Heroes

           With all the seemingly never ending stories of mayhem, murder,rape, kidnapping and wholesale violence on a grand scale, often fuelled by distorted religious overtones, is there any light to be shed on an otherwise dismal outlook? Happily there is. All of us must have met during our lives, persons whose contribution to those around them and to the world at large is of a positive nature. I’m sure that all of us can think of some. I have attempted to come up with my own personal “Top Ten” heroes and found the task surprisingly easy.

           I have always held Nelson Mandela in high regard and am amazed at his longevity and fortitude to hold on to life in the face of ongoing health issues which he manages to keep at bay together -plus the debilitating effects of increasing age  -which even he cannot control. When considering his long and difficult life -including a 27 year incarceration in the notorious prison on Robyn Island, who can but be inspired at his ability to put this all behind him, even dealing with many of his erstwhile oppressors to emerge as the prime mover in creating the blueprint for a new South Africa.

Nelson Mandela

Two other inspirational leaders have been a positive inspiration not only their own people but the world at large and who, with Mr Mandela, would surely take the podium positions in any such global list. They are Au Sang Suu Kyi who has overcome virtually a lifetime of oppression to emerge as the leader leader of a (hopefully) democratic Burma 
     

Au Sang Suu Kyi

                                                            

-and thirdly Mahatma Gandhi who also trod a path of pain and oppression in his massive efforts to achieve independence to India and also to overcome inter-religious strife.   

                  Mahatma Gandhi                                                                           

                                        
I then contemplated as to whom I could add of more geographically local origins As far 

as Canada was concerned again three names seemed to choose themselves. First of these would be the remarkable and tragic Terry Fox, who had survived cancer but in the process, had lost one leg. He embarked on a cross-Canada run, named "The Marathon of Hope" to  raise money and public awareness for cancer research. He covered the equivalent of a Marathon distance (42 kilometers) -EVERY DAY until reaching Thunder Bay. Here after running for 43 days and 5373 kilometres, he was stopped by a recurrence of cancer which  sadly would ultimately result in his demise. He was just 23 years old. 
His efforts have resulted in a lasting legacy, not just in Canada, but around the world. The annual "Terry Fox Run", first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research. Over $600 million has been raised in his name. 

 
                                                    

                                                                    Terry Fox

Next to Terry is the equally inspiring Rick Hansen.  Following a pick-up truck accident at the age of 15, accident, he sustained a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the waist down.  he went on to become a world-class paralympic athlete, winning six Olympic medals and 19 wheelchair Marathons including three world championships. However despite these achievements he is best remembered for his "Man in Motion" tour in which, inspired by the courage of Terry Fox, he decided to undertake a similar journey for spinal cord injury research.  However his plan was far more challenging. He planned to circle the world in his wheelchair. This resulted in a 26 month trek, logging more than 40000 km through 34 countries on four continents. He returned to Vancouver to cheering crowds of thousands after raising $26 million for spinal cord research and quality of life initiatives.   Like Terry Fox, he was hailed as an international hero. Rick is currently President and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation which has generated more than $200 million for spinal cord injury related programmes and the development of a registry to facilitate the sharing of vital  information on which treatment is the most appropriate for specific types of spinal cord injuries.

Rick Hansen

I initially “discovered” my next Canadian by his image –not by virtue of him having any self absorption or superficial personality traits but just that   - his image. Following any natural catastrophic or any other calamitous event, TV news footage would almost inevitably show a affable, burly, bald figure in the forefront seemingly calling the shots in administering any disaster relief.  From humble beginnings in Montreal Rahul Singh, after 12 years as a paramedic, and with a passion for humanitarian assistance founded his own company, GlobalMedic. Its operating mandate is to provide immediate disaster relief in the aftermath of natural disasters and any other catastrophic events, Haiti being a prime example. Since its formation, Global Medic has led over 60 missions to over 30 countries. Globalmedic also specializes in supplying water purification units to provide essential clean drinking water to those locations. Although seemingly trying to avert publicity; with a profile like Rahul’s, he is difficult to miss. His team, as well as his international leadership has not gone unrecognized. Among other plaudits, Rahul has received a Canada’s Top 40 under 40 Award and was voted by Time Magazine readers as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010. Rahul is now a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour, and more recently was personally presented with the Queen’s Jubilee award by Prince Charles. Still in his early forties, hopefully the world will be able to benefit from his care and compassion for many years to come.

                                                                    Rahul Singh

My final four are somewhat different in that by virtue of my position of Sales Executive for de Havilland Aircraft (-later Bombardier) I personally met all of them. Once again all four virtually chose themselves and indeed make a well deserved comparison with the foregoing. 

The first two of these heroes have made enormous contributions to Canada’s First Nations communities.

Firstly there is Mary Simon who has spent her life working to improve the lot of humanity and in particular the Inuit people.  Her husband, George Simon was one of my business customers who ran the airline “Air Inuit” which provides air service from Montreal to and between all the remote Inuit communities across Northern Quebec.

I met Mary when George invited me to his home where I was introduced to her and their son. She possessed none of the normal Inuit characteristics and could readily be identified as Italian or possibly Spanish. Despite appearances, she had been born in the east Ungava community of  Kangirsualuujjuaq -and it doesn’t get much more Inuit than that! Her career path has been nothing less than spectacular. This astonishing list of activities and achievements are gleaned from sources devoted to her career:-

-CBC Northern Radio Service as a producer and announcer

-President; Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the official voice of the Inuit people.

-President and Special Envoy of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference.

-Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, Dept of Foreign Affairs and International Trade 1994 to 2003.         

-Canadian Ambassador to Denmark (1999-2001)

-Founding Chair of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation

-Councillor for the International Council for Conflict Resolution

-Chancellor of Trent University (1995 to 1999).

-Order of Canada

 -Order of Quebec

-Gold Order of Greenland. National Aboriginal Achievement Award

-Gold Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

-Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America and the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

-and this is only a partial list!

In 2013, now 66 years old, Mary continues her work to this day. She has gained the respect of many heads of government and international organizations through her diplomacy and firmness of purpose. She has become a respected international advisor on important issues such as the environment, human rights, scientific research and development and promotion of peace. What an extraordinary woman!  Am not alone in thinking that she would have been an inspired choice for Governor-General of Canada

Mary Simon in the House of Commons

Secondly comes another individual whose life was spent in the service of the other “camp” of the First Nations communities –the Crees of Quebec: -enter charismatic Billy Diamond. At the tender age of 22 he had became the First Chief of the Quebec Crees, something for which, as he would readily admit, he was woefully unprepared. The massive social problems with which he was confronted were overwhelming and it was not long before he trod the path familiar to many of his fellows; that of chronic overindulgence in fermented and distilled products. This almost killed him until the day came when -according to him, he experienced a “Road to Damascus” type spiritual transformation, after which, no doubt the result of considerable discipline and application, he was able to conquer his demons. He was outraged by the arrogance of the Quebec Government who set up a Crown Corporation to have absolute authority over the construction of an enormous hydroelectric project - without even bothering to inform the Cree. Despite considerable logistic difficulties he managed to get the remotely located Cree village chiefs together and to formulate an action plan. 
Duriing the four years that followed, the Quebec Government learned never to disregard the Cree or Billy Diamond again. Eventually he was instrumental in getting the landmark –“The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement” signed on November 11, 1975. During these intervening years, he even visited the Pope requesting his assistance and also worked with the United Nations on behalf of Indigenous People. 
He was friends with the renowned Deluce aviation family, another of my business customers based in Timmins. Billy was particularly close to Stan, his oldest son, Bill and his brother, Bob. Billy was anxious to improve the transportation options for his people and with the assistance of the Deluces led to the formation of the Crees’ own airline, Air Creebec with Billy as President and Austin Airways owning 49%, providing much of the necessary expertise. This was just one of various business enterprises in which Billy became involved, all with a view to improving the prospects of the Cree. Another of these involved a business arrangement he had forged with Yamaha, who designed a fibreglass boat to replace the traditional Inuit flat bottomed wooden craft which in its arduous operating environment, have a very short life. After setting up the manufacturing facility, Billy insisted that all work was to be done by Cree workmen with Yamaha acting in an advisory capacity.
With the Deluces’ and Billy’s agreement, I organised an aircraft demonstration tour for Air Creebec, visiting the Cree communities scattered along the eastern shores of James. With Billy on board we headed north. This was my first meeting with him. He was not overly tall, about 5’ 10” but very barrel-chested, (relics of a beer belly?), be-spectacled with longish curly hair, uncommon for a 34 year old Cree. He cut an imposing figure with a voice to match. However he proved to have a great comedic sense and was immensely likeable. During the next couple of days I got to know Billy well and was regaled with many amusing and self deprecating anecdotes as well as the details of his Yamaha project above. En route, he pointed out the vastness of the hydroelectric project which could be-seen below.

At each stop I was astonished at the reception he received by the local communities. Virtually all the villagers turned out and it was clear that to them Billy was like a demi-god. In deference we insisted that he deplaned first. At each location he donned a baseball cap with “CHIEF” emblazoned on the front and stood on the steps at the rear door, arms outstretched somewhat like a latter day Messiah! Everyone flocked around him, the children grabbing at his legs demanding his individual attention. They clearly adored him and Billy did nothing to disabuse them of the notion. It was very plain that over his (-at that time) 12 year “reign”, his Herculean efforts and achievements for his people had become the stuff of legend and had earned him great respect from all quarters and a reputation as a great and charismatic leader. His tireless efforts continued undiminished over the years. The demonstration tour was a success. It was probably the highlight of my career when some months later, following a major sales campaign across Canada, a group of Canadian regional airlines including Air Creebec ordered no fewer than 42 Dash 8 aircraft with a further 10 on option. I met Billy on his arrival and was delighted to present him to representatives of the other participating airlines in the Conference Room where all the contracts were signed. To this day both Air Creebec (and Air Inuit), continue to operate fleets of de Havilland aircraft
.Sadly in 2010, Billy was felled by a heart attack at the age of 61. There will never be another of his like.

                                          

                                                                  Billy Diamond                                                                

Signing Ceremony. 
Billy extreme right; Stan Deluce centre, with light suit in front of me; with Bill Deluce on his left,

The latter part of my working career was spent in the Orient and my two final picks come from this region.The first of these, Gordon Poon from Beijing is deservedly something of a national icon.

Having trained as a pilot in the USA, he returned to China and flew for the Chinese National Aviation Corporation (CNAC). Flew over 500 dangerous missions “Over the Hump” (-Himalayas) during the war -more than any other pilot. After the war he was instrumental in the formation of China’s first airline administration (CAAC); was its first Chief Pilot and flew its first inaugural flight. He then fell afoul of the xenophobic Cultural Revolution under Mao Tse Tung. Being a close friend and pilot of the then Premier Chou en Lai and with his US background, he was jailed, beaten, tortured and starved for ten years in ongoing and unsuccessful attempts to get him to betray Chou. He also steadfastly refused to join the Communist Party. His health was ruined.

With the demise of the Cultural Revolution Chou En Lai had him fully reinstated and installed in a high position in the Government where he was an ongoing father figure, an inspiration to all and continued to serve until his death in 1999. In was in his position as President of the Beijing Aviation Consulting Service that I met him on several visits. He was very thin, gaunt and with virtually no teeth, looked very frail. Despite all he had suffered, his spirit was truly inspirational and his overall demeanor positively boyish. As with the case with Mr Mandela, he had miraculously put all resentment or bitterness behind him and was very highly regarded by all.

His health was indeed fragile and his mistreatment had had the effect of shrinking his stomach to the size of a tennis ball. Amazingly his main diet consisted of beer! Indeed he had a fridge amply stocked with this commodity in his office. Consequently he lived a life in a state of mild inebriation, a situation which seemed to be to his entire satisfaction. He referred to it as “liquid bread” and apparently was the medical recommendation. Despite his very limited stomach volume, one of his main social delights was the typical Chinese banquet; something with which I would become very familiar wherever I went in China.  After two or three chopstick loads he was replete which left more time for beer and conversation, in both of which he excelled! Gordon was virtually the only person in the Chinese administration to be provided with a car and driver. When we were in Beijing he insisted upon making it available for our daily business use -including transportation to and from banquets!    His indomitable spirit and charm was an inspiration to anyone who knew him and I consider myself very fortunate to have had that experience.

Gordon as top flight pilot with CNAC


My shot of a typical "Banquet". Gordon with lean and hungry look -extreme left. My work colleague C.C. Kuo second from right. The remainder are senior CAAC executives.

Part of Gordon's obituary in 1999.

        Another extraordinary Chinese person completes my top ten.  Thomas H.C. Cheung is currently the Chairman and Chief executive Officer of over thirty companies in Hong Kong Singapore and Taiwan.He founded the Thomas H.C. Cheung Foundation which contributes to the community-at-large. He is specially supportive of the Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK) to which he has made enormous contributions. He has made magnanimous donations to the University to set up scholarships, build sports facilities, sponsor staff and student activities, and suppport medical research. He has been a member of the University Council since 1991, and over the years has served on virtually every committee.He has been particularly active in providing assistance to women and one of his post-graduate scholarships is specially for women students.He was also instrumental in establishing the Thomas Cheung School and a range of other facilities including the Thomas Cheung Gymnasium. He was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Law by CUHK and is a life member of the International Lions clubs.As if this were not enough, he is also honorary Vice-Consul for Sri Lanka in Hong Kong and Macao. This office serves as a proxy embassy for any visiting Sri Lankans. He has been awaarded the national honour Sri Lanka Ranjanaby by the president of Sri Lanka. He was also presented to the Pope during a visit to the island. 
     Of my ten heroes, he is by far the best known to me. At least I thought he was. Astoundingly, during the 14 years of our acquaintance, apart from the Sri Lankan connection and his school, I was completely unaware of the above! It was only after some deliberate “leaks” from his proud executives and considerable research that all this came to light. I first encountered him in connection with an aviation business which he owned in Taiwan. Such a favorable impression did he make that I asked him if he would be interested in becoming company agent (-consultant in polite language) for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao. He enthusiastically agreed, and the documentation was signed.From then on, on all my arrivals at Kai Tek airport I would be met by either a Rolls Royce or Daimler limousine and whisked in splendor to my hotel. Later on the car would return and provide transportation to one of the many night clubs in Wanchai where Tommy would be host for the evening. I then discovered that this was typical behavior. He is avid supporter of Canada (Canadiophile?) and has a home in Vancouver.  Although very generous to all comers, Tommy made it his particular business to look after Canadian visitors. I have absolutely no idea how he managed to fit everything in. He seemed to have enormous influence and all of it positive. Typically one Saturday afternoon he took me on his motor launch to the visiting US Midway aircraft carrier for a guided tour. Later on, I took my wife Margaret on a vacation to the Philippines and Hong Kong. Tommy got wind of this and on our arrival, the Daimler was waiting and upon checking in at the hotel,we found a huge bouquet of flowers together with a welcoming card. His attention to our well being was almost overwhelming A car and driver was provided for the duration and it was then at the insistence of the driver (-who swore us to secrecy) that  we were taken to see the (still under construction) Thomas Cheung School in Shatin.     Whilst having a multitude of business and academic activities to occupy him, it seemed that above all,doing good things for others -and to keep it private, is his prime motivator. I have never met anyone else remotely like him.

Tommy makes presentation to the winner of his Postgraduate Scholarship

for women in Humanities and Arts

On reviewing this list, two things stand out. Firstly of the ten eight are, although I hate the expression, members of “Visible Minorities”. There is absolutely nothing “minor” about any of them!  Secondly, seven of the ten had had only achieved their goals via a path of pain and suffering. In all cases their stoicism and determination and indomitable human spirit should be an example to us all.

Watch your language!

            Without doubt, one of the most elegant manifestations of cultural evolution is mankind’s ability to communicate using the spoken, and eventually -written word. For thousands of years, this ability to interact developed in many forms around the world and must be credited as a major factor in the ongoing advance of human civilization over the millennia. Not only has it provided the means for basic human discourse, but it has also, along with painting and sculpture, represented the apex of human artistic expression. Happily, books (-and now electronic devices) have preserved all this for posterity.

This is just as well, for in recent years the spoken and written word has deteriorated in a most depressing fashion. The advent of social media has likely been the main culprit in this and has resulted in a major “dumbing down” of verbal expression and correct spelling. In addition to this, there seems to be an increasing apathy to the elegance of Standard English, replaced in its stead by a variety of bizarre and often absurd abbreviations.

A daily review of my incoming email messages and particularly comments to YouTube videos reveals many examples.

“I should have known” is rendered as “I should of known”.

“I used to go there” becomes “I use to go there”.

 ‘It was not allowed” is presented as “It was not aloud”.

The convention of “take from” and “bring to” is often replaced by “bring” in both cases. 

 “It will rain so “take” your coat” becomes “It will rain so “bring” your coat”,. -or "My car has broken down so I must bring it to the garage". 
How could I leave out the ubiquitous “I couldn't care less” which has evolved into “I could care less” –the complete opposite of what is meant!
I sometimes despair at the frequent incorrect spelling or misuse of common words as in the following:. Here are a few examples.

‘Their” becomes “There” or “Thier"
“ You’re” or “You are” becomes “Your”
“Believe” becomes “Beleave” or “Beleive”
“Piece” becomes “Peice”
On the subject of bicycles which is of particular interest to me, here are a few more, some of which are equally applicable to motor vehicles. I frequently see;
The method of retardation -”Brakes”; spelled “Breaks”.
The propelling interaction between rider and the bicycle -”Pedals”; becomes “Peddles”
The shaft supporting the wheels -“Axle”; becomes “ Axel”.

The incorrect use of "tyre" when "wheel" is meant is most curious. How many injuries have actually been caused by “flying truck tyres”. I would suggest very few. However if this relatively benign circle of rubber is inflated to high pressure and enclosed within a heavy steel “wheel” the combined impact is often deadly.

Despite the above, my pet peeve is directed at the current custom of replacing the entire Thesaurus of finely nuanced verbs and adjectives with just a handful of trashy substitutes.

At the top of the list is “Like” without which many young people find it difficult to complete a single sentence. A reported reaction to just about anything of any significance is typically dealt with by four words “I was like –wow!” “Cool” seems to serve as a mindless reflex reaction to any acceptable person, thing or circumstance. The above examples if of a positive nature, are often augmented into “I was like, wow –cool!” or "Way cool dude!" The omni-purpose “cool” is sometimes used in conjunction with the adjectives “Awesome” or “Epic” regardless of the subject, and sometimes further clarified by the adjunct -and stuff".   

Perhaps the worst example of the verbal brutalizing of language is in the reporting of conversations where the use of the huge selection of verbal opportunities is reduced to one. The verb “Go” replaces all. For example;  “When I saw him he goes "'Where were you last night?"' -and I go "'I had to work"' and he goes "'you shoulduv text me dude"', and I go "'Wasssit to you ?"' and he goes "'blaa blaa............   -ad nauseum!"' 
The same verb sometimes suffers with the illogical substitution of “I should have gone”, by” I should have went”.
Finally, although this is an irritant rather than a linguistic error, why is it that some people seem to be completely unable to make any statement without prefixing it with redundant expression "Do you know what?" If I did there would be little point in them proceeding further! 

In conclusion, imagine if the measured sonorous cadences of Winston Churchill which inspired a nation during World War 2, had been replaced by today’s idioms. “Never in the field of human conflict, has so much been owed by so many to so few!”  would become; “D'you know what? Pilots; like awesome -real cool dudes! Way to go -Epic!".

Scarcely sufficient to stiffen up the sinews is it -and stuff!       

An Unearthly Paradox

      For over 70 years throughout the world and up to the present time there have been literally thousands upon thousands of reports of UFO activity, many of which include alien abductions. Even granting that the majority have been from mischief makers or hoaxers, there still remain thousands of cases reported by the public in addition to many unimpeachable sources including astronauts, pilots, air traffic controllers, the military, and police forces.

Throughout this time the reaction from official sources has been to denigrate, ridicule, scorn and deride such reports. This even extends to casting doubt on the sobriety and even the sanity of those involved. Indeed, the career prospects of many who dared to speak out have been adversely affected. With the recent exponential growth in a variety of communication options, this maligning and muzzling of witnesses has become more difficult to enforce. The amount of evidence is overwhelming. Although non believers referring to “little green men” etc is possibly becoming a less routine response, understandably there remains some reluctance to “go public” with genuine sighting reports and run the risk of being humiliated.

Nevertheless, there are many who are willing to go on the record. YouTube has a large number of these, some more credible than others.  Among the most credible of those with no doubt whatsoever, is astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell who was the sixth person to walk on the moon;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExCeqjJ2-G8
as was his fellow astronaut, the late Gordon Cooper.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvPR8T1o3Dc

Also Paul Hellyer, ex Canadian Defence Minister, has frequently spoken publically on the subject  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BhXgkYY_hY

* * *

In the case of alleged abductions, many of those affected suffer memory loss and psychological after-effects. In some cases their experiences can be recalled during regressive hypnotherapy sessions. However to publicize this tends to reinforce the outpourings of the “I told you so” experts who claim this as verification of mental instability. Strangely however the reports from abductees show a remarkable agreement in describing their captors and the details of their ordeal. Many claim to have been abducted on numerous occasions.  In spite of the commonality in their accounts there still remain those who won’t be convinced, whatever the evidence. 
However there is one event which to me provides the nearest thing to “smoking gun” evidence that exists. It concerns a school in Zimbabwe where over 60 school children witnessed a UFO which landed on the school grounds during recess and from which emerged two entities who approached and engaged the children.

Subsequently many of them were interviewed by Dr John Mack, a Pulitzer Prize winner and world renowned Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard University, who was investigating the alien encounter phenomenon. He is probably the most esteemed academic to have studied the subject.

The school is a good example of a post colonial multiracial establishment and the YouTube video showing some of the interviews reveals that they are intelligent and remarkably articulate in their responses to difficult questions. After viewing this can anyone doubt their accounts? Moreover they are very much in line with other similar reports world-wide. Watch this and see;   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W75HZD8VaE

So there we have it. Even when all the chaff has been removed from the wheat, there still remains a huge body of irrefutable evidence to consider. Additionally, there are those who despite having experienced extra terrestrial phenomena, feel outside their comfort zone to reveal their stories. This is no doubt to preserve their ongoing social acceptability.   

The very defensive attitude exhibited by US politician Dennis Kucinich in this recent YouTube video is typical of the discomfort expressed by public figures when questioned;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOwqlYeWqxA

Even with the evidence in plain sight of increasingly mathematically complex crop circles, there are still those who prefer to believe that these are the work of a couple of drunken farm hands armed with a stake, a ball of string and planks tied to their feet!  In addition to these yeomen of the sod there has been a great deal of thought and effort put into crop circle construction by artistically minded humans. These can result in fairly complex patterns which are aimed at debunking all and any other explanations.

Example 1 shown below from 2001 consists of 409 circles. In 2012 a challenge was issued to the debunkers to recreate this design. So far there have been no takers. It would suitably stretch the imagination of those who might accept the challenge, knowing that they have to leave no signs of their presence, lay the wheat in the customary weaved, layered configuration and have just dusk to dawn to complete the work! The extraordinary Example 2 raises the bar considerably. Taken by Lucy Pringle it shows what appears to be an alien head and a disc in binary code which apparently contains an enigmatic message which has been decoded (see below). Planks and string just don’t cut it anymore!

The latest development in this saga has been the emergence of “debunking debunkers”. 

The following video is very compelling;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMOezRBwHWo

In summary it is quite extraordinary that in the face of so much evidence, desperate efforts to deride and denigrate the phenomenon continue unabated. 

  

Example 1

         

Example 2

Released decode of message contained within circle of Example 2.

 “Beware the bearers of false gifts and their broken promises. Much pain but still time. There is good out there. We oppose deception. Conduit closing”.

* * *

  

In complete contrast to the foregoing, all organised religions are based exclusively on faith with no supporting evidence other than that provided in the relevent “Holy Book” of each. Since I am more familiar with the Judeo/Christian Bible, I will confine myself to its content. The history of this venerable document stretches back nearly 2000 years since when it has been translated and edited multiple times from its original Aramaic or Hebrew into Greek, Latin and ultimately English. Far from representing a consensus of its content, each edition inevitably reflected at least an element of the individual agenda of each editor. By the Tudor era there were many different and opposing interpretations. It was a shambles.   

The Garden of Eden; from history to mythology

Lucas Cranach der Ältere(1472–1553)

Finally in 1604 under the auspices of King James 1 and despite the objections of many, a concerted attempt was made to produce an “Authorised Bible” which was designed to represent the best of the disparate other versions. As this task involved no fewer than 47 scholars, this led to still more differences in individual interpretation and content. Furthermore the Apocrypha was arbitrarily omitted from the Protestant version as were several other books. Nevertheless despite its chequered background and doubtful provenance, the outcome is still considered by the faithful as being God’s word.

* * *

    

       In conclusion, here we have a strange dichotomy. On the one hand in the UFO case there is a wealth of supporting evidence but considerable resistance to embracing it. Regardless of personal conviction it is considered better to reject than to run the risk of career limitation or social (-no pun intended!) alienization. On the other hand we have an ancient religious book which has been, and still is accepted without any supporting evidence or proof at all. Over the past centuries belief has been obligatory under pain of torture or death and even nowadays it is still more socially acceptable to believe -or as I suspect in many cases, to feign belief. The latter is sometimes referred to as Pascal’s Wager or “playing it safe”.

Deliver us from Evil!

          In view of the somewhat serious tone of my previous few efforts, I considered that it was time for a lighter topic. However, recently I had occasion to view a remarkable TV documentary entitled “Deliver Us From Evil”.

This is now available on YouTube in a series of bite-sized 4-6 minute episodes. I would strongly recommend that all who visit here should take the opportunity to view it in total to fully appreciate how unspeakably evil is its content. I was so incensed I felt bound to respond immediately.

The below address locates Episode One. From here it is simple to navigate onwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N86RFBz4rs

       This chronicles the experiences of several families with small children, all of whom become sexual prey of a Catholic priest, Father Oliver O’Grady. The distress of the parents when they learn of his abuses can be imagined. Their family life was effectively destroyed.
       In one of the examples, a 40 year old woman victim who remains mired in Catholic dogma insists that when she is married it must be in church. Sadly this is unlikely since her father who must be present to give her away refuses to ever enter a church again because of what happened. The mother became so distressed that she had to give up work whilst her husband has had to do likewise to support her. In another and quite astonishing example, O'Grady was actually successful in establishing a sexual relationship with a mother as a means to getting access to  her small son! Despite all this, the reaction of church officials after being informed of these abominations was disbelief denial, deception and lies. Clearly this was nothing new to them and one with which they had become familiar over the years 

        Throughout the entire series the only church representative with genuine concern and integrity is the commendable Father Tom Doyle who, in addition to his clerical affairs, is a lawyer and historian. His actions over the years to bring all this abuse into the open he says has resulted in him being fired from two major church positions.

          To give an idea of how high in the church this extended, in 1978 the church appointed someone responsible for making sure that priests did not abuse children. This appointee was none other than Joseph Ratzinger the current Pope! Not only was he very unsuccessful in this but he was actually accused of covering up sexual abuse in the US, but at the Vatican’s request the then President George W. Bush granted him immunity from prosecution.

          At the conclusion of the documentary, two of the victims, together with the parents of one victim accompany Tom Doyle to Rome. Here they attempt to deliver a letter to the Vatican but are refused admission. They hand over the letter to the guards. No reply or acknowledgement has ever been received.   

          As for the disgraced Father O'Grady. It was later estimated that he had hundreds of victims. Ultimately he would serve seven of a fourteen year prison sentence, after which he was removed to Ireland. Throughout, he seems remarkably sanguine and  quite complacent without a trace of remorse.

        The film was made in 2006. In March 2011 Oliver O’Grady was caught in Dublin Airport in possession of thousands of pornographic images of children from the ages of 3 to teenagers  

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          This appalling debacle seems to have stemmed directly from the Church’s policy of celibacy by priests. This was not as a result of any New Testament directive. In fact the subject was rarely raised until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. In fact, many Popes were married and continued to be so for a considerable time thereafter. According to several sources, including the film, the main purpose of celibacy was to prevent the estate of deceased priests being handed to their eldest son and instead transferred directly to the avaricious Church coffers. In fact it seems that celibacy was not considered in any way mandatory until the eleventh century. 

         

        In my view this policy inevitably led to the priesthood being comprised from three main sources or categories:

1. Heterosexual

Very few likely. What normal healthy man would willingly give up normal, highly desirable relations with a woman together with the concomitant foregoing of family life. This would be quite unnatural. Why would they reject a great gift from God?

2. Asexual.

Another small number –many of whom could be experiencing emotional dysfunction or other health problems.

3. Homosexual or paedophilic

Very appealing to those with these proclivities: either between themselves or unfortunately involving children of their congregation. Their workplace environment combines maximum availability with frequent opportunity.

          Other than group 2, no one is immune from sexual instincts and associated hormonal agitation. Nature is no respecter of religious rank or denomination No one is impervious to its powerful urges. Periodically, some relief process is unavoidable and will occur by one means or another; either by sexual intercourse, masturbation or if all else fails, nocturnal emissions. It will occur. How the formulators of doctrinal protocol could ignore or turn a blind eye to this fundamental reality of all animals (-including bishops and Cardinals!), beggars the mind.  

The disastrous results of this thinking (-or more likely lack of it) are manifested in the film. The sole function of these self-styled representatives of God is to provide pastoral support and spiritual guidance to their congregation. It is impossible to conceive of such a massive betrayal of trust. Their vile and despicable acts extend even to babies!. I am completely unable comprehend how they can continue to live with themselves.

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          In addition to the above, historically the Catholic Church has been responsible for bloodletting and massacres on a grand scale. From the Crusades, the Conquistadores, the Inquisitions, burnings at the stake, beheadings and torturings during Britain’s Tudor period and more recently in Rwanda, erstwhile Yugoslavia and elsewhere. Yet despite all this, the Church and its diverse activities continue. The effects of early indoctrination amounting in effect to brainwashing are difficult to overcome particularly in underdeveloped countries. Thankfully at long last as people become better educated, more and more will at last see it for what it is.  

Deism -not such a giant leap of faith!

I have lost count of the number of times that I have heard that America was created by the Founding Fathers as a Christian Nation. This assertion is quite untrue. I have recently been doing some research on the subject, the results of which have been very revealing. Washington, Jefferson, Locke, Adams, Paine and Franklin were surprisingly ambivalent on religion and indeed most held Deist views. In fact Thomas Paine penned the seminal Deist book “Age of Reason” which was an eloquent tirade against organized religion, particularly Christianity. Deism became more prominent in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Age of Enlightenment both in Europe and America among thinking people who had been raised as Christians. They believed in one God but found fault with the so called “revealed religion”. In particular they could not accept its beliefs in supernatural events such as the New Testament miracles, the notion of a Trinity or the Resurrection.

Deism is based solely on reason, personal, experience and the observation of nature.The main contention stresses the difference between “revealed” or “reasoned” beliefs. As Thomas Paine said; revelation is solely a onetime event. No biblical writings were by people who were actually there. Subsequent to this he states -“there is only hearsay”. He went on to say:

“I believe in one God and no more; and hope for happiness beyond this life.

I believe the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. 

My own mind is my own church.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”

Below as a printed example of the foregoing, I paste Article 11 of the treaty of Tripoli which was signed by President John Adams and unanimously ratified by the Senate in May 1797 

  
Deism, which is currently enjoying something of a resurgence, is the purest, most honest and simplest of all belief systems, requiring nothing more than a God who they assert, having first calculated the appropriate equations, fired up the creation programme and then sat back to observe the results. At the time of the Founding Fathers there were no evolutionary considerations as this predated Darwin’s “Origin of Species” by about 60 years. There were no Big Bang concerns either, so there was no muddying of the theological waters. Simply accepting that God was the original Creator they argued, was all that is necessary and attempts to introduce intermediate stages between God and the people are invalid. All so called “revealed” religions with their convoluted complications and restrictions are the manifestations of either the power hungry, control freaks or those who make a living from it.           

Some traditional deists believed that God, whilst no longer active in creation did not abandon it but merely watched to observe. However, most modern deists believe that God is most likely to have made some course corrections or carried out some fine-tuning. With the arrival of evolutionary thought, some feel that the emergence of homo sapiens required something more than merely holding a watching brief. This was due to the intangible -some may call it spiritual properties of the new species.

The most difficult to understand features of physical evolution are now understood –even the eye (-or so I am told). However amongst all living creatures, mankind possesses a number of quite distinct and unique properties. The most obvious is conscience, and it possesses what might be described as an instinctive morality which embraces the concept of good and bad, right and wrong. Although born with it, for a variety of reasons, many choose to compromise or even ignore this. 
Perhaps even more remarkable is our ability to create and appreciate music, literature, sculpture, painting etc. However, for me the most puzzling -unless our evolution followed the same branch as kookaburras or hyenas, is laughter. From what or how does a sense of humour evolve? 

Also to consider is the precise positioning of the earth relative to the sun and its 23.4 deg. tilt to give the seasons. Which came first, the evolution of plants to match the above or was the earth tilted to match the sun to the plants?   Do we really need to know? Deists take all of this in their stride. Believers are simply encouraged to give some thought to life’s mysteries but not to obsess over it.

The same thing applies to life after death. They will find out in due course as to its veracity. If it’s not true then they won’t know or care one bit. God has given everyone a magnificent mind to think with and would expect that it is used to its fullest capacity, not regrettably, like many of religious persuasions who expect someone else to do their thinking for them. Deists argue that you deal directly with the top man, the President and CEO. He is unlikely to defer anyone in the direction of the self-appointed sectarian subordinates -all complete with their specific and stifling agendas. Provided that you’ve made your best and honest effort with life, that would be considered quite sufficient.

After having recently read a number of publications –including Paine’s “The Age of Reason”,  I am amazed at how the plethora of so called “revealed religions” still prevails -complete with their seemingly endless and contradictory sects, ostentatious structures, paraphernalia, trinkets, fancy dress and funny hats. Above all is the shameless exploitation of primitive fear, superstition, coercion, the supernatural and finally threats of divine retribution, followed by eternal damnation (-by this God of unconditional love!) for those who fail to make the final cut. This monstrous proposition has for long oppressed and terrified much of the world’s population. For those prepared to make the transition there is no further need for sycophantic grovelling on bended knees, chanting, begging and telling God how great he is. He will already be well aware of the fact! Deism would effectively render the ecclesiastical baggage and self centred control wielders of all monotheistic belief structures redundant.

My recent exposure to Deism has been nothing short of an epiphany into an environment where common sense prevails, with all unnecessary theological knots untangled, a transition into an world of sunlit simplicity; a breath of fresh air; an expanse of cool clear water –or any other suitable clichés to comprise -as its adherents would have it; a reasoned, nature-based assessment!          

To conclude, the address below from the Modern Deist website outlines its principles and offers up a sensible list of 12 modern “Commandments” http://moderndeism.com/html/deist_principles.html These make infinitely more sense than the antiquated original with its oxen, asses, graven images etc., However, despite the dictates of the original second commandment, no doubt the latter will continue to be well represented by the many stone facsimiles which exist in and around  places of worship!