Thoughts on the pentagram in general and, in particular, on church buildings?

'In Christianity, the five-pointed star has also been a symbol for the five holy wounds that Christ suffered on the cross. These five holy wounds have been used symbolically in art, sacred music and heraldry since the middle ages, albeit not always characterised as a star.'

👇🏼

https://www.darkoxfordshire.co.uk/explore/a-pentagram-at-adderbury-church/

When considering the damage the NHS has done to itself, and to the health of the nation, how much time have you spent thinking about its origins? Was it accepted by all as the right path, or not, and who saw what coming?

Slide from the 1944 debate on Willink's White Paper.

👇🏼

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1944/mar/17/national-health-service

Never let a good emergency go to waste.

Cabinet Papers at the National Archives: 'To some extent the Second World War changed peoples attitudes. The need to treat large numbers of civilian casualties from bombing raids gave people access to health care they had never experienced before. The state had also controlled almost every aspect of people's lives during the conflict, so the idea of government looking after citizens' health did not seem strange. Government ministers noticed that as a result of rationing, the health of the poor had actually improved.'

👇🏼

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabinetpapers/alevelstudies/origins-nhs.htm

I was lucky enough to meet up with Ben Rubin last week and, during our discussions, the subject of 'muscular Christianity' came up. It reminded me, very much, of Eric Liddell's brand of faith (at least, as portrayed by Ian Charleson whilst playing him in Chariots of Fire) and how his short life served as such an inspiration for so many.

A fictional representation though it may be, this clip from the film has always been one to raise the hairs on the back of the neck. What do you think about how you 'run a straight race'?

👇🏼

https://youtu.be/kbgR-pOIFbE

This is a very thought-provoking article on 'Human Rights', by Margaret Anna Alice, which I would encourage you to read.

👇🏼

https://www.ukcolumn.org/article/on-the-proposed-replacement-of-the-human-rights-act-1998-with-a-modern-bill-of-rights

Whilst I take a different view from her on the value of the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998, it is fascinating to consider the ways in which UN doctrine is used by states.

Margaret cites the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, from 1948, in which there is no suggestion that such rights should be limited or qualified. And yet, this is precisely what states do to their citizens' rights, all the time, all over the world (which, in the UK, is justified by the HRA 1998). Contrast this with the absolutely slavish adherence to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, which have been written into the 'planned activities' of all government departments and shape all parts of national and local government policy.

UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

👇🏼

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

UN Sustainable Development Goals

👇🏼

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

'Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals'

👇🏼

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/implementing-the-sustainable-development-goals/implementing-the-sustainable-development-goals--2

Dr John Clauser, a Nobel prize winner in physics, has turned out to be the wrong type of scientist. He has declared the climate emergency narrative to be 'a dangerous corruption of science', which means he is very unlikely to find himself on the end of even the very longest of bargepoles that the commercial media have at their disposal.

👇🏼

https://dailysceptic.org/2023/08/15/last-years-nobel-physics-laureate-signs-world-climate-declaration-stating-there-is-no-climate-emergency/

An enlightening short video on the introduction of the wild bias into the science on climate, using the experiences of Judith Curry.

On the role of the IPCC: 'If you're only looking for risk, then that's what you'll find'

👇

https://youtu.be/vVi01vJ4nxM

A “pan-sexual” reporter tries to catch Vivek Ramaswamy off guard at the Iowa State Fair.

His response is first class.

Years ago, I can remember seeing some ridiculous advertisement on the London Underground posing the question 'how come you never see baby pigeons?' Fortunately, I have forgotten whatever idiotic product was being promoted by such nonsense.

Apart from the fact they can't fly, most tube users probably aren't poking about in the same sorts of places inhabited by baby pigeons. Whilst doing a bit of rearranging in a barn earlier in the year, I had to move a pigeon's nest by a couple of yards which, initially, she would not sit on.

However, as you see, she has reared two plump and rather ugly chicks, seen here puffing themselves up for effect. I wonder how much they know about asymptomatic transmission of avian influenza.

Last week, I was asked to join Anna Loutfi on The Bad Law Show. It turned into what felt like a meaty discussion, as we tried to deal with the question 'what is bad law?' I was keen to put across my thoughts on the multiplying effect that the poor administration and burdensome bureaucracy of policing has on those entering the criminal justice system.

You can watch it here (I don't think there's an audio only, I'm afraid): https://youtu.be/XK8XJvCYuL4

This also serves as an opportunity to remind you of the campaign against the Department of Education that Anna is spearheading. Please watch her set out the challenge.

👇🏼

https://youtu.be/q7Mhyc4d7M4

As Alex Thomson notes in the post below this, it is a promising ruling, and it relates back to this post about 'philosophical belief'—which would appear to cut both ways.

👇🏼

"Held as highly as religious beliefs"—a promising ruling.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230812131425/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/12/driving-instructor/

Feargus O'Connor Greenwood makes great sense of a lot of things during his interview with James Delingpole.

At about the 42min mark, he goes through the various categories of people, ranked by truth and moral fortitude, and then he goes on to describe how interplay between the categories can play out. I am sure we will all be very familiar with the 'backfire effect', which can happen when one tries to convince another with 'truth', only to have it rejected, often inspiring a second round of even greater 'truth', with disastrous results.

Can you relate to this?

Another highly recommended Delingpod.

👇🏼

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-4tb9h-144bb66

There have been plenty of very positive follow-up comments about Feargus's book, 180 Degrees, and many have said it works well with John Hamer's The Falsification of History.

Essential texts for the contemporary historian.

A significant point to concede, or the start of the campaign for popular support for NATO intervention?

👇

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66542065

A job listed on the Gloucester Diocese weekly bulletin says the county's refugee programme is undergoing 'significant expansion', as is that for West Oxfordshire. I wonder how many counties do not claim to be doing the same.

The UN uses the phrase 'unwilling to return to it' when describing a refugee's thoughts on the country they are leaving. This seems like a fairly low bar. Use of the words 'himself' and 'his' in the same definition appears to have been taken very literally, when one considers the much-publicised torrent of young men pouring into the country.