Tomfoolery Blog

Archive for the ‘ten23’ Category

Arguments with homeopaths conducted on the Internet always seem to follow a certain pattern. Bill Fahber, a member of the 10²³ campaign, has summed it up beautifully in this chart:

Nice one Bill!

For me, an impressive part of the 10²³ campaign is the 1023.org.uk website. It is very well designed, with a neat little menu (which I assume is made with jquery). The background image gives a really nice flow and feel to the site.

In response, some homeopaths have got together and come up with 1023homeopathy.org.uk. It’s laughable in comparison, with very little thought put into it’s layout and function. It contains the usual homeopathic mumbo-jumbo, explaining that ‘homeopathy works on an energetic, vibrational level and the remedies help to stimulate the body’s own self-healing capacities’. Of course…

As promised, here is my follow up to the improvised video I did at the ten23 event in Liverpool. In this video, I look at the packaging of homeopathy, and how it adds to the placebo effect. Thanks to whoever took the bottle apart in the pub!

This is my first video shot at home, so I welcome any comments on how to improve. Having said that, I do know that the echo is no good, the joins are obvious and I say ‘so’ far too many times, but hey, I’m learning!

Also, if any homeopaths would like to comment (I’m thinking Dr Nancy) then please do, I don’t exercise censorship here!

Just before the ten23 event in Liverpool, I made a quick video about the homeopathic preparation I was about to swallow, ably assisted by Helen Wynne and Rachel Waller.

I’ve finished the video with the event itself, and the excellent speech by the founder of the ten23 campaign, Michael Marshall. Kudos to him!

Tabloid news coverage of the 10:23 campaign has been surprisingly extensive, with most of the nationals drawing attention to the campaign. Even the Daily Mail, the UK’s bastion of middle class unfounded fear showed at interest. However, they did manage to say that the NHS spends £4 BILLION on homeopathy per year, rather than the more accurate £4 million (read it here).

The Mail’s commenting system is very interesting too, with a mix of comments in support of and against homeopathy. I’ve met many who say their pro-science comments have been rejected, but I got mine through! Please read the article, and vote up my comment, if only to inflate my ego!

At 10:23am on January 30th 2010, people from all over the country protested against the high street chemist Boots selling homeopathic preparations. Hundreds of skeptics in Liverpool, Manchester, London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Brighton, Leicester, Southampton and Oxford each downed 84 pillules of 30C homeopathic preparations with no ill effect, showing that there is nothing in it.

I was fortunate enough to be involved in the Liverpool event. We had a fantastic day for it, and all were in high spirits. The event itself was over after thirty second, but the video and photographic records should stand to show the uselessness of homeopathy. After that we had an improvised ‘Skeptics in the Pub’, and my photos can be seen at the Merseyside Skeptics Society Facebook page.

I’ll have more on homeopathy in the next few days, including a video that Rachel Waller and Helen Wynne were kind enough to film for me.

Homeopathy, THERE’S NOTHING IN IT!