UBP Open Books

Daring to Speak: A History of Self-Writing in English by Men Who Loved Men

2026-07-24T16:17:22+01:00

Lord Alfred Douglas famously wrote of “the love that dare not speak its name”, but you only have to scratch the surface of the literary ocean to find men who loved men daring to write about themselves. This book is an account of some of those who, from the earliest times to the end of the 1950s, have been determined to leave a record of their existence, in the hope that the judgment of posterity would be kinder to them than that of their contemporaries.

The Three Bundles

2026-07-17T13:40:10+01:00

Young journalist Tanímo ̩̀la investigates the story of ‘the mystery man in the woods’ at Abà Kòsas ègbé, rumoured to be the notorious moneylender Laiyémo ̩̀ of Agbajo ̩́ town. Tanímo ̩̀la’s family is intimately tied to the story, as his grandfather, Náyà, was neighbour, childhood friend and rival of Laiyémo ̩̀, and Laiyémo ̩̀’s father, notorious pirate E ̩̀rùje ̩̀je ̩̀, had swindled Náyà’s father of his home and land. Tanímo ̩̀la’s investigation takes him to a rundown hut, where an invalid Laiyémo ̩̀ lies, his past sins destroying him from the inside out. Laiyémo ̩̀ tells Tanímo ̩̀la that, though he was jealous of Náyà when they were younger, he remembers him as kind and wishes he had followed his advice to avoid pride. Laiyémo ̩̀ reveals his vision of the three bundles – destiny, fate and karma – and tells Tanímo ̩̀la to learn the rest of his story from his benefactor, T’e nibe ̩̀gí. T’e nibè̩ gí’s tale begins with young Laiyémo ̩̀ as the prideful leader of his e gbe ̩́ (age group). He was the son of the richest man in town. Laiyémò̩ ’s father, E ̩̀rùjè̩ jè̩ , gained his wealth from piracy and then took over the town as a moneylender. Greatly feared and hated by all, he was ostracized. He isolated himself on an island farm far from others. He was found dead after a mysterious visitation by seven bats and seven owls. Days after his funeral, his henchman and a crone were seen conducting a ritual over his grave. When Laiyémò̩ took over the moneylending business, he destroyed the town of Agbajo ̩́. Almost all in town were indebted to him; many sold themselves into slavery to him to save their families. The town faced famine and great poverty. During the town’s Centenary Anniversary celebrations, Laiyémò̩ ’s e gbe ̩́ led a ‘show of shame’, where they fed currency into the cooking fire for the feast. The e gbe ̩́ danced and sang, ‘We are fully satisfied. Who cares that some are hungry.’

Selected Tales

2026-07-17T14:21:30+01:00

‘The Genesis of O̩lo ̩pe ̩e ̩re ̩’ is the story of Núgà: The only surviving son of the late Chief of Agbèlé who has an important choice to make: to become the baále̩ of the new town and immediately assume the position of o̩ba (king) with its splendour or be entrusted instead with the irksome task of establishing a warrior corps to protect the town against hostile neighbour.

As he thinks about the choice a storm starts. In the aftermath, Núgà walks through the Ugbó Òrìs̩à (forest of the gods) and is struck by the contrasting beauty of nature – destruction and creation. Upon his return home, he throws the o̩ pe̩ le̩ (the divining chain) to ask for guidance in making his decision. Later he meets with the O̩ba of Pàkálà to discuss his position and the resolve of the town council on his decision to forgo his claim to the o̩baship due to his advance years; also on the amalgamation of the sixteen villages/hamlets into one town under a single o̩ba, a position which Núgà O̩re̩ tùsa has been nominated to assume. After O̩re̩ tùsa’s enthronement, the O̩lo ̩pe ̩e ̩re ̩, the band of warriors responsible for the security and defence of Ògèrè is urgently but in place. Núga, much admired an revered for his leadership skills and prowess is placed in charge as the trainer. Núgà’s beloved attendant, O̩ s̩o̩ko̩ is murdered by the Olóòtùú’s two cousins who hung him on a tree in Ugbó Òrìs̩à. The forest from then becomes known as Ugbó Aláìlè (the cursed forest).

In the ‘The Skirmish at Rògòdò’, an o̩ba’s obsession with a betrothed woman leads him to break tradition which defamed him forever. ‘My Friend and Comrade’ is a story of revenge against an enemy with a happing ending. In the ‘The Trump Card’, two childhood friends with very different ambitions fall in love with the same woman. In the end, true love, honesty and purity win over avarice, lust and vanity. ‘What’s in a Name?’ explains the importance of names not only on the child itself but also on the family. ‘A mother’s Dilemma’ tells the story of triplets separated at birth who are caught in a foster father’s plot to wed one of the sisters. In ‘The Power of Love’, the beautiful Salima succumbs to loneliness and gluttony. Only love can save her from her ever expanding waistline. In ‘Kùsa: A Tale of Three Ks’, a retired customs officer moves in next door to the smuggler he had failed to expose, with a happy ending. ‘Always Remember, Together We Stand,’ tells the story of an ailing father and much younger wife and their unconventional request for the son to give the wife something the husband can no longer provide. In ‘The Riddle of the Inheritance’, when a son continually runs away from home and his father, it’s not until after his father’s death that he realizes his destiny is at home. The ‘Sequel to Usi’ tells of the Yorùbá gods’ second coming to earth to introduce the leaders of the sixteen communities to the ways of Èdùmàrè (Creator of the Heavens and Earth). ‘Much More Than Footprints’ begins as the story of a peculiar funeral service but in the end proves that we all can have a positive impact on the lives of others. In ‘Every Dark Cloud Has a Silver Lining’, a childhood fight leads to a lifelong friendship that teaches that everyone should be valued despite their station in life. ‘Farouk’, is the story of a false blind beggar who is not blind. Who was exposed. ‘But for the Office Pins’ shows that ingenuity and perseverance are the keys to success. ‘His Own Greatest Enemy’ not only recounts the damage to traditional culture and tribal bias by oppressors, foreign and local, also highlights the importance of showing that true leadership is stewardship.

Cast in the Same Mould

2026-07-17T13:55:34+01:00

Nigerian businessman Ko ̩́lé has a mysterious past. Born out of wedlock, young Comfort is considered a child with a gloomy future. Ko ̩́lé initially resists the much younger Comfort’s charms, but when he discovers they are soulmates, he moulds her into a made to measure spouse.

Ko ̩́lé educated Comfort. Her mother, Ale ro, whose indiscretion led to Comfort’s conception, forced into a polygamous marriage, is aided by Ko ̩́lé when her husband dies. Upon Comfort’s graduation from high school, Ko ̩́lé unites Comfort with the newly found father. Ale ro forgives herself and Akin, the man who seduced her years ago. Ale ro and Akin marry, and Ale ro cast aside the slavery chains of paramour.

When younger, Ko ̩́lé was engaged to To ̩́lání. The night before their wedding, he discovered her affair with another man. He retreated into the woods to stay with the Sage, a wise old mystic.

Following her education in Bristol, Comfort and Ko ̩́lé marry. During her studies, Comfort leant the history of the slave trade. She heard the story of a wealthy Bristolian white woman, Dolores, daughter of a slave trader. She, disgusted by the trade, successfully begged her father to stop. Father and son died in a storm on their return from the Caribbean while accompanying slaves survived. Dolores liberated the slaves and engaged Boripe ̩́, to teach them English. Dolores and Boripe ̩́ fell in love. As no church in Bristol would marry them, they travelled to Antigua and Barbuda to get married.

Comfort sees parallels between the slave trade of old and modern political and economic slavery. She enjoins the people to abandon white-collar jobs learn trades and be self-employed. Accordingly, she and Ko ̩́le, assisted by the Sage, start a trade school.

The Sage highlights the excesses of current politicians, and exhorts, “all forms of slavery must be eradicated”. Reformers with the mindset of Comfort and Dolores, Cast in the same mould, should from now on make the world slavery free.

The Rare Leaf

2026-07-17T13:17:16+01:00

“The Quest for the Rare Leaf” teaches that breaking tradition can have grave consequences when the Olúwo (town council leader) forces his daughter to marry someone she does not love. “The Legend of the Queen’s Basket” tells the story of how the be̩é̩̩rè̩̩ (first daughter) of the O̩ba (King) becomes the custodian of the Queen’s Basket, which offers him untold powers and contains the ìbálé (sheets bearing the proof of virginity) of the village women. “The Legend of Ò̩̩rúnmílà” is the tale of Àjànà who dedicates his life to learning and teaching the Word of God and is believed to have become a god himself - Ò̩̩rúnmílà (god of wisdom and divination). “The Èbìrìpò Episode” tells the story of how, when the town’s warriors are lured away to help their seeming allies, the women of Ògèrè devise a plot to entice the invaders with èbìrìpò and defeat them all.

Out of the Black Pot and Other Stories

2026-07-17T14:13:59+01:00

‘Out of the Black Pot’ is a redemption story that follows a devotee of Ès̩ù (the devil) who murders his son and later seeks the forgiveness of his grandson and finally finds peace in Christianity. In ‘The Christmas Present’, when young Zac writes a letter to God, he learns that the Almighty will always provide. In ‘The Revelation’, a young commissionaire uses the power of prayer to combat the curses of evil. ‘Miracle of the Blind Beggar’ tells the story of Toríiálà, an old blind beggar, who regains his sight in a miracle brought on through the chicanery of his son and a tough piece of frog meat. In ‘Kemi’s Harvest’, two boys from different backgrounds learn the meaning of the Yorùbá saying, As̩esilè̩̩ làbò̩̩wábá – What one sets aside (or leaves behind) is what one returns to find.’ ‘The Good Turn’ tells the story of a young boy who helps a travelling trader who is robbed by a gang and the kindness that is repaid years later. ‘The Soulmates’ is the tale of how orphan S̩eun find success and true love through his commitment to duty, kindness and hard work. In ‘The Awry Murder’, a murder plot backfires when a jealous woman, long in love with the O̩ba, attempts to poison him and his new bride but instead poisons herself. ‘The Mystery Man in the Cemetery’ questions the role of wealth and opulence in the afterlife and tells a story of a curse placed upon the descendants of a pirate who was killed many years before. In ‘Glimpses into the Great Beyond’, a committee chosen to translate Your̩̀bá proverbs contemplates the phrase àdàbí jà ó ju èpe lo̩ (repaying good with evil is worse than a curse) and discusses the existence of God and the afterlife. ‘The Presence’ is the author’s own journey alongside a silent presence that reveals to him the beauty of nature and the ways in which God speaks through it.

The Landscape of a Mind

2025-10-13T16:02:10+01:00

‘A torrent’s course does not depend on the water; it is latent in the mountain’s

topography. What controls a man’s destiny?’

‘There is no virtue without vice; just as there is no gold without impurity. Therefore, when

one acquires a virtue, does he not acquire a vice too?’

Such are the musings and reflections in ‘The Landscape of a Mind’. In this profoundly introspective

collection of thoughts, gathered in journal entries and correspondence with friends, Tohon questions

the essence of human nature, the obscure workings of the human mind and the heart, and mulls over the

meaning of good and evil, the implications of the self and ego, and the concepts of free will and choice,

destiny and fate. A considerable amount of ground to cover, but Tohon’s personalised and conversational

tone, as well as his use of an approach that is very much rooted in the Eastern philosophies, makes this

piece an enjoyable exchange of thoughts, ideas and beliefs between humanists and philosophers on a

very much global level.

The Jihadi

2025-10-13T15:46:54+01:00

Life’s journey is complex and diverse. War is being continually waged on various fronts in different shapes and forms. First, there is a war against oneself - call it an inner drive or a journey hidden in the depths of one’s own heart. And then there is the outer war in the visible world.

The Jihadi unfolds as a chance meeting with an American professor in Jakarta lands a Bangladeshi youth in his

dreamland: America. By the time the youth fi nishes his studies, he has formed a bond with the professor, his American host

family and several others. But it is now time to leave the US and return to the East, where his perceptive mind begins to

think deeply about human experience and the world around him.

The Jihadi is a portrayal of a man’s inner and outer worlds that takes the reader into powerfully real situations of the

author’s devising. The events that unfold along the young man’s journey are something one has imagined, met or, at

least, seen in passing; but this story brings the reality home.

The author gives himself the space to develop the theme and finally confronts his own deep-seated, dark shadow.

He traces life’s passage from its root through the gruesome ordeals contributing to its violent nature and at the same time

making him realise that all along he has been living in a world dominated by his long past. He concludes that an embryo in

its mother’s womb is not the beginning of a new life—it is the new beginning of an ancient life.

AI for Humanity

2025-09-19T16:46:43+01:00

This dissertation examines how Responsible AI (RAI) governance models influence the adoption of AI-powered IoT devices, considering critical factors such as transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy, and security. As AI systems increasingly interact with human users in data-driven environments, concerns over algorithmic governance, explainability, and regulatory compliance shape public trust and business decision-making. This study explores the intersection of RAI governance, industry implementation, and user perception, using qualitative thematic analysis to draw insights from professionals, businesses, and end-users. The findings reveal that trust in AI-powered IoT is contingent upon multiple RAI principles, including explainability, data security, fairness, and ethical oversight, rather than transparency alone. Furthermore, the study highlights the trade-offs between AI innovation, regulatory compliance, and ethical deployment, providing recommendations for businesses to foster RAI-driven AI adoption while ensuring alignment with evolving governance frameworks. It offers practical recommendations for ethical design, regulatory compliance, and user-centric transparency, helping organizations enhance AI adoption and trust while maintaining a competitive edge in the evolving IoT market.

Life’s Invisible Battles

2025-09-01T16:43:43+01:00

Life’s Invisible Battles is an introspective memoir portraying a man’s inner world.

Life is too vast, often appearing meaningless, yet these stories bring out meaning even from seemingly insignificant events. Tohon interprets life from different perspectives, mulls over its smallest details and reflects on love, pain and suffering.

Tohon asks himself: Why do I think the way I think; why do I reason the way I reason; why do I react the way I react? To find answers, he digs deep into the unplumbed depths of his mind. This inward journey leads him to uncover himself – all his tendencies – the good and the bad, the inner battles, the instincts, and the deepest secrets of life.

Emil Joseph Burcik

2025-09-01T17:01:20+01:00

In 1976, while attending a short course in Jakarta, a Bangladeshi youth gets to know the course instructor - Emil J Burcik, an American Professor. The brief meeting leads to an unprecedented journey that continues to run deep four and a half decades later.

While military might, economic strength and democracy make a country powerful, it is people’s kindness and generosity that make a nation great. Burcik is one of many who, for generations to come, will continue to symbolize America’s greatness.

The Universe

2025-09-01T16:30:06+01:00

Mike hopes that his readers will find his views interesting but believes they fall into insignificance faced as we all are with extinction by Global Warming. Our time, money and resources would be far better devoted to fighting Climate Change than attempting to make sense of a Universe which is mostly a ‘mirage’! He dares the far too-easily ‘awe-struck’ press to stop lauding that part of the scientific community preoccupied with a Universe that ‘doesn’t exist’ and to concentrate instead on ways to tackle Global Warming which he elaborates on within.

My Soul: Enslaved

2025-09-01T17:12:11+01:00

Throughout time people have been taken into that tragic and barbaric practice known as slavery, but the period through the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries has become the most infamous. Between 1500 and 1866, as the European countries and Gt Britain started to colonise other parts of the world, nearly 12.5 million Africans were captured, enslaved, and transported from Africa to the Americas. Slave ships would set out from a British or European port, trade their goods on the west coast of Africa in return for a full cargo of slaves, then sail across the Atlantic to ports in the New World where the slaves were sold, prior to the ships returning home with more commodities. On these voyages, and at work too, whether on a plantation or in a home, they suffered horrendous brutality and living conditions, and were generally regarded as less than human. Just as many were captured and taken on foot through the deserts to various Arab countries. But these people were not a set of statistics; they were people who laughed and cried and sang and danced the same as us, but were torn from their families for the benefit of commerce, and ownership, by the more powerful.

My Tormented Soul

2025-08-06T16:41:06+01:00

My Tormented Soul is Tohon’s concluding memoirs, summing up his life-long battles. He is winner in his outer world but the inner battles leave him wounded and defeated.

One of the reviewers commented: Tohon’s battle to reconcile the irreconcilable forces swirling deep in his heart is a commendable pursuit. I extol the author for baring his soul and sharing his inner torments. On the surface, such an internal struggle by a person who ticks all the boxes that define success in life appears counterintuitive.

The book is deeply engrossing. Tohon’s lifelong quest to understand and discover how all forms of life, including humans, fit into the infinitely large cosmic ecosystem is engaging. The readers will appreciate the author’s honesty, integrity, and tenacity in probing into the philosophical and spiritual dimensions of our brief and puny lives.

The Sixty Long Barrows of North and Mid-Wessex

2025-08-06T16:09:34+01:00

A new approach to the study of long barrows of the Early and Mid-Neolithic in centralsouthern England is proposed and assessed. The emphasis is on northern Wessex and contiguous areas. Account is taken of the self-orientation of long barrows within a landscape context, and purposeful relationships are revealed in connection with notable sunrise events for the majority. Over 60 long barrows were investigated, and fresh insights and deductions resulted. This helped to establish that Neolithic Britons were making use of an eight-period, agricultural calendar-year in the most general sense, with intervals between dates or festivals amounting to 45-46 days. Primary dates were the solstices, equinoxes and quarter days. No astronomy, properly speaking, is implied. It was a matter of counting days, as could be done by tally-sticks, and knowing the day of the year by recognising the position on the horizon where the sun rose. The frequency with which the sun appears to have been viewed at the horizon suggests open sightline corridors between observer and rising sun. Besides this, some support is found for an interest in the moon, seeing that seven long barrows appear to be aligned with extreme northerly or extreme southerly moonrises. The manner in which long barrows are configured in the landscape of the Avebury area and the Wylye/Salisbury Plain area hints at a conscious awareness of a patterning based on agro-pastoral land-units. The region of five long barrows centred on Windmill Hill and its Causewayed Enclosure is suggested as a meaningful prototype perhaps applicable to other territories. Viewing the British monuments through landscape archaeology in this way—i.e. combining landscape considerations and digital elevation modelling with simple celestial study—adds to our understanding of the perceptions, actions and beliefs of the monument builders and users.

The Web of Spinsterhood

2025-03-18T09:31:27+00:00

Whatever happened to spinsters? From our 21st century viewpoint they can seem no more than a trace of old lavender water, but Ingham is determined to root them out and show what they can teach us about life today. Eschewing the familiar medium of biography, she chooses to look at single women through the spectrum of fiction. Starting with mythological women from the ancient world, she uses the motif of spinning to identify eighteen different strands of spinsterhood that have woven their way down through the millennia to form the identities of single women over the last three centuries.

Having moved deftly through well-known authors such as Austen, Dickens and Tolstoy, and investigated some half-forgotten works by authors such as Théophile Gautier and Radclyffe Hall, she turns to 20th century fiction and finally delves into contemporary novels, including those of Kazuo Ishiguro and Jhumpa Lahiri.

In the course of her quest she explores the extraordinary lives of single women whose characters include the saint and the sleuth, the scholar and the schemer, the suppressed and the suppressive, the sad and the Sapphic. Even the sinister and the spectral find their place.

Finally, she weaves them together into a complex inter-connecting web or tapestry to give us a unique perspective on the larger picture of womanhood today.

The Stone Circles of Cork and Kerry

2025-01-03T10:34:07+00:00

The latest research on the 60 multiple-stone circles of Cork and Kerry in southwest Ireland is reported in detail. Stone circles forever fascinate with their simple eye-catching circularity but spotting the builders' input of specialized knowledge is often not straightforward because the symbolism can be subtle, a consequence of the builders' adroit stone selection or clever craftwork and stone positioning. Experienced researchers find that many specifically-functional stones have significant outlines and heights, while horizon elevations and in some instances landscape profiles like paps or peaks are factors too. Highly rewarding has been identifying the decisive role of alignments to the rising sun in which distinct pairs of contrasting gender-suggestive stones portend the dates of the eight traditional farming festivals of the year.

Furthermore, meaningful shadows are cast by the sun between many of these stone pairs. The sun was regarded and revered as a deity for being the daily bearer of light and warmth after the darkness and coldness of night. Because solar worship was universal across Ireland and Britain, the monuments of Newgrange, Knowth, Loanhead of Daviot and Stonehenge are introduced for reasons of objective comparison. The author's interdisciplinary analysis made use of anthropology, ethnology and semiotics (the study of signs and symbols) besides the customary archaeology and practical archaeoastronomy.

A New Bible in Three Testaments

2024-07-11T16:09:51+01:00

This is the story of the Universe and Life . . . of origins and history . . . arranged in Three Testaments to honour the supreme achievements of the talented men and women who have been unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos and evolution.

The book has the essence of a new bible―not a Holy Bible, not a sacred text, but a scientific one presenting facts without fables, and history without distortion. These Testaments bear witness to truths gained by observation, instrumentation, insight, intelligence, reason, and the application of physical laws and the formulation of harmonious, logical models. In defining the latest wisdom, they spell out the fundamentals of the physics of the wonders of the Universe―all the while acquiring ever-better perfection in scientific detail. It is testimony and eulogy, in praise of high scholarship and logic―the ultimate Enlightenment.

The Third Testament is the story of humanity as it proceeds to the present-day―humans enriched with high intelligence and a genetically promising future. And yet, despite all the successes here narrated, the volume draws to a close by sadly asking (Epilogue page 305) “How did it come about that Homo sapiens in the course of its 160,000 years of progress got itself into the current mess”―referring to the amalgam of authoritarian religions, undemocratic governments, reckless overpopulation, and irresponsible worldwide waste on land and ocean?

AUTHORS

The authors are many. They number millions―scientists probing the mysteries of the Universe and the origins of Life, unprejudiced archaeologists evaluating the evidence of prehistory, and the best-informed historians and accomplished writers poring over the records of past millennia―between them reporting the triumphs, events and disasters of humankind. The assembler of these truths is a retired physics professor and active archaeologist―his alma mater Oxford University. The resulting book is a compendium of knowledge annotated with honourable intentions for the common good.

Socrates: “There is only one good, Knowledge, and only one evil, Ignorance.”

The Book of the Universe, Stars, Sun, Earth, Life and Humankind

2024-07-09T13:36:31+01:00

This is the story of the Universe including life as we know it.

It is a book of origins, prehistory and history … arranged in Three Testaments to honour the supreme achievements of the talented men and women who have been unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos, evolution, human antiquity and world history. Composed in biblical-prose format, the volume presents the facts of science and, as best as possible, relevant truths of history. The scientific facts rest on proven principles gained by observation, instrumentation, insight, intelligence, reason, and the application of physical laws and the formulation of harmonious, logical models. In defining the latest wisdom, they spell out the fundamentals of the physics of the wonders of the Universe―regarding which ever more exact details are improving all the time.

It is testimony and eulogy, in praise of high scholarship and logic―the ultimate Enlightenment. Testament 1 tells the story of the Universe, the Stars, the Solar System and Planet Earth. Testament 2 examines the Origins of Life on Earth. The Third Testament treats the story of humanity as it proceeds to the present day―humans enriched with intelligence and a genetically-promising future. Yet, despite the successes, the story concludes with an Epilogue contemplating “How did it come about that Homo sapiens in the course of 160,000 years manage to get itself into the current mess?”―referring to the amalgam of authoritative religions, undemocratic governments, reckless overpopulation and irresponsible worldwide waste on land and ocean.

AUTHORS
The authors number millions―among them leading scientists who have been probing the mysteries of the Universe and the origins of life, unprejudiced archaeologists evaluating the evidence of prehistory, and ethical historians and erudite writers considering the chronicled records of past millennia. Between them, they report the triumphs, discoveries, events and disasters of humankind.
Professor Dr Terence Meaden―retired physicist and active archaeologist from Oxford University―serves as editor and commentator. The result is a compendium of knowledge annotated with honourable intentions for the common good.

Socrates: “There is only one good, Knowledge, and only one evil, Ignorance.”

Jacob Bronowski: Fear not insight; fear not science, for “science is only a Latin word for knowledge.” 1973. The Ascent of Man.

“Through genius and the employment of mature theories, rational principles and the logic of mathematical physics comes enlightenment ... and the world of conscious knowledge is poised to advance.” 2020. First Testament, Chapter 1, Verse 13, Page 6.

Jacob Bronowski: “In every age there is a turning point, a new way of seeing and asserting the coherence of the world.” 1973. Ascent of Man, Chapter 1.

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Q

2024-07-09T13:33:46+01:00

This is the Fourth Testament of A New Bible.

It advocates and justifies atheism, with befitting quotations that epitomize universal truths, for it is offered in the language of inspired men and women, and completes a tetralogy of volumes having a common cause.

The earlier testaments deal with the Origins of the Universe, Stars, Sun, Earth, Life and Humankind. The Third Testament is the story of human progress as known from the evidence of archaeology and the chronicles of the more ethical historians through to the present day.

The four testaments speak for the freethinker and New Atheist, and for everybody who truly seeks to understand the world that we inhabit.

The previous testaments have been twice published. In 2018 as A New Bible in Three Testaments, and in 2020re-expressed as a hybrid, print-and-audio volume The Book of The Universe, Stars, Sun, Earth, Life and Humankind.

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie-deliberate, contrived and dishonest-but the myth-persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic." John F. Kennedy. Address to Yale University. 11 June 1962.

"And on the matter of faith, let's be clear. A truly liberal society guarantees the freedom of all religions, but it accepts the tyranny of none. People must be free to live without threat or fear. To say the things, write the words and live the lives they choose. Does that offend some people? Yes, of course. But the price of freedom is the risk of offence. And, for me, that price is always worth paying." Menzies Campbell. 2007 when leader of the Liberal Democrats in Britain.

"The time appears to me to have come when it is the duty of all to make their dissent from religion known." John Stuart Mill. 1806-1873.

A Critique of Pure Judicial Reason

2024-05-10T17:28:55+01:00

This thesis examines the role of emotion and subjectivity in judicial review decision-making, and it questions the role of rationality. Emotion in this sense pertains to one’s natural reactions and evaluation of phenomena, whereas reason pertains to reflection and rational thought. Modern theorists, as diverse as Finnis and Raz, try to explain the law using reason alone, and many, such as Elliot and Barak, see judicial review as particularly rational. Thus, the role of emotion is usually neglected. This work provides a unique view by bringing emotion to the forefront. It uses discourse analysis developed by Laclau and Mouffe, amongst others, to question this popular understanding of the law.

The thesis examines cases of genuine public interest, often pertaining to public order and life and death. It puts forward an emotional model to understand decision-making by scrutinising judgements, the role of justice, and what judges truly strive to achieve.

This work seeks to answer three important questions: does emotion provide a better account of judicial decision-making than reason; does emotion precede reason in judicial decision-making; and does the theoretical emotional foundation provide accurate predictions of past and present judicial conduct? To answer these questions, the work draws upon philosophers, psychologists, and political theorists from all ages to understand reason’s origin and meaning. The thesis applies this understanding to selected cases which plainly demonstrate emotion in action in judicial decision-making. This work argues that emotion is a necessary, rather than optional, condition in all decision-making.

Philosophers such as Plato, one of the earliest champions of reason,; Aquinas, a mediaevalmedieval philosopher of reason,; and Kant, perhaps the most influential rationalist, are considered alongside Hume and Nilsson, as well as the psychoanalyst and anthropologist Hegeman, who provide alternative emotional accounts. These theorists often recognised the importance of emotion but did not go so far as to create an emotional model of the world. This thesis expands on their work and applies it in a legal context.

The Design and Construction of Deadlock-Free Concurrent Systems

2024-04-18T11:41:19+01:00

It is a difficult task to produce software that is guaranteed never to fail, but it is a vital goal for which to strive in many real-life situations. The problem is especially complex in the field of parallel programming, where there are extra things that can go wrong. A particularly serious problem is deadlock. Here, we consider how to construct systems that are guaranteed deadlock-free by design.

Design rules, old and new, that eliminate deadlock are catalogued and their theoretical foundation illuminated. Then the development of a software engineering tool is described, which proves deadlock freedom by verifying adherence to these methods. The use of this tool is illustrated with several case studies.

The thesis concludes with a discussion of related issues of parallel program reliability

How Pytheas the Greek Discovered Iron-Age Britain, Stonehenge and Thule, c. 325BC

2024-02-12T09:30:40+00:00

Pytheas of Massalia—a Greek scientific adventurer of the fourth century BC—was the first literate explorer to meet British countryfolk and write of their customs, crafts, food and farming practices. He explored parts of Britain including Kent, Stonehenge and the Cornish tin mines, then sailed to Scotland, Shetland, Iceland and the amber coasts of Denmark. His was a truly ambitious voyage, extremely risky for mariners in the boats of the time, especially in stormy conditions and near-Arctic drift ice.

Consequences arising from Pytheas’ inspection of Stonehenge are far-reaching because as a learned Greek he understood its purpose and, in the assessment of the present author, validly identified it as a Temple to the Sun. Temples implicitly accommodate and safeguard in their inner sanctum one or more icons to the divine. Befittingly, the present author had previously noted a significant, hitherto-unrecognized, carefully-carved phallic icon (a fallen bluestone) in the middle of the monument, and in this volume makes it public knowledge.

Moreover, Pytheas describes the Stonehenge priesthood in enough detail as to indicate that the monument was still in use when he was there. Purposeful, exciting, audacious, this was a sensational exploit on sea and land. The 58 illustrations help to express the points under study, and allow readers to appreciate the mood of ocean and countryside that Pytheas encountered.

Grow and Evolve Your Business

2022-02-14T11:25:37+00:00

As 2022 progresses, the legacy of the Covid pandemic coupled with the after-effects of Brexit on trade and supply chains and rising energy costs have compounded business leaders' problems. Any 'new normal' is not yet within our grasp. Established businesses, start-ups or early-stage companies will need resilience and flexibility in recalibrating their offerings or completely reconfiguring their business plans. In all cases, innovation and flair are key.

In Grow and Evolve Your Business contributors look at these problems from two directions. Part One focuses on the development of entrepreneurial skills and tools for growth generation and includes a dissertation on the severe risks to cybersecurity daily afflicting all growing businesses.

Part Two reminds us of management fundamentals and the threats that can trip us up and ambush corporate growth. New business owners and managers need to take this advice on board and managers of established businesses are invited to take the time to revisit current practice. The book offers directions through which companies can ‘build back better.’

Seeking the Person at the Center of Medicine

2022-05-16T11:12:47+01:00

It has become clear that reductionist models of health care are unsustainable in both economic and humanistic terms. There is a pressing need, therefore, articulated increasingly by patients themselves, to move away from impersonal, fragmented and decontextualized systems of healthcare towards personalized, integrated and contextualised models of clinical practice within a humanistic framework of care that recognizes the importance of applying science in a manner which respects the patient as a whole person and takes full account of his values, preferences, aspirations stories, cultural context, fears, worries and hopes and which thus recognizes and responds to his emotional, social and spiritual necessities in addition to his physical needs.

The Educational Program for Person-centered Care aims to achieve this. It is divided into three discrete but interrelated sections. The first section of four papers includes the conceptualization and measurement in person centered medicine and embraces the relevance of the social determinants of health and people centered public health. The second group of articles moves on to the practical aspects of patient-physician communication and the importance of a comprehensive diagnosis. The third section emphasizes the importance of shared decision making with key examples and inter-professional collaboration. The program is a living document and will be revised with the help of those who study and apply a person-centered approach to their own practice.

Start-Up Wise

2022-05-03T12:46:54+01:00

'The perfect concise guide to creating your own company from scratch: brilliant' Graham Richards

There is much to consider when starting a business. Knowing what to do first, whether you have a concept that works for you, what resources to access and how to get started can be overwhelming and seemingly-complicated.

Start-Up Wise is a comprehensive, all-in-one-place guide providing everything you need to know for your journey, outlining seven key steps on how to start, manage and develop your business:

Generating, developing and confirming your business ideas

Correct legal structure and brand identity

Realistic business plan

Financial and tax obligations

Funding options

Cost and time-effective business systems

Building and growing your business for the future

It is important to understand why you are starting a business and then to focus on ideas and steps that will build your ideal growing and successful business. Start-Up Wise has compiled all of the key information in one guide to help you achieve this.

Jonathan Reuvid is a former economist for French oil company Total and later Director of European Operations of the manufacturing subsidiaries of a Fortune 500 multinational before engaging in joint ventures and start-ups in China. He is an experienced business writer having authored and edited over 80 business books.

Be Cyber Secure

2022-04-29T09:54:05+01:00

This important edition focuses on the human factor in training, cautionary tales of breaches that occurred through human error, while also identifying storytelling as an effective tool in cyber eduction.

Topics include:

Addressing management issues

Approaches to cyber defence

Innovative tools for threat response

Recruiting management

GDPR