Kaleidoscope – a much better proposition

Given the previous relationship between Kaleidoscope and Project Prevention (a US charity with a board of directors full of that country’s religious right wing) I expected much the same religiously motivated condemnation of people ‘not worthy’ to exist. Happily Kaleidoscope appears to want to attend to reality rather than the dubious morality of a vengeful, Old Testament God.

Letter to Kaleidoscope

The following is an Email I sent to Kaleidoscope this morning. It’ll be interesting to know what response I get. “Dear Kaleidoscope, Having been an outspoken critic of Project Prevention I am very interested in your own approach to contraception among the substance using population. My first thought upon hearing of your intentions was fairly [...]

We love vaccinations

Edward Jenner, considered to be the ‘father of immunisation’, died on this day in 1823. He had lived a long life by the standards of the day having first taken breath 73 years earlier on May 17th 1749. It was Jenner’s work on smallpox that led to the first true vaccine, a development that has [...]

Kaleidoscope & Project Prevention

Yesterday I wrote a post about the relationship between Kaleidoscope & Project Prevention. On reflection I wonder if the Kaleidoscope scheme may genuinely be more benign than the harsh US model advocated by Project Prevention. Consequently I have removed (or rather made private) that post until I have the chance to investigate the new scheme [...]

An Englishman’s duty

It is a duty to challenge discrimination in any form whenever and wherever we find it.

Exorcising mentally ill people can be futile, it can be fatal or it can be both

The exorcism involved chaining her to a makeshift wooden cross (some reports suggest that she was actually nailed to the cross) and denying her food or water until her death three days later.

Not again.

I’m told that the 2009 flood was the result of 90mm rain landing both on West Cumbria and also over the Lake District fells that feed the Derwent further inland. That was all it took. Well that, a saturated water table and a full reservoir at Thirlmere. Tomorrow we expect 80mm of rain to fall on West Cumbria and the Lake District fells. We have a saturated water table and the reservoir looked pretty full the last time I drove past it.

Plausible nonsense 7: Astrological realignement

The constellations, as viewed from earth appear to be two dimensional configurations of stars but actually they’re not. The stars in each zodiacal symbol are seperated by vast distances and so only appear to form distinct patterns from the perspective of planet earth.

Important – NHS under serious threat

YOUR NHS? – NOT ANY MORE WITH THE NEW PROPOSALS The government says it is handing the money for running the NHS to GPs and patients. But busy GPs will hand over to Private Companies. NHS hospitals will be able to sell their best care to Private Patients. This is not a reform, it’s a [...]

Plausible nonsense 6: Paranormal activity or psychotic symptoms?

I wouldn’t recommend traumatising delusional people by fighting against their treasured beliefs anyway. It’s better to discover what need the delusion fills and then rather than remove the benefit, meet that need in another way that doesn’t depend upon a delusion.