An open reply to Jimmy Wales. He's wrong: Grokipedia won't necessarily be biased; and, obviously, the Trump article is badly biased. First of a series of replies to Jimmy's remarks in this Reason exposé:
https://reason.com/video/2026/02/23/can-you-trust-wikipedia/

I invited my X peeps to ask me questions and then "like" the various questions, and I would upload the answers in video form. Here it is!

Christian identity – 1:10
"Call no man teacher" – 9:25
Role of government – 15:45
Authority & resistance – 19:15
Wikipedia labor – 24:20
Net value of Wikipedia – 28:43
Grokipedia future – 34:05
Reputation systems – 38:37
Platform guarantees – 40:33
Historical archives – 52:07
Historical figure – 56:27

Made for beginners, family, friends, study group members. Most of this stuff is obvious after you use LLMs long enough. If you have more good ideas, put them in comments!

While I was raised Christian, I lost my faith in my teens, as so many do. But my life has been a truth-seeking quest, and I ended up earning a Ph.D. in philosophy (as I was starting Wikipedia). My reasons for disbelief fell away one by one; eventually I read the Bible, finally, for good understanding. I was shocked to discover that it was coherent and defensible, and it gave me new insight into the traditional arguments for the existence of God. In 2020, I became a follower of Jesus once again, launching into a systematic study of the Bible and theology. Now, in 2025, I finally announce this conversion.

This video is an illustrated version of the blog post you can find at https://larrysanger.org/2025/02/how-a-skeptical-philosopher-becomes-a-christian/

The address above has a number of footnotes and internet links.

This video explores the meaning of the Eucharist, focusing on whether Jesus’ words—“This is my body” and “This is my blood”—should be understood literally or symbolically. It examines Eucharistic realism, which claims the bread and wine are Christ’s real body and blood, and critiques this view for relying on undefined “Holy Mysteries.” Instead, the symbolic interpretation is defended through Scriptural analysis, highlighting metaphors, Passover symbolism, and Christ’s teachings about faith and eternal life. The video argues that Communion commemorates Christ’s sacrifice, unites believers, and points to spiritual truths, rather than involving physical transformation or metaphysical mysteries.

This is Part 2 of a two-part series. The first part is "Is the Body of Christ 'Really' Present in the Eucharist?": https://www.bitchute.com/video/MEIRJXqZVMUE/

What did Jesus mean when he said, “This is my body” and “This is my blood”? Was he speaking literally, symbolically, or in some other sense? In this video (part one of two), I examine the theological and philosophical debates surrounding the real presence in the Eucharist, drawing from Scripture, Church history, and philosophical reasoning.

I take a critical look at Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican views on the Lord’s Supper, analyzing key doctrines like real presence, transubstantiation, and holy mystery. Along the way, I highlight the tension between metaphysical explanations and commonsense reasoning, asking the tough question: In what sense is the bread *really* Christ’s body?

Folks! If you like this video, like & leave comments! Otherwise, I will probably not make many more like it.

Four hard questions about this verse, answered in some depth.
Genesis 12:1: "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:"
1. Is it not odd that the Lord is reported as simply making a speech to Abram? Did Abram even know who he was?
2. The text says simply, “Now the Lord had said unto Abram”, without saying anything about the form in which he appeared. Previously, God spoke directly to Adam, Cain, and Noah. How, then, would Moses’ audience have understood this?
3. When was it that the Lord said “Get thee out of thy country”, and therefore which country is meant?
4. Why might God specify that Abram go “out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house”?

If you could easily get an OFFLINE copy of 69,020 (all the public domain classics from Project Gutenberg as of June 2024), would you?

128 GB flash drive. Bespoke reader software. In version 1.1, export files for phone or tablet e-readers. And Christmas is around the corner. It's called ZWIBook.

Links:
- Purchase here, supporting the 501(c)(3) nonprofit KSF: https://shop.encyclosphere.org
- Complete features and tech data: https://shop.encyclosphere.org/product/zwibook-flash-drive
- Persuader blog post: https://larrysanger.org/2024/11/can-you-hold-70000-books-in-one-hand/
- Reviews: https://shop.encyclosphere.org/product/zwibook-flash-drive-handmade-signed
- X.com thread: https://x.com/lsanger/status/1857121138557563076
- Wiki page with downloads: https://wiki.encyclosphere.org/ZWIBook
- Project Gutenberg (the list of books): https://gutenberg.org/

It’s a massive library in your pocket. With about 70,000 local copies of books, it’s pretty darned cool to know that, as long as you have this drive, you will be able to access all those books, even in a nuclear Armageddon. The fact that you can search and read the books, and highlight and take notes on them, on any computer with the drive just makes it better.

My first video about the Bible and theology. This is a careful study of John 6, focusing on the question whether certain verses in John 6 constitute "proof texts" for the doctrine of transubstantiation, i.e., that the real body and blood of Christ are found in the Eucharist (Communion, Lord's Supper). I maintain that, so far from being proof texts, when put in their proper context, the strange and cryptic statements Jesus makes in the chapter have a purpose directly contrary to the doctrine. Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran believers need to take full account of the statement that "the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing" (v63). In context, what does this say about "the body and blood of the Lord"?

First ChatGPT-4 said there’s no evidence Margaret Sanger (no relation! At all!) was pro-abortion later in life. Then I added an custom instruction telling GPT to tell me the answer straight up first, then contextualize. Next, I opened a new chat (so this instruction would be followed) and asked the same question. It gave me a different answer, implying that she warmed to abortion later in life; and it gave the earlier answer a “B” for accuracy!

Last set of reels from Bulmer and Sharpley, *Music of Ireland*, Vol. 1.
O'Keeffe's Plough (aka Tom Billy's) - slow 0:46 med 2:46 fast 4:46
The Reel of Rio - slow 7:01 med 8:36 fast 10:42
Rattigan's - slow 13:17 med 15:06 fast 16:52
Callaghan's - slow 19:35 med 20:24 fast 21:33
The Old Copperplate - slow 23:46 med 25:25 fast 27:01
Cathal Rua - slow 30:03 med 32:12 fast 34:21
Swinging on the Gate - slow 36:19 med 37:46 fast 39:23

Reels from Bulmer and Sharpley’s Music of Ireland, vol. 1.
Conlon’s Dream - slow 1:02 med 2:16 fast 3:25
Sean sa Cheo - slow 6:00 med 7:54 fast 9:32
Humours of Ballyconnell - slow 11:58 med 13:17 fast 15:05
Farewell to Connaught - slow 17:09 med 18:39 fast 20:37
Killarney Boys of Pleasure - slow 23:44 med 25:53 fast 27:51
Bean a Ti ar Lar - slow 30:21 med 35:17 fast 36:34

More session tunes. Five reels now reasonably close (but not always the same) to the settings in Bulmer and Sharpley’s tunebook Music of Ireland, vol. 1.

Paddy Canny’s
The Bunch of Keys
The Morning Dew
The Yellow Tinker
The Trip to Durrow

Tunelist coming

Tunelist coming

Why you should check out three mobile apps—Tecarta Bible, YouVersion Bible, and Bible Hub. I explain what's good about them. I use all three quite often. Explained for a Bible study group, but many people might find these useful.

The Devil's Dream (reel) - slow 1:13 med 2:21 fast 3:45
McConnell's (barndance) - slow 5:55 med 8:07 fast 10:46
John Byrne's (single jig) - slow 14:05 med 15:40 fast 17:02
The Glory Reel - slow 19:20 med 21:28 fast 23:24
The Mad Jig - slow 26:24 med 28:42 fast 31:14

Here are some tunes from Donegal fiddler James Byrne's classic Claddagh Records album, "The Road to Glenlough." Taught/played at three speeds as usual:
Con McGinley's (reel) - slow med fast
Paddy Hiúdaí’s Slip Jig (aka James Byrne's) - slow med fast
Paddy Hiúdaí’s (aka Darby Gallagher's March) - slow med fast
The Fickle Lad (double jig) - slow med fast
Muineál A’ Bhardail (aka The Drake's Neck; reel) - slow med fast
The Road to Glenlough (waltz) - slow med fast

Three reels that play around the low E:
Bowe's Favourite (Brendan Mulhaire's):
Sandy Jones' Reel:
Beare Island Reel:

Here's an unusual 7-part tune, that is more or less a hornpipe, but apparently the music for something called the "sand jig," danced in 19th century minstrel shows by the eponymous Kitty O'Neil. Not sure how Tommy Peoples got the title "Kitty O'Shea's." I learned this from his 1995 "Iron Man" CD.

Here's an unusual 7-part tune, that is more or less a hornpipe, but apparently the music for something called the "sand jig," danced in 19th century minstrel shows by the eponymous Kitty O'Neil. Not sure how Tommy Peoples got the title "Kitty O'Shea's." I learned this from his 1995 "Iron Man" CD.

Three unusually great slip jigs, played at slow, medium (or "dance"), and faster speed. They are:

Up and Down: slow | med | fast
Ride a Mile: slow | med | fast
The Humours of Whiskey: slow | med | fast

Well, you don't have to agree with me that they are "unusually great," and I am very highly disposed to find most slip jigs unusually great, but these are all great even for slip jigs, in my opinion. The first two are tunes I believe I learned as much from sheet music as anywhere else, and are given more or less in "my own" approach here. Probably I found "Up and Down" in O'Neill's or Ryan's Mammoth Collection, and I probably picked some features of "Ride a Mile" from the playing of Andy McGann, if I'm not mistaken. As to the third tune, this setting of the popular Donegal tune "The Humours of Whiskey" mostly comes from Francie Dearg Byrne.

Neat slip jig I stumbled upon in Cole’s 1000 Fiddle Tunes (later reprinted in O’Neill’s 1001). Deserves a wider hearing, in my opinion.

Three reels learned from Altan’s great album, “The Red Crow.”

Reels: Yellow Tinker/Lady Montgomery/The Merry Harriers
Single jig: Con Cassidy’s / Slip jig: Dusty Miller

Learned from Altan’s “The Red Crow”

Dark Corners - The Blossom Of Ballisland - The Kings Inn

Three beautiful jigs, compositions of master fiddler James Kelly, from whom you can get lessons online. I took a lesson from him myself, in Alaska in 1997 or so, though I doubt he remembers that. Remember the beginner who was into Donegal fiddle, James? I played a hornpipe fast and you told me to slow it down. That was me.

I play the jigs here with James’ eponymous CD, which you can get directly from the man himself at JamesKellymusic.com.

The book is also published more recently under the name Ryan's Mammoth Collection. I recorded these last year and just never got around to editing the rather long video. But here it is. These are mostly tunes I haven't heard from elsewhere so you can hear what is pretty my own style as opposed to my "takes" on the styles of other people.

Tunelist
=======
Reels:
The Witch of the Wave - slow 1:30 med 2:32 fast 3:54 faster 4:58
Jenny Danged the Weaver - slow 6:11 med 6:59 fast 8:10
The Jolly Seven - slow 10:39 med 12:30 fast 15:05
The Seven-Up Reel - slow 17:12 med 18:43 fast 20:44
Jenny Nettle's Fancy - slow 23:13 med 24:04 fast 25:12

Double jigs:
The Morgan Rattler - slow 27:11 med 28:27 fast 30:10
My Pretty, Fair Maid - slow 32:58 med 33:58 fast 35:10
Three-jig set:
Bottle of Brandy - slow 37:47 med 43:08 fast 48:18 (version of "The Leg of the Duck")
Little Brown Jug - slow 39:10 med 44:38 fast 49:54 (unrelated to the song)
Bully for You - slow 41:17 med 46:43 fast 51:29 (also a version of "The Leg of the Duck")
Puss in the Corner - slow 53:37 med 55:12 fast 57:51

Slip jig:
Jack on the Green - slow 59:57 med 1:01:07 fast 1:02:18

Hornpipe:
Jinrikisha - slow 1:04:37 med 1:06:21 fast 1:08:29

The first two are reels from Josephine Keegan, titled "Ronnie Cooper" and "The Gates of Mullagh." I still don't know what the names of the jigs are (anyone? Brid??).

First of two recordings of tunes learned from an old radio program of Brid Harper’s playing. She’s one of my favorite players. Hi Brid! (She’s on YouTube.)

These are:
Shamrock Hill (reel, comp. Sean Ryan)
The Old Road to Garry (reel, comp. Paddy O’Brien of Tipperary)

Tailor’s Twist (hornpipe)
Unknown hornpipe

The last Two of a bunch of reels, mostly, that James Byrne recorded for me about 20 years ago. Played with a recording of him, then taught slowly.

The long, classic O’Neill’s and Coleman jig, as colored by Donegal fiddler James Byrne. I let him play by himself (on a recording he made for me 20 years ago) and then join the second time. Then I play it slowly, and then faster by myself.

Here are a couple of more reels that I learned from a recording James Byrne kindly made for me while I was in Ireland 20 years ago. Here, I play the tunes with the recording, then stop the tape and play them both slowly and then at a faster speed.

The great Donegal fiddler James Byrne once recorded for me 20-30 minutes’ worth of tunes I hadn’t learned yet. So here’s the first two tunes from the recording, played at a relaxed pace, with me playing along a bit...then I play them more slowly for those who want to learn, and wind up by playing each faster.

More tunes from the Pauls, McGrattan and O’Shaughnessy. The first is from the latter’s mother and so might have a Donegal provenance. The second is a common tune but the lesser of two tunes called by this name. The third is a tune version of a very old song, if what I seem to have learned is correct. I learned the last from Bulmer and Sharpley’s Music of Ireland, but their source was unnamed Dubliners, and the setting is awfully similar to what the Pauls play, so...

Three reels, the last track of O’Shaughnessy and McGrattan’s “Within a Mile of Dublin.” Slow medium and fast.

A very rare, difficult clog in that switches from F to B flat, and goes into second and third positions, from Ryan’s Mammoth Collection. Played slow, medium, and fast.

A set of slip jigs, from Paul O’Shaughnessy and Paul McGrattan. I teach (play at slow and medium speed) only the first, which is also called “O’Farrell’s Welcome to Limerick.” The second and third are from Donegal sources.

Three reels learned from Paul McGrattan (flute) and Paul O’Shaughnessy (Dublin, with a Donegal style), “Within a Mile of Dublin.” Great CD.

From Ryan’s Mammoth Collection/Cole’s 1000 Tunes, a new tune type for me: a “clog,” apparently which originated from the factories of Lancashire, England. I think this is a very nice one, although there’s a difficult quick slides up to and down from third position.

This is a Donegal tune, different from a similarly named tune. I believe I learned it originally from the playing of John Doherty, as here: https://youtu.be/B-pLCrNPHqg but many Donegal players play it. B-flat hornpipe, somewhat challenging. Sorry for occasionally straying out of tune!

An unusual and difficult hornpipe in the unusual (for Irish trad music) key of E flat, learned from Ryan’s Mammoth Collection/Cole’s 1000 Fiddle Tunes. This was apparently by an Italian composer and a famous version called “The Banks” was popularized by Scott Skinner. The Ryan’s version seems to be the original of “Morgan’s,” as nicely played on “Leitrim’s Hidden Treasure,” but there are differences, and I follow Ryan’s rather than Enda McNamara’s playing.

Three challenging B flat hornpipes learned from “Cole’s 1000 Fiddle Tunes” aka “Ryan’s Mammoth Collection.” I’m conceding to YouTube I guess, for now, after a long break in protest.

Tunes learned from the Fiddle Music of Donegal, Vol. 1 (publ. by Cairdeas na bhFidleiri)
Tunelist:
From Francie Mooney:
The Quaker's Wife (single jig) - slow 1:14 med 2:42 fast 4:38
The Humours of Baile na Fead (double jig) - slow 6:57 med 8:16 fast 10:07
Dúlamán na Binne Búidhe (highland) - slow 12:25 med 13:32 fast 14:36
Róise Bheag Róise Móire’s (german) - slow 17:03 med 20:54 fast 23:55
Prionnsias Ó Maonaigh’s (german) - slow 18:52 med 22:33 fast 25:16
From Paul O'Shaughnessy:
The Frost is all Over (double jigs) - slow 27:57 med 29:15 fast 34:06
Frank Cassidy’s (double jigs) - slow 31:41 med 32:48 fast 36:01

Tunelist coming

Tunelist coming