Quiz: what do all the following have in common?

[Lorikeet]

Age, air, alcohol, aspirin and calcium,
Ham, honey, eggs, dogs, dieting and soup,
Being a woman, being a man, bubble bath and food from cans,
Being black, wearing bras, left-handedness and speedy cars
Oestrogen, climate change, baby food, the menopause,
Beef, beer, pizza, pork, cereal and Worcestor sauce,
Childlessness, children, vitamins and bacon,
Chocolate, retirement, deodorant and Facebook?

[Alan H]

That's easy. They all cause and cure cancer.

[Dave B]

Er, what kind of cancer does retirement cause or cure, Alan?

[Alan H]

Er, what kind of cancer does retirement cause or cure, Alan?

I don't read the Daily Mail, so I can't say.

The Daily Mail Oncological Ontology Project

The (New) Daily Mail Oncological Ontology Project

The Daily Mail list of 'Things that give you cancer'.

[Alan H]

Ah!

Well, researchers have some bad news for you. Workers who drop everything at retirement age are at greater risk of heart attacks, cancer and other major diseases than those who ease their way into old age by taking a part-time job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... tired.html

[Fia]

Good news for me then, as I'll never be able to afford to retire. Just death by exhaustion awaits

[Dave B]

Ah!

Well, researchers have some bad news for you. Workers who drop everything at retirement age are at greater risk of heart attacks, cancer and other major diseases than those who ease their way into old age by taking a part-time job.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... tired.html

Bloody good thing that I have kept myself pretty much occupied since retirement then - another heart attack would be somewhat of a bummer!

One chap at work lasted six months after retirement. Work seemed to be his only reason for living, he got very worried when they made a mistake and tried to retire him a month early. I thought that was incredibly sad.

[animist]

I think I am OK in that I do freelance work in my wife's name which is stimulating while lucrative enough to make it worthwhile; I have just two and and a bit months to go till the state pension knocks in, and this just about equates to this work, so I am quite happy whichever way. Of course, if my TH verbiage suddenly stops, you will know I was wrong!

Fia's comment reminds me of the research which showed that bus conductors lived much more longer than bus drivers: each time I mount the stairs, I think of this with satisfaction

[Lorikeet]

Haha, this wasn't any challenge!

The Daily Mail Cancer Song

[lewist]

Lorikeet! Thank you! Thank you for a brilliant start to the day!

[stevenw888]

Brilliant. The Daily Mail - what would we do without it! I have personally conducted a vendetta against evil (and distinctly troubled) Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn for the past four years, but unfortunately, the guy's still alive.

My favourite headline from one those links was

Kangaroo cream could prevent skin cancer!!

Now where can you get that from, I wonder? Do they have to kill the kangaroo to get to its "cream?"

[thundril]

Brilliant. The Daily Mail - what would we do without it! I have personally conducted a vendetta against evil (and distinctly troubled) Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn for the past four years, but unfortunately, the guy's still alive.

My favourite headline from one those links was

Kangaroo cream could prevent skin cancer!!

Now where can you get that from, I wonder? Do they have to kill the kangaroo to get to its "cream?"

They presumably could just give it a hand-job!

[Fia]

Haha, this wasn't any challenge!

The Daily Mail Cancer Song

I enjoyed and shared that, Lorikeet, thank you

[Lorikeet]

So glad you all enjoyed it, thanks everyone

I'm amazed they say climate change causes cancer. Not that I read it (except snippets on Twitter) but wouldn't they be all for claiming there is no climate change and it's all an evil socialist lie?

[jaywhat]

They all have a vowel in - which can be pretty dangerous

[Dave B]

So glad you all enjoyed it, thanks everyone

I'm amazed they say climate change causes cancer. Not that I read it (except snippets on Twitter) but wouldn't they be all for claiming there is no climate change and it's all an evil socialist lie?

Holes in the ozone layer letting in more UV which causes melanoma?

[Lorikeet]

So glad you all enjoyed it, thanks everyone

I'm amazed they say climate change causes cancer. Not that I read it (except snippets on Twitter) but wouldn't they be all for claiming there is no climate change and it's all an evil socialist lie?

Holes in the ozone layer letting in more UV which causes melanoma?

The hole in the ozone layer isn't actually related to climate change - although differentiating the two is definitely beyond tabloid capabilities.

[Dave B]

The hole in the ozone layer isn't actually related to climate change - although differentiating the two is definitely beyond tabloid capabilities.

And apparently beyond mine if what you say is 100% correct, Lorikeet!

But . . . My understanding is that the holes in the ozone are connected with pollution from CFCs and other gases from mankind's activity. There also seems to be some evidence that a part of climate change, at least, is also due to mankind's activities involving pollution.

If one were to take the amount and type of solar radiation hitting the surface of the Earth as part of the "climate" and the dynamics of the "climate" to include the activity, of any kind, in the whole of the gaseous envelope of our planet, then "climate change" due to the actions of mankind could include holes in the ozone layer which in turn apparently causes an increase in skin cancer.

Over to you!

[animist]

re climate change and the ozone layer, I think Dave is right to say that the CFC problem was an example of climate change as a general concept, and in fact the Montreal Protocol has gone some way to limit this specific problem by banning CFCs. Confusingly, we tend nowadays to talk about "climate change" when I think we should stick with the term "global warming" (which is due to carbon dioxide levels)

[Dave B]

Confusingly, we tend nowadays to talk about "climate change" when I think we should stick with the term "global warming" (which is due to carbon dioxide levels)

I tend to agree with you there, animist, except I do not know enough to be sure that all the changes are actually due purely to the increasing temperatures. I can see the changes in the ocean currents, when the oceans are the main driving force of weather, can be due to the changes in the heat/cold distribution over the globe. With the Atlantic Drift/Conveyor sensitive to the Arctic ice cover and El Nino failing etc. there are obviously big changes taking place, and I doubt that they will improve matters in the scale that we think of things.

I do think that it has got beyond the point where mankind can make much difference, no matter how much we reduce CO2. This is a process the start of which can possibly be dated back to the days of Neolithic Britain, the start of the stripping of 99.9% of the tree cover from these islands to make way for animals and crops. This is a process that has continued globally as the population increases. It could take that long again to return the world to real health but there would have to be a lot fewer people around. I feel that all effort should be put into doing all that we can in making sure the changes are not catastrophic in terms of the survival of the human race. Its very existence has been challenged at least once in its history, this may be another such challenge.