“The College [Clayton] is now accredited by the State of Alabama Department of Post-Secondary Education, a government body.”

errr sorry but no it isn’t. The relevant Alabama website only says that the colelge is licensed (their spelling) and that

“The license is issued to operate in the State of Alabama AND IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ACCREDITATION” (their caps).

Even clayton college doesn’t say that the State of Alabama Department of Post-Secondary Education has accredited them Only that:

“Clayton College is accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and the American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board. These are private, professional associations that offer accreditation in naturopathy and other areas of natural health. Both are private accrediting associations designed to meet the needs of non–traditional education and are not affiliated with any government agency.”

Doesn’t that mean she’s lying on her website? If so is there anything we can do about it to get this terrible woman out for the spotlight?

Thanks

Adrian PhD (That’s a real one, worked for with hard work, study, sleepless nights, worry and coffee. And from a real university. Oh yes and in a real subject (Astronomy))

- ditto the Germans – or at least so I used to think. But after living with a German I have now been informed that this is nothing to do with inspection but is instead to ensure that letting go (as it were) does not produce “splashback” onto one’s rear end.

The ability to inspect is simply an added bonus, although it could explain why TAPL is looking to these continental markets…

BTW , Aust Jr. (aged 32 months) is totally obsessed with the Scrubs song about Ms McKeith’s favorite “diagnostic” indicator:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QqhW54RBQA

- we’re hoping it’s just a phase she”ll grow out of.

- Aust Jr, I mean. I think it’s too late for Gillian.

We just like saying words like ‘poo’, ‘bum’ and ‘wee’. Before collapsing in laughter like a 5 year old…

Hard to say. Purgatives have been big in the pharmacopoeias of many ancient cultures too: Egypt, Rome, China.

Mrs Dr Aust tells me that when she arrived in the UK from Germany to work in hospital she was given an extensive list of picturesque English-language euphemisms that the patients might use to convey information about their bowels (among other things).

A favourite related line, taken from Michael O’Donnell’s excellent “Medicine’s Strangest Cases”:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medicines-Strangest-Cases-Michael-ODonnell/dp/1861055633/sr=1-3/qid=1171038288/ref=sr_1_3/026-2462044-4179618?ie=UTF8&s=books

- recalls the 60s seaside landlady who would say grace as follows:

“For what we are about to receive, may it pass through us peacefully”

Me, I remember having to learn how to tell the difference between two different species of senna by the shape of the pods (I am not that ancient an apothecary), thus perfectly equipping me for a career in modern pharmacy

Even the poetry seems to have a bowel-obsessed subtext:

there is hesitancy,
always ineffectiveness.

A whole stream of events
issues from the decision

The spirit of creating a European Higher Education Area by 2010 (fat chance) has been ‘tuning’ rather than ‘harmonisation’. This is very clearly the case with discussions on the doctoral level, which have only really got started in the last couple of years; lots of emphasis on the need to avoid excessive regulation, which translates as universities – especially the leading research universities in France, Germany, Scandinavia – being very protective of their own practices and reputation. There may be some movement towards adopting common principles, but it’s pretty clear that universities will insist on retaining the right to control the examination and award of their own qualifications.

This does mean that they’re *very* protective about who should have the right to award PhDs at all (I wonder if this is one of the reasons behind the German law referred to above) – which is why all the nutters get theirs from dodgy ‘colleges’ in the US. Given that one of the aims of the process is to improve the mutual recognition of qualifications across Europe, this ought to imply the mutual rejection of illegitimate qualifications as well… I wouldn’t bother the Bologna Promotors with this – their main task is to try to persuade UK universities to take any of these issues seriously – but if I get a chance I’ll try the idea out next time I’m in a suitable meeting.

“Barnacle Bill: not sure it’s entirely ethical to post a private correspondence on a public forum without the consent of the other party. Whatever you may think of them.”

It’s legal and, in my view, ethical.

Have you, Ben, or anyone else ever read any of Paul McKenna’s PhD theses? I know he sued the Mirror for calling the first one ‘bogus’. Ben told me that the second one was in ‘business studies’ and from a reputable institution, allegedly. Do you think I could get a copy of it from my university interlibrary loan system?

under 3 hours – you must have been good

3-4 hours – normalish.

over 5 hours – having a bad time, we’ll leave a note and they can cacth us up in the pub later.

Mr Harman, do you have a ref (online preferably) for the Littlewood story? Someone I know is considering a maths PhD and would be amused by it, but also I’m interested to see what he came up with…

I found it while googling for “poo lady”

We’ll just have to see what happens. I’ve alerted the authorities to the case. They are obliged to follow it up, so now it’s out of my hand.

I took a look at the German law mayself here http://bundesrecht.juris.de/stgb/__132a.html

If I read this correctly, there is a risk of up to 1 year prision sentence for McKeith. Not something to be taken lightly.

Andrew.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie_restriction

…Reading the page, and a recent article in the Observer magazine about crazed calorie-counting New Yorkers, it sounds pretty grim to do. Think I shall take the various mentions of resveratrol on board and have another glass of red wine instead.