George Platen could not conceal the longing in his voice. It was too much to suppress. He said, “Tomorrow’s 1 May. Olympics!”
He rolled over on his stomach and peered over the foot of his bed at his roommate. Didn’t he feel it, too? Didn’t this make some impression on him? Read more…
This is an article which explores catastrophic failures of leadership and error in the history of the armed forces. I draw together verbatim quotations from Alan Clark’s book ‘The Donkeys’, and Anthony Babington’s ‘Capital Courts Martial 1914-18, The Truth’. Alan Clark was a British Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) and Anthony Babington was a former circuit judge. Whilst these esteemed critiques were authored into military history, they offer vital understandings and insights into the failures we are seeing in civilian life. Read more…
This piece of work although situated in the context of Mad Studies as an academic discipline, is part of work which extends beyond the boundaries of Mad Studies in all directions. These notes are partly a way of talking through various fragments and ideas in order to organise and coordinate a larger study which intersects class, community, gender culture and identity; it is work which is coordinated in a study I am calling ‘Sub-legal Violence’ as a working title. Read more…
This is an introductory analysis which looks at the impact and themes explored in the documentary film ‘Psychedelics in Scotland’ which challenges conceptions around Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and Cannabis as ‘agents of change’. The film presents a critical examination of our society, highlighting the systemic issues that manifest as spiritual and mental health challenges, particularly in drug-using communities. This summary aims to analyze the documentary’s key points it makes on the potential of psychedelic assisted therapy and the responsible use of cannabis as innovative approaches to addressing mental health concerns. Read more…
This is the fourth part of a review and digest of the work of Professor Arthur Deikman who studied cults and identified how certain everyday tendencies in humans can coalesce in cult behaviours. As someone who has spent his professional life examining cases of extreme cult indoctrination he is ideally placed to foster a discussion of cult like behaviours which are more common and distributed throughout our lives as human beings.
