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moftasa

moftasa@bookrastinating.com

Joined 1 year, 3 months ago

Psychiatrist based in Cairo, Egypt. More at moftasa.net Mastodon: mastodon.online/@moftasa

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2024 Reading Goal

41% complete! moftasa has read 5 of 12 books.

Edward T. Bullmore: Inflamed Mind (2018, Short Books, Limited) 2 stars

Disappointing

2 stars

I enjoyed parts of Inflamed Mind: A Radical New Approach to Depression by Edward Bullmore. It is very well written and has some good parts on the history of #psychiatry.

However, I was disappointed by the way he presented his main thesis that inflammation is the main causative mechanism in major depression. His argument isn't very convincing and he doesn't provide evidence that is solid enough to support this. There is also a major straw man throughout the book. Bullmore claims that psychiatry is stuck in Cartesian dualism yet he doesn't discuss the biopsychosocial model and rejects any psychological explanation of depression as stigmatizing. The modern scientific way of thinking about the relationship between the mind and the brain is that all mental operations arise from functions of the brain, including higher functions.

Fortunately, he is careful not to offer false hope or push unlicensed or unsafe treatments on …

Sergìj Mikolajovič Plohìj: Chernobyl (2018) No rating

An in depth look at the stories of firefighters, scientists, and soldiers who worked to …

Take away notes:

  • Nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs are the same in terms of how they work. One is fast and one is designed to let the chain reaction happen slowly and a reactor has all kinds of rods that go up and down to slow or speed the reaction by absorbing neutrons.
  • VVER reactors are safer than RBMK
  • Chernobyl never had a core catcher underneath which is structure designed to confine the molten core in the event of a meltdown.
  • Engineers who designed Chernobyl has their judgment clouded by their hubris.
  • There are different types of radioactive radiation and not all of them are detected by dosimeters.
  • People who report feeling the effects of the radioactivity have probably received incredibly high doses. Really bad doses start from 100 rem or 1 Sv.
  • The fact that it is invisible threat makes people make all kinds of mistakes in regards to …
Sergìj Mikolajovič Plohìj: Chernobyl (2018) No rating

An in depth look at the stories of firefighters, scientists, and soldiers who worked to …

From the Epilogue:

"Volatile #Egypt is currently building two reactors-its first in history. Are we sure that all these reactors are sound, that safety procedures will be followed to the letter, and that the autocratic regimes running most of those countries will not sacrifice the safety of their people and the world as a whole to get extra energy and cash to build up their military, ensure rapid economic development, and try to head off public discontent? That is exactly what happened in the Soviet Union back in 1986."

Chernobyl by  (Page 347)

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