Monday, 30 November 2015
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
Russell
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwTk8v78pdw ),
Mayr,
Chomsky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f02gcRrdK2I )
and deGrasse Tyson
(http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/listen/2011/05/25/an-american-atheist ).
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
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?
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 /ˈɜrsələ ˈkroʊbər 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 Award, Nebula Award, Locus 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]
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)
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)
"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)
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,.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
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 (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 Conquest, Robert, 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]
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