Some say that mathematics is difficult, and the more proficient you become in it, rather like English, the more difficult it becomes to comprehend. When questions such as What is 1? are asked and you are told that One is -eiπ, you begin the grasp with credulity the ineffable complexity that is mathematics. You may then be told that Euler’s formula precisely defines all real numbers x by { eix = cos(x) + i sin(x) }. A mathematician somewhere will complain that having placed the equality within braces Coco thus invalidated what he had just proposed. Ah well, such is the world of the mathematician.
The word epic springs to mind when setting out on the voyage of discovery that is mathematics, but have you ever considered whether epic is the right word to use? Epic comes to us from the Greek. We speak of epic poetry. For the Greek that is a poem that tells a story. It may be a short story or it may be a long story such as that of Ulysses (Homer’s Odyssey).
In English we shorten the epic poem to the epic, and then start to corrupt its use to describe things that are not stories. It was an everyday word which simply meant story (ἐπικός) which necessarily requires the passage of time, so to use it to describe an extraordinary thing or brief event is quite incorrect. Of course when we read the epic poetry of Greece, and its equivalent in Rome, Scandinavia or even India, we realise that there is quite a great deal of poetic licence in use, and some of the events are entirely unreal, or as some would say imaginary, but they serve well in the purpose of the story.
Another strange, but wonderful thing, occurred to me whilst considering rotational motion. If we consider firstly a very long, inflexible rod (though it need not be very long, but the longer it is the easier it is to comprehend), which is fixed at one end but free at the other, such that it can spin but only around the fixed point, and secondly that nothing can travel faster that the speed of light (c), then we take space craft travelling at perhaps a little over half the speed of light (difficult but not implausible), which is pushing the rod just below its mid-point such that it swings round the fixed point, then the end of the rod must be travelling at a speed somewhat greater than c. Given that rotation is circular π must be involved somewhere in the calculation. There must be a fallacy in here, perhaps you will point it out, but at what speed does the end of the rod travel?
Returning to epic, Coco has already mentioned the use and inclusion of the imaginary in these epic poems, which indicates that they have something in common with mathematics, where real and imaginary numbers can co-exist side by side and even in combination to produce some quite extraordinary results such as the value of One, and also something in common with our rotational motion problem which suggests an entirely unreal, that is imaginary, result. This revelation led Coco to a most satisfactory conclusion concerning the speed at which the extreme end of the rod could be travelling, and an answer could be found.
In the bleak midwinter days, When frost and wind the ground did cleave, We wandered round in a haze As spiders in their webs did weave. The days must close, We must not doze, For springtime soon the air must breathe.
The springtime comes with a blast Of fiery flowers and florid hues. We know this soon will be past And summer’s sun will then amuse The singing lark, The children’s park, ‘Til winter shall its shadow cast.
Once more rolls the year around, But what is that to you and me? Once we thought it was quite sound But time itself has left to flee, Another year Ran like the hare To carry love where ere you be.
On the 7th November 1765 a gentleman whose name Coco can no longer remember was about to leave Shropshire but before he did so he wrote to Jonathan Scott. After he reminded his reader of his own mistakes he continued: Your Christian calling is a warfare, where no quarter can be given on either side. He then set out at least three necessary things in the engagement to which we are called:
Secret prayer
Devout study of the Word of God
Worship together with God’s people
He joins these three together and speaks in this way of the necessity of reading the Word:
To secret prayer you will join devout study of the Bible; because it is our infallible guide, and the treasury of all truth necessary to salvation. But the riches laid up there are not to be found by proud or careless minds: none possess them, till they dig for them as for silver, longing to know the will of God, that they may do it. To superficial readers of the Bible, it presents little more than a great number of duties, which must be performed; and sins, which must be renounced; with insupportable pains, in failure of obedience; – passages of excellent use, when believed: as they at once rouse the selfish soul of man to seek reconciliation with God, and help from Heaven: – and sweep away every refuge of lies, under which love of sin leads us to take shelter. But earnest and devout readers of their Bible discover much more: they discover the tender heart of Christ; the efficacy of his blood, to cleanse from all unrighteousness; and a variety of spiritual blessings, which are the present reward of being true-hearted in his service. I am at a loss for words to express how much solid knowledge, transforming your mind into the divine image, you will certainly gain by persevering in diligent prayer, year after year, for the true interpretation of God’s blessed Word, that you may be made wise and holy.
A pattern is plainly set before us, in these memorable petitions: – may they come from our hearts, and ever dwell upon our tongues! –
“I am a stranger upon earth (very soon to leave it; therefore its riches and honours cannot profit me); O hide not thy commandments from me, which will enrich me for ever! Open thou my eyes, that I may see wondrous things in thy law! Thy hands have formed and fashioned me; O give me understanding, that I may know thy law!
This method of reading the Bible must be continued through life, especially whilst the capital truths of the Bible are before our eyes. By this means we have an absolute security from abusing any part of the Word of God. And those who dare despise persevering prayer to be taught by the Spirit of God what is contained in his holy Word, as if they knew enough, fall into pernicious errors; wrest some passages of Scripture, to contradict others; or grow violently zealous for doctrines; but very cold respecting that heavenly mind those doctrines are revealed to produce.
Our profiting will then only appear, when, after the example of David and St. Paul, we pray from deep conviction that we cannot be properly affected with what we believe, unless we are divinely taught; and that if any man thinketh that he knoweth anything us he ought to know, that man knoweth nothing.
Coco is glad to have received these words from a friend some forty five years ago. Receive them also from him, but rather pay attention to the Word of God, than to anything that Coco might say.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work, Paul to Timothy (2 Tim 3:16).
In 2025 many people are suffering with lymphoedema and face many challenges in daily life and lack of hope. This short video highlights some of the global challenges that are delaying the development of effective lymphoedema care worldwide. Lymphoedema affects the poorest populations and even many high income countries do not have a centre of excellence available to them. The International Lymphoedema Framework is a registered charity working with its national partners to improve care as well as joining with other international societies that have a similar aim.
It is no wonder that there is confusion over what men are – and as this post were posted elsewhere would likely to be taken down soon, take note. Coco shall not attribute the quote, for if he do then his behaviour shall not be any better than that which he is about to criticise. In a recent interview a businessman said that he thought companies needed more masculine energy. Whether they do, or they do not, is not the discussion for today. The interesting part of what was said is the definition of masculinity that followed. We have to be careful however as the business man was canny enough to place a glottal stop, a chasm, between the first statement and the definition, which he could also argue is not a definition. Indeed it is true, it was not framed as a definition, but rather as a pencil illustration, a cartoon if you like. His comments may then be charged with being non sequitur. So be it, you may make your own conclusion.
So for many reasons, and for this that Coco have may have misunderstood the report, Coco could be accused of spreading fake news. In order to provide a defence to my conclusion Coco may be drawn to provide the source for the sayings, but for the aforementioned reason continue to decline to do so.
What then does masculinity look like according to this picture? It is displayed in the fight. In the fight he said you are expected to be a “ruthless person who is going to crush the people with whom you are competing”. The translation belongs to Coco. This was said in the context of behaviour in a corporate role, where others would perhaps not want to see you behaving in this way.
The suggestion is that in the corporate role the display of masculinity, as pictured – the ruthless crushing of opponents, is decried. It is what is missing in the corporate world, but is expected elsewhere as the display of masculinity.
Is this what it really means to be a man? Men know that it may be the picture some want to make it, but men know in their hearts that it is false. Look at two opponents on the sports field, who after the game are playing chess together as friends. Look at the men in fast cars – some come up to the image given in this false picture. What do we call them? Coco leaves you to find the words. Others are racing to show compassion to those in need; they would much prefer not to have to themselves become a danger to others on the road.
Where is the space for compassion in this picture of ruthless masculinity? Should we not support those who are unable to support themselves? The underperformer may be an underperformer, but he needs work as much as the A-class performers. Find him work where he may be an A-class performer. In a factory the A-class performers build delicate equipment, accurately, efficiently and well, on complex machines, but without the A-class cleaner to maintain the machine for them, they will produce nothing, they will not even be F-class performers.
The one man who showed us what real masculinity is said: Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Will those who are men take up the challenge to imitate Jesus, and show the paucity of the false view of manhood that is so prevalent in our society today?
National Library behaviours, Sydney, Australia – May 2024
Coco is well aware that certain types of behaviour in a library are deemed to be obnoxious to other users, and some behaviours may result in future exclusion from these reputable institutions. Whilst making his way to the botanical gardens Coco noticed some of the eccentricities of library behaviours whilst passing by and chancing to peer down into what appeared to be the reading room. It was not the papers strewn across the table of someone who was at least making an effort to do some work, nor the pairs of fingers tapping furiously on keyboards which may be evidence of little more than playing a game, but the head, not in hands moment, but rather resting on the arms of the white-topped reader whose attention span may have been exceeded by perhaps several minutes and who was then enjoying a quite pause, shall we say, in her efforts to provide ingress into her mind of whatever subject she had that afternoon previously been devoted. We may credit her with that as there is some evidence of a book underneath her arms. On the other hand she may just have fallen asleep. Coco hopes that she was a quiet sleeper and did not disturb the other readers.
Not far away however there was a much more sinister apparition. Perhaps it was only that the air conditioning in the reading room was far too severe, but the other readers do not give any indication of that there was a lack of heat in their environment, except perhaps the sleeper, but Coco hopes that she had not succumbed to the extreme cold of the reading room. Why would anyone wear dark glasses, a gaberdine shawl collar coat and something between a pork pie and top hat in a library reading room? Did anyone else in the reading room consider that such vesture may be, shall we suggest, a cause of concern? Who is this person? To what secret, or not so secret, society does he belong? Unlike his neighbour he is looking intently at the screen in front of him. Is he one of Marlon’s putatively Trotskyite acquaintances? Is he using the library as cover for his espionage? Is he conducting a conversation with his co-conspirator who is sitting at the desk in front of him and who is also intently conversing with her screen, whilst apparently being quietly watched by her neighbour? What is going on? Does he know that he is being watched?
Well, Coco did not wait to discover the answers to these questions, and in any event the answers to the questions if they had become public knowledge may have posed serious if not mortal danger. There were more pressing demands than this trivia – a rendezvous in the botanical gardens was calling and one could not let the coffee go cold.
Funeral service Tuesday, 11 February, 2025, 1030GMT link East Hill Baptist Church [see below for instructions if you need them. No login in required, but you must identify yourself.]
Committal link Tuesday, 11 February, 2025, 1210GMT link: East ChapelEast Chapel, Roehampton Crematorium , UserName: yami6838 Password: 415731 Recordings of the services are available on these links.
Documents and tributes: The funeral service and committal – here Daughter-in-law – here Eldest granddaughter – here Eldest son – here
This is the recording of the funeral service at East Hill Baptist Church.
A pdf copy of the funeral service is available here.
This is the recording of the committal at Roehampton. East Chapel Most of the pictures in the YouTube video below are of Maisie, or they belonged to her. If you happen to be in one of the pictures, it is an accident, you may have been in the wrong place at the right time. The music from Siegfried and Götterdämmerung is my choice. It was not hers.
Who was Maisie? Follow this link for a brief family history.
Whilst this is not the place for personal blogging, some of you will want to know of, and a few of you will have met my mother I thought I should say something here. When Abraham was living in Mamre1 near the Dead Sea, three men visited him. He welcomed them and they honoured him by eating with him. Two of them walked on. One remained behind to speak with Abraham about the reasons for their visit. My mother attained ninety-nine years in November, and on Sunday past whilst we waited by her bed-side, two such men visited her. The District Nurse had not long left. We did not see them, nor hear their footsteps, but she left the house with them to be taken to her eternal home. Though we did not see them come or go, they left her body without breath, so that we would know they had been.
The One who remained to speak with Abraham later said: In my Father’s house are many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I shall return to take you to myself.2
She was a good mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and great-aunt to many as well as a friend and wife to Bill. We thank God for her many years, and for giving her grace to persevere in weakness, illness and pain in her last days.
The funeral service took place at East Hill Baptist Church conducted by Joe Long, pastor and neighbour for many years, followed by a committal at Roehampton Vale.
For further information, please raise a question in the comments below. Comments are private until I approve them. If you wish your comment to remain private, please say so.
Donations, please, if in lieu of flowers, should be made to the Royal Trinity Hospice, who provided care at home for her in her last weeks, or to OxFam. We thank those who have already made donations.
The information below is now redundant and retained here only for record – Go to comments
Further information about the funeral arrangements were available from Ernest Larner, Funeral Directors. A QR code for use with your smart-phone is below.
To join the funeral service at East Hill Baptist Church, follow this link: Funeral service. Ignore the instructions on that page, unless you already have Zoom installed and are familiar with it. Instead do this:
Follow on that page the link Click Here (you may follow this link rather than the Funeral Service link above if you wish).
This opens the Zoom web page in your browser or on your smart phone etc
You are offered the opportunity to download the Zoom Workplace app to your device. You do not have to do this.
Follow the link Launch Meeting
If you have installed the Zoom Workplace app, the service will open in the app. If you have not move on to the next step.
You may see a message ‘Joining the meeting’ then you will be presented with the introduction screen. Please enter your name (this is important), and choose whether to allow Zoom to use your camera and microphone. You do not have to allow Zoom to use them, you will be able to see and hear what is going on anyway. If you do, the host, and other participants may be able to see and hear you. Normally your microphone will be muted by the administrators.
We recommend that you join the service early, to allow time for anything that might go wrong; your device may decide that it needs an update and keep you waiting several minutes; you may have other connection issues; and to allow time for the host to admit you to the service.
Please note that this link presently connects you to the morning service at East Hill. The service starts at 1030 GMT each Sunday. You may want to connect to that before the funeral service if you wish to familiarise yourself with the set up. The link will be updated if necessary on the morning of the funeral service.
Instructions for joining the committal will be added when they become available.
Amethyst, beryl, candles and gold These were the things that were found in the hold Of the great ship that sailed on the wave ‘til that great day when it went to its grave
The fields adorned with lilies are fair The hills crowned with fir provide a good lair The kite and the eagle soar above While the sheep in the valley speak of love
The shepherd watched o’er his flock at night For the ghouls clothed in fur that give a fright Ready with rod and staff in his hand He watched and waited in that wearied land
Ships on the sea continued their trade Men gave their houses another upgrade The plans were laid in ink’s blue design Yet none of them asked when they crossed the line
Amethyst, beryl, candles and gold These are the things that the ground still does hold But on it they build caring no more For all the nations that had gone before
Alpha and beta come and they go This is the way of it, all of us know Will we be ready on the great day Alpha and Omega returns to stay
There is a debate in the world of Lipedema which Coco now spells not as Lipoedema in order to avoid the suggestion that oedema (water based fluid) is present in the dsytrophy which is called lipedema1. Coco has referenced the debate in other articles – here and here. The video referenced below produced by Colin Mockery (is that a pen name like Coco?) is quite long but an excellent literature review for anyone who has either the smallest interest in lipedema or who is looking for an example of how to review literature and present the results of such a review. The reader must understand that in saying this Coco is not condoning the conclusions of this particular review. Coco is merely saying it is a good example of a review. For an assessment of the conclusions of the review the reader must look elsewhere, in particular any reply that may have been prepared by any of those who were subjects of the review.
Before Coco says any more he should declare that he is not unbiassed and if you have read any thing else you, the reader, will understand the bias. Coco also understands that none of the parties to the debate promoted either directly or indirectly, the review or the production of the video.
It is a fascinating story. Coco understands why some at the ILA or the Concensus would want to either suppress or advertise the video, but Coco would wish to be cautious about the way it is done. Whilst the review has at its foundation a good literature, in the broadest sense of that word, review, the tone in which the conclusions are presented, do not become a cautious, intelligent enquirer into truth, but rather more speaks of the polemical promoter of a particular cause. A suppression of the video would be seen as an attempt to silence free speech, whereas a promotion could so easily be perceived as a gloating over the ‘enemy’. We must not rejoice over the fall of others nor seek to find ways to make them fall, for we are as frail as they are, so concerning promotion of the video, Coco would want to add a statement something like (whilst the author himself makes much the same point close to the end of the video, you yourself must judge the manner in which it is made.):
‘whilst we agree with the scientific conclusions of this examination of the literature, at the same time recognising the limitations in our knowledge, we do not endorse any attacks upon any of the individual practitioners mentioned who, we believe, intend only the best for their patients even if it may appear that they may have been misinformed or may not have used or promoted the most appropriate treatments in their practices. Attacks upon individuals merely strain relationships and hinder our efforts to work towards a common evidence-based understanding of the underlying causes and best treatments available for this debilitating condition, which we call lipedema. We must remember that each one of us has taken a journey to reach where we are today, having ourselves also made mistakes and having been in need of correction by others. Our understandings are limited, and any criticism we make must be made with both humility and compassion, and with the recognition that we may also be found wanting as understanding of the condition develops. ‘
Coco can see at least one cultural problem though for whilst Luther and his contemporaries would happily speak directly against persons for the ideas they hold and promote – indeed Luther himself was likened to a bull by the Pope of his day, and perhaps such personal attacks could be used effectively with the response ‘If I be a bull, let me show what kind of bull I can be’ – such an approach is not the best to use today in some societies. Could a modern German be asked to speak in such a way that if, whilst he is attacking the teaching of Mein Kampf, at the same time he would be defending the writer thereof? Surely that would be completely counter cultural. We must be careful that we do not impose our own cultural judgements on others in the particular forms of words they choose to express disagreement. If even native English speakers can be misunderstood when speaking across different English speaking cultures, those who are native English speakers must bear with the frailties of those who are translating into another foreign language and do not understand that the form of words chosen, which may be understood in Birmingham, Alabama, may not be understood in the same way in Birmingham, Warwickshire.
There were some other aspects than the attacks upon the individuals, with which Coco was not happy in the video for example, the use of the comic music behind some of the video clips of Dr Karen Herbst and Linda-Anne Kahn(?) were prejudicial, unhelpful and disturbing. Coco could see why it was thought appropriate, but it was unnecessary (unless the music was also behind the original videos of course). The words used were enough in themselves to get across the point that was being made. Secondly, the use of irony in the apparent pretence of a denial that there was a commercial motive behind their public statements despite the presentation of evidence that suggested quite clearly that there is a financial conflict of interest may not be what you want to find in a literature review, even though there are good examples of it in English literature itself; Shakespeare used the very technique in Mark Anthony’s speech after the murder of Caesar, perhaps with good cause for if he had not Mark Anthony may himself have become the object of a second murder. It may be a good literary or oratorical technique, but it behoves the scientist to avoid it.
Coco commends the video for your close attention. There is much to learn from it, not just about lipedema, but about what we do not know, and about how not to present your findings. Listening at 1.25 times normal speed will work, and reduce the viewing time, but there are sections in which the review is quoting from the literature during which you will need to slow the video down to normal speed in order to properly grasp the sense of the speakers being quoted.
1 Coco is not suggesting that oedema is absent in the presence of lipedema, it may be, and perhaps often is, present, but it is not intrinsic to the condition. The presence of oedema is a different condition which may be lymphoedema, the consequence of inflammation or some other oedemic condition.
2Warning: As always do not take medical advice, or understanding, from Coco. Whilst Coco may be able to think scientifically, his hypotheses are often untested and perhaps some would say ill-founded.
It cannot have escaped your attention that that ‘It is the most wonderful time of the year’ is a message that you will have heard many times in recent, and perhaps not so recent, days. If Coco have understood that message it involves families and more specifically the love that there is within families despite the hurt that we can and do inflict upon each other from time to time: as it is said – love bears all things.
So if it is love that makes this the most wonderful time of the year, then love is very important indeed would you argue with me if Coco suggested that it is the most important aspect of this time? If of this time, then surely not just at this time but at all times? It is a terrible thing when we come across someone who appears to have no love in him, except perhaps for himself, but when we meet someone who has real love which we recognise it by the generosity and compassion he shows towards others. Surely that rejoices our hearts.
Having seen and understood the importance of love – it is wonderful, it is what makes families what they are, it transforms (at least in popular culture) this time of the year, how do we understand love and God? That there is one God, one supreme being is indisputable, but there is a debate about whether such god can love. Coco shall not here go into any detail but it boils down to what a lone being is able to love. Love is expressed towards another. We believe however that God does not simply love, he is love. How was that love expressed then before anything else was made? This can only be understood in the light of the event which we celebrate at this time of the year.
No-one has seen God, but the Son, whose birth we celebrate, and whom the Father loves, has made him known. Before ever the worlds were made, the love of the one true God was known and expressed in the relationships between the persons, Father, Son and Spirit, of the Trinity, the one true God.
If it is love that makes this the most wonderful time of the year, it is love that makes our God the most wonderful God. This love is expressed towards us also in that the One whose coming we remember gave himself on Roman cross for our sins.
O come all you faithful, joyful and triumphant, to worship and adore him, very God of very God. O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
