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
Paul Brownjohn
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Making the possession of nitrous oxide a criminal offence seems like a laughable idea.
Paul Brownjohn
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Ben Jennings (Guardian) on the #RishiSunakPM's immediate punishment scheme & who should be subjected to it....
Paul Brownjohn
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News telling me that there are plans to move the homeless people on. To stop them distressing the public.
Well, shoot me for stating the bleeding obvious, but a) they are members of the public, and b) moving them into a home might be an idea.
Is it just me?
I had to grind some chilis to make a curry paste and when I opened the grinder I inhaled a waft of chili powder dust. I wouldn't do that if I were you!
Paul Brownjohn
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Daily Mail fury as British Summer Time reduces prisoner sentences by one full hour https://newsthump.com/2023/03/26/daily-mail-fury-as-british-summer-time-reduces-prisoner-sentences-by-one-full-hour/
Paul Brownjohn
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From @Leytonuntidy.
Too good not to share on #SocialistSunday
Paul Brownjohn
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It's ludicrous to let a few rich men kill the entire fucking planet so they can have more money. LUDICROUS.
Paul Brownjohn
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Never get tired a this un...
"Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones.
But no.
Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed.
Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die.
You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food.
You are meat for prowling beasts.
No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.
A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery.
Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said."
We are at our best when we serve others.
Be civilized.
Paul Brownjohn
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Paul Brownjohn
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I have not yet begun to procrastinate.
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)
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
