Guardian Cartoons.
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Technorati tags: anti-war; Iraq; incurable_hippie; cartoon.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Trial and Error.
Whoever it was who found hippie blog by clicking on the Number One search result for how to subtly offend a hippie has probably worked out how to do it now. I'm not feeling very sense of humour-ful today for some reason.
Anyway... this story is incredibly scary. I heard on the news last night that 6 men were seriously ill in hospital after taking part in a trial of a new anti-inflammatory drug. Shit, I thought, If six of them are in hospital that suggests it's not an obscure allergic reaction. Then later I heard that there were only 8 people in the trial. Shit, I thought, if 6 out of the 8 people who were in the trial were so ill (like, multiple organ failure, intensive care type of ill) then something has gone really wrong. Then, later still, I heard that 2 of the 8 men in the trial had had placebos (and were fine...).
So basically, the only 6 men to have taken this trial drug have become really ill.
When I was at Uni, several of my friends regularly took part of medical trials and testings to get a £few, and while people knew it was a bit risky, it was generally thought that by the time anyone actually swallows anything, it would be as safe as it can be. Makes you wonder, and clearly others are concerned, too.
Something has gone horribly wrong in this London trial yesterday. I don't think we know yet whether this was a horrendous accident that noone could have predicted, or whether there has been a big mistake made somewhere. I guess time will tell, and am hoping they all are ok soon.
Anyway... this story is incredibly scary. I heard on the news last night that 6 men were seriously ill in hospital after taking part in a trial of a new anti-inflammatory drug. Shit, I thought, If six of them are in hospital that suggests it's not an obscure allergic reaction. Then later I heard that there were only 8 people in the trial. Shit, I thought, if 6 out of the 8 people who were in the trial were so ill (like, multiple organ failure, intensive care type of ill) then something has gone really wrong. Then, later still, I heard that 2 of the 8 men in the trial had had placebos (and were fine...).
So basically, the only 6 men to have taken this trial drug have become really ill.
The young men were being paid to take part in the early stages of a trial for the drug TGN1412 which is designed to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and leukaemia.
But within hours of taking it on Monday, six volunteers had to be admitted to intensive care - a further two had been given a placebo.
Northwick Park Hospital's intensive care director Ganesh Suntharalingam said two were in a critical condition, and the other four were serious but showing some signs of improvement.
He added his team had been doing everything possible in this "unique set of circumstances".
"The drug, which is untested and therefore unused by doctors, has caused an inflammatory response which affects some organs of the body," he said.
Ms Marshall, 35, whose boyfriend is critically ill, said the normally healthy 28-year-old barman's face was so puffed, he "looks like the Elephant Man".
She said: "His friends cannot even face seeing him. I have to stay there because I'm looking beyond all the wires and the puffiness.
"This is not leukaemia, this is not pneumonia, this is not something they know how to deal with." (Read more...)
When I was at Uni, several of my friends regularly took part of medical trials and testings to get a £few, and while people knew it was a bit risky, it was generally thought that by the time anyone actually swallows anything, it would be as safe as it can be. Makes you wonder, and clearly others are concerned, too.
Something has gone horribly wrong in this London trial yesterday. I don't think we know yet whether this was a horrendous accident that noone could have predicted, or whether there has been a big mistake made somewhere. I guess time will tell, and am hoping they all are ok soon.
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Technorati tags: referral links; drug trials; incurable_hippie; medical ethics.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Round-Up
Lately, I...
Am Reading
- We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver
- The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals and More
- Art Escapes, by Dory Kanter
Am Sad About
- Lots of lovely people dying
- Period pain
- Other people's sadness
- My state of mind
Am Giggling At
- Clips from old News Quiz
- www.questionswap.com
- Animations I hadn't watched for ages
Am Listening To
- Nina Simone
- Tom Lehrer in Concert
- BBC Radio Four
- Feist - Let It Die
- Louise Attaque
Am Creating
- Artist Trading Cards, such as ---> this one: Blues
Am Reading
- We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver
- The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals and More
- Art Escapes, by Dory Kanter
Am Sad About
- Lots of lovely people dying
- Period pain
- Other people's sadness
- My state of mind
Am Giggling At
- Clips from old News Quiz
- www.questionswap.com
- Animations I hadn't watched for ages
Am Listening To
- Nina Simone
- Tom Lehrer in Concert
- BBC Radio Four
- Feist - Let It Die
- Louise Attaque
Am Creating
- Artist Trading Cards, such as ---> this one: Blues
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Technorati tags: lists; books; incurable_hippie; music; ATCs.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Shaddapayaface!
Having not heard it for probably twenty years, in the last few days I have heard it twice. I hope to hear it again, as I adored it as a (very little) child. It was apparently by Joe Dolce, and it went something like this:
Why is it funny? Why does it make me laugh? I have no idea. It has been Australia's highest selling single for 25 years.
Not only can you hear it again, you can even watch a video of him singing it. Go awwn, you know you want to! Full lyrics here.
Ahhh, I love the internet!
What'sa matta you, hey!
Gotta no respect, whatta you think you do,
Why you looka so sad? It's-a not so bad, it's-a nice-a place,
Ah, shaddap you face!
Why is it funny? Why does it make me laugh? I have no idea. It has been Australia's highest selling single for 25 years.
Not only can you hear it again, you can even watch a video of him singing it. Go awwn, you know you want to! Full lyrics here.
Ahhh, I love the internet!
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Technorati tags: music video; 80s music; incurable_hippie; Joe Dolce.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Time for More Health Awareness.
This week is Endometriosis Awareness Week. A group of women have held a communal screaming event (oh yes!) outside Parliament, to give people an idea of the pain caused to so many women by endometriosis.
Two years ago, for National Endometriosis Awareness Day, I wrote the following.
WOMEN SCREAM FOR HELP IN DISEASE FIGHT
By Ben Pindar, Community Newswire
HEALTH Scream London, 06 Mar 2006 - 08:39
A group of women were today gathering outside Parliament to scream for better funding and increased awareness about an incurable crippling disease affecting two million women across the UK.
The communal scream has been organised by the National Endometriosis Society and following the event the women will march on Downing Street to hand over a 12,000-signature petition to Tony Blair.
Organisers are staging the event to mark the launch of Endometriosis Awareness Week and the publication of a major new study which shows women with the condition face misdiagnosis, ignorance and misunderstanding.
Endometriosis is a condition where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb are found outside it which can create painful inflammation, adhesions and cysts.
A total of 89% of British sufferers experience pain throughout their monthly cycle with the average pain lasting 14 days a month. Of those in employment with the condition, 80% lose an average 5.7 days a month.
The new poll being published today reveals women have to wait an average of 11 years to get a correct diagnosis after the initial onset of pain.
Leading artist Adelaide Damoah was leading the demonstration outside the Houses of Commons today and everybody was screaming in unison to represent the almost continual pain some women endure as part of their daily lives.
The National Endometriosis Society wants increased funding for research into the disease and also wants the Government to help raise awareness about the suffering the condition can cause.
Robert Music, chief executive of the National Endometriosis Society, said: "The communal scream event is indicative of the pain each of these women has to endure but also demonstrates their frustration at a lack of funding and action from the Government.
"Their needs to be a lot more research into this condition and the impact it has peoples lives but this can only be achieved if the Government increases current funding levels.
"The funding received by researchers investigating this disease is very small but it is obviously incredibly important that more is done.
"Awareness of the condition also needs to be dramatically increased as a lot of symptoms go unnoticed.
"We need a three year awareness campaign at the very least so we can reach all women and ensure everything is being done to beat this condition."
At present there is no cure for endometriosis, with most patients treated through medication. For many, a range of alternative and complementary therapies have also delivered some degree of success in alleviating symptoms and pain.
Women with endometriosis or those wanting more information about the disease can contact the National Endometriosis Society via the helpline on 0808 808 2227 or through the website at endo.org.uk
Two years ago, for National Endometriosis Awareness Day, I wrote the following.
National Endometriosis Awareness Day
The National Endometriosis Society tell me that today is National Endometriosis Awareness Day which I had not known. Unfortunately I have been super-aware of this disease the last few days because of the agony and misery it has been bringing me.
Every Part of My Body Hurt is not only a very apt description of the disease, but also a challenging article about one woman's experiences of endometriosis, diagnosis, treatment, and not recovering, but taking control of her treatment options. (Read more...)
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Technorati tags: endometriosis; menstruation; incurable_hippie; awareness campaign.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Artist Trading Card.
Sunny Afternoon.
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Technorati tags: ATCs; artist trading cards; incurable_hippie; glass painting; art & craft; handmade.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Stop Selling Women's Bodies.
It is estimated that the number of women being trafficked into Germany to be used as prostitutes will increase massively in the run-up to the World Cup there in June. This is an appalling indictment of a European country's treatment of women - indicated, however, by the fact that brothels are legal there. Legitimising sexual exploitation of women and girls in this way suggests already a poor view of, and abusive treatment of women.
With the expected influx of mainly male football supporters, it looks likely that there will be an increase in 'demand' which can only be met through trafficking women from other countries. This trade in, and selling of women's bodies must be stopped, and the European Women's Lobby have set up a petition you can sign.
The text of the petition is:
And you can sign it here. Please do so!
With the expected influx of mainly male football supporters, it looks likely that there will be an increase in 'demand' which can only be met through trafficking women from other countries. This trade in, and selling of women's bodies must be stopped, and the European Women's Lobby have set up a petition you can sign.
The text of the petition is:
800,000 people are trafficked across borders every year
90% are women and girls.
The majority are sexually exploited.
Dear President Barroso,
Thousands of women and girls will be trafficked into Germany for prostitution during the World Cup.
I urge you as President of the European Commission to take action, in cooperation with EU countries, to stop this crime.
Celebrate the World Cup.
Fight sexual slavery.
And you can sign it here. Please do so!
Prostitution during World Cup is a whole new ball game.
From Melanie Haape in Berlin
GERMAN cities are building mobile brothels and installing huge numbers of condom dispensers in the run-up to an expected boom in the sex business during the upcoming World Cup.
It’s thought up to 40,000 prostitutes will be brought into the country to augment the thousands already at work to service the needs of some of the estimated seven million chiefly male fans as they pour into the country from June 9.
Meanwhile, women’s activist groups have seized the occasion to highlight the problem of human trafficking and forced prostitution, especially of girls from eastern and central Europe.
Justice officials hotly dispute the 40,000 figure, however. Munich central police’s Andreas Ruch reckons it’s “been plucked from the air”.
“We know from the Oktoberfest, which has six million visitors, that the number of prostitutes increases, but we honestly don’t expect a mass invasion.”
Germany legalised prostitution in 2002, and the Bavarian capital has 500 registered sex workers. Ruch estimates that there are an extra 200 illegally plying their trade. “We expect the number to perhaps double during the World Cup, and while we do see the number of those coming from eastern Europe growing, this is a general tendency in many professions,” he said.
Berlin, which has up to 8000 registered prostitutes, is gearing up for strict controls during the tournament, said criminal department spokeswoman Kerstin Menzel.
“During big sports events in the past, we haven’t seen a major upsurge in prostitution-related criminality, but we are definitely putting in stronger controls in certain areas of the city which we know are troublesome. We’re also working with non-government organisations,” she said, adding that she couldn’t imagine that as many as 40,000 extra prostitutes would flood the city.
Nevertheless, to augment the city’s existing array of bordellos, three train stops from the main Berlin stadium a new structure covering 3000 square metres is being built to accommodate 640 customers at a time. Cologne has also built provisional brothels, and Dortmund plans to follow suit.
Hamburg’s famous Reeperbahn red-light district, meanwhile, hopes to use the World Cup to polish up its tatty image with its campaign “fairness in sex”. Brothels are co-operating in a plan to reduce complaints against dishonest money-grabbing practices on the part of the prostitutes.
There is no central strategy to control the problem of girls being smuggled into the country, or brought in under false pretences and then forced to offer sex-related services. Instead, each of the 16 states (Länder) is responsible for its own law enforcement. This is not enough for the Deutscher Frauenrat, the national women’s council which represents more than 50 women’s organisations nationwide.
A spokeswoman said: “After seeking role models and support for our campaign among the entire German football team, so far we have managed to get support only from Jens Lehmann who is also goalkeeper for the English club Arsenal. Others like Oliver Kahn have stayed silent, so we’re not only disappointed but really angry.” The council’s pleas to the football stars stated that as an example for many men, the stars’ word sometimes counts more than that of politicians.
“Therefore we ask you to state publicly that ‘real’ men are against human trafficking and forced prostitution,” wrote council head Henny Engels.
The EU has the issue on the agenda for its plenary session starting on March 13, said Anna Wittenberg, assistant to European Parliament member Lissy Gröner, also on the Women’s Committee in the EU. Wittenberg added that Germany’s state heads and police are now being pushed to improve controls on visa issuing, for example.
The European parliament reckons that almost 90% of the 500,000 people smuggled illegally into the EU are trapped into sexual exploitation. Hungarian translator Nico Anastasio, who has assisted in a number of trafficking cases , said: “The problem is that they seldom report their abuse as they are usually here illegally .”
26 February 2006
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Technorati tags: trafficking; women; incurable_hippie; prostitution; feminism; women's rights; football; World Cup.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Self-Injury Awareness Day
Today, as every 1st March, is Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD). That makes two entries about self-harm this week, which was entirely unintentional - I have only just remembered it is SIAD, and I remembered it with an out loud 'DAMN' because I and others are always planning to organise some kind of media awareness campaign, and always, *always* forget the day is approaching.
As we did, it seems, this year!
So, please be aware of self-harm. Many many people do it, for many many reasons. I wrote an awful lot about it here, if you want to know more, and I wrote very recently about it here on hippie blog, more specifically in terms of receiving medical treatment in the context of being someone who self-injures.
There are also millions of websites on the subject from all over the world. You'd be amazed how many people do, or have done something on the spectrum of self-injury at some point, and how many do so repeatedly.
It's not all about slashing yourself open - it can be about getting so drunk you become ill, or depriving yourself of sleep, or punching a wall when you're angry, or not caring to check when you are about to cross a road.
It is an important thing to be aware of - in yourself, your friends and family, and in the world. Not only self-harm as an issue, but the things in the world around us that can lead someone to do what can initially appear to be an entirely counter-productive thing. There's a long, long way to go before we have made the world we live in a nice place to be for everyone, before we have made it a place where the people who live in it have no reason to want to hurt themselves at all.
Self-Injury Awareness Day, 1st March 2006.
As we did, it seems, this year!
So, please be aware of self-harm. Many many people do it, for many many reasons. I wrote an awful lot about it here, if you want to know more, and I wrote very recently about it here on hippie blog, more specifically in terms of receiving medical treatment in the context of being someone who self-injures.
There are also millions of websites on the subject from all over the world. You'd be amazed how many people do, or have done something on the spectrum of self-injury at some point, and how many do so repeatedly.
It's not all about slashing yourself open - it can be about getting so drunk you become ill, or depriving yourself of sleep, or punching a wall when you're angry, or not caring to check when you are about to cross a road.
It is an important thing to be aware of - in yourself, your friends and family, and in the world. Not only self-harm as an issue, but the things in the world around us that can lead someone to do what can initially appear to be an entirely counter-productive thing. There's a long, long way to go before we have made the world we live in a nice place to be for everyone, before we have made it a place where the people who live in it have no reason to want to hurt themselves at all.
Self-Injury Awareness Day, 1st March 2006.
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Technorati tags: self-harm; self-injury; incurable_hippie; SIAD.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
I am gutted :-(
Linda Smith has died. She was truly one of the funniest people ever. When she was on News Quiz you just knew it would be a great show. I listen and laugh again and again to her singing Psycho Killer to the tune of Save my Love on Clue. She had streaks of comedy genius and I am so, so desperately sad that she has died.
She apparently had ovarian cancer which was diagnosed 3.5 years ago. It was never 'announced', though friends knew about it. Jeremy Hardy was on PM earlier, talking about Linda and he sounded devastated. Friends and online people I have told about Linda's death are all stunned, as am I.
She had an amazing talent for being funny, one which could truly actually cheer me up from dreadful states. She was clever, witty, quick, intelligent, friendly and just amazing.
Rest in Peace, Linda.
Radio comedian Linda Smith dies.
She apparently had ovarian cancer which was diagnosed 3.5 years ago. It was never 'announced', though friends knew about it. Jeremy Hardy was on PM earlier, talking about Linda and he sounded devastated. Friends and online people I have told about Linda's death are all stunned, as am I.
She had an amazing talent for being funny, one which could truly actually cheer me up from dreadful states. She was clever, witty, quick, intelligent, friendly and just amazing.
Rest in Peace, Linda.
Radio comedian Linda Smith dies.
Comic Linda Smith, a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, has died of cancer at the age of 48.
The writer and broadcaster was a staple of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and BBC Radio, whose listeners voted her "Wittiest Person" in 2002.
She made frequent appearances on Just A Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, as well as the TV shows Have I Got News For You, Room 101 and Mock the Week.
Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer said her passing was "a terrible loss".
"Linda was a Radio 4 giant," he added. "She generated an energy and warmth in every programme she ever did that made her fellow comedians and millions of listeners love her."
News Quiz regular Jeremy Hardy paid an emotional tribute, calling her "the wittiest and brightest person working on TV or radio panel games".
Linda Smith with Ian Hislop
Her many TV credits include Have I Got News For You
"It was impossible to be in her company for more than a few minutes without laughing," he continued.
"Even when she was very ill, she had her friends laughing and feeling uplifted despite our sadness.
"I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful friend."
Ms Smith, who is survived by her partner Warren Lakin, had been ill for some time and died on Monday.
A special tribute edition of the News Quiz will be broadcast on Friday at 1830 GMT, presented by her fellow panellist Andy Hamilton.
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Technorati tags: BBC Radio 4; linda smith; incurable_hippie; obituary.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Self-Harm and Medical Treatment
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), in 2004 issued some guidelines on
These include instructions such as,
There is an awful lot of info in the report, but some of the pertinent points I have listed above.
I have heard endless stories of people in A&E being refused stitches to a self-injury cut, on the basis that 'You've got so many scars already, one more won't make a difference', or 'There's no point - you'll only do it again'. Similarly with people who have been refused anaesthetic before being stitched or having other painful treatments.
These situations appall me. People who have caused their own injuries deserve just as good (physical and psychological) care as those whose injuries were accidental or caused by others. People do not self-harm for no reason - it almost always occurs within a context of intense distress and desperation, and can frequently prevent the person from further harm (for example, suicide attempts) by releasing some of the pressure before it boils over.
People who need treatment for self-harm injuries are likely to be feeling dreadful, full of their own inner guilt for needing treatment, and very possibly feeling quite vulnerable. They do not need doctors or nurses or ambulance staff to reinforce their own feelings of self-hatred or to imply that they are wasting people's time.
I cannot talk for everyone who self-harms, and I also do not want to downplay the incredible sensitive and appropriate treatment offered by many medical staff. There are people who self-harm who won't relate at all to what I say, and there are doctors, nurses and ambulance staff who do brilliant work. There's no doubt about that.
However some people are treated appallingly, and this only leads to the person who has self-harmed to feel even worse about themselves, and further self-harm feels more appealing because they have had all their worst fears and feelings confirmed.
So, where am I going with this?
Well, there are cases of blatantly bad treatment (being refused stitches when they are needed, not using local anaesthetic where it normally would be used, derogatory comments by staff etc.), and these are easy to criticise. But there are also many, many occasions when someone who has self-harmed gets bad-mediocre treatment, but it is hard to know what the motivation behind the not-really-caring is.
I needed treatment the last couple of weeks for a burn. I went to a GP, who asked the Practice Nurse to dress it. The nurse's treatment was, well, lukewarm to say the least. She dressed the burn very badly - using inadequate dressings and suggested no follow-up at all. I needed to go back 2 days later because of the state of the dressing and the injury and although she dressed the injury better than the first time, it was still very careless, unnecessarily painful and there was no plan for follow-up again.
I came out of both of these encounters very upset, especially the second one. I was spinning between 'I deserve better treatment than this' and 'Why on earth should I expect decent treatment? It's my own stupid fault anyway'. On top of that, I really didn't know whether the nurse didn't treat me well because my injury was self-inflicted, or whether she was actually just quite incompetent and not very interested in general.
I still don't know the answer to that, but the following week I saw a different nurse at the practice, who dealt with my injury competently, and was actually nice to me. It made a huge difference to how I felt when I left the surgery. I didn't feel full of self-hatred, full of self-loathing, full of self-directed anger.
I have that age-old double standard. I believe, without a doubt, that people who have self-harmed deserve and require treatment which is as good as people who have injuries which were accidental or caused by someone else. However, when it's *me*, I of course don't deserve a single nice word or a dressing which actually deals adequately with the wound. I am stupid and a waste of time, though noone else is!
I really don't know if I got sub-standard treatment because the nurse wasn't up to speed on burn dressings, or on 'bedside' manner, or whether it was because she didn't want to deal with a self-inflicted injury, or didn't think it deserved time and treatment, or indeed deal with someone who could self-injure.
All I know is that I came out of the appointment with the second nurse feeling much more positive and capable and listened to. I'm no expert on dressings, but even I knew that the first two were inadequate. I came out of those appointments feeling disgusting and loathsome.
I do believe that in terms of avoiding future self-harm, feeling positive and capable and listened to is certainly a better place to start!
The short-term physical and psychological management and secondary prevention of self-harm in primary and secondary care
These include instructions such as,
People who have self-harmed should be treated with the
same care, respect and privacy as any patient. In addition,
healthcare professionals should take full account of the
likely distress associated with self-harm.
[...]
•
If a person who has self-harmed has to wait for treatment,
he or she should be offered an environment that is safe,
supportive and minimises any distress. For many patients,
this may be a separate, quiet room with supervision and
regular contact with a named member of staff to ensure
safety.
[...]
•
Always treat people with care and respect.
[...]
•
Take full account of the likely distress associated with
self-harm.
•
Offer the choice of male or female staff for assessment and
treatment. If it is not possible to give people a choice, explain
why and write it in their notes.
•
Always ask the service user to explain in their own words why
they have self-harmed. Remember, when people
self-harm often, the reason for each act may be different on
each occasion; don’t assume it’s done for the same reasons.
•
Involve the service user in clinical decision-making and provide
information about treatment options.
[...]
•
Always offer necessary physical treatments even if the person
doesn’t want psychosocial or psychiatric assessment.
•
Always use proper anaesthesia and/or analgesia if treatment
for self-injury is painful.
•
Offer sedation if treatment may evoke distressing memories
of previous sexual abuse, such as when repairing harm to the
genital area.
[...]
• Don’t delay treatment because it is self-inflicted.
There is an awful lot of info in the report, but some of the pertinent points I have listed above.
I have heard endless stories of people in A&E being refused stitches to a self-injury cut, on the basis that 'You've got so many scars already, one more won't make a difference', or 'There's no point - you'll only do it again'. Similarly with people who have been refused anaesthetic before being stitched or having other painful treatments.
These situations appall me. People who have caused their own injuries deserve just as good (physical and psychological) care as those whose injuries were accidental or caused by others. People do not self-harm for no reason - it almost always occurs within a context of intense distress and desperation, and can frequently prevent the person from further harm (for example, suicide attempts) by releasing some of the pressure before it boils over.
People who need treatment for self-harm injuries are likely to be feeling dreadful, full of their own inner guilt for needing treatment, and very possibly feeling quite vulnerable. They do not need doctors or nurses or ambulance staff to reinforce their own feelings of self-hatred or to imply that they are wasting people's time.
I cannot talk for everyone who self-harms, and I also do not want to downplay the incredible sensitive and appropriate treatment offered by many medical staff. There are people who self-harm who won't relate at all to what I say, and there are doctors, nurses and ambulance staff who do brilliant work. There's no doubt about that.
However some people are treated appallingly, and this only leads to the person who has self-harmed to feel even worse about themselves, and further self-harm feels more appealing because they have had all their worst fears and feelings confirmed.
So, where am I going with this?
Well, there are cases of blatantly bad treatment (being refused stitches when they are needed, not using local anaesthetic where it normally would be used, derogatory comments by staff etc.), and these are easy to criticise. But there are also many, many occasions when someone who has self-harmed gets bad-mediocre treatment, but it is hard to know what the motivation behind the not-really-caring is.
I needed treatment the last couple of weeks for a burn. I went to a GP, who asked the Practice Nurse to dress it. The nurse's treatment was, well, lukewarm to say the least. She dressed the burn very badly - using inadequate dressings and suggested no follow-up at all. I needed to go back 2 days later because of the state of the dressing and the injury and although she dressed the injury better than the first time, it was still very careless, unnecessarily painful and there was no plan for follow-up again.
I came out of both of these encounters very upset, especially the second one. I was spinning between 'I deserve better treatment than this' and 'Why on earth should I expect decent treatment? It's my own stupid fault anyway'. On top of that, I really didn't know whether the nurse didn't treat me well because my injury was self-inflicted, or whether she was actually just quite incompetent and not very interested in general.
I still don't know the answer to that, but the following week I saw a different nurse at the practice, who dealt with my injury competently, and was actually nice to me. It made a huge difference to how I felt when I left the surgery. I didn't feel full of self-hatred, full of self-loathing, full of self-directed anger.
I have that age-old double standard. I believe, without a doubt, that people who have self-harmed deserve and require treatment which is as good as people who have injuries which were accidental or caused by someone else. However, when it's *me*, I of course don't deserve a single nice word or a dressing which actually deals adequately with the wound. I am stupid and a waste of time, though noone else is!
I really don't know if I got sub-standard treatment because the nurse wasn't up to speed on burn dressings, or on 'bedside' manner, or whether it was because she didn't want to deal with a self-inflicted injury, or didn't think it deserved time and treatment, or indeed deal with someone who could self-injure.
All I know is that I came out of the appointment with the second nurse feeling much more positive and capable and listened to. I'm no expert on dressings, but even I knew that the first two were inadequate. I came out of those appointments feeling disgusting and loathsome.
I do believe that in terms of avoiding future self-harm, feeling positive and capable and listened to is certainly a better place to start!
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Technorati tags: self-harm; self-injury; incurable_hippie; nurses.
Hyacinths
This year I have grown hyacinths from bulbs. This is one of them. You can smell them all round the house and they are beautiful and amazing!
Am mainly quite stunned that I was capable of aiding the creation and blooming of such magical flowers.
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Technorati tags: hyacinths; flowers; incurable_hippie; house plants.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Big & Greedy.
17/2/06 - British Gas today announced a 22% rise in gas and electricity prices, making the company the most expensive energy supplier in the UK.
23/2.06 - British Gas owner Centrica posts £1.5bn profit.
If only I didn't owe them money, I'd be running as fast as I could awaaay.
23/2.06 - British Gas owner Centrica posts £1.5bn profit.
If only I didn't owe them money, I'd be running as fast as I could awaaay.
---
incurable_hippie.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
The Ultimate Body Fascism?
I dreamt that myself and two other women - one of whom looked like Fiz off Coronation Street, the other who kind of resembled Katie Holmes - were setting up The Ultimate Diet website.
The gist was that the three of us followed a general low-fat diet, and then that readers of the site all sent in their diet tips. Each of us would follow one tip faithfully for a week, and then we could assess the tip by the weight loss / gain at the end of the week. Through doing this over a long period of time, we would develop the unfailing, indisputable Ultimate Diet.
I dread to think what exactly in the depths of my brain surfaced to concoct that particular sequence, but though it was a perfect idea in the dream, I have been worrying about the millions of possible stumbling blocks ever since waking. Not least people sending in tips like, Eat horse tails daily or stand on your head for two hours a day or even do Atkins!. *SHuDDeR*.
I don't know why I'm worrying about the consequences of being part of this site, given that, well, I'm not! It doesn't exist, and neither do the two other women I dreamt up. But it is disturbing me in that way that only a fucked-up dream can.
So instead, I say Women, enjoy your body, enjoy your weight, enjoy your food. Move, eat, taste, love. Fuck diets.
The gist was that the three of us followed a general low-fat diet, and then that readers of the site all sent in their diet tips. Each of us would follow one tip faithfully for a week, and then we could assess the tip by the weight loss / gain at the end of the week. Through doing this over a long period of time, we would develop the unfailing, indisputable Ultimate Diet.
I dread to think what exactly in the depths of my brain surfaced to concoct that particular sequence, but though it was a perfect idea in the dream, I have been worrying about the millions of possible stumbling blocks ever since waking. Not least people sending in tips like, Eat horse tails daily or stand on your head for two hours a day or even do Atkins!. *SHuDDeR*.
I don't know why I'm worrying about the consequences of being part of this site, given that, well, I'm not! It doesn't exist, and neither do the two other women I dreamt up. But it is disturbing me in that way that only a fucked-up dream can.
So instead, I say Women, enjoy your body, enjoy your weight, enjoy your food. Move, eat, taste, love. Fuck diets.
- Good books:
- The Forbidden Body: Why Being Fat Is Not a Sin
by Shelley Bovey
- The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women
by Naomi Wolf
- Susie Orbach on Eating
---
Technorati tags: dreams; diets; incurable_hippie; body positive.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Missing Dad...
My Dad should have turned 60 today. The pain of that knowledge is almost unbearable.
We should have been celebrating, I should have made him a card, I should have chosen a present, I should be calling this evening to wish him a Happy Birthday, he should be finally allowed to retire.
It feels dreadful, I've already had several uncontrollable crying fits and my whole body and mind ache for my loss of him, and his loss of life.
We should have been celebrating, I should have made him a card, I should have chosen a present, I should be calling this evening to wish him a Happy Birthday, he should be finally allowed to retire.
It feels dreadful, I've already had several uncontrollable crying fits and my whole body and mind ache for my loss of him, and his loss of life.
---
Technorati tags: grief; bereavement; incurable_hippie; anniversaries.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Amazing Art and Craft Links.
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs):
Art in Your Pocket.
Small Canvases.
Book-Making, Altered Books:
Altered Board Book Tutorial
Altered Book Arts
Altered Books
Altered Books Gallery
Altered Books webcam
Altered Book Workshop
Hand Bookbinding.
The Highcroft Lifebook Project.
ISABA
Make a Mini Altered Book
Shoe-string Publishing
Tera Leigh Altered Books
How-tos:
Handmade Background Stamp Tutorial.
Lisa Vollrath How-To Articles (loads, on all sorts of subjects).
Make Your Own Craft Supplies
Try It! Tutorials
Images:
Free Video Clips from the BBC
Free Watercolour Backgrounds.
Google Image Search.
Image Transfers.
Public Domain Images.
typoGenerator
Vintage Resources.
Inspiration:
Anonyrrie
art-e-zine
Caro's Lines
The Crafty Girl
Creative Collage
Found Art
INKEDblog
Mixed Media Memoirs
My Topography
Planet Sark
Teesha's Handbound Journals
Miscellaneous:
Etsy.com - buy and sell all things handmade.
Pencil Carving Gallery.
Papercrafts:
Collage Techniques
Make Paper Toys!
Stamping:
Stamp-a-Dream video demos.
Thread:
Learn to Knit free online videos.
How To Use A Knitting Spool (or French Knitting, or a Knitting Nancy)
String Art Designs.
Updated 19/2/06
Art in Your Pocket.
Small Canvases.
Book-Making, Altered Books:
Altered Board Book Tutorial
Altered Book Arts
Altered Books
Altered Books Gallery
Altered Books webcam
Altered Book Workshop
Hand Bookbinding.
The Highcroft Lifebook Project.
ISABA
Make a Mini Altered Book
Shoe-string Publishing
Tera Leigh Altered Books
How-tos:
Handmade Background Stamp Tutorial.
Lisa Vollrath How-To Articles (loads, on all sorts of subjects).
Make Your Own Craft Supplies
Try It! Tutorials
Images:
Free Video Clips from the BBC
Free Watercolour Backgrounds.
Google Image Search.
Image Transfers.
Public Domain Images.
typoGenerator
Vintage Resources.
Inspiration:
Anonyrrie
art-e-zine
Caro's Lines
The Crafty Girl
Creative Collage
Found Art
INKEDblog
Mixed Media Memoirs
My Topography
Planet Sark
Teesha's Handbound Journals
Miscellaneous:
Etsy.com - buy and sell all things handmade.
Pencil Carving Gallery.
Papercrafts:
Collage Techniques
Make Paper Toys!
Stamping:
Stamp-a-Dream video demos.
Thread:
Learn to Knit free online videos.
How To Use A Knitting Spool (or French Knitting, or a Knitting Nancy)
String Art Designs.
Updated 19/2/06
---
Technorati tags: Art; craft; incurable_hippie; inspiration; art techniques; creativity.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Vicious Videos, Stop the War.
Video footage has been released, showing British troops battering four young Iraqi men. It is really awful, as is the glee in the voice of the man who filmed the attacks.
Tony Blair has said,
He also said that the "overwhelming majority" of British troops stationed in Iraq behave properly, doing "a great job for our country and the wider world."
But what does that mean? When we train people to kill and maim other people, to aim bombs and guns at the Other (colour, race, religion, sex...), how can we ever be surprised when things like this happen?
Why is it ok for these soldiers to point a gun and shoot on one occasion, and not ok for them to to kick on another? Why is it ok for them to drop a bomb on a house, and not ok for them to film it and laugh?
The government needs to see that when you have an army following their orders and attacking a country, you can't then have any kind of moral superiority when events like this happen.
What these soldiers did on this video was appalling, absolutely reprehensible. But what right has Tony Blair to criticise them when he's sanctioned and ordered that they commit mass, mass murder in the same country, against the same people?
Riverbend gives a harrowing report of a raid she experienced in Baghdad a few days ago, in her relatives' house. It is terrifying, and an example of the government-approved army actions.
When you train men to kill, they may well kill. When you train them to be vicious, they may well be vicious. You can't draw some kind of imaginary line in the sand, separating the OK killings and the NOT-OK killings, or the OK acts of vicious violence and the NOT-OK acts of vicious violence.
Stop the war now!
Tony Blair has said,
"we take seriously any allegations of mistreatment, and those will be investigated very fully indeed."
He also said that the "overwhelming majority" of British troops stationed in Iraq behave properly, doing "a great job for our country and the wider world."
But what does that mean? When we train people to kill and maim other people, to aim bombs and guns at the Other (colour, race, religion, sex...), how can we ever be surprised when things like this happen?
Why is it ok for these soldiers to point a gun and shoot on one occasion, and not ok for them to to kick on another? Why is it ok for them to drop a bomb on a house, and not ok for them to film it and laugh?
The government needs to see that when you have an army following their orders and attacking a country, you can't then have any kind of moral superiority when events like this happen.
What these soldiers did on this video was appalling, absolutely reprehensible. But what right has Tony Blair to criticise them when he's sanctioned and ordered that they commit mass, mass murder in the same country, against the same people?
Riverbend gives a harrowing report of a raid she experienced in Baghdad a few days ago, in her relatives' house. It is terrifying, and an example of the government-approved army actions.
When you train men to kill, they may well kill. When you train them to be vicious, they may well be vicious. You can't draw some kind of imaginary line in the sand, separating the OK killings and the NOT-OK killings, or the OK acts of vicious violence and the NOT-OK acts of vicious violence.
Stop the war now!
---
Technorati tags: anti-war; Iraq; incurable_hippie; peace anti-violence;.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Lately, I am mostly:
- Listening to:
- Feist - Let It Die
- Rai
- Crying about:
- Missing my Dad
- The state of the world
- Being in pain
- Laughing at:
- Radio 4 comedy
- My own ridiculousness
- Visiting:
- Sheffield Indymedia
- Vociferate
- White Dot
- GreasyPalm
- PostSecret
- Mixed Media Memoirs
- MoneySavingExpert
- Last.fm / audioscrobbler
- Getting pissed off at:
- Violence every-bloody-where
- Men running the world
- Depression ruining things as usual
- My new doctor being an idiot
- Bored of:
- Being depressed
- Weekends
- Weekdays
---
Technorati tags: lists; incurable_hippie.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Chilli Challenge...
Yesterday I planted 6 strawberry seedlings. This afternoon I have planted chilli, coriander, and various herb seeds, to germinate.
I am very excited - and also scared in case they all die. I have kept a houseplant alive for well over a year now (a personal record!) and not only is it still alive, it is about 10 times its original size (no exaggeration!) so I thought it was time to attempt to brave some foody plants.
If, in 6 or so months, I can eat one of my own home-grown strawberries, it will make me immensely happy! If I kill all the plants I will have lessons to learn.
I already know that I need to earn the lesson of 'balance' - like, do things gradually. Six seedlings and many types of seeds in one weekend could probably have been better done over a period of weeks. But no, the all-or-nothing parts of me are still fairly prevalent, though I'm better than I used to be.
You must see Top Ten Reasons Americans like their Cars so Big chez alas. You really, really must.
I am very excited - and also scared in case they all die. I have kept a houseplant alive for well over a year now (a personal record!) and not only is it still alive, it is about 10 times its original size (no exaggeration!) so I thought it was time to attempt to brave some foody plants.
If, in 6 or so months, I can eat one of my own home-grown strawberries, it will make me immensely happy! If I kill all the plants I will have lessons to learn.
I already know that I need to earn the lesson of 'balance' - like, do things gradually. Six seedlings and many types of seeds in one weekend could probably have been better done over a period of weeks. But no, the all-or-nothing parts of me are still fairly prevalent, though I'm better than I used to be.
You must see Top Ten Reasons Americans like their Cars so Big chez alas. You really, really must.
---
Technorati tags: strawberries; herbs; incurable_hippie; houseplants; anti-car; growing fruit.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Book Fairy, Artist Trading Card.
An ATC, made for the Book Fairy who sent me four amazing books yesterday.
(More of my ATCs here).
A night of insomnia meant I completed it, and learned to quill, too. It also means I feel rough, can't go to the Incapacity Benefit protest, and am in a vague daze of blurriness. Ah well.
Unfortunately for her, Z has been having similar lack-of-sleep issues. There must be something in the water.
(More of my ATCs here).
A night of insomnia meant I completed it, and learned to quill, too. It also means I feel rough, can't go to the Incapacity Benefit protest, and am in a vague daze of blurriness. Ah well.
Unfortunately for her, Z has been having similar lack-of-sleep issues. There must be something in the water.
---
Technorati tags: ATCs; Artist Trading Cards; incurable_hippie; fairy; insomnia; sleep; papercraft.
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