Goldacre could have strengthened his analysis even further by considering the decline in entertainment industry revenue due to competition: not from downloads, but from social change. My parent's generation had no money and few options so they spent a lot of their spare time playing cards and reading books from the public library. In my day, a whole culture had developed around vinyl records, and they were the catalyst for most of a young person's social life. These days, young people spend roughly the same proportion of their disposable income (i.e. most of it) on mobile phone contracts as I used to spend on records/tapes. I can think of no reason to imagine that, if 'free' downloads suddenly stopped existing, people would give up their mobile phones and spend the money on CD/DVDs instead.

Namgge

What you want is a 'Medic Alert' bracelet.

To medics/paramedics reading: Please, if I am injured, get straight on with treating whatever injuries I present with. Don't waste time trying to work out which of the thousands of people that share my name I am. We can chat about my medical history if/when I wake up. And thanks in advance guys!

Namgge

Firstly, this has not been my experience. Having briefly discussed the issues with my GP (the doctor who is the gatekeeper of medical treatment in the UK) he immediately agreed not to upload my records to the national database, and indeed said he would not be having his own records uploaded for pretty much the same reasons as me.

Secondly, in the UK doctors are required to adhere to professional standards, one of which is to respect the confidentiality of patients http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/current/library/confidentiality.asp. So, if your doctor really told you to 'get lost' and intends to transfer your records to others without your consent, I suggest you use the GMC's complaints procedure http://www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/making_a_complaint/index.asp.

Namgge.

A couple of rounds from a small-bore pistol does the job nicely.

Tort.

Namgge