nickmeister posted:

Naw I just follow him on Twitter.

quote:

Calls for government to ban 'crass' Real Bodies exhibit

A group of lawyers and academics are calling on the federal government to shut down a Sydney exhibition featuring preserved human bodies.

Twelve human rights experts have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NSW health minister Brad Hazzard expressing their concerns over how the exhibits were sourced.

The group – which includes lawyers as well as academics from the University of Sydney – claims there is evidence to suggest the exhibition is using the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners, including political prisoners.

"Allegedly the exhibits are sourced from the unclaimed corpses of people who have died in hospital," the letter reads.

"However, it is not possible the bodies were 'unclaimed', as according to [Chinese] regulations and autopsy rules ... bodies can only be declared 'unclaimed' after 30 days.

"The plastination process, which involves the use of silicon, epoxy, and other polymer mixtures to replace the fluid in the human body, must occur within 48 hours of death. Therefore, it is not possible to plastinate a corpse that is 30 days old."

However the chief executive of Imagine Exhibitions, the company behind the Real Bodies show, has rejected the allegations.

Speaking to Fairfax Media, Tom Zaller said the claims contained in the letter are "ridiculous" and have "no basis".

"I've been doing these exhibitions in one form or another since 2003," he said. "We have been down this road so many times.

"There's absolutely no truth in what's being said. The bottom line is all of the specimens used in our exhibition are legally sourced and they have all died from natural causes, which has been expressed since the beginning of these exhibitions touring – as well as forensic anthropologists."

Zaller said the exhibition is educational and there was no "foul play" whatsoever.

"Everything is done through the right processes," he said.

The chief executive said it was untrue that the plastination process needs to start 48 hours after a person has died.

"Plastination, in layman's terms, is the removal of any liquids," he said. "It doesn't matter how old it [the specimen] is; that's the process. It could be 100 years old."

The specimens for the Real Bodies exhibition were sourced from Dr Hong-Jin Sui, an anatomy expert from China's Dalian Medical University.

In 2008, the organisers of an unrelated anatomy exhibition – but one that Zaller worked on – were forced to add a disclaimer to their website saying they were unable to independently verify their exhibits were not the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners. The statement came after a US congressional inquiry, as well as an investigation by New York's then attorney-general.

The inquiries were sparked by a story on the ABC's 20/20 program. The American public broadcaster later reported that a source lied to its journalists because Dr Sui was a competitor.

France and Israel have banned similar exhibitions featuring preserved bodies. The group of concerned Australian lawyers and academics argue local lawmakers should follow suit.

"We are astonished that visas and permits for bringing this exhibition into Australia were issued by the Australian government given the lack of documentation demonstrating ethical and legal sourcing of each body," the group wrote.

"No motivation for profit or political sensitivities could ever justify such a crass and undignified violation of human rights."

Various human rights organisations have raised concerns about an alleged black market for cadavers in China over the years. Others have said that even if the specimens come from uncollected bodies, they should only be displayed if it can be absolutely verified that the person wanted their corpse donated to science.

But not everyone believes such exhibits are offensive. The Real Bodies exhibits have been inspected by the NSW health department and are suitable for people aged four years and over, according to organisers.

In a statement promoting the exhibition, Gavin Burland from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science said the show is a great educational experience.

"These plastinates provide a unique view into the human body that is normally reserved to the medical field," he said. "The public will be able to explore and interact with these displays to better understand what's inside that makes us function as people."

The Real Bodies exhibition is currently showing at Sydney's Byron Kennedy Hall from 10am to 5pm, with tickets selling from around $30.

More than 200 human specimens are on display.

Darkest Auer posted:

Herbal oil to cure fractured neck bones

Der Shovel posted:

Is this China? It looks like China.



It's probably China.

Coolguye posted:

Using smelling salts to revive someone from a state of shock is actually a pretty good idea so there’s at least a slim chance that’s what the doctor was trying to do

It’s just a...quite slim chance.

Der Shovel posted:

Is this China? It looks like China.



It's probably China.

oohhboy posted:

This is super bad as you want to immobilise someone so they don't aggravate any injuries. If you must move someone before real medical personal arrive you stabilise the neck in the position it is currently in as best you can. If he managed to wake her up it would have likely killed or paralysed her. The "Doctor" was an idiot.

Her neck was broken 3 times over and she was knocked out cold, not in shock. You can't do anything about head injuries on the street unless you're a neurosurgeon able to correctly diagnose the injury and the skill to use a power drill.

Der Shovel posted:

Is this China? It looks like China.



It's probably China.

webmeister posted:

This is literally a cutscene from GTA V

Coolguye posted:

Well being KOed isn’t just being KOed, there’s reasons why you’re KOed and shock is one of them. Reviving someone and then getting them to help you splint/immobilize their own neck in these situations is frequently a thing for ems in the West since splinting that poo poo is harder than it looks. You’re completely right about all the other stuff, and by no means was I saying that this was a well handled emergency. I was just pointing out this isn’t necessarily TCM horseshit.

quote:

At the China National GeneBank in Shenzhen, scientists are using faster, more precise techniques to churn out drafts of entire genomes for all living bird species by 2020. Their work should help researchers not only understand living birds but also to match useful traits in fossil animals to those in the animals' living descendants.

value-brand cereal posted:

From this month's National Geographic magazine article about bird fossils...


I want to give the benefit of the doubt, but the 2020 makes be believe in the worst. 2020 huh? Just churning out entire genomes, faster better stronger preciser drafts of bird genomes. Ok. ok.

value-brand cereal posted:

From this month's National Geographic magazine article about bird fossils...


I want to give the benefit of the doubt, but the 2020 makes be believe in the worst. 2020 huh? Just churning out entire genomes, faster better stronger preciser drafts of bird genomes. Ok. ok.

Outrail posted:

"Hey, betcha ten bucks you can't hit that chick with the dog"

The Great Autismo! posted:

a guy i work with went home a few weeks ago and heard a cat in his stairwell that i guess had wandered up to his floor? or someone had left it there? i dunno, he lives on the 50th story, no idea how it got there. he loves cats, he has two, and while it was meow-ing in the hallway a guy from his floor came out, picked up the cat, and threw it out the window of their hallway.

can't imagine the cat made it after falling 50 stories, the guy was crushed at work the next day.

Fojar38 posted:

China really does not deserve the benefit of the doubt with regards to those sorts of bold claims at this point.

Mistle posted:

Someone will eventually run their own bird genomes and if any discrepancies happen, the sheer face loss...
What's expat money on? Rogue scientists, blaming the disputed findings finder, or "no why, not wrong" excuse?

Fojar38 posted:

China really does not deserve the benefit of the doubt with regards to those sorts of bold claims at this point.

value-brand cereal posted:

Keep in mind I transcribed that exactly. They really put down 'faster and more precise', though I'm not sure what that is compared to. Other genome drafting?


I put money on blaming the scientists who worked on the project, promises they will be punished for misleading the world with bad data, and nothing will come of it. Assuming this even comes to light.

Buschmaki posted:

Could someone please repost the racist skit of a China/India border dispute complete with a guy wearing a fake beard and a lady saying "bool-dozers"

value-brand cereal posted:

From this month's National Geographic magazine article about bird fossils...


I want to give the benefit of the doubt, but the 2020 makes be believe in the worst. 2020 huh? Just churning out entire genomes, faster better stronger preciser drafts of bird genomes. Ok. ok.

fdjkbnadjnbkjldaf posted: