Today is Census day in the UK. I, being a conscientious sole, filled mine in weeks ago and popped it in the post. However when perusing the pages of the form I noticed it didn't ask any questions about pets...specifically Cats.
As some of you may know (but most of you don't care) I have a cat called Casper, and I am happy to be labelled a cat person. So it hurt me that Casper won't be counted in this census.
So I have come up with some questions that might be added to future Censi...
Question 60: How many cats do you own?
a) One
b) More than one
c) I haven't gotten around to getting a cat yet
Question 61: On 27th March 2011 how many Cat do you plan on having?
a) One
b) More than one
Question 62: Haven't you got a cat yet?
a) Yes
Question 63: How many cats are you going to adopt from Cats protection?
a) One
b) More than One
Question 64: When you get a cat what percentage of you earning do you plan on spending on it?
a) 50%
b 100%
Question 65: If you answered a) to Question 64 explain why you didn't answer b)
______________________________________________________________
Question 66: As goggies are our friends and you happen to be allergic to cats, how many Dogs do you plan on owning on 27th March 2001?
a) One
b) Some
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
The World According to Lorraine Day, M.D
As I was channel surfing today I came across I "cable" programme called Question Everything. Ah, I thought, a programme designed to appeal to the like of me. I thought it to be a serious skeptial study into everyday issues....how wrong I was.
The programme featured Regina Meredith of the Conscious Media Network (alarm bells asounding) interviewing a seemingly nice, but mildly deluded lady called Lorraine Day who say she is an M.D (a fact I have no reason to doubt). It started off as a sincere piece on how Dr Day beat cancer by the use of natural means...OK I thought so far so good, a genuine balanced interview with many view points is to follow, how VERY VERY wrong I was. It became clear that Dr Day was a Christian, OK 60% of Americans claim to be so no harm, but she then went on to say some remarkable things. If I got the gist she claims that God and Carrot juice cured her, that Sunlight DOES NOT cause skin cancer, but most pharmaceuticals do....mmmm Oookay. Doesn't sound much like a scientist to me....
Then as she continued to speak the penny dropped. Dr Day is a believer of the New World Order, and a fully fledged Conspiracy theorist....Ah I get it now! Everything is a conspiracy to keep us all in our place.
She then went on to come up with a few new Conspiracy Theories I hadn't heard before, (I am a bit of a fan of the ole Conspiracy people...a lovely group of nutters they are!) so I popped over to her website, www.goodnewsaboutgod.com , (I shit you not) to see if I could add a few new ones to my old favs.
After three hours of reading this site (and didn't really scratch the surface) I have come to the conclusion that Dr Day is a hateful, deluded, blinkered, circular thinking. At no point does she present ANY empirical evidence for her increasingly bizarre claims. However the most disturbing is that she tries to give credence to some of the most hate filled, racist, and tenuous claims. From the home page alone it is clear she is a Holocaust denier, correction she is a Holocaust Revisionist, who's delusion is summed up in the following quote from her website:
"Holocaust Revisionists agree that Jews, Gypsies, some Christians, and some others were detained in German-run internment camps in European countries, including Poland and Germany, during World War II, the reason being that International Jewry had declared publicly, including in headlines of European newspapers, that if Germany went to war against England, the Jews living in Germany would sabotage the German war effort. This automatically made the Jews “enemies of the State” by any nation’s laws. However, Holocaust Revisionists do not agree that there was any German plan to exterminate Jews, nor were there any homicidal gas chambers in any concentration camps.!"
The extensive home pages rambles on with most of the good ole stables of Conspiracy Theorist, the Illuminati, Power of the Catholic Church, Bilderbergers, Kabbalah, and bizarrely Human Rights Tribunals (In which she claim you have no right to know your accuser, your charges or even that if you are believed to be telling the TRUTH you will be found guilty...not sure where this one has come from, Dr Day blames Canada....). A little wave of disappointment flooded through me as it seems Dr Day is a common or garden Conspiracy Theorist, but then I clicked on the "Political Truth" link. This led me to a page consisting of pure hate. The top of the page hails Senator Joseph McCarthy as an American patriot and the first link is to a story claiming that body searches in US airports is a deliberate policy to, "The TSA airport pat down is designed to desensitize society to sexual exploitation, part of our induction in the lowest rank of a satanic cult, the Illuminati." Other link on this page are:
After some time of reading this trash I was about to leave the site and file Dr Day as someone who just wanted an outing for her racist view (1st amendment protects her in this...), but then I notice the "Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on Health" link.....this lead to the most disturbing things about this woman.
It is set up as a Q&A section were surfers are invited to ask Dr Day, M.D questions on health. Well far as I could see she doesn't actually give an answer at all. Most of her responses basically say, "trust in God, drink Carrot Juice, and buy my DVD/Book/CD's/Audios", a lucrative venture I am sure. However Dr Day doesn't seem to have learned any manners, or helpful attitudes during her career as a physician. Here is a typical response (copied wholly):
"Q. Search Engine. We need a search mechanism for your site. I have a question about prions and the advisability of colonoscopy procedure.
A. A search engine would be desirable for someone looking for a "Quick Fix." True "Health" doesn't work that way.
You apparently do not want to know how to reverse your colon problem by natural methods. You just want to know if a colonoscopy is risky because of prions. Well, THAT answer is already on my website.
But if you want to know how to be well so you won't have to have a colonscopy, that information is all over my website, And a search engine would just undermine the process of learning from my whole website."
How helpful and considerate of you Dr Day!
But what of her revolutionary plan to cure cancer and AIDS (she states several times on her site that Cancer as well as HIV/AIDS is completely curable by her methods)
Here is her response:
"Q. AIDS. I would like to know if any one has been cured of AIDS using your system?
A. The term AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. That means that the person has a deficient immune system (an inability to fight disease) that was ACQUIRED - meaning he or she was not born with it. He or she ACQUIRED it sometime after birth.
Cancer is ALSO an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in that one can ONLY get cancer if his or her immune system is deficient (not working right). Generally people are not born with cancer, but it develops because of the way we eat and live.
Because one's immune system becomes deficient from the way we eat and live, the way we get well is to STOP doing the things that suppress our immune system and START doing the things that will nourish it and build it up.
I discuss the way one strengthens the immune system by natural methods on my video/DVD "You Can't Improve on God" and "Diseases Don't Just Happen" plus in my workbook, "Getting Started on Getting Well."
And for a direct answer to your question - YES, it is possible to reverse AIDS (totally) by using the Ten Step Natural Health Plan that I used to get well from Cancer. And Yes, people HAVE done it!
There are NO incurable diseases. However, remember, in order to get well it is necessary to STOP all habits and activities that harm the body. One CANNOT get well from ANY disease if he or she continues to harm his or her body and continues to suppress the immune system"
OK just in case you missed it under all the pizzazz of the sales pitch for her DVD here is is again...."There are NO incurable diseases."
Just how deluded is this woman? She claims, against the BEST medical knowledge in the World, that SHE has found a cure for Cancer and AIDS!
But I save the worst for last...and this waffle goes on for some time...
"Q. Trusting in Science and the Scientists. I came across your website and found some troubling information. You seem like a very decent human being, so I am bringing these things to your attention because I know that you would want them explained or fixed.
1. Under the "When is Jesus Coming?" page, I noticed you wrote that Jesus will come when the earth is 6,000 years old. But astrophysicists, geologists, astronomers, and other scientists have calculated the earth is already 4.55 billion years old. Why is the scientific consensus so off the mark?
2. What are the names of the computer programs and scientists you cite for computing the age of the earth?
A. I am also a scientist in addition to being a physician.
I was 3 months short of finishing my Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco (which I took while I was an Associate Professor at the Medical School), before moving to Southern California. As both a physician and a research scientist, I know very well how Science is constantly changing!
What was considered "absolute" one year - was totally outdated the next - in both the medical and research journals. All physicians are required to complete a certain number of Continuing Education units every year in order to remain licensed. But the medical journal articles are only "good" for credit for one year after they are published - because - what is "true" this year - is no longer true next year.
All one has to do is look at the subject of the treatment of breast cancer over the last 40 years. It is almost unbelievable the flip-flops that the so-called "experts" in Orthodox Medicine have performed over that period of time. Millions of women have been terribly maimed and left with immensely swollen arms that are entirely useless - as well as being horribly painful - and the medical profession says, "Oh, THAT is how we thought we should treat breast cancer 40 (or 30 or 20) years ago, but now we know that wasn't the way to do it. But NOW, we do know how to do it!"
But they DON'T!
Orthodox physicians and research scientists are responsible for killing FAR more people than are killed by 1) guns, 2) traffic accidents, and even 3) wars! People want to ban guns, and give heavy fines and imprisonment for manslaughter by vehicular accident, and there are huge protests against war. Yet Doctors are the biggest “Killers” in our society! Why don’t we outlaw doctors?
Physicians are viewed as "saving lives" - and that is what a Physician should do. But, in reality, the medical profession (backed by the so-called Scientists) have become Agents of Death! (Abortion, death by chemotherapy, surgical mistakes, and dangerous prescription drugs with their deadly side effects.)
I personally have seen thousands of patients DIE from the "treatment" we doctors have given them. Finally, I woke up - to see that "Science" is a gigantic FRAUD!
My point is that Science is Constantly Changing! So I don't trust "Science." Astrophysicists, geologists, astronomers and other scientists are ALL just people - and ALL fallible. I even made a DVD about the subject. It is called "Double Blind: What Science Can't See." It is on my website at www.drday.com
The reason I am totally well and cancer-free today, well over a decade AFTER I was sent home to die (by the Doctors/Scientists!), is that I learned NOT to trust the "Experts." I WAS one of the "Experts" and I found out that NO Orthodox Physician knows ANYTHING about getting people well from ANY disease.
We are ONLY taught to "treat" symptoms, NOT the CAUSE of the disease. And the "treatments" we are taught to use are ALL terribly harmful to the body. And they NEVER cure! It is true that some people actually survive the "treatment" but that is only a testimony to the amazing, superb, body that God created that can take SO MUCH punishment - - from the so-called "Experts!"
THAT is why I don't put my trust in "man" – in scientists and doctors.
I choose to trust God. Because I know that the so-called "wisdom" of man is foolishness with God.”
God was around when HE (God) created the earth. There is NO scientist alive today who was around when God created the earth - NOR when the earth supposedly "just happened." I know how they figure the age of the earth as billions of years old, and their figures are all based on nonsense and "shifting sand."
When one studies the theory of evolution vs. creation, it is clear that there is overwhelming evidence for creation - AND for a "young" earth, and there is NO evidence for evolution, except for man-made models in museums that are based on the imagination of the scientists. These models are based on NO documented evidence whatsoever.
The reason many scientists refuse to believe in a Creator God is NOT because of insufficient evidence. It is because if there IS a Creator God, then the scientists are beholden to Him and they’ll have to live their lives differently. In addition, they cannot control God.
But if YOU choose to trust in error-prone and fallible "man" - that is your right. And I support your right to do that.
I, however, having been an agnostic for most of my adult life, finally realized the utter foolishness of trusting in "man" and "man's" fraudulent, constantly changing, and totally inept "science."
In fact, one of the reasons I developed severe cancer that almost took my life, was that I TRUSTED in "man's" knowledge. I trusted my Physician Professors and my Science Professors in my medical training - ALL of whom were DEAD WRONG. And many of them are also literally -- DEAD - from disease - because they did not know how to get well!
By the way, the man considered by Science to be the most brilliant theoretical physicist alive today, and the man many believe to be the smartest man on the earth, is Stephen Hawking. But his “brilliance” is only in the eyes of “man.” The Bible tells us that the “wisdom of man is foolishness with God.”
Stephen Hawking is so “smart” that he is a total invalid, confined to a wheelchair, without any understanding of how to be well. He is unable to walk, speak, write, bathe himself, comb his hair, or go to the bathroom by himself. He is totally helpless because he suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a disease he GAVE to himself (ignorantly, of course) due in large part to his reported tyrannical, domineering, selfish, self-centered attitudes (Yes, anger is one of the leading causes of disease and death), as well as his total ignorance of God’s simple Ten Step Health Plan that could have prevented and reversed his disease. But he is so blinded by his “intelligence” that he will have nothing to do with God – or real truth!
For thirty years, Hawking was married to a Christian but he totally rejected any interest or belief in God. He could have prevented his disease by thinking, acting, behaving, and eating GOD’S way rather than his own way (“man’s” way). He is now “reaping what he has sown.”
Is that is your idea of a “brilliant scientist”? Are you suggesting I put my trust in the supposed “brilliance” of Stephen Hawking and others like him, instead of trusting in the wisdom of the Almighty God of the Bible?
There is NOTHING that needs to be “explained or fixed” as you put it in your question.
If I had trusted in Science and the Scientists like Stephen Hawking, and the other supposedly “brilliant” minds in medicine - I would now be dead!"
Not only does she not adress the question put to her IN ANY WAY WHAT SO EVER...she rambles on to claim that Science is a fraud, that ANY evidence present by a human is invalid as humans are flawed.
But most dispicable is her attack on PRIOFESSOR Hawking, currently the greatest mind on this planet. She blaims his illness on his lack of ability to "understand how to be well" How dare she.
Dr Lorraine Day was not always this deluded and full of hate. A little research into her past show that she campaigned to bring to light the truth about how AIDS is spread and it was a threat to anyone. Reading some of her own press it looks as if she had a promising career in medicine until she was dignosed with cancer. I do wonder what happened to her metal state during this time to turn her into this monster.
To quote her again:
"But if YOU choose to trust in error-prone and fallible "man" - that is your right. And I support your right to do that.
I, however, having been an agnostic for most of my adult life, finally realized the utter foolishness of trusting in "man" and "man's" fraudulent, constantly changing, and totally inept "science." "
An ozymoron if ever I read one....
I don't know the size of Dr Day's following. I do hope it is very small. I do wonder how the same mind that can hold the knowledge of Medical Science can then dismiss it in favour of other ideas that offer no proof, no evidence, and only rely on speculation, anicdote and spurious testiment.
But of course don't just listen to me, go out there and ...Question Everything
The programme featured Regina Meredith of the Conscious Media Network (alarm bells asounding) interviewing a seemingly nice, but mildly deluded lady called Lorraine Day who say she is an M.D (a fact I have no reason to doubt). It started off as a sincere piece on how Dr Day beat cancer by the use of natural means...OK I thought so far so good, a genuine balanced interview with many view points is to follow, how VERY VERY wrong I was. It became clear that Dr Day was a Christian, OK 60% of Americans claim to be so no harm, but she then went on to say some remarkable things. If I got the gist she claims that God and Carrot juice cured her, that Sunlight DOES NOT cause skin cancer, but most pharmaceuticals do....mmmm Oookay. Doesn't sound much like a scientist to me....
Then as she continued to speak the penny dropped. Dr Day is a believer of the New World Order, and a fully fledged Conspiracy theorist....Ah I get it now! Everything is a conspiracy to keep us all in our place.
She then went on to come up with a few new Conspiracy Theories I hadn't heard before, (I am a bit of a fan of the ole Conspiracy people...a lovely group of nutters they are!) so I popped over to her website, www.goodnewsaboutgod.com , (I shit you not) to see if I could add a few new ones to my old favs.
After three hours of reading this site (and didn't really scratch the surface) I have come to the conclusion that Dr Day is a hateful, deluded, blinkered, circular thinking. At no point does she present ANY empirical evidence for her increasingly bizarre claims. However the most disturbing is that she tries to give credence to some of the most hate filled, racist, and tenuous claims. From the home page alone it is clear she is a Holocaust denier, correction she is a Holocaust Revisionist, who's delusion is summed up in the following quote from her website:
"Holocaust Revisionists agree that Jews, Gypsies, some Christians, and some others were detained in German-run internment camps in European countries, including Poland and Germany, during World War II, the reason being that International Jewry had declared publicly, including in headlines of European newspapers, that if Germany went to war against England, the Jews living in Germany would sabotage the German war effort. This automatically made the Jews “enemies of the State” by any nation’s laws. However, Holocaust Revisionists do not agree that there was any German plan to exterminate Jews, nor were there any homicidal gas chambers in any concentration camps.!"
The extensive home pages rambles on with most of the good ole stables of Conspiracy Theorist, the Illuminati, Power of the Catholic Church, Bilderbergers, Kabbalah, and bizarrely Human Rights Tribunals (In which she claim you have no right to know your accuser, your charges or even that if you are believed to be telling the TRUTH you will be found guilty...not sure where this one has come from, Dr Day blames Canada....). A little wave of disappointment flooded through me as it seems Dr Day is a common or garden Conspiracy Theorist, but then I clicked on the "Political Truth" link. This led me to a page consisting of pure hate. The top of the page hails Senator Joseph McCarthy as an American patriot and the first link is to a story claiming that body searches in US airports is a deliberate policy to, "The TSA airport pat down is designed to desensitize society to sexual exploitation, part of our induction in the lowest rank of a satanic cult, the Illuminati." Other link on this page are:
- Vaccinations by the Military Killing U.S. Troops
- OUTRAGEOUS: UK Doctors Get Cash Prizes for Declaring Normal People as Crazy!
- Diet Soda Linked to Strokes
- Jews Defend "Right" to Kill Gentiles - ALL Gentiles!
- Hitler: Genius or Madman?
- Masons worship Lucifer
- ...and link after link of Anti-semantic filth
After some time of reading this trash I was about to leave the site and file Dr Day as someone who just wanted an outing for her racist view (1st amendment protects her in this...), but then I notice the "Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on Health" link.....this lead to the most disturbing things about this woman.
It is set up as a Q&A section were surfers are invited to ask Dr Day, M.D questions on health. Well far as I could see she doesn't actually give an answer at all. Most of her responses basically say, "trust in God, drink Carrot Juice, and buy my DVD/Book/CD's/Audios", a lucrative venture I am sure. However Dr Day doesn't seem to have learned any manners, or helpful attitudes during her career as a physician. Here is a typical response (copied wholly):
"Q. Search Engine. We need a search mechanism for your site. I have a question about prions and the advisability of colonoscopy procedure.
A. A search engine would be desirable for someone looking for a "Quick Fix." True "Health" doesn't work that way.
You apparently do not want to know how to reverse your colon problem by natural methods. You just want to know if a colonoscopy is risky because of prions. Well, THAT answer is already on my website.
But if you want to know how to be well so you won't have to have a colonscopy, that information is all over my website, And a search engine would just undermine the process of learning from my whole website."
How helpful and considerate of you Dr Day!
But what of her revolutionary plan to cure cancer and AIDS (she states several times on her site that Cancer as well as HIV/AIDS is completely curable by her methods)
Here is her response:
"Q. AIDS. I would like to know if any one has been cured of AIDS using your system?
A. The term AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. That means that the person has a deficient immune system (an inability to fight disease) that was ACQUIRED - meaning he or she was not born with it. He or she ACQUIRED it sometime after birth.
Cancer is ALSO an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in that one can ONLY get cancer if his or her immune system is deficient (not working right). Generally people are not born with cancer, but it develops because of the way we eat and live.
Because one's immune system becomes deficient from the way we eat and live, the way we get well is to STOP doing the things that suppress our immune system and START doing the things that will nourish it and build it up.
I discuss the way one strengthens the immune system by natural methods on my video/DVD "You Can't Improve on God" and "Diseases Don't Just Happen" plus in my workbook, "Getting Started on Getting Well."
And for a direct answer to your question - YES, it is possible to reverse AIDS (totally) by using the Ten Step Natural Health Plan that I used to get well from Cancer. And Yes, people HAVE done it!
There are NO incurable diseases. However, remember, in order to get well it is necessary to STOP all habits and activities that harm the body. One CANNOT get well from ANY disease if he or she continues to harm his or her body and continues to suppress the immune system"
OK just in case you missed it under all the pizzazz of the sales pitch for her DVD here is is again...."There are NO incurable diseases."
Just how deluded is this woman? She claims, against the BEST medical knowledge in the World, that SHE has found a cure for Cancer and AIDS!
But I save the worst for last...and this waffle goes on for some time...
"Q. Trusting in Science and the Scientists. I came across your website and found some troubling information. You seem like a very decent human being, so I am bringing these things to your attention because I know that you would want them explained or fixed.
1. Under the "When is Jesus Coming?" page, I noticed you wrote that Jesus will come when the earth is 6,000 years old. But astrophysicists, geologists, astronomers, and other scientists have calculated the earth is already 4.55 billion years old. Why is the scientific consensus so off the mark?
2. What are the names of the computer programs and scientists you cite for computing the age of the earth?
A. I am also a scientist in addition to being a physician.
I was 3 months short of finishing my Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco (which I took while I was an Associate Professor at the Medical School), before moving to Southern California. As both a physician and a research scientist, I know very well how Science is constantly changing!
What was considered "absolute" one year - was totally outdated the next - in both the medical and research journals. All physicians are required to complete a certain number of Continuing Education units every year in order to remain licensed. But the medical journal articles are only "good" for credit for one year after they are published - because - what is "true" this year - is no longer true next year.
All one has to do is look at the subject of the treatment of breast cancer over the last 40 years. It is almost unbelievable the flip-flops that the so-called "experts" in Orthodox Medicine have performed over that period of time. Millions of women have been terribly maimed and left with immensely swollen arms that are entirely useless - as well as being horribly painful - and the medical profession says, "Oh, THAT is how we thought we should treat breast cancer 40 (or 30 or 20) years ago, but now we know that wasn't the way to do it. But NOW, we do know how to do it!"
But they DON'T!
Orthodox physicians and research scientists are responsible for killing FAR more people than are killed by 1) guns, 2) traffic accidents, and even 3) wars! People want to ban guns, and give heavy fines and imprisonment for manslaughter by vehicular accident, and there are huge protests against war. Yet Doctors are the biggest “Killers” in our society! Why don’t we outlaw doctors?
Physicians are viewed as "saving lives" - and that is what a Physician should do. But, in reality, the medical profession (backed by the so-called Scientists) have become Agents of Death! (Abortion, death by chemotherapy, surgical mistakes, and dangerous prescription drugs with their deadly side effects.)
I personally have seen thousands of patients DIE from the "treatment" we doctors have given them. Finally, I woke up - to see that "Science" is a gigantic FRAUD!
My point is that Science is Constantly Changing! So I don't trust "Science." Astrophysicists, geologists, astronomers and other scientists are ALL just people - and ALL fallible. I even made a DVD about the subject. It is called "Double Blind: What Science Can't See." It is on my website at www.drday.com
The reason I am totally well and cancer-free today, well over a decade AFTER I was sent home to die (by the Doctors/Scientists!), is that I learned NOT to trust the "Experts." I WAS one of the "Experts" and I found out that NO Orthodox Physician knows ANYTHING about getting people well from ANY disease.
We are ONLY taught to "treat" symptoms, NOT the CAUSE of the disease. And the "treatments" we are taught to use are ALL terribly harmful to the body. And they NEVER cure! It is true that some people actually survive the "treatment" but that is only a testimony to the amazing, superb, body that God created that can take SO MUCH punishment - - from the so-called "Experts!"
THAT is why I don't put my trust in "man" – in scientists and doctors.
I choose to trust God. Because I know that the so-called "wisdom" of man is foolishness with God.”
God was around when HE (God) created the earth. There is NO scientist alive today who was around when God created the earth - NOR when the earth supposedly "just happened." I know how they figure the age of the earth as billions of years old, and their figures are all based on nonsense and "shifting sand."
When one studies the theory of evolution vs. creation, it is clear that there is overwhelming evidence for creation - AND for a "young" earth, and there is NO evidence for evolution, except for man-made models in museums that are based on the imagination of the scientists. These models are based on NO documented evidence whatsoever.
The reason many scientists refuse to believe in a Creator God is NOT because of insufficient evidence. It is because if there IS a Creator God, then the scientists are beholden to Him and they’ll have to live their lives differently. In addition, they cannot control God.
But if YOU choose to trust in error-prone and fallible "man" - that is your right. And I support your right to do that.
I, however, having been an agnostic for most of my adult life, finally realized the utter foolishness of trusting in "man" and "man's" fraudulent, constantly changing, and totally inept "science."
In fact, one of the reasons I developed severe cancer that almost took my life, was that I TRUSTED in "man's" knowledge. I trusted my Physician Professors and my Science Professors in my medical training - ALL of whom were DEAD WRONG. And many of them are also literally -- DEAD - from disease - because they did not know how to get well!
By the way, the man considered by Science to be the most brilliant theoretical physicist alive today, and the man many believe to be the smartest man on the earth, is Stephen Hawking. But his “brilliance” is only in the eyes of “man.” The Bible tells us that the “wisdom of man is foolishness with God.”
Stephen Hawking is so “smart” that he is a total invalid, confined to a wheelchair, without any understanding of how to be well. He is unable to walk, speak, write, bathe himself, comb his hair, or go to the bathroom by himself. He is totally helpless because he suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), a disease he GAVE to himself (ignorantly, of course) due in large part to his reported tyrannical, domineering, selfish, self-centered attitudes (Yes, anger is one of the leading causes of disease and death), as well as his total ignorance of God’s simple Ten Step Health Plan that could have prevented and reversed his disease. But he is so blinded by his “intelligence” that he will have nothing to do with God – or real truth!
For thirty years, Hawking was married to a Christian but he totally rejected any interest or belief in God. He could have prevented his disease by thinking, acting, behaving, and eating GOD’S way rather than his own way (“man’s” way). He is now “reaping what he has sown.”
Is that is your idea of a “brilliant scientist”? Are you suggesting I put my trust in the supposed “brilliance” of Stephen Hawking and others like him, instead of trusting in the wisdom of the Almighty God of the Bible?
There is NOTHING that needs to be “explained or fixed” as you put it in your question.
If I had trusted in Science and the Scientists like Stephen Hawking, and the other supposedly “brilliant” minds in medicine - I would now be dead!"
Not only does she not adress the question put to her IN ANY WAY WHAT SO EVER...she rambles on to claim that Science is a fraud, that ANY evidence present by a human is invalid as humans are flawed.
But most dispicable is her attack on PRIOFESSOR Hawking, currently the greatest mind on this planet. She blaims his illness on his lack of ability to "understand how to be well" How dare she.
Dr Lorraine Day was not always this deluded and full of hate. A little research into her past show that she campaigned to bring to light the truth about how AIDS is spread and it was a threat to anyone. Reading some of her own press it looks as if she had a promising career in medicine until she was dignosed with cancer. I do wonder what happened to her metal state during this time to turn her into this monster.
To quote her again:
"But if YOU choose to trust in error-prone and fallible "man" - that is your right. And I support your right to do that.
I, however, having been an agnostic for most of my adult life, finally realized the utter foolishness of trusting in "man" and "man's" fraudulent, constantly changing, and totally inept "science." "
An ozymoron if ever I read one....
I don't know the size of Dr Day's following. I do hope it is very small. I do wonder how the same mind that can hold the knowledge of Medical Science can then dismiss it in favour of other ideas that offer no proof, no evidence, and only rely on speculation, anicdote and spurious testiment.
But of course don't just listen to me, go out there and ...Question Everything
Sunday, 12 December 2010
I don't do Christmas
“Merry Christmas mate!”
The voice called out behind me. I turned, gave a smile and a nod of the head and turned back to go on my way.
“I said Merry Christmas!”
The man, who was wearing a santa hat and an air of after office drinks, spread his arms as though incredulous.
I smiled again, wider this time and bobbed my head with a little more energy. The I turned and tried to proceed on my way home.
A hand grabbed my upper arm and there was enough pressure to stop me in my tracks and turn back yet again.
“I said I wished you a Merry Christmas.” The man now spoke slowly and dipped his head as though speaking to a child or an imbecile.
I looked at his hand resting on my arm and imagined grabbing his wrist and rotating it towards his torso while bringing my other hand under his elbow and pushing up. At the same time my right leg would sweep away his feet from under him and he would drop to the floor completely in my mercy. From there anything could happen. I am not prone to any violent impulses but you have to be able to know what to do when assaulted by unwanted well wished don't you?
He may have read my mind because he removed his hand as though it was suddenly hot.
“I heard you the first two times.” I grinned manically at him as I spoke calmly.
“Well..?” Was his reply
“Well what?”
He seemed completed incandescent with disbelieve. “Well don’t you have something to say back to me?”
The smile faded from my face for the first time in the exchange.
“No”
“You are supposed to wish me a happy Christmas back!”
His head had cocked again as though speaking to a child again.
“Who says?”
He didn’t seem to have an answer to that one. He shook his head as though I was asking him to explain what a Higgs-Boson Particle is, or recite Hamlets soliloquy in Latin.
“Well everyone knows at Christmas you wish everyone a....” His voice trailed off as though he had heard for the first time his own argument.
“I don’t do Christmas mate.” I said with an indulgent smile and made to turn away and go about my business.
“You don’t do Christmas? What sort of man are you?”
I stopped dead in my tracks. On my left foot I spun around to see the man stood, arms starched to either side. He looked serious. I took the two steps toward him so that I was uncomfortably close to him. He swallowed.
“I don’t do Christmas, but the question you should be asking is what IS Christmas? It is surely not a Christian festival to celebrate the supposed birth of their prophet. Even the most optimistic Theologian knows that they can’t say for sure when Christ was supposedly born. Most think October but estimate range from July to January.
“So is it a Winter Solstice festival? Not really, as mid winter isn’t on 25th December. The only real festival that starts on 17th and ends on 25 December is the Roman Saturnalia. It is a fun time of food, drink, sex and human sacrifice. The early Holy Roman Empire didn’t like this idea so arbitrarily placed the birth of Christ on the 25th to stop such pagan lust spoiling their route to power.
“So maybe it’s a happy pagan myth of a gift giving old man who sneaks into our house? If so the red suited, white bearded, ruddy faced man you are used to isn’t him. That character was created by the Coca-Cola Company in the 30’s.
“So when I say I don’t do Christmas what I really mean is that no one does Christmas, because no one knows what Christmas actually is.”
With that I turned and walked away. Several steps later I turned around and shouted at the retreating man.
“Happy Saturnalia!”
He didn’t respond.
The voice called out behind me. I turned, gave a smile and a nod of the head and turned back to go on my way.
“I said Merry Christmas!”
The man, who was wearing a santa hat and an air of after office drinks, spread his arms as though incredulous.
I smiled again, wider this time and bobbed my head with a little more energy. The I turned and tried to proceed on my way home.
A hand grabbed my upper arm and there was enough pressure to stop me in my tracks and turn back yet again.
“I said I wished you a Merry Christmas.” The man now spoke slowly and dipped his head as though speaking to a child or an imbecile.
I looked at his hand resting on my arm and imagined grabbing his wrist and rotating it towards his torso while bringing my other hand under his elbow and pushing up. At the same time my right leg would sweep away his feet from under him and he would drop to the floor completely in my mercy. From there anything could happen. I am not prone to any violent impulses but you have to be able to know what to do when assaulted by unwanted well wished don't you?
He may have read my mind because he removed his hand as though it was suddenly hot.
“I heard you the first two times.” I grinned manically at him as I spoke calmly.
“Well..?” Was his reply
“Well what?”
He seemed completed incandescent with disbelieve. “Well don’t you have something to say back to me?”
The smile faded from my face for the first time in the exchange.
“No”
“You are supposed to wish me a happy Christmas back!”
His head had cocked again as though speaking to a child again.
“Who says?”
He didn’t seem to have an answer to that one. He shook his head as though I was asking him to explain what a Higgs-Boson Particle is, or recite Hamlets soliloquy in Latin.
“Well everyone knows at Christmas you wish everyone a....” His voice trailed off as though he had heard for the first time his own argument.
“I don’t do Christmas mate.” I said with an indulgent smile and made to turn away and go about my business.
“You don’t do Christmas? What sort of man are you?”
I stopped dead in my tracks. On my left foot I spun around to see the man stood, arms starched to either side. He looked serious. I took the two steps toward him so that I was uncomfortably close to him. He swallowed.
“I don’t do Christmas, but the question you should be asking is what IS Christmas? It is surely not a Christian festival to celebrate the supposed birth of their prophet. Even the most optimistic Theologian knows that they can’t say for sure when Christ was supposedly born. Most think October but estimate range from July to January.
“So is it a Winter Solstice festival? Not really, as mid winter isn’t on 25th December. The only real festival that starts on 17th and ends on 25 December is the Roman Saturnalia. It is a fun time of food, drink, sex and human sacrifice. The early Holy Roman Empire didn’t like this idea so arbitrarily placed the birth of Christ on the 25th to stop such pagan lust spoiling their route to power.
“So maybe it’s a happy pagan myth of a gift giving old man who sneaks into our house? If so the red suited, white bearded, ruddy faced man you are used to isn’t him. That character was created by the Coca-Cola Company in the 30’s.
“So when I say I don’t do Christmas what I really mean is that no one does Christmas, because no one knows what Christmas actually is.”
With that I turned and walked away. Several steps later I turned around and shouted at the retreating man.
“Happy Saturnalia!”
He didn’t respond.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Pope A Dope Yet Again
I have blogged about the free holiday an elderly German is getting, but now on the eve of his arrival I feel a need to blog some more.
In September Joseph Ratzinger is to visit Britain. An elderly 83 year old German born man will spend sometime meeting people who agree with him and shaking a few hands. The cost of this holiday? £15m! £10m of it paid for by the tax payer. The rest is being coughed up by the very people he has come to meet. On top of this £1m is being spent on policing the "events"
OK you may already know Ratzinger is the Pope and his holiday is a dodgy state visit. The thing I am perturbed about is that in a time of financial concern we are paying out £10m to make sure this visit goes ahead. Hold on a minute, I am not Catholic, or even religious yet my tax pounds are being used on someone I completely disagree with. The balance of the costs are being footed by the poor saps going to Church this morning and being asked to dig deeper. This is the Catholic Church! One of the richest organization in the World. Surely they could pay for the whole visit as a gesture of good will. I mean they are not the most popular group these days are they?
Now on the eve of his arrival his buddy, Walter Kasper (Don't confuse him with Casper T. Cat), has come out as a bigot, a racist, and a xenophobe. He also stated his dislike of atheist's but I assumed that was a given.
He has said that..."when you land at Heathrow you think at times you have landed in a Third World country.
He also criticised British Airways (BA), saying that when you wear a cross on the airline "you are discriminated against". And that the UK is marked by "a new and aggressive atheism". Coool...looks like we are doing something right then
It is clear that this church is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the modern world. Even its followers have greeted his visit with apathy.
On BBC Breakfast this morning a call was made for Ratzinger to resign to put the child abuse scandal behind them. I would go further, let Peter Tatchell make a citizens arrest and extradite him to Belgium to answer for charges of collusion after the fact.
In September Joseph Ratzinger is to visit Britain. An elderly 83 year old German born man will spend sometime meeting people who agree with him and shaking a few hands. The cost of this holiday? £15m! £10m of it paid for by the tax payer. The rest is being coughed up by the very people he has come to meet. On top of this £1m is being spent on policing the "events"
OK you may already know Ratzinger is the Pope and his holiday is a dodgy state visit. The thing I am perturbed about is that in a time of financial concern we are paying out £10m to make sure this visit goes ahead. Hold on a minute, I am not Catholic, or even religious yet my tax pounds are being used on someone I completely disagree with. The balance of the costs are being footed by the poor saps going to Church this morning and being asked to dig deeper. This is the Catholic Church! One of the richest organization in the World. Surely they could pay for the whole visit as a gesture of good will. I mean they are not the most popular group these days are they?
Now on the eve of his arrival his buddy, Walter Kasper (Don't confuse him with Casper T. Cat), has come out as a bigot, a racist, and a xenophobe. He also stated his dislike of atheist's but I assumed that was a given.
He has said that..."when you land at Heathrow you think at times you have landed in a Third World country.
He also criticised British Airways (BA), saying that when you wear a cross on the airline "you are discriminated against". And that the UK is marked by "a new and aggressive atheism". Coool...looks like we are doing something right then
It is clear that this church is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the modern world. Even its followers have greeted his visit with apathy.
On BBC Breakfast this morning a call was made for Ratzinger to resign to put the child abuse scandal behind them. I would go further, let Peter Tatchell make a citizens arrest and extradite him to Belgium to answer for charges of collusion after the fact.
Friday, 20 August 2010
I can feel it in the air tonight....
Have a shufty at this....
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/838457-psychic-radio-dj-saves-cat-by-sending-out-healing-vibes-on-air#comments
As you can see my local radio station has its very own psychic! Oh goodie.
I have come across Janet Crawford before. She is a product of the Spiritualist Church and had up until recently been some harmless Lady with nutty ideas about her own "abilities"
However now she has hit the big time.
Most so called "Psychic Mediums" have a point in their careers where they want to branch out and spread the word. Some Medium try to "help" the Police in cases. Or in the case of one Liverpudlian Medium made claims to help the Police which the Police then denied. This practise is horrific. It only shows that to get good press they will trounce over the feelings of victims of crime or their families.
Thankfully Mrs Crawford has not gone down this path. She has aimed so much lower. Basically the item is a puff piece and not meant to be taken seriously. And most people with a sense of reason will treat it as just that.
For me the last line of the quote from Miss Morgan was groan inducingly misguided. She says, "I can’t explain it, so Janet’s explanation is the only explanation."
Oh dear.
If we all take the first available explanation as the truth then we would all still be rubbing mustard on our foreheads to relieve a head ache, or snorting Rhino horn to get a harder erection.
I won't be able to supply an accurate explanation for this event (if it actually took place...more on this in a minute) without more information. because as we all know to make an accurate assessment we need all the facts and not just one anecdotal statement. How far away does Miss Morgan live from Psychic Janet? Do they actually know each other? I know it say Psychic Janet contact Miss Morgan by facebook but I can sit next to someone and still contact them by Facebook on my iPhone...and so on.
You may have notice I cats doubt on this actually happening. My reason for this is not just my natural Scepticism, but the fact that while doing a bit of research I found out that Psychic Janet is actually going to be hosting a big Psychic Evening in Bolton hosted by...wait for it...BoltonFM, the very radio station she works for. Could this be a publicity stunt? I do hope so to be honest.....I further wonder who Miss Morgan works for....could it be BoltonFM?
I don't know if this is indeed the fact but without the full story only Psychic Janet knows for sure, oh and Ginger (an obvious name for a Ginger Tom...could have done better there)
As a foot note the one comment on the piece made me giggle:
"Why didn't the psychic contact Miss Morgan through her psychic powers?"
Andrew, London, 19/8/2010 16:53
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/838457-psychic-radio-dj-saves-cat-by-sending-out-healing-vibes-on-air#comments
As you can see my local radio station has its very own psychic! Oh goodie.
I have come across Janet Crawford before. She is a product of the Spiritualist Church and had up until recently been some harmless Lady with nutty ideas about her own "abilities"
However now she has hit the big time.
Most so called "Psychic Mediums" have a point in their careers where they want to branch out and spread the word. Some Medium try to "help" the Police in cases. Or in the case of one Liverpudlian Medium made claims to help the Police which the Police then denied. This practise is horrific. It only shows that to get good press they will trounce over the feelings of victims of crime or their families.
Thankfully Mrs Crawford has not gone down this path. She has aimed so much lower. Basically the item is a puff piece and not meant to be taken seriously. And most people with a sense of reason will treat it as just that.
For me the last line of the quote from Miss Morgan was groan inducingly misguided. She says, "I can’t explain it, so Janet’s explanation is the only explanation."
Oh dear.
If we all take the first available explanation as the truth then we would all still be rubbing mustard on our foreheads to relieve a head ache, or snorting Rhino horn to get a harder erection.
I won't be able to supply an accurate explanation for this event (if it actually took place...more on this in a minute) without more information. because as we all know to make an accurate assessment we need all the facts and not just one anecdotal statement. How far away does Miss Morgan live from Psychic Janet? Do they actually know each other? I know it say Psychic Janet contact Miss Morgan by facebook but I can sit next to someone and still contact them by Facebook on my iPhone...and so on.
You may have notice I cats doubt on this actually happening. My reason for this is not just my natural Scepticism, but the fact that while doing a bit of research I found out that Psychic Janet is actually going to be hosting a big Psychic Evening in Bolton hosted by...wait for it...BoltonFM, the very radio station she works for. Could this be a publicity stunt? I do hope so to be honest.....I further wonder who Miss Morgan works for....could it be BoltonFM?
I don't know if this is indeed the fact but without the full story only Psychic Janet knows for sure, oh and Ginger (an obvious name for a Ginger Tom...could have done better there)
As a foot note the one comment on the piece made me giggle:
"Why didn't the psychic contact Miss Morgan through her psychic powers?"
Andrew, London, 19/8/2010 16:53
Friday, 30 July 2010
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
News Flash!
Due to the torrential downpours in the North West, United Utilities have declared an Umbrella ban.....
David Cameron has been in the US and visited the White House...he spent a confusing few minutes wondering why the butler was trying to shake his hand.....
SSL International, the maker of Durex condoms, is set to be sold to Reckitt Benckiser - the firm behind Cillit Bang cleaner and Finish dishwasher tablets...insert your own jokes here...
Cameron has said a pull out of Afganistan could start in 2011...by my rough calculation that means on another 45 British troops will be killed...PULL OUT NOW YOU SLAMON CHOPPED MUPPET! Sorry...don't know what came over me.....
Sport....footie season not started yet so there is no Sport.....;-)
David Cameron has been in the US and visited the White House...he spent a confusing few minutes wondering why the butler was trying to shake his hand.....
SSL International, the maker of Durex condoms, is set to be sold to Reckitt Benckiser - the firm behind Cillit Bang cleaner and Finish dishwasher tablets...insert your own jokes here...
Cameron has said a pull out of Afganistan could start in 2011...by my rough calculation that means on another 45 British troops will be killed...PULL OUT NOW YOU SLAMON CHOPPED MUPPET! Sorry...don't know what came over me.....
Sport....footie season not started yet so there is no Sport.....;-)
Ken's Road To Magic: Part Two
It has been nearly a year since I posted Ken's Road To Magic: Part One so I thought it would be a good time for an update.
Well my journey has been in fits and starts. The legendary Worsley procrastination got the better of me on many and occasion but I have kept at it and am close to writing a FULL SHOW! Yes no small time for me...heehee
Seriously I have set am aim quite high and have given myself a year to get it up and running.
As I have said on many many occasion and bored many many people, I am a big fan of Sir Derren Brown of Bristol and he has inspired me in the direction I want to take the magic. I am still working on card magic but have moved into Mentalism and Cold Reading (yes that thing so called "psychic mediums" use), along with some redesigned traditional stage magic I think I might be on to a winner.
Couple of of sticking points. One is practise. I do intend to unleash my new found powers on an unsuspecting public in small doses. A trick here and there shown to friends and colleagues but I will need a larger audience for some routines. The other problem is what style do I want to do it in? I want to be modern but slightly spooky. I don't want to go down the path of the Victorian psychic, or ultra modern street magician, or the sterile Bright white smile and botoxed forehead of the Vegas crowd. So I need a theme/style.
If there is anyone out there who has any suggestions get in touch...
Well my journey has been in fits and starts. The legendary Worsley procrastination got the better of me on many and occasion but I have kept at it and am close to writing a FULL SHOW! Yes no small time for me...heehee
Seriously I have set am aim quite high and have given myself a year to get it up and running.
As I have said on many many occasion and bored many many people, I am a big fan of Sir Derren Brown of Bristol and he has inspired me in the direction I want to take the magic. I am still working on card magic but have moved into Mentalism and Cold Reading (yes that thing so called "psychic mediums" use), along with some redesigned traditional stage magic I think I might be on to a winner.
Couple of of sticking points. One is practise. I do intend to unleash my new found powers on an unsuspecting public in small doses. A trick here and there shown to friends and colleagues but I will need a larger audience for some routines. The other problem is what style do I want to do it in? I want to be modern but slightly spooky. I don't want to go down the path of the Victorian psychic, or ultra modern street magician, or the sterile Bright white smile and botoxed forehead of the Vegas crowd. So I need a theme/style.
If there is anyone out there who has any suggestions get in touch...
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Reply to Anonymous Comment on Débile Grand Prix: July award
A comment was made on my last blog post called: Débile Grand Prix: July award
Anonymous said...
Her child.... her opinion/belief... respect it!
17 July 2010 11:47
I didn't think that I would have enough space in the comment section to properly reply to this, and was worried it might get lost in the deluge, so I thought I might address this in depth.
Firstly thank you Anonymous for your comment. I do wonder why most of the comment made on my blog are anonymous. I have had several direct mails with in depth arguments or even support for what I write, but none as brief as this one.
There are several things I would like say.
1) Nowhere in my post do I say that that January Hershe had no right to hold beliefs or that she didn't have the right to treat her child in the way she saw fit. The whole point of my post was too highlight the errors in her claims of fact. She was presenting anecdote and assumption as evidence. She also was blinkered in her view and offered no real evidence. Here is a quote from the last paragraph in my post:
At no time are any other reasons explored.
At no time is any empirical evidence presented.
At no time is the theory put up for testing.
At no time is it noted of any other symptoms, pain, or discomfort because if this did happen and Hershe did nothing to relieve the pain or discomfort then she would look very bad in the readers eye. This is an example of cherry picking the "evidence" to suit her own theory.
I will allow the reader to make up their own minds as to whether she was in anyway negligent in her treatment of her child. She does state that the child had no lasting effect and I do hope this is the case. I will point out that children often lie to their parents to please them. This is a well known fact to child psychologist. A child that is told by a loving parent that a treatment will work may lie about the level of discomfort or pain to please that parent. I am not saying this was the case because I cannot possible draw this conclusion without access to the relevant evidence. I am happy to accept that the child is absolutely fine and suffered no ill effect. However January Hershe would not post anything that might imply otherwise would she? If she did her whole argument would crumble....
2) Dear Anonymous you seem to believe that an Opinion and a Belief are the same thing. I disagree:
Opinion: a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.
Belief: confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.
It is often a mistake that people think their opinion is a belief and vise versa.
My opinion is that January Hershe is the type of person who would stoically stick to her beliefs no matter what evidence is present to counter her beliefs. In this she is typical of many who believe in alternative medical treatments who will continue in potential dangerous procedures without any empirical evidence.
My Belief is that the treatments highlighted in Hershe's article do not work. I have searched for the evidence that they do work and have only found evidence that may suggest that they are no more effective than placebos.
However I state these things with this caveat: I am entitled to hold these beliefs but I will willing change them if evidence is presented to me that challenges this belief and present empirical proof that my belief is wrong. I claim the right to change my opinions and beliefs when new evidence or proof arises.
I wonder how many New Age or Alternative therapist would do the same?
All the above is academic really because the thing that really got me annoyed about your comment Anonymous is this....
...respect it!
3) For too long in our World peoples beliefs seem to have an embargo against being challenged. It seems that when belief raises it head then reason, rationality, and truth are expected to be ignored. We are expected by those holding these beliefs that we wont do or say anything that may upset them. What reason is given for this?
Respect.
In my book respect is earned. If those who hold these beliefs want respect then do more than just demand it. Offer reasons and evidence for what you believe.
ALL beliefs should be challenged. Mine, yours, January Hershes, The Popes, and anyone who expresses a belief.
Any rigid belief should happily offer itself up for challenge. Science is based almost entirely on challenge. A scientist who believes something to be true will conduct experiments to try and proof it. If successful they publish their results so it can be peer reviewed. Once this is done can it be accepted as true. Even then if new evidence arises then new challeges are expected.
I don't see this behaviour in any beliefs that demand respect.
Religions demand protection against being challenged under the guise of being discriminated against. (I hate discrimination in all forms, this included so called "positive discrimination").
Alternative medical practises demand they are given the same billing as conventional medicine in the NHS but without the same rigorous challenging that all medical treatments need to go through (hopefully Homeopathy and its ilk will be removed from the NHS soon).
Psychic Mediums refuse to take part in experiments to prove their claims to be able to contact the dead. When challenged they make threats to those who challenge them. They use frivolous law suits, libelous claims in Newspapers and Websites, and direct threats of violence to try and deflect any form of Challenge.
So no I won't respect any claim or belief until it presents evidence it is true.
To arbitatilly respect those who demand it is as good as agreeing with them.
"What's the harm?", you might ask. Well here is a few examples:
Kristi A. Bedenbaugh, aged 24 of Little Mountain, South Carolina sought relief from sinus headaches from her chiropractor. A neck manipulation caused a brain stem stroke and she died three days later. The chiropractor later paid a $1000 fine.
Frances S. Denoon, aged 28 of Bristol, England visited a chiropractor to relieve some neck pain. On her second visit, "my world went into a dizzy spin" with nausea and loss of speech. The neck manipulation had caused a brain stem stroke.
Other beliefs that you might think are harmless.
Isabella Denley aged 13 Months, of Kew, Victoria, Australia was prescribed medications for her epilepsy. Instead of using them, her parents consulted an iridologist, an applied kinesiologist, a psychic and an osteopath. She was being treated purely with homeopathic medication when she died.
Gerry Rowley aged 82 of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, A psychic convinced this retired blind man to allow him access to his bank account. He took thousands of pounds from it. The psychic got 18 months in jail.
25 supermarket workers in Hungary. A supermarket chain took the personnel files of employees to a psychic, who identified more than two dozen of them as thieves. They were then fired.
All the above are true stories. You can research them yourself, in fact I urge you to do so, but they are not isolated cases.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. If this evidence is not forthcoming then the claim can be dismissed without thought."
But as I always say, Question Everything, so don't take my word for it, go and find out for yourself.
Signed, not Anonymous,
Ken
Anonymous said...
Her child.... her opinion/belief... respect it!
17 July 2010 11:47
I didn't think that I would have enough space in the comment section to properly reply to this, and was worried it might get lost in the deluge, so I thought I might address this in depth.
Firstly thank you Anonymous for your comment. I do wonder why most of the comment made on my blog are anonymous. I have had several direct mails with in depth arguments or even support for what I write, but none as brief as this one.
There are several things I would like say.
1) Nowhere in my post do I say that that January Hershe had no right to hold beliefs or that she didn't have the right to treat her child in the way she saw fit. The whole point of my post was too highlight the errors in her claims of fact. She was presenting anecdote and assumption as evidence. She also was blinkered in her view and offered no real evidence. Here is a quote from the last paragraph in my post:
At no time are any other reasons explored.
At no time is any empirical evidence presented.
At no time is the theory put up for testing.
At no time is it noted of any other symptoms, pain, or discomfort because if this did happen and Hershe did nothing to relieve the pain or discomfort then she would look very bad in the readers eye. This is an example of cherry picking the "evidence" to suit her own theory.
I will allow the reader to make up their own minds as to whether she was in anyway negligent in her treatment of her child. She does state that the child had no lasting effect and I do hope this is the case. I will point out that children often lie to their parents to please them. This is a well known fact to child psychologist. A child that is told by a loving parent that a treatment will work may lie about the level of discomfort or pain to please that parent. I am not saying this was the case because I cannot possible draw this conclusion without access to the relevant evidence. I am happy to accept that the child is absolutely fine and suffered no ill effect. However January Hershe would not post anything that might imply otherwise would she? If she did her whole argument would crumble....
2) Dear Anonymous you seem to believe that an Opinion and a Belief are the same thing. I disagree:
Opinion: a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.
Belief: confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.
It is often a mistake that people think their opinion is a belief and vise versa.
My opinion is that January Hershe is the type of person who would stoically stick to her beliefs no matter what evidence is present to counter her beliefs. In this she is typical of many who believe in alternative medical treatments who will continue in potential dangerous procedures without any empirical evidence.
My Belief is that the treatments highlighted in Hershe's article do not work. I have searched for the evidence that they do work and have only found evidence that may suggest that they are no more effective than placebos.
However I state these things with this caveat: I am entitled to hold these beliefs but I will willing change them if evidence is presented to me that challenges this belief and present empirical proof that my belief is wrong. I claim the right to change my opinions and beliefs when new evidence or proof arises.
I wonder how many New Age or Alternative therapist would do the same?
All the above is academic really because the thing that really got me annoyed about your comment Anonymous is this....
...respect it!
3) For too long in our World peoples beliefs seem to have an embargo against being challenged. It seems that when belief raises it head then reason, rationality, and truth are expected to be ignored. We are expected by those holding these beliefs that we wont do or say anything that may upset them. What reason is given for this?
Respect.
In my book respect is earned. If those who hold these beliefs want respect then do more than just demand it. Offer reasons and evidence for what you believe.
ALL beliefs should be challenged. Mine, yours, January Hershes, The Popes, and anyone who expresses a belief.
Any rigid belief should happily offer itself up for challenge. Science is based almost entirely on challenge. A scientist who believes something to be true will conduct experiments to try and proof it. If successful they publish their results so it can be peer reviewed. Once this is done can it be accepted as true. Even then if new evidence arises then new challeges are expected.
I don't see this behaviour in any beliefs that demand respect.
Religions demand protection against being challenged under the guise of being discriminated against. (I hate discrimination in all forms, this included so called "positive discrimination").
Alternative medical practises demand they are given the same billing as conventional medicine in the NHS but without the same rigorous challenging that all medical treatments need to go through (hopefully Homeopathy and its ilk will be removed from the NHS soon).
Psychic Mediums refuse to take part in experiments to prove their claims to be able to contact the dead. When challenged they make threats to those who challenge them. They use frivolous law suits, libelous claims in Newspapers and Websites, and direct threats of violence to try and deflect any form of Challenge.
So no I won't respect any claim or belief until it presents evidence it is true.
To arbitatilly respect those who demand it is as good as agreeing with them.
"What's the harm?", you might ask. Well here is a few examples:
Kristi A. Bedenbaugh, aged 24 of Little Mountain, South Carolina sought relief from sinus headaches from her chiropractor. A neck manipulation caused a brain stem stroke and she died three days later. The chiropractor later paid a $1000 fine.
Frances S. Denoon, aged 28 of Bristol, England visited a chiropractor to relieve some neck pain. On her second visit, "my world went into a dizzy spin" with nausea and loss of speech. The neck manipulation had caused a brain stem stroke.
Other beliefs that you might think are harmless.
Isabella Denley aged 13 Months, of Kew, Victoria, Australia was prescribed medications for her epilepsy. Instead of using them, her parents consulted an iridologist, an applied kinesiologist, a psychic and an osteopath. She was being treated purely with homeopathic medication when she died.
Gerry Rowley aged 82 of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, A psychic convinced this retired blind man to allow him access to his bank account. He took thousands of pounds from it. The psychic got 18 months in jail.
25 supermarket workers in Hungary. A supermarket chain took the personnel files of employees to a psychic, who identified more than two dozen of them as thieves. They were then fired.
All the above are true stories. You can research them yourself, in fact I urge you to do so, but they are not isolated cases.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. If this evidence is not forthcoming then the claim can be dismissed without thought."
But as I always say, Question Everything, so don't take my word for it, go and find out for yourself.
Signed, not Anonymous,
Ken
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