Delicious LiveJournal Links for 4-8-2009

[andrewducker]

• The policy of drugs prohibition
  Current approaches ignore the basic finding that the policy of prohibition itself is the direct source of much of what is perceived as 'the drug problem' - specifically, the vast majority of ... drug-related crime - rather than drug use per se.
  (tags: drugs law legalisation prohibition)
• The dark side of Dubai
  The dark underbelly of a city built on slave labour.
  (tags: dubai culture globalization business)
• Tories to break up banks?
  An idea I tentatively stand behind.
  (tags: banking economics UK)
• Computers haven't changed that much since 1981
  Photos of the Xerox Star - complete with familliar looking UI...
  (tags: history gui design interface computer)
• Worst news _ever_ - Oral sex linked to throat cancer
  Those who had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
  
  HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus - was present in the tumours of 72% of cancer patients in the study.
  (tags: sex cancer health)
• Church 'must fund NHS chaplains'
  I'm completely torn on this one. One the one hand "OMG! Religion!". On the other hand, it comforts a lot of sick and dying people, and helps their families.
  (tags: religion UK nhs)
• Vermont legalizes gay marriage
  First state to do it through voting rather than the courts. Yay!
  (tags: politics marriage gay)
• I see dead people.
  On the wearing of kimonos. Very nicely done.
  (tags: funny culture clothing)
• Bacon sandwich really does cure a hangover
  Best news I've heard all week!
  (tags: bacon hangovers)
• How the Internet Got Its Rules
  A brief history of RFCs
  (tags: internet history)
• How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet
  Douglas Adams writes a piece (in 1999) that many people could still do with reading today.
  (tags: DouglasAdams internet technology culture philosophy)
• "Feel free to take our content"
  The excerpting policy of Business Insider. Very nice piece.
  (tags: blogging copyright online)

Comments

[endless-psych.livejournal.com]

If the NHS is to fund chaplins on the basis it provides "comfort for sick and dying people" then they should do so on the proviso that there is evidence for this assertion. Not purely based on the assertion the they provide comfort alone - to my mind that is the crux of the matter.

The NHS provides palliative care and essentially, without evidence confirming or denying an increased effectiveness (if you can determine how to measure it) of spiritual care why should the NHS spend money on medical palliative care and counselling and spiritual care???

It's at best a needless replication of services that are (or at worst should be) already avaliable via secular practitioners.

Of course it would be better if the NHS stop funding sCAM first but every little helps.

[endless-psych.livejournal.com]

That is to say that the chapliancy should be funded or not depending on local needs and requirements. If the money could be better spent elsewhere it shouldn't and procedures and the like should be developed to determine this.

Ideally I'd have the church pay but then there are issues associated with what sort of "service" they then deliver... You could end up with less CoE types and more Evangelical preachers looking for death bed conversions... Or (heaven forfend) scientologists...

[beachpsalms.livejournal.com]

I did a field placement as a chaplain in a cluster of rural hospitals, and money spent on chaplaincy is money well spent. Chaplaincy work is quite different from pastoral visiting as the 'regular' clergy person. Our local chaplain (only a few hours a week) - is sometimes the only reason I know there's someone in hospital to visit. So money spent on chaplaincy helps support all the 'free' work (of spiritual care) churches and other religious groups are providing the health network.

Chaplains connect patients and hospital staff with the local spiritual communities.
Chaplains visit the dying, or comatose patients (and their families).
Chaplains visit people who don't have a home church/religious group.
Chaplains listen as people test out something they aren't ready to tell a family member or their pastor. (Like changing resuscitation orders)
Chaplains are connected with the hospital, are available to staff, listen to nurses, are accountable to hospital administration.

Wow - sorry to be preaching at you! (occupational hazard I try and watch out for) - I guess I'm still more passionate about chaplaincy than I thought... I found it to be really challenging work, but it was such a privilege to share people's lives in that way.

[beachpsalms.livejournal.com]

There's quite a bit of research that shows the benefits of chaplaincy, I believe. Here's a section of a paper from CAPPE (Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education).

[endless-psych.livejournal.com]

Specifically I would like to see research that compares it with other forms of palliative care/counselling and the like.

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

That throat cancer article is very non-gender specific. Isn't the HPV carried by men? Can you get this from performing oral sex on women?

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

That seems to be the conclusion of the article.

[the-locster.livejournal.com]

BTW the oral sex cancer story is 2 years old - you probably fell victim to the BBC 'most read article' list which occasionaly does this. In fact the story is so old the UK already has a vaccine programme in place for schoolgirls.

[luckylove.livejournal.com]

The Dubai article was very interesting. I haven't watched the Panorama film about it yet but I will. You could've substituted Bahrain for Dubai and it would have held true. The workers in blue were everywhere. Building tall buildings without any safety equipment. No harnesses or hard hats. It's scary watching them and really sad too.

The only thing the article missed out was the prostitution problem.

[lilitufire.livejournal.com]

The kimono rant is very funny. The best way to remember is to recall that the front of kimono is often used for storage too, and if you are right handed, it being wrapped left over right is logical because you can get your main hand in to retrieve the stuff then.

Wrap dresses etc. in Japan also generally wrap left over right. My ones from the UK feel rather odd now when I wear them, although I haven't had any locals comment that they are wrapped the wrong way!