Paul Brownjohn @Paulos_the_fog@qoto.org
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
I think it is fair to speculate that any alien race that has sufficiently advanced technology to cross the vast distances involved in interstellar travel, has technology massively more advanced then we mere earthlings possess.
I believe that it is also fair to speculate that any such aliens have passed successfully through the filter of internecine combat in order to develop such advanced technology whereas on our planet, such conflicts are, and seemingly always have been, commonplace and extremely destructive (see WWI, WWII and Ukraine for further details).
I suppose mankind should draw some comfort from the fact that some weapons of mass destruction; for example nerve gas and biological weapons, have been banned by international treaty even if some have been used fairly recently for example by Saddam Hussein and chemical Ali, in Iraq. I suppose it is also of some comfort that nuclear weapons have only been used in anger twice (Hiroshima and Nagasaki); their appalling destructive power having once been demonstrated, thankfully no country has found it acceptable to use them again; here I hope vehemently that I don't have to eat my words in the context of Ukraine.
In the light of the foregoing, I believe it is reasonable to speculate that an alien civilization that has developed the ability to travel interstellar distances, it is far more likely to be nurturing than extremely belligerent as the latter would most likely have destroyed their civilization before they reached the stage of developing interstellar travel.
https://www.cseinsider.com/2023/02/physicist-warns-that-contacting-aliens_20.html
A 'cri de cœur' to manufacturers of fridges and freezers please, PLEASE make the doors of these appliances self-closing.
and by the way just for the sake of clarity, I'm not a member of any LGBTQ+ minority, myself, I just hold this bizarre point of view that other people's sexuality is none of my fucking business and that they should be allowed to express their sexual desires in any way that doesn't damage children or non-consenting adults!
In my view, diplomatic relations with Uganda should be severed completely, all MPs who voted for this measure should be sanctioned and denied entry to the UK/EU. All trade with Uganda should be suspended and Uganda expelled from the Commonwealth (if it's a member)
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Right about now Donald #Trump is thinking, "All my rapes, the underage girls I molested, all the people I cheated out of payment -- I'm going to jail for the adult who said yes and I *did* pay."
It's very likely he gets the wrong lesson from this.
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Jeremy Hunt: "13 years ago, we inherited an economy which had crashed"
13 years ago the Tories inherited a AAA+ national credit rating. In the last 13 years of Tory government, it’s been downgraded 7 times. It is now rated AA.
National debt was £1.03 trillion in 2010, it’s £2.49 trillion today.
If anybody has “crashed” the economy it’s the spivs and chancers that have been running the country for nearly 13 years.
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
A crook in No10, had a Green Card for the USA when a Minister, fined for partying whilst he told the House & the Country he didn't, not to mention the Non Dom wife who owns almost a £Billion in shares in INFOSYS that still trades with Russia.... tells us all Brexit is delivering!!!
UK wide days of action and protest is the only answer now!
1st butterfly of the year in the garden here in Luxembourg and it was:
A brimstone
but I couldn't get a pic!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
‘Fat-cat’ rail execs slammed for self-serving pay hikes while telling workers to show ‘wage restraint’ | Morning Star
#FatCatExecs
#Pay
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/fat-cat-rail-execs-slammed-for-self-serving-pay-hikes-while-telling-workers-to-show-wage-restraint
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
But again, it's mostly made up. Patriarchy was made up. White supremacy was made up.
It's not human nature, per se, to go "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" on people.
There was a time when human beings lived in relatively egalitarian social groups, albeit often homogenous due to geographic isolation, but still capable of trading with other groups and getting along.
These pointless rivalries are largely a cultural invention by people who want to be on top of their own invented hierarchy.
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
