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Friday 27 November 2015

IN DEFENCE OF ATHEISM by Ioana-Noemy Toma
















Dear Mr. Hoskyns,

I discovered today your blog,

through David Healy's blog, http://davidhealy.org/study-329-big-risk/ .
Congratulations for your attentive and courageous work on psychiatric abuses. Much is still to be done.

I noticed also that you are member in a Christian community.
As an aware terrestrial citizen, I want to warn you that religions are imperfect traditions,
that can dangerously mislead their followers. It is prudent to analyze rationally their contribution to the
human culture, in order to keep what is valid and to correct what is erroneous. 

The atheist communities are not perfect, but they are nevertheless the keepers of important evidence
for the human history, since Democritus and Lucretius
(http://classics.mit.edu/Carus/nature_things.html ) to Galilei, D'Holbach, Paine, Ravel
Hopefully, these rational proofs will be understood by all the humanity, allowing the progress
of comprehension and peace.

Hoping that these links will be useful to you and looking forward to your answer,
I wish to you all the best.

Sincerely,

Ioana-Noemy Toma







Dear Iona-Noemy,


Many thanks for your message.

I base my spiritual beliefs on a reasonable interpretation of the synoptic Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, since I believe that both St. John and St.Paul have a tendency to either misrepresent or distort Christ's teachings. Indeed, there is some evidence to suggest that Jesus may have been a grass roots anarchist!


If Jesus's teachings about the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 are to be believed then it is possible for atheists to be christian with a small c by performing good works and deeds and hence to achieve their 'Kingdom of Heaven' e.g,in their own lifetime, However..Christians with a large C who focus on faith rather than good deeds run the risk of being 'sent to Hell' e.g. at the Second Coming.


The important thing is to be decent to each other, and that's all that most reasonable religions are actually trying to say, albeit in highly convoluted ways.


I would agree that many churches effectively advocate evil by not condemning it, See for example my blog post


                                          THE CHRISTIAN LIE

          With all best wishes,

                                                    Tom Leonard

























Thursday 26 November 2015

DEBORAH MAYO: BAYESIAN DETRACTOR EXTRA-ORDINAIRE



                                                                         

                                                           
                                                                 DEBORAH MAYO


                                                        ERROR STATISTICS PHILOSOPHY

                                                     
                    ON THE BIRNBAUM ARGUMENT FOR THE STRONG LIKELIHOOD PRINCIPLE

                                                                       

                   Deborah Mayo and Michael Evans have both refuted Allan Birnbaum's celebrated 1962 proof that the Likelihood Principle is implied by the Sufficiency and Conditionality Principles,

                                              See     LIKELIHOOD PRINCIPLE

              and          A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BAYESIAN STATISTICS


Somewhat related:  STATISTICS AS A FORCE FOR MIND CONTROL

                                 

URSULA LE GUIN. PROTECTOR OF ECOLOGY

                                                                  WIKI

                                                                  WEBSITE

                                                         

 "Capitalism’s grow-or-die imperative stands radically at odds with ecology’s imperative of interdependence and limit. The two imperatives can no longer coexist with each other; nor can any society founded on the myth that they can be reconciled hope to survive. Either we will establish an ecological society or society will go under for everyone, irrespective of his or her status.... A capitalist economy, by definition, lives by growth; as Bookchin observes: “For capitalism to desist from its mindless expansion would be for it to commit social suicide.” We have essentially, chosen cancer as the model of our social system."-Ursula Le Guin.


      from                                     WHAT IS LEFT OF THE LEFT?


                                                                     





Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (US /ˈɜrsÉ™lÉ™ ËˆkroÊŠbÉ™r ləˈɡwɪn/;[1] born October 21, 1929) is an American author of novels, children's books, and short stories, mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. She has also written poetry and essays. First published in the 1960s, her work has often depicted futuristic or imaginary alternative worlds in politics,natural environment, gender, religion, sexuality and ethnography.
She influenced such Booker Prize winners and other writers as Salman Rushdie and David Mitchell – and notable futurism and fantasy writers including Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks.[2] She has won the Hugo AwardNebula AwardLocus Award, and World Fantasy Award, each more than once.[2][3] In 2014, she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.[4] Le Guin has resided in Portland, Oregon since 1959.[5]

                                                               BOOKS
                                                      


                                             SPEECH AT NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS

                                                           THE DISPOSSESSED


                                                                               


                                                             

Wednesday 25 November 2015

MRS, MOP'S SCHOOL FOR FURNITURE (in 100 words)


                                                                                               


                                             Mrs Mop's School for Furniture

                                              by Thomas Hoskyns Leonard


                                                                              



    "And who invented mitre joints and dovetails?"  asked Mrs, Mop.              (10 words)

    "The Venetians, of course," replied the upholstered armchair, somewhat snootily. (10 words)

    "Wrong," scowled Mrs, Mop, "Go and stand in the corner."             (10 words)

     "Sorry, Miss."                                                                                                    (2 words)

     "The ancient Egyptians," yelped the mahogany footstool, excitedly.                 (8 words)

     "Here's a liquorice-all-sort for you, Winston. And can anybody remember how many people were able to sleep in the Great Bed of Ware?"           (25 words)

       "Sixty-three," guessed the lamp standard.                                                           (6 words)

        "Don't be so silly, Rebecca, you've left yourself turned on for too long,"          (13 words)

        "Sixteen," replied the chamberpot, "and thirty rats."                                           (7 words)

         "It's the tawse for you," shrieked Mrs, Mop,                                                       (8 words)




                                                                               

                                                                       





THE FISH ROT FROM THE TOP DOWN (in 120 words)

                                                                                     
                                                                                       


           "So what's happening on Earth?" inquired the Crown Oligarch, Princess Natasha of Qinsatorix, thwacking her husband;s posterior with a dragon's whip.  (21 words)

           "The Duke of Edinburgh broke his neck on a waterslide and had to be destroyed," moaned Prince Hamlet of Denmark, lashing out at a dorgi-corgi, "and the Russians are bombing Ankara."

                                                                                                                    (32 words)

           "Goodie gumdrops! I'll tell the Imperial Chamberlain to super-carrion the Saudis another billion gold pieces, That should stir everything up."     (21 words)

            "Why don't you send the Brits a battle fleet of UFOs? It would be fun watching  them dominating their world again."       (21 words)

            "What a masterly way of trumping those dreadful Yanks! Aha! Here come the Sirens from Syracuse! Now for the Greek orgy and royal crotch kicking."  (24 words)

            "Not again! Aaaaaargh!!"                          (3 words).

Tuesday 24 November 2015

TRITHAGORAS AND RAINBOW GIRL (in 100 words)

                                                              Trithagoras and Rainbow Girl

                                                                by Thomas Hoskyns Leonard

                                                                                       


"So how do you dispose of the weak and vulnerable in Britain?" purred Ambassador Trithagoras, a blue cat-like felixian from the Planet Qinsatorix.   (24 words)

"We invite them to bijou cocktail parties," simpered Rainbow Girl, the Royal Shape-Shifter, twisting her platinum thong, "Then they're taken away in low loaders and incinerated." (27 words)

"How supercalifragilistic," gulped the ambassador, flicking his whiskers. "We throw them down the Venusian's yawning throat." (16 words)

"They suicided Auntie Rosalina with risperidol," smirked Rainbow Girl, stroking her antlers. "She protested too much."    (16 words)

"Great stu---," replied Trithagoras, as the IDS sanctioners fired three red-hot arrows into his corpulent belly.     (17 words)




THE THREE BRIDGES ON THE FIRTH



                                                          MORE COMING! I'm away there to lunch

Friday 20 November 2015

THOUGHTS AND EVENTS FOR THE WEEK (updated)

   
                                                                               


             I can't even remember what happened on Monday. On Tuesday afternoon, Thomas and I drove in our Toureg Volkswagen to South Queensferry for yet another meal in the Three Bridges Inn, with a great view, believe it or not of the three bridges across the Firth of Forth. I fancied the breaded haddock, with peas, mash, and two fried eggs on the side, while Thomas devoured a mound of pork and black pudding with a fried egg on top. We know how to get on really well nowadays (ever since my re-diagnoses with A.D.D.) in February by not talking too much. though I guess we talked quite a bit anyway, Then we dropped by the historic Cramond Inn for a coffee on the way back, and chose the table with just the right atmosphere, So I treated myself to a rare gin and slimline.


                                                                   

         When we got back to Edinburgh, Thomas was off to a choir rehearsal, He is hoping to play Hitler in a production in the Churchill Theatre in the Spring. And Scott and I were off for a meeting of the Edinburgh All Comer's Club in Sofi's bar in Leith

                                                                         

         Amanda convened the meeting, and James read his outstanding new poem

                                                   A Spot of Lunch

                                                   TO BE CONTINUED


Saturday 21st November. Resigned membership of Old Saint Paul's Scottish Episcopal Church giving no specific reason, I had regularly attended High Mass for 10 years.

Sunday 22nd November: Attended, new, much more pleasant church in Central Edinburgh, Not Scottish Episcopal Church,.



                                                                       

BROUGHTON, EDINBURGH



                                                                                                 

                                           

                                                         This is just by where I live




                                                                                 




                                                                           WIKI



                                                                           




                                                             EDINBURGH GUIDE








                                                             PAST AND PRESENT



                                                                                 




                                                            BROUGHTON YESTERDAY



                                                                           




                                                BROUGHTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY



                                                                                           


                                                   HOPETOUN CRESCENT GARDENS



                                                                                   


                                       
                                            THE BATTLE FOR BROUGHTON STREET


 
                                                                            MORE


                                                       THE WITCHES OF BROUGHTON



                                                                                   



                                          THE VILLAGE AND BARONY OF BROUGHTON
                                                                   




BEAUTIFUL WOMEN IN MY DREAMS














                                     FIVE TIPS TO UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES OF OUR DREAMS

                                                                    Thank you Maie Liiv !!

                                                                             

Wednesday 18 November 2015

President Kennedy's Speech: Secret Society Version




                                                                                             


                                                   Secret Society Version (Youtube video)

Tuesday 17 November 2015

A SPOT OF LUNCH (a poem by James L.S. Carter)


                                                           A SPOT OF LUNCH 

                                                           by James L.S.. Carter




                                                                                  



                                                                          



           There was mayonnaise on my bacon;
            red cabbage on my mayonnaise;
            ketchup on my bun.

            There was a ladybird on my lettuce;
             a polka dot on my lunch-table
             blood on my serviette.

             I could see the mayonnaise;
             taste the red cabbage;
             notice the ketchup.

             I could observe the ladybird;
             gaze at the polka dot;
             identify the blood.

             Did the blood come from my measles rash?
             Did the ladybird come from a remote place?
             Did the polka dot come from an artist's touch?

             The lunch was too little,
              Too small to be scene
              Picked out by a ceiling light.
              I bit my lip and developed a cold sore.

              Life is a candle! Out,out! damned spot.



                                                                             


                                                               




                               Copyright James L.S. Carter,  Edinburgh November 2015
     



           

SALTASH, CORNWALL

                                                   Plymouth's Cornish Suburb


                                                                         



                                                         SALTASH (Wiki)



                                                                           


                         

Saltash Ferry[edit]

There is no doubt that the history of Saltash is linked to the passage, or ferrying place across the Tamar. The original ferry became established by fishermen for those passing to and from the monastery at St Germans and to Trematon Castle.
After the Norman ConquestRobert, Count of Mortain, who held the castle and manor at Trematon, took the market from the canons at St. Germans and established it at Saltash. The Count granted Trematon and other manors to the de Valletorts, who had then to provide for the ferry boat. In the twelfth century a borough was founded (1190), and Saltash became the only franchised seaport between Dartmouth and Fowey. This fact has given rise to the Saltash saying, Saltash was a borough town, when Plymouth was a fuzzy down ('fuzzy' = 'fursy' i.e. covered in gorse), as the town of Plymouth and its seaport did not exist in 1190. In medieval times the ferry was part of the manor of Trematon, held by the Valletorts.[6]


                                                                                           

                                                                    SALTASH FERRY LINK