"How Point Origin Found its End in the Great Attractor" #CosmologicalPrinciple #GreatAttractor #Ouroboros #Entanglement #Emergence #Economics #LoS

In 1984 when I was a first year social science student at the age of eighteen Big Bang Theory was still a "relatively" new-kid-on-the-block and considered the only rational refutation of and refuge from the apparent banality of Steady State Theory doctrine, however, in recent decades further observation and experiment has cast doubt over the theory that has become central to the "Standard Model". 

As time has gone by the use of Big Bang to justify increasingly disturbing, violent and resource consuming inquiry into the origins of the universe has grown and Big Bang has suffered a decrease in its popularity concomitant with the unease engendered by some of the practices and theories (esp. in economics), with which it is is most associated.

Accelerating Expansion 

Quote; "Astronomers have known for decades that the universe is expanding. When they use telescopes to observe faraway galaxies, they see that these galaxies are moving away from Earth.

To astronomers, the wavelength of light a galaxy emits is longer the faster the galaxy is moving away from us. The farther away the galaxy is, the more its light has shifted toward the longer wavelengths on the red side of the spectrum – so the higher the “redshift.”

Because the speed of light is finite, fast, but not infinitely fast, seeing something far away means we’re looking at the thing how it looked in the past. With distant, high-redshift galaxies, we’re seeing the galaxy when the universe was in a younger state. So “high redshift” corresponds to the early times in the universe, and “low redshift” corresponds to the late times in the universe.

But as astronomers have studied these distances, they’ve learned that the universe is not just expanding – its rate of expansion is accelerating. And that expansion rate is even faster than the leading theory predicts it should be, leaving cosmologists like me puzzled and looking for new explanations.": https://theconversation.com/the-universe-is-expanding-faster-than-theory-predicts-physicists-are-searching-for-new-ideas-that-might-explain-the-mismatch-215414

Megaclusters  

Quote; "In 2021, British PhD student Alexia Lopez was analysing the light coming from distant quasars when she made a startling discovery.

She detected a giant, almost symmetrical arc of galaxies 9.3 billion light years away in the constellation of Boötes the Herdsman. Spanning a massive 3.3 billion light years across, the structure is a whopping 1/15th the radius of the observable Universe. If we could see it from Earth, it would be the size of 35 full moons displayed across the sky.

Known as the Giant Arc, the structure throws into question some of the basic assumptions about the Universe. According to the standard model of cosmology – the theory on which our understanding of the Universe is based – matter should be more-or-less evenly distributed across space. When scientists view the Universe on very large scales there should be no noticeable irregularities; everything should look the same in every direction.

Yet the Giant Arc isn't the only example of its kind. In January 2024, Lopez revealed the discovery of another cosmic megastructure – a ring of distant galaxies with a diameter of 1.3 billion light years, which she has named the Big Ring. And these gargantuan structures are now forcing scientists to reassess their theory of how the Universe evolved. (Read more about the discovery of the Big Ring.)

Lopez was studying for her Masters degree at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK when her supervisor suggested using a new method to analyse large scale structures in the Universe.  She used quasars – distant galaxies that emit an extraordinary amount of light – to look for signs of ionised magnesium, a sure sign of gas clouds surrounding a galaxy. When light passes through this ionised magnesium, certain frequencies are absorbed, leaving unique light 'signatures' astronomers can detect.": https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230302-the-giant-arcs-that-may-dwarf-everything-in-the-cosmos

Cosmological Principle 

Quote; "In modern physical cosmology, the cosmological principle is a prediction based on the idea that the universe is about the same in all places when viewed on a large scale.

Forces are expected to act uniformly throughout the universe. There should, therefore, be no observable irregularities in the large scale structure. The structure is the result of the evolution of the matter field after the Big Bang.": https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_principle

There has always been a problem with the Cosmological Principle (as it is understood in this regard), that (very literally), suggests its origins. 

Point Origin

If Big Bang were true all matter would be expanding relative to all other matter from a universal centre, a centre that it is equally obvious one would be unable to determine. One would be unable to determine it because of the basic problem Big Bang has with relativity..it isn't. Isn't what? Relative to anything. 

When we express an expansion of something we always, always express it in terms of something it is compared to, however,  the Big Bang is the exception. 

In other words if the universe were the product of a Big Bang it must have expanded relative to the ("holy"), vessel it which its origins were contained. If so we cannot call the product of the Big Bang The Universe as, in order to be universal, it must contain all things. Thus the theory of the Holy Vessel was born? Well no not really for we end up with a very literal "chicken-and-egg" inquiry that continues ad infinitum and is, therefore, a truly irrational endeavour, modern physicists (although the scales are, I think, beginning to fall from some eyes), are also, therefore, engaged in the truly insane when they pour resources both our planet and species can ill afford to be consumed into the fires of ignorance*.

*Nb. Complex issues are often best approached by considering the resource base:

1. Does what one is engaged in produce enough to justify the loss of the resource consumed by such activity? 

2. Is the resource exploited in order to conduct such activity capable of being renewed (ie. is the activity sustainable)?

The fact that point one is dependent on point two often seems to completely escape the modern conventional Standard Model physicist.

Physicians who are not themselves physicists treat physicists who are not themselves physicians and are informed by same.

 

The Emergence of the Great Attractor

So we must start from the understanding ("words matter" not "matter words"), that something cannot expand into nothing. Instead let us posit, following Hawking, that singularity may exist but that we may only ever approach it (both as individual human beings and as a species), until such time as we experience it in toto and that such experience precludes any return to duality. Let us also be informed (re: Hawking), that the lifetimes of individual black holes may be finite, quote; "While empty space may seem devoid of energy, it isn’t — according to quantum mechanics, the energy of a vacuum fluctuates slightly over time. Those fluctuations manifest as pairs of particles — a particle and an antiparticle — that pop into and out of existence throughout the universe. Because energy cannot be created from nothing, one of the particles will have positive energy and the other negative. These particle pairs usually immediately annihilate one another. But if the particles appear at the boundary of a black hole’s event horizon, it’s possible for the particle with negative energy to fall into the black hole, while the particle with positive energy escapes. It then appears that the black hole has radiated a particle away. Einstein showed that energy and mass are proportional with his equation E = mc². Therefore, the negative energy from the forsaken particle actually removes mass from the black hole, causing it to shrink.

But don’t expect a black hole to disappear any time soon. It takes a shockingly long time for a black hole to shed all of its mass as energy via Hawking radiation. It would take 10¹⁰⁰ years, or a googol, for a supermassive black hole to fully disappear. “The entire age of the universe [is] a fraction of [the time] it would take,” says Priyamvada Natarajan, a researcher at Yale University who probes the nature of black holes. “As far as we’re concerned, it is eternity.”

Death Throes

Exactly how long an individual black hole lives depends strongly on its mass. The larger a black hole gets, the longer it takes to evaporate. “In that sense, [a black hole] can cheat death by growing,” Doeleman says.

He compares the process to an hourglass, where the sand at the top is the amount of time a black hole has left. By gobbling down more stars and gas, a black hole continues to add sand to the hourglass of its life, even as individual particles trickle out. “As long as there is material around [to eat], the black hole can keep resetting its clock,” Doeleman says. Eventually, as the universe ages, the material around a black hole will run out and its doomsday clock will start ticking.

As a black hole evaporates, it slowly shrinks and, as it loses mass, the rate of particles escaping also increases until all the remaining energy escapes at once. In the final tenth of a second of a black hole’s life, “you will have a huge flash of light and energy,” Natarajan says. “It’s almost like a million nuclear fusion bombs going off in a very tiny region of space.”

By Earth’s standards, that’s a lot, significantly more than the total nuclear arsenal of all nations. In astronomical terms, not so much. The most powerful supernova yet recorded (ASSASN-15lh) was 22 trillion times more explosive than a black hole will be in its final moments.

It doesn’t matter how small or how massive a black hole is, their closing fireworks are exactly the same. The only difference is how long it will take a black hole to explode. But once a black hole gobbles down its last meal, all that’s left is for the sand grains to relentlessly tumble down until there’s nothing left.": https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-beginning-to-the-end-of-the-universe-how-black-holes-die/

Thus one may say that individual black holes "pertain" to singularity whilst they "partake" of totality. It's important to remember that totality can remain un-manifest as it is the absence of both matter and light (in other words "life" which doesn't itself matter if nothing does -clearly-), however, the point of origin necessary to Big Bang theory cannot as it represents the presence of light and matter (from its inception). The mathematicians should see this clearly for their is no "irrational contradiction" (words matter), furthermore, its this way most of us live our lives; not really knowing how and why we are here whilst knowing with absolute certainty that our brief sojourn will end (what applies to the individual also applying to the species -after all any number compared to infinity is none-). This, I contend, is the ultimate value of Hawking's notion of "radiation" for, "it is by death that life is known" and it is often best to describe things by what they are not. Hawking's theory indicates the importance of the notions of Dark Matter and Dark Energy whilst suggesting that the Cosmological Principle (as currently understood), is indeed inadequate to describe modern observations (esp. using quasars), that describe the existence of super-clusters which themselves must rely on the presence of immense (unfortunately it also seems we may run out of superlatives to describe our predicament), black holes for their formation.

Above is a representation of the first super-cluster to be discovered using the ionised-magnesium observations described above Laniakea. On his BBC programme "Secrets of Size: Atoms to Supergalaxies" (go to: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m0017frp/secrets-of-size-atoms-to-supergalaxies), Prof Jim Al-Khalili compares these super-clusters to the natural forms we already know, such as river systems, when he did so I was put in mind of the teachings of many pre-Christian (esp.), cultures who talk of a "cosmic" or "world" tree.

 The "Ashvattha"

 

"The form of the ashvattha
is not to be discerned here,
neither its end,
nor beginning,
nor ongoing life.
When its fully grown roots
are cut by the strong axe
of non-clinging,

then that place must be sought
where, once they have gone,
they will not turn back again,
and they think,
‘I take refuge
in the first spirit
where activity flowed forth
in ancient times.’ The Bhagavad Gita: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-bhagavad-gita/symbols/ashvattha-tree?utm_source=pocket_saves

 

It is thanks to the marvellous work of a number of Astro-physicists and theorists that we are able to examine these notions more easily and, I am sure, the gravitas of the "Great Attractor" is also affecting them for surely the acceptance of the notion that there are immense gravitational forces pertaining to an un-manifest totality directing all life in the universe will prove to be the conclusion drawn from the recent observations I describe. What precedence is there for these notions to arise?

Quantum Mechanics

Since the discovery of quantum mechanical activity physicists have suspected that such holds the key to a great mystery but have been unclear (unsurprisingly considering its nature), what that might be. Well let us consider wave particle duality and what can only be described as a bias in conventional physics that maintains (it would seem until its last breath), that, quote; "The uncertainty principle is significant only on the atomic scale because of the small value of h in everyday units. If the position of a macroscopic object with a mass of, say, one gram is measured with a precision of 10⁻⁶ metre, the uncertainty principle states that its velocity cannot be measured to better than about 10⁻²⁵ metre per second. Such a limitation is hardly worrisome. However, if an electron is located in an atom about 10⁻¹⁰ metre across, the principle gives a minimum uncertainty in the velocity of about 10⁶ metre per second." Yet it is known that, quote; "The measurement of two observables with different sets of state functions is a quite different situation. Measurement of one observable gives a certain result. The state function after the measurement is, as always, one of the states of that observable; however, it is not a state function for the second observable. Measuring the second observable disturbs the system, and the state of the system is no longer one of the states of the first observable. In general, measuring the first observable again does not produce the same result as the first time. To sum up, both quantities cannot be known at the same time, and the two observables are said to be incompatible.": https://www.britannica.com/science/quantum-mechanics-physics/Axiomatic-approach 

 

In layman's terms these notions have been expressed by stating, "observation changes the nature of that which is observed". For a (mainly), social-scientist like myself this is all I need to know for the idea that, "focus determines reality " is a cognitive behavioural truism. That this should not also apply on the macrocosmic scale also is, therefore, I contend the lock to which the key of quantum mechanics should be applied.

 

Ouroboros

 

Choices must have Consequences

 

Including, of-course, the choice to focus, we must, therefore, not shy away from the contemplation of totality for we are not passive passengers on our flight with Times Arrow Airlines, effort (as any good physicist knows), must be made in order to understand our predicament. Prof Al-Khalili, a noted Humanist, might be repulsed by the suggestion that, "our good deeds are rewarded and our bad deeds are punished", however, that our actions have consequences, "any action entails an equal and opposite reaction", cannot be denied. In which case our "sin" would be one of ignorance (Sloth), and could not be defended under law.

 

Emergence Theory

 

 

When we are successful in our inquiries and uncover a truth we begin to emerge from our state of ignorance. We also discover that that which we sacrifice is absolutely essential to the process and that energy is never destroyed (see "Khaos"). In economics what this means is that there is a direct correlation between the contribution non-renewable systems and practices can make to emerging sustainability and that the necessary thresholds by which this transference of resource base can be achieved most efficiently (taking into account all the various -incl. social-, impacts that such transition entails), may be determined by applying the principles of emergence, quote; "sustainability is a necessary component of economy…

The system is “open ended” (#opensource), it is emergent…

Quote; "Words Based on the Eco- Root Word

Following is a list of words based on the Eco- Root Word:

1. Ecoactivist: One who actively opposes the pollution or destruction by other means, of the environment.
2. Ecobabble: Using the technical language of ecology to make the user seem to be ecologically aware.
3. Ecobiology: The study of the relationships of organisms to their natural environments.
4. Ecobiosis: The conditions pertaining to a mode of life within a specific habitat
5. Ecocatastrophe: Major damage to the environment, especially when caused by human activity
6. Ecocentric: Centering on the environment
7. Bioecological: A reference to the interrelationships between plants and animals and their abiotic enviro ments.
8. Bioecologist: Someone who favors, or specializes, bioecology; such as, an ecologist.
9. Bioecology: The science of organisms as affected by the factors of their environments.
10. Ecocidal: Designed or tending to destroy the environment.
11. Ecocide: Destruction or damage of the environment
12. Ecoclimate: The climate as an ecological factor; the climate of a habitat.
13. Ecocline: Reflecting ecological conditions in general.
14. Econometrician: A student of, or specialist in, econometrics.
15. Econometrics: The branch of economics concerned with the application of mathematical economics to economic data by the use of statistical methods.
16. Economics: The study or the social science of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economies or economic systems which include material goods and financial resources.
17. Economist: Someone who studies, works, or is an expert in the field of economics." https://wordpandit.com/eco-root-word/ Here we can see how closely related the notions of ecology and economics really are, this seems to indicate that the Industrial Revolution (esp.), saw a perversion of the language describing transaction/exchange in order to underpin a Socially Darwinistic model of human evolution, allow this exploitative model to gain ascendancy and fulfil (esp.), capitalism’s imperial and “manifest destiny”. It may, therefore, be the case that a misapprehension of the nature of economic theory has stemmed directly from the exploitation of non-renewable resources.

Go to: https://forum.5filters.info/t/declining-sperm-counts-natures-answer-to-overpopulation/1227/10" Go to: https://www.arafel.co.uk/2021/06/a-dangerous-conflation-socialism.html?zx=6b395a7c7e71e8d for more.

 

We are, therefore, capable of determining our own destiny; "one cannot escape one's fate but one may determine one's destiny!" (GKFH) 

 

Khaos

So what happens if we succumb to apathy? Well like the oxymoron that is an anarchic democracy we fall into the hands of Khaos, for democracy too only ever emerges it can never be imposed. Quote; 

 

"..since the discovery of the Higgs boson, the collider has not revealed any significant new physics that might shed light on some of the deepest mysteries of the universe, such as the nature of dark matter or dark energy, why matter dominates over antimatter, and whether reality is permeated with hidden extra dimensions.

Cern drew up plans for the next machine, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), in 2019. The €20bn (£17bn) machine would have a 91km circumference and aim to smash subatomic particles together at a maximum energy of 100 teraelectronvolts (TeV). The Large Hadron Collider achieves maximum energies of 14TeV.

The proposal has its critics, however. Sir David King, the UK’s former government chief scientific adviser, told the BBC that spending billions on the machine would be “reckless” when the world was facing such grave threats from the climate crisis.*" Go to: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/05/cern-atom-smasher-unlock-secrets-universe-large-hadron-collider

*Italics mine, I couldn't agree more, however, I believe that this "recklessness" extends not only to our environmental and economic practices but also to the possibility for the continued evolution of all life in the universe. Think of it this way: "Damn thing never gives me what I want when I want it consequently I will smash it to pieces!" In other words such/technology represents the tantrums of the immature and many modern/physicists are simply throwing their toys out of the pram!"..."if you are burning up resources for no discernable benefit you must be doing something wrong and I for one have yet to hear of any benefit to our quest for sustainability from the research at CERN, quite the reverse in-fact."

 

Proposed new accelerator

Go to: https://www.arafel.co.uk/2024/02/the-death-of-british-liberalism.html

 

"Anyone who thinks the LHC will destroy the universe is a tw*t!" Prof. Brian Cox.

The context being that, quote; "Brian was responding to reports that LHC scientists had received death threats in the run-up to the September 10th start date of the particle accelerator": https://astroengine.com/2008/09/06/a-statement-by-professor-brian-cox/ Knowing that actions have consequences I would never espouse such, however, Prof. Cox there are extremists in every camp, for instance, simply because I am in favour of a devolved republican Britannia does not make me a terrorist (although some who claim to support such most definitely have been if they are not now), and even The ANC was originally characterised as being a terrorist organisation.

In other words; "It's o.k Brian that doesn't make you a pr*ck ( yet )!"

Imagine if  the generations who grew up with the Cold War were mistaken though, imagine if there really was something worse than global thermonuclear destruction. What could that possibly be? Has our species chosen blissful ignorance over informed hysteria? How long is it possible to remain in denial?

The realm of Khaos is one of neither life nor death and may prove to be perpetual, the "Event Horizon" (re: Hawking), being infinite in effect. We may, however, escape such a fate all that is required is that we should choose to.

Nb. Although I took (& barely passed), maths and physics at "O" Level my training has been mainly in the social (I also took some statistics adult ed.), and, esp. as a campaigner, environmental sciences.

Please check this blog (and the other social media platforms I use), for more on these subjects, I will post further as soon as such becomes possible.

"The Death of British Liberalism" Pt.1: #DataProtectionBill #HouseofLords #PublicOrder #PostOfficeScandal #Monarchy #CERN #Horizon #DEFRA #surveillance #totalitarianism #truehorrorshow #LoS #emergence #sustainability #economics #stockmarket #FentanylofthePeople

As part of their opposition to the recently passed Data Protection Bill Organise Network suggested that campaigners state, quote; "In (their), own words, why should the DWP never scrutinise the bank accounts of benefit claimants?”. My response was as follows, quote;“For one thing any transactions regarding; political affiliations, memberships of organisations, campaigns and/or trade unions should become open to scrutiny only after due process in specific cases and that only in extremis, knowledge of other financial activity such as investments or shares (esp. in community groups etc.), should also only be available to scrutiny in such circumstances.” Go to: https://the.organise.network/surveys/dwp-scrutinising-bank-accounts-review-follow-up

Nb. If you wish to comment please first sign the petition against the bill, quote; "Disabled people claiming PIP and other disability-related benefits buy the things they need to make life more tolerable and to help them to overcome barriers and difficulties, like mobility aids and care. These things could be classed as "luxury" purchases by others, but they are necessary for disabled people.The dignity and right to privacy of benefits claimants must be preserved." Go to: https://organise.network/actions/petition-prevent-the-dwp-from-scrutinisi-gtXE9yQv?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share&utm_campaign=1imYUb6kUvts

Quote; "George Orwell’s iconic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, warns of a dystopian world where The Party or the government undermines people’s rights, independence and autonomy through fear and propaganda. Constant surveillance is a key weapon for disciplining people and shaping their minds.**

That world has arrived in the UK, the self-proclaimed mother of parliaments. The new tyranny isn’t ushered in by some communist, socialist or military regime but by a right-wing elected government.

The latest weapon is the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill which puts the bank accounts of 22.4m people under constant surveillance. In true Orwellian doublespeak, the government claims that the Bill allows “the country to realise new post-Brexit freedoms” and links surveillance to people’s fears about frauds.

The Bill uses developments in electronic transactions and artificial intelligence to place the poor, disabled, sick, old and pregnant women under surveillance. It gives Ministers and government agencies powers to direct businesses, particularly banks, and financial institutions, to mass monitor individuals receiving welfare payments, even when there is no suspicion or any sign of fraudulent activity. No court order is needed and affected individuals will not be informed. The Bill enables Ministers to make any further regulations without a vote in parliament.

Currently, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can request details of bank accounts and transactions on a case-by-case basis on suspicion of fraudulent activity.

The government says the Bill “would allow regular checks to be carried out on the bank accounts held by benefit claimants to spot increases in their savings which push them over the benefit eligibility threshold, or when people send more time overseas than the benefit rules allow for. This will help identify fraud [and] take action more quickly.”

A pernicious aspect of the Bill (clause 8) is that makes it very difficult for people to find out the information held about them by government agencies. Requests can more easily be dismissed as vexatious or excessive.

On 29 November 2023, the Bill was passed by the House of Commons by 269 to 31 votes. A Labour Party spokesperson said “We support the Bill” and the party abstained on the vote. It will now come to the Lords.

The new surveillance powers are to be applied to around 22.4m people claiming a variety of benefits. The UK has some 12.6 million recipients of the state pension, and many retirees claim means-tested benefits because the state pension is too low to live on. So retirees too are included in the 22.4m people subject to surveillance.

How prevalent is benefit fraud? The government estimates that for the year 2023 the benefit fraud was £6.4bn (2.7% of total). The government claims that mass surveillance would reduce fraud by £600 million over the next five years though this somehow became £500m during the debate in the Commons, i.e. £100m-£120m a year. During 2023-24, the government is expected to spend some £1,189bn. So, how significant is a potential saving of £100m-£120m in that context? Or is the Bill just distracting attention away from other objectives by demonising the less well-off?

The focus on bank accounts suggests that the government is looking for unusual patterns. So, if you give a lump sum to a loved one for Christmas, birthday, holiday or home repairs, and it passes through a bank, the government could seize upon that as evidence of excess resources and reduce or stop benefits. Suppose a poor person pawns some household items for a few pounds and that temporarily boosts bank balance. Would that person be penalised?

Any government serious and even-handed about tackling fraud would arguably extend surveillance to arenas other than just benefits, but it does not. Billions of pounds have been lost due to government related frauds in pandemic management, Covid loans and contracts for cronies, but none of the individuals involved are under financial surveillance.

The Bill only targets the less well-off. There is no equivalent surveillance of legislators who accept payments to advance the interests of their corporate paymasters. Earlier this year, in a sting operation former chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and former health secretary, Matt Hancock, agreed to work for £10,000 a day to further the interests of a company, but there is no surveillance of the bank accounts for former ministers.

There is no surveillance of the bank accounts of bankers engaging in illicit financial flows. The defence industry has a long history of engaging in bribery and corruption to secure contracts, but its bank accounts are not subject to surveillance. Energy companies also do the same, but neither theirs nor their directors’ bank accounts are subject to surveillance.

Since 2010, HMRC has failed to collect between £450bn and £1,500bn of taxes due to evasion, avoidance and errors. Most avoidance schemes are designed and marketed by bankers, accountants and lawyers, but the Bill does not put their bank accounts under surveillance. Major accounting firms are central to concocting abusive avoidance schemes, but despite strong court judgments, no major accounting firm has been investigate, fined or prosecuted. Research shows that people are 23 times more likely to be prosecuted for benefit offences that tax offences." Go to: https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/prem-sikka-how-the-data-protection-and-digital-information-bill-is-the-governments-latest-erosion-of-hard-won-rights/ for full article.

The bill received its second reading on Tuesday 19th December 2023, quote; "

Members Speaking 

Viscount Camrose (Conservative), Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, opened the debate and responded on behalf of the government.

Members contributing to the discussion included:

• Lord Allan of Hallam (Liberal Democrat), former director of policy for Europe at Facebook
• Baroness Kidron (Crossbench), Data Protection Foundation board member, campaigner for online safety and film director
• Lord Sikka (Labour), Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex

• Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative), Equality and Human Rights Commission member." Go to: https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2023/december-2023/lords-debates-data-protection-and-digital-information-bill/

Despite the presence of five Queen's Councillors and twelve former judges* in the House of Lords both this and the also recently passed Public Order Bill (quote; "

What do these new laws mean?

In short, this Public Order legislation will see yet more restrictions people’s rights by:

• Setting a very low threshold to define disruptive protesting
•  Giving police significant new powers to prevent protests occurring outside of major transport networks, oil and gas and energy supplies
• Making “locking on” a new criminal offence
• Extending the use of stop and search powers  – including suspicion-less stop and search – to protests

• Introducing of new protest banning orders that would prevent individuals from attending protests at all." Go to: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/blogs/campaigns-blog/public-order-bill-explained),  sailed through their second readings in the second chamber.

Some concerns were raised about the Data Protection Bill, in an apparently rather half-hearted way, during its process through the House of Commons, quote; "Labour argued at report stage that the bill should be re-committed to a public bill committee to allow further scrutiny, but this motion was defeated. Labour welcomed a government amendment at report stage removing the secretary of state’s power to veto codes of conduct drawn up by the information commissioner. MPs raised concerns about new provisions added at report stage to enable the government to require banks and financial institutions to provide data about accounts linked to benefit claimants, which the government argues is necessary to tackle benefit fraud. MPs questioned why state pension claimants were included. They also raised concerns about the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) having powers to look at people’s bank accounts without grounds for suspicion. The provisions were added to the bill after a division." Go to: https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/lln-2023-0050/ Italics mine.

*Nb. Quote; "Highly qualified, full-time judges, the Law Lords carried out the judicial work of the House of Lords until 30 July 2009.

The final appeal hearings and judgements of the House of Lords took place on 30 July 2009. The judicial role of the House of Lords as the highest appeal court in the UK has ended.

From 1 October 2009, the Supreme Court of the UK assumed jurisdiction on points of law for all civil law cases in the UK and all criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Justices of the Supreme Court

The 12 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the Law Lords) were the first justices of the 12-member Supreme Court and were disqualified from sitting or voting in the House of Lords. When they retired from the Supreme Court they could return to the House of Lords as full members but newly-appointed Justices of the Supreme Court do not have seats in the House of Lords." Go to: https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/about-lords/lords-types/law-lords/

Why, we ask, were such crucial provisions only introduced to the bill during report stage (after a division), and why in God's name did his majesty's opposition allow it to pass unchallenged (even saying "we support the bill")?

The Death of British Liberalism

Quote; "David Cameron perpetrated on the British people one of the nastiest and cheapest bits of political slight-of-hand we've seen in these fair Islands for a while, something he could not have attempted without the support of? The Liberals, who (conveniently stuffing 200 years of "Liberalism" down the plug-hole), abandoned their principles to shake the hand of every neo-con nonentity/their "respect" for our electoral and political system even extending to The House of Lords/where they are being encouraged and enabled (and funded too -not officially of-course-?), to remove any lingering vestiges of democratic process from the patient. Funnily enough ("if my dear you have a native's taste for such humour"), the one person who does actually comprehend what's been going on is our monarch, however, which one of you would or does expect their nonagenarian grandmother to do the washing-up during the festive season? The buck does indeed stop at the house but; ..

"Who's the little see-you-next-tuesday just out of shot with his hand in the air?"" Go to: https://www.arafel.co.uk/2016/12/a-place-to-talk.html Now the only "liberals" left are "neo" themselves.

Credit where credit is due though for the British people did severely punish the Liberal party for its perfidy at the poles, however, the damage had already been done and the upper house properly greased to allow more illiberal and draconian legislation to be enacted. This suggests that both chambers are now passed their sell-by-date and that their reform is overdue.

The legal profession in this country has a responsibility to protect the public against the machinations of dictators of every hue more especially so, of course, as we do not have a written constitution and yet in recent decades their ability to do so appears to have been increasingly compromised.

It must be impressed upon the Leader of the Labour Party that the illegality and unconstitutional (even by our standards), nature of such recently enacted legislation cannot be countenanced and that should such iniquities be allowed to continue to be inflicted on the British people Britain will have finally and perhaps irrevocably achieved the status of a failed state.

Post Office Scandal

Qui Bono?

Quote; "The Post Office won’t receive benefit payments anymore so millions are having to move accounts. Cashplus charge a fortune for transfers and transactions, VISA at the Co-Op also requires 3DSecure. None of the three are signed up to any kind of switching service so there is no benefit to changing acc. (as I am doing to the Co-Op), it’s outrageous, we are being targeted by the big financial players! 

Nb. The Job Centre called me in to verify my identity when I changed my recipient bank for U.C benefits. I may be forced to see them again when I change from Cashplus to the Co-Op (Cashplus is now unworkable as a day-to-day because of the expense of transferring money, transactions and accessing cash -not issues when my Post Office Savings Acc. was my benefit recipient-). Outrageous!!!" ... "(I had one of the old Post Office benefit recipient acc.s, myself, and many others, simply switched to a savings acc. when those acc.s were closed). This suggests the machinations of private interests ... "No benefit for the benefit recipients only those with pre-existing capital are rewarded, what a disgusting attack on the vulnerable, it’s a mugging on the public purse."...

"Nb. This also means I am having to transfer all my direct debits “manually” (as it were), because none of the three institutions (Post Office, Cashplus and Co-Op Bank), are signed up to the switching service, thus we do all the spade work too (but you mustn’t call it that)!

Furthermore think of the number of people with disabilities affected by this who are literally being pushed around in order to confirm their identities (whilst the faceless money-movers retain their anonymity)! Many have difficulty managing their money, I myself use an advocacy service because I have a stress-related mental health condition! Clearly the issue of the negative effect on the physical and/or mental health of those affected was not taken into consideration by any of the politicians, regulators or financial institutions concerned when the decision was being made to allow the, increasingly privatised (see post below), Post Office to behave this way.
Also, with reference to the “Royal Mail”, as was, does it not seem strange that Charles Windsor did not show any interest in protecting the institution thus preserving it for the people? Makes me wonder just who was (and still is), holding which knife to the throats of our dear monarchy."..."the Co-Op bank I’m switching to has a branch in the city several long miles away…West End Village (half a mile or so away), has a Post Office but no other financial institutions of any kind…such must be the case all over the country (where there still are post offices), …what a terrible indictment of our financial structure! It is precisely those people most vulnerable and most susceptible to the machinations of big capital who are being discriminated against and disenfranchised.
In case you are wondering why I am using these three institutions Co-Op Bank, Cashplus and Post Office Savings it is because I haven’t trusted the High St. Banks (although on the high st. the Co-Op is, notionally at least, “ethical” in its conduct), since the credit crunch…What sane person would?..I don’t want the money-movers' grubby hands on my finances (I also have a savings account with Wessex Community Bank, a “not-for-profit” community bank, that currently receives payment from my Cashplus acc. but whose payments I must move to the Co-Op myself). Does it also not seem rather more than serendipitous that it is customers utilising such institutions who are being penalised? We need oversight on this, we are being shafted."...

"This is a direct attack on community based organisations and campaigns, quote; “The notions are very different, for a socialist there is no “communal filter” between the individual and the institutions of the state but for a communist the state doesn’t exist without one (the capitalist, of-course, their actions being anathema to community, doesn’t believe in society at all). This exemplifies the veracity of the maxim; “the trouble with “-isms” is that they are full of “-ists”!”"...

"If individuals are not empowered they cannot form effective communities. The vested interests know this so they are monopolising the financial services industry by-the-back-door in order to ensure control of (as Elon Musk might have it); “the memes of production”, after all that which cannot be said cannot be! It is a very anti-Schumachian exercise (for it is indeed “anti-social!”)." Go to: https://forum.5filters.info/t/email-to-the-shadow-chancellor-re-postofficesavings-benefits-disability-advocacy-financialmanagement/2978/11

So far no-one (to my knowledge), has spoken up about this to any significance in either house.

The inadequacies of the "Horizon" software responsible for the, so called, Post Office Scandal are not the only software concerns to be exercising our administration, quote; "A major UK government department is relying on ageing technology and IT infrastructure, thereby reducing the resiliency of vital services and increasing the risk of cyber-attacks, a new report has found.

Almost a third (30%) of applications used by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are unsupported, meaning security or software updates are no longer being issued for them, an investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO), the UK’s independent public spending watchdog, revealed.

Defra is the government department responsible for numerous critical environmental services, including disease prevention, flood protection and air quality. A major cyber incident could have severe societal consequences.

The NAO’s investigation concluded that while Defra is taking steps to address urgent service risks and vulnerabilities in its digital systems, “it does not have a plan for the wider digital transformation that is needed.”

In addition, the NAO noted that it was not until the government’s 2021 spending review that the department was given the necessary funding to tackle the problem in a strategic and planned way, with £366m ($445m) provided for IT investment in the period 2022-2025.

Since receiving this funding, Defra has begun making progress on tackling its most pressing digital legacy challenges. However, “the additional funds are not enough to reduce risks to an acceptable level, nor fund a broader digital transformation,” according to the NAO.

The report added that the department and its associated arm’s length bodies are not expecting to fix its legacy systems until 2030.

The new analysis followed an investigation carried out by the NAO in July 2021, which identified IT legacy systems as one of six key areas of concern across government." go to: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/government-department-unsupported/

BBC Countryfile identified a badly-judged (underfunded), software purchase as being responsible for huge delays in the payment of subsidies from DEFRA to farmers in recent years and I had a poor experience myself when trying to use a government website when the Ministry of Justice simply lost an urgent submission I had made to them (apparently the on-site pro-forma was never received), strange when none of the commercial enterprises I was corresponding with at the time ever lost such a submission. 

These inadequacies are simply explained, however, as they represent yet more penny-pinching on behalf of an administration who would rather do anything (including holidaying in the Maldives), than invest in public services (including governmental ones). 

Loss of Signal 

Our access to financial services is being restricted and we are being directed in other ways too. Having checked with a number of the credit agencies who offer purchase plans for a number of the biggest retailers including Halfords (who use "Klarna" as do Ideal World & many others), Curry's (who use Creative Finance), Argos and a number of smaller specialist retailers I was for the most part (although one online retailer advised me recently that, quote; "Yes you can get V12 without a mobile just enter 07000000000 but you must have a landline" -ridiculous-), told that I could not raise any finance with them because I did not own an sms-text enabled phone. I do, however, own a text enabled phone but it is a landline phone which, apparently, is no good either! Here, again, one must surely enquire "qui-bono" (who benefits)? The only benefit I can see is to the tech companies who make the phones and the service providers of the (now also 5G), WiFi service. Does this not sound rather like the same nonsense that informs crypto-currencies being both a false economy and a self-deception? The current boom in AI stocks seems to suggest that such is the case especially as they come at the same time that real estate values in China are crashing.

Quote; "Data analytics software maker Palantir (PLTR) on Monday issued strong 2024 guidance. Meanwhile, shares in chip maker Nvidia hit an all-time high on Feb. 5 amid a bullish Goldman Sachs report on artificial intelligence.

Nvidia isn't the only AI chip stock that investors are watching. Shares in Arm Holding (ARM) jumped on its earnings report and outlook for ARM stock.

Microsoft is the biggest investor in startup OpenAI, the leader in gen AI training models. Cloud computing giants Amazon.com (AMZN), Microsoft and Google sell AI services to business customers.

META Stock Hits Record High

In the December quarter, Microsoft Azure cloud revenue jumped 28%, topping estimates by 1%.  Microsoft's cloud business now has 53,000 Open AI customers.

Shares in social media giant Meta Platforms (META) hit an all-time high on its December quarter results and AI outlook.

Meta management forecast accelerating revenue growth for the current March quarter. "We think it's a matter of at least four powerful product cycles all clicking — AI-infused product improvements that are improving engagement/time spent, AI-infused product improvements that are improving advertiser returns on the platform, Reels monetization tailwinds and Click-to-Message ads ramping," said Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney in a report.

On its Q4 earnings call with analysts, Google forecast a big jump in 2024 capital spending amid AI investments.

The Nasdaq composite jumped 43% in 2023, boosted by buzz around AI stocks.

The top artificial intelligence stocks to buy span chipmakers, software companies, cloud-computing service providers and technology giants that utilize AI tools in many applications.

Arista Networks (ANET) is among AI stocks doing well in year two of the gen AI boom. ANET stock has climbed nearly 16% in 2024. Earnings for ANET stock are due Feb. 12.

So far, the biggest demand for AI chips has come from cloud computing giants. Nvidia earnings have boomed amid demand for AI chips built into computer servers.

But analysts expect a market for "edge AI" — on-device processing of AI apps to emerge. While "training" AI models is now the biggest market for chipmakers like Nvidia, the market will shift to "inferencing," or running AI applications, in the long run.

Qualcomm (QCOM) aims to build Snapdragon AI chips for Android smartphones and the "internet of things."" Go to: https://www.investors.com/news/technology/artificial-intelligence-stocks/

Quote; "China's troubled property market ended last year with the worst declines in new home prices in nearly nine years, despite government efforts to prop up the sector that was once a key driver of the world's second largest economy."..."The sustained downturn in the sector that accounts for around a quarter of China's economy could drag on the country's broader recovery and heap pressure on policymakers to roll out fresh support."...""The success of 2024 will largely be driven by how effective officials are in turning the property market around," Moody's Analytics said in a note on Wednesday.".."Several Chinese developers, including China Evergrande Group, opens new tab and Country Garden , have defaulted on their offshore debt and entered into restructuring processes." Go to: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-dec-new-home-prices-fall-fastest-pace-since-feb-2015-2024-01-17/

I find it difficult not to reject the characterisation by Swiss (Sigma), Research that, quote; "spillover into a broader financial crisis with global ramifications is unlikely" Unsurprisingly they don't appear to have heard of "quantitative easing" (or even quantum physics #emergence). Go to: https://www.swissre.com/institute/research/sigma-research/Economic-Insights/china-property-market.html

 

 

One might observe and not for the first time that neoliberals of every hue (including the reddest), are successfully disappearing up their own a**eholes. Is it any coincidence I wonder, that Britain and China are the must surveilled countries in the world?

Because I don't own a smart phone I cannot even hire a municipally provided scooter!

What of the millions in this country who, like myself, don't want to own a WiFi device? I do own a p.c that is connected via Ethernet to a router that has had the WiFi signal it emanates turned off (online), by the customer. Many older people are alienated by WiFi technology why should they be excluded from services they are otherwise entitled to receive (I have a decent credit score), simply because they do not wish to be assimilated by the Borg?

Furthermore how does this benefit the finance companies in the long term? Surely the more customers who are able to access the service the better it is for business. I would also think that such companies' position is dubious in that their practices would appear to constitute "undue influence", "restraint of trade" and/or "anti-competitive behaviour" (as may the issue with the Post Officetm Savings Accounts I mentioned earlier)*.

*Nb. For such practices to constitute same may engender some updating/rewriting of current UK law.

Entanglement

Quote; "..since the discovery of the Higgs boson, the collider has not revealed any significant new physics that might shed light on some of the deepest mysteries of the universe, such as the nature of dark matter or dark energy, why matter dominates over antimatter, and whether reality is permeated with hidden extra dimensions.

Cern drew up plans for the next machine, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), in 2019. The €20bn (£17bn) machine would have a 91km circumference and aim to smash subatomic particles together at a maximum energy of 100 teraelectronvolts (TeV). The Large Hadron Collider achieves maximum energies of 14TeV.

The proposal has its critics, however. Sir David King, the UK’s former government chief scientific adviser, told the BBC that spending billions on the machine would be “reckless” when the world was facing such grave threats from the climate crisis.*" Go to: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/05/cern-atom-smasher-unlock-secrets-universe-large-hadron-collider

*Italics mine, I couldn't agree more, however, I believe that this "recklessness" extends not only to our environmental and economic practices but also to the possibility for the continued evolution of all life in the universe. Think of it this way: "Damn thing never gives me what I want when I want it consequently I will smash it to pieces!" In other words such (so-called) technology represents the tantrums of the immature and many modern (so-called), physicists are simply throwing their toys out of the pram! They seem incapable of admitting that the much vaunted "discovery" of the Higgs bosun has not provided them with the answers they had hoped it would. Surely at a time when economising is our greatest priority this infantile indulgence should not be tolerated, quote; "“unsustainable economy” is an oxymoron” No? I thought about this…many would argue (and many on the “left” also), that “short-term” “profit-taking” exploitative economies exist…but do they? Can we truly call them “economies”? For one thing; “how long is your piece of string?” We define economies by describing relationships (they are “relative”), there is a chronological imperative concerned, one cannot (surely), argue that a 5 year “un-sustainability” is an economy whilst a 3 month one is not! 

Economy, of-course, also can be “of effort”, in other words efficient…there is no “economy of effort” in an inefficient system, therefore, we can argue that any economy that is not sustainable does not exist!

If one “economises” one makes one’s actions more efficient…literally one creates an economy.

One can argue that the economy existed for a five year period…but one cannot say it was “un-sustainable” for the same period…period…

…and, therefore, sustainability is a necessary component of economy…

The system is “open ended” (#opensource), it is emergent…

Quote; "Words Based on the Eco- Root Word

Following is a list of words based on the Eco- Root Word:

1. Ecoactivist: One who actively opposes the pollution or destruction by other means, of the environment.
2. Ecobabble: Using the technical language of ecology to make the user seem to be ecologically aware.
3. Ecobiology: The study of the relationships of organisms to their natural environments.
4. Ecobiosis: The conditions pertaining to a mode of life within a specific habitat
5. Ecocatastrophe: Major damage to the environment, especially when caused by human activity
6. Ecocentric: Centering on the environment
7. Bioecological: A reference to the interrelationships between plants and animals and their abiotic enviro ments.
8. Bioecologist: Someone who favors, or specializes, bioecology; such as, an ecologist.
9. Bioecology: The science of organisms as affected by the factors of their environments.
10. Ecocidal: Designed or tending to destroy the environment.
11. Ecocide: Destruction or damage of the environment
12. Ecoclimate: The climate as an ecological factor; the climate of a habitat.
13. Ecocline: Reflecting ecological conditions in general.
14. Econometrician: A student of, or specialist in, econometrics.
15. Econometrics: The branch of economics concerned with the application of mathematical economics to economic data by the use of statistical methods.
16. Economics: The study or the social science of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economies or economic systems which include material goods and financial resources.
17. Economist: Someone who studies, works, or is an expert in the field of economics." https://wordpandit.com/eco-root-word/ Here we can see how closely related the notions of ecology and economics really are, this seems to indicate that the Industrial Revolution (esp.), saw a perversion of the language describing transaction/exchange in order to underpin a Socially Darwinistic model of human evolution, allow this exploitative model to gain ascendancy and fulfil (esp.), capitalism’s imperial and “manifest destiny”. It may, therefore, be the case that a misapprehension of the nature of economic theory has stemmed directly from the exploitation of non-renewable resources.

Go to: https://forum.5filters.info/t/declining-sperm-counts-natures-answer-to-overpopulation/1227/10

Democracy must be “open source” (Mr.Gates), only then can it be open-ended." Go to: https://www.arafel.co.uk/2021/06/a-dangerous-conflation-socialism.html

In other words if you are burning up resources for no discernable benefit you must be doing something wrong and I for one have yet to hear of any benefit to our quest for sustainability from the research at CERN, quite the reverse in-fact.

Comparison of circumference of current HADRON collider with the proposed "update"

Are not all of the above simply examples of the desperation that should be understood as characterising the neoliberal?