Addiction and its friends

As I write, our neighbourhood alcoholic has staggered past the house, having been into the town and drinking his way through the morning.  He often stops to chat and unfortunately is hard to shake off once he does.  I often wonder about his history and how he got to where he is today.  He can't be more than forty something but suffers from arthritis and struggles to walk, which he does a lot using a stick.  He manages to get into town at least once a day and walks past the house several times, mostly with a can of lager in his hand.  He wears a filthy baseball cap, even filthier army fatigues, covered in ultra left wing logos and badges and army style boots. He sounds vaguely Irish and smells vaguely scotch.
Addiction is a terrible thing and such an easy hole to fall into. I smoked for many years and frequently tried to stop. It was always so very hard and I do sympathise with anyone who has tried. It was only the incipient arrival of our first child that provided me with the incentive that I needed, and finally some 30 years ago I quit and never went back there.  My mother was a true addict; she used to make me so angry when she described her cigarettes as her only friends, whilst struggling to breathe. She had suffered bronchitis and emphysema for many years and had even managed to give up smoking for 18 months and then started again. Frequent hospital trips did nothing to stop her, and she would even be smoking whilst waiting for the ambulance to take her in. She died an unpleasant death after many years of suffering at the hands of her only friend.
True there are people who seem to have addictive personalities, but I believe that we all have the potential to slide into the troughs of addiction, given the right stimulation or circumstances. I remember being given morphine in hospital, and the feelings of euphoria were truly wonderful, but I know that would be the beginnings of a slippery slope should I wander along that path.
I like to drink alcohol quite often. A glass of wine often becomes two or three and I love a pint or two of good beer, but I can go without. I am able to make that choice but I wonder if there comes a point along the road when making that choice is no longer an option.

Post op

Matilda came through the operation with flying colours and we are all so happy to have her back. She seems hungrier than ever and will eat more or less anything that is put before her. The British public, or elements of it, also seem to take in whatever the tabloids tell them to, and we have festering boil on the political scene.  UKIP have only one redeeming feature that I can think of, and that is they they are seeing off the National Front or the BNP as they are often referred to.  Replacing one fascist group with another though is not something to celebrate, and we should be worried that seeds have been sown and an increasingly disenchanted and undereducated population will view them as a viable and realistic alternative. Ok they don't have any Parliamentary seats yet, but not long ago neither did the Liberal Democrats, and look what happened to them.  Nigel Farage and his cronies are not going away; they will continue to spread their poison and  create divisions in communities already on the brink of chaos.
Being stupid is not a lifestyle choice, though there are some too lazy to make use of the wits that they have. Just look at someone of average intelligence and consider that half of the population are statistically more stupid.  The tabloids sell well, and the media is often  geared to please that sector of the population.  UKIP will not represent them any more than the other political parties. UKIP will simply represent the selfish and greedy, which is why so many Tory voters supported them this time.
I hope that Matilda does not grow up to be greedy or self serving, I suspect that she will not be stupid, but it is a stupid world that she is growing up  in.

Eurovision

Apart from a free bus pass and not having to go to work, one of the compensations of being an old git is a freedom to rant. I love to express myself but tend to limit myself to here as no-one really wants to listen.
It is Eurovision song contest time, and what better epitomises the low depths that our society has reached, that the hours that many people will spend tonight, encouraging the continuation of an international disgrace. It is popular culture at its worst unless you take into account X factor, and yet millions will be sitting down to watch and some will take it seriously.
Many modern songs and singers sound much the same as they plough the furrow that the likes of Simon Callow demand and so the populace that lack the ability to think for themselves, accept the pap that is produced and buy, or steal, the same stuff over and over again.  Girl bands and boy bands pop up like mushrooms; usually they have one plagiarised idea and fade into the oblivion from which they came.
Pop music was once the territory of the young, but those of us who grew up with the Beatles and the Stones are still here and just about hanging on. So are some of the bands from the 60s and many are making pension tours, while others have grown older and wiser and others still have been killed off by their lifestyles.
I do try to listen to current music but so much of it consists of bland and uninspired lyrics, bleated out by post pubescent spotty teens, accompanied by bored session musicians. An then we have Rap and Hiphop, though I don't know the difference; maybe it is my hearing but all I can make out is a heavy beat, with someone chanting in a strange language. Whatever happened to good black music?  Motown, Hendrix and so many others had real talent and are still being listened to today.
Anyway I know that I am in a minority, but I was brought up to respect talent and admire quality, and maybe spoiled by having experienced some of the best bands in the world. If Eurovision is to your taste then............... um..................um...................enjoy your evening.

Superstition

I remember as a kid being told all sorts of nonsense. It made no sense then and less now. I could never see why it was unlucky to walk under a ladder or to see a black cat; and what was lucky about a rabbit's foot or a four leaved clover? The former would have been better still attached to the rabbit and the latter could easily be found if you looked hard enough.  Many sportsmen have "lucky" shirts or boots and often have routines that they must follow before competing. Of course their opponents probably have the same which I am sure must act as a neutraliser.
Are we naturally superstitious or is it a characteristic that is foisted upon us as children?  I suspect the latter; along with father christmas, the tooth fairy and religion, our superstitions are programmed into us at an early age. Parents eventually admit the lies about santa and the tooth fairy, usually when demands from the children reach beyond the means of the bank balance, but other superstitions are deemed non threatening and are allowed to ferment.
I don't think I am superstitious in any way. I don't cross my fingers, or anything else; I walk under ladders unless it is not safe to do so and black cats are just black cats. When things go wrong, I don't think "Why me?", bad things happen to everyone sooner or later, so why not me? Why someone else?
I do not pray to an invisible presence, yet I have heard that there are no atheists in trenches. What a load of rubbish. Just imagine those poor men in 1916; both sides praying for themselves and those around them, and to what end? I am sure that there were plenty there who could think for themselves and realised that if there were a deity he could not support both sides.
The same it true of football matches; where fans on both sides in an important game will employ all of their superstitions, including prayer, to ensure their teams' success. The outcome is not influenced by anything other than the quality of play, and perhaps an element of chance. Everything is pretty random.

Jeremy Clarkson

We live in a world where communication has never been easier or more dangerous. To speak your mind is perilous to say the least, and things will only get worse as technology and indolence advances. It seems that everyone, regardless of their status and income, has a mobile phone, and smart phones at that. This gives instant access to the internet and to all of the social media as well as email, Skype and the like. This should be a good thing, and perhaps in a way it is, but there is of course a dark side to it all.
Using a mobile phone or iPad or computer to access the world means that your location is identifiable. It is possible that whatever you do whilst communing with Google or Facebook or whatever takes your fancy, that you are being observed and giving away your personal data to anyone with wits enough to access it.
Posting opinions on Twitter of Facebook has led to careers being terminated prematurely and lives being changed for the worse; opinions must fall into line and be politically correct or you may find yourself in trouble.
Jeremy Clarkson made the mistake of muttering a childhood nursery rhyme on TV, alas using what is now referred to as the "N" word. He can use the "F" word or the "C" word and no-one is particularly bothered, but the "N" word was deemed almost sack worthy. He is in my opinion, an arse, but that is irrelevant.
This morning on the radio, several bearers of two X chromosomes were seriously debating the issue of being referred to as "girls", some find the term demeaning somehow. How sad is it that such an issue is even worthy of radio time.
Our language is a bastard mix, enriched with beautiful metaphors and similes, and yet its use in all of its glory seems to offend so many people so much of the time.
There are plenty of opinions out there that I disagree with, but words to me are never offensive.  I welcome criticism of my own beliefs and am quite happy to accept that I may well be wrong, though of course, just like everyone else, I don't think that I am.

Zeitgeist

I have just watched Zeitgeist, an enthralling movie that you can stream online. Ok it is unsubtle, but it packs a weighty punch and should be viewed critically by anyone who cares about the way the world is run. I think the whole thing can be summed up in a quotation, from whom I have no idea, but it went something like this - "Only when the power of love, exceeds the love of power, can the world be safe." Yes i know I got it wrong but i have the memory of a gnat these days.

The movie was made in 2007, long before the current crisis, and its focus is on power and the lies that we, mere humans are subjected to. We are lied to by organised religion as well as governments, who in their turn are the puppets of those who weild the most potent weapon of all - Money. It makes the point that the world is there for the use of the big bankers and that their greed is the root cause of most of the worlds problems.

Knowledge is power, and those in the know can do more or less as they like. Fundamentally the majority of people dont question anything. There is an inherent trust that has been made use of by the rich and powerful. The church has been culpable, and in the name of a myth, has sent millions to their deaths to defend that myth. Central banks, need wars to make profits and so provocation of delicately balanced conflicts, catapults so many innocent young people to death in the name of capitalism.

Education systems thrive on maintaing a base ignorance of the things that matter and harness minds into National Curricula that have no value and no meaning to the majority. An ignorant public is what they need and flourish on.

They say that we get the governments that we deserve and perhaps that is true.

Matilda

The other part of the last week or so goes as follows.  Matilda was born with a defective aortic valve and was due to go into hospital today for the treatment that she needs.
Last weekend we were invited to a retirement party on the IOW and we deliberated long and hard about making the journey, in the end deciding to pop down for the weekend. The arrangement was that we'd stay with son in law's parents, at  least in their house as they were away on holiday in the USA. All was planned and we set off, looking forward to catching up with old friends. On the ferry, my phone rang; it rarely does so this was somewhat of a novelty. It was my daughter, telling us that her husbands' brother had died suddenly. We were about to stay in his parents house and they were due back the following day. They had been informed and insisted that we carried on as normal. There was nothing normal about the trip believe me.  Well anyhow we did go to their house and stayed the night wondering what the following day would bring.  We picked them up from the ferry the following day and were able to offer a little hospitality, if not comfort. Losing a child, however old they may be is very hard.  Later that day we got a call telling us that Matilda was in hospital. She had suffered a febrile convulsion and had to be rushed by ambulance into Tunbridge Wells.  The party was to be the next day but clearly our enthusiasm for it was waning fast, and we decided to head for home as soon as possible.
We got home the following morning, by which time Matilda was home again, if not well, much better. As a result of her weekend, the operation has been postponed and the anxiety will have to go onto the back boiler once again.  I just hope that the next date does not coincide with the funeral.

Elite Phones and Computers - Do not go there.

This has been a strange week or so.  It began with a failure in my computer; a series of crashes due to kernel panic, whatever that may be, and led to me having to buy and fit a new hard drive. That was successful, though it did not seem to cure the problem.  Eventually I contacted a company that claimed to have nationwide branches and would collect and deal with the problem. The nice lady on the phone told me that there was a fixed fee for diagnostics and took my money. On a whim, I asked where they were and was told Manchester, which is of course not very close to here, by this time it was too late to back down and the computer was collected by courier the next day.
While my dear Mac was away, I finished watching Breaking Bad, leaving another hole in my life, and paced the floor until my machine came home.  Elite Phones and Computers  do not communicate well, but after a few days, I was informed that the repair would cost blah blah blah and so I agreed the payment.  A day later I was told that it was fixed and on its way home.  Five days later still, I called to ask where it was and was told that it would be sent that day. A mail told me that I must open the box to check for damage before signing for it as otherwise they could not be held responsible. The UPS man told me that I must sign before opening, so I signed and he evaporated. I opened the box and extracted my Mac, noticing that it was filthy and covered with fingerprints, but worse, the hinge mechanism was broken, leaving the screen facing down at the floor.  Wedging the screen in a manageable position I attempted to plug the mains lead in, only to find that the plug was bent and impossible to use. So I had my machine back, but in a worse state than it was when I parted with it. Needless to say, I was on the phone to Elite Phones and Computers and venting my spleen to someone on the switchboard.  They claim that the hinge was broken when they received it and ignored the state of the plug and the filthy condition. So now, I am financially worse off and my computer is a wreck.  Battle with Elite Phones and computers will continue but they are not having it back.