dish so this time it will be different. Meanwhile unless I have detailed and precise instructions my cooking is fail :(.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

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