Sir Paul McCartney calls on British public to support Paralympics

Sir Paul McCartney has launched a £2 million fundraising campaign for ParalympicsGB to support athletes heading to the Beijing Games, as well as to invest in the future of disability sport in the UK both in the run up to London 2012 and beyond.

The first, a brand ad for ParalympicsGB, created by Team Saatchi and directed by Luke Scott, Ridley Scott’s son, has Sir Paul’s iconic Live and Let Die as the soundtrack. Featuring a number of established and emerging athletes with a disability, the film is a moving and inspiring piece that not only shows the skill and ability of the athletes but also the excitement of competing. The second ad, a charity appeal featuring Sir Paul himself asking the British public to make a donation to ParalympicsGB, will be screened from July 7.

Sir Paul said: “I met leading Paralympic equestrian Sophie Christiansen and was completely blown away by her skill, dedication and the fact that she had won a world championship gold medal for Britain, so I felt I had to do something. My suggestion was simple why not create an ad that would highlight the work of ParalympicsGB and call on the British Public to donate much needed money. It was the start of a truly amazing effort from all those involved most of whom gave their time for free.”

Ethics of Pediatric Mastectomy

A few days ago, I posted an item about the mastectomy of Ashley X, pointing out that her father,doctors and ethicists involved in the case, and some of the media reporting on the case had gone out of their way to inform the public that this was not really a mastectomy. Nevertheless, a bilateral simple (or radical) mastectomy was exactly what was discussed by the ethics committee and what the hospital billed for.

The logic behind the procedure was that Ashley might develop large breasts which could be uncomfortable for her and that removing her breasts at age six would also eliminated the risk of breast cancer later on.

Beijing attempting to ban blacks in bars?

With less than three weeks prior to the Beijing Olympics, the South China Morning Post has reported that bar owners in the Sanlitun district have been instructed not to serve persons with dark skin. The article reports:

Bar owners near the Workers’ Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises.”Uniformed Public Security Bureau officers came into the bar recently and told me not to serve black people or Mongolians,” said the co-owner of a western-style bar, who asked not to be named.

Although some query the validity of this report, it is creating quite a buzz in the blogging world.  Read further on this story here.