Posts: 2721
Threads: 99
Joined: October 8, 2008
Reputation:
17
Homoeopathy Story
April 7, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I'm a member of several local FreeCycle groups. FreeCycle is a web based Yahoo group that allows people to offer old stuff normally destined for landfill sites to others who may be able to make use of them and for others to post requests for things. I tend to offer a fair number of computers configured (calm Adrian) with Linux.
So I've just replaced my Mum's computer with a laptop and took her old one back ... it's a P4/1.7 and has little resale value (I been trying to sell some Dell 2.8's, complete systems, and I managed to get only £80 ... painful) so I decided to give it away on FreeCycle.
I wrote the following:
Quote:I have a Pentium 4 computer (1.7GHZ, 512Mb memory, 17 & 22Gb drives with DVD and CDRW) c/w 17" monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers etc.
It is configured with Linux and I would like to give it to a worthy cause (a charity, school or similar) so I am asking for representatives of such institutions to contact me ... I am allowing a week or so for that to happen.
I had several replies including personal ones (despite making it clear where I wanted it to go, eejits) one of which was from a representative of a homeopathy charity:
Quote:May I put in a bid for this computer please? I am XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, and I am the XXXXXXXXXXXXXX of Homeopathy in Africa, registered charity XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. We have been supporting the development of homeopathy in Ghana working with primary health care centres in poor areas of Ghana, where health services are provided including midwifery, health education, traditional natural medicine, etc, to very poor people in Ghana. We have the support of the Ghanaian government.
This computer would be put to good use, in a new clinic that we are opening with local people in the town of Kumasi. Please consider our request.
It will come as no surprise that I am not big on homoeopathy so I wrote back:
Quote:I'm sorry Grace but I won't be able to give it to a charity that promotes homeopathy.
To which I got the reply:
Quote:Thanks for letting me know James
I think what interested me most was the politeness maintained throughout ... I genuinely expected an argument and, kudos to her, am quite pleased it didn't happen.
Kyu
Angry Atheism
Where those who are hacked off with the stupidity of irrational belief can vent their feelings!
Come over to the dark side, we have cookies!
Kyuuketsuki, AngryAtheism Owner & Administrator
Posts: 394
Threads: 21
Joined: December 22, 2008
Reputation:
6
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 7, 2009 at 3:11 pm
My first thought is that it's a sad thought that we find such manners so unexpected. but, I'm happy to see theres people setting the example of proper manners even when people disagree with you.
Cool stuff.
Posts: 14932
Threads: 684
Joined: August 25, 2008
Reputation:
143
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 7, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I can't believe there are such organisations in Ghana. It's horrible to think poverty stricken areas aren't getting proper medicine.
Posts: 178
Threads: 14
Joined: August 27, 2008
Reputation:
1
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 7, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Its weird that the man who invented homeopathy (or refined it anyway) was also the man who gave the world experimental medicine. Also thought he could visit people in their dreams. 
Posts: 2721
Threads: 99
Joined: October 8, 2008
Reputation:
17
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 7, 2009 at 4:33 pm
(April 7, 2009 at 4:24 pm)dagda Wrote: Its weird that the man who invented homeopathy (or refined it anyway) was also the man who gave the world experimental medicine.
Samuel Hahnemann? Somehow I don't think so ... I certianly think you're going to have to justify what you mean by "experimental medicine" first? If you mean clinical trials I'm fairly bloody sure you're wrong since these are apparently documented back as far as 1025CE.
Kyu
Angry Atheism
Where those who are hacked off with the stupidity of irrational belief can vent their feelings!
Come over to the dark side, we have cookies!
Kyuuketsuki, AngryAtheism Owner & Administrator
Posts: 7388
Threads: 168
Joined: February 25, 2009
Reputation:
45
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 7, 2009 at 9:17 pm
(April 7, 2009 at 4:24 pm)dagda Wrote: Its weird that the man who invented homeopathy (or refined it anyway) was also the man who gave the world experimental medicine.
Actually ,experimental medicine is several thousand years old. The Egyptians, Greeks (Hippocrates) and Romans ( via another Greek,Galen) also used trial and error. -as indeed did that strange man ,Michel De Nostradame,to fight the plague in 1545.
The basis of homeopathy ,mimicking symptoms, is thousands of years old, being based on "the Doctrine Of Signatures ", common in traditional herbalism.The idea of water retaining memory may have been whatshisnames but it's magical thinking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_signatures
Posts: 178
Threads: 14
Joined: August 27, 2008
Reputation:
1
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 8, 2009 at 10:09 am
You may be right. I only read it in a book. Come to think of it, it was a weird book. Padraic, as a rule I tend to ignore anything on wikipedia. More often than not, it tends to be utter trash.
Posts: 14932
Threads: 684
Joined: August 25, 2008
Reputation:
143
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 8, 2009 at 12:56 pm
(April 8, 2009 at 10:09 am)dagda Wrote: You may be right. I only read it in a book. Come to think of it, it was a weird book. Padraic, as a rule I tend to ignore anything on wikipedia. More often than not, it tends to be utter trash. Actually, more often than not it tends to be accurate. The administration staff there are very good at detecting vandalism.
Posts: 2721
Threads: 99
Joined: October 8, 2008
Reputation:
17
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 8, 2009 at 3:09 pm
(April 8, 2009 at 12:56 pm)Tiberius Wrote: Actually, more often than not it tends to be accurate. The administration staff there are very good at detecting vandalism.
Not on contentious subjects and homoeopathy is very contentious.
Kyu
Angry Atheism
Where those who are hacked off with the stupidity of irrational belief can vent their feelings!
Come over to the dark side, we have cookies!
Kyuuketsuki, AngryAtheism Owner & Administrator
Posts: 7388
Threads: 168
Joined: February 25, 2009
Reputation:
45
RE: Homoeopathy Story
April 8, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Quote:More often than not, it tends to be utter trash.
Really? My experience is the opposite,I think the standards on Wikipedia are easily as high as say Britannica..
When looking for a basic reference about which I have good knowledge,it's a pretty good place to start.
I'd be fascinated to see a few dozen of the millions of entries which led you to conclude Wikipedia is "more often than not" wrong. To put it in the vernacular:put up or shut up.
Quote:Not on contentious subjects and homoeopathy is very contentious.
Homeopathy contentious? Well yes I guess, in the same way as creationism is contentious..
|
