Notices by Emeritus Prof Christopher May (chrismayla6@zirk.us)

Q. how much of the 'obesity crisis' is a figment of the over-use of the (often misleading) Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Certainly a shift to look at health-related measures would seem to be a good idea, and would also move the focus towards the health issues & away from a crude focus just on weight... anyone who does any weight training (for health or vanity) will know the BMI doesn't include any allowance for muscle density!

#obesity #health

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/14/call-to-overhaul-obesity-diagnoses-amid-fears-of-over-reliance-on-bmi

@cstross

a canary in the cafe?

If nutrition & eating are central to good health (and mental acuity), then the TUC's finding that one in six workers are skipping meals because they cannot afford the food, is not just a health issue (which may be contributing to the UK continued health crisis), but also could be (yet one more) factor underlying the productivity puzzle...

Incremental productivity gains often come from the shopfloor, but hungry workers seem less likely to innovate!

#workers #health

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/12/one-in-six-uk-workers-skipping-meals-to-make-ends-meet-says-tuc

@davidallengreen on an abiding truth, too often forgotten:

'In any ultimate battle, the state will prevail over a corporation for the simple reason that a corporation as a legal person only has legal existence & entitlements to the extent set out by legislation. Those who control the law can, if they want, control & tame any corporate in their jurisdiction'!

Social media corps are swinging behind Trump not because they're strong, but because they're weak & need a champion!

#SocialMedia
h/t FT

Watchers of the Court of the Tangerine Tyrant may find themselves seeing the acronym UPTR pop up more often once the Tyrant is installed in his lair in the White House.

UPTR = under paid tax rule, which is part of the recently agree OECD corporate tax agreements, and allows states to tax profits on MNC where their profits are taxed at under 15% at home.

Many are expecting US firms to be key UPTR targets, and the Orange one is not pleased & is talking retaliatory tariffs!

#corporations
h/t FT

Marina Hyde offers a worrying depiction of the political environment which Nigel Farage seems to have engineered fro himself:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/10/uk-politics-fiscal-crisis-corruption-legal-threats

#politics

Hmmm.... so Rachel Reeves tells us that her visit to China & the deal(s) done will add £600m to the UK's economy over the next five years...

So just to put that in proportion; my ex-university, Lancaster U (a medium sized university in NW England) turned over £400m just last year..... so adding £120m a year to the economy, while something more than nothing, in the scheme of things is no great shakes, is it?

This is the problem with numbers being reported with no note on of scale!

#economics

@dalias

Well, what the data show is that in most countries (outside Africa) rates have declined; and you're right this isn't too much of a problem in global environmental terms, but as we move to a rate that is below replacement there will be associated social shifts that may become quite problematic to navigate

Behind the world's falling birth rate(s) lies a fall in the number of people (seemingly) in relationships;

the retreat from coupledom has many causes (from social changes to social media) but looks to be (re)shaping the world.

The big Q. then becomes: if this continues, what does a world dominated by single people look like?

Or will this shift back as the young find the value of companionship again?

Much of our future may depend on these choices.

#politics

h/t John Burn-Murdoch/FT

As usual Ross Atkins does what the BBC should be doing all the time (well at least they let him carry on I suppose).

If you only watch one thing on Elon Musk's social media 'interventions' in UK politics, make it this - as always Atkins tells it like it is without hysterics, hyperbole or the need to anything other than report the facts (damning in themselves)

#SocialMedia #politics

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c87dg3x1rd0o

The danger of economics determinism:

looks like Rachel Reeves in a renewed (continuing) austerity strategy ('forced' on her by the bond markets) will require Govt. Depts to justify how their activities contribute to growth; those that cannot make a convincing case will be the key areas looking at severe (further) cuts.

In other words prepare yourself for the worst sort of economic determinism & instrumental thinking.... its going to by a myopic, socially damaging fiasco!

#RachelReeves
h/t FT

Its sad that Mike Davies (author of City of Quartz & Ecology of Fear) is no longer with us; he would have had some interesting things to say about the LA fires this week, we can be sure.... not least of all as he wrote about the 'fire ecology' of the coastal areas of LA.

If Davies was still with us, he'd be setting out his view of how & why rich people built houses made primarily of wood, too close to each other in an area known for wild fires....

Davies saw it all years ago...

#LosAngeles

The hypocrisy of fiscal economics:

When there is a crisis in the real economy, we are told austerity is needed to restore confidence & encourage growth - the neo-classical economic solution.

When there is a crisis in the financial serves sectors we are told what is needed is liquidity & stimulus to restore confidence & encourage growth - a (narrow form of) Keynsian response.

So its not so much Keynes has been rejected, but rather its only applicable when the rich are in trouble!

#economics

I'm fed up with Mark Zuckerberg's move to stop third party fast-checking, following on from Elon Musk various pronouncements about his own politics, that either are referred to as champions of, or furthering a mission of 'free speech'.

They are not! The former is trying to reduce costs in an environment where lying has become so normalised he knows he can get away with it & the latter is only interested in his *own* free speech as his attitude to critics demonstrates again & again!

#FreeSpeech

Another sign that a financial crisis may be looming.... the Bank of England have decided to 'relax' regulations on banks & insurers, but are reassuring us its not a 'race to the bottom'.

I mean it not like there's any recent experience that might want to give anyone pause for thought on any deregulative momentum in financial services.

What is it? Does no one recall what happened in 2008?

Oh no, of course.... we've learned the lessons of that crisis!

#FinancialCrisis #regulation

h/t FT

The return of cash continues... partly driven, possibly, by the cost of living crisis encouraging 'budgeting by envelope' - the distribution of cash to different envelopes for different uses (food, energy etc.).

Looks like the banks' attempts to promote the cashless society (to their advantage) may have stalled for a while, at least... well until they remove yet more ATMs from the UK, that is

#cash #banks

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jan/07/cash-makes-surprise-comeback-amid-46-annual-rise-in-atm-withdrawals

This man is a real & present danger.... and no, I feel there is no need to be more specific; the danger he represents is not limited to one country or one aspect of our lives....

#politics

I am so glad that, having retired, I don't have to try and explain this entire sh*tshow to my politics students.....

And I salute my erstwhile colleagues who no doubt this term will be trying to do so.

#politics

The Independent's scorecard on Brexit...

needs no commentary, does it!

#Brexit #politics

I'm starting to wonder as Elon Musk's messages become increasingly unhinged whether at some point he may insult & annoy someone who rather than trying to deal with the fall out, just says as an aside to someone standing behind him... 'who will rid me of this turbulent TechBro?'....

but perhaps I've been watching too many Netflix series?

#ElonMusk