Our Universe

 

I must be a Seasonal Creature. This morning I got to thinking about the awesome size of the “Universe” and what might lie beyond. Did some research. But haven’t I written on this before? Checked. Yes I have! Here it is – read it if you wish. Am not bothered either way:

https://planetpaul1.blogspot.com/2017/12/is-universe-really-whole-thing.html

So, the “Observable Universe” is 93 Billion Light Years in diameter. Anything beyond that (that is part of this universe) is travelling faster than light so cannot be seen. But the Whole Universe is 14 Trillion Light Years Plus across per Ethan Siegel. And Cornell University talk of the Bayesian Model of The Universe, whereby it’s 23 Trillion Light Years in diameter.  (I understand that a Trillion is a thousand Billion). In short, The Universe: IT’S BIG.

They say The Universe is 13.8 Billion years old. That’s from “The Big Bang”. And our Solar System, including The Earth, is but 4.5 Billion years old (“New Kids On The Block”!).

Our home galaxy, The Milky Way, contains hundreds of billions of stars. But The Universe is made up (at least partly) of about 2 Trillion galaxies. I am getting fed up of using the words “billion” and “trillion”!

But let me say again: “all” we are talking about here is that “Great Sphere” of “Matter” (“Light” and “Dark”!) we call “The Universe”. A sphere, regular or otherwise, that is expanding out from that original Singularity we term “The Big Bang”. And as I asserted in 2017, that may well Not be the Whole Thing!

As with talking about “God”, we soon hit an issue about “Definition”. The standard definition of The Universe is: “All of space and time and their contents”. This is where I have a Problem. Some use this definition to describe “The Cosmos” rather than “The Universe”. And in my View they are quite right to do so. For The Universe isn’t necessarily the “Whole Thing”. Even The Cosmos might not be Everything either!

Incidentally some have postulated that The Universe is Infinite in size. Well, surely not if we are talking about The Great Sphere, because that began an infinite time ago so can only have expanded an infinite number of miles. Now The Cosmos or “Existence” might be another matter… And that’s before we consider “Parallel Universes\Multiverses” etc.

As for the Future of The Great Sphere, well I go for the theory that it will eventually just “fade away”. Apparently it will go through a long “Black Hole” Period and in about 110 Trillion Years the last star will wink out. Then it will “thin out” even more. Way back in 2012 I wrote a short story about it:

https://paulbuttersmystories.blogspot.com/2012/09/our-universe-ends.html

I don’t hold out any hope for the “Future Implosion” theory. Nice notion but… So yes, The Great Sphere is not infinite and not eternal in its present form. Nor is it Everything in my humble view. In a way it’s not even the “Whole Universe or Cosmos”.

What lies beyond the Great Sphere? As with so many things, we simply just don’t know. I am missing some Champions League football now – much more important! Haha.

Paul Butters

© PB 8\12\2020.

 

What Are We Here For?

 

The following is from yesterday’s entry to my “Confidential Journal”. I felt I should be bold (or stupid) enough to share it publically (if slightly modified for privacy reasons etc.):

“…Today I put on Facebook the following:

‘Controversial - Instead of imprisoning kids in schools we should give them laptops and show them educational videos!’

…I was half expecting someone to reply, “But you were a teacher!” Thinking on this, I now reflect that I did not believe in either of my two main jobs. I never liked School and I didn’t want to force kids onto “slave labour” government “schemes” as a “Careers Adviser”. Sure, I enjoyed helping kids learn and I loved supporting them in Careers Interviews. Mine were indeed “Helping Interviews”. (I now see myself as having been a “Career Coach\Developer”). But I didn’t agree with many of our “company objectives”. So why did I enter such “Bad Jobs” in the first place?

The honest answer is that I never really knew what I wanted to do. Like thousands more I just followed the “Academic Route”. At least, for me, that was an escape from working in a foundry alongside Dad, bless him. Both my parents fully supported me taking this road: if they couldn’t escape, at least their children could. Indeed many folk have been “Perpetual Students”. (I know at least two).

Maybe I should have bit the bullet and become a Journalist. Or maybe settle for being a Librarian. I still don’t know. Nor do I know what Life is all about. I keep writing poems on this and the inner search goes on. Recently I invented “Lifism”: whereby you cherish All Living Things and take it from there. Sorry but I can’t just blindly follow the instruction of some “God” on all this. I remain an “Agnostic”. But as the joke goes, “I really just don’t know”. I’m with the Ancient Philosopher Aristotle on this (if I understand him correctly). Maybe I am here to try to find out or create what it’s all about…”

The Quest goes on.

Paul Butters

© PB 2-3\12\2020.

The Russian Revolution According to 'Royal Fibs' Creator Lucy Worsley

(Picture Credit - DW).

Saw a fascinating "Royal Fibs" documentary by Lucy Worsley on BBC 2 last night. Essentially she claimed that the "official" Bolshevik account of the Russian Revolution was all LIES!!! Apparently they commissioned some film expert to produce His glorious version of events in the mid 1920s and most of it was fiction.


For starters Rasputin did Not (allegedly) have an affair with Nicholas II's German wife (Alexandria?) but instead kept visiting her poorly SON (Anaemia of some sort). But mud sticks.... Then the Actual revolt was in FEB Not OCT - and was by some FEMALE Workers on "International Women's Day". They included some Women Footballers too lol. No, I made that up. At that time, though, Lenin was in Switzerland and both Stalin and Trotsky were out of the country too. Anyways some men took it on from the women and imprisoned the Royal Family. Those men (headed by some bloke with a long Russian name) formed a "Provisional Government.


In the Autumn, Lenin agreed with the Germans for him to travel to Russia in a "Closed Train". Eventually the Bolsheviks (Trotsky etc) assembled and ousted the Provisional Gvt in October. Apparently the head of gvt escaped early and the Bolsheviks just walked into the Grand Palace with just some arguing. The Royal Family were already incarcerated in another town and "enclave". (There was NO STORMING of the palace!). Later that Provisional Gvt were described as "Too Bourgeoises". So actually the Bolsheviks were Counter Revolutionaries!!!!



Later the locals guarding the Royals messaged Lenin, "Should we do as agreed?" They were under pressure because the evolved "WHITES" (army Royalists etc) were close to rescuing the Royals then. Allegedly Lenin didn't reply so the locals butchered the family! (They told the family they had brought a truck (?) for them to escape in, but it was actually there to move the BODIES.....).



Shortly after his success, Lenin DIED. On his death bed he advised the Bolsheviks to REMOVE Stalin from his high office. Stalin then took over anyway, claiming he was the anointed leader. He covered up what Lenin had said. Indeed he claimed Lenin had Chosen him to lead.... (Nothing was said about why Trotsky got murdered in Mexico - MMM).


There was other stuff too. My friend Steve Lea says that HIS Grandad was a British Marine sent to fight in Russia....those Marines mutinied and refused to fight ANYONE! They were sentenced to death but then pardoned. Lucy Worsley said that Churchill sent our forces to Russia to "get rid of The Bolsheviks" (The Reds).


Also Lucy explained how our George V offered Nicholas (his cousin) etc Asylum but we didn't act on it. Allegedly George "let it fizzle" because he might offend our popular "New Labour Movement", which was pro Bolshevik. Indeed Nicholas was Unpopular here, partly because of his GERMAN wife! Presumably Nicholas was unpopular with the Tories too.


And more....Which begs the question: where we taught a pack of LIES at School?
 
Paul Butters
 
(C) PB 21\11\2020. 

How To Understand Us Dour, Reticent, Surly, Matter of Fact, Few-Word Yorkshire Folk

(Picture Credit - Yorks Man by Alamy)

Here are some translations that might help -

Yorkie: "It's\that's okay" = "That's utterly and stupendously wonderful, my good man. A complete earthquake of a shock - shattering the space-time continuum and rendering the universe a pile of rubble. Really appreciate your kind generosity!"

Yorkie: "I agree" = "Yes, I have studied your thesis for hours. Didn't like to reply straight away - kept it on the back burner so I could rumminate through your wise and comprehensive thoughts. And yes, your views are sheer genius and spot on once again."

Yorkie: "On Ilkla moer bah tat" = "strolling on the historic slopes of Ilkley Moor in God's Own County, though suffering from those icy northern winds because I forgot to wear my hat."

However, sometimes this same Yorkshire person may mean something quite different (and there's the conundrum that baffles the rest of the world), eg they might mean....

Yorkie: "It's\that's okay" = it's\that's okay"...

Or even...

Yorkie: "I agree" = "I agree" or "Wot's all this? I better just agree!"

LOL

Paul Butters

© PB 18\6\2020.

Careers Work

(Picture Credit - Career Contessa)

On 4^th January 1982 I began working at Grimsby Careers Office, as a Careers Officer. That “office” later became “Centre” and I became a “Careers Adviser”, followed by a “Connexions Personal Adviser (Careers)”. I eventually took early retirement, last working in October 2006. Overall I much enjoyed my career as a Careers Adviser or whatever. Most of my work was with 13-18 year olds, most of whom were great to engage with. I enjoyed all those interviews, though wasn’t too keen on the paperwork and “computing” that followed.

Actually I would now say that I was a “Careers WORKER” for those 24 years. My old colleague Neil Hewitt thought that smacked of “Social Worker”, but I still prefer this title. I would also describe myself as a retired “Careers Counsellor”. Most of my interviewing technique was a form of counselling.

In 1981 I did the “Trent” Careers Diploma. Boss John Malkin (and the other tutors) was proud of his programme, especially as “an accredited counselling course”. There was much “unconditional positive regard”, establishing expectations, contracting, feeding back, and so forth. Some students adopted “The Trent Challenge” in interviews, but I personally went for the non-directive counselling approach. I loved the client-centred Carl Rogers stuff. The term “Helping Interview” was spot on for me.

But Trent was also a “Careers Guidance” course. Indeed John Malkin was heavily involved in our national “Institute of Careers Guidance”. And I was employed to give careers guidance and advice etc. Which now disturbs me a little, here with my retirement slippers on.

Why disturbed? Because the very word “Guidance” implies that the client might even be a “patient”: in need of being guided onto the “Correct Path”. Seen this way, the interview becomes a tool for “diagnosis” and “treatment”. That could be quite sinister.

Have been reading a little about Rogers etc. Apparently “Person-Centred Counselling”, though very influential in the field, eventually became “marginalised” because it didn’t address the patient’s “issues” directly enough. So I assume PCC was largely replaced by such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).

To quote from a student essay on the subject:

“‘The person centred approach does not adopt the medical model to understanding psychopathology and does not make the assumption than there are specific disorders requiring treatment. Insofar as practitioners in psychology and psychiatry do make this assumption, we can see why the person centred approach has become marginalised. Some person centred practitioners have indeed revelled in living on the edges, taking great satisfaction in the radical nature of the paradigm.’ (Joseph and Worsley, 2005, pg1).”

(I tidied it up a bit).   

Incidentally a “therapy” I do like is “Solution-Focussed Brief Therapy”. This is all about focussing on the Positives and taking things from there. Again, this ties in nicely with the “Helping Interview”. The downside of the Solution-Focussed approach is that it Ignores….The Down Side!!! On balance though, I think it works well.

I always liked my interviews to be happy, positive, even uplifting events. Plenty of smiles and even laughter. But still doing “The Job”.

So I suppose what I am now questioning, on reflection, is: What Was The Job? My Work Managers kept pushing “Advice” and “Guidance”. They simply wanted to reduce the NEETS (Not in Employment and Training). They ordered us to “ZONK” young people – take them off benefits – if they refused to go on government training schemes which they saw as “Slave Labour”.

It was always, “Do as the Government says”. Indeed we were classed as “Local Government” most years and what is left of us still is. Us being “The Careers Service”… But now it’s a Tory Government which presides upon a sea of Zero-hour Contracts. So where exactly are young people being “Guided” to exactly???

Incidentally, since I retired, the Careers Service was returned from Connexions to local government control. But earlier “Humberside County Council” was abolished and Grimsby\Cleethorpes Area became “North East Lincolnshire Council”. Grimsby Careers Centre was sold off and I understand that the service is now run from a place down Freeman Street called “The Skills Hub”.

But getting back to “Careers Guidance” as such… I think it should be retitled “Career Development”! (Or Careers Development if you prefer). After all, you need to make career-decisions, be self-aware, research the information etc. in order to Develop your Career. It’s all about “getting on” in an occupation that suits you. And not about leading you like a lamb to the proverbial “slaughter”.

So I’m glad I stuck to my “Person-Centred-Helping-Interviewing” and my “Positive-Focussed” Careers-Development Work. I recommend that present and future Careers Workers do likewise. Amen.

Paul Butters

© PB 20\4\2020.