I recommend this article on DNA studies, not because I am a Puerto Rican woman (oh, maybe just a little bit) but because it is simply fascinating. It was written by Leor Pachter (computational biologist working in genomics at UC Berkeley) on his academic blog Bits of DNA (Reviews and commentary on computational biology). [Many thanks to Phyllis Katz for bringing this information to our attention.]

[. . . ] One of [James] Watson’s obsessions has been to “improve” the “imperfect human” via human germline engineering. This is disturbing on many many levels. First, there is the fact that for years Watson presided over Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory which actually has a history as a center for eugenics. Then there are the numerous disparaging remarks by Watson about everyone who is not exactly like him, leaving little doubt about who he imagines the “perfect human” to be. [. . .] The result of the…

Main Headlines

 Monday

• Prosecutor-general will issue a decision on Mubarak’s release within 48 hours
• Rival groups ‪to protest Mubarak’s verdict this week
• Egypt’s Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claims killing of US citizen in Western Desert
• Egyptian fighting for Islamic State dies in Kobane, leaves a message
• Egypt court says hunger striking ‪Soltan must remain in jail
• Report: Egypt ‘s private sector is the most corrupt in the world
• Egyptian woman dies of bird flu, raising year total to 6

Tuesday

• Egyptian court sentences 188 people to death over the killing of 11 policemen last year in Kerdasa
• Prosecution files an appeal against Mubarak’s verdict
• Cabinet amends criminal procedures law following Mubarak’s acquittal
• Egyptian cabinet to review new draft of electoral constituencies law
• Egypt thwarts Islamic State-linked bid to hit Israeli targets at sea: Israeli TV
• Turkey says Egypt’s remarks over Erdoğan are unacceptable
• Egypt closes Rafah crossing after stranded…

(not satire – it’s the Tories!)

Emma Knight found her local Tory-run council was inviting companies to bid online to look after her 45-year-old brother James after the residential care home he was in was closed because the council claimed it was too expensive.

After making him homeless, Devon County Council then listed James – who suffered brain damage at birth – on a website available to all care companies across the county to invite them to make bids to accommodate him:

Disabled man ‘put up for auction’ on care website

Auctioning off disabled people is not a warning sign of things to come.

It’s a sign of the sorry state we’ve already allowed our once great nation to become.

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The Coalition Government Colouring and Activity Book is now available for download as a PDF and in print: