Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 4

Free Speech

I started to think about free speech particularly when recently in America a foreign student was approached by several intimidating looking individuals on the street. You might well have been forgiven for thinking that an attack was taking place. Recorded on people’s security cameras, the incident appeared to be traumatic and frightening. The plain clothed individuals were later claimed to be a certain category of police officer but because of the appearance and way that they carried out their objective, the event looked extremely untoward. People were worried about the identity of the individuals and why they were manhandling the young woman off the street. The incident involved what looked to be intimidation and this was because of the unofficial appearance of the men and the way that the young lady was unceremoniously handcuffed and whisked away. Why this had happened turned out to be because she had publicly voiced her opinion about an international issue and that view apparently fell under new free speech regulation. That specific country being America and widely reported to be an advocate for free speech, it did startle the public to somewhat become witness to a crackdown force on people’s opinion.

Surely this could not happen in the UK? After all, the UK I have always thought was supposed to be a founder of the rights for free speech. You have probably guessed what is coming next.

The parents of a child with physical problems voiced, on public media, their concerns over the replacement of the headmaster at their child's school. As the parents believed the proper procedure had not taken place to advertise the vacant position, they had written to the school several times, over this matter. They decided to place their child in a new school. Several days later, they were shocked as at their home three police cars came and both parents were arrested in front of their child. They were handcuffed and driven to a police station several miles away from their home. After ten hours they were released on police bail. The arrest came about after a complaint by members of staff from the former school feeling they had been harassed and intimidated. Several days later the parents were contacted by the police to say there would be no further action.

Freedom of speech can only be maintained by the willingness of society to preserve it and that means individuals making an effort to point out when things are going wrong. If agendas are enforced and people deliberately name comments as taboo, label comments in a way that was not intended in the first place or excessively contort the objective, that can have a limiting effect on the freedom of speech. This tactic does seem to be becoming more prevalent, especially in places where there is a party line and view.

People over the years have striven for the right of free speech, especially in the Houses of Parliament where the voices of women were not heard until the year 1918. I think the opportunity to speak freely has been won by diligent actions and it matters. However to preserve this right due care must be taken. There should be a right to raise concerns, views and legitimate issues while not provoking violence or prejudice. Being able to observe the local laws of free speech has been hard won and if done appropriately can safeguard the violation of people’s opportunity to voice concerns.

AI

This is the time of artificial intelligence. It has been claimed to have an amazing potential to improve our understanding of many different scientific fields. It has been argued that it has the ability to learn and do boring repetitive tasks without complaint. Many areas of productivity and innovation do appear to appreciate the benefits of AI, although some Chess Masters might not have been that happy once the IBM Deep Blue in 1997 beat the reigning world champion.

In the medical world the use of AI has once again been discussed and it has been put forward that great improvement can be made through the implementation of AI in this field. Medical input and AI technology working in unison has been successful in achieving feats of physical movement and brain coordination, studies have provided optimistic results and this has enhanced capabilities in life for so many people. Routine operations can arguably become more efficiently performed with the benefit of artificial intelligence and with the onset of time and energy benefits, it can be hard not to consider AI as a way forward.

However there are some aspects that trouble me and caution would suggest that letting go of total control might be a step too far. The driverless car has obvious benefits and risks but the reduction of personal influence over technical decisions that can easily drive you into dismay does not fill me with certainty. Many a time navigation systems can deviate and need adjusting, similarly the driverless car could end up taking control away when one needs to make a judgement call. Technology assisted by AI can aid or diminish choices. AI when placed in a home environment or in a house that is under the complete control of artificial intelligence technology sends shivers up my spine. There are visions of contrary robotic decisions eroding human choice and scenarios whereby AI controlled functions in a building overriding that of the human counterpart’s own inclination. The relatively recent incidents of plane crashes caused by machine over man's attempt to regain control of the plane can not be ignored. These kinds of worries and real examples should be part of AI technology's future and help to improve possibilities in varied domains.

Then and more recently applicable is the question, is that a genuine picture or an artificial replica? How about that speech, book or play? The world of forgery can produce an avalanche of items that could escape detection. Each era produces challenges and progress is made by learning new ways of adapting to a fresh way of doing things but AI could certainly make things intriguing.

For me, what fires my imagination are films that highlight the competitive relationship of artificial intelligence as opposed to mankind's natural way of being. It is so interesting to contrast things that we think of as being normal to an intelligence that is simply analytical. Coming home one day to find your most recent robot acquisition is having fun vaping, drinking and playing loud music is my point.

There is one very important feature of humanity and that is emotion. Even the Stepford Wives lacked this trait. For the time being I think it is safe to say there is a marked difference in the way artificial intelligence views the world. AI is being improved, adapted and integrated into so many forms of what we do and if we remember what is important, then this should help the AI of the future.

Memory Training.

The capacity of the human memory is enormous, yet for myself, I have hardly explored its scope. One of the things that is to my mind important but not normally taught at places of study is quite simply how to train your memory.

As an idea it is perhaps not thought about or integrated into many forms of teaching but actually is fundamental to many aims and objectives. The structure of training memory is simple once you realise what method to use. Simply by using your imagination and having a picture structure to commit an item to and utilise for recall at a later date, you can improve memory capture. Many association techniques can be implemented, for example numbers could be transferred into shapes or number rhymes. Some fairly regular things like a journey from home to work is an excellent base for recall. You can begin using specific points on the journey to stick and associate something new that you want to remember.

There are usually quite a lot of things in order that we already know by heart, such as a particular order of planets. In case you need a reminder. My very excellent mum just served us noodles. So take the word my and see a clear picture in your mind of Mercury the winged messenger. Then the letter v stands for the image Venus, the Goddess and a symbol associated with beauty. Clearly see in your mind an image of beauty. The E of excellent stands for Earth. I see a picture of a basket brimming with bread and fruit. The M of Mum stands for Mars the God of war and I see a picture of a sword wielding warrior. The largest of the eighth planets is Jupiter and I see the chief Roman God with that name. Saturn for me equates to the fact I see a spinning top. Uranus stands for a picture of productivity, such as a farmer behind a plough. Then the final planet is Neptune the God of the sea. I see a bearded man with a trident.

With these eight pictures in order I have a framework that can be used for remembering any other eight items in order. I do that by using the planet picture and connecting the new item to be remembered by imaging a new picture using number size and action. Just for example, I want to remember a steam iron so I take Mercury and see him with winged feet that are wearing large steam irons.

Memory can be such a joy but its capacity can be greatly increased with training. Using the mentioned technique can provide a glimpse of what can be achieved. Regardless of age and spanning many situations, memory can be utilised and improved, all that is needed is desire and aptitude.

Early History.

I find the history of life on Earth to be intriguing and fascinating. The Earth is about four point five billion years old and the first single celled life appeared about three point five billion years ago and the first multi cell life about one point five six billion years ago. The dinosaurs lasted for about one hundred and sixty five million years. That was sixty five million years ago. However Homo Sapiens have a history so far of about three hundred thousand years.

The main point of my delve into Earth's life history is to highlight the frailty of that life. There have been five major extinctions of life in general over the last five hundred million years. What concerns me is that at the time of Homoerectus and that is eight to nine hundred thousand years ago, a major historical event was occurring that could have resulted with the extinction of all human life. A bottleneck of Homoerectus diversity reduced the breeding population by ninety nine percent to an average of, only in the entire world, one thousand two hundred candidates. This state of affairs lasted for over one hundred thousand years.

Shortly after the bottleneck diverse species of early humans emerged and it may be because there were extreme changes in climate and separate groups of population, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. I should mention modern human DNA indicates a further species of humans, however that to date, no fossils have been discovered.

A further race of very distant cousins are the Paranthropus Boisei that lived 2.5 to 1.15 million years ago.

This glimpse into the historical history of life, for me, shows how important it is to learn what has happened. It has always provided scope for me about how history can inspire. Facts about life can enlighten and help to inform people about what is possible.

Difficult Decisions.

At times of stress, difficult decisions should be made if they are going to have a positive, reasoned long term effect. It does feel as if lately multiple countries have responded to a crisis by potentially making decisions that could exacerbate the situation. Agree or not, military options have been favoured and decisions have been made that appear to echo past mistakes. Arguments have been put forward and acted upon by so many prominent people in power but subsequent countries are going to be put into peril as a result. What worries me, apart from the rise in war propaganda and dependence on military options, is that conflict is often not the best way to achieve peace.

Particularly at a time of financial stress, finding sufficient money to rebuild armed forces and trying to fill in shortcomings for areas that have been neglected for many years is neither positively viable or beneficial. I believe in the short term this will only lead to excessive cutbacks to areas of industry or social care that can not sustain it. Overspends and black holes where the money will simply disappear are both very real problems that associate with panic military investment as such.

Recent decisions to take money from overseas aid is arguably short sighted as human misery is the catalyst that encourages populations to leave their home country and risk all kinds of danger. Immigration is an issue and should be a forethought not an afterthought.

How viable is Trident in the event that a nuclear response should be required? This is a very pertinent query, as a country the UK would have to ask permission from the USA to launch it. If there are increasing conditions and implications for use, how much of a deterrent can Trident be?

I have always thought of Trident as in the story of a man running about in front of Hyde park waving his hands about. When asked what he was doing, he said I am keeping the giraffes away. The reply was but there are no giraffes here. To this the man replied, that was because he had done a good job keeping them away.

In an active nuclear confrontation Trident would have failed and would be little consultation to any survivors. Trident, it could be suggested, is a luxury token ticket just to join the nuclear weapons club. A much better use of money would be to invest the money in conventional arms or a more long term form of defence.

Developing technology that can take over control of drones would be a great step forward or at least blocking the remote control of the weapon and neutralising that threat. Spending precious money should be aimed at innovation as successful defence goes to the most effective use of arms.

Ultimately, budget spending should prioritise promoting peaceful resolutions and achieving long term goals. Preoccupation with military spending and neglect of existing social crises could threaten wellbeing further. A responsible government should take difficult decisions with a perspective that incorporates a greater good and does not simply suit a political agenda.

Perspective.

Perspective is an interesting phenomenon and its importance was highlighted for me, after watching a short clip, of a magician. He explained how his life had changed after meeting a couple at one of his shows.

Busy and intense on his performance, the magician had failed, when asking the gentleman to pick a card to notice that he was blind. The magician had felt somewhat embarrassed that he could not participate in his trick and he promised the audience member that next time he would have something for him. True to his word, next time he saw the couple at his show, he had a quiet word with the gentleman and then something amazing happened. He picked the couple to help him with a magic trick. Although the gentleman was blind, the magician said sometimes a person can have the ability of guessing correctly whether a card is red or black and asked if he would like to try doing that. The audience was amazed as card after card the gentleman named the colour correctly.

The magician stated that one encounter with the gentleman had helped him not only learn about someone else’s perspective but how profound it was to take that insight and build on it. In his own personal life he took the trouble to be more aware of other people's perspectives and of course in his professional career use perspective to a deeper level. Perspective can enhance perceptability and the magician felt that one of the benefits for him was that he became far more fulfilled, he met a young lady and now is engaged.

Back to the magic trick. The audience's attention had been on the cards and they were not able to see under the table. It was under the table whereby the magician's foot rested on that of the gentleman and he pressed once for black and twice for red.

Understanding perspective can open the door to seeing life in different ways and facilitate communication. Just taking time to put yourself in other people's shoes and their mindset can achieve all sorts of wonders and perhaps cast a different dimension to a relationship, goal or sense of success.

Economic Blunders.

If a country is going to be run well then I would think taking control of the financial situation would and should be high on the agenda. Unfortunately, in the UK, after several changes of leadership in the government this has not resulted in a Chancellor of the Exchequer who has successfully united the business and innovation industry.

Small business is in many ways suffering because of recent budget and policy introduction and it is imperative that any talk of growth includes a boost to help these kinds of entrepreneurship thrive. Increasing the costs of employment is a major step in the wrong direction as has been proved by a reduction in economic growth. Taxes should be structured to increase capital investment and not penalise investment into the business. The Chancellor has a mandate and an objective to balance the books and expand the economy. Talk is all good and well but without actions to back up the intentions, nothing tangible can be achieved or progress.

Leaving the EU was supposed to open the door to an economic bonanza which has somewhat failed to appear. It is so important that in times of stagnation or decline, financial input is endorsed or at the least agreed with by those who are foremost involved in developing business. If anything, the recent policies of the Chancellor have made growing business more challenging and there is not much to show for claims of embracing new opportunity.

A disturbing trend in politics seems to be that even when new economic policies are proven wrong, there is no correcting or even acknowledging that a new strategy should immediately be put into place. Destroying the viability of farming by introducing a death tax is arguably only one of the damaging current moves of this government. A possible way around the tax could be to change personal ownership into a limited company and relations could be shareholders. Growth should be rewarded for the benefit of all.

For a long time in politics now accountability has not been shown. I think that without adequate responsibility, acknowledgement and accountability, improvements are not as easy to achieve. This is particularly true when there are former Prime Ministers of the UK who have been paid to give speeches on the economy despite having not had a good track record at either running the country or introducing responsible economic policies.

Economics is undoubtedly a complex subject and planning for the future is an important part of structuring a viable economic plan. Reliable and experienced actions are preferable to policies that disappoint and disturb the business industry. Areas of business should be taken into consideration and concerns should be noted. I, like many other people in this country, hope that the people in charge of the economy do start to adapt the way forward and instil the possibility for viable growth again.

Men's Mental Health.

Men's mental health is a significant issue and one that has not always been publicly addressed. Even now, more can and should be done. It is an issue that can affect a large number of people. It is estimated that one in eight men could have anxiety or depression on a weekly basis. Over twelve per cent of men could have a mental disorder. Nearly half of men suffering with mental health problems do not talk about their own health. More men than women commit suicide. Is the help available?

With an increasingly underfunded and strained mental health service, it might appear as if options are limited. Services can be difficult to attain and improvements need to be made. Knowing where and how to get help is important, advice and assistance can be lifelines at times of crisis. Talking to somebody is a start and while it could feel impossible, speaking about mental health can be a good way of knowing that you are not on your own and help can be given. Talking should be encouraged in men because often it is easier not to broach emotional topics. While it might feel difficult or embarrassing, talking about feelings can be an outlet for anxiety or depression. Talking to friends or family is a definite, positive move but ultimately a qualified counselor can help to provide techniques and assistance for the future. It is important to understand that while getting help can feel like a huge hurdle, there are different strategies that one can try.

Going through the NHS for a first appointment should take about six weeks. It is not a fact that has historically been widely acknowledged, however men between the age of thirty five to fifty have the highest death rate as a result of suicide. It is integral that men recognise and respond to their mental and physical health.

If you're experiencing regular depression then the sooner one takes action to rectify the situation the better it should be.

Realising that one needs help is an important step and then talking to people is a positive move to getting the right type of help. If you have a physical accident there is usually no problem in getting help however mental health tends to, even now, be a taboo subject. Men can especially do their best to keep it private.

In helping to raise awareness and talk more openly, attitudes can improve and possibilities can grow. Allowing men to grapple with mental health alone should not be an accepted mode of practice. Men should feel empowered to be happy, healthy and in a position to look after their wellbeing.

Reviewing Evolution.

Evolution may not be everybody's favourite subject but I find it fascinating. So here we go. Until recently I thought evolution was straightforward, and I understood how things worked, that is before I found out about the power of cell and gene manipulation.

I knew that in a family there could be natural variations of their young, this is called stochasticity in biology and it is the variation of unpredictable results. However there is resistance in the form of fixed ideas that insists there is no direction in evolution. The direction is a natural biological phenomenon. Darwin in his second book explores the idea that beneficial information could be passed on to new life and it is an interesting process.

What is so amazing is the answer as to why evolution history shows a marked difference in the speed line of new species developing. There is a proven way for information to travel to and from independent organisms and parts of an organism thus to alter the DNA. That in part will explain how quickly a species can develop.

The variation in expression of DNA is vast. The fact that DNA can be altered in a species is a proven fact by the effects of viruses. In fact a virus can mutate in response to an attack on itself.

The cell, I believe, is the powerhouse of life and diversity. It can achieve variations and astounding possibility in a unique way. Historically, all multicell life has developed from the joining forces of two separate single celled organisms, thus forming a new life cell with the ability to join with others and form all animal and vegetable life forms.

A major player in evolution and every day life is bacteria in our gut. I was surprised to find out that bacteria reproduce asexually but can exchange DNA from one another by contact. It is amazing that so much of human life and other creatures depend on the shared cooperation of
minute organisms such as bacteria and mitochondria. Even viruses have played their part in human development.

It is not just cells and DNA that affect an organism's future but all kinds of events that play a part in changing the environment. Take the atmosphere, asteroids or lack of rain.

Arguably a full picture of what is involved in the process of evolution is helpful to fully understand what is going on. Simply to say, there is a slow change over time of a species for a new organism to emerge, doesn't fully explain the potential of variation. There is a lot that comes into play and underlines the emergence of a new creature. It is fascinating and a topic that evolves into all types of scientific thought and possibility.

Thoughts about Hate.

Just recently there was a commemoration of the holocaust that remembered the six million Jews that were murdered by the Nazis. It is widely, generally agreed that such a tragedy should never take place again. However, regularly minority groups are singled out and become victims of gross mistreatment and death, although not necessarily on the scale of Jews. Violation of rights and an absence of humanity in such acts can lead to depravity and a breakdown of basic social values.

There is a recognisable structure of procedure in crimes of this type that dehumanises the victims and starts off by the use of language. It is much easier to think of a potential victim as being evil and deserving of death. Extreme views can soon turn into blaming all the troubles of the world on a specific target. Often falsely accusing individuals and labelling them bad or troublesome can become commonplace and all too soon hate can take hold. Perspectives can become skewed and behaviour towards a certain group of people can deteriorate. The frightening part in all of this is that if good people fail to halt the aggression and malicious lies, the movement of oppression gathers momentum and eventually law and order is replaced in a country with a form of extremism. It is extremism that could turn into the spectre that allowed the mass extermination of the six million Jews.

Those who do not learn from the past are destined to repeat those actions. Increasingly in politics there is a tendency to play a blame game. There are a growing number of politicians who use issues such as immigration as a platform to harbour ill feelings towards a minority group. Sowing seeds of discontent might be popular for some but it is a dangerous step towards growing hate and fear. Fixing inequality, crisis of cost and standards of services, are all important and integral to a positive progressive society but none of these will be improved if the very basis of humane judgement is lost.