Liquid racism and the Danish Prophet Muhammad cartoons

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 The Author.This article examines reactions to the October 2005 publication of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. It does so by using the concept of ‘liquid racism’. While the controversy arose because it is considered blasphemous by many Muslims to create images of the Prophet Muhammad, the article argues that the meaning of the cartoons is multidimensional, that their analysis is significantly more complex than most commentators acknowledge, and that this complexity can best be addressed via the concept of liquid racism. The article examines the liquidity of the cartoons in relation to four readings. These see the cartoons as: (1) a criticism of Islamic fundamentalism; (2) blasphemous images; (3) Islamophobic and racist; and (4) satire and a defence of freedom of speech. Finally, the relationship between postmodernity and the rise of fundamentalism is discussed because the cartoons, reactions to them, and Islamic fundamentalism, all contain an important postmodern dimension.ESR

Design my Doctor: a student-led intervention.

Many opportunities for patient and public involvement already exist in medical education. Current approaches may not fully harness the educational potential of the patient voice, so it appears that new approaches are worth exploring. This article, co-written by students and faculty members, describes an educational initiative in which medical students had opportunistic conversations with randomly selected members of the public to explore their priorities regarding health care. METHODS: The 'Design my Doctor' project enabled medical students to hear participants' spontaneous responses to the question 'What should our medical school teach your future doctors?' Students experienced the unfiltered patient voice. The 183 responses were recorded in writing, and on video, and were analysed using the nominal group technique. The themes focused on the health care priorities of members of the public. RESULTS: Themes from the public data included 'interpersonal qualities', 'empowering patients', 'medical knowledge' and the 'health system'. Student reflective pieces showed how powerful hearing first-hand unfiltered feedback can be. Engagement in collecting and interpreting data enhanced the significance of the content and the process for the learners. Students realised that 'medical knowledge', although important, was not the overriding priority for patients. Students identified specific areas for future application and considered how it could be incorporated systematically into their programme. DISCUSSION: As medical educators, we can use interventions like 'Design my Doctor' to facilitate and support students to proactively seek and reflect on patient feedback

Physicochemical properties of limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) concrete made using Saudi clays

Using calcined clays and limestone powder for clinker substitution to make a tertiary blend, known as limestone calcined clay cement (LC3), is a promising emerging technology. This study explored the viability of using local Saudi clays to prepare LC3 concrete. Two Saudi (white and yellow) and one Ukrainian (for comparison) clays were used for clinker substitution at three levels (i.e., 30%, 50% and 70%). The clay and LC3 samples were characterized using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses. Paste and concrete specimens were prepared to investigate the phase assemblage, fresh (water demand, setting time, and flowability), and hardened (compressive strength, shrinkage, and chloride ingress) properties. The results revealed that the clays contained about 53%, 30%, and 35% kaolinite, respectively. The incorporation of clays resulted in increased water demand to achieve normal consistency. The setting time of LC3 mixtures also increased, while the flowability decreased compared to the control mixture. The 28-day compressive strength was more than 28 MPa up to 50% clinker substitution. LC3 mixtures also exhibited relatively low shrinkage and high resistance to chloride ingress