MONDAY 21st SEPTEMBER 2015 07:13 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
 
WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
21st September 1937
THE HOBBIT IS PUBLISHED
The famous fantasy novel by JRR Tolkien, originally intended children, is published for the first time. Privately, Tolkien was creating a massive, intricate Pseudo-Saxon artificial mythology which he wanted to rival the Nordic Viking mythologies of Scandanavia. The Hobbit was essentially lifted from this mythology, as was its successor, The Lord Of The Rings.

Tolkien never intended the whole mythology to be published, but after his death, much of it subsequently was, in piecemeal fashion in the form of several different books, most notably the Silmarillion, by his son Christopher.

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Housework
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 2,014 (no change)
Non-followed eliminated = 1
@AliceDoylen
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
-
New Followers followed back = 0
-
Spammers not followed back = 1
@AbundanceClues

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

I was deeply inspired last night by a biographical documentary on the life of magician and skeptic James Randi. I was somewhat disappointed that I hadn't heard of him before, but I have heard of Uri Geller, who Randi exposed as a charlatan. The life work of Randi was to save the public from being ripped off by magicians posing as psychics, channelers, prophets and mediums. 

However, there is something that Randi has never understood - that the majority of people do not actually WANT to be disillusioned. They prefer to believe a comforting lie than a disturbing truth. You can never defeat willful ignorance by logical persuasion. This is why Geller and several others Randi exposed continued to make money afterwards - their audience simply did not want to believe they were being duped. 

To imagine that most people can and want to be enlightened is unfortunately as deluded as the unenlightened themselves. In my own life I fully accept willful ignorance as the inevitable consequence of Biology and Physics. My mission is therefore not the destruction of willful ignorance but to enlighten those who are open-minded and listening. To a wider audience I also wish to be absorbing, entertaining and memorable.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Do you believe because it's comforting or because it makes sense?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
A wet morning with heavy rain that will clear in the early afternoon
It will then be dry with clear periods
A moderate northerly will swing westerly by mid-afternoon
Max Temp = 13 degC at 2pm
Min Temp = 10 degC at midnight
Sunrise at 06:50
Sunset at 19:09
Moon: 

Weathertrack: A cold front will move east across Britain today, bringing heavy rain

Air Pressure: 1011 millibars and falling

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

There are smart men, handsome men, rich men, sexy men and sweet men and then there is the combination of all 5 that hangs out with the unicorns :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Wayne's World - Foxy Lady : One of the funniest movie scenes ever!!

8. TRIVIA

Romans discovered that mixing lead with wine not only helped preserve wine, but also gave it a sweet taste and succulent texture. The practice thus became widespread. The fact that lead, mercury and other heavy metals poison the brain was not realized until the later 20th Century

9. ZEN WISDOM

Inner youthfulness is not determined by age but by one’s life-force. One who possesses hope is forever young inside. One who continually advances is internally beautiful for life.