#daniel grayling

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Floating on by like a butterfly for the 🐉Wings of Fire aus' names lists are...

The 🐛SilkWings🦋!

The X-Men Members:

• Charles Xavier/Professor Xavier: Xerces

• Ororo Munroe/Storm: Silk

• Logan Howlett/Wolverine: Lemon

• Scott Summers/Cyclops: Cecropia

• Jean Grey/Marvel Girl/Phoenix: Grayling

• Hank McCoy/Beast: Beauty

• Anne-Marie/Rogue: Rose

• Remy LeBeau/Gambit: Gossamer

• Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat: Sphinx

• Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler: Nymph

• Jubilation Lee/Jubilee: Gypsy

• Evan Daniels/Spyke: Skipper

• Bobby Drake/Iceman: Io

• Piotr Rasputin/Colossus: Peacock

• Illyana Rasputin/Magik: Marble

• Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane: Woodwhite

• Samuel "Sam" Guthrie/Cannonball: Comma

• Roberto da Costa/Sunspot: Sulphur

• Danielle "Dani" Moonstar/Mirage: Mint

• Laura Kinney/Wolverine 2.0: Lime

•Tabitha "Tabby" Smith/Boom-Boom: Burnet

The Brotherhood:

• Erik Lehnsherr/Magnus/Magneto: Metalmark

• Raven Darkholme/Mystique: Miner

• Victor Creed/Sabretooth: Viceroy

• Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver: Silverspot

• Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch: Witch

• Mortymer Tonybee/Todd Tolanksy/Toad: Tortoiseshell

• Fred "Freddy" Dukes/Blob: Blue

• Lance Alvers/Avalanche: Argent

• St. John Allerdyce/Pyro: Pinion

(Tied up that loose end, didn't I? But there is one more thread to add to this tapestry of words, the...)

• Reader/Bby: Ghost, Imperial, Polyphemus, Bella, Tiger, Leopard, Dagger, Esther, Regal, Emperor, Sable, Swift, Heart, Heath, Lappet, Looper, Blush, Gold, Pink, Brass, Crimson, Burgundy, Orange, Yellow, Emerald, Azure, Purple, Copper, White, Black, Gray, Cream, Monarch, Lady, Queen, Page, Ulysses, Adonis, Satyr, Hairstreak, Malachite, Pavon, Velvet, Flambeau, Doris, Argus, Glasswing, Cloak, Pearl...

[radiomaxmusic]

August 13, 2024: 12pm ET: Feature Artist: Dan Fogelberg

Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is primarily known for his 1980s soft rock hits, including “Longer” (1980), “Same Old Lang Syne” (1981), and “Leader of the Band” (1982). Dan Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois. He was the youngest of three sons born to Margaret (née Irvine), (1920–2015), a…

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Finance (No. 2) Bill: Third Reading

Ayes: 215 (98.6% Con, 0.9% Ind, 0.5% DUP) Noes: 19 (94.7% SNP, 5.3% PC) Absent: ~416

Likely Referenced Bill: Finance (No. 2) Act 2010

Description: A Bill to grant certain duties, to alter other duties, and to amend the law relating to the National Debt and the Public Revenue, and to make further provision in connection with finance.

Originating house: Commons Current house: Unassigned Bill Stage: Royal Assent

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (211 votes)

Aaron Bell Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alec Shelbrooke Alex Burghart Alex Chalk Alicia Kearns Alok Sharma Amanda Milling Andrew Griffith Andrew Jones Andrew Lewer Andrew Murrison Andrew Percy Andrew Selous Andy Carter Angela Richardson Anna Firth Anne Marie Morris Anne-Marie Trevelyan Anthony Browne Antony Higginbotham Ben Everitt Ben Spencer Ben Wallace Bernard Jenkin Bill Wiggin Bim Afolami Bob Blackman Bob Seely Brandon Lewis Caroline Ansell Caroline Nokes Charles Walker Cherilyn Mackrory Chris Clarkson Chris Grayling Chris Green Chris Philp Conor Burns Craig Tracey Craig Williams Damian Hinds Daniel Kawczynski Danny Kruger David Davis David Duguid David Jones David Rutley David Simmonds Dean Russell Dehenna Davison Derek Thomas Desmond Swayne Duncan Baker Edward Argar Edward Leigh Elizabeth Truss Elliot Colburn Esther McVey Felicity Buchan Fiona Bruce Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon Gareth Davies Gareth Johnson Gary Sambrook Gavin Williamson Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Gillian Keegan Graham Brady Graham Stuart Greg Hands Greg Smith Guy Opperman Harriett Baldwin Heather Wheeler Helen Whately Holly Mumby-Croft Huw Merriman Iain Duncan Smith Iain Stewart Jack Brereton Jack Lopresti Jackie Doyle-Price Jacob Rees-Mogg Jacob Young James Cartlidge James Cleverly James Davies James Duddridge James Sunderland James Wild Jane Hunt Jane Stevenson Jeremy Quin Jerome Mayhew Jo Churchill John Glen John Howell John Lamont Jonathan Djanogly Jonathan Gullis Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Julian Smith Julian Sturdy Justin Tomlinson Katherine Fletcher Kelly Tolhurst Kemi Badenoch Kevin Hollinrake Kieran Mullan Kit Malthouse Laura Farris Laura Trott Lee Rowley Leo Docherty Lia Nici Liam Fox Lisa Cameron Louie French Lucy Frazer Luke Hall Marcus Jones Mark Fletcher Mark Francois Mark Garnier Mark Logan Martin Vickers Matt Hancock Matt Warman Matthew Offord Mel Stride Michael Ellis Michael Fabricant Michael Gove Michael Tomlinson Mike Freer Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil O'Brien Nick Fletcher Nick Gibb Nicola Richards Nigel Huddleston Paul Beresford Paul Holmes Paul Howell Pauline Latham Penny Mordaunt Peter Aldous Peter Bottomley Philip Dunne Philip Hollobone Priti Patel Ranil Jayawardena Rebecca Harris Rebecca Pow Rehman Chishti Richard Bacon Richard Drax Richard Fuller Rob Butler Robbie Moore Robert Buckland Robert Courts Robert Goodwill Robert Halfon Robert Largan Robert Syms Robin Millar Robin Walker Royston Smith Sajid Javid Sally-Ann Hart Saqib Bhatti Sara Britcliffe Sarah Dines Scott Mann Selaine Saxby Shailesh Vara Sheryll Murray Simon Baynes Simon Clarke Simon Fell Simon Hart Simon Hoare Simon Jupp Stephen Metcalfe Steve Baker Steve Brine Steve Tuckwell Stuart Andrew Suzanne Webb Theo Clarke Theresa May Theresa Villiers Thérèse Coffey Tobias Ellwood Tom Hunt Tom Pursglove Tom Randall Tom Tugendhat Tracey Crouch Vicky Ford Victoria Atkins Victoria Prentis Wendy Morton Will Quince William Cash

Independent (2 votes)

Mark Menzies William Wragg

Democratic Unionist Party (1 vote)

Jim Shannon

Noes

Scottish National Party (18 votes)

Allan Dorans Amy Callaghan Angela Crawley Anne McLaughlin Brendan O'Hara Chris Law Chris Stephens David Linden Deidre Brock Joanna Cherry John Nicolson Kirsty Blackman Marion Fellows Owen Thompson Peter Grant Philippa Whitford Richard Thomson Stewart Malcolm McDonald

Plaid Cymru (1 vote)

Hywel Williams

[feimier]

thank you for tagging meeeee :333

Last Song: revolution by gyroaxia

Currently Watching: Skip and Loafer! its so cute i love the protagonist so much shes soooooo cute

Currently Reading: the history of philosophy by A.C. Grayling.... ive been on the grind...... and flowers for algernon by Daniel Keyes

Current Obsession: i dont think i have anything lately that would fit into the description of obsession lol

🏷️+ @hheun @flmer @akiiyori (sorry for tagging you guys all the time if you don't like it please tell me!)

Tag nine (9) people you'd like to know better

this is so cool yay :’}

Last song: dokukinoko densetsu by syoko hoshi !

Currently watching: chicago med anddd my happy marriage

Currently reading: i was adopted by the villains . i think.

Current obsession: probably mlbb, obey me?? and chmed :)

i definitely dont have. 9 ppl to tag but!! @gentlesakura @fluffabutt @chickenpuzzle @lostacelonnie <3

[getoutofthisplace]

Dear Gus,

Elle Nash was supposed to read at ARS tonight, but she cancelled Thursday afternoon when the weather report forecasted snow. Rather than cancelling the event itself, I turned it into an ARS Writers Carousel and invited some former readers to read short pieces. It turned out to be a hit and we heard some great readings from Bryan Borland, Seth Pennington, Joey Trimble, Kat Stromquist, Rhett Brinkley, Lily Kauffman, and Ben McVay. Everyone’s willingness to step in on short notice was a nice reminder of how important it is to have a good community. We have one. 

Since Elle’s hotel room was nonrefundable, Nene spent the night with you so Mom and I could go out with everyone and then spend the night in the hotel room.

Dad

North Little Rock, Arkansas. 1.19.2019 - 9.54pm.

[dwsidecharacterpoll]

FINAL SHOWDOWN

I genuinely wouldn't have this any other way.

Rip each other to shreds, ladies.

those who fought valiantly but didn't make it under the cut:

Clive (Rose)

Raffalo from Crespellion (The End of the World)

Jabe (The End of the World)

Gwyneth (The Unquiet Dead)

Toshiko Sato (Aliens of London/World War III)

Cathica (The Long Game)

Suki (The Long Game)

Sarah Clark and Stuart Hoskins (Father’s Day)

Dr. Constantine (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances)

Nancy (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances)

Lynda Moss (Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

Unnamed Female Programmer (Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

Novice Hame (New Earth)

Mrs. Moore (The Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel)

Zachary Cross Flane (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Ida Scott (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Danny Bartock (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Scooti Manista (The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)

Ursula Blake (Love and Monsters)

Nerys (The Runaway Bride)

Thomas Kincade Brannigan and Valerie (Gridlock)

Alice and May Cassini (Gridlock)

Tallulah (Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks)

Frank (Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks)

Jenny (Human Nature/The Family of Blood)

Tim Latimer (Human Nature/The Family of Blood)

Billy Shipton (Blink)

Kathy Nightingale (Blink)

Chantho (Utopia)

Morvin and Foon (Voyage of the Damned)

Bannakaffalatta (Voyage of the Damned)

Caecilius (Fires of Pompeii)

Evelina (Fires of Pompeii)

Soothsayer (Fires of Pompeii)

Ood Sigma (Planet of the Ood)

Miss Evangelista (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)

Proper Dave (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)

Anita (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead)

Val, Biff, and Jethro Cane (Midnight)

Unnamed Hostess (Midnight)

Rocco Colasanto (Turn Left)

Capt. Erisa Magambo (Planet of the Dead)

Yuri Kerenski (The Waters of Mars)

Maggie Cain (The Waters of Mars)

Addams and Rossiter of Vinvocci (The End of Time)

The Unnamed Curator (Vincent and the Doctor)

Canton Everett Delaware III (The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon)

Lorna Bucket (A Good Man Goes To War)

Rita (The God Complex)

Brian Williams (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)

John Riddell (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)

Emma Grayling (Hide)

Journey Blue (Into the Dalek)

Orson Pink (Listen)

Perkins (Mummy on the Orient Ecpress)

Rigsy (Flatline)

O'Donnell (Under the Lake/Before the Flood)

Cass (Under the Lake/Before the Flood)

Bennett (Under the Lake/Before the Flood)

Heather (The Pilot)

Jenny (The Doctor’s Daughter)

Jake Simmons (Age of Steel)

Katherine (The Girl in the Fireplace)

Ross Jenkins (The Poison Sky/The Sontaran Stratagem)

Eve Cicero (The Tsuranga Conundrum)

Daniel Llewellyn (The Christmas Invasion)

Diana Goddard (Dalek)

Rita-Ann Smith (The Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel)

Shona (Last Christmas)

Vivien Rook (the sound of drums)

Unnamed Male Programmer (Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways)

Dee Dee Blasco (Midnight)

Lee Clayton (fugitive of the Judoon)

Sabra (Time Heist)

Mr. Copper (Voyage of the Damned)

Psi (Time Heist)

Pete Tyler (age of steel)

Ohila (Hell Bent)

Professor Docherty (The Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords)

Hath Peck (The Doctor’s Daughter)

[the-forest-library]

December 2020 Reads

True Love Bites - Joy Demorra

Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge

A Study in Charlotte - Brittany Cavallaro

Caraval - Stephanie Garber

Legendary - Stephanie Garber

Finale - Stephanie Garber

Jo & Laurie - Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz

You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson

It Only Happens in the Movies - Holly Bourne

The Tourist Attraction - Sarah Morgenthaler

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rules for Visiting - Jessica Francis Kane

My Cousin Rachel - Daphne du Maurier

The Lost Queen - Signe Pike

Grayling’s Song - Karen Kushman

Skunk and Badger - Amy Timberlake

The Secret Staircase - Jill Barklem

Over the Woodward Wall - Deborah Baker

I Look Up To Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Anna Membrino

Women in Science - Rachel Ignotofsky

Meadowland - John Lewis-Stempel

Obviously - Akilah Hughes

Okay Fine Whatever - Courtenay Hameister

Didn’t See That Coming - Rachel Hollis

All Boys Aren’t Blue - George M. Johnson

Something That May Shock and Discredit You - Daniel Mallory Ortberg

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It  Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: Not many good things came out of 2020, but it was a good reading year for me. Being home all of the time meant that I could listen to audiobooks non-stop (I’m even listening to one now!). 

Please check out True Love Bites if you like fantasy or want some excellent disability rep. It’s one of my favorite reads of the year. 

Goodreads Goal: 222/200 - 74,442 Pages !!!

[lotusik]

[image:  Triple-formed representation of Hecate. Marble, Roman copy after an original of the Hellenistic period. Museo Chiaramonti.]

Suggested reading for the goddess Hekate.(This is a big list so I’ve put in bold a few titles that I’d consider essential.)

Historical: (these do not all focus on Hekate but are important for gaining a good perspective of ancient times.)

Circle for Hekate - Sorita d’Este (Volumes 1 – History & Mythology and Volume (2017) 2: Devotion (TBR) Avalonia, UK.

Hekate Liminal Rites: A Study of the rituals, magic and symbols of the torch-bearing Triple Goddess of the Crossroads - Sorita d’Este & David Rankin (2009) Avalonia, UK.

Hekate Soteira - Sarah Iles Johnson (1990) Oxford University Press; 1st edition. 

The Restless Dead - Sarah Illes Johnson (2013) University of California Press.

Mantike: Studies in Ancient Divination – Sarah Iles Johnston (2005) Brill     Academic Pub.

 Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship - Christos Pandion Panopoulos (2014) Labrys.

The Chaldean Oracles - Ruth Majercik  (2013)  Prometheus Trust.

Greek Magical Papyri in Translation - Hans Dieter Betz, (1997) University of Chicago Press.

Thracian Magic - Georgi Mishev (2012) Avalonia, UK.

Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Collection of  Ancient Texts – Georg Luck (2006) Johns Hopkins University Press.

Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook     – Daniel Ogden (He also has a book called Greek and Roman Necromancy I’ve not read yet.)

The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics) - Apollodorus (Author), Robin Hard (Translator) (2008) Oxford University Press.

The  Goddess Hekate – Stephen Ronan (1993)  Chthonios Books.

Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion – Christopher A. Faraone.

 ------------------------------

Theogony - Hesiod

The Orphic Hymns – Orpheus

The Homeric Hymns - Homer

The Voyage of Argo: The Argonautica – Apollonius of Rhodes

Medea - Euripides (Greek play)

Medea - Seneca (Roman play)

The Aeneid – Virgil

The Metamorphoses of Ovid – Ovid

Macbeth – William Shakespeare (play)

-----------------------------------

Modern books from a historical perspective: (There are many more than this but my reading interest is mainly historical so I’ve read very few of them.)

The Hekatæon - Jack Grayle - (2019) Ixaxaar Occult Literature.

Evensongs for Hekate: Poetry, Hymns, and Prayers - Sara Croft (Self published).

Hekate: Her Sacred Fires -  Sorita d’este editor/various authors (2013) Avalonia, UK.

The Temple of Hekate - Tara Sanchez,(2011) Avalonia, UK.

Hekate: Keys to the Crossroads: A collection of personal essays, invocations, rituals, recipes and artwork from modern Witches, Priestesses and Goddess of Witchcraft, Magick and Sorcery - Sorita d’Este editor/various authors.(2006) Avalonia UK.

-----------------------------------

I’ve not read these but have heard good things, they are all contemporary:

Hecate: Death, Transition  & Spiritual Mastery - Jade Sol Luna, 2nd Edition 

Hecate II: The Awakening of Hydra – Jade Sol Luna, Tara International /JSL INC Press.

Lunatik Witchcraft - Shay Skepevski. 

Queen of Hell – Mark Alan Smith (2010)  Ixaxaar Occult Literature/Finland.

Liber Khthonia - Jeff Cullen (2020) Chicago, IL: Brujo Bros LLC.

------------------------------------

Websites:

http://hekatecovenant.com/

https://www.theoi.com/

https://nehetisingsforhekate.tumblr.com/post/87604951156/hekates-many-names-part-1-of-3

---------------------------------

Bonus! Recommended courses!

http://www.strategicsorcery.net/sorcery-of-hekate/

https://www.theblackthorneschool.com/courses/hail-hekate-walking-the-forked-path/

and I'd recommend this course for anyone interested in the PGM:

https://www.theblackthorneschool.com/courses/pgm-praxis/

Need some help with pronunciation in the PGM?

https://www.greekmagicalpapyri.com/courses

[minstrel75itg]

Album Number Four Hundred Fifty Seven. “ Home Free” is the debut album by American singer-songwriter #danfogelberg , released in 1972. Upon its original release, #homefree had lukewarm success, but following a later reissue, it was certified platinum by the RIAA for certified sales of 1,000,000 copies. My copy is a reissue gatefold on #columbiarecords - PC 31751 (originally released on their CBS label) Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his 1970s and 1980s songs, including "Longer" (1979), "#sameoldlangsyne " (1980), and "#leaderoftheband (1979). #rockandroll #theseventies #folkrock #softrockmusic #countryrock https://www.instagram.com/p/CnUPPjGuTwB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[nevermorehqs]

Estalem os dedos, temos quatro alunos novos passando pelos portões de Nevermore! Os personagens abaixo foram aceitos em nossa comunidade e têm 48h para enviarem seus blogs para a central.

Benjamin Meinschwanz, bruxo da Casa Nimue (Thimothee Chalamet), por Fall.

Susan Anne Grayling, bruxa da Casa Zephyr (Milena Tscharntke), por Wen.

Sophia Stornieren, bruxa da Casa Ophelia (Danielle Rose Russell), por Arlette.

Damon Devonshire, vampiro da Casa Zephyr (Tomas Doherty), por Arlette.

Sejam bem vindes!

[rebweicht]

My full to be read at the beginning of 2019

What I’m reading: 

Anna Burns: Milkman

George Eliot: Middlemarch

Neil Gaiman: The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction

What I’ll be reading afterwards:

John Stuart Mill: On Liberty 

George Orwell: Books v. Cigarettes 

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract

Helena Kennedy: Eve Was Shamed: How British Justice is Failing Women

Yuval Noah Harari: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

My one Russian classic per year for 2019:

Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace, or

Anton Chekhov: some short stories, or 

Fyodor Dostoyevsky: The Idiot

Philosophers’ biographies (monthly):

C. C. W. Taylor: Socrates

Bernard Williams: Plato

David Melling: Understanding Plato

Jonathan Barnes: Aristotle

To be finished (at some point):

Nick Bostrom: Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

Nate Silver: Signal and the Noise

Walter Isaacson: Steve Jobs

Benedict Andersen: Imagined Communities

Philippe Van Parijs and Yannick Vanderborght: Basic Income: A Radical Proposal for a Free Society and a Sane Economy

Begin again:

Robert Musil: Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften

James C. Turner: Philology: The Forgotten Origins of the Modern Humanities

Other to be read (no order):

Platon: Das Gastmahl

Damien McBride: Power Trip

Jung Chang: Empress Dowager Cixi

Carne Ross: Independent Diplomat

Hans Herbert von Arnim: Volksparteien ohne Volk

Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex

Shelley Carson: Your Creative Brain

John Edward Williams: Stoner

Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone

Carmine Gallo: Talk like Ted

Lawrence James: Empires in the Sun: The Struggle for the Mastery of Africa

Robert D. Kaplan: The Revenge of Geography

Sanjeev Sanyal: Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography

Philip Mansel: Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City

Adam Ferrier: The Advertising Effect: How to Change Behaviour

Walter Mischel: The Marshallow Test (even though it has been thoroughly debunked)

Fred Kofman: Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values

Norman Davies: Vanished Kingdoms 

Marcel Reich-Ranicki: Nichts als Literatur

Anthony Trollope: The Way We Live Now

Niall Ferguson: Civilizations

Andrew O’Hagan: The Secret Life: Three True Stories of the Digital Age

A. C. Grayling: Russell

A. C. Grayling: Descartes

Michelle Obama: Becoming

Stephen Fry: Heroes

Daniel H. Pink: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo

Aldous Huxley: Brave New World

[confrontingbabble-on]

The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever by Christopher Hitchens — Christopher Hitchens’ personally curated anthology of the most influential and important writings on atheism throughout history.

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens — with a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion and for a more secular life based on science and reason.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins — a preeminent scientist — and the world’s most prominent atheist — asserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11.

The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design by Richard Dawkins — the classic text that remains the definitive argument for our modern understanding of evolution.

The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible by Steve Wells — an invaluable presentation of the Bible that doesn’t hide the cruelties, contradictions, absurdities, misogyny, and everything else that makes the ‘Good Book’ bad.

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris — delivers a startling analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. Harris offers a vivid, historical tour of our willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs―even when these beliefs inspire the worst human atrocities.

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris — an articulate, no apologies challenge to adherents of religion.

The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values by Sam Harris — defining morality in terms of human and animal well-being, Harris argues that science can do more than tell how we are; it can, in principle, tell us how we ought to be.

A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian — the first-ever guide, not for talking people into faith, but for talking them out of it.

Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne — a succinct and accessible summary of the facts supporting the theory of natural selection.

Faith Versus Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible by Jerry Coyne — details why the toolkit of science, based on reason and empirical study, is reliable, while that of religion—including faith, dogma, and revelation—leads to incorrect, untestable, or conflicting conclusions.

Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel Dennett — a scientific and philosophical examination of the phenomenon of religion.

The God Argument: The Case against Religion and for Humanism by A.C. Grayling — an examination of all the arguments for god’s existence and a defense of humanism in place of religion.

The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths by Michael Shermer — a comprehensive theory, based on thirty years of research, on how beliefs are born, formed, reinforced, challenged, changed, and extinguished.

The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People by Michael Shermer — demonstrates how the scientific way of thinking has made people, and society as a whole, more moral.

Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby — a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but on the bedrock of human reason.

Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects by Bertrand Russell — a collection of essays that express Russell’s views on religion. In Russell’s own words: “I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue.”

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan — argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace.

God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction by Dan Barker — a former ordained minister and current atheist gives us a biblical play-by-play illustrating God’s not-so-admirable qualities.

The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails by John Loftus — an anthology of articles arguing that believers should test their faith with the same skeptical standards they use to evaluate the other faiths they reject, as if they were outsiders.

Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Hecht — champions doubt and questioning as one of the great and noble, if unheralded, intellectual traditions that distinguish the Western mind.

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker — the psychological, historical, and cultural causes for the decline in violence and why secularism is behind the progress.

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker — shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West, but worldwide. Demonstrates that progress is a gift of the Enlightenment: the conviction that reason and science can enhance human flourishing.

https://escapingplatoscave.com/2018/08/06/the-23-best-books-on-atheism-religion-and-free-thinking/

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: The Tribunal Procedure (Upper Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (Amendment) Rules 2024

Ayes: 135 (100.0% Con) Noes: 10 (100.0% SNP) Absent: ~505

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (133 votes)

Aaron Bell Alberto Costa Alex Burghart Alex Chalk Alicia Kearns Alok Sharma Amanda Solloway Andrew Griffith Andrew Jones Andrew Lewer Andrew Murrison Andrew Percy Andrew Selous Andy Carter Angela Richardson Anne Marie Morris Anne-Marie Trevelyan Anthony Browne Ben Everitt Ben Spencer Ben Wallace Bernard Jenkin Bob Blackman Bob Stewart Brandon Lewis Caroline Nokes Charles Walker Chloe Smith Chris Grayling Chris Philp Craig Tracey Damian Collins Damian Hinds Daniel Kawczynski David Davis David Duguid David Jones David Morris David Rutley David Simmonds Dean Russell Dehenna Davison Desmond Swayne Duncan Baker Elliot Colburn Felicity Buchan Fiona Bruce Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon George Eustice Graham Brady Graham Stuart Greg Clark Heather Wheeler Helen Whately Holly Mumby-Croft Iain Duncan Smith Iain Stewart Jacob Young James Cartlidge James Davies James Duddridge Jane Hunt Jerome Mayhew Jo Churchill John Baron John Hayes John Howell Joy Morrissey Julian Lewis Julian Smith Karen Bradley Katherine Fletcher Kit Malthouse Lee Rowley Lia Nici Louie French Lucy Allan Lucy Frazer Marcus Jones Martin Vickers Matt Hancock Matt Warman Matthew Offord Michael Ellis Michael Fabricant Michael Tomlinson Michelle Donelan Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil Hudson Nickie Aiken Nigel Huddleston Paul Holmes Peter Aldous Philip Dunne Philip Hollobone Ranil Jayawardena Rebecca Harris Rebecca Pow Richard Bacon Rob Butler Robert Courts Robert Halfon Robert Largan Robert Neill Robin Walker Royston Smith Sally-Ann Hart Saqib Bhatti Scott Mann Shailesh Vara Sheryll Murray Simon Baynes Simon Clarke Simon Fell Simon Hoare Stephen Hammond Stephen McPartland Stephen Metcalfe Steve Brine Steve Tuckwell Suzanne Webb Theo Clarke Theresa Villiers Tim Loughton Tom Hunt Tom Pursglove Tracey Crouch Victoria Atkins Victoria Prentis Will Quince William Cash

Noes

Scottish National Party (9 votes)

Allan Dorans Amy Callaghan Angela Crawley Anne McLaughlin Ian Blackford John Nicolson Marion Fellows Philippa Whitford Richard Thomson

[d2kvirus]

Dickheads of the Month: January 2019

As it seems that there are people who say or do things that are remarkably dickheaded yet somehow people try to make excuses for them or pretend it never happened, here is a collection of some of the dickheaded actions we saw in the month of January 2019 to make sure that they are never forgotten.

It seems that Rachel Riley is quite smart at maths but a complete moron at anything else, what with her accusing Noam Chomsky of antisemitism in spite of the fact that Chomsky is a little bit Jewish, before following it up by encouraging her far-right Twitter followers to dogpile onto anyone voicing different opinions to her - which mainly involved a 16-year old girl bearing the brunt of it.  However she wasn’t finished there, as when she was rightly being criticised for encouraging her followers to dogpile onto people she then went whinging to the press about being bullied by left-wing trolls before announcing she needed personal security for when she was attending Countdown tapings, which sounds uncannily similar to the same stunt Laura Kuenssberg pulled a couple of years ago

Starting the year with a bang we had Chris Grayling first try and defend the Seaborne Freight farce by saying he was supporting up-and-coming British business (while omitting the parts about them being owned by the brother of a significant Tory donor, or not having any ships or trading history, let alone the fact the contract wasn’t even put out to tender) and followed that up by claiming the rail fare hikes are entirely the fault of the unions and definitely nothing to do with shareholder dividends or years of rail services taking the piss with fare hikes on January 2nd every year.  Of course, Grayling being Grayling, he also helped out the Britait debate by saying that a second referendum shouldn’t take place because if the result came back in support of Remain it would go against The Will Of The People™ - which apparently said people willingly voting to remain wouldn’t be

It didn't help Grayling that those checking the Seaborne Freight website found that their Ts & Cs were from the template used when setting up a website for a takeaway food outlet, the timetable for services was blank (and, for some reason, in Latin), while their privacy page had forgotten that the fields marked [Business Name] are supposed to be filled with the name of the business using the website

Overly sensitive snowflake Piers Moron Morgan spent a hell of a lot of time and energy yelling from the rooftops how appalling it was that Greggs are selling vegan sausage rolls, which is apparently the downfall of humanity as we know it and definitely not the hourly cry for attention from an attention-seeking lunatic - and while some claimed it was a stunt because he and Greggs share a PR agency, that theory appears to have been ever so slightly undermined by him then spouting off about McDonalds selling vegan Happy Meals

It’s funny how James Goddard demonstrated just how much of a difference a day makes, with him threatening Anna Soubry and Owen Jones on January 7th and bellowing at police officers that if they so much as touched him he’d start a a war...yet on January 8th he was bawling his eyes out on Twitter because his Facebook and PayPal accounts had been terminated

Lying (through his teeth) in front of a tractor Boris Johnson claimed he never mentioned Turkey at any point during the EU Referendum campaign - and when confronted with his numerous comments about Turkish immigrants flocking into the UK if the country voted Remain by Channel 4 journalist Michael Crick, he ran away to hide like an utter coward

Proving that gaslighting is the in thing at the BBC, Director General Tony Hall stated in an interview with the Financial Times that there is no need to discipline Andrew Neil for referring to Carole Cadwalladr as a “mad cat woman” as he had apologised - except for the fact that, while it may be plausible that Neil apologised to the BBC, there has not been a public apology for his comments

Sticking with the BBC, it took just two editions of Question Time before Fiona Bruce showed her true colours as she spent ten minutes making jokes about Diane Abbott (including suggesting that she only became Shadow Home Secretary because she once slept with Jeremy Corbyn) prior to one edition which Abbott was a guest on, and for the remainder of the episode constantly talked over Abbott while letting the other guests speak uninterrupted, including allowing Isabel Oakeshott to not just make a patently false statement but use said patently false statement to attack Abbott.  It wasn’t helped that when the BBC finally got around to admitting fault almost two weeks later, their statement actually said it was a joke - you know, like the school bully tries to claim when they get caught

Oh boy, there were so many triggered manbabies were up in arms about a Gillette advert for suggesting that maybe, just maybe, being a toxic dickhead isn’t any way to behave - to which they responded by acting like a bunch of toxic dickheads throwing a temper tantrum all over social media not seen since Nike featured Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign

I’m going to assume AnonymousQ1776 thought they were being really, really clever when posting that video clip of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez coupled with their sneering comment that made them sound uncannily like a teenage edgelord who doesn't know what communism is but throws the word around a lot.  I’m also going to assume they weren’t happy when the stunt backfired on them by not only making Ocasio-Cortez look like a normal human being who does normal things, but doing so also reopened the can of worms about what Brett Kavanaugh was up to when he was younger...

Middle England’s favourite edgelord Rod Liddle obviously needed to be extra quote-unquote provocative this month after using his column in The Sun to suggest that what Britain needs is a new political party that represents traditional values - which means neither Muslims nor the entire LGBT spectrum are not allowed

Just when you thought John Humphreys couldn’t sound any more like a pompous windbag with the credibility of a arthritic toad, he only goes to suggest that the Republic of Ireland should rejoin the UK - because who gives a toss about centuries of history or the minor inconvenience of 92% of irish people preferring to remain in the EU when Radio 4′s most jumped-up presenter suggests they swallow their pride and return to the warm chokehold of the British Empire? 

It appeared The Daily Star had a real scoop when they printed an interview with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in which he made scathing comments about the “snowflake generation” and how they were “looking for reasons to be offended” - that is until Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson issued a statement saying that not only did he not say those things, but he also never gave that interview

It seems The Board of Deputies of British Jews never got around to reading The Crucible judging by their going Full Baddiel and accusing Tottenham fans of antisemitism and, in the same statement, said they should follow the model of Chelsea fans - yes, the same Chelsea fans who have subjected Spurs fans to songs about Hitler and gas chambers for decades, who just so happen to be under investigation by UEFA for their anti semitic chanting during a Europa League match against Vidi in December

This month’s worst case of Trump Derangement Syndrome comes from Sarah Huckabee Sanders after she said that God wanted Donald Trump to become President in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network

Lucky for Lara Kollab there’s nothing in the hippocratic oath forbidding being an anti semitic bigot on Twitter.  On the other hand, there certainly was in the employment contract at the hospital she worked at, which is why they fired her

Somehow the British Army paid £1.5m on an recruitment ad campaign that was so successful that it led to members of the army quitting when finding out their photos were used to recruit “Snow flakes" (sic) and “Me me me millennials” - but that didn’t stop Gavin Williamson claiming it was “a powerful call to action” (rather than “bloody patronising”) while James Cleverly mouthed off like an idiot on Twitter in support because mouthing off like an idiot on Twitter is all that somebody who makes their surname fair game on a regular basis like James Cleverley knows how to do

It took a while but Jake Paul finally found a way to reclaim his crown of Most Odious Paul Brother by hitting upon a loot box scheme to encourage his viewers to, in effect, gamble - because apparently he (and Ricegum) only paid attention to the part where the likes of Electronic Arts were making money hand over fist when they were shoving loot boxes in all their games, but didn’t bother listening when various gambling commissions began looking into the practise

To prove my point James Cleverly took it upon himself to take to Twitter and sneer “You do realise that it’s not a documentary” when I, Daniel Blake was airing on TV - because it's better to score points on Twitter than admit that a UN report late last year was damning of the Tory government’s treatment of their less well-off citizens, isn’t it?

Trying to explain away his dickheadishness saw Wayne Hennessey claim he wasn’t doing a Nazi salute in a photo that happened to be taken by German teammate Max Meyer, he was actually waving at somebody - and the reason he had his finger on his top lip wasn’t the well-known mimicry of Hitler’s ‘tache but he was putting his hand to his mouth so somebody on the other side of the room could hear him.  For some strange reason nobody was convinced...

Attention-seeking loon Laura Loomer didn’t learn from the humiliation conga line that was her so-called protest at Twitter HQ judging by her protest against illegal immigration that involved her climbing over the fence around Nancy Pelosi’s property and setting up a stall on Pelosi’s lawn - at which point she appears to have forgotten what she was protesting about and instead kept yelling for Pelosi to respond to her, even though anyone with C-SPAN would’ve told her Pelosi was currently in the Senate

In order to promote her UK tour Azealia Banks thought the best idea was to vomit a long string of invective about the Irish on her social media all because she got irked by one Aer Lingus flight attendant

Can somebody tell Bill Maher that he doesn’t make himself sound more correct every time he regurgitates the “adults shouldn’t read comics” rant he first brought it up in the wake of Stan Lee’s death?  Because it appears nobody has

Out of curiosity, is Gregory Prytyka Jr. still popping over here in an attempt to find material to try and attack me with because they can’t handle the fact I called them out for their tedious shitposting, or have they crawled back under the rock they usually live under?

And finally, harrumphing to himself in a way that everyone can hear (although they wish they couldn’t) is Donald Trump and his banquets that look suspiciously like those given by the megalomaniacal villain of Kingsmen, continuing to throw a diplomatic temper tantrum over a wall he said Mexico would pay for

[wutchumean]

Trolling: Is too much of it bad?

If you’re looking at this post, chances are, you already know what Trolling is. I’ve always associated Trolling for humour and pranks. However, I found out that there are actually many different types of Trolling - the insult troll, the persistent troll, the grammar nazi troll, the profanity & all caps troll, the exaggeration troll etc - most of them can create social media conflict but some actually bring harm to the other party. Well, too much of it  is certainly unhealthy.

One celebrity that has become a victim of Trolling is Danielle Lloyd, former Miss Britain in 2004. She admitted that the hateful trolls on the internet made her feel depressed and anxious especially when she had to go out in the streets, as she was afraid to be recognised and trolled on in real life.  

So what is the government doing to control all these social media conflict and trolling going on? For a start, in the UK, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has claimed that internet trolls could face up to two years in jail under new laws,  quadrupling the maximum six month sentence for internet abuse. In California, USA, Assembly Bill No. 256 has enabled schools to have more authority to punish cyberbullies even if the cyberbullying originated outside of school. 

In addition, Google is also rolling out a new API (Application Programming Interface) named Perspective which aims to filter out abusive "troll" comments using machine learning. Its initial task is to spot toxic language in English and help maintain a "civil" atmosphere in discussion spaces. It is currently being tested by The Economist, The Guardian, The New York Times and Wikipedia.

However, from all these legislation and regulation to help reduce cyber conflict, raises a question - is there still any freedom of speech if the internet is being controlled?

Tom Slater, deputy editor of the free speech campaigning website Spiked online, warned that laws like the ones mentioned above could potentially "sleep walk the public into tyranny".  While social media and the internet pose many troubling feats to people especially those who have been cyberbullied before, it is also a crucial public sphere for grassroot activism. Needless to say, grassroot activism has changed how people around the globe think about an issue, as covered in last week’s topic. I guess where there are cons about something, there must be pros as well.

If you have noticed, there are some platforms which are more susceptible to trolling and hate more than others. For instance, from personal experience, I feel that Tumblr users receive more hate and trolling than on Facebook. 

I think this is because of the fact that Tumblr allows anonymous asks to be sent even if the user has no Tumblr account. On the other hand, Facebook is considered as a more personal platform where people can view your personal information (if you did not privatise them) and also, they do not allow non-users to comment or post something. But I feel that the difference between the two is that Tumblr allows anonymity more than Facebook, which allows trollers and haters to hide behind an unknown identity to mock, taunt and send hate to someone. Compared to other platforms such as Instagram, which automatically blocks comments if they include certain abusive words, Tumblr does not have much filtering functionality. Thus, making it an ideal place for trollers and haters to roam. 

As a conclusion, the internet and social media can be a wonderful and hateful place at the same time. Use it smartly and you’ll be just fine. 

[joanajacinto]

Sobre: Nasceu no Funchal, em 1981. Licenciou-se em Humanidades pela Universidade Católica Portuguesa, onde está a concluir o Doutoramento em Linguística Portuguesa. Começou a sua atividade na área editorial como tradutora em 2011. Entre outras coisas, dedica-se à escrita e à investigação em Linguística Cognitiva.

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Traduções:

20. Teoria do Bloom, de TIQQUN, Barco Bêbado, Novembro de 2024 (tradução).

19. A Coisa Mais Próxima da Vida, de James Wood, Livros Zigurate, Setembro de 2024 (tradução).

18. Todos os Cavalos do Rei, de Michèle Bernstein, Barco Bêbado, Novembro de 2023 (tradução).

17. Uma Aberta nos Tumultos Raciais, de Harmony Korine, Barco Bêbado, Julho de 2023 (tradução).

16. Trespasse Instantâneo do Cérebro - um romance de inquietante alta rotação, de Melchior Vischer, Barco Bêbado, Abril de 2023 (co-tradução).    

15. O Leitor, de Pascal Quignard, Sr. Teste,  Abril de 2023 (tradução).

14. Na Sombra, de Príncipe Harry, Objectiva, Janeiro de 2023 (co-tradução).

13. De Surpresa / Sonhos a Partir de Pinturas Enigmáticas, de Henri Michaux, Sr. Teste, Dezembro de 2022 (co-tradução).

12. Surrender – 40 Canções, Uma História, de Bono, Objectiva, Novembro de 2022 (tradução).

11. manifesto abomunista / segundo abril / será que a mente secreta sussurra?, de Bob Kaufman, Barco Bêbado, Outubro de 2022 (co-tradução).

10. Diálogos, de Marguerite Duras e Jean-Luc Godard, Sr. Teste, Julho de 2022 (co-tradução).

9. O Cordão Umbilical / Ópio, de Jean Cocteau, Sr. Teste, Junho de 2022 (co-tradução).

8. O Novo Niilismo, de Peter Lamborn Wilson, Barco Bêbado, Fevereiro de 2022 (tradução e notas).

7.  Poemas Eróticos/ Erotic Poems, de E. E. Cummings, Sr. Teste, Janeiro de 2022 (co-tradução).

6. A Comunidade Inconfessável, de Maurice Blanchot, Sr. Teste, Novembro de 2021 (tradução).

5. Sapiens – Os Pilares da Civilização (Novela Gráfica, Vol. 2), de Yuval Noah Harari e Daniel Casenave, Elsinore, Outubro de 2021 (tradução).

4. Axiomático, de Maria Turmarkin, Elsinore, Setembro de 2021 (tradução).

3. Sapiens – A Origem da Humanidade (Novela Gráfica, Vol. 1), de Yuval Noah Harari e Daniel Casenave, Elsinore, Outubro de 2020 (tradução).

2. O Livro dos Livros – Uma Bíblia Humanista, de A.C. Grayling, Lua de Papel, Maio de 2011 (co-tradução).

1. Entrevista/Encontro entre António Lobo Antunes e George Steiner, Revista LER, Janeiro de 2011 (transcrição e tradução).

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Línguas de trabalho: Inglês (contemporâneo), Francês (contemporâneo); Grego (clássico), Latim (clássico).