Homeopathy poster idea
Below is a quick mock up of an idea I had the other day for a poster to highlight the placebo-abuse of homeopathy...
Obviously it needs glaming up by someone that is actually good at graphic design 
Some original and consistent graphics to represent the tap, bottle and remedy would be great.
I'm also not sure what figure to use for the cost of the homeopathic remedy. I guess it should include the cost of a consultation with a qualified (hah!) homeopath, which is around $100 average I believe. That $29 figure is a rough average of the costs of remedies I found for sale online in NZ.
Excellent Analysis of the so-called New Atheist movement
Russell Blackford, writing for The Philosopher's Magazine, has an excellent piece on the so-called New Atheist movement. While there is nothing essentially new about this recent rise of atheistic words and speech, Russell analyses its roots and significance.
He clearly explains why such action is necessary today...
But the situation now looks very different, even in the supposedly enlightened nations of the West. For a start, a revived Christian philosophy is well entrenched within Anglo-American philosophy of religion. More importantly, perhaps, religious organisations and leaders continue to exert social power. All too often, they seek to control how we plan and run our lives, including choices about how we die. At various times, religious lobbies have opposed a vast range of beneficial, or at least essentially harmless, activities and innovations. Even now, one religion or another opposes abortion rights; most contraceptive technologies; stem-cell and therapeutic cloning research; physician-assisted suicide; and a wide range of sexual conduct involving consenting adults. We still see intense activism from the religious lobbies of all Western democracies, and even in relatively secular countries, such as the UK and Australia, governments pander blatantly to Christian moral concerns.
Russell goes on to outline other reasons for the need of writing and speech to challenge the truth claims and moral authority of religion, considers also the criticism of the movement, and has some sage advice for those involved. He summarises with:
There are now many people who do not believe in any God or gods, or in the truth of any religious dogmas involving supernatural entities and forces, and are prepared to say so in public. Many of them have interesting reasons for their views, and it’s valuable for all of them – for all of us – to speak up. It doesn’t even matter if we don’t all entirely agree in our thinking; in fact, the last thing we should want is the hardening of contemporary forthright atheism into a kind of quasi-religious sect with its own body of orthodox dogma. We should go on scrutinising religion from all angles, while discussing our own differences thoughtfully, carefully, and often.
A very well written piece in my humble opinion. I've been thinking a lot lately about the ethics of engaging in religious debate at various levels - from the individual to the society. What's the "right thing to do" and the issue of offending people versus stating your considered position/opinion. What issues to target, and where my hypocrisies lie. Ideas slowly solidifying...
Haiti Donations
Just adding to the movement of linking to donation sites here. Giving money in this way seems to be the only realistic thing one can do from so far away, in the face of such a tragedy.
For reasons I'm not entirely sure of I've always had an affinity with Doctors Without Borders, so that's where my donation money went for Haiti. You can do the same...
If you haven't yet seen in visual form the sheer gravity of the devastation in Haiti, The Boston Globe's Big Picture series, as always, has captured some dramatic shots.
I review ballet
A friend sent me a review of the Royal NZ Ballet's current piece Peter Pan. I went along to it while it was here, and thought it was great. I can highly recommend checking out one of the upcoming performances if it's coming your way.
Reading this review also reminded me of a review of a ballet performance I wrote several years ago. Not your typical review I should add. I basically took proper reviews and re-jigged them to make fun of the overly-fluffy and woo-woo language ballet reviewers love to (perhaps need to) use. It cracked me up reading it again so I'll reproduce it here below...
BALLET ASTOUNDS AND AMAZES PEOPLE
The Royal Family's NZ Ballet Company performed in the prestigious Jersey Cow Theatre in Waitrahuhugrub last night to a star-speckled audience of over 37 eager Thespians.
The Tutus For Hire tour spans the entire country, with the dancing troupe splitting into two. It’s more than half a century since Poul Gnatt first dragged the NZ Ballet around the small towns in this country. Then, as now, the company’s visit was the highlight of the calendar for many of those settlements, whose other highlights included gumboot throwing and pig wrestling.
The dancers are no longer billeted with the locals due to reports of indecent exposure and overfeeding, but they are, for 48 hours, welcomed as family. This is unique among other world-renowned ballet companies, who would view such a tour as below them.
The opening, Pas de Quatre, is a feminine cameo of four leading dancers from the romantic ballet era. They are here given a poetic perfume, which helps mask the smell of sweat emanating out from the stage. However, this fragrance does not deliberately distinguish the contrasting qualities of the original ballerinas who were arch-rivals.
The second work, Theme and Deviations, is choreographed by company dancer Andrew Simmons, here in its premier performance. As a piece, it is awash with temperate colours which give it an almost prosaic texture while maintaining an effervescent glow reminiscent of a turtle at night. Brendan Bradshaw identifies with this turtle particularly well.
The most astounding and amazing part of the evening was the Concerto Pas de Deux by Kenneth MacMillan. Immaculately crafted sequences and positions that melt and flow highlight this piece, illuminated further by the Shostakovich score. Catherine Eddy’s line is, as per usual, absolutely amazing. It’s not hard to see why it’s been called the best line in the country. Her line shines with the light of a thousand gypsies, while at the same time, holds the austere presence of several sheep in a barn. Qi Huan is good too.
Equilibrium is choreographed by Cameron McMillan, returning to New Zealand after several years with Thug Dance Company in Harlem, to stage this premier. Borrowing from quantum physics the notion of a “superposition of states”, the work makes uncompromising metaphysical demands on the performers – proposing the question through dance of how fundamental elements can exist as waveforms and matter in symbiotic duality, and what this means for multiple realities or universes. The striking costumes designed by Moana Nepia support the choreographic concept, although the Philip Glass score was a terrible choice of accompaniment. Philip just doesn’t get it.
The final work, Raymonda Variations, re-staged by Craig Lord and Nadine Tyson, evokes the grandeur of the Russian Mafia, though here, in splendidly styled tutus with hidden gun holsters and hammer and sickle imprints. Designed by Gary Harris, the work is not weighed down by the bloody history of the Russian Mafia, which is a good thing; it would have really brought down the tone of the piece. Qi Huan delivers great pyrotechnics with bravura, although concerns were raised about her use of fireworks in an indoor theatre. Abigail Boyle, trying to one-up Qi and her use of pyrotechnics, brings crazy arm movements to the party, which grace her impressive technique. There’s also the fresh meat, Ingrid Gow, who offers an aristocratic line coupled with a naturalness that already makes her one to watch. Ingrid’s line is no match for Catherine Eddy’s however, whose line is so powerful she can catch Fish with it.
From the forced smiles seen on stage, the dancers seemed to really enjoy the programme. It is a good balance between the antiquated and beautiful to something new and edgy. Tutus For Hire will be hitting your town soon!
Wascal dubstep mixes
Just a heads up here on a series of quality dubstep mixes I've been getting into for awhile from wascal. Wascal, according to his about page, is a 28 year old Bristol based DJ & producer.
I can definitely recommend the July Mix - it's huge.
I find these mixes a welcome change sometimes from the more "mainstream" (if I can use that word) dubstep mixes from the likes of Skream and Benga. Good to sus out the smaller producers and what not.
Why keyboard Cat sucks
Just a random musing on internet memes here. Specifically the "Play him off, Keyboard Cat" meme.
To explain why I don't like this one, I need to introduce a few ideas. Well, just one actually. Basically that a meme can be divided up into its "concept" and its "content". The concept refers to a meme's central idea, its uniqueness. The content refers to a meme's actual substance.
The thing is, a good meme has a disconnection between its concept and content. This allows the concept to continue being recognised with fresh content every time. Instant lol. For example, see Xzibit Yo Dawg and You're Doing It Wrong.
Keyboard Cat however has no disconnection between concept and content - both are the same every time. Not so instant lol after the 3rd or 4th times viewing. Lame.
Phew...glad to get that uber important thought out there.
Tamiflu sensibility
I was very glad to read in this Stuff article how Tamiflu is being well controlled by pharmacists and all those without obvious symptoms are denied the drug.
This is essential to prevent the wide scale unnecessary use of the drug which tilts the balance from prevention over to significantly increasing the risk of Tamiflu-resistant mutations developing. That'd be a bad thing mmmkay.
Plus it lessens the chance of swine flu hysteria where people storm the pharmacy wanting the magic cure.