How US Science Proved the Soviet Theory of the ‘Non-Divine’ Origin of Life [1952]! (4.10.2018)

The complex combination of manifestations and properties characteristic of life must have arisen as a part of the process of the evolution of matter.’ He asserted that basic organic chemicals might have formed into microscopic localized systems, from which primitive living things could have developed at a very early time in the planet’s existence when conditions were very different to today. Highly volatile and dangerous conditions, according to Alexander Oparin, are exactly the conditions within which amino acids could be produced. Amino acids are protein building blocks of all life. Alexander Oparin went on to develop the field industrial biochemistry for the Soviet State, whilst his earlier work was left unfinished. Alexander Oparin speculated that organic life was a product of natural events and had nothing to do with any form of divine intervention.

South Devon: Visiting Torquay Museum! (31.8.2018)

We often see various statues of Darwin in the museums in London, but we also enjoy visiting Down House in Kent – his former home. Considering how much research and data we have access to in London, Torquay Museum contains objects that really impressed us, and which were presented in a highly beneficial (and educational) manner, particularly for the children. The museum now has purpose-built learning and play areas for younger explorers, whilst the adult visitors can learn from the historical narratives tactfully covering exploration, imperialism and looting. It is a tricky business presenting this type of information, but we can state that the staff of Torquay Museum have created a very progressive atmosphere that favours ongoing learning over dogmatic versions of history.

Alfred Gregory Wyles (1916-1976) – (WWII) War Record 1940-1946 (Military No: 5117194) 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion (LightBobs) – Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Territorial Army)

Military records are precise and concise and convey very little about the reality of war. As a family we do not subscribe to the notion of imperialist war, but we are proud that our grandfather volunteered to join the British Army to fight fascism in the 1940’s. 

USSR: The 1944 Football Victory – When the Soviet Red Army Beat Arsenal! (8.7.2018)

This was the 131st Motorized Rifle Regiment, composed of elite (Soviet) NKVD troops. This regiment required very fit young men to guard the communications channels through which Lend-Lease cargo was delivered to the Soviet Union, and to support public order in the capital of Iran; eventually participating in ensuring the security of the meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin in Tehran. Among the soldiers and officers of this regiment, there were many athletes from different sports – including football, volleyball, wrestling, track events and weightlifting. Sports continued in Iran, in particular, the football team of the 131st Regiment held regular matches with Iranian teams. In total, in 1944-1945 there were 34 such meetings, of which our players won 30, drew two, and lost two.

Lenin's Plaque - 1908

Lenin in Tavistock Place (1908) and Great Percy Street (1905) London WC1 (6.4.2018)

We travelled from West Sutton to King’s Cross St Pancreas Station in West Central London, on the hunt for two blue plaques commemorating Lenin’s visits to London in 1905 and 1908. They are affixed to buildings where he stayed (possibly with other Revolutionaries such as Joseph Stalin). My partner Gee used the GPS on her mobile phone and the first plaque we located was in Tavistock Place:

The Science of Epigenetics Verses the Pseudo-Science of Epigenetics! (4.3.2018)

This is not an attack on religion or a denial that belief systems are useful for human existence. On the contrary, what follows is a short and concise explanation of a very complex biological process which strives to identify the subject of epigenetics as a material or ‘hard’ science, and epigenetics as a belief system. When epigenetics is interpreted as a belief system (and consequently serves the function of a religion) it still presents its ideas in the language of science, when the underlying ideology is one of theology. The battle occurs because religious epigenetics insists upon being interpreted as a ‘science’. This insistence by a religious movement to be seen as a science attracts the descriptive label ‘pseudo-science’, which we use here, but with no intended disrespect. Although we advocate a continuous search for good knowledge and self-understanding, everyone has the right to decide for themselves and make their own minds up. As practitioners of Chinese Buddhism, we confirm that meditation practise has a positive affect upon the health of the mind and body, but we do not assert that the mind ‘interferes’ with natural biological processes. Instead, it seems clear to us that a proper scientific understanding of biological processes enables the mind to ‘assist’ by making good and informed choices in life that aid the natural biological processes unfold in a positive manner. This is more a matter of not ‘getting in the way’ of naturally unfolding processes, rather than entertaining the mistaken notion that the mind can interfere in these natural processes. This is just our ideas – think for yourselves.

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