The BBC's handling of Jimmy Savile

On the way into work I often listen to BBC Radio 4. At that time they usually have a fairly decent interview with somebody newsworthy; some have quite impressed me. This morning they spent plenty of time discussing the leaked draft report into the alleged sexual abuse within the BBC.

The summary seemed to be that Jimmy Savile wasn't very discreet and was widely regarded among the lower staff as being suspiciously dodgy at the least, but that upper management never heard a thing about it. A question at the forefront of my mind was thus whistleblowing: Was there a way to raise concerns with those who could properly handle such concerns without one being labeled as causing trouble for the television show? Is there one now? The interviewer didn't pursue that line of inquiry but fortunately Will Wyatt at least slipped mention of whistleblowing in right at the end.

Visiting the doctor

Recently I've sometimes awoken with earache. I usually ignore medical problems and rarely see a doctor but when they start to cause lost sleep then I give in and make an appointment at the surgery. It's annoying that they have doctors' catchment areas by where one lives because appointments tend to be during working hours so where I work is typically more relevant for me. Fortunately, I get to live well outside the surgery's practice boundary: the surgery's a twenty-minute drive from home, but only a ten-minute drive from my office. I don't actually know who my doctor is, I usually see somebody random there.

So I went along and this time's doctor was efficient, effective and pleasant. A peer inside my ear had her surprised I wasn't complaining more. This has been a common pattern; I think I am meant to fuss about malfunctions more than I do. The most notable instance to date was my foot injury which was thought to be just a soft tissue injury until it was too late to usefully act on a change of mind; I wore an aluminum-framed boot for many weeks. Anyhow, back to the present: the doctor observed that my ear exhibits inflammation, and she guessed that I swim. I have been prescribed a steroid spray and some almond oil for aural use.

Conversation about dry, flaky skin inside my ear segued into my more general skin issues. Some inspection and description had the doctor suspect seborrheic dermatitis, which seems likely to me; she thinks we can do better than my management of it via over-the-counter ketoconazole shampoo. In the hope of eradicating the problem she prescribed me a regime that features a stronger ketoconazole shampoo together with a topical steroid.

Actually, for my aforemontioned injured foot, a course of steroid injections was suggested, but unfortunately I moved out of state after the first and never really followed up again. They expected that first shot to be much more unpleasant for me than it actually was. Steroids thus seem to be used for all kinds of conditions.