text:
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46839708268957554802017-07-26T10:53:34.798+01:00Bruce Charlton's NotionsBruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-89283899558466944102017-07-25T16:17:00.002+01:002017-07-25T16:17:46.842+01:00The most exciting new CS Lewis resource for over a decade: Joel Heck's Chronologically LewisA detailed, almost day-by-day, account of the doings of Jack and Warnie Lewis from birth to death; and it's free!:
https://notionclubpapers.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/chronologically-lewis-by-joel-heck.html

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-84319013279633226522017-07-25T11:46:00.000+01:002017-07-25T11:47:26.528+01:00Why I am neither a reactionary nor a modernistI equate modernity (that is secular Leftism in all its forms - including all mainstream and non-religious parties) with arrested adolescence - which is the worst thing.

I equate religious reaction with our spiritual childhood.

Now - if forced to choose between perpetual adolescence and childhood, I would certainly choose childhood. But that is not what is on offer from religious reaction, starting (as we are) from here-and-from-now: what is offered is a partial and self-conscious return to the closest-possible simulacrum of childhood - therefore not childhood itself.

This is still somewhat better than full-blown Leftist modernity, but it is not stable - and it is sad, because it knows itself to be based on a kind of self-deception, a self-blinding.

The difference between my traditionalist views in 2011 (e.g. when I wrote Thought Prison, influenced by Eastern Orthodoxy via the monk Eugene/ Seraphim Rose) and my views over the past three or so years is that now I have been persuaded (by Owen Barfield, the early Rudolf Steiner, William Arkle - and by Barfield's reading in ST Coleridge) that the spiritual adolescence of modernity was intended (I mean divinely-intended, as our human destiny) to be a transition to an adult form of spiritual and Christian consciousness which Barfield calls Final Participation and Steiner terms the Spiritual Soul.

In other words, because I now see a way forward past modernity to something better than traditionalism in Christianity, I no longer wish to go back.

Especially considering that I believe in the truth of Mormon Christian metaphysics; this puts me in an even smaller minority than when I was a 'mainstream' Christian traditionalist c 2009-13 - perhaps indeed a minority-of-one.

So be it: that is where I best perceive the truth of things to be.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-85284509320826105242017-07-25T11:17:00.000+01:002017-07-25T11:17:46.621+01:00The triumph of William Arkle

I was musing on the Owen Barfieldian theme that mankind has not yet passed from spiritual childhood (Original Participation) to adulthood (Final Participation); but remains arrested in an adolescence that was intended (by divine destiny) to be merely transitional.

And I was trying to think of anyone who seems personally to have made this transition; to have moved into spiritual adulthood and Final Participation - and I could think of no one more-completely successful than William Arkle; a man who consistently writes-from that FP perspective of daily awareness of universal livingness, consciousness, meaning and purpose.

Of course, I don't know how much of Arkle's daily living was spent in this mode of thought - and because it is a subjective state this is anyway very difficult to determine. Still, Arkle was the most plausible candidate I could come-up with - other candidates included William Blake, Goethe, Rudolf Steiner and Owen Barfield himself; but Arkle comes-across in his writings (and paintings) as more of an advanced practical and fully-self-aware mystic than any of these.

Regular readers will know that I have been blogging about William Arkle for about three and a half years, since the death of Colin Wilson reminded me of his work. I later set-up a blog to post this material - this is my introduction:

http://williamarkle.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/william-arkle.html

I was surprised yesterday, on reviewing the blog statistics for the first time in a good while, to discover that it had received 48,000 Hits; which is about 1000 a month on average. This was pleasing - especially given that the main Arkle web resource (billarkle.co.uk) has seemingly been 'down' for maintenance/ improvement for about a year (although much of it can still be accessed via The Wayback Machine).

The fact is that, although apparently quite a few people have looked at my blog, William Arkle remains almost-wholly obscure. Nonetheless, after three-plus years of intense and close-reading; I would regard him as one of the deepest and truest writers on spiritual Christianity I have ever encountered.

Just over the past couple of weeks I have been working on some liner notes for a forthcoming CD of William Arkle's music, as orchestrated and performed by Robert John Godfrey and The Enid (a progressive rock band which began in the 1970s, and which also used an Arkle painting for one of its albums); a copy of which I will post later.

But in the meantime, somebody has posted on YouTube a sample of this music, which is well worth a listen. Composed before 1968, it was a precursor of what would now be called 'ambient', and somewhat in the genre of minimalism - but I would describe it sounding rather like as Brian Eno meets Frederick Delius! If you enjoy it, you might look-out for my notice of the full CD album:

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-664133645188079682017-07-25T10:43:00.002+01:002017-07-25T18:06:27.529+01:00My Editorial Preface to the English translation of Goethe's correspondence with a child by Bettina von Arnim - 1837 Publishing an online version of the English translation of Bettina von Arnim's Letters to Goethe was a project I did in the early months of 2004. It was, in fact, a spin-off of my interest in Emerson, Thoreau and the New England Transcendentalists; among whom this was a 'cult' book.

This link will take you to my Preface (somewhat politically correct, as it now strikes me! - being from my pre-Christian era) - from which the book itself can be accessed:

https://www.hedweb.com/bgcharlton/preface-bettina.html

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-7336081801647077872017-07-24T16:40:00.003+01:002017-07-24T16:40:57.108+01:00The Qualitative Moment in Science (or: When do we know that we know?)Science is primarily about qualities - and only when we know the qualities can we coherently quantify.

This is the reality of the situation, and may conclusively be shown by philosophical argument; but the fact is nonetheless almost universally ignored, and almost as frequently denied.

(Indeed, it is a recurrent delusion in science that qualities can be derived from quantities, and many people delusionally suppose they are doing theory-free science, based wholly on measurements and statistical analysis.)

The deep question in science is therefore how we discover true qualities - or, how do we discover the primary phenomena; because only after these are known can 'routine' science get underway. It is qualitative discovery that does the heavy-lifting in science, and it is the activity where creativity is absolutely necessary.

How can we observe primary phenomena? The key point is that we cannot know in advance where or how we will find primary phenomena, and we know we have found a primary phenomenon only in retrospect.

Specifically, the primary phenomenon is known when the situation becomes simple, clear and obvious. We recognise that what we have before us (or in mind) is a primary phenomenon because it is simple, clear and obvious.

This accounts for the strong element of surprise in scientific discovery! We do this, then that, and then the other - then suddenly we see, grasp and know what is happening, what we are dealing-with!

We have arrived at a situation of simplicity, clarity; and it is obvious.

*

But how do we look-for it? Where do we look for it?

Well, there are no rules - and indeed the necessary capacity is the capacity of recognition. But science does imply purposive seeking, so what is happening? This can't be answered with precision but only by such hints as putting our minds to the matter in hand, attending to things with honesty, and observing various 'arrangements' of things (for example making structured observations or doing experiments).

We expose-ourselves to various things in a purposive manner while being alert and attentive... and then at some point we may recognise that we have before us (or in mind) exactly that situation of simplicity and clarity when the meaning is obvious. We experience the state of knowing.

It can be seen just why we cannot, in principle, know in advance what observations, what experiments will yield primary knowledge of this type - we don't know what exactly we need to do, because if we did we would already be knowing what we seek.

Yet how can we find what we seek given this; and given that the search-space would seem to be infinite? We have an infinite number of choices of what we might do - how does anybody ever discover the needle of a primary phenomenon in the infinite haystack of distracting irrelevance?

(Of course, sometimes the need is not found - but sometimes it apparently is; and even sometimes seems impossibly against the odds.)

I do not have an answer; and the point is that neither does anybody else - which is why science cannot be made into a process. There is no scientific method: there just isn't. Science - I mean real, creative, qualitative science - cannot be planned.

(Thus 99% of what calls itself science is a fake... probably more. Mostly is it merely measuring, parasitic-upon science)

*

How may primary phenomena be validate: in other words, how do we now that a qualitative phenomenon really is primary?

Especially considering that primary phenomena cannot be tested by measurements - because qualities are primary, quantities are structured-by the qualities. Measurements are made of and by-using the qualities - so measurements cannot evaluate their validity.

The true test of a primary phenomenon is that anybody competent and honest can, in principle, observe them - once they have been pointed-out, everybody knows where to find them.

But how do we know if someone is competent and honest? (And when they are not!)

The answer is: by exactly the same primary knowing as leads to the identification of the primary phenomenon. That is, we may get to know a person such that we know - simply, clearly and with conviction - that they are honest and competent.

And only such persons can do science. Anyone not so-validated must simply be excluded as generators of mere noise and distortion.

Science is difficult enough without letting-in nose and distortion! And too much n&d will render real science impossible.

This is why real science is always and necessarily done in 'invisible colleges' of not many people who know and trust each others honesty and competence.

(Again this emphasises the fact that that 99%-plus of modern, professional self-styled 'science' is nothing of the kind!)

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-75312379228936671202017-07-23T21:45:00.001+01:002017-07-23T22:02:30.932+01:00Divine Purpose by William Arkle (with my comments)

There are a number of matters which I would like to define which are matters that seem to cause a deep stirring in the heart of our being and which require some response from us.

I will quickly go by the opinions of those people who do not see the need for a purposeful creative consciousness behind the manifestation of this universe.

Such understanding must come to us as a simple observation beyond doubt, or it does not come at all.

We realise that there are people who are able to conceive of this manifest universe as an outgrowth from some haphazard life which is fumbling its way by accidents from one thing to another.

I cannot sustain such a theory since I am aware that the organisation of matter has to reach an extremely high degree indeed before life can even begin a fumbling of any sort.

Our time and attention is too valuable to remain in, what are for me, such unproductive fields.

From an essay published in The Great Gift by William Arkle, 1977

My comments: Arkle says many vital things in this truly profound and inspiring essay; which can be read in its entirely at:

https://williamarkle.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/divine-purpose.html

However, none are more important than the two sentences in bold font above.

Understanding that the universe of reality has behind it a purposeful and creative consciousness must (sooner or later: as soon as possible) come to us by means of a simple, clear observation - beyond doubt.

And, this is a matter to which we must give our urgent and most focused concern; because, unless or until we can attain such a simple, clear and solid insight; then our time and attention, our mortal Life, will feel and be to our deepest consideration a torment, an unproductive waste.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-75097356073628927312017-07-23T09:42:00.003+01:002017-07-23T14:27:18.589+01:00Life as learning not being: the significance of Peak Experiences for Final ParticipationWe tend to think of consciousness or thinking as a state of being; and notice that we fail to attain and sustain this state of being. For example that our peak experiences are infrequent and brief - normal life is lived at a lower level...

However, this is an incorrect inference based on a false assumption based on a misunderstanding of the nature of life, and what we are supposed to be gaining from it. The (divinely) desired purpose of life is not to achieve a state but to experience a process of learning.

Life should be a process of learning, of transformative learning. What ought to happen in a peak experience is that we are having an experience during which we are learning about life; being transformed by life in a positive way (in the kind of way that our creator intends; tending to cause theosis or making us become more-divine, more god-like).

And, in this age of Man, we should be aware of this process and its consequences. It is good if we know-about peak experiences, when they are happening, that we are learning-from them and what we have learnt...

The perspective is that this kind of aware experiencing of our selves in the moment - the state of being as instead a dynamic thing - this is the vision of life as experience, learning, 'education' towards divinity which is primarily aimed-at fulfilment after mortality (i.e. in our resurrected life that comes after mortal death).

In this era of Man, the aim is especially of greater consciousness; therefore we should strive to be explicitly aware of the process of incremental, developmental change of our consciousness that comes from serial experiences, expanded learning, awareness, reflection.

Life brings us the necessary experiences; or role is mainly to be aware of them and make the best of them. And repentance (always vital for Christians) can be understood as explicit knowledge of when our response to experience has been beneficial - and when not.

 Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-36258905388893161862017-07-22T10:10:00.000+01:002017-07-22T10:11:48.450+01:00What's the time? A traditional rhyme for 5 year olds (and a version for younger kids)What's the time?
Half past nine.
Hang your knickers on the line.
When a policeman comes along
Don't forget to put them on!

This is the risque version guaranteed to raise a snigger in the playground.

For younger kids who don't find knickers, or lack of them, to be intrinsically humorous, there is an alternative neat final couplet:

What's the time?
Half past nine.
Hang your knickers on the line.
When they're dry, take them in
And put them in a biscuit tin!

'Collected' Backwell, Somerset, England - c 1964-5

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-84831856092609543412017-07-21T07:48:00.001+01:002017-07-21T08:17:08.109+01:00The People want metaphysics! (but they don't realise it...)It was more than 100 years ago Rudolf Steiner noted that the (German-speaking) public were no longer interested in academic philosophy in the way they had been a couple of generations earlier; the situation prevails - except when people get close to addressing metaphysical concerns about the ultimate nature of reality.

It was the 'epistemological turn' (away from metaphysics and towards epistemology - a focus on knowing, justification, logic etc) from the mid-1900s, that killed real philosophy - and thus spontaneous public interest in the subject. Since then, academic philosophers write purely for one another, the subject is free-spinning cog; its effect is subversive not constructive.

(Modern professional philosophers are often clever; but actually have nothing to be clever about. Hence the leading figures seem to project a peculiarly unjustifiable smugness, presumably based on the delusion that they are of the lineage of Socrates and Plato, rather than prime destroyers of that lineage...)

Revivals of philosophical interest are usually focused on 'middle-brow' but fundamental-problem-orientated work on the nature of the human condition - e.g. the popular existentialism of the 1950s epitomised by Colin Wilson, Robert Pirsig's writings on Quality from the 1970s, and the like (not much since Pirsig, however...); these tackling core aspects of the basis for living, meaning, purpose etc.

It seems the people want metaphysics! - even though they don't know the name, and would not like it if they did.

However they want metaphysics, although they don't realise it, because they need it - indeed they need it more than anything else; because it is unknown, unexamined and denied false-basic-assumptions about reality that have created and sustained the nihilism and despair which is at the root of modern self-hatred and covert-strategic suicide.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-85098306668802662992017-07-21T07:15:00.002+01:002017-07-21T07:15:49.774+01:00Ancient temple site I discovered in Northumberland's Cheviot Hills! - well, sort of...

Note the remains of a ?ritual labyrinth ascending to its peak (akin to Glastonbury Tor?)...

More at:

https://albionawakening.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/heddon-hill-and-ingram-church-john.html

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-79393895621681962372017-07-21T06:09:00.001+01:002017-07-21T06:09:32.358+01:00My Marshall McLuhan book, and the reader's favourite: Addicted to Distraction I get the impression that my 2014 book on the mass media (and dedicated to the memory of Marshall McLuhan) Addicted to Distraction is the most popular among readers (which, admittedly, isn't saying very much!)

Anyway for those of you who don't know, as well as traditional paper copy; it is available free online in an unformatted text version (to copy, paste and print):

http://addictedtodistraction.blogspot.co.uk

Or, properly formatted, for a nominal price from Amazon Kindle.

The book was given very pleasing endorsements by Jim Kalb and John C Wright:

In this groundbreaking study, Bruce Charlton sheds brilliant light on fundamental features of our current situation. He develops Marshall McLuhan's insight that "the medium is the message" into a deeply illuminating account of the mass media as a self-sustaining techno-cultural system that absorbs the whole of human life into a virtual world of willfulness and unreality. Like Plato in his Myth of the Cave, he calls for each of us to turn away from flickering images and toward realities. We need to heed that call. --James Kalb: author of The Tyranny of Liberalism and Against Inclusiveness

Addicted to Distraction by Bruce G Charlton is a brilliant, pithy, and incisive analysis and condemnation of the modern mass media and its semipurposeful agenda of permanent revolution, permanent hysteria, and permanent chaos. His comments are as cutting as the scalpel of a surgeon performing an autopsy, and his insights a bright and clear as the merciless lights in an operating theater. Can a fish drown? Can it even notice the waters in which it lives and moves? No more than can we notice the totalitarian relativism of the modern mass media. The Mass Media is a roaring, grinding attention-grabbing machine which operates with no set purpose; except the purpose to subvert, uncreate, mock and destroy. It does not matter what the media destroys. Pointless subversion is the point of the media, and the medium is the message. By all means read and understand this book ... and then go out by yourself into the calm and silent wilderness for a year. --John C Wright, author and Nebula Award finalist
Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-8228737361879497732017-07-20T20:35:00.002+01:002017-07-20T20:35:40.562+01:00Tolkien's creative methodhttp://notionclubpapers.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/trotters-feet-moon-and-tolkiens.htmlBruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-72735797866836171852017-07-20T12:02:00.004+01:002017-07-20T12:02:52.449+01:00Why was metaphysics rejected by modern philosophers?Metaphysics is concerned with the ultimate nature of reality - which throughout human history was regarded as the single most important intellectual subject. Yet from the middle 19th century, it incrementally became the consensus among philosophers that metaphysics was meaningless, nonsense or actively harmful - and almost all philosophers worked at a more superficial level of 'analysis' in fields such as epistemology (concerning the possibility of knowledge, or logic, or ethics or whatever.

These philosophers assumed that they had dispensed with metaphysics, but of course they had not; they simply became unaware of (or denied) their own assumptions concerning the nature of reality; and in almost all cases this included the assumption that there was no god, reality was not 'created' nor sustained by a god, and certainly that reality was not created for Man and for individual men and women.

What were the criticisms of the philosophical activity of metaphysics that led to its rejection? These are some:

1. That it is purely subjective - everybody has their own individual and idiosyncratic ideas (unless some individual or groups succeeds in imposing their metaphysics on many other people).

 2. That metaphysical statements are imprecise - so imprecise as to be useless, meaningless, platitudinous, non-contributory. This would include ideas such as 'god', 'creation', Man, Good and so on.

3. That metaphysics had a covert agenda (of some kind of religious, reactionary, oppressive type) - an agenda which could be avoided by avoiding metaphysics.

4 That there is no evidence for (or against) metaphysical statements. Thus they are meaningless, nonsensical, or not-what-they-seem.

The recommendations from such analysis were that people should stop using metaphysical language; should stop talking-about, discussing, or arguing-about metaphysics. The safest thing was to remain silent on the topic; but when people refused to keep quiet on the subject, they should be ridiculed as stupid, crazy or confused (or covertly malign).

(This implicitly applied to nearly all of philosophy before the early 1900s; unless it could - like selective readings of Aristotle, Locke, Hume, Kant etc, be seen as the first baby-steps towards a state of non-metaphysics.)

BUT...

1. That metaphysics is subjectively inflected, includes subjectivity, does not imply that it is purely subjective.

2. That metaphysical statements are imprecise does not imply that they are therefore utterly useless as communications. That communications are unreliable does not imply that nothing is being communicated-about.

3. That metaphysicians have a covert agenda does not imply that that a covert agenda can be (or has been) avoided by avoiding mention of metaphysics.

4. That metaphysical statements cannot be verified or refuted by empirical, observational, experimental, experiential evidence is, in the first place: not distinctive to metaphysical statements (it applies to all statements since there are no non-arbitrary rules to generate truth from empirical data); and secondly untrue in the sense that metaphysical statements can be tested from consistency (the demand for consistency being and implicit but denied metaphysical assumption of many self-styled opponents of metaphysics; and thirdly, subtracting metaphysics makes many observable differences to human life (or else the advocates of ignoring metaphysics would not bother advocating) - thus particular metaphysics does not lack distal empirical consequences.

We must ask why insist on silence about metaphysics? Why introduce this ethical imperative? On what grounds?

The usual answer is to say that the new (post-empirical) philosophy is about achieving clarity... but why is clarity supposed to be a good or desirable thing? In the first place there is zero evidence that clarity is helpful (philosophers don't have observably better, happier or less-suffering lives than a controlled comparison group of non-philosophers; nobody even tries to suggest that they do).

And clarity is very obviously not important in leading a good life - honest philosophers will usually admit that a comforting delusion is a better basis for happiness than (supposed) clarity.

And who says that modern philosophers are clear? Nobody else finds them at all clear! Indeed, they are a by-word for un-clarity, and modern philosophical work is avoided by everybody who does not have a professional reason to engage with it! (Non-philosophers usually find pre-moderns to be much clearer, and more helpful in living.)

If we are to exclude and forbid metaphysics, why on earth stop there? All the strictures brought against metaphysics apply far more widely - probably to all language, all communications, all statements about the world... The terminus of anti-metaphysics is indeed nihilism: the denial of any real-reality (or any which can be understood or spoken of); and nihilism leads to despair.

In sum; the rejection of metaphysics - which has affected essentially all modern professional philosophy - is dishonest (being prejudicially but arbitrarily applied only to metaphysics, but not to favoured forms of knowledge); incompetent (being grossly over-inclusive in its criticisms, but failing to see this); and clearly (therefore) driven by a hidden agenda (or else why would all acknowledged professional philosophers have followed the 'party line' so slavishly).

That hidden agenda, driving anti-metaphysics, is precisely the destruction of all values (i.e. nihilism).

As an alternative I suggest the following:

If we accept that an individual may have knowledge (and if we don't accept this we must stop at that point, because discussion really is futile!) then - given the intrinsic uncertainties of communication - there must be a direct way of knowing that does not involve communication.

In other words, at least some individuals must, in principle, be able to apprehend reality directly (even if this apprehension is regarded as susceptible to partiality and distortion, due to the finite nature of individuals).

Direct knowing must include metaphysics, or else all other forms of knowledge are intrinsically undermined.

(If metaphysics is possible and defined as the most fundamental form of knowledge, then all more superficial forms of knowledge rely upon it - and wrong or absent metaphysics will undermine all other forms of knowledge.)

This leaves open the specific nature of metaphysics. People must be able to know it, but need not be able to communicate it - precisely because they can know it directly.

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-68331036416410786252017-07-20T12:02:00.000+01:002017-07-20T20:38:42.718+01:00Wittgenstien and Christianity, and his late-life corruptionI have been reading Ray Monk's biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein - and found the first part very useful and helpful; but had to stop reading soon after Wittgenstein's return to Cambridge in 1929 with his commencement on revising his earlier views expressed in the Tractatus Logico -hilosophicus (published in 1921)...

I had to stop reading because the corruption of Wittgenstein, and his malign effect on so many other people, became too painful to continue.

My understanding is that Wittgenstein was - until shortly after the 1914-18 world war - a deeply religious man who was on the verge of being fully Christian but never crossed that line; after this time his work was a massive, nihilistic rationalisation of his rejection of Christianity.

Metaphysics was at the root. In Tractatus, Wittgenstein wrote a primarily metaphysical book but made the error of assuming that logic was the basis of all philosophy; this he excluded metaphysics from philosophical communications (he continued, avidly, to speak about metaphysics outwith his philosophical work); not because it was unimportant - quite the contrary, but because it was not part of logic.

In Tractatus Wittgenstein made an arbitrary but unjustifiable decision to assert that on the one hand logic could be apprehended by direct knowing ('seeing) but that metaphysics could not ('saying'); therefore he asserted that logic was communicable but not metaphysics.

But there is no reason why metaphysics could not be directly apprehended in exactly the same way that the basic, atomic propositions of logic can be apprehended; therefore there was no reason to exclude metaphysics. However, this was one point on which Wittgenstein became inflexible - he revised almost everything in his philosophical 'system' but not the exclusion of metaphysics.

For Wittgenstein - nothing knowable was really-real.

Thus Wittgenstein's proto-Christian religion was subverted; because Christianity became merely a psychological state. For example, he repeatedly said to many people that while he respected the Roman Catholic Church (in which he had been brought-up) he 'could not' believe all the necessary parts of doctrine.

Wittgenstein seems on the one had (by his repetition of it) to suppose he has said something profound here; yet also seems to be unaware that his personal inability (on a particular day) to believe in something is what is truly subjective; and that the proper question was whether or not that 'something' is true, is really-real!

(Who cares what Wittgenstein happens to think today about Transubstantiation? He often changes his mind! - The proper (metaphysical) question is whether Transubstantiation is a reality, or not? The exact answer 'yes' or 'no' is not (in my opinion) essential to being a Christian; but any Christian must regard this question as a matter of being about-reality, not of being about-individual-human-psychology.)

As a further, and deeper, example: Wittgenstein in his early life correctly recognised that true Christian loving-faith 'casteth out fear'. He was deeply fascinated by accounts which showed that deeply faithful Christians were not worried about the future, about what 'might happen'...

He saw that fear is, in a deep sense, the opposite of love: if we truly believe in the Christian God (creator, god of love, personally concerned by us his children) then there is no ultimate reason to fear anything.

But, Wittgenstein came to regard this 'fear' as a psychological state purely! When the proper understanding of evil-fear is a kind of existential angst; the fear that is cast-out by faith is not merely a human emotion (which in this mixed world is unlikely to conform to any ideal) but the ultimate assumptions concerning the nature of the world.

It is, most exactly, metaphysical fear which is cast out - it is the assumption that fear has a necessary place in our lives that is cast-out by Christian love, by faith in the loving-nature of a creator god.

Wittgenstein went from rejecting speaking about metaphysics in his early work (Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." were the final words. The error is in the word must.); to rejecting all possibility of metaphysics in his later work - in which everything reduces to (current, evanescent) psychology, to therapy, to 'usefulness', to 'life' (to 'language games').

Wittgenstein made it impossible for himself to become a Christian; and thereby damned himself and everybody else who took him seriously and deeply. He also made many people (especially those closest to him) very miserable in this mortal life (and did not seem to apologise, repent, or even notice the fact - unlike in his early life) - consistent with demonstrating that the exclusion of metaphysics does have distal consequences (see blog post below).

And that is why the second half of Wittgenstein's biography is too painful for me to read...

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-45538211714156247372017-07-18T07:41:00.001+01:002017-07-18T08:29:53.848+01:00We, here and now, are the ultimate Outsiders - embrace your fate!In the sixty years since Colin Wilson published The Outsider - describing the state of sociological, psychological and spiritual alienation characteristic of the past couple of centuries - the situation has changed.

In 1956 it was possible to regard the Outsider as being rescued from his predicament by external change - but now he can only rescue himself. The current Outsider has only one place to look for help: within himself.

Thus - in politics and sociology there are no utopias, and all large institutions are thoroughly corrupted including the main churches. The intellectual elites are dishonest and incompetent. Science in 1956 was overwhelmingly successful - but has become a careerist bureaucracy. The universities seemed like a haven of privilege and leisure; but they are now the habitus of petty officials, dishonest spinners and box tickers.

We have no leaders - only middle managers and psychopaths - therefore, we must rely on ourselves. There is nobody else to turn-to. We must find what we need in our-selves - because it will not be supplied by any person or institution.

We, here and now, are the ultimate Outsiders because we have nowhere to turn - indeed, there are very few other people even to talk with about such matters. We are fortunate indeed if we have a marriage and family to sustain us - because these too have been destroyed over the past 60 years.

We are forced either to seek oblivion in distraction and intoxication or suicide - to escape alienation by escaping consciousness; or else to look within. We we cannot trust anybody, we must trust ourselves.

But looking within is the answer! It always was - if only the Outsider had allowed himself to acknowledge the reality of God!

When we look within, and begin to dismantle the false selves and automatic thinking, we find God.

The old Outsiders such as Nietzsche regarded the God-within (the Self) as an alternative to God; but we know that the God within is God. Since we are God's children we ourselves are divine, which means we have 'inherited' divinity. God is within us as well as without - the external God is denied us but God within is undeniable.

We can, should and will find Christianity within us - we can find Christianity despite being denied true and valid scriptures, tradition, legitimate religious teaching, rituals... we can find Christianity within us with total confidence because we know our loving God who created and sustains reality would not leave us unprovided for.

If within is the only place left to us; then within will suffice - we will find there everything we need.

We will find faith, courage, and motivation; we will find love.

We are in a situation where - if we honestly seek to answer the condition of alienation, nihilism and despair - there is no alternative to doing what we should anyway be doing: looking within - to find not only our true selves, but God and all the necessities that only God can provide.

We have the possibility of a degree of spiritual agency, freedom and autonomy seldom seen in the history of the world. And everything is channelling us towards exactly that.

We are fated to be the Ultimate Outsiders - like it or not. But we can solve the problem of alienation by willingly becoming the Ultimate Outsiders indeed! By embracing, rather than avoiding, reality - we can become free, true and live from our divinity (albeit partially, with frequent errors and sins - but that is enough).

We cannot be made to make the right choice - we might instead contiue to choose oblivion and the destruction of consciousness... drugs, social media, transgressive sex - even the destruction of our own persons by transhumanist technologies.

However, that choice is becoming clearer and clearer, more and more conscious - to the point of being unavoidable.

Yes indeed, things are 'coming to a point'...

Note: The crux of my point is that God (as Christians understand God: creator, loving, and a personal God - concerned by every individual) would not leave anybody, at any time or in any place, bereft of spiritual necessities. The world, as we experience it, is adeqaute. Indeed, since life is not a random accident; in some vital sense you and I personally (and everybody else) have been placed into mortal life in a time and at a place suited to our individual needs for experiencing and learning.

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-62779476066161786602017-07-17T15:58:00.003+01:002017-07-17T15:58:58.711+01:00Sure knowledge is based upon direct apprehension of a situation of absolute simplicity and clarityI have seen a convergence of several strands of my interest in 'intuition' and metaphysics.

The surest, indeed the only sure, knowledge we have comes from our direct apprehension of a situation of absolute simplicity and clarity: nothing can be surer than this; and it can retrospectively validate a system of metaphysics which is that such direct knowing is fundamental.

It seems that - for instance - Wittgenstein's method (all through his work, including both early and late) was to strive (by multiple attacks on a problem) to attain exactly this situation. In his early Tractatus he called it 'showing' as contrasted with saying - he meant that knowledge should be based on that which is so simple and clear that it can be comprehended and known wholly and instantly. His last work - On Certainty - is the most comprehensive and sustained example of the 'method' - trying again and again to attain exactly the right question, the right example - so that 'certainty' can be understood all-at-once.

Goethe's concept of observation and experiment was identical at root: he strove in his science to attain a clear and simple view of the phenomenon so that it could be grasped whole. An ideal experiment was aiming at exactly the same - purposively creating a situation of clarity and simplicity when observation did not yield it.

(The usual idea of an experiment is to contrive a controlled observation to test an hypothesis. But this merely evades the idea of where true hypotheses come-from - Goethe's deeper insight in that true hypotheses come from this intuitive clear-simple apprehension.)

Socrates questioning can be seen in the same light - not as 'dialectic' (whatever that might be supposed to mean, I have never been able to understand it) - the attempt to frame the problem so lucidly that the answer becomes obvious (or else to show that the usual way of framing it, the usual form of questions, do not yield such a situation, but only contradictions and complexities).

Rudolf Steiner (much influenced by Goethe) likewise regards 'pure' thinking as aiming at just this: his intuition refers to a simple view; his use of the term clairvoyance has the literal meaning of clear-seeing.

This 'method' is absolutely general. It can and should be applied to all forms of knowing - whether logic, science, ethics, metaphysics, religion or whatever.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-67861216797554358442017-07-17T07:51:00.000+01:002017-07-17T07:51:18.475+01:00To get true answers: Ask the right questions... In the right metaphysical contextThis isn't a straightforward matter - indeed it can take a lot of sustained effort.

If the metaphysical context is wrong then the answers will be false. For example, if the contextual metaphysical assumptions exclude purpose and meaning; then any answer to a specific question will be pointless and futile.

If the specific questions being asked are wrongly framed (including the wrong assumptions) then any answer to them is bound to be wrong - partial, distorted or inverted.

The right question will be one that leads to an answer so clear, simple and obvious; that it is directly understandable.

But how do you get to ask the right questions in the right metaphysical context? Mostly by being motivated - driven - internally to keep-seeking, keep-trying; keep brooding and testing putative answers; mobilise the whole self and being in the search.

And of course this must be an honest quest for understanding; and not a covert grab at power, status or whatever.

In other words; to get true answers you need to be that rare thing - a real philosopher.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-1735055227317688282017-07-17T07:17:00.002+01:002017-07-17T07:17:45.744+01:00The West must go beyond 'reason' - a synthesis and analysis by William WildbloodA powerful and motivating piece by William Wildblood at the Albion Awakening blog.

Here is an excerpt:

The fundamental problem is this. The West is going along with, even instigating, its own destruction because of self-hatred on the one hand and loss of confidence and general lack of concern with what is right on the other. This clearly shows a culture that has come to the end of its time and a conclusion might be that the West is dying and there is not much point in trying to resist that.

But I don't agree. Yes, it may well be dying and we should not expect any sudden resurrection but that is no reason to go quietly. We should not meekly accept this destruction but stand against it, not with the hope of preventing it but with the aim of providing a beacon to all those being dragged down who might be desperately searching for some kind of light in the darkness that surrounds them.

The West was (not exclusively but largely) formed by Christianity. Its rejection of Christianity has left it spiritually high and dry and that has been taken advantage of by, I have to say, forces of evil who seek spiritual destruction. Hence the situation we have today with all the anti-spiritual ideologies we are surrounded by which can only lead us to a kind of nihilism. These ideologies can be grouped together under the broad umbrella term of 'the left', the real agenda of which has always been the destruction of religion though it is happy to have tamed versions of religion existing if these have adopted its core principles over and above their spiritual aspect which is now seen in the light of those principles. Thus many versions of Christianity have been 'liberalised' and today would not be able to make such standard traditional statements as the expression of homosexuality is a spiritual error, woman should be the helpmate of man rather than his equal in all things (meaning equal in terms of function not worth) and mass immigration destroys the spiritual cohesion of a nation, without being described (and mocked) as 'extremist'.

The great difficulty for a traditional conservative thinker nowadays is this. We live in an age that worships reason and thinks it is the highest faculty we have. A spiritual person knows that is nonsense but cannot prove it to someone who cannot see it because that person lacks, or denies themselves, the wherewithal to do so. I personally believe this is often a matter of will not intellect which compounds the problem. The materialist wants to believe what he does thus doing the very thing he accuses the religious person of doing, a common phenomenon.

So many things are known, by common sense, instinct, intuition, faith, tradition, call it what you will, that cannot be rationally proved because reason belongs to the material as opposed to the spiritual world. It is phenomenally based and cannot go unaided beyond that. It stops at the doorway to spiritual reality. And this is why the traditional right is always on the back foot against the left. The left is a rationally constructed ideology. It has no basis in truth, in what fundamentally is, but it is reasonable, logical and even right according to the materialistic parameters it has set up and in which it operates. Any version of the right that accepts those parameters, and most seem to today, has lost the battle before it starts. If those parameters apply then there is no rational argument against the left. Of course they don't apply, and reality is reality so there is always an argument against them but it is intuitive and founded on spiritual truth. You can't prove it or even argue it within the limitations of the world the left has constructed for itself.

Therefore I say that if Albion (or anywhere else) is to awaken from its current spiritual stupor it must reject reason. Don't be alarmed. I'm not suggesting a retreat to irrational behaviour. I am saying that it must reject the pre-eminence of reason. It must go beyond reason to imagination and inner vision. It must see that the square of this world doesn't exist by itself but is an expression of the cube of a higher one. At the very least it must return to common sense and instinct and an appreciation of the natural order. If we can't reach the spiritual just yet then at least let us recover the natural. The rational is no place to be.

Read the rest at:

http://albionawakening.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/the-overturning-of-natural-order.html

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-45624229749735118472017-07-16T21:37:00.001+01:002017-07-16T21:37:53.741+01:00Church of England has just officially abandoned ChristianityYou can hear the story from the Anglican Unscripted guys: First Kevin and Gavin describe what happened at Synod from the English perspective:

Then Kevin and George look at the international implications:

Of course this has seemed inevitable for a long time - it is more than thirty years since the tide turned decisively.

(See Crockford's file: Gareth Bennett and the death of the Anglican mind by William Oddie, 1989.)

But there has to be a moment when the line is crossed, and it has now actually happened: it's official.

To use a favourite phrase of CS Lewis - things are coming to a point. Matters are becoming crystal clear. The sheep and the goats are now in separate flocks.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-64264688307648251542017-07-16T06:18:00.003+01:002017-07-16T06:18:38.723+01:00Wittgenstein versus TuringIn Ray Monk's biography of Ludwig Wittgenstein, there is a striking account of the weekly discussions on the foundations of mathematics between Wittgenstein and Alan Turing. I found myself in agreement with W. and it seemed to me that Turing had been unable to grasp his own error, because he could not free himself from the mathematical thought-world and its assumptions. Turing could not see, or even acknowledge the reality of, a bigger picture than mathematics.

Wittgenstein was stating that understanding was a simple direct intuitive grasp - when we know that we know; whereas Turing was arguing that we know we understand when the results 'work' - we know mathematics is right because a bridge made using calculations does not fall down - and errors in mathematics will lead to bridges falling down.

The argument is a version of one in which I have participated many times - on both sides at different points. For Wittgenstein, understanding was the most important thing in the world - his whole life was driven by his need to understand. He therefore saw that there was no relationship between understanding and practical results (as we presume we know them) - that science, mathematics, engineering have nothing to do with understanding.

Turing, in a sense, was saying that understanding doesn't matter; what matters is whether we can predict and manipulate the world to achieve our desires. Thus a computer does not understand what it does - but this doesn't matter if it can do things we find useful.

Wittgenstein would realise that the usefulness of computers is beside the point - it just is not relevant to the question of understanding.

To put it another way, Turing regarded 'models' as the furthest we can go in understanding. Each model is a deliberately simplified (hence ultimately false) description of total-reality; but that doesn't matter because (for Turing) all thinking is some kind of model.

Whereas Wittgenstein regarded understanding as the basis of everything; for Turing understanding would just have been a transient psychological state - ultimately a kind of delusion.

Turing's 'proof' that understanding is models only is to point at the (apparent) achievements of modern life - look at that bridge, that computer; look at modern man's capability... That is the result of models, useful models - and there is no truth beyond usefulness, but no further truth is needed...

Whereas Wittgenstein would say that Turing did not understand him; and Turing did not understand his own lack of understanding. Turing displayed a kind of impatience, an inability or unwillingness to see things how Wittgenstein saw them.

Wittgenstein knew what Turing meant, because Wittgenstein had believed the same himself; but further thinking had led to a simple, direct understanding that revealed that Turing's view was false. Wittgenstein had thought the way Turing did, then moved beyond it into a situation so clear it needed no further justification.

The exchange between Wittgenstein seems to me a microcosm of many arguments and discussions that go on - or rather that fail to happen because one of the parties simply has not though long, hard, deeply enough to know that they are wrong; and when that party has 'more important things to do' than achieve the clarity and simplicity to which such thinking will eventually lead.

Thus many clever people (and there are few cleverer than Turing) are wrong about fundamental matters; not least because they are impatient to get on with their main line of work, research, creative endeavour... Yet they do not escape their wrongness; and the wrongness of Turing is not invalidated by the success of and ubiquity of computers - rather, Turing's error is built-into the modern world: baked into it indeed since our tests of whether something works have themselves become pragmatic.

So now we have, in effect, the situation of non-understanding computers evaluating the truth (i.e. true understanding) of non-understanding computers - because the matter of real (simple direct, intuitive) understanding has become regarded as merely subjective, psychological, contingent. Modern man therefore demands that the need for understanding be eliminated - and he sets-up procedural systems to evaluate the 'truth' (or 'quality') of science, mathematics, engineering and everything else; without any need for (and indeed deliberately excluding) human understanding.

These systems are supposed to be indifferent to whether or not a person has thought deeply and long, whether they understand of merely manipulate. Indeed there is now a suspicion of, hostility to, anything which is not obvious to 'anybody' - including 'anybody' who has never thought about it and never achieved a state of understanding.

A typical modern bureaucrat (and most modern people are bureaucrats, whether professionally or in their private lives) would be saying to Wittgenstein, over and again: That's just your opinion.

(And anyway, do you want us to live in the stone age, or what?)

Wittgenstein would know that he was right, and he would know this for absolute certain - but probably would not be able to convince anybody else. If he couldn't convince Turing that there was more to understanding than models - what chance would have Wittgenstein have with the average modern middle manager, or academic-careerist, or official, or media propagandist?

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-90193526807370968082017-07-15T16:50:00.002+01:002017-07-15T16:50:17.183+01:00Spiritual implications of the metaphysical complementarity of men and womenIf, as I assume, all persons are either men or women; and this goes back to our primordial origins in the eternity of pre-mortal life and forward to the eternity of post-mortal life; then the consequences are vast - and largely unexplored.

There is no generic human - all individuals are part of a person and unity and wholeness come from the loving dyad of a man and woman.

What seems like (or is promoted as) a battle of the sexes, or vying for domination between sexes, or patriarchy versus feminism, is actually and properly (merely) a process of experiencing and learning. The ultimate reality of the situation towards which divine destiny is tending is the dyadic love of a man and woman true marriage: this is the only completion and wholeness of human life.

Now, when it comes to the situation of an individual in mortal life - this is bound to have some vital relevance; although it may not be (in fact, by design) the most important or prominent aspect of a specific individual's life.

(We each have different and unique primary needs for learning in this life - some lives end very quickly - even in the womb; some lives are constrained by serious handicap or disease or situation; some lives are celibate - more are unmarried; the sexes may be segregated or pitted against one another - or individuality crushed by society; and many cultures have-been and are actively hostile to even an approximation of true-divine marriage.)

Due to the radical incompleteness of each sex, the relationship between men and women goes far, far beyond the realm of reproduction - and includes all the highest and most important aspects of thinking.

It isn't just that men and women think differently, have different abilities and dispositions; it is that only when there is a dyadic fusion of both a man and a woman, then the fullness and truth of perception, insight, knowledge and creativity can be.

(This applies to individual persons - a man and a woman; and it also applies if or when there is a true, organic, familial society - the men as a real group, and the women as a real group, will have analogous complementarity. The 'social organism' is intended, destined, to be complementary also.)

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-74556117255292382992017-07-15T07:03:00.002+01:002017-07-15T16:10:09.439+01:00An appreciation of CS Lewis's That Hideous Strength - by John FitzgeraldIt is my impression that CS Lewis's 'fairy-tale for grown-ups' That Hideous Strength (1945) is - for many conservatives, traditionalists, and spiritual Christians - the single premier work from all the many which describe, understand, and prophesy the end-of, the modern spiritual condition (which is scientism, materialism, positivism, demonic inversion of The Good etc).

At the Albion Awakening blog; John Fitzgerald gives us his appreciation of this book in a complex yet integrated piece that includes personal memoir, literary criticism, and fiction:
https://albionawakening.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/journey-to-centre-of-earth.html

Bruce Charltonhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-11080528888992624832017-07-14T07:38:00.001+01:002017-07-14T15:30:02.473+01:00Expounding unique viewsI have always found that the more I thought-about and worked-on a theme, the more distinctive my views became - distinctive from those of other people. In the end, they were unique: nobody else shared them. Nobody at all.

And, of course, my assumption was that this was distinctiveness arose because other people had not thought as much, as accurately or as honestly as myself - while those others assume that whatever was distinctive about my views was in error.

Ultimately, this is a matter of self-trust and other trust: how much do I trust myself, how much do I trust others? Do I trust myself enough to stand against... everybody (one versus all); do I trust any other person or group enough to squash my own deepest and best and most intuitive thoughts?

As a matter almost of technique in writing - problems arise from distinctiveness. Either one simply states the conclusions without defence - to stand or fall in terms of their intuitive appeal or coherence; or else one references, evidences, buttresses each individual statement and ingredient of the distinctive idea, to emphasise that although the overall idea is unique, its components are agreed.

But then, will any casual reader take one person's view against a lot of others... on the whole, people want o 'back a winner' and will side with the majority, right or wrong. This is attractive because rewarded; and also attractive from fear of isolation.

Most people have never been isolated, except in nightmares; and not many people are able or willing to acknowledge when they are. After all, an unique person is 1. probably wrong, 2. weak, 3. maybe crazy, and 4. even if they are right, then since nobody believes it, then it doesn't make any difference.

What I find interesting is that a set of unique ideas is often very appealing in context of a biography - we want people we read about to be unique, and strange - or else why read about them? But in a non-fiction context, we seem to want consensus, solid 'facts' and standard interpretations - indeed, it is more important not to be wrong, than to be right!

(John Cowper Powys is among the strangest of people, and/ but wrote one of the best autobiographies.)

Those writers and thinkers who have strange and unique ideas are often - for such reasons - best known in a biographical than expository fashion... for example Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Charles Williams...

It seems that the human personality provides a more powerful and flexible integration than any overall conceptual framework.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-36784436609170687772017-07-13T06:52:00.000+01:002017-07-13T18:18:25.535+01:00Heavenly Mother - Why and Not'God' is a dyad of Heavenly Mother and Father, they are co-creators and parents of all. The metaphysical reality is that all persons are male or female and there is no-one who is neither or both.

The whole person is therefore neither man nor woman - each being incomplete - but a dyad of the two complementary persons man and woman; sealed in an eternal loving relationship.

Traditional Christianity - for good reasons - has focused on God the Father, but the time has come for change. While we might continue to refer to 'God' as tacitly implying the two personages, this is coming to seem evasive, and even dishonest.

Of course the potential for being misunderstood, and deliberately misrepresented, is vast - it is a hazardous, dangerous doctrine; but that applies to Christianity in general - and so, where there is need, hazard does not deter.

The key fact is the grounding in the dyadic and complementary metaphysics; this is the basic assumption, which is attested by direct intuitive knowing and coherence, not by empirical 'evidence'. It is thus metaphysical assumption rooted in faith and personal knowledge which clarifies and protects the concept of Heavenly Mother.

What she is, is a matter that need attention, now.

*

What she is not?... She is not the same as the Father, not another name for the Father, certainly not an equal to the Father. Complementarity means dissimilarity: two complementary things are not the same, are not equal - their quality is that both in combination are needed to make the whole, the unit.

Heavenly Mother is a part of the dyad of God - not a Goddess; she is not any kind of revival - because she has never been acknowledged nor known up to now. She is of the future, not the past.

She is nothing to do with feminism, and is indeed ultimately the opposite of feminism. She is not in any way 'for women' rather than or in preference to being for men (any more that the legitimate Queen of a nation is for the women of that nation more than the men! Or that mothers are for their daughters more than their sons. Nonsense!).

She is not a 'balance' yet not a take-over either... Heavenly Mother is a fact and a necessity.

*

Heavenly Mother is a mystery - because divine; but she is a person we already know, from our long pre-mortal lives as her sons and daughters; we have known her for as long as we consciously knew anything.

If, for good reasons, we have been focused on Heavenly Father (and the reality of our Mother awaited the Mormon revelations of the middle 1800s) - then why do we need her now?

We need her now because the unilateral focus on the Father is preventing our divinely-destined spiritual progression. Where we are now (culturally, individually) is nihilism, despair and death; but we cannot (and should not) go back (which is why all attempts have failed); yet going forward is blocked by a partial and distorted understanding which cuts to the root; progression entails acknowledging the fullness of fundamental understanding, and building-upon that.

At some deep and intuitive level we know this, or we can know it - each for himself or herself - for the asking (serious asking). And we can find out more, and as much as we need, by addressing questions in prayer and meditation and listening for the responses - observing the responses.

(This is not really a matter of 'worship' because the incremental collapse of that concept is representative of the reasons why our Heavenly Mother's time has come. It is instead a matter of acknowledged reality, followed by love; and of conversation, communion, communication.)

*

This is not a matter of capturing Heavenly Mother in definitions, any more than this is helpful for our Father; because persons are known, not defined.

There is no need and little value from dividing-up the powers and responsibilities of our Heavenly parents any more than our real parents - yes they are different, and rightly; but no, the difference is not a consequence of, nor captured by, legal categories.

Persons are primary; loving relations are the cohesion and source of organisation.

*

How important is this - is it necessary? Since the idea of Heavenly Mother is unsafe, will be deliberately and carelessly misunderstood and misrepresented, will be a reason for hatred and loathing... is she not better set-aside, down-played, kept-quiet about?

That is a decision you need to make for yourself. You need to feel that Heavenly Mother is something we need to know - now: urgently; and which honesty requires that we know - openly, explicitly; knowledge the lack of which is poisoning us in many ways.

The impulse is there, the impulse is in our hearts and unfolding in Western culture. If the impulse is refused and kept unconscious; it will nonetheless emerge in distorted and inverted forms (like feminism, like misogyny, like resentment and competitive exploitation between men and women).

But if Heavenly Mother is acknowledged and takes her place explicitly and joyously as a completion of our knowledge of God and the basis of our mortal lives; then the destined new era of consciousness may commence.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-18040908207722896242017-07-12T07:19:00.000+01:002017-07-12T14:35:09.962+01:00The reason for the modern predicament (and why we are alive, now)It seems an especially hard time to be alive - for those in The West who experience the alienation propagated by modern culture.

We are in a thought-world where subjectivity can poison but not heal. Where we believe the nihilistic promptings of imagination and readily accept the idea of futility - yet reject the good news brought us from that same quarter.

The resistance of this problem, decades after its formulation, is the resistance we have to a metaphysics of meaning - and that even the problem of the problem is a challenge, a learning experience potentially - indeed it is perhaps the learning experience of all.

Because the modern predicament is the crux of all things: Is the universe Good - was it created, is it meaningful, purposive - does it have a place for each of us specifically, a destiny, a path, and an achievable goal? Does death render everything futile or is it an essential step to a great gift?

All these characteristic, modern, alienation problems; are forcing us to confront the most essential of all questions. They bring us to face the ultimate choice, which all must face.

Because reality is a participated reality - reality just does not force itself upon us; we must always decide, choose, to make reality.

The 'facts' are insufficient, the facts are always insufficient to compel choice. That is the nature of things.

Reality is as reality is; but we cannot make sense of it without our-selves evaluating and interpreting - and rejecting or endorsing.

For each Man it is as for Jesus and Lucifer. The facts are the same; the difference is a personal act of understanding those facts. Ultimately it is a choice between alliance with the creator, or imposing our-selves on creation.

Is the world a family to be part-of; or a situation to be made the best-of?

The modern predicament brings us to this situation, unavoidably - although part of the reality of the situation is that understanding the nature of our personal predicament is exactly the point at issue.

Bruce Charltonhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
$1399.00 Down/ $150.00 every two weeks. Sporty and economical Hyundai Tiburon is loaded with features providing for comfort and convenience.
This sports coupe from Hyundai is loaded with the features you expect such as a 6 speaker stereo, power windows, power steering, air conditioning and rear spoiler. A 4 speed automatic transmission provides the smooth shifts and a 2.0L 4 cyl. engine provides the power. Comes with out 90 day / 1500 mile "peace of mind" warranty. This car looks great and you will too driving it. Come by for a test drive and check out our other inventory. Ask for Bobby for more information. 352-489-3900.
Price: $6495
Call: 352-489-3900 | Email Advertiser

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"Read for the Record" is a nationwide literacy awareness event, where readers throughout the country try to set a world record for the number of people reading the same book on the same day. The Altadena Library District's programs will be one of many special events throughout the nation. Help us set a world record!
AGES: ,Kids WHEN: 11am – 5pm, Thursday, October 27 WHERE: Altadena, 600 E Mariposa St, Altadena CA COST: free


text:
Great service, fast turnaround
These guys are great! They know what they're doing and they're very professional! Read More
Great service, fast turnaround
These guys are great! They know what they're doing and they're very professional! Read More
Security gate install hollywood hills
I am very happy with the job done by Mulholland security. They executed my vision, with their professional input, quickly and efficiently. They suggested a beautiful type of wood I had not considered, I am glad I listened, it is beautiful and sturdy. I needed... Read More
excellent result
we had particular requests that involved a lot of collaboration and investigation, They were inventive and came up with solutions to answer our needs and followed through. We already had excellent experiences with them installing our security gate and their support... Read More
great service
our hoa was needing to up our security. i reached out to mulholland to get a quote - and they came in lower than other bids i received. the work was done with ease. Read More
Punctual and Efficient
Mulholland Security Centers came right when we called them, we didn't have to wait. They were punctual and efficient. They told us what we needed and worked with us to decide what was best for us at the best price. I think their prices are fair compared to other... Read More
Wonderful company
This company is absolutely wonderful to work with. They respond quickly,, Their prices are fair and their workmanship is outstanding. The product turned out beautiful and I am extremely blown away by their professionalism and neatness. I will definitely hire them... Read More
Very together organization they were on time did a great job
Very together organization they were on time did a great job. I will definitely use them again in the future if I have any further problems with my gay system they were so much better than the previous people we used there's no comparison. Read More
Great Company
I can't say enough great things about this company. I had a security issue with a client, and Mulholland not only helped us, but went way above and beyond to make sure their customer was satisfied. Ran, specifically, represented the type of customer service you only... Read More
Mulholland Security is the company I call when I need anything. They have a fast turn around, they are honest, and they do the work efficiently. They have been my locksmith for a long time. Read More
Exceptional service
I had lost my keys and contacted Mulholland security about changing my locks, it was after 8pm at night and Liz was ready and available to help. She had someone dispatched within a few hrs and i had new locks on my house by the end of the night. Thank you Liz for... Read More
The best in the business
If you are looking for best prices , quality and customer service , you have to contact mulholland !!! Read More
5 out of 5!!
Very satisfied! Liz the Operations Manager was very helpful and communicated very well. Got the right price for the job of course. Technician very respectful, helpful and knowledgeable. I recommend this company definitely. Read More
Great work, very reliable!
I am quite happy with how the services I have received from Mulholland Security Centers have been. Mulholland Security Centers installed the security service used in my home, and I have lived here for a long time and haven't had any issues, the security system seems... Read More
Always our heros!
Thank you for taking such good care of our home and keeping us safe. You are amazing Read More
Great service!
Great service and they always make themselves available for any maintenance issues. Thanks Ran! Read More
Highly recommend Mulholland Security!
I can't say enough positive things about Ran and the guys at Mulholland Security. They have been very instrumental in a wide variety of projects (high-end privacy fence, automatic gate entry, lock rey-keying, etc.) at my new complex in NoHo. Words like timely,... Read More
excellent work very satisfied
workman ship was excellent. the worker was on time, very polite, did excellent work. I have no complaints and if addition work is needed at any time I will definitely give them a call. I don't fill that I was overcharged. I have to say thank you Liz for all of... Read More
Great Team!
Highly recommend Mulholland. They always provide great customer service and reliability. Liz and Yossi are always ready and willing to make it happen. I've called for emergency service at 2am and they delivered a service technician within an hour. Read More
Mulholland Security did a FANTASTIC job with our fence and gate.
We contacted Mulhiolland Security to build a new fence, gate and intercom security system and are absolutely thrilled with the work they did. Yael met with us twice to discuss options and provided us with great examples and lots of ideas. She was able to take... Read More
Beautiful Gate, Thank you
We are happy with our new gate and fence. Thank you Mulholland Gates. Worked well with us to create a beautiful, secure addition to our home. Your workers were all very nice and handled the aggressive neighbors calmly and professionally. Read More


text:
22 November 2007,
London, South Kensington
Price realised GBP 938
After Marc Chagall
The Angel of Judgement, by Charles Sorlier (S.P. page 138)
lithograph in colours, 1974, on thin wove paper, signed and dated '1976' in black ink, from the edition of 5000 with text, published by the Society of Friends of the National Marc Chagall Biblical Message Museum, Nice
(Poster)L. 520 x 430 mm., S. 760 x 525 mm.
New York +1 212 636 2000
London +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Hong Kong +852 2760 1766
Shanghai +86 21 6355 1766
Special Notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
A selection of accessibly priced works by the art world's greatest names, offered in two online auctions in July
From originals and editions to missing signatures and finding the right frame
The life and work of the Russian artist who was born Moyshe Segal and became one of the key figures of 20th-century art
International specialist Tim Schmelcher charts the evolution of a field in which works by the likes of by Dürer or Rembran..
Leading specialists, gallerists and dealers advise on making that first foray into the contemporary art market
An expert guide to one of the most important events in the art-world calendar, and an index of in-depth features on Venice
Leaving behind Dubai's high-rise heart, Andrew Graham-Dixon goes in search of its low-slung soul


text:
Dr. Ross Black II MD Patient Reviews
- Family Medicine Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Overall Rating
25 Patient Reviews
- Friendly Staff
- Promptness
- Spends Time With Patients
- Bedside Manner
- Fair and Accurate Diagnosis
- Easy Appointments
- Wait Time 15 minutes
- Appropriate Followup
Showing 1 - 12 reviews
3.0 of 5
June 21st, 2016
One of God's best ideas
There are no words to accurately describe the care of this unique and devoted human being, by far the most caring and loving person to walk this earth.In the 70 years, many of them in his care, he has never failed to answer my cries of help May God bless and keep him and his incredible family.
5.0 of 5
May 16th, 2012
Super Doctor
I have been with Dr. Black since 1988 and will miss him dearly when I move this summer out of state. I would take him with me if I could! I know that I will never find another doctor who cares about his patients as much as he and his staff does!
5.0 of 5
May 10th, 2012
Dr Black's personal style
Dr Black is a great doctor, I have recommended him to all of the family and he cares for all of us, with the expertise, I have come to expect and respect. Love him.
5.0 of 5
November 20th, 2011
Four Stars are not enough for Dr. Ross Black
You will need more than four Stars to rate Dr. Black. He is the BEST. I have been going to Dr. Black for more than 15 years and When he retires, No other doctor stands a chance. He is the Best of the Best. Ask ALL of his patients and they will agree.
5.0 of 5
August 27th, 2009
Best Doctor I could ask for
I have been a patient of Dr. Blacks for 26 years. I was 8 years old when I first started seeing him, and now I am 30 and bring my own daughter to him for care. He is far and away the kindest and most caring health care professional I have ever dealt with. Going to him for care, is like catching up with an old friend. I trust him implicitly and would never want to have to go see another. He goes above and beyond the call of duty to help his patients and see that they get the care they deserve. His bedside manner is outstanding. Overall, if you are looking for an amazing doctor, look no further. You wont find better than Dr. Black.
2.0 of 5
February 5th, 2016
3.0 of 5
February 4th, 2016
5.0 of 5
December 7th, 2015
5.0 of 5
November 23rd, 2015
5.0 of 5
September 10th, 2015
5.0 of 5
July 27th, 2015
5.0 of 5
July 9th, 2015
Health Guides
Binge Eating Disorder
Get the facts about binge eating disorder, including symptoms, causes and related conditions.
Nearby Doctors
Dr. Ross Black II, MD is similar to these 3 Doctors near Cuyahoga Falls, OH.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Cuyahoga Falls, OH


text:
Tonghertech.com is one of the leading electric fencing system provider with all other accessories as electric fence Insulators , Electric fence energizers, electric fence charger etc
At Grintoso, they strive to provide an extensive array of agricultural and farming equipment and machineries at reasonable rates. With them, you can get assured to get high quality services and world
Looking for a great recipe? Explore our new Pistachio Cheesecake Recipe. Check out Passion Foods for Great Ideas, Great Innovations, and of course, Great Friends to hand out with, both offline and on
Grovy Real estate development LLC are the Real Estate Developers in Dubai building luxurious properties in the residential, retail as well as the commercial sector offering luxurious living to custom
Shaadichoice.com is most trusted matrimony site, you can find appropriater matching Agri Matrimony brides and grooms for marriage. Marriage brings a new adventure in life and turn life to new mode.
Why go to the gym when you can bring it to your home? Consider renovating the basement to suit your exercise routine. You can install a treadmill, rubber flooring along with a decent ventilation syst
Coupons are a intelligent way to conserve funds. Maybe you only use discount codes to take in out as soon as in a although. You might be one particular of these consumers who dedicates Sunday morning
Is a Do follow Social bookmarking website which opens the door to new ways of bookmarking, managing and mingles your categorized resources.
Latest Comments


text:
Shortstop Franklin Barreto, the A's top prospect, was recalled by the team Saturday. It is not yet known if he's in the lineup for the game in Chicago against the White Sox.
Barreto, 21, was batting .281 with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 68 games at Nashville. Over his last 12 games, he was batting .354 with seven multi-hit games.
Chad Pinder, who left Friday night's game in the sixth inning, was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain.
More on this story after the A's clubhouse opens in Chicago.


text:
Arizona Cardinals' cornerback Patrick Peterson has developed into one of the premier defensive backs in the league, but he's struggled at what used to be his calling card: returning punts.
In Peterson's rookie year, he returned 44 punts for 699 yards and four touchdowns, earning him first-team All-Pro honors. However, he has seen his production decline in the last two seasons, and had some serious issues on punts Sunday in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, highlighted by a muffed punt.
"He had two poor decisions," head coach Bruce Arians told Arizona Sports 620's Dan Bickley Show with Vince Marotta Monday.
"He needed to make better decisions back there and we're going to talk a little bit about how we're returning the football and improving the area."
This season, Peterson has has returned 24 punts for 161 yards, which ranks 17th in the NFL. His 6.7 yards per return places him 20th out of the 23 eligible players.
While Peterson still possesses elite playmaking ability, with the value he provides at corner and his recent struggles, it might make sense to turn to another player with return experience. Arians said they will explore their options.
"Tyrann (Mathieu)'s done it, but he's playing some 60 plays a game too right now," the coach added. "Javier (Arenas) has done it. We have a number of returners we could possibly put back there."
However, Arians made it clear Peterson is their first choice if the third-year pro can return to form.
"We'd like to straighten it out with Pat because he can hit the home run."
Mike Jurecki, Co-Host of "The Blitz with B-Train and Mike Jurecki"
Friday July 21
The ultimate Cardinals insider runs through some roster moves the Cards might have to make.
John Clayton, NFL insider
Friday July 21
John Clayton lists a few free agents that Steve Keim might be interested in signing.
Big Deal...or No Deal?
Thursday July 20
A backup point guard, six unsigned picks and OJ!
Jude LaCava, FOX 10 Sports
Thursday July 20
Jude and the guys talk arena deals and Cardinals camp
Dave Pasch, Voice of the Arizona Cardinals
Thursday July 20
Dave Pasch discusses the storylines surrounding Cardinals training camp.


text:
It's not often for us to conclude that a streaming deal is actually accretive for both sides of the agreement, but it does happen. Case in point: the recent silver stream on the Gibraltar copper mine acquired by Osisko Gold Royalties (NYSE:OR) from Taseko Mines (NYSEMKT:TGB).
The Deal
For an upfront payment of $33M and ongoing payments of $2.75 per ounce of silver Osisko is buying:
- Taseko's share of silver by-product from the currently known mineral reserves at the Gibraltar mine.
- 35% of Taseko's share of silver production thereafter.
- 3M warrants expiring April fool's day 2020, and entitling Osisko to purchase Taseko shares at a 50% premium to price at closing of the agreement (around $2 per share at current levels).
Gibraltar Is A Tiny Island? Not.
The Gibraltar copper mine in south-central British Columbia is the second largest open pit copper mine in Canada. Taseko manages its 75% stake in the mine within a JV with a Japanese Consortium. The mill capacity is 85,000 tpd with output of 133M lbs of copper in 2016. The operation produces a 28% concentrate which also contains a silver by-product, the subject of the streaming agreement. The current mineral inventory adds up to 3.2B lbs of copper, supporting a 23 year mine life.
Taseko has reported 249,000 and 293,000 attributable ounces of silver in concentrate for 2016 and 2015, respectively, of which 90% would have been payable under the streaming agreement in accordance with Taseko's off-take agreements. These numbers correlate well with Osisko's 200,000 deliverable ounces of silver per year for the next 14 years on average, rising to 350,000 annual ounces thereafter.
Putting this data into a crude discounted cash flow model yields a present value of roughly $50M at the current silver price of $17.50/oz, or a NPV(5%) of $17M before tax for Osisko Gold Royalties, with an IRR of around 10% (ignoring the warrants). Or viewed differently, the deal has a cash flow yield of 8.9%.
Osisko's Side
Granted, this is not an outstanding investment at first sight by any means, but it's a solid one that fits well with Osisko's portfolio of long-lived Canadian assets. Plus there are other facets in favor of this agreement:
- The silver stream is immediately cash flow accretive as deliveries have been backdated to January 1.
- Adding silver to the metal mix provides a (small) degree of diversification for Osisko's portfolio.
- There is talk of exploration upside with every streaming agreement, and this one is no different; however, drill results released by Taskeo last September make this upside a bit more tangible than usual as precious metals seem to be replacing molybdenum as mineralization is traced outside of the current resource to the northwest of the pit.
- And of course there is the argument of upside in a rising silver price environment. In this case there is also upside in a rising copper price environment by way of the warrants.
This is in fact not a large deal for Osisko as the company still has about $350M at its disposal, plus an undrawn $200M credit facility. As such we view the Gibraltar stream as an attractive addition to the portfolio, with plenty of reason to expect more deals to be announced in due time.
Taseko's Side
Turning to Taseko, we would like to remind readers of a rather dire debt position weighing on the company's balance sheet (as discussed in more detail here). The $70M facility with RK Mine Finance Trust I (or Red Kite for short) (a legacy of the Curis Resources takeover) along with $200M in Senior Secured Notes will mature in early 2019, and provide for some heavy lifting between now and then.
On surface Taseko only generated C$7.5M in free cash flow in 2016, but this number hides the fact that Taseko only turned free cash flow positive in Q4, thanks to the copper price recovery in this period. Extrapolating from Q4 results, we estimate that Taseko can generate around $20M in free cash flow per quarter at the current copper price. That's not enough to repay the debt in full until maturity, but probably sufficient to negotiate re-financing at acceptable terms.
The $33M upfront payment by Osisko is certainly welcome in this context, and if we were Taseko shareholders we would urge management to use the cash for a partial re-payment of the onerous Red Kite loan first and foremost.
The silver stream will be felt on the company's cost structure as silver byproduct credits of around $0.04/lb will disappear from the cash cost calculations; however, this will be more or less compensated for by credits from the newly restarted molybdenum plant.
Overall, we argue that closing the streaming agreement is a positive development for Taseko. Balance sheet repair is the name of the game for this copper miner, and the stream serves the purpose to the dot, and without weighing too much on future earnings.
And Before We Go...
Thanks for reading our article. If you're looking to stay on top of the mining sector, consider following my account above to get my latest articles. If you want to see our best ideas, please have a look at Itinerant's Musings, with exclusive access to our small and mid-cap ideas, a lively community, and regular commentary and outlook on metal prices. We'd love to have you on board.
Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


text:
Tag cloud
Recent posts
- The canals and stunning architecture of Comacchio at night, northern Italy's 'Little Venice'
- London Gay Pride 2017: faces, street scenes and smoke bombs – in photos
- The beauty of London at night: a summer stroll along the South Bank, July 2017
- Music, art and machinery, Klanghaus: 800 Breaths at Southbank Centre, London
- Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! at the Serpentine Gallery, London
Recent comments
- amon on London Gay Pride 2017: faces, street scenes and smoke bombs – in photos
- Brixton street scenes June 2017 – market views, night scenes, Station Road and more on So, goodbye Brixton Woolies…
- amon on London Gay Pride 2017: faces, street scenes and smoke bombs – in photos
- mark randle on Tidal Basin Tavern, east London – Shootings, Siouxsie and The Leather Boys
- Get your bike fixed for free – Dr Bike is in Windrush Square, Brixton tonight (Weds 5th July) on Here's what happens when you don't lock your bike properly outside Brixton tube
duckie Archive
The Mrs Mills Experience wow the crowds at DuckiePosted on Thursday, Sep 20, 2012 | No CommentsThis was such a fun gig to play. I've always wanted to play the legendary gay club Duckie after seeing the Actionettes perform there so many times, so was well […]
A grand night out in Vauxhall – Duckie with The ActionettesPosted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2012 | 1 CommentThere was no better place to be in Lambeth on Saturday night than the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, where the good club Duckie was hosting another fantastic night of 'progressive working […]
Jarvis Cocker and The Actionettes at Duckie, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, LondonPosted on Monday, Dec 12, 2011 | No CommentsSaturday night was a blast at the historic Royal Vauxhall Tavern, an old-fashioned south London pub that is probably London's best-known alternative gay venue. On the bill were the fabulous go-go Actionettes, a […]
Actionettes shake it at the gay bar: Duckie, VauxhallPosted on Sunday, Jun 5, 2011 | 2 CommentsAll girl go-go queens, The Actionettes, sent a hugely enthusiastic crowd wild last night at London's finest gay bar, Duckie. The club is at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, south London, […]
Club Duckie's 15th Birthday Party at the Southbank CentrePosted on Saturday, Sep 11, 2010 | No CommentsThis was a fantastic night – the Southbank was packed, the floor sticky with spilt beer and the music was fabulous – any club that plays Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" […]


text:
Well & Good All Purpose Cake Mix450g
- Gluten-free
Product Description
You'll have an unfair advantage to win all the cake baking competitions with our All Purpose Cake Mix. Apple and Pecan, Coffee Cream, Banana, and the very popular vanilla iced Carrot Cake, to name a few. The easy "all in" recipes, and firm, moist cake texture allow you endless possibilities for flavouring and decorating. Flex your creative muscle in the kitchen and stimulate the taste buds of everyone in the dining room. A yummy new dessert cake will thrill your family every week.
Ingredients: sugar, gluten free flour mix (tapioca flour, rice flour, potato starch, modified corn starch), maltodextrin (from corn), baking powder, dextrose(from corn), nature identical vanilla flavour, cinnamon, vegetable emulsifier, cellulose gum.
About the brand...
Well and Good make premium quality baking mixes that are free from all common allergens such as wheat, gluten, dairy, nuts, egg and soya. Their mixes are easy to bake, versatile and always deliciously pleasing for your whole...


text:
Open Post: Hosted By The Teen Who Ate A Hot Pepper Every Time Ariana Grande Said "Um"
Kids CAN do astonishing things! The AV Club has introduced the world to this brave and probably seriously injured teenager who tortured himself to help Ariana Grande with her public speaking. He made a video in which he ate a hot pepper every time Ariana said "um" in an award acceptance speech. This is amusing at first, but then it veers into torture and (spoiler alert) ends with gagging. So, is it possible to completely burn out your taste buds so they'll never come back? Does this child have the ability to taste anymore?
It was no joke. The kid wrote in the video caption:
"Words can't not [sic] describe the amount of pain I experienced after turning the camera off."
Hopefully Ariana sees this video and realizes the amount of pain the verbalization of her thought process is causing. Watch the poor boy, below.
Pic: YouTube
Halle Berry Never Had A Birthday Party
You weren't missing much, Catwoman. Usually some sort of clown or magician is involved when you're a kid, and they always smell of Level 3 sex offender. So maybe you dodged a bullet. In an interview with E! News, marginally psychologically stable actress Halle Berry revealed that she's never had a birthday party. Continue reading
Do Whoopi Goldberg And Gina Gershon Owe Somebody Money?
All of you supposedly serious auteurs can just cancel your plans for Cannes next year. The next film to win the Palme de'Or is here! Charlie Sheen, Gina Gershon, and Whoopi Goldberg (?!?) are starring in the most tasteful and necessary film experience in decades. Picture it. Total strangers trapped in a high-rise elevator must work together to survive before the cable snaps! It's a pulse-pounding race against time! Why is the cable snapping? Because a plane just hit the North Tower! Yes, somebody thought it was a good idea to make a cheesy, predictable thriller about 9/11. Is anyone involved in this film ALLOWED in NYC anymore?
John Heard Passed Away
Kevin McCallister's dad from Home Alone died. TMZ says actor John Heard's body was found in a hotel in Palo Alto, CA yesterday by maid services, according to "family sources." He was 72. For those of you in my age range, join me in accepting that everything you know, love, and clung to as a child for comfort and warmth is pretty much gone. What's left? Who's left? Betty White? Luckily, she sold her soul to Satan for longevity and good fortune, so she's safe. Someone bubble-wrap E.T. before they reboot it. Continue reading
Open Post: Hosted By A Pizza Parlor Fight In Toronto
As Michael K pointed out when he called my attention to this item, you'd assume that "pizza parlor fight in Toronto" would be two polite Canadians saying, "No, sir, you order first, please" to one another over and over again. Everything in Canada is magical, and every Canadian I know is a sparkling gem from the north. I don't lie. There's nothing bad in Canada, except maybe a serial killer or two, and whatever evil spirits possessed the Canucks involved in this brawl.
Reddit (via blogTO) brings us footage of the war that broke out at a Pizza Pizza location in Toronto ("near Queen and Broadview Plaza" if you know the area). Legend has it that a late order caused a patron to jump over the counter and "throw around some potato chips." That's when it all went to hell! Women grapple. Chairs are picked up in hopes of being thrown. That one gal was pissed because she was punching people to STOP the fight. There is so much going on here, it's like they all caught a shared madness and are each acting out some private trauma. This Twitter user was right:
you can watch that pizza pizza fight once a day and catch different moments you missed the last time you watched 😭😭
— July 28th 🌸 (@iamcameronmoore) July 12, 2017
Is Pizza Pizza good enough to inspire such brutality? Watch below and judge for yourselves.
Pic: YouTube
Gordon Ramsay Hates Pineapple Pizza, But Ate It For Charity
Why does "pineapple pizza" keep popping up in all my social media feeds lately? It's that and "fidget spinners." I can't escape them! Raging celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay hates him some pineapple pizza. He hates it more than when a masochistic chefs screws up on one of his many reality shows. He hates it more than he hates Amy and Samy Bouzaglo! Continue reading


text:
SYDNEY — A group of soldiers in Papua New Guinea mutinied early Thursday, replacing the chief of the armed forces in an apparently bloodless raid on the nation's military headquarters that they said was aimed at breaking the country's political impasse, according to the Australian government and news reports.
A team of 12 to 20 rebel soldiers stormed the barracks of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force in the capital, Port Moresby, early Thursday morning, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. They placed the country's military chief, Brig. Gen. Francis Agwi, under house arrest and replaced him with a new commander, a former defense attaché to Indonesia, Col. Yaura Sasa.
There were no immediate reports of violence at the barracks or in the streets of the capital.
Colonel Sasa said at a news conference that the country's first post-independence prime minister, Sir Michael Somare, who was replaced last year, had appointed him military commander and that he had ordered the soldiers to conduct the raid in an effort to force an end to months of tensions between Sir Michael and his successor as prime minister, Peter O'Neill. Sir Michael and Mr. O'Neill both claim to be the rightful head of the government. General Agwi has supported Mr. O'Neill during the dispute.
Colonel Sasa insisted the move was "not a military takeover" and called on the two rivals to resolve what he called the country's "constitutional impasse" within seven days. If they did not, he warned, he would use "necessary action" to "restore the integrity and respect for the Constitution and the judiciary."
In August, several months after Sir Michael had gone to Singapore to get medical treatment for a heart problem, he was replaced by Mr. O'Neill. When Sir Michael, whose reputation has been tarnished by accusations of corruption and heavy-handedness, finally returned in September, he fought for reinstatement, while Mr. O'Neill's government drafted legislation to retroactively authorize Sir Michael's ouster.Continue reading the main story
The crisis reached a boiling point last month, when the O'Neill government ignored a Supreme Court decision to reinstate Sir Michael as the head of government, leading to the bizarre spectacle of two rival prime ministers, cabinets and police chiefs claiming legitimacy over the country.
But a decision in December to back Mr. O'Neill by the governor general, Michael Ogio, who represents the country's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, and is chosen by Parliament, seemed to have ended any lingering hope for Sir Michael. The political tensions, too, seemed to have abated, but they were reignited last week when Sir Michael crashed a session of Parliament wielding a copy of the court decision ordering his reinstatement. He demanded to be returned to power, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, while Mr. O'Neill warned him that he could be arrested if he showed up at Parliament again.
The Australian Foreign Ministry, which maintains the largest diplomatic mission in the country, confirmed in a statement that the defense chief had been overthrown.
"We are concerned about these developments overnight in Port Moresby," the statement said. "We urge that the situation be resolved as soon as possible, and that the Papua New Guinea Defense Force chain of command is restored."
A country of seven million people that is north of Australia and east of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea has a history of political violence, including a decade-long civil war involving the mineral-rich island of Bougainville. Sir Michael led the country to independence from Australia, but the election in 2002 that brought him to power was marred by violence in which more than a dozen people were killed.Continue reading the main story