Articles written by Keith Redfern

What is Helium

About me - Keith Redfern

When I was young I was quiet and shy. Now I have a view about almost everything and Helium provides my ideal writing soapbox.

I am 65 and retired for the second time. My wife and I came from England to live in south west France four years ago and have absolutely

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Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Debate on the war in Iraq: 1 of 123
It may be that no-one will ever know for sure why George Bush decided it would be right to invade Iraq, or why Tony Blair supported him. But was it right? To answer this we need to consider salient facts.It was claimed that Saddam had a store of weapons of mass destruction, and that they posed a threat to the USA. However no ... More..
Other The world's funniest joke: 2 of 109
Dr Dreyfus was a brilliant scientist and a wonderful, inspiring lecturer. His students loved him. His university also loved him as the success of his department brought in huge financial contributions. In every respect his professional life was as good and as rewarding as it could be. But at home it was a different... More..
Home & Garden > Home & Garden (Other) Best things about spring: 1 of 40
Spring in the French Corbieres is a magical time, and there are so many good things about it, listing the best is quite a challenge.After the longest and hardest winter in living memory, we are welcoming the loss of a latent desire to hibernate which has pervaded our very being since November. In fact sheep farmers, even fu... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics Is committing suicide wrong: 3 of 107
It is not possible to answer yes or no to a question like this. There can be no absolute measure of rightness or wrongness for suicide.To decide to commit suicide a person must have reached a point of total desperation in their life, and it is not possible for another person to judge whether or not that decision is right. It ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Europe Should the US place missile defenses in Europe despite Russia's opposition?: 2 of 37
US missile defenses in Europe take us back to the cold war. I hope the world has moved on since then.Future generations will learn of a period following the Second 20th century World War when a dangerous stand off existed between the USA and the USSR. The very word communism caused a frisson of fear in every American heart, a... More..
Sciences > Atmosphere & Weather Which are deadlier: Hurricanes or tornadoes?: 1 of 18
Hurricanes are deadlier than tornadoes, but anyone who has experienced a tornado will need some convincing. It is largely a question of scale.So how are they different? They differ in the way they are formed and in the areas which they affect, but the chief difference is one of size.Hurricanes are intense tropical stor... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Should the government decide what preachers can say from the pulpit: 2 of 33
A title like this could only come out of the USA. I wonder what the response would be if it were to be reported that the Iranian Government controls all that Imans say in their mosques, or that Hugo Chavez controls all that Venezuelan priests can say to their congregations.This is a title flying blind out of paranoia. What re... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles Living a simple life: 6 of 96
To live simply is not to simply live. I used to hear this a lot from people I worked with. It summarises quite neatly the differences of opinion about what makes a life simple.Some would take this topic to extremes and think of a monk, dressed in one large, all-covering item of clothing, living in a cell furnished with the mo... More..
Sciences > Geology & Geophysics Understanding the three basic types of rock: 1 of 16
Rocks vary in several ways. Some are soft and crumbly - others are immensely hard and resistant. Some allow water to pass through them - others are totally impermeable. Some have crystals - others don't, and some form layers or strata - others don't.In these last two differences we can see the clues to a rock's origi... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Reasons not to believe in God: 14 of 188
The prime reason why not to believe in god is that god does not exist. I find it desperately sad that people cannot come to terms with the world and their life without needing an otherworldly supposed omnipotent being watching over them all the time.Another very good reason why not to believe in god is that it prevents us f... More..