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James Bond at risk of early death from alcohol

ColdfingerColdfinger
edited December 2013 in News Posts: 317
Don't know if this was posted yet but I found this on CNN.com, I thought I'd share it. :-o

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/health/james-bond-alcohol/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
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Comments

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,468
    The news must be really, really slow today. I don't have enough time in the world to comment on why this article is idiotic and pointless.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited December 2013 Posts: 17,691
    So, Bond is a REAL person who is in danger of liver disease?
    We already knew this... "Liver doesn't look so good; it's definitely Bond."
  • 00130013
    edited December 2013 Posts: 1,817
    At the university we learn to understand the context and the substance of the phenomenon before rushing into data.

    "It also appears that the spy's alcohol intake dropped around the middle of his career, but then picked back up gradually toward the end. 'This consistent but variable lifetime drinking pattern has been reported in patients with alcoholic liver disease' [...]"

    The researches didn't realized that the incresing drinking of Bond at the end it's because his wife was killed and he entered into depression. It has nothing to do with the life-cycle, unless the average person has his wife killed by the arch-nemesis just after the wedding.

    A don't critize them from wasting time on a banal subject (in comparison with many health issues that damage people every day). The problem is that they didn't do their homework well.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,468
    The reason why he is drinking is irrelevant: Bond is a fictional character. He isn't real. He's also at risk of cancer from smoking, at risk of being gunned down from being a secret agent, and at risk of getting a deadly STD because of how much sex he is...but in reality, he isn't, because he is a completely fictional character.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    But if analyzing Bond is irrelevant because he is a fictional character, half of our discussions will be pointless. Sometimes, when one is tired of doing relevant scientific research that nobody listens to, it's good to have a break and deep into the irrelevant aspects of life. Fiction is a good start.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,468
    What gets me is the fact that CNN justified posting an article on it. Out of all of the current world events, they had to investigate at what age Bond would die from alcoholism. Why?
  • SoundofthesinnersSoundofthesinners
    Posts: 3,236
    Creasy stole my point, namely that he's at a far higher risking of dying via a gunshot wound to the face. In fact, that's part of the reason why he drinks so much, but I'm loathe to dignify this article like that (just referring to it as an article is bad enough).
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    The takeaway: life can kill you at some point.
    Deep.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    I'm sorry. I was the one who didn't do the proper homework! I just finished reading the original scientific article on which the CNN reportage is based on (Johnson, Guha & Davies, 2013) and they did mention the fact that Tracy's death could be related to the incresing drinking habits of Bond.
    It was interesting to me as I study Statistic and have some basic background on epidemiology papers. What I find that the article lacks is a proper estimation of the Bond's life expectancy based perhaps on a previous regression model. Taking only the relative risk of the alcohol related mortality couldn't not protect it by confounding variables. An the 56 is just a guess by Fleming's own death age.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    'Scientific' can mean nothing. How many 'scientific' articles said margarine was better for you than butter? :))
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    CNN featuring this article is like the terms "twerk" and "selfie" being added to the Oxford Dictionary. You're better than this, you two.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    CNN featuring this article is like the terms "twerk" and "selfie" being added to the Oxford Dictionary. You're better than this, you two.

    :-&
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,929
    MayDayDiVicenzo wrote:
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    CNN featuring this article is like the terms "twerk" and "selfie" being added to the Oxford Dictionary. You're better than this, you two.
    :-&
    And like the 'Quantum of Solace' dropping to zero, humanity is lost. :-<
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    I bloody love you all *hic*

    beer-cheers-smiley-emoticon.gif
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,330
    Forget Bond, get someone on Tanner, he drinks during office hours!
  • Risico007Risico007
    Posts: 9,770

    Creasy47 wrote:
    The news must be really, really slow today. I don't have enough time in the world to comment on why this article is idiotic and pointless.


    thanks for posting my thoughts for me.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Murdock wrote:
    Forget Bond, get someone on Tanner, he drinks during office hours!

    And what about M? Thank Belzebub I am a fictional character, too. Or else I would have been dead a long time ago. Next thread-favourite shark.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    It seems I am the only one who actually liked the article...
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    It was a good read, but Roger Moore and Dave Niven proved it wrong.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    0013 wrote:
    It seems I am the only one who actually liked the article...

    No I'm with you. Nice fun read that for some reason which escapes seems to have got people frothing at the mouth for no good reason.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    It seems I am the only one who actually liked the article...

    No I'm with you. Nice fun read that for some reason which escapes seems to have got people frothing at the mouth for no good reason.

    Someone took the time to write an unremarkable article that failed to be entertaining, amusing or insightful, written by those who had barely scraped the barrel on Bond's drinking habits in the slightest. That's why some, like me, are not amused. With all the international news, wars, protests, and political shake-ups going on in this world, I think CNN can better redirect their gaze to more salient matters, and leave the Bond articles to the fans.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    I work in Political Science so I read and watch news every day, read about current affairs, theory and methods of social research, study the electoral process in my country, and talk about politics and society with my coworkers the whole week. For me is refreshing to see a completely irrelevant article about my favorite movie and literary franchise, which also happens to have a statistical approach which I like (I'm also studying Statistics... I know, "everybody needs a hobby".)
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    It seems I am the only one who actually liked the article...

    No I'm with you. Nice fun read that for some reason which escapes seems to have got people frothing at the mouth for no good reason.

    Someone took the time to write an unremarkable article that failed to be entertaining, amusing or insightful, written by those who had barely scraped the barrel on Bond's drinking habits in the slightest. That's why some, like me, are not amused. With all the international news, wars, protests, and political shake-ups going on in this world, I think CNN can better redirect their gaze to more salient matters, and leave the Bond articles to the fans.

    I'll agree it was just a bit of fluff and no more erudite than some of the posts on here which is where it belongs but it was an amusing diversion that someone had bothered to go through and tot up Bond's drinks for our fleeting entertainment.

    I didn't pay attention to CNN's treatment of the story and just clicked on the link to the orginal article so I could read it for myself but I suppose if you have to have your news spoon fed to you by CNN I can see how it might rankle.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    CNN should have an early death.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,330
    "Unlike the American government, we prefer not to get our bad news from CNN."
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    0013 wrote:
    It seems I am the only one who actually liked the article...

    No I'm with you. Nice fun read that for some reason which escapes seems to have got people frothing at the mouth for no good reason.

    Someone took the time to write an unremarkable article that failed to be entertaining, amusing or insightful, written by those who had barely scraped the barrel on Bond's drinking habits in the slightest. That's why some, like me, are not amused. With all the international news, wars, protests, and political shake-ups going on in this world, I think CNN can better redirect their gaze to more salient matters, and leave the Bond articles to the fans.

    I'll agree it was just a bit of fluff and no more erudite than some of the posts on here which is where it belongs but it was an amusing diversion that someone had bothered to go through and tot up Bond's drinks for our fleeting entertainment.

    I didn't pay attention to CNN's treatment of the story and just clicked on the link to the orginal article so I could read it for myself but I suppose if you have to have your news spoon fed to you by CNN I can see how it might rankle.

    I followed the link as well, but that doesn't mean I had anything "spoon fed" to me. I made a point long ago to never watch or read the news.
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    There was this one as well: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/12/13/james_bond_alcoholic_study_by_doctors_says_scientifically_yes.html
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited December 2013 Posts: 12,459
    Yes, and CNN then said the article was "tongue in cheek." Or was it the BBC? Both had similar articles. We were supposed to know they were just having a bit of fun.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,506
    These pointless stories really do make me laugh and think what was the point of it?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited December 2013 Posts: 17,804
    I actually think it great that they researched this in the BMJ, a very prestigious journal indeed. Well done to the authors involved. As literary Bond fans we really should not be discouraging this sort of thing. I'll post more of my thoughts later when I've read the journal article more in-depth. If you care to look at the end-notes on the journal article you'll see that it was all done very much tongue-in-cheek. It seems to me that it was a fun cod-academic piece for a Christmas issue of the BMJ; nothing to get to worked up about and in fact something for the literary Bond fan to celebrate.
This discussion has been closed.