Don Tolman at Hilton on the Park in Melbourne

My beautiful and intelligent partner for the eternities has brought me along to a Don Tolman lecture (for lack of a better discriminator), starting with a short movie introducing the "Indiana Jones of Health Food" from Texas no less.

Where Truth and Health Lies.
The three revolutions of Self Care.
The Pharmaceutical Industry is a 3 to 4 Trillion Dollar industry.
Criticises the modern education system actually discourages the natural inquiry innate in our little ones from a very early stage. Something I do agree with him.

The rest, well, shall we say, where's the science mate?

One thing he keeps reminding his audience is that 98% of all biopsy results are false. This is a very high figure and combined with his tube theory of our bodies sounds out there with the faeries. Where is the evidence? Usually a number of self reported successes in treating the disease. With no controls or reports of failure of the treatment. The treatment of course is Pulse, a Biblical based diet regime Don Tolman found in some un-described ancient document held at some unspecified collection at an unspecified location of some un-referred wealthy American.

Long on rhetoric and short on evidence, with just anecdotes to convince the credulous, and to top it off, it was a sales routine for his camps, held at resorts and hotels like this one, on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

As a dietary regime the Pulse is probably the better of the ones I have seen. And I have to agree the self education and enquiry is a good thing, the Academy does not have monopoly on wisdom, indeed, far from it.

I have no objections to an investigation of his claims or spending good money on his Camps. However please don't spout his anti science rhetoric as it lacks evidence and honesty.




Clifford M Dubery
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Location:Wellington Parade,East Melbourne,Australia

Technology and Democracy

Ever since the introduction of the printing press, the success of the revolutions both protestant and others was made possible by this new technology that meant the clergy or priests (if you like) could no longer monopolise the world of ideas.  Now almost any literate person could publish pamphlets and books on political ideas and commentaries linking them directly with current events at the time of course.

This has been reflected with the recent out break of Democracy around the world starting in Tunisia, Egypt, then Libya and then on to other Middle East nations.  This was a surprise to the press and the ruling oligarchs, as well as the Wests intelligence services. The reason for this ignorance was simply the means used was the Twitter, Facebook and mobile Phones with similar apps. This has ment a serious organisational skill amongst the young generally ignored by my own age cohort who are in power.  Thus the concerns raised became a serious issue apparently out of the blue. The corruption amongts the Genarlas and Dictators could no longer be tolerated, even the hated Colonel Qaddafi himself.  Even the Governments supported by the US and Europe are caught unawares and found it difficult to adjust to the new paradigm.

Then the West itself sufferred demonstrations by the dispossessed and those bearing the tax burden when teh wealthy were not.  Wisconsin first and then the Occupy Wall Street and its corrolaries around the world in various Cities like London UK and Oakland CA.

This has brought joy to my heart as the Republican super minority in teh Senate has created havoc in the markets since GWB himself was President making the current President's attempt a BiPartisan solutions look like a failure as the simply refuse to admit solutions they both agree with through teh Senate.  Meanwhile the Banks are making record Profits with their major clients, teh Corporations following suite.  Those same Corporations moving work overseas so they don't have to pay the wages that have been hard fought for in teh US and other nations in teh West.  These Corporations if they really are persons should be charged with some crime related to disloyalty to the Nation, in my opinion.

So how is this going to wash out?  Will the Banks in Wall Street be rained in with there irrational excesses with other peoples money, will the Republicans suffer an absolut drubbing at the next Federal Election as there perfiddy becaomes obvious even to Fox Television.  The presidential candidates have demonstrated stupidity on a grand scale heretofor unkown at that level.  John Huntsman is the only sensible one amongst them and he is marginalised to be ignored.

Michael Shermer in Melbourne

Sitting in the Theater waiting for the talk to start. Michael has the add for his Skeptic Magazine up and organizing his presentation meeting unknown who's. The theater is filling up, so it nice to see that there is a market here in Melbourne, Australia for what the author of "The Believing Brain" has to say. Robert Sain, Dean of Faculty of Science at Melbourne University and gave a run down on Dr Shermers C.V. Then straight to the Skeptic himself, and the presentation overall was based on his book, which yours truly had just listened to, read by Michael Shermer. The good thing was that he presented some of the videos of his experiences he told us in the book. This meant the trans US bike ride he participated in with the intention to minimize the sleep time. This resulted in the fifty-eighth hour, experiencing an abduction by aliens straight from the 70's TV show "The Invaders" with Roy Thinnes, complete with the defective pinkies unable to bend. These aliens also looked like his support team. This broadcast on TV no less. Personally I would not be so sure of sharing such an experience. But then I am not promoting Sketicism on a National and International scale and writing books. What this prompted was an investigation into how our brain/mind causes such hallucinations and is it related to similar religious and alien abduction experiences that are reported seemingly frequently these days. I personally enjoy listening to the alien abduction stories and how similar they are to religious experiences recorded from the past. Incubi and suckubi come to mind as Nuns in the Cloisters try to explain a pregnancy and justify an abortion, the gestating child being of the devil. The funniest clip was a number of young women having a discussion in a fashion shop about the origins of wool and cashmere, being from cows. Ignorance is encouraged in certain worldviews, like Christian Fundamentalists who cling to a strict biblical view of the origins issue despite the hundreds of years of scientific evidence for an old earth and evolutionary origins of all the animals on this pale blue dot. I recommend Michael Shermers book The Believing Brain and suggest it to those early in the skeptic mind set. Clifford M Dubery - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Melbourne University ,Arts West Copland Thearter

Saturday 23, April, 2011

Here are some scenes from the walk/bicycle path between High Street Road and near the bridge over the Eastlink Toll Road. Evidence of a still active Dairy Farm. You drive up Carthies Lane, turn left into Pumps Road, then park the car. Walk up the walk/bicycle path and follow it over the Eastlink six lane motorway. Turn right and walk up to the piece of art shown below.














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Location:Cathies Ln,Wantirna South,Australia

Doctor Tiller, Whichita and Tax Refusers

After Listening to Rachel Maddow today, at least an earlier episode Monday 11/04/2011 (wich is all confusing sometimes as I live in Australia and our timezone (GMT -11) is always ahead of the US and MSNBC release their episodes some hours after the Monday Night so it is Wednesday or Thursday before I see ot here anything fron iTunes on my iPhone) she interviewed Stephen Singular about his new book about the assassination of Dr. George Tiller inside a Church in Wichita Kansas. The Wichita Divide, is his latest book.

I also recommend the special Rachel Maddow ran on her show (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39826191/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/)
The links with the various anti-abortion groups are so pervassive the FBI is now conducting a full on enquiry as they attended the Criminal trial of Scott Roeder, where they made notes on who was attending in support of Roeder.

This indicates a problem with nomenclature in the USA, where it is plain to all who observe from outside that this is a case of Domestic Terrorism, by Christian Fundamentalist who are on the far Right of this group. The link with the Tax Refusers of the Mid-West which is interesting, because a number of other Terrorist and Abortion Clinic Bombers are in that group.  So the FBI has its work cut out for it.  Good police work always triumphs and the Conservatives need to understand that it applies to all forms of Terrorism.  Making assertions about such things as Weapons of Mass destruction against the evidence and other such claims has done nothing to stop terrorism, it seems to have provided publicity to recruit more people to the cause that results in these Terror Attacks.  Why is Osama bin Laden still a threat after so many lives lost and treasure spent?

Books: Reading List 1

Reading List

Annotations: Reading List: 

 1. Why Orwell Matters, Christopher Hitchens, Chapter 1, Orwell and Empire, p 15 

 2. Hitch-22 A Memoir, Christopher Hitchens, Chapter 9, Martin, p 154 

 3. Signature in the Cell, DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design, Stephen C Meyer, Chapter 4, Signature in the Cell p 85 

 4. Collapse, How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, Jared Diamond, Chapter 1, Under the Big Montana Sky, Attitudes to Regulation, p 63 

 5. Scepticism, and the Possibility of Knowledge, A C Grayling, Chapter 1, Berkeley's Argument for Immaterialism, p 25 

 6. Mismatch, Why Our World No Longer Fits Our Bodies, Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson, Chapter 4, Things Are Not What they Used to be, p 110 

 7. Relics of Eden, The Powerful Evidence of Evolution in Human DNA, Daniel J Fairbanks. Chapter 9, When Faith and Reason Clash, p 133 

 8. The Family, Power, Politics and Fundamentalism's Shadow Elite, Jeff Sharlet, Chapter 4 Unit Number One, p87

Address:

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Clifford M Dubery 

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The Young Atheists in Melbourne

Actually in Grey St. at the Unitarian Church, East Melbourne. Jason Ball gave us a talk covering his experience as a student with Atheism, Skepticism etc . Covering the establishment of the Secular Society at Melbourne University The Young Australian Skeptics. Jason and I are friends on Facebook and he and I are expecting the CFI to set up here in Melbourne Australia. This would assist us contradicting the woo here in Australia. My friend Debbie Goddard on Facebook referred it to the person at CFI who will do that. Also, I listen to a weekly podcast from that same organization called Point of Enquiry which I download from iTunes. This one has another friend Chris Mooney who interviews another friend Carl Zimmer discussing his new book Brain Cuttings an eBook only, a brave response from Carl. Clifford Dubery- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Wellington Parade,,Australia

Dr. George Tiller Investigation Expanded

Rachel Maddow on Monday Night US Eastern Time told us that the Justice Department has empaneled a Grand Jury in Wichita Kansas to investigate whether the murderer of Tiller, Scott Roeder, worked alone. Was there a conspiracy to murder Tiller in Kansas, egged on by Fox TV and the likes of Rush Limbaugh on his radio show. The FBI, was an observer of the trial of Roader and must have become interested in the people who attended in the gallery. Supporters of Roeder, consisting of previously convicted bombers and failed assassins along with friends and family. The FBI agents must have observed enough from that crowd to open a Federal Enquiry. The Homeland Security and other agencies were called in to enhance this investigation. Perhaps we will find out more of this un Christian group that proclaims murder is OK and hate is good. Clifford Dubery- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Rosslyn St,West Melbourne,Australia

News Dissector

I have just listened to Danny Schecter's podcast and radio show called The News Dissector. I am impressed that he was able to have a whole range of international journalists in the studio with him. Discussing anti-militarism and the Empire behavior of the US today and in the past. I recommend this podcast via iTunes for all progressives and those who have doubts about the current unsatisfactory media nonsense from the usual suspects. Did you hear that Rupert Murdoch? Clifford Dubery- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Station St,Malvern,Australia

FFRF and Freedom of Religion

I am pleased to here Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation Foundation reiterate a policy that gets lost in the rhetoric sometimes. That is they support freedom of religion as well. The religiously inclined in the US that comment about the activities of the FFRF need to understand that they are defending their rights to associate and speak and the First Amendment that separates Church and State, something the Founding Fathers were wise to include.

Location:Mansion House Ln,West Melbourne,Australia

Update on Cliff

I have just begun a new job and today is the first day of training. Wish me well on this change in my life? :)

Location:Rosslyn St,West Melbourne,Australia

Russel Blackford interview A.C.Grayling

Date: 11 March 2010 10:14:39

Today I attended this interview at the Nova Cinemas in Lygon Street, Carlton at 6:30 tonight. It went for an hour and consisted of each writer giving their testimonies about why they became athiests.

Each had come to it from reason where the beliefs of Christianity were based on Ancient Greek Myths of one kind or the other. Usually from Secondary School to undergraduate studies at Univercity.

Not all of us can claim such priveleges, and some of us concluded to stay in their particular traditions. Grayling explained that the recent stridentism of the New Atheists began as a reaction to 911, that horrible attack on the Twin Towers in New York City in 2001. This was caused by religiously inspired Radical Fundamentalist Muslims.

The response by the US and UK seemed to have been inspired by Fundamentalist Christians seeking a way forward to Armageddon. So irrationalist thinking on both sides moved this New Atheist movement forward with the assistance of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Sam Harris and Chriistopher Hitchins.

All six people mentioned are worth reading on the subject and I will list the books as an addendum to this post.

Graylings explanation as to why Atheist is a better descriptive than Agnostisms was interesting as a reply to a question. Agnostisism posits we don't know whether their is a god and Atheism states that the probabilty is so low of the existence of a deity that it is reasonable and logical that there is no god and therefore Atheism is a better descriptor.

In my opinion, I agree with Grayling, then it is up to the believer to bring forward the extraordinary evidence required to establish the extraordinary proof required when all scientific endeavors have contradicted all the thrusts believe.

Clifford M Dubery

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Fwd: Friday Night at the Global Atheist Convention

>

> Today is Friday after the evening opening session of the Global
> Atheist Convention. The speakers were, David Nichols, Stuart Beckman
> and Kylie Sturgess who were the opening and introduction. David
> Nicholls, President, Atheist Foundation of Australia spoke of the
> successful set up and preparation for the Convention and the failed
> attempt to garner State Government assistance unlike The World
> Congress of Churches which recieved 5 million AUD from the State
> Government. I understand the application for the Atheists is still
> circulating in Spring Street!
>
> Stuart Bechman, President, Atheist Alliance International didn't say
> much except for a few jokes.
>
> Kylie Sturgess from Skepticzone podcast and her own podcast which
> escapes my memory now, riding this train home.
>
> more later
>
> Clifford
>
> Sent from my iPhone

Back Pain and WorkCover Insurance

My son James is struggling with a shoulder injury and chronic backpain caused by the work he does for Safeway here in Australia. It seems to me the workers in our modern world are back at the stone age of the early 20th century. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Foot St,Frankston South,Australia

Philosophy and Evolution

I have been reading various authors over the years from Stephen Jay Gould to Richard Dawkins and many others. This is the first serious philosophy book on the subject I have tried. "Be prepared" is what I recommend, philosophy has never been my strong suite so this has been a learning process for this little black duck. Dennet has been at this game for a long time and taken this field with a level of intelligence that makes you think when he criticizes your favorite author (Steven Jay Gould) and clears up a question of difference when no difference exists ( Scientists tend to argue their own hypothesis against their most prominent opponent, also a scientist), thus allowing the Philosopher to sought out the debate, maybe. Of course, Gould is not the only specialist in Evolution to be taken to task, so I still need to add some books to my Library, like E.O. Wilson's Sociobiology

Epigenetics and Evolution

Epigenetics is proving interesting in its pull on the evolutionary tangent of new species by the way it impacts via the environment on local species as their environment changes. Along with mutation in the DNA itself, but such mutation (creationists insist on calling it random mutation) is not the only source for the variations required by Natural Selection.

Thinking about Surprise

Duane Boyce has written an essay of interest of those of us who follow Science and Religion and it is worth reading even if you do not read the book he is writing about. Surprise is what we should expect in this day and age where our understanding of science and history is greater by the work of the many historians and scientist over the past 200 years or so. All this work should not be ignored simply because it does not fit our world view. Indeed we should be expecting changes occurring to our world view just like science has to deal with every time a new discovery occurs. The movement of the continents recently, within my life changed how we all see this world and it to Geologists a certain amount of time to accept it. Now it is common knowledge and no ones challenges it seriously. Yet that was a Surprise for us at the time and took a while to adjust our world view to accept it. Thus our Creationist brethren need to value Surprise when it happens, and not fight a boundary war with science which they can only loose.

Notice today

This is just to advise my readers I will be blogging tomorrow night, but not tonight, too tired and grumpy. Clifford M Dubery

Giant Snake in the Amazon in our Hot and Humid Past

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/science/earth/05snake.html?ref=science

This is asking questions about the future for our nature with Global Warming.  Maybe they will all adapt to the changes in the environment quite satisfactory as long as Man species Homo Sapien Sapien does not interfere and wipe them out all together. Man's hunting has caused the physical size of phyla 's to trend down at the moment so there maybe two forces actiong on th enevironment concerning size.

I saw this on Times Online and thought you might be interested

For God’s sake, have Charles Darwin’s theories made any difference to our lives?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article5488488.ece

What absolute nonsense goes for an article in the Times these days.  Straw dog version of Evolutionary Biology  (Darwinism) is shot down by exaggerated religious concerns and the odd reference to show that it no longer holds its place in science.  Nonsense, absolute rubbish.  Interview some real biologists and stay away from philosophers who haven’t kept up with the literature!!!