Recent times have witnessed a groundswell in the number of British television programmes that deal with the ‘real life’ experiences of people in various health care settings. Such programmes tend to focus upon the two interrelated strands of the experience of those who deliver professional care and those who are at the receiving end of it. The usual rationale given for such programmes is that they offer insights about the delivery of health care that are not readily accessible to members (...) of the public. This article will look beneath the rationale and reasons offered by programme makers for the existence of such documentaries. It will explore insidious and questionable elements that go beyond revealing the ‘lived experience’ of professional carers and those for whom they care. Emerging from this is the challenging notion that such programmes deliver the opportunity to experience the vulnerability, suffering and even death of others through a voyeuristic gaze. (shrink)

In his search for an integrating image of the human - and of the universe - to counter the dualisms and fragmentations that were the early 20th century's inheritance from modem philosophy, Scottish philosopher John Macmurray found himself forced to rethink the whole of western philosophy. Macmurray imdertook his project in the light of two defining features: he articulated his thinking within the confines of philosophical method, while implicitly taking his Christian faith as the gjn-oscope or point de repere for (...) his sense of the truth he was seeking. (shrink)

In his search for an integrating image of the human - and of the universe - to counter the dualisms and fragmentations that were the early 20th century's inheritance from modem philosophy, Scottish philosopher John Macmurray found himself forced to rethink the whole of western philosophy. Macmurray imdertook his project in the light of two defining features: he articulated his thinking within the confines of philosophical method, while implicitly taking his Christian faith as the gjn-oscope or point de repere for (...) his sense of the truth he was seeking. (shrink)

In recent years, membrane contact sites (MCS), which mediate interactions between virtually all subcellular organelles, have been extensively characterized and shown to be essential for intracellular communication. In this review essay, we focus on an emerging topic: the regulation of MCS. Focusing on the tether proteins themselves, we discuss some of the known mechanisms which can control organelle tethering events and identify apparent common regulatory hubs, such as the VAP interface at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We also highlight several currently (...) hypothetical concepts, including the idea of tether oligomerization and redox regulation playing a role in MCS formation. We identify gaps in our current understanding, such as the identity of the majority of kinases/phosphatases involved in tether modification and conclude that a holistic approach—incorporating the formation of multiple MCS, regulated by interconnected regulatory modulators—may be required to fully appreciate the true complexity of these fascinating intracellular communication systems. (shrink)