Identity: Plain to see? A little thought experiment

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

HUMANISTIC ------------------------------------------------ MECHANISTIC

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

A little thought experiment:

Beneath the humanistic-mechanistic axis (within the sociological and political domains) superimpose an inverted global population pyramid - scaled to fit - of course. Make it dynamic if you wish.

Then imagine lifting just one individual out of the global population. As our subject, of whatever age, sex ... place them anywhere above the horizontal axis. Anywhere within the interpersonal or sciences domains. There they are: a single data unit. Selected at random, of course, their health status would vary accordingly.

Would we actually be able to see them here? One single vertical line, at this scale? 

A case of individual ineffability. Welcome to the ethical debate re. the individual and collective. And yet there they are? The focus of their own self-care and independence, famine, conflict ... or our care. Not just 'us', as a nurse, doctor, social worker, support worker ... but intermittently, the whole health and social care team.

From being lost in anonymity, literally a number in a chart, to having a name, several identities - with or without 'papers' - needs, background, character, personality, problems, relationships, strengths and humanity.

Hodges' model provides an incredible conceptual estate for us to utilise, if we choose to.

We can refer back instantly as context and population pyramids demand to parent, guardian, partner, family.

 Previously: 'population' : 'identity'

"This is public health we're talking about! So where's your evidence ...

or, at least your planned monitoring rationale, 
structure, processes and 
projected reporting schedule?"

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

trust [cynicism]

measures - metrics river health 'There is a chance that results will get better over time. Leon Barron, professor of environmental science at Imperial College London, said water quality metrics could lag behind and needed to be taken over multiple seasons and years to get an accurate reading.' 1,3,5,10 ... years? What is local? What is national?

public health  'Amy Fairman, head of campaigns at environmental charity River Action, called the independent pollution figures "deeply shocking" and demanded that Tideway publish its internal data in full. "The public deserves to know, given they are paying for this tunnel through their water bills, that it is actually delivering improvements," Fairman said.'

'Tideway argued that assessing water quality trends required multiyear data-sets and that a single year of observation "would not provide a sufficiently robust picture". "The Thames is a complex tidal river, and water quality is influenced by a range of factors beyond the combined sewer overflows that Tideway was designed to address," it added. "Individual E. coli readings can fluctuate depending on location, rainfall, tides and other inputs. These readings cannot, in isolation, provide a complete picture of the tunnel's impact."

Windermere will be a different story then?

My source: Plimmer G. (2026) London's £5bn 'super sewer' struggles to lift water quality. FTWeekend, 17-18 October. p.3. 

And: Vaughan A. Windermere super-sewer will add more than £30 to bills, The Times, 22 October 2026, p.14.

Previously: 'pollution' : 'rivers' : 'law' : 'accountability'

Aberfan - 60 years

As for many children (one hopes) my future education, motivation and aspirations were framed by my parents. Pivotal was my father, and having the opportunity. Growing up in mid-Wales he had been surrounded by mines and quarries. My grandfather had worked in a slate mine, walking there and back to the village and home. 

There was a real fear that I'd end up down working down the mine. Value judgements, courage and community aside, my father witnessed some of the realities of pit/quarry life. So for me, and a brother and sister who followed, it was school, school, school (perhaps you can tell?).

There were many reminders: records of Welsh choirs; films such as How Green Was My Valley. In my early teens this theme was there in English classes, as we read and discussed D.H. Lawrence's, Sons and Lovers. Living near Wigan, we in turn were surrounded by mines, many already closed. Golborne colliery was an exception. There was an accident there in 1979 after we had left school. 

Perhaps also it was a sign of a future career pathway, as I noticed the impact of the Aberfan disaster now 60 sixty years ago on my father. I was a similar age to the children who lost their lives. In the news this week it is remarkable, salutary and shaming the similarity with more recent major incidents with loss of life, here in the UK. The lack of regard for accountability, and social justice.

AHRC ‘Crafting Care for People, Place and Planet Doctoral Focal College'

Dear all

We’re happy to announce that the AHRC ‘Crafting Care for People, Place and Planet Doctoral Focal College’ website is now live, with the 2027 competition launched here.

 

• The deadline for the first stage of the funding competition is December 1st (for an EOI rather than a full application).

• Guidance on Crafting Care’s four themes can be found here.  

 

Best wishes

Josie

 

Professor Josie Billington (she/her)

Department of English

Associate Dean for Research and Impact, School of the Arts

Lead, AHRC Doctoral Focal College, Crafting Care for Healthy People, Place and Planet

Co-Lead, Arts, Mental Health and Wellbeing Theme, Centre for Health, Arts, Society and Environment (CHASE)  

Co-Director, MA Health, Cultures and Societies

Rm 216, School of the Arts, 19-23 Abercromby Square, University of Liverpool.  L69 7ZG

Email: jbilling AT liverpool.ac.uk

My source: Bethan Evans c/o the NNMHR list

BCS SPECIALIST GROUP ON AI (BCS-SGAI) AI for Health 2026 - Nov. 6th

Friday November 6th 2026 (all day event)

A special event showcasing the role of Artificial Intelligence for Health
Organised by BCS-SGAI

At the BCS London Office
Ground Floor, 25 Copthall Avenue, London, EC2R 7BP (near Moorgate underground)

Please see: https://www.bcs-sgai.org/health2026/

 

There are is an online registration form available from the event website.

BCS-SGAI, the British Computer Society Specialist Group on Artificial Intelligence was founded in June 1980. Its mission is: `To foster achievement, capability and awareness in both business and research in Artificial Intelligence, and to promote the interests of the related community`. It is one of Europe`s longest established groups working to support the community of artificial intelligence developers and users and is the organiser of one of the longest running annual series of AI conferences in Europe: the AI-20xx series.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) prioritising AI for health is crucial. The WHO also highlights that a healthy diet protects you against many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Quantum computing is gathering an enormous interest as a new paradigm of computing (see Quantum for Good at https://quantumforgood.eu/), which is already making an impact across industries like health and life sciences (agriculture, food and health). Classical (or current) AI relies in classical computers based on binary bits (zeros and ones), while quantum AI relies in quantum computers based on quantum bits (qubits). Quantum AI could dramatically accelerate research that requires processing vast amounts of data, contributing to human health by accelerating drug discovery or enabling earlier diagnostics. Quantum AI could be also instrumental in identifying early signs of crop diseases or optimising water use.

Come along to AI for Health 2026 if you are interested in cutting-edge AI for Health, using latest technologies with a promise of high impact.

SPEAKERS

 

Prof Brendan Delaney (Imperial College London)

 Medical diagnosis after LLMs

 

Mr Anirban Lahiri (Arndit Ltd. and Kainos Ltd., United Kingdom)

 AI in Mental Healthcare

 

Dr Marinos Ioannides (Head of Software and AI Medical Devices, MHRA, UK)

 Demystifying AI Regulation

 

Dr. Mercedes Arguello Casteleiro (SGAI)

 Hands-on Tutorial on Low-Code AI Agents for Health, Farming, and Food

 

Dr Oliver Thomson Brown (Quantum Software Lab, EPCC, University of Edinburgh)

 Introduction to Quantum Computing and its Relevance for Biomedical Science

 

Dr Saihong Li (University of Stirling)

 Translating Quantum Food Futures

 

Dr Aleksey Kozikov (Newcastle University)

 Emerging Opportunities for Quantum Technologies in Food and Health

 

Website: https://www.bcs-sgai.org/health2026/

 

Registration: https://www.bcs-sgai.org/health2026/?section=registration

ii The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

My source: https://x.com/UN/status/2111306457501331613?s=20

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

SAFETY psychological CHOICE DIGNITY  HEALTH CARE	SAFETY physical  FOOD SHELTER  HEALTH CARE
[PUBLIC] HEALTH CARE SOCIAL INCLUSION	POLITICAL INCLUSION INCOME [POLITICAL] HEALTH?

Previously: 'SDG' : 'security' : 'nutrition' (not just 'food')

Wirnitzer, KC. et al. (2025) Toward a roadmap for addressing today's health dilemma – The 101-statement consensus report. Frontiers in Nutrition. Volume 12. https://frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1676080 DOI:10.3389/fnut.2025.1676080

See also: 
Jones P, Wirnitzer K. Hodges’ model: the Sustainable Development Goals and public health – universal health coverage demands a universal framework. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;5:doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000254

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

While the world has had enormous success in reducing poverty in recent years, new findings from UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative show that progress cannot be taken for granted.

The 2026 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) reveals that the number of people living in multidimensional poverty has increased for the first time since the index was launched in 2010.

At the same time, many countries continue to make progress against poverty, indicating that eliminating poverty in all its forms—the first Sustainable Development Goal—is possible.

Read more ...

'The Social Reckoning'

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

mental state self-image vulnerability true	algorithms     life
the SOCIAL	RECKONING

Stop tech companies endangering 
more teenagers like Molly

“Instagram helped kill my daughter. Too little has changed, promises to deliver safety have failed and algorithms still show streams of toxic content to children. We need to protect our children from the profit-driven business models that powers tech companies and puts the safety of children at the bottom of their priorities.” 

Ian Russell, Molly’s Dad and Chair of Molly Rose Foundation.

Molly Rose Foundation

My source: Times Radio 

Previously: 'social media' : 'algorithms' : 'law' : 'accountability'