Thursday, October 16, 2008

If you want to know about truth, ask a quantum physicist

Physicists are, of course, rarely asked for sensible comments about anything. They make cameo appearances in the media where they are asked silly questions by journos who spend the time boasting about how little they understand science.

A pity. Here's the world according to the very quotable Neils Bohr, one of the founders of quantum mechanics.

You will note (this is an aside) how many of these quotes are actually statements of faith -- you need a lot of faith to get anywhere in quantum physics.

'Prediction is very difficult, especially concerning the future.'

'How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress. '

'The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth. '

'You are not thinking. You are merely being logical. '

I borrowed these quotes from here.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Spinning the Kingdom in new directions

I've really enjoyed this article, of which this is an extract:

There are no copies in creation, no cheap imitations. And this is not because God micromanages the world, but because God apparently loves freedom. God loves watching things grow. Is it any wonder that God enjoys cooperating with you and me to do his moral and spiritual work? Our choices, good and bad, constantly spin the Kingdom of Heaven in new and unforeseen directions. We are creative coworkers with the Almighty.

Friday, October 03, 2008

The drugs scandal

Some figures out today:

  • 202,000 people had therapy for drug use in England last year from 150,000 tax-payer-funded employers in 'drug action teams'
  • 7,300 people were discharged drug-free.
So:
  • This is a policy with a 96% failure rate.
  • We have 20 full-time members of a drug action team for every one person freed from drugs each year.
The UK's policy on drugs is so-called harm-reduction by parking heroin users (especially) on methodone prescriptions. The UK spends £250m a year on methodone and other similar drugs. Methodone is widely sold by methodone users.

Betel, the drug charity associated with the mission I work for, uses abstinence therapy rather than Methodone. In the UK, the tax payer only contributes Housing Benefit (which we are paying anyway). Betel currently has 0ver 1900 recovering addicts in communities in 75 cities across the world.