Almost daily we hear someone or other bleating about the death of the music industry thanks to illegal downloading and the copying of recorded material. Sales of recorded music have plummeted and a song can reach number one in the charts but selling a few thousand copies.
I have always been a music fan and love to attend live concerts whenever I can, and am currently anticipating the 4Oth anniversary tour of Steeleye Span, complete with Maddie Prior. Having said that, I rarely buy music anymore, neither do I download it. I am becoming seriously disenchanted with the whole Pop industry and I for one hope that it dies a quick and painless death.
There was a time when to become a pop star, you needed either huge talent and some luck, or you needed a new and quirky idea and a lot of balls. Nowadays it seems that in order to sell a lot of records, performers need an image, a manager and an ability to look plastic and to fit into preset moulds that make you attractive to pre-adolescent girls. Boy and Girl bands spring up like weeds and die off just as quickly, always dozens more waiting to take their places.
Th "ECKS" factor is a very popular TV "Talent" show that is generating much controversy here at the moment. I mention it because it really does encapsulate all that is wrong with the world of music at the present time. For those of you who haven't seen it, vast numbers of hopefuls gradually get whittled down by a panel of judges, until a small handful are put through a series of trials and humiliations, each week one more being voted off the list, theoretically by the public. The panel of judges is of course led by the multi-millionaire who owns the show and he is accompanied by three other representatives of the "industry", none of whom seems to have a brain cell let alone a mind of their own. The weeks go by and the victims are led through various Karaoke moulds and in the end one will remain and will be given the strait jacket that leads them to become Mr or Mrs Plastic 2009. This year there is a large fly in the custard. A young duo who have the talent and the personalities of a pair of young labradors are storming along and could well win the contest. Neither of them can sing at all, but they look the part with their silly spiky hair and their utter lack of talent.
Each week, hard working singers with huge potential have been sent home while the talentless and highly irritating continue to garner support from the teenagers that are doing the voting and generating the Judge's retirement fund. Part of me suspects that there is a conspiracy going on and that the public is saying that enough is enough, but my cynical side is screaming out that this is just what people want - to see Pop Stars that are just like them - banal, ordinary and utterly dull.
I hope that these lads win, and as they accept their million pound contract, that the first thing they buy is a hammer so that they can drive in the last nails of the coffin. Maybe then, once this business is laid to rest, musicians will learn their trades in public performance and make their money for being talented and original and we can hear some real music once again.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Monday, 16 November 2009
A new week
It has been a while since I felt even remotely like writing and i know that if I don't push myself to do so that I will stop doing it altogether. I blame it on having a cold of course; one of the fringe benefits of having people to stay for a weekend. I think that my extended isolation tends to lower the efficacy of my immune system and so whenever i am exposed to viruses they see me as virgin territory and move in with relish. I should have the flu jab and the one for swine flu but I probably won't. That would mean going to the medical centre and queueing up with lots of sick people and having someone stick a needle into me. I confess that i am scared of injections - a real hangup from my childhood and one of so many.
It would seem that the government is keen to make nursing an all graduate profession, as they did with teachers a number of years back. The aim is to ensure that the quality of nursing increases and that patients will receive a better deal when they go to hospitals. I am not sure that it will help. What it might help them to do is to fill in paperwork more accurately and free up time for them to generate more.
A spell in hospital was never much fun but it has become a challenge to anyone these days. Speaking from the point of view of a fairly frequent user, I have to say that the quality of nursing care has declined massively in recent years. Side wards mean that patients can lie unattended for long periods of time without being checked on by anyone, and we frequently hear of patients who have quietly bled to death in a hospital bed. I experienced copious bleeding after my last operation and when i struggled out of bed to report it to the two nurses sitting behind a desk, all they did was to change my pillow while i was in the toilet. Nobody even looked to see where the blood was coming from - the paperwork was more important.
I am sure that there are plenty of good nurses who know how to care for patients and many who are not good at paperwork. We should be employing more of the former and allowing them to get on with the job that their profession was meant to do. Government targets are a hindrance to us all and there are walks of life where they really should be ignored. Education and medicine are not businesses and should not be treated as such.
On a different note I did promise to post the hairy thing under my nose as it develops so here we go.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Excuses
I have just been reading about the student in Yorkshire who is facing a jail sentence for urinating onto a war memorial. As is usually the case he has claimed to have no memory of the event because he was too drunk.
Alcohol abuse has been going on since alcohol was discovered, and I have in my time drunk myself into almost oblivion and probably done shameful things that are best not spoken of. I may have even, in my youth, set out to get drunk, but I don't think that it happened on a regular basis. Nowadays it seems that there are elements of society that do this almost daily, and that many of these are young girls.
Women it would seem have adopted all that they can of male behaviour and frankly it doesn't suit them. Drunken females look even more ridiculous than drunken males and are of course incredibly vulnerable. It is so sad to watch and hear hordes of adolescent females behaving so badly and urging their male counterparts to do worse. There seems to be a lack of shame in what they do, and when they get arrested for antisocial behaviour or indecency the plea is always the same - "I didn't know what I was doing" or "i can't remember". Now i don't believe either of these statements. I admit to having been too drunk to stand up on rare occasions and yet always knew what I was doing and always remembered most of what I did the next day. Not being able to remember is a myth. Sometimes we like to think that it is the case but it is a convenient lie and besides it is meaningless in the eyes of the law.
I hope that the young man in question does go to jail and that he is named and shamed. Let's face it, if we were under Sharia law he would probably have the offending part cut off publicly.
Alcohol abuse has been going on since alcohol was discovered, and I have in my time drunk myself into almost oblivion and probably done shameful things that are best not spoken of. I may have even, in my youth, set out to get drunk, but I don't think that it happened on a regular basis. Nowadays it seems that there are elements of society that do this almost daily, and that many of these are young girls.
Women it would seem have adopted all that they can of male behaviour and frankly it doesn't suit them. Drunken females look even more ridiculous than drunken males and are of course incredibly vulnerable. It is so sad to watch and hear hordes of adolescent females behaving so badly and urging their male counterparts to do worse. There seems to be a lack of shame in what they do, and when they get arrested for antisocial behaviour or indecency the plea is always the same - "I didn't know what I was doing" or "i can't remember". Now i don't believe either of these statements. I admit to having been too drunk to stand up on rare occasions and yet always knew what I was doing and always remembered most of what I did the next day. Not being able to remember is a myth. Sometimes we like to think that it is the case but it is a convenient lie and besides it is meaningless in the eyes of the law.
I hope that the young man in question does go to jail and that he is named and shamed. Let's face it, if we were under Sharia law he would probably have the offending part cut off publicly.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Facial hair
November, or should I say Movember is fast approaching and I will be cultivating a new friend for 30 days. I had facial hair as a young man and my moustache was a big one. It wasn't until my kids were teenagers that they first saw me without one. Facial hair is a strange business altogether. Shaving in itself is a most unnatural procedure and not one that I am altogether fond of, though i do keep my growth down to a fairly acceptable level. Copious bushy growths may look interesting but they also pose certain health risks. Anything passing into or out of, and maybe even close to the mouth, run the risk of getting trapped and withouth careful grooming, a face can become a repository for all sorts of delicacies. Fortunately I am not allowed, according to the rules to grow a beard. That would be too easy - just not shaving is a bit of a luxury. A moustache has be be nurtured and encouraged, shaving around the area and trimming strays with sharp scissors.
My major concerns here are one - that I will end up with a pure white monstrosity under my nose, and that two - I will end up getting attached to it. The last one stayed with me for 20 years but I doubt that i have anywhere near that long to mature this one.
My thanks to anyone who has taken the trouble to donate to the charity, or even to acknowledge that it exists. I hope that Anne has little success with her attempts; testosterone may have other more unpleasant side effects! :-)
My major concerns here are one - that I will end up with a pure white monstrosity under my nose, and that two - I will end up getting attached to it. The last one stayed with me for 20 years but I doubt that i have anywhere near that long to mature this one.
My thanks to anyone who has taken the trouble to donate to the charity, or even to acknowledge that it exists. I hope that Anne has little success with her attempts; testosterone may have other more unpleasant side effects! :-)
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
a plea
Hi,
I am growing a moustache this year for Movember. I have decided to put down my razor for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer.
What many people don’t appreciate is that one man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK, more than 35,000 men will be diagnosed this year and that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved and I am hoping that you will support me.
To donate to my Mo, you can either:
• Click this link http://uk.movember.com/mospace/117557/ and donate online using your credit card, debit card or PayPal account
• Write a cheque payable to ‘The Prostate Cancer Charity - Movember’, referencing my Registration Number 117557 and mailing it to: Movember - The Prostate Cancer Charity, First Floor, Cambridge House, Cambridge Grove, London, W6 0LE.
Movember is now in its third year here in the UK and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Charity. Check out further details at:http://uk.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.
If you are interested in following the progress of my Mo, click herehttp://uk.movember.com/mospace/117557/. Also, http://uk.movember.com has heaps of useful information.
Thank you
Paul
ps Those who can might think about joining in and growing a nice bushy one too!
I am growing a moustache this year for Movember. I have decided to put down my razor for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer.
What many people don’t appreciate is that one man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK, more than 35,000 men will be diagnosed this year and that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved and I am hoping that you will support me.
To donate to my Mo, you can either:
• Click this link http://uk.movember.com/mospace/117557/ and donate online using your credit card, debit card or PayPal account
• Write a cheque payable to ‘The Prostate Cancer Charity - Movember’, referencing my Registration Number 117557 and mailing it to: Movember - The Prostate Cancer Charity, First Floor, Cambridge House, Cambridge Grove, London, W6 0LE.
Movember is now in its third year here in the UK and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Charity. Check out further details at:http://uk.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.
If you are interested in following the progress of my Mo, click herehttp://uk.movember.com/mospace/117557/. Also, http://uk.movember.com has heaps of useful information.
Thank you
Paul
ps Those who can might think about joining in and growing a nice bushy one too!
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Values
I enjoy quizzes. I like to participate in them and enjoy writing and delivering them. In a moment of pure folly I have offered to run the quiznight at a local pub, and that is a huge commitment in terms of work and time. However i do tend to see things through and have been working on the first one which is due in a couple of weeks.
As I was compiling a round or two this morning I got to thinking about the quality of the questions and whether or not they were accessible to the punters. i remember setting a quiz for students at school some years back; this was a bright group of kids and I was taken aback when one lad complained that I wasn't asking questions that he knew the answers to. This is an important issue, and one thing that I wouldn't want to do is make anyone feel stupid. It is important to strike a balance and find questions that people can answer, but on the other hand they should not be too easy. People like to feel that they have accomplished something, whether they win or not.
I like to think that the people that go to quiz nights are those that actually value knowledge and for its own sake too. As a society we seem not to value such things anymore. We value money above everything else and unless you are wealthy or have the capacity to make money you are seen as irrelevant. Young people are being indoctrinated into an awful system, where they are not taught to recognise what is truly of value. It seems that unless you are a rock star ( I hesitate to use the word musician there), a football player, or something big in the city, then you are just run of the mill. We have lost touch with what is really important, and it is time that we reminded ourselves that some things are of more value than money.
Kids are forced through an archaic system of education that has lost its way and lost a sense of real purpose. What is the point of everyone going to university and gaining a degree? A degree these days has no market value anymore so why delude youngsters into building huge debts in order to become unemployable? Children should be taught or given the opportunity to think and to realise what they are good at, not to be thrust into a system that does no-one any favours. We need all sorts of talents, and those talents should be valued equally. Yes we need everyone to be literate and numerate for their own sakes, but equally important is that kids should grow up with self belief and self respect with a choice as to which direction they choose to take.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
As I was compiling a round or two this morning I got to thinking about the quality of the questions and whether or not they were accessible to the punters. i remember setting a quiz for students at school some years back; this was a bright group of kids and I was taken aback when one lad complained that I wasn't asking questions that he knew the answers to. This is an important issue, and one thing that I wouldn't want to do is make anyone feel stupid. It is important to strike a balance and find questions that people can answer, but on the other hand they should not be too easy. People like to feel that they have accomplished something, whether they win or not.
I like to think that the people that go to quiz nights are those that actually value knowledge and for its own sake too. As a society we seem not to value such things anymore. We value money above everything else and unless you are wealthy or have the capacity to make money you are seen as irrelevant. Young people are being indoctrinated into an awful system, where they are not taught to recognise what is truly of value. It seems that unless you are a rock star ( I hesitate to use the word musician there), a football player, or something big in the city, then you are just run of the mill. We have lost touch with what is really important, and it is time that we reminded ourselves that some things are of more value than money.
Kids are forced through an archaic system of education that has lost its way and lost a sense of real purpose. What is the point of everyone going to university and gaining a degree? A degree these days has no market value anymore so why delude youngsters into building huge debts in order to become unemployable? Children should be taught or given the opportunity to think and to realise what they are good at, not to be thrust into a system that does no-one any favours. We need all sorts of talents, and those talents should be valued equally. Yes we need everyone to be literate and numerate for their own sakes, but equally important is that kids should grow up with self belief and self respect with a choice as to which direction they choose to take.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Monday, 19 October 2009
A dull monday
For me, the worst part of this time of year is the darkness of days. This morning the sky is thick and grey and there is also a thin wind blowing that compounds the dismal nature of our weather at this time of year. I can appreciate that autumn has its plusses and that the colours of the dying leaves is wonderful when the sun shines but today is looking like one of those days when nothing seems to smile.
I just got back from a lovely weekend away, having visited my daughter and her husband in their new home. They have upsized quite considerably and although the house is very nice, there are also a plethora of jobs that need to be done and lots of niggling problems that need to be sorted. Some of those fell upon me of course and I was happy to help out with as many as I could. Unfortunately my continued problem with hives broke out again and took the edge off the weekend but that is something that I have to earn to live with.
Moving house is always stressful and i remember very well making a similar upsizing movement when I was about the same age as they are now. The difference being that buy that time we had young kids and the house we moved into was almost derelict, and so i was taking on a monumental task and at the time wondered if i was capable of completing it.
Having a large house and garden is wonderful when you are young an energetic, and fabulous for bringing up children, but as we get older and less energetic, the benefits seem fewer and the problems greater. Now I am happy to live in a relatively small place, in which my study is a few cubic metres of isolation. It is here that I spend most of my time, emerging to eat and to socialise. My needs are simple and as I get older they get simpler still. We do regress towards childhood in so many ways and i don't suppose it will be too long before the only needs that I have will be the very basic ones.
I just got back from a lovely weekend away, having visited my daughter and her husband in their new home. They have upsized quite considerably and although the house is very nice, there are also a plethora of jobs that need to be done and lots of niggling problems that need to be sorted. Some of those fell upon me of course and I was happy to help out with as many as I could. Unfortunately my continued problem with hives broke out again and took the edge off the weekend but that is something that I have to earn to live with.
Moving house is always stressful and i remember very well making a similar upsizing movement when I was about the same age as they are now. The difference being that buy that time we had young kids and the house we moved into was almost derelict, and so i was taking on a monumental task and at the time wondered if i was capable of completing it.
Having a large house and garden is wonderful when you are young an energetic, and fabulous for bringing up children, but as we get older and less energetic, the benefits seem fewer and the problems greater. Now I am happy to live in a relatively small place, in which my study is a few cubic metres of isolation. It is here that I spend most of my time, emerging to eat and to socialise. My needs are simple and as I get older they get simpler still. We do regress towards childhood in so many ways and i don't suppose it will be too long before the only needs that I have will be the very basic ones.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Strange happening
I often think of my life as being on a level, neither unhappy nor happy. I don't get excited or angry or even upset anymore, and I suppose that has been the result of the way that I was brought up and the things that have happened to me over the years. Mainly i find that it is a comfortable way to go about things and maybe it is prolonging my existence.
It came as a surprise then, when last night i found my eyes brimming with tears as i watched a TV programme. Normally a well paid up member of the cynics society, as well as a qualified pessimist, the TV is just there and much passes me by unnoticed. Last night however I watched the Anthony Minghella production of Madame Butterfly from the New York Met, and it was wonderful. Butterfly is always a tear jerker I know, though I have sat through many live performances amongst a sea of sniffs and hankies, without batting an eyelid, but last night was different. The music is evocative enough and the performances were stunning, but what set me off was Butterfly's son, played by a puppet and controlled by two men in black. I have never seen such emotion produced by something inanimate before. In most productions a small child is used and they stand bewildered on stage until they are ushered off. The puppet stole the scenes in which it was used and for me was the making of the show. I pretended otherwise, but by the end of the performance my eyes were filled with tears and I could barely speak. No production has ever had that effect on me before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bror-r0Wfw&NR=1
It came as a surprise then, when last night i found my eyes brimming with tears as i watched a TV programme. Normally a well paid up member of the cynics society, as well as a qualified pessimist, the TV is just there and much passes me by unnoticed. Last night however I watched the Anthony Minghella production of Madame Butterfly from the New York Met, and it was wonderful. Butterfly is always a tear jerker I know, though I have sat through many live performances amongst a sea of sniffs and hankies, without batting an eyelid, but last night was different. The music is evocative enough and the performances were stunning, but what set me off was Butterfly's son, played by a puppet and controlled by two men in black. I have never seen such emotion produced by something inanimate before. In most productions a small child is used and they stand bewildered on stage until they are ushered off. The puppet stole the scenes in which it was used and for me was the making of the show. I pretended otherwise, but by the end of the performance my eyes were filled with tears and I could barely speak. No production has ever had that effect on me before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bror-r0Wfw&NR=1
Monday, 12 October 2009
A rant - just for a change
I find that as time goes by, I am becoming more and more apathetic about the world in general and people in particular. I know that I can do nothing to change either and so therefore what is the point in getting worked up about it? I have become an observer and not a very interested one at that.
I do like to think that part of my brain still functions though, and that I do take time to think about things before rushing to conclusions. I leave that to the tabloid press and those who allow the newspapers to do their thinking for them.
I was sent a movie the other day- a campaign to petition President Obama in order to stop NASA from "Bombing" the moon. Now the author of the message clearly didn't understand the nature of the mission which was to collide a small projectile into the lunar surface in order to analyse the debris and to hopefully confirm the presence of usable quantities of water. The video gave the impression that the moon was about to be nuked, blown out of existence with all the obvious consequences. Protesters would like to see the new Hadron collider to be closed in case they create a black hole that swallows the world, and there are those who see genetic engineering of food crops as evil, despite the fact that farmers have been doing it since prehistory.
There are many people out there who see any attempt to drive forwards the quest for knowledge as a threat, and many more who love to jump onto ill conceived bandwagons carrying conspiracy after conspiracy. It seems that it is fashionable to be paranoid as well as stupid. To be a free thinker is becoming harder and harder with education systems driving all through the same machine, the media forever dumbing down to the lowest common denominator and an ever increasing dependence on electronic media for communication.
In March, all being well, I will become a grandfather, and though delighted, I do worry about the sort of world he/she will be coming into. I fear that they will be absorbed into a culture that lacks excellence, where to be average is good enough and to be stupid is even better, where the quest for knowledge is seen as antisocial and where scientists are burned at the stake. There is little that keeps me awake at night but having another generation in the world makes me fear for their future.
I do like to think that part of my brain still functions though, and that I do take time to think about things before rushing to conclusions. I leave that to the tabloid press and those who allow the newspapers to do their thinking for them.
I was sent a movie the other day- a campaign to petition President Obama in order to stop NASA from "Bombing" the moon. Now the author of the message clearly didn't understand the nature of the mission which was to collide a small projectile into the lunar surface in order to analyse the debris and to hopefully confirm the presence of usable quantities of water. The video gave the impression that the moon was about to be nuked, blown out of existence with all the obvious consequences. Protesters would like to see the new Hadron collider to be closed in case they create a black hole that swallows the world, and there are those who see genetic engineering of food crops as evil, despite the fact that farmers have been doing it since prehistory.
There are many people out there who see any attempt to drive forwards the quest for knowledge as a threat, and many more who love to jump onto ill conceived bandwagons carrying conspiracy after conspiracy. It seems that it is fashionable to be paranoid as well as stupid. To be a free thinker is becoming harder and harder with education systems driving all through the same machine, the media forever dumbing down to the lowest common denominator and an ever increasing dependence on electronic media for communication.
In March, all being well, I will become a grandfather, and though delighted, I do worry about the sort of world he/she will be coming into. I fear that they will be absorbed into a culture that lacks excellence, where to be average is good enough and to be stupid is even better, where the quest for knowledge is seen as antisocial and where scientists are burned at the stake. There is little that keeps me awake at night but having another generation in the world makes me fear for their future.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Talking of which
It is at least six months away and i am already both tired and fearful of the next general election. Already the knives are out and politicians of various parties are beginning to hack pieces from one another with accusations of this that and definitely the other. The hopeful are assembling the dungpiles that they call manifestos, each trying to produce the biggest and most attractive heap that will coerce the unthinking and those with very short memories into voting for them. No doubt the tory party will win. They thrive in such conditions and are already talking about reducing state benefits and state control, easing more of the country's wealth back into the pockets of the tory supporting ruling class.
As always the Liberal democrats, they who were once the centre ground of the labour party, claim that they have a hope of winning the election. They can say whatever they like in the next half year, they can promise us new schools and motorways on Mars, because in their hearts they know that in the current system they have no chance of forming a government. As for the rest, well the minority parties will remain that and i predict that Mr Brown's party will be ousted and that we are in for another miserable period of tory rule. We probably deserve it as we did when Thatcher was elected, and my oh my was the punishment severe. The scars of her years in power are deep and long lasting, the fragmentation and divisions of society have never healed, and it looks as if the same basic ideology will be in charge of the country once again.
Of course the boat is leaking and the steering seems damaged, but come the election it will be sold to the highest bidder, and that is likely to be someone from the Middle East, who is ore interested in scrap value than in restoration or repair. I can alredy hear the creaking lifeboats being lowered by those in first class; those in steerage prepare for a long cold swim.
As always the Liberal democrats, they who were once the centre ground of the labour party, claim that they have a hope of winning the election. They can say whatever they like in the next half year, they can promise us new schools and motorways on Mars, because in their hearts they know that in the current system they have no chance of forming a government. As for the rest, well the minority parties will remain that and i predict that Mr Brown's party will be ousted and that we are in for another miserable period of tory rule. We probably deserve it as we did when Thatcher was elected, and my oh my was the punishment severe. The scars of her years in power are deep and long lasting, the fragmentation and divisions of society have never healed, and it looks as if the same basic ideology will be in charge of the country once again.
Of course the boat is leaking and the steering seems damaged, but come the election it will be sold to the highest bidder, and that is likely to be someone from the Middle East, who is ore interested in scrap value than in restoration or repair. I can alredy hear the creaking lifeboats being lowered by those in first class; those in steerage prepare for a long cold swim.
Monday, 5 October 2009
Lies
When I was a child, I was taught to believe in fairies, ghosts, father christmas and God. I guess there was time when I did believe in all of those things and i understand the reasons why parents propagate those lies. I think i even participated myself with one exception. Lies are so often justified that all lies today seem justifiable and that makes me very uncomfortable. I like to think that I am a truthful person and rarely will I lie to anyone, but it seems that the normal way to behave in the 21st century is to lie as long as you can get away with it. I am not talking about telling someone that they look nice in order to make them feel good about themselves, though I am guilty of that quite frequently, I am talking about the big lies that many people today see as perfectly ok. Insurance companies tell us that we should never admit to guilt in the case of an accident, in turn so many people lie about insurance claims, and so it goes on. Politicians lie all the time, but then it is called bending the truth.
As an ex teacher, I am so familiar with kids who you see committing an offence, blatantly denying that they did it, or that they were even there, knowing that without any proof their word against mine negated any guilt. Sadly, a long exposure to lies makes for cynicism, and so these days i take most things with a large pinch of salt even though most people that i know are honest and truthful. There are still some who like to say things that you want to hear, and although done for the best reasons, they are lies.
I was also brought up to believe that telling the truth was a good thing, and I still believe that to be the case. Surely a measure of society lies in the ability of its people to recognise the value of the truth, and that it is nothing to do with religion.
As an ex teacher, I am so familiar with kids who you see committing an offence, blatantly denying that they did it, or that they were even there, knowing that without any proof their word against mine negated any guilt. Sadly, a long exposure to lies makes for cynicism, and so these days i take most things with a large pinch of salt even though most people that i know are honest and truthful. There are still some who like to say things that you want to hear, and although done for the best reasons, they are lies.
I was also brought up to believe that telling the truth was a good thing, and I still believe that to be the case. Surely a measure of society lies in the ability of its people to recognise the value of the truth, and that it is nothing to do with religion.
Monday, 28 September 2009
An article by Margaret Attwood - my favourite writer
Time capsule found on the dead planet by Margaret Atwood
In December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to try to reach a global deal to tackle climate change. To support the launch of the 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon emissions, the Review asked some of our greatest artists, authors and poets to produce new work in response to the crisis
* Margaret Atwood
* The Guardian, Saturday 26 September 2009
* Article history
1. In the first age, we created gods. We carved them out of wood; there was still such a thing as wood, then. We forged them from shining metals and painted them on temple walls. They were gods of many kinds, and goddesses as well. Sometimes they were cruel and drank our blood, but also they gave us rain and sunshine, favourable winds, good harvests, fertile animals, many children. A million birds flew over us then, a million fish swam in our seas.
Our gods had horns on their heads, or moons, or sealy fins, or the beaks of eagles. We called them All-Knowing, we called them Shining One. We knew we were not orphans. We smelled the earth and rolled in it; its juices ran down our chins.
2. In the second age we created money. This money was also made of shining metals. It had two faces: on one side was a severed head, that of a king or some other noteworthy person, on the other face was something else, something that would give us comfort: a bird, a fish, a fur-bearing animal. This was all that remained of our former gods. The money was small in size, and each of us would carry some of it with him every day, as close to the skin as possible. We could not eat this money, wear it or burn it for warmth; but as if by magic it could be changed into such things. The money was mysterious, and we were in awe of it. If you had enough of it, it was said, you would be able to fly.
3. In the third age, money became a god. It was all-powerful, and out of control. It began to talk. It began to create on its own. It created feasts and famines, songs of joy, lamentations. It created greed and hunger, which were its two faces. Towers of glass rose at its name, were destroyed and rose again. It began to eat things. It ate whole forests, croplands and the lives of children. It ate armies, ships and cities. No one could stop it. To have it was a sign of grace.
4. In the fourth age we created deserts. Our deserts were of several kinds, but they had one thing in common: nothing grew there. Some were made of cement, some were made of various poisons, some of baked earth. We made these deserts from the desire for more money and from despair at the lack of it. Wars, plagues and famines visited us, but we did not stop in our industrious creation of deserts. At last all wells were poisoned, all rivers ran with filth, all seas were dead; there was no land left to grow food.
Some of our wise men turned to the contemplation of deserts. A stone in the sand in the setting sun could be very beautiful, they said. Deserts were tidy, because there were no weeds in them, nothing that crawled. Stay in the desert long enough, and you could apprehend the absolute. The number zero was holy.
5. You who have come here from some distant world, to this dry lakeshore and this cairn, and to this cylinder of brass, in which on the last day of all our recorded days I place our final words:
Pray for us, who once, too, thought we could fly.
In December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to try to reach a global deal to tackle climate change. To support the launch of the 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon emissions, the Review asked some of our greatest artists, authors and poets to produce new work in response to the crisis
* Margaret Atwood
* The Guardian, Saturday 26 September 2009
* Article history
1. In the first age, we created gods. We carved them out of wood; there was still such a thing as wood, then. We forged them from shining metals and painted them on temple walls. They were gods of many kinds, and goddesses as well. Sometimes they were cruel and drank our blood, but also they gave us rain and sunshine, favourable winds, good harvests, fertile animals, many children. A million birds flew over us then, a million fish swam in our seas.
Our gods had horns on their heads, or moons, or sealy fins, or the beaks of eagles. We called them All-Knowing, we called them Shining One. We knew we were not orphans. We smelled the earth and rolled in it; its juices ran down our chins.
2. In the second age we created money. This money was also made of shining metals. It had two faces: on one side was a severed head, that of a king or some other noteworthy person, on the other face was something else, something that would give us comfort: a bird, a fish, a fur-bearing animal. This was all that remained of our former gods. The money was small in size, and each of us would carry some of it with him every day, as close to the skin as possible. We could not eat this money, wear it or burn it for warmth; but as if by magic it could be changed into such things. The money was mysterious, and we were in awe of it. If you had enough of it, it was said, you would be able to fly.
3. In the third age, money became a god. It was all-powerful, and out of control. It began to talk. It began to create on its own. It created feasts and famines, songs of joy, lamentations. It created greed and hunger, which were its two faces. Towers of glass rose at its name, were destroyed and rose again. It began to eat things. It ate whole forests, croplands and the lives of children. It ate armies, ships and cities. No one could stop it. To have it was a sign of grace.
4. In the fourth age we created deserts. Our deserts were of several kinds, but they had one thing in common: nothing grew there. Some were made of cement, some were made of various poisons, some of baked earth. We made these deserts from the desire for more money and from despair at the lack of it. Wars, plagues and famines visited us, but we did not stop in our industrious creation of deserts. At last all wells were poisoned, all rivers ran with filth, all seas were dead; there was no land left to grow food.
Some of our wise men turned to the contemplation of deserts. A stone in the sand in the setting sun could be very beautiful, they said. Deserts were tidy, because there were no weeds in them, nothing that crawled. Stay in the desert long enough, and you could apprehend the absolute. The number zero was holy.
5. You who have come here from some distant world, to this dry lakeshore and this cairn, and to this cylinder of brass, in which on the last day of all our recorded days I place our final words:
Pray for us, who once, too, thought we could fly.
Plastic men with plastic hats and coats
I confess that I have been following the X Factor on TV. It is a warped sort of occupation as I loathe virtually everything about it. The "judges", with one exception, are plastic and mindless and the contestants all seem to be utterly desperate to become celebrities, having no ideas what else they can do with their lives. Part of the morbid fascination comes from those who have even less talent than i do, and yet they stand up on a stage and produce performances that would humiliate most of us, while seeming surprised that they are rejected. Many of these no hopers have sponsors who must have put them up there just for a bet; I can think of no other reason. There are some who seem to have a modicum of talent but what people seem to forget is that this is not a talent show, it is a selection process for a wealthy entrepreneur who is looking for someone to fill a very precise mould, and inevitably increase his wealth further. It matters not a jot how good the contestant may be unless they can tick the boxes that are essential for a commercial success. The modern Pop industry is primarily aimed at teenage girls, and has been for decades. Hence the surge in boy bands and girl bands who may have presence and adequate voices but little else to offer. We are in an era of session musicians, invisible talents who provide background music for the hothouse reared mayflies of the industry, the one hit wonders who will be forgotten within a few years.
As an antidote I have been digging out some of my old vinyl albums. I had a thing about sampler albums and these albums contained tracks from many bands who never really made it bigtime, and yet the quality of the music and the musical ability of the performers was first rate. Most of these bands learn their trade from the ground upwards and only made records when the industry deemed them good enough. Bands became famous by playing live gigs and for very little money compared to today. I saw the Beatles for 50p and Cream for even less. Status Quo played a college dance for 40 pounds, and yet now that 40 pounds wouldn't get you a ticket.
I know there is still talent out there, there are some good bands and some wonderful singers including my friend Holly, but it would seem that it is necessary to play a particular set of games if you wish to become successful. For now though, but I hope not for long, the inane, the plastic and the clones are in the driving seat.
As an antidote I have been digging out some of my old vinyl albums. I had a thing about sampler albums and these albums contained tracks from many bands who never really made it bigtime, and yet the quality of the music and the musical ability of the performers was first rate. Most of these bands learn their trade from the ground upwards and only made records when the industry deemed them good enough. Bands became famous by playing live gigs and for very little money compared to today. I saw the Beatles for 50p and Cream for even less. Status Quo played a college dance for 40 pounds, and yet now that 40 pounds wouldn't get you a ticket.
I know there is still talent out there, there are some good bands and some wonderful singers including my friend Holly, but it would seem that it is necessary to play a particular set of games if you wish to become successful. For now though, but I hope not for long, the inane, the plastic and the clones are in the driving seat.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Breakout
As I write this, I can barely see out of one eye, my head, face and upper torso are all covered in hives yet again. It is only a week since the last outbreak and frankly I am sick of it. I have seen all the specialists and they say that it is ideopathic, and that is really helpful. I take double doses or more of the antihistamines as soon as it appears and yet nothing seems to make any difference. It is a strange ailment and always makes me feel very ill in an undefined way; and I live in hope that it will be short lived.
Fortunately I am in a position where I don't have to go out at all. In fact I go for days without seeing people, and that sometimes suits me. I have a propensity towards a hermit's life style and that is something that I have no wish to adopt. I can see how it can creep up on one though and must remain on my guard.
On a positive note, yesterday I received and installed the latest Mac Operating system. I did hedge a little as mostly, new OS often means bugs and troubles, but the reviews have been good so i bit the bullet and am so glad that I did. For months now I have been unable to use Adobe Illustrator, one of my favourite programs; it clashed with an upgrade and there seemed no solution. I was on the cusp of spending out a lot of money to replace it with a new version, but now I find that it works again - deep joy.
I now have a faster and leaner computer to play with and that should help me through until the inevitable subsidence, but in the meantime I'll continue to scratch and silently scream to myself.
Fortunately I am in a position where I don't have to go out at all. In fact I go for days without seeing people, and that sometimes suits me. I have a propensity towards a hermit's life style and that is something that I have no wish to adopt. I can see how it can creep up on one though and must remain on my guard.
On a positive note, yesterday I received and installed the latest Mac Operating system. I did hedge a little as mostly, new OS often means bugs and troubles, but the reviews have been good so i bit the bullet and am so glad that I did. For months now I have been unable to use Adobe Illustrator, one of my favourite programs; it clashed with an upgrade and there seemed no solution. I was on the cusp of spending out a lot of money to replace it with a new version, but now I find that it works again - deep joy.
I now have a faster and leaner computer to play with and that should help me through until the inevitable subsidence, but in the meantime I'll continue to scratch and silently scream to myself.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Hidden treasures
I have been reading about the recent find of saxon treasure in Staffordshire. It would seem that a guy with a metal detector has unearthed one of the biggest and most important finds of its kind just lying there beneath a farmer's field.
This taps directly into boyhood dreams of buried treasure, and though we always hoped that we'd find hoards of something or other we never did. It never stopped us hoping though, and now and then, we'd create our own little boxes of treasure and bury it. Of course we'd quickly move on and forget where we'd but it and so out there will be the rotting remains of tin soldiers, buttons, sweet wrappers, hastilly scribbled notes and who know what. We did understand that our tins wouldn't last long and so we'd wrap eveything in layers of polythene bags. One day perhaps someone will find the bits and pieces that we buried and wonder what we were like.
This activity has been formalised these days with schools burying time capsules, designed to preserve things forever. No doubt our antecedents will take great pleasure in examining the past that way, but there is no sense of discovery in such things.
Finding what has been lost has always been pleasurable, and throughout life I have lost much that I held dear. To rediscover those things have probably brought joy to others and such is the way of things.
This taps directly into boyhood dreams of buried treasure, and though we always hoped that we'd find hoards of something or other we never did. It never stopped us hoping though, and now and then, we'd create our own little boxes of treasure and bury it. Of course we'd quickly move on and forget where we'd but it and so out there will be the rotting remains of tin soldiers, buttons, sweet wrappers, hastilly scribbled notes and who know what. We did understand that our tins wouldn't last long and so we'd wrap eveything in layers of polythene bags. One day perhaps someone will find the bits and pieces that we buried and wonder what we were like.
This activity has been formalised these days with schools burying time capsules, designed to preserve things forever. No doubt our antecedents will take great pleasure in examining the past that way, but there is no sense of discovery in such things.
Finding what has been lost has always been pleasurable, and throughout life I have lost much that I held dear. To rediscover those things have probably brought joy to others and such is the way of things.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Time flies like an arrow - fruit flies like a banana
My greenhouse is infested with fruit flies. I don't really mind as all that is left in there are overripe tomatoes and they are welcome to them. They are fascinating little things with beautiful red eyes. For decades these little creatures have been at the cutting edge of genetics and in the wild there are many different species and within those species hundreds of weird and wonderful mutations.
Some have white eyes and in others eyes are sepia coloured, some have no wings and there are even individual with legs where antennae should be.
Mutations occur naturally as a matter of chance but many of these mutants have been produced in laboratories by exposing flies to radiation or to mutagenic chemicals. Such experiments have advanced our understanding of the way that genes work and no-one has ever complained that these creatures have been badly done by. There are no fruit fly liberation groups, or save the fruit fly campaigns. People do not get excited about genetic manipulation when it comes to these little beasts and yet they have been subjected to our attention for so long.
They are easily kept as pets too - all you need to do is mash a banana, put the pulp into a glass bottle and leave it open for a day or so. After that plug it with cotton wool and watch the little dears breed to their hearts content. Within a few days you will find the banana crawling with tiny larvae and a week or so on you will have a brand new crop of flies that think the universe ends in a hard shiny wall. Oddly there will not be any evidence that they are forming groups or societies, they don't fight and they do nat appear to be looking for answers to life the universe and everything. They don't hold meetings and have no economy and yet they seem to rub along quite happily.
Spiders love them too - if you have a pet spider then you can keep her in food all the yearround by maintaining a breeding population of flies. Try it - you know you want to!
Some have white eyes and in others eyes are sepia coloured, some have no wings and there are even individual with legs where antennae should be.
Mutations occur naturally as a matter of chance but many of these mutants have been produced in laboratories by exposing flies to radiation or to mutagenic chemicals. Such experiments have advanced our understanding of the way that genes work and no-one has ever complained that these creatures have been badly done by. There are no fruit fly liberation groups, or save the fruit fly campaigns. People do not get excited about genetic manipulation when it comes to these little beasts and yet they have been subjected to our attention for so long.
They are easily kept as pets too - all you need to do is mash a banana, put the pulp into a glass bottle and leave it open for a day or so. After that plug it with cotton wool and watch the little dears breed to their hearts content. Within a few days you will find the banana crawling with tiny larvae and a week or so on you will have a brand new crop of flies that think the universe ends in a hard shiny wall. Oddly there will not be any evidence that they are forming groups or societies, they don't fight and they do nat appear to be looking for answers to life the universe and everything. They don't hold meetings and have no economy and yet they seem to rub along quite happily.
Spiders love them too - if you have a pet spider then you can keep her in food all the yearround by maintaining a breeding population of flies. Try it - you know you want to!
Monday, 21 September 2009
Happy mondays
I have been checking my broadband speed this morning. I do it from time to time just to satisfy myself that my ISp is failing to keep its promise. I am paying for 10Mb/s and usually manage to obtain about 2. Now this is actually adequate for my needs but I do feel that I am paying over the odds for the service that I get. I know that the contract says in very small print - "up to" but it still seems a little unfair to generate such optimism, whilst guaranteeing disappointment.
It is of course the fashion to be upbeat and positive about everything, to make promises that cannot possibly be delivered upon, whilst looking down or realistic viewpoints and branding their holders as cynics.
I agree that there is a place for optimism, after all burying one's head in the sand can generate a wonderful feeling of security, but some that I know make a habit of this while being shafted by those who prey on them.
I'd love to be able to see the good in everyone but I firmly believe that some are born bad, and as such, lack any redeeming features. Of course many are made bad by their circumstances and the world is generating more and more "bad" people because of the way that we are running it. Here we have a growing underclass of young people who do not fit into the moulds that are available to them, choosing to live outside of the laws and social mores that keep society in order. They are failing to recognise authority and authority in it's turn seems to be losing the advantage. the police force are spending more and more of their time dealing with kids, and the news reports habitual offenders as young as three years. Kids have become untouchable in all senses and more and more of them are becoming feral. I know that if kids vandalise my property that I can do nothing about it. To defend myself against them is illegal and should I do anything then i am liable to be prosecuted. Like most adults, I now avoid any dealings with kids out in the wild and that is a shame.
On an optimistic note, I do have a broadband connection that seems to be reliable most of the time. That means that I can access the world virtually, which seems so much more pleasant in some ways than the harsh realities of a human race that is rapidly heading for self destruction.
It is of course the fashion to be upbeat and positive about everything, to make promises that cannot possibly be delivered upon, whilst looking down or realistic viewpoints and branding their holders as cynics.
I agree that there is a place for optimism, after all burying one's head in the sand can generate a wonderful feeling of security, but some that I know make a habit of this while being shafted by those who prey on them.
I'd love to be able to see the good in everyone but I firmly believe that some are born bad, and as such, lack any redeeming features. Of course many are made bad by their circumstances and the world is generating more and more "bad" people because of the way that we are running it. Here we have a growing underclass of young people who do not fit into the moulds that are available to them, choosing to live outside of the laws and social mores that keep society in order. They are failing to recognise authority and authority in it's turn seems to be losing the advantage. the police force are spending more and more of their time dealing with kids, and the news reports habitual offenders as young as three years. Kids have become untouchable in all senses and more and more of them are becoming feral. I know that if kids vandalise my property that I can do nothing about it. To defend myself against them is illegal and should I do anything then i am liable to be prosecuted. Like most adults, I now avoid any dealings with kids out in the wild and that is a shame.
On an optimistic note, I do have a broadband connection that seems to be reliable most of the time. That means that I can access the world virtually, which seems so much more pleasant in some ways than the harsh realities of a human race that is rapidly heading for self destruction.
Monday, 14 September 2009
The courage to fail
I remember a wonderful documentary series on the TV tilted “The Courage to fail”. It described the history of heart surgery and showed that the almost narcissistic arrogance of the pioneer surgeons, drove their progress, and that it had been necessary to take huge risks with patient’s lives in order that their techniques and procedures could be developed.
Western societies drive the world along in terms of technological evolution. For centuries , scientific progress has been in the hands of Europe and America and with every step forward, someone has been prepared to take a risk. Jenner risked the life of James Phipps and his own reputation in his demonstration of the first Vaccination, John Hunter infected himself with syphilis in order to show that it was a disease in its own right, Marie Curie accelerated he death in her search for Radium and so on.
The newspapers would like us all to believe that the new particle accelerator, due to be switched on again this year will, create a black hole into which we will all vanish, and maybe it will. In the end would it matter? There would be no-one to sue and no protesters to complain about it.
The world sits on the brink of a food shortage. It may not seem likely as we see our own population getting fatter and fatter, but there are occasional reminders in the form of footage of children starving to death in far flung regions of Africa, where a farmer’s productivity is at the whims of weather and whatever insect pest happens to be in abundance that year.
Somehow in this century, food production must be increased by 50%, and that is a monumental task. We do however have the technology to do something towards increasing food productivity and giving the African farmer a helping hand. GM plants can solve some of the issues producing more and in some cases better foods than we have ever had before, and yet, the very mention of GM brings out the protesters like wasps at a jam sandwich picnic.
All that we eat has been the product of genetic manipulation anyhow, where, by selective breeding of livestock, we have produced plants and animals that are geared up to feed us and provide for other needs too. GM is not new, it is largely the sensationalization of the process by the tabloid press that has generated the fear that stems from the ignorance of the masses.
Risk taking has become a rarity. Health and safety regulations and exponential growth in the population of lawyers means that we all walk around on eggshells, afraid to step away from the path. That way lies stagnation and disaster.
Western societies drive the world along in terms of technological evolution. For centuries , scientific progress has been in the hands of Europe and America and with every step forward, someone has been prepared to take a risk. Jenner risked the life of James Phipps and his own reputation in his demonstration of the first Vaccination, John Hunter infected himself with syphilis in order to show that it was a disease in its own right, Marie Curie accelerated he death in her search for Radium and so on.
The newspapers would like us all to believe that the new particle accelerator, due to be switched on again this year will, create a black hole into which we will all vanish, and maybe it will. In the end would it matter? There would be no-one to sue and no protesters to complain about it.
The world sits on the brink of a food shortage. It may not seem likely as we see our own population getting fatter and fatter, but there are occasional reminders in the form of footage of children starving to death in far flung regions of Africa, where a farmer’s productivity is at the whims of weather and whatever insect pest happens to be in abundance that year.
Somehow in this century, food production must be increased by 50%, and that is a monumental task. We do however have the technology to do something towards increasing food productivity and giving the African farmer a helping hand. GM plants can solve some of the issues producing more and in some cases better foods than we have ever had before, and yet, the very mention of GM brings out the protesters like wasps at a jam sandwich picnic.
All that we eat has been the product of genetic manipulation anyhow, where, by selective breeding of livestock, we have produced plants and animals that are geared up to feed us and provide for other needs too. GM is not new, it is largely the sensationalization of the process by the tabloid press that has generated the fear that stems from the ignorance of the masses.
Risk taking has become a rarity. Health and safety regulations and exponential growth in the population of lawyers means that we all walk around on eggshells, afraid to step away from the path. That way lies stagnation and disaster.
Friday, 11 September 2009
The garden of eden?
I am a poor gardener. In fact i am not much good at anything really, but I potter and some things do well despite my efforts. I love plants that thrive on neglect, but when it comes to vegetables there are few that do. My courgettes all grow when i am not looking into monster marrows that have very limited culinary use, my beans tend to mature spasmodically so that there are rarely sufficient in the right state to eat and by the time the others catch up, they have become old and stringy. I give up with onions; i am sure that my onion sets actually shrink rather than grow, and my tomatoes - well does anyone want some - they seem to frow like weeds and I have no control over them at all.
My one big success this year has been my wormery. I have this device into which I put all my kitchen waste - uncooked stuff that is- and the worms feed upon it and out of the bottom comes a rich brown liquid that is supposed to be a good fertilizer. Maybe in more skilled hands it would be, but I am happy that the system works. These worms breed at an incredible rate and if i open the layers, each one is alive with pink wriggly things that seem to have just three real functions in life, to eat, to breed and to crap. They have everything provided for them and seem content with their lot. None seem to have an urge to escape and I am pretty sure that they don't fight among themselves for the supplies that they are given.
How they interrelate is a mystery, and although they do have nervous sytems, i am pretty sure that they do not have the facility to devise philosophy. Were this possible, I suppose that some bright wriggler with nothing better to do would have realised that each time the lid was removed, that abundant delicious treats were provided by a huge entity, and that this entity must be the creator.
Humans are good at anthropomorphisation, and many believe that all animals have the ability to think or to reason. How silly is that? i know some people who are unable to reason, and yet some think that animals can apply thoughts in human style. I am sure that some creatures come close to that but it is a truism that man is the only animal not trapped in the present.
Worms have no memory, no ability to think for themselves and therefore ........................... wow, maybe they do have a religion!
My one big success this year has been my wormery. I have this device into which I put all my kitchen waste - uncooked stuff that is- and the worms feed upon it and out of the bottom comes a rich brown liquid that is supposed to be a good fertilizer. Maybe in more skilled hands it would be, but I am happy that the system works. These worms breed at an incredible rate and if i open the layers, each one is alive with pink wriggly things that seem to have just three real functions in life, to eat, to breed and to crap. They have everything provided for them and seem content with their lot. None seem to have an urge to escape and I am pretty sure that they don't fight among themselves for the supplies that they are given.
How they interrelate is a mystery, and although they do have nervous sytems, i am pretty sure that they do not have the facility to devise philosophy. Were this possible, I suppose that some bright wriggler with nothing better to do would have realised that each time the lid was removed, that abundant delicious treats were provided by a huge entity, and that this entity must be the creator.
Humans are good at anthropomorphisation, and many believe that all animals have the ability to think or to reason. How silly is that? i know some people who are unable to reason, and yet some think that animals can apply thoughts in human style. I am sure that some creatures come close to that but it is a truism that man is the only animal not trapped in the present.
Worms have no memory, no ability to think for themselves and therefore ........................... wow, maybe they do have a religion!
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Searching for the truth
Watching with a sense of awe the latest batch of pictures from the enhanced Hubble Telescope, I was taken away from my reverie by a comment about the money that is wasted upon space exploration. There are millions of people out there who do see such a program as a waste of money, and while there are huge problems in society and desperate poverty in the world, I can see the argument. However, the same millions of people are quite happy to support the obscenity of the organised religions, that do nothing to solve the underlying problems faced by those that support them.
On the same news broadcast I was appalled by the attitudes being expressed in the USA regarding Barak Obama’s attempts to bring a new humanity to the American health system, where everyone, regardless of their wealth, would have access to medical care. There is so much anger that seems to come from profound ignorance of what a National Health service is all about, many people opposing the idea on the basis of an ideology that has been driven into them while education has failed. America seems to magnify the enormous divides that exist within the world, and with their obsessive views on freedom, the whole world can observe them on their best and worst behaviour.
As a society, the world is being pulled apart. We seem to have learned very little from history and still allow ourselves to be ruled by the irrational. Politicians are afraid to oppose those who are led by fantastic theistic philosophies, and so the churches still wield their powers, albeit in covert ways.
The money spent perpetuating ancient middle eastern mythologies would go a long way towards solving many of the real issues faced by people today. What is spent on space research is insignificant in proportion, and I for one would rather spend money seeking the truth than in the perpetuation of lies.
On the same news broadcast I was appalled by the attitudes being expressed in the USA regarding Barak Obama’s attempts to bring a new humanity to the American health system, where everyone, regardless of their wealth, would have access to medical care. There is so much anger that seems to come from profound ignorance of what a National Health service is all about, many people opposing the idea on the basis of an ideology that has been driven into them while education has failed. America seems to magnify the enormous divides that exist within the world, and with their obsessive views on freedom, the whole world can observe them on their best and worst behaviour.
As a society, the world is being pulled apart. We seem to have learned very little from history and still allow ourselves to be ruled by the irrational. Politicians are afraid to oppose those who are led by fantastic theistic philosophies, and so the churches still wield their powers, albeit in covert ways.
The money spent perpetuating ancient middle eastern mythologies would go a long way towards solving many of the real issues faced by people today. What is spent on space research is insignificant in proportion, and I for one would rather spend money seeking the truth than in the perpetuation of lies.
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