Roshanara Choudry - a life ruined by religion

Roshonara Choudry was studying to be a teacher. She was the top student in her university class. In a few years' time, who knows what she might have achieved? Maybe teaching in a primary school, educating young people, giving hope to others. Maybe carrying out her own research. The world would have been at her feet.

The achievements that she could have accomplished, the lives she could have changed, the benefits she could have brought to herself and society... all whisked away in the moment when she stabbed her local MP, Stephen Timms.

She's now been jailed for life. Because she watched the videos of homicidal maniacs like Anwar al-Awlaki and Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, from whom she gained the insight that

when a Muslim land is attacked it becomes obligatory on every man, woman and child and even slave to go out and fight and defend the land and the Muslims and if they can't handle like the forces they are facing, then it becomes obligatory on the people who live in ... closest to that country and if those people refuse to fulfil their duty then it, then it becomes to the next closest people and the next closest until it goes all the way round the whole world and it's obligatory on everyone to defend that land.

And so she went out, bought some knives from a hardware shop, and stabbed a man.

If you ever needed proof that religion is a cause of harm, well, here it is. It's just destroyed the life of a young woman who had every reason to live, not to mention the lives of her family, not to mention the man she stabbed and his family.

And where's Anwar al-Awlaki? As well as apparently hiding out in Yemen, he's still on the internet in the form of his videos, inciting others to murder in the name of his barbaric ideology, like

Paul “Bilal” Rockwood and his wife Nadia in Alaska, and on the other side of the world in Singapore, Muhammad Fadil Abdul Hamid.

I can't help but feel sad that Roshanara Choudry is now going to spend the rest of her life in prison, in 21st-century Britain, all because of a few hate-filled words in a book written in the desert over 1,000 years ago.

It's not a door when it's a jar

What's an open mind? Is it a good thing?

I've been pondering, beacuse a friend of mine posted a video from some wacky conspiracy nut on Facebook, with the comment "closed minded people, don't even bother.

Now I regard myself as someone with a pretty open mind. At the same time, I'm fairly secure in what I know and what I understand to be true - all life on the planet evolved from a single life form which existed billions of years ago, vaccines provide vital protection for children against disease, Leyton Orient's defence is far too leaky to even hope for a chance of making the League 1 playoffs, that sort of thing.

So I'll listen to arguments that make sense to me, or at least come from a rational perspective. I won't give the time of day, though, to people trying to tell me that the Earth was created by some omniscient being 6,000 years ago. It doesn't fit, it's unnecessary, I don't need to open my mind for it.

If I gave equal time to every argument that is thrown at me, I'd barely have time to think, let alone decide what to believe. There's got to be some kind of filter. For me that filter tends to be words like "God", or "pro-life". Mention those in your argument, and you've just invalidated yourself.

I keep my mind open, but not that open. Just ajar. So I know what to let in, and when to slam the door shut.

Keeping my spirits up

This version of a beautiful song just burrowed its way back into my mind. I think my brain's activating a self-defence mechanism, after the trauma caused by the post below.

Anyway, Terry Hall and Marijke singing this never fails to bring a smile to my face. Please enjoy.

Colchester United 3 Leyton Orient 2

And to think Russell Slade thought this was a candidate for our 1st away win of the season.

How do we expect to get anywhere near the middle of the table if we let a 2 goal lead slip? Away from home or not, we can't afford to do that. Our leaky defence is becoming more of a problem.

Nephrotic syndrome, or how my son was saved by science-based medicine

Most parents despair when their child wets the bed. I, on the other hand, am quietly relieved.

I'm not a specialist medical blogger like Orac, but I'll stick my oar in anyway. My son suffers from minimal change nephrotic syndrome, and has done since he was 2 (he's 8 now). It's a scary condition to have, especially if it's not caught early on. In his case, he was quite far gone when it was diagnosed, and we (my partner and I) stayed in hospital with him for two weeks while he was treated.

He swelled up, and this is probably the most accurate way to describe it, like a water balloon. Literally, his body was full of water which he could no longer pass. At one point his penis was grossly distended with water, the consequences of which could almost have been funny if it hadn't been so serious.

Nephrotic syndrome, as I understand it, is an immune reaction disorder. Pretty much every time in the last 6 years that my son's caught a cold, he's had a relapse of nephrotic syndrome. In layman's terms, his kidneys become inflamed, and can no longer effectively pass waste and water.

He stops urinating, and when he does it usually includes protein. The excess water stays in the body, leaking through the blood vessels, placing more of a strain on his body and exacerbating the condition. This is what I mean when I say his bedwetting is a relief - it means his kidneys are doing their job and flushing out the excess water.

When he first went into hospital, he was immediately put on a high dose of prednisolone, a steroid, which kickstarted his kidneys and, eventually, allowed him to start improving. He's had maybe a dozen relapses since, which have variously been treated with steroids to bring him into remission, and cyclophosphamide and cyclosporin to keep the illness under control.

Things are looking up though, as the last two relapses he's had, he's gone back into remission within a week, without having to go back onto a course of steroids. The doctors have always stressed that most children grow out of minimal change syndrome, but this is the first actual sign of that.

I hasten to add, he's still on cyclosporin, keeping the disease under control.

This is a personal reason why I believe science-based medicine is so important. My son would not be here were it not for the treatment he received, and continues to receive.

If we had ever taken the advice of homeopaths and the like, we would have been preparing to bury him years ago.

For minimal change disease, steroids are in order.
But if you’re into a safer and more natural approach, we recommend  Kidney Dr , a 100% herbal treatment for natural kidney support to help maintain healthy renal functioning.

Safer? Good luck with that one.

MY SON TUTU IS 6 YEARS NOW.WHILE HE WAS 14 MONTHS,he was affected by nephrotic syndrome.that disease is continueing now also.from that time onwards due to the advice of a nephrologist v r giving prednisolone.sometimes there will be swellings on his body.now with this i started to give homeo medicine from 1 year onwards.if i continue with homeo,will it be cured ?

In a word, no. There's no known root cause for nephrotic, nor any cure. Don't let that put you off going to a homeopath, though.They'll still be happy to take your money.

Hello
Unfortunately, I don't think anyone can answer your question about a cure for nephrotic syndrome.  Homeopathic medicine can help people overcome many conditions, but there is no guarantee of cure.  The chances are greater if you consult with an experienced homeopathic practitioner and utilize any other methods of healing that are available, such as nutrition, supplements, or other methods.  Often, when cure is not possible, one still can minimize the effects of their disease and use as few medications as possible.
Thanks for your question and good luck to you and your son.
Dr Conner 

Even the followup posters have no idea what's going on.

My brother contracted Nephrotic syndrome when he was about 6 he is now 18.

He also drinks a cup of Georges Aloe Vera Juice every couple days. My parents learned of this from a doctor who had used it.

With this and astragalus root he has had to take prednisone for a less than a year total in the 12 years he has had this disease. He only takes prednisone when he has a relapse until he is healthy again.

The Aloe Vera juice is so good that is doesn't prevent him having relapses? And he still needs steroids (ie. scientific medicine) to bring him back into remission? Three cheers for the woo!

As I said, my son's still here thanks to science-based medicine, for which I am grateful. I sincerely hope no-one ever tries to do the same thing with "alternative" medicine.

Children, evangelism, and a $50m private jet

Pentecostalism is a strange branch of Christianity. I once went to a Pentecostal service (OK, I'm not proud, my partner dragged me for company for her aunt), and I was bombarded with tales of miracle healing, lots of people speaking in tongues, and some very persistent people who were intent on converting me. It was like I had a flashing neon "UNBELIEVER" sign on my head. They didn't get very far.

It seems to be doing well in Brazil, though, according to the Guardian.

Brazil – and much of Latin America and the Caribbean — is in the midst of what believers proudly call an "evangelical revolution". According to the IBGE, Brazil's census board, the country's Catholic population fell from around 89% in 1980 to 74% in 2000, while its Pentecostal flock grew from 3% to 10%. Brazilian churches are opening branches from Buenos Aires to Port-au-Prince.

I'm not sure what to make of that. Surely it's a good thing that the old, bloodsucking, cannibalistic Catholic cult is losing ground?

The name Jesus is stamped behind the pulpit in thick blue lettering. But at the Pentecostal Church of the Miracle the headline act is not the Son of God but a six-year-old girl in a pink dress.

On the street outside, anxious followers quiz dapper evangelical doormen: "Is she here? Is she here?"

 "She" is Alani dos Santos, a "child healer" better known as the Missionarinha or Little Missionary, who is reputedly capable of healing the sickest of congregants with a touch of her hands. Twice a week, bandage-clad and cancer-ridden believers pack this cramped "temple" in search of a miracle.

OK then, maybe it's not much better in the preposterous claims stakes. Well then, isn't it good that the population is coming together in a time of global economic crisis?

While many question why Brazil's poorest citizens should pay a tenth of their meagre wages to churches, Jacob said the decision was often pragmatic.

"Some people come here in wheelchairs and leave running," one preacher boasted, shortly before the collection was announced and dozens of golden envelopes filled with bundles of R$20 notes (worth about £7).

Um. They won't have much left in that case. So are the church leaders setting a good example?

Bishop Edir Macedo, the leader of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and head of one of Brazil's largest TV networks, is widely considered to be the wealthiest bishop on Earth.
Brazilian newspapers estimate that Macedo's estate is worth about $2bn and includes a 35-bedroom mansion in São Paulo and a $50m private jet. Macedo, who claims about eight million followers worldwide, is thought to live in Westchester county, New York state, where the Clinton family were recently reported to be negotiating an $11m mansion.

Fantastic. I'm glad he's doing so well for himself. At least the political leaders in the country will bring some measure of sanity to proceedings.

The tendency is even likely to play a role in Sunday's presidential election run-off, with the two candidates, Dilma Rousseff and José Serra, openly courting the denomination on issues such as gay marriage and abortion.

Oh dear.

Feeling Kind Of Blue

In the spirit of finding something positive to blog about... last night I was waiting in the car to start work (it's a railway thing, you can't rush it), and catching up on some blogs, including Why Evolution Is True, where Jerry Coyne was trying to assert that "Layla" is the greatest rock song of all time.

Obviously I couldn't let that go unchallenged. Clearly Whole Lotta Love is the greatest - or is it Just? - or Sheena Is A Punk Rocker? Er,... well, I always feel the point of making bald statements like, '"Layla" is the greatest rock song of all time' is to invite alternative perspectives, and thereby expand your musical horizons. There's no definitive answer, the appreciation of music is gloriously subjective.

But it set my train of thought in motion, and I eventually arrived, as I often do, at Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue. So I put the iPod on the car stereo, pressed play, and lay back and let the dreamy rubato of "So What" wash over me. In my car, in the dead of night in Kilburn, watching Hallowe'en revellers wander down the road from club to pub to home to wherever else they were going, I was transported to another, more restful place.

Kind Of Blue sends me. I discovered it (or was it revealed to me?) about 7 years ago, at a time when I'd never even listened to jazz, and never even thought I'd ever be into any kind of jazz. I think I only bought it because it was on offer, and because I'd caught a quick glimpse of the title in a Beatles album review, or something.

And from the moment I heard it, it was like I'd never been without it. It speaks to me in a way that lyrics can't. It leaves me feeling... I don't know. Not sad. Maybe melancholy. I think it's best expressed in the title. Kind Of Blue. Just that wistful, sentimental, reflective mood, indefinable. It's always done that to me. It's the only album that speaks to me in any given situation, and that's because it explains everything by saying nothing.

Every time I listen, there's a new phrase or passage that I haven't noticed before, or had forgotten about, or that I hear in a different way. The production is so crisp, so clear, that it's like the band are there with you. I can't think of any other album that exists on such an intimate level with me. My most lasting memory of the album is when I listened to it sitting on the banks of a pond in Derby, reading "On Green Dolphin Street", a Sebastian Faulks novel which uses the release of Kind Of Blue, and other Miles Davis numbers, as a plot device. But I've listened to it in so many places, at so many different times in my life, that I can hardly begin to express the influence it's had on me.

Hard to pick stand-out moments, but here goes: Jimmy Cobb's hihat crash leading into Miles' solo on "So What"... Miles' solo on "Freddie Freeloader", which I prefer to his solo on "So What"... Bill Evans' extraordinary solo, again on "So What", and his tumbling, cascading, ever-evolving take on "Blue In Green"... Coltrane's unusually relaxed solo on the same track... Cannonball's exuberant, bluesy solo on "All Blues". Just listening to "Blue In Green" now, I can feel the space in the music, like it's the silences, and the things that are left unsaid, that mean the most.

I can't sum it up adequately. I'll just quote Jimmy Cobb, the drummer on the album:

It must have been made in heaven.