As we write these lines we are still technically at peace. By the time you read them, we may all be at war. Once again the world has blundered into a terrible quagmire of mutual misunderstanding, hatred and potential destruction .
We at LSS still hope there will be time to draw back. Hope that each side will try to understand the other’s case. To do this, we must try to understand how we got here. And one valiant effort is that of Catherine Belton in Putin’s People. Catherine makes a genuine effort to understand Putin and his associates, their fears of the modern world, their genuine love for the old Soviet Union and Mother Russia. We may disagree with their analyses: but both Putin and Russian ideology are historical facts, and must be responded to accordingly, as the author makes clear.
The superb Anne Applebaum gives an excellent review below, for The Atlantic [1] (oh marvellous publication!) But we also list the book itself, as no text is probably more relevant to our current dire state.
No play by William Shakespeare is more famous than Romeo and Juliet. Even those who are not fans of Shakespeare will pick up on its famous line “wherefore art thou, Romeo?”. Its classic tale of star-crossed lovers has been played thousands of times and has been remade into musicals, ballets and films. No doubt about it, a great play.
Except there’s one huge elephant in the room. Juliet is thirteen, as her father Capulet makes clear “My Child is yet a stranger in the world: she hath not seen the change of fourteen years“
Now we at LSS have always shared the popular animadversion to paedophilia. Sex with drastically underaged persons is psychologically and physically wrong. We know personally of Police Officers who have broken down after working on units charged with investigating this crime. So what must be the consequences for its victims? Capulet himself gives the game away : Let two more summers wither in their pride, ere we may think her ripe to be a bride
We support every effort to either hide or normalise paedophilia , wherever it is found. There’s no getting around Romeo and Juliet: someone has sex with a thirteen-year old girl. That will used as licence by someone else, somewhere, for highly unsavoury purposes.
Apologists will say that they did things differently in former times. The history of European Royalty is littered with examples of child brides and arranged marriages. Shakespeare’s text preserves these customs in fossilised form. Maybe so. But the fact that we also do things differently means that certain works of art and texts are no longer considered wholesome. The Taming of the Shrew is rarely performed, because of its attitude to women. Certain novellas by Joseph Conrad are no longer mentionable in polite society, nor on family-friendly blogs like this one. Statues, paintings and even certain works of music are now removed, noisily or otherwise, because they depict our ancestors behaving in ways of which we no longer approve. By this logic, should Romeo and Juliet join the same canon? We at LSS don’t know the answer. But we have every right to ask the question.
#shakespeare #romeo and juliet #paedophilia #joseph conrad #the taming of the shrew #censorship #text #feminism #racism
The courage of Harry Parker can never be in doubt. Badly wounded in Afghanistan while on military service, he mastered the use of prosthetic limbs and can walk again, even lead an active life with his family. Yet he is a thinker too. For his book about his experiences, Hybrid Humans raises profound questions about what the use of really advanced prosthetics may one day imply.
Fittingly, the review article by David Robson for The Guardian [1] is more like a hybrid collaboration by both men. For us the key sentence is
he compares the experience to that of Gregor Samsa, the subject of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis – “the strangeness of not being who you used to be, turned into something that sets you apart from those around you”.
Like all profound changes, the idea of human-machine hybrids started very small and at the margins. There were attempts at minor prosthetics as far back as Egyptian times. The only change has been incremental. Twentieth century folk knew artificial hearts and kidneys. Now we talk about artificial eyes and exoskeletons. And by the fifties, who knows-will there be brain implants that give you an instant new language?
The idea of a gradual fusion of humans and their technologies was mooted by Arthur C Clarke in his novel 2001: A space odyssey. The same ideas are eagerly discussed by the Transhuman movement, to which we link below.[2] New ideas are often scary, and understandably so. The potential power of AI and quantum computing seems irresistible. Might the wise course be to merge ourselves with the new, transforming into beings possessed of immeasurable powers and opportunities?
Multiple sclerosis. A terrible wasting disease that not only ruins the lives of sufferers, but often those of families and loved ones who must care for them. Up to now the causes of this and several other neurological disorders have been pretty obscure, which is why we have been following recent progress(LSS 15/17 1 2022) with the guidance of our erudite correspondent Gaynor Lynch. Now there is even more reinforcement for what Gaynor, and we have been saying, in the shape of a piece from Nature Briefings. As Gaynor so presciently observed, the role of the Epstein-Barr virus is implicated as a possible cause. The immunological response to the virus may, tragically, be the root of the neurodegeneration. The first extract from Nature is as usual, but you may struggle with the link onwards-sorry. We will paste it below, then indulge in a little speculation, for those who may be interested.
Now for the speculation. The following has nothing to do with Gaynor, Nature or any formal scientific research that we know of. And no, we have not been drinking. But because we are an independent blog, not beholden to any paymaster or institution, we are able to indulge ourselves in the delicious pleasure of unsubstantiated guesswork and speculation.(it won’t be very often!)
If the above research is true, then viruses can affect the nervous system. Specifically the ganglions and neural sheaths which play such a key role in reliable transmission of messages in that nervous system. We know that sufferers from other mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression also experience episodes of erratic and impaired neurological function. Is it time to start looking for a virus here as well?
We apologise for presenting a longer blog than usual. But as this will be the last for several days, we hope our accustomed brevity will balance this particular prolixity for once!
People deny facts! People cannot reason! People are thick, stupid, xenophobic, bigoted, submissive to Fox News, the Daily Mail……. So run the agonised shrieks of many who call themselves progressives, educated, enlightened, or whatever vain label they have applied in response to the advances of populism in so many countries since 2008. And still can’t understand why it keeps winning.
Because the facts seemed to be on our side. So did reason, which is merely a way of organising facts into logical groups. It was the way were trained. In the tradition that dates back to Ancient Greece, nurtured in the schools of Medieval Europe and on via the Enlightenment to the present day. It works like this. Smallpox is a disease (check statement for veracity) Smallpox vaccine prevents the disease(check statement for veracity). Other vaccines may cure other diseases (check statement for veracity) Conclusion: vaccines are a good thing So why all the objections? Why the seeming inability to use language and logic in the way we do? One clue to the answer goes like this.
Many people use words, but these words are not what they really mean. We suspect many speakers are actually expressing deep emotional problems welling up from unhappy inner selves. Such a person may develop an obsession about the Gold Standard for example. Yet they cannot know about the Gold Standard, for how can any of us who have not studied economics? And this is true for any one of us from Professors of Quantum Physics to retired garage hands. Most racists, anti-vaxxers and climate deniers we have met have no education in biology, medicine or meteorology. Of course there may be exceptions, it’s just that we have not met them yet.
Many on the Left are quick to shut down opinions with which they disagree. “No platform for these words!” is the earnest cry. But what if the words you are hearing are not what the speaker is really feeling and is really concerned with?. Dare we suggest you are missing something? Many people carry a lifetime of frustrations, traumas, festering resentments, isolations and unrequited desires. It’s almost inevitable that these will be projected onto others-outgroups, perceived elites, those who are more prosperous or coping better. Its only human and natural to look for confirmation you are right. It takes a lifetime of training, and usually several degrees, to realise the intelligent response is to look for confirmation that you are wrong.
Yet this seething mass of emotion is raw data about society and politics. And our enemies were quicker to see the opportunity it presented -and used it. Time now for our side to learn as well. To listen. Only then will the real causes of our woes be addressed.
Just before we all plunge into yet another stupid, senseless war, let’s take a last look back at the real problems. Because whoever survives will have to confront them. And biggest on the list is Nature‘s report of a growing surge in global methane emissions, Remember methane has a warming potential at least 28 time greater than carbon dioxide. Why do we tremble? Well, first of all we’ll let you read Nature’s report Methane is spiking dangerously fast. We strongly urge you to click on the links
As global methane concentrations soar to nearly triple preindustrial levels, some researchers fear that global warming itself is behind the rapid rise. Data released in January by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that atmospheric methane has raced past 1,900 parts per billion. The growth of methane emissions began a rapid and mysterious uptick around 2007. The spike has caused many researchers to worry that global warming is creating a feedback mechanism that will cause ever more methane to be released, making it even harder to rein in rising temperatures. The grim milestone underscores the importance of a pledge made at last year’s COP26 climate summit to curb emissions of the greenhouse gas, which is at least 28 times as potent as CO2 We have underlined the key message, and here is the link to the main paper:
Why does this keep us awake at night? Because of the immense quantities of methane trapped in the Siberian permafrost for one thing. Perhaps if Mr Putin addressed that, rather than the Ukraine, he might perform more of a service to his own subjects as well as citizens of the wider world. Secondly the immense amount of methane clathrates littering the ocean floor. Their methane content is only a few degrees from being released. Suddenly. If that happened the runaway warming would be terminal. Now, do we all really want to still deny how serious this is?
Things we have hoped for since our youth that may be coming true
Hope For Energy Forget our earlier testy blogs about nuclear fusion. There’s real hope that working reactors may be really possible. Here’s Nature
An experimental reactor in the United Kingdom has generated the highest-ever sustained energy from nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun. The Joint European Torus (JET) produced 59 megajoules of energy over a fusion ‘pulse’ of five seconds. JET’s success suggests that a follow-up project that uses the same technology and fuel mix — the ambitious US$22-billion ITER, scheduled to begin fusion experiments in 2025 — should eventually be able to achieve the ultimate goal: generating more energy than is put in.Nature | 5 min read
Helping the disabled to walk When we were young, a spinal injury was a sentence to life in a wheel chair. Still so? Read below
Three people once paralysed by complete spinal-cord injuries can walk, swim, pedal a bicycle and even paddle canoes, thanks to a device that stimulates neurons in their spinal cords. It is the first implant specifically designed to control movement by mimicking the signals the lower body usually receives from the brain and upper spinal cord. Each participant recovered some level of movement within one day of activating the implant, such as walking on a treadmill while their weight was supported.Nature | 5 min read Reference: Nature Medicine paper
Hope for the hungry Imagine if everyone in Africa could at last get some sort of decent meal, the way we do in European Countries, Maybe imaginative uses of crops will help, as Nadia Radzman describes in The Conversation
Hope For Michael Gove All of the above were developed by experts. People of whom British Minister Michael Gove famously said “I think the people of this country have had enough of experts… from organisations with acronyms saying they know what is best and consistently getting it wrong. (Sky news 3 June 2016)
So where’s the hope? That we will learn to stop listening to people like Michael Gove.
Photo by Sebastian Coman Photography on Pexels.com
Today, in full cognisance of the impending arrival of Valentine’s Day on Monday, we had over our blog to The Savoy Cocktail Book, published by Constable. all we’ve done is pick out a few from their huge and stylish range which seem to have a sort of valentiny-ish theme. We will leave you to do the rest. Including drink them. One caveat :although the book is excellent , their measuring system is impenetrable. For example, in many a recipe they say a quarter, but a quarter of what, exactly? There are no units! So we have adapted our own measures, honed from long experience. You will need ice for all by the way.
Sweet Patotie: 1 measure fresh orange juice, 1/2 measure Cointreau, 1 measure dry gin. Shake over ice, and pour into cocktail glass. Decorate with lemon.
Cherry Mixture: 1 measure French Vermouth, 1 Measure Italian Vermouth,1 dash Maraschino 1 dash angostura bitters. Shake over ice and pour to chilled cocktail glass, Decoration: Cherry
Should give you that nice reddish pink Valentine’s glow
Pink Gin 1 glass of dry gin. 1 Dash of Angostura. They used to like this in the Royal Navy, though quite where the Valentine’s connection enters in we’re not sure! To whom would sailors send a Valentine on a long sea voyage?
There’s loads more pink ones but as they seem to recommend the use of uncooked eggs, but we’re not sure we can recommend them on a science and health website. But there is enough here to get you started. And if the above is not sufficient, you can always try mixing pink Cava with cold lager.
One more murder in Manchester: is it worth comment? Yes, because Manchester could stand in for any great city. The circumstances are detailed in the Manchester Evening News. [1] This report is more lurid because for once it was possible to name the perpetrators. The old debate about causes will now follow its weary course through inequality, hormones and high spirits, gangster chic, music, deprivation and even too much lead.
We think the cause lies elsewhere: a failure of education. A working education system lifts up, inspiring from the local to the general, from despair to possibility. Without it, attention focusses on the petty, the parochial -the narcissism of small differences if you like. And among the uneducated such preoccupations prove fatal the world over.
It is in this light that we read the thoughts of Simon Jenkins of The Guardian.[2] He describes a dreary system of exam factories and narrow curricula that could have been purpose-built to alienate huge numbers of young people. We need exams. But a neurotic focus on them teaches nothing of life skills, emotional intelligence and flexibility , the core qualities of a thriving workforce. And kids know that. And reject accordingly. And are lost, as these ones were.
No issue has torn through the heart of western societies like immigration. No problem has produced such anxiety and polemic. On both sides of the political divide, to be be fair. Nothing explains Donald Trump,Brexit, populism and webhate as well as immigration. If the politics of the twentieth century were all about class, those of our own are all. about identity.
The Left want to pretend the problem does not exist, like Victorians avoiding the mention of sex. The Right can think of nothing else but shouting, building walls and sending in The Navy. None have any value. For they are concerned with symptoms, not causes. Peoples’ fears and concerns are very real and deep. Unless we address the real causes of the mass migrations, they could yet destroy us all.
Writing in the Conversation, the admirable Seb Rumsby makes a real and earnest stab at the task. Read it, and think. Seb may not have all the answers. But at least he tries.
Learning, Science and Society 