David MacKay

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 14 Apr 2016, 22:18

Died this afternoon. He may not have got every detail right but he made an enormous contribution towards the public understanding of energy and climate matters. He was only 48.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._C._MacKay

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 14 Apr 2016, 22:27

Very sad news. He lived up the road from me about 6 years ago. I had tea with him and discussed energy and peak oil with him at length. I got the impression that he didn't buy in to limits to growth, but he was very concerned on climate change.

Second scientist I have known die early from a brain tumour. Both with young families too.

Post by **clv101** » 14 Apr 2016, 22:31

He maintained a great blog right to the end:
http://itila.blogspot.co.uk/

Starts here: http://itila.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/une ... nancy.html

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 14 Apr 2016, 23:30

PS_RalphW wrote: Second scientist I have known die early from a brain tumour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._C._MacKay

Says he died of stomach cancer, which I had no idea was so common.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 15 Apr 2016, 10:14

UndercoverElephant wrote:
PS_RalphW wrote: Second scientist I have known die early from a brain tumour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._C._MacKay

Says he died of stomach cancer, which I had no idea was so common.

I have known quite a number of people - 5 in the last 10 years or so - who have died of stomach cancer. Such a statement means little, really, but it's worrying. In all cases, these have been people who liked their junk food. Not very scientific but I repeat, in all cases.

Post by **clv101** » 15 Apr 2016, 10:18

Diet is one factor, NHS summarise:

Diet
A diet rich in pickled vegetables, such as pickled onions or piccalilli, salted fish, salt in general and smoked meats, such as pastrami or smoked beef, increases your risk of stomach cancer. Countries where this type of diet is popular, such as Japan, tend to have much higher rates of stomach cancer than the UK. A high fibre diet with five portions of fruit and vegetables a day will help protect against stomach cancer, and a diet high in fats and processed food and red meat will increase your risk of getting stomach cancer.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/cancer-of- ... auses.aspx

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 15 Apr 2016, 11:11

We are all going to die. Most humans, assuming they make it past childhood, will die around 70. If they have a truly awful diet/lifestyle, this can be shaved back by 10 or 15 years. With the best diet and lifestyle in the world, it is only likely to be increase by the same, and most of that increase is in a state of varying levels of decrepitude. In other words, short of some major scientific breakthrough, we are all going to die at pretty much the age we were evolved to die

None of which is to diminish the very real benefit of good healthcare such that we are as healthy as we can be while we are alive.

Also, notwithstanding the above, given the degree of flexibility that does still exist, this means that the difference in lifespan between different cultural/economic groups in the UK is around 20 years. This is more or less completely predicted by income. It is frankly crass and oh-so-predictably supercilious of the smug better off to castigate the poorer sections of society for their "poor choices" in terms of their shorter lifepans.

You want to positively affect lifespans and health?

Narrow the wealth gap.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 15 Apr 2016, 11:21

Little John wrote:It is frankly crass and oh-so-predictably supercilious of the smug better off to castigate the poorer sections of society for their "poor choices" in terms of their shorter lifepans.

Point taken

Little John wrote:You want to positively affect lifespans and health?

Narrow the wealth gap.

Totally defo., combined with education.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 15 Apr 2016, 14:16

I met him at a CAT graduation ceremony a few years ago and chatted for a couple of hours. He later helped me with a campaign at the time by writing to my MP as the Government's Chief Scientist. It definitely helps when you've got him on board to ballast the boat.

A great and sad loss to the Climate Change campaign as well as to his family.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 15 Apr 2016, 14:28

clv101 wrote:Diet is one factor, NHS summarise:

Diet
A diet rich in pickled vegetables, such as pickled onions or piccalilli, salted fish, salt in general and smoked meats, such as pastrami or smoked beef, increases your risk of stomach cancer. Countries where this type of diet is popular, such as Japan, tend to have much higher rates of stomach cancer than the UK. A high fibre diet with five portions of fruit and vegetables a day will help protect against stomach cancer, and a diet high in fats and processed food and red meat will increase your risk of getting stomach cancer.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/cancer-of- ... auses.aspx

Would the large chunk of home made, organic, stone ground, whole meal bread counteract the ham and home made chutney of my lunch, do you think?

Oh! well. The salad crop will be ready soon to take the place of the chutney.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 15 Apr 2016, 15:43

Junk food is carbohydrate rich, and this can give rise to chronically high blood sugar. This is an energy rich condition which favours the growth of malignant cells. High fat diets on the other hand give low blood glucose and so are not so favourable.

My daughter in law has a friend who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and a no-hope prognosis. They went away and researched diet, made changes and no doubt kept fingers crossed. They are now categorised as stage 1.

Anecdotal I know, but in many of the "undevelopd" cultures, cancer was virtually unknown before the arrival of the "western" diet.

Whole meal bread is unlikely to save you if it is a modern Triticum wheat variety, but eating a source of calcium in the same meal is claimed to suppress cancerous growths. A lump of hard cheese is good, it also cleans your teeth and neutralises the acids from starches.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 15 Apr 2016, 15:51

kenneal - lagger wrote:Oh! well. The salad crop will be ready soon to take the place of the chutney.

We've had salad greens continuously in the polytunnel throughout winter.

woodburner · Post by **woodburner** » 15 Apr 2016, 15:52

clv101 wrote:Diet is one factor, NHS summarise:

Diet
A diet rich in pickled vegetables, such as pickled onions or piccalilli, salted fish, salt in general and smoked meats, such as pastrami or smoked beef, increases your risk of stomach cancer. Countries where this type of diet is popular, such as Japan, tend to have much higher rates of stomach cancer than the UK. A high fibre diet with five portions of fruit and vegetables a day will help protect against stomach cancer, and a diet high in fats and processed food and red meat will increase your risk of getting stomach cancer.
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/cancer-of- ... auses.aspx

I'd be very wary of anything diet related on the NHS site, when you look at the number of people nowadays with health problems, they are not doing a very good job. Perhaps their information isn't as good as they think.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 15 Apr 2016, 16:01

woodburner wrote: A lump of hard cheese is good, it also cleans your teeth and neutralises the acids from starches.

This is a good point and one which makes sense of the English habit of eating cheese as the last course in a meal rather than the French one of eating it before the sweet course.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 15 Apr 2016, 16:04

emordnilap wrote:
kenneal - lagger wrote:Oh! well. The salad crop will be ready soon to take the place of the chutney.
We've had salad greens continuously in the polytunnel throughout winter.

I need to work on that.

Do you use bubble wrap in addition on very cold nights.

It's just occurred to me that you are in a maritime are of Ireland so probably don't know what a very cold night is!