Schools are being told that it may be illegal to enforce the wearing of skirts by girls on the grounds that it may discriminate against transexuals. Do the people that make these decisions believe that transexuals are not going to be discriminated against for other reasons? We are all subject to discrimination and have to learn to live with it. People are people and all have their prejudices. I confess to being prejudiced against those with extreme right wing views and those at the other end of the spectrum. I am prejudiced against those who worship stupidity and see it as a badge of honour, and those who put religions in front of their regard for fellow human beings.
I am discriminated against all of the time, on the basis of my age, my gender and probably the way that I dress and the opinions that I hold. It is all part of living in a society, or in my case on the fringe of society.
I was wondering how far t his PC madness can go, perhaps the following could become illegal in the future
Taking driving licences away from blind people or alcoholics.
Locking prisoners in their cells without a bedtime story.
Giving kids homework
Not giving unemployment benefit to those in work.
Speeding fines
Maths tests
The list is endless - unless we wake up and realise that all of this is just a terrible dream!
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Monday, 22 February 2010
Contrasts
This weekend, for reasons that I will not go into, I saw The Brits Awards and also the BAFTAs. I am not a fan of either show, though I do believe in praising achievement, as long as that achievement has been the result of effort rather than circumstance.
We seem to have evolved a culture where the concept of praising achievement has been taken to silly extremes. I some schools children may be rewarded for just turning up, and others for managing to behave in a civilised way. Others who do this as a matter of course, receive nothing other than confusing messages.
Anyhow, the two "ceremonies" were fascinating in the sheer contrast that they demonstrated. On one hand we had a slick, well presented and civilised display of talent, with intelligent people being given well deserved accolades for, in some cases, years of work, honing their craft to the highest of levels. And then there were the Brit awards.
Ok I know that I am a grumpy old git, as my son likes to remind me, but there was a time when Britain produced a plethora of talented young people who could outshine the rest of the world when it came to pop music. There was little of that talent on display this year. The most memorable talent was an American and the rest, bland, ordinary and unoriginal.
All that we can seem to offer is surface. We have pretty boy bands who sing reasonably but are utterly dull unless you happen to be a twelve year old girl, sexy girl bands who appeal to most men until they start to sing, and the rest seems to be Hiphop, a brand of sound that seems to me incomprehensible and of no worth whatever. Britpop is in a sorry state, and like all aspects of modern culture becoming dominated by women. It is a shame as there are many talented bands out there, producing new and original stuff, but alas they do not fit the moulds that the likes of Simon Cowell produce. The only saving grace is that the average act these days has the life expectancy of a mayfly.
We seem to have evolved a culture where the concept of praising achievement has been taken to silly extremes. I some schools children may be rewarded for just turning up, and others for managing to behave in a civilised way. Others who do this as a matter of course, receive nothing other than confusing messages.
Anyhow, the two "ceremonies" were fascinating in the sheer contrast that they demonstrated. On one hand we had a slick, well presented and civilised display of talent, with intelligent people being given well deserved accolades for, in some cases, years of work, honing their craft to the highest of levels. And then there were the Brit awards.
Ok I know that I am a grumpy old git, as my son likes to remind me, but there was a time when Britain produced a plethora of talented young people who could outshine the rest of the world when it came to pop music. There was little of that talent on display this year. The most memorable talent was an American and the rest, bland, ordinary and unoriginal.
All that we can seem to offer is surface. We have pretty boy bands who sing reasonably but are utterly dull unless you happen to be a twelve year old girl, sexy girl bands who appeal to most men until they start to sing, and the rest seems to be Hiphop, a brand of sound that seems to me incomprehensible and of no worth whatever. Britpop is in a sorry state, and like all aspects of modern culture becoming dominated by women. It is a shame as there are many talented bands out there, producing new and original stuff, but alas they do not fit the moulds that the likes of Simon Cowell produce. The only saving grace is that the average act these days has the life expectancy of a mayfly.
Monday, 15 February 2010
An unpleasant experience
I have an old lady friend who I visit from time to time. We drink tea and laugh a lot, she talks about her childhood and some of her happier times, and if necessary I do odd jobs for her. Like many older people she gets into a state of panic very easily and I have told her over and over again to call if she needs help. She is reluctant to do so and so yesterday afternoon as I was settling down to a post lunch doze, she called, and I knew that she was panicking.
When I got there, she was indeed at her wits end. Something had got into her fireplace and was making a great deal of noise. Now this is an old large Edwardian fireplace that has been fitted with a gas fire of considerable vintage. It is sealed in with a sheet metal screen that is screwed into the fabric of the fireplace and the fire itself sealed in with gaffer tape. The whole thing was moving and it sounded as if some large beast was fighting to get out. The sheet metal bulged outwards and bits and pieces were clearly cascading down the chimney.
I ushered Liz very slowly out of the room, not wanting her to be there when whatever it was was released, made her a cup of tea and proceeded to dismantle the arrangement that had lain their untouched for decades. Of course the screws were corroded in and could not be budged and so I eased the fire away from the chimney, disengaging it from its flue and from the heavy duty tape that held it in place. While this was going on the occupant of the dark space behind had fallen silent. Beneath the fire was a hole that led into the cellars below. What on Earth could have come up? However that thought was dispelled when I realised that there was no connection between that hole and whatever lay beyond. Unable to free the sheet metal barrier I could only thrust my hand through the flue to investigate what had been making the noise and that hole wasn't very big. Tentatively I groped around in the dark, half expecting to be bitten or dragged screaming into oblivion - I watch too many bad movies! Nothing! Whatever it was had moved out of reach.
I found a walking stick near to the front door and returned - thrust said stick up aforementioned chimney and waggled it around. Mayhem in the chimney resumed as the trapped beast sprang back into action and I caught my first glimpse. A large and very scared Wood Pigeon was struggling to get back up the sooty passage that it had come in by and was hopelessly failing. Almost as scared as it was, I resumed my attempts at grabbing it, grasping it's tail firmly I endeavoured to release it from its prison. I succeeded with the tail but alas it had become detached from the poor bird in the struggle and i was left with a large handful of warm feathers. There was now less of the bird to struggle and the poor thing flapped and floundered while i tried to grab it by something else. I found a wing and eased it from the hole, most of the wing feathers came out in my hand an the now dismembered bird escaped into the room in a cloud of feathers. On all fours I chase it around the room, under chairs and around furniture, under curtains and over sofas until the petrified beast ran out of will to live and I grasped it with both hands. I could feel its heart pounding in my grip and see the fear its eyes. I couldn't bring myself to wring its neck and so released it outside the back door. To my amazement it flew away. I still don't know how it managed that with no tail and one and a half wings. No aircraft could have achieved that I am sure.
I returned to the room of carnage, picked up the feathers and reassembled the fire, feeling quite shaken by the plucking of a live bird and feeling very bad about the pain that I must have inflicted.
The consolation of course was that Liz was back in posession of her peace of mind and that should the pigeon meet a swift end in the jaws of a fox, it will be preferable to a long death in a fireplace.
When I got there, she was indeed at her wits end. Something had got into her fireplace and was making a great deal of noise. Now this is an old large Edwardian fireplace that has been fitted with a gas fire of considerable vintage. It is sealed in with a sheet metal screen that is screwed into the fabric of the fireplace and the fire itself sealed in with gaffer tape. The whole thing was moving and it sounded as if some large beast was fighting to get out. The sheet metal bulged outwards and bits and pieces were clearly cascading down the chimney.
I ushered Liz very slowly out of the room, not wanting her to be there when whatever it was was released, made her a cup of tea and proceeded to dismantle the arrangement that had lain their untouched for decades. Of course the screws were corroded in and could not be budged and so I eased the fire away from the chimney, disengaging it from its flue and from the heavy duty tape that held it in place. While this was going on the occupant of the dark space behind had fallen silent. Beneath the fire was a hole that led into the cellars below. What on Earth could have come up? However that thought was dispelled when I realised that there was no connection between that hole and whatever lay beyond. Unable to free the sheet metal barrier I could only thrust my hand through the flue to investigate what had been making the noise and that hole wasn't very big. Tentatively I groped around in the dark, half expecting to be bitten or dragged screaming into oblivion - I watch too many bad movies! Nothing! Whatever it was had moved out of reach.
I found a walking stick near to the front door and returned - thrust said stick up aforementioned chimney and waggled it around. Mayhem in the chimney resumed as the trapped beast sprang back into action and I caught my first glimpse. A large and very scared Wood Pigeon was struggling to get back up the sooty passage that it had come in by and was hopelessly failing. Almost as scared as it was, I resumed my attempts at grabbing it, grasping it's tail firmly I endeavoured to release it from its prison. I succeeded with the tail but alas it had become detached from the poor bird in the struggle and i was left with a large handful of warm feathers. There was now less of the bird to struggle and the poor thing flapped and floundered while i tried to grab it by something else. I found a wing and eased it from the hole, most of the wing feathers came out in my hand an the now dismembered bird escaped into the room in a cloud of feathers. On all fours I chase it around the room, under chairs and around furniture, under curtains and over sofas until the petrified beast ran out of will to live and I grasped it with both hands. I could feel its heart pounding in my grip and see the fear its eyes. I couldn't bring myself to wring its neck and so released it outside the back door. To my amazement it flew away. I still don't know how it managed that with no tail and one and a half wings. No aircraft could have achieved that I am sure.
I returned to the room of carnage, picked up the feathers and reassembled the fire, feeling quite shaken by the plucking of a live bird and feeling very bad about the pain that I must have inflicted.
The consolation of course was that Liz was back in posession of her peace of mind and that should the pigeon meet a swift end in the jaws of a fox, it will be preferable to a long death in a fireplace.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Pie in the sky
I am well aware that what I think may well be completely wrong, and that others hold completely opposite viewpoints that probably have the same validity or otherwise. It would be a duller world if we all thought the same.
We are running towards a general election and the two contending parties are squaring up to each other and beginning to show traces of their true colours, though I don't suppose what they say between now and whenever the election happens, will make much difference to the outcome.
We as a nation are in a financial mess, and have been put there by mistakes made by a greed that is inherent within our society. Everyone seems to want something for nothing, and the banking world took things into their own hands, attempted to make a few too many fast bucks and now we all have to pay for what they have done. The bankers however continue to recieve their huge bonuses, and will receive unending support from the conservatives on both sides of the house. Budgets are being designed and ways of clawing back the bankers losses from the rest of us are being proposed on one hand and rejected by the other. The current government want to increase taxes, especially on the wealthy, while their opponents prefer to rob the poor and keep them in their places, forcing the elderly to sell their homes in order to fund their care in later life. This will of course remove the last incentive to invest one's earnings in property as those without houses to sell will be looked after anyhow, and those recipients of big bonuses will have cash to spare.
Voting at the next election will make little difference to most of us however. Only the wealthy can gain from a new Tory government and almost no-one can gain from maintaining the status quo. Surely we should consider the end of party politics, and strive to elect a government that represents the interests of us all.
We are running towards a general election and the two contending parties are squaring up to each other and beginning to show traces of their true colours, though I don't suppose what they say between now and whenever the election happens, will make much difference to the outcome.
We as a nation are in a financial mess, and have been put there by mistakes made by a greed that is inherent within our society. Everyone seems to want something for nothing, and the banking world took things into their own hands, attempted to make a few too many fast bucks and now we all have to pay for what they have done. The bankers however continue to recieve their huge bonuses, and will receive unending support from the conservatives on both sides of the house. Budgets are being designed and ways of clawing back the bankers losses from the rest of us are being proposed on one hand and rejected by the other. The current government want to increase taxes, especially on the wealthy, while their opponents prefer to rob the poor and keep them in their places, forcing the elderly to sell their homes in order to fund their care in later life. This will of course remove the last incentive to invest one's earnings in property as those without houses to sell will be looked after anyhow, and those recipients of big bonuses will have cash to spare.
Voting at the next election will make little difference to most of us however. Only the wealthy can gain from a new Tory government and almost no-one can gain from maintaining the status quo. Surely we should consider the end of party politics, and strive to elect a government that represents the interests of us all.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Coming and going
People come into and leave our lives all of the time. I have been lucky enough to have met a large number of wonderful people, most of whom have sat before me in classrooms. Of course not all of them were in any way close and our relationship was both fleeting and professional, but nevertheless our lives did brush for an instant in time and we may have learned a little from each other.
As we grow from infant to child and from child to adult it is probable that more come into our lives than leave; I can still remember becoming aware of the finite nature of existence when just a boy, and being told of the demise of an elderly neighbour who i was quite fond of. The memory is crystal clear and the profound nature of that realisation represented a real turning point in my consciousness. He had gone. Forever. The end. Even then I had no belief in afterlives; those concepts are there to comfort those who fear death and cannot handle not being here. A hundred years ago, none of us were here. We did not exist by any definition of the word and in another hundred years we will be in the same state and the world will have moved on.
I am at the stage when few people come into my life, and those that do are often not welcome. Many people that I have cared about have gone; some have died and others simply gone along different pathways. Just a select few remain and those I value beyond material things.
I am not easy company, and do not make friends at all well anymore. I share my mind with very few and my feelings with less, and guess that makes me at best self centred. I rue some of my past and some of the friends that I have lost and have learned much about trust, and feel that on days like today, that I have changed little over the years. I am self contained to a great extent and realise that I will probably never feel fulfilled, but that is true of most people so there is no cause for complaint.
In just over a month my daughter is expecting her first child and I am looking forward to meeting someone new. I hope that this new life will be one filled with good things, but mainly that he or she will, when she gets to my age feel a sense of accomplishment and that their life has been well lived. Good luck little one, you will need it.
As we grow from infant to child and from child to adult it is probable that more come into our lives than leave; I can still remember becoming aware of the finite nature of existence when just a boy, and being told of the demise of an elderly neighbour who i was quite fond of. The memory is crystal clear and the profound nature of that realisation represented a real turning point in my consciousness. He had gone. Forever. The end. Even then I had no belief in afterlives; those concepts are there to comfort those who fear death and cannot handle not being here. A hundred years ago, none of us were here. We did not exist by any definition of the word and in another hundred years we will be in the same state and the world will have moved on.
I am at the stage when few people come into my life, and those that do are often not welcome. Many people that I have cared about have gone; some have died and others simply gone along different pathways. Just a select few remain and those I value beyond material things.
I am not easy company, and do not make friends at all well anymore. I share my mind with very few and my feelings with less, and guess that makes me at best self centred. I rue some of my past and some of the friends that I have lost and have learned much about trust, and feel that on days like today, that I have changed little over the years. I am self contained to a great extent and realise that I will probably never feel fulfilled, but that is true of most people so there is no cause for complaint.
In just over a month my daughter is expecting her first child and I am looking forward to meeting someone new. I hope that this new life will be one filled with good things, but mainly that he or she will, when she gets to my age feel a sense of accomplishment and that their life has been well lived. Good luck little one, you will need it.
Monday, 8 February 2010
a short rant
So our first Asian Judge has proclaimed that Sikh children should be allowed to wear their ceremonial daggers to school. The claim that no Sikh child has been involved in knife crime strikes me as being rather irrelevant, and surely it is time that such ludicrous claims should be dealt with unsympathetically. It seems that as long as you can tie in a behaviour or a habit to a religion then every one else is scared witless to challenge it. Sikhs have no more right to carry knives in public than anyone else and they should be stopped from doing so, because it is the law of the land. We are not a Sikh society; sick perhaps, but thankfully we are not yet ruled by any religious sect.
In the same day's news we hear of a sixteen year old girl, buried alive by her father for talking to boys. Where were her rights? Once again we see that religion is not about peace and goodwill to one's fellow man; it is about bowing to the will of an idea or to another human being who expounds upon that idea. When oh when will people wake up to the true source of evil in this world?
In the same day's news we hear of a sixteen year old girl, buried alive by her father for talking to boys. Where were her rights? Once again we see that religion is not about peace and goodwill to one's fellow man; it is about bowing to the will of an idea or to another human being who expounds upon that idea. When oh when will people wake up to the true source of evil in this world?
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Waxing lyrical?
I like to think that I have an eclectic taste in music; I do listen to a lot of it and generally tune in to radio 3 for mornings and listen to my collected stuff in the afternoons and evenings. As i write I am listening to Beth Gibbons and Rustic man, a band I know nothing of but the noise that they make is very pleasing.
I do try to listen to whatever comes my way and try to understand what musicians are trying to do. There was a time when they were more about making music than making money, but I am afraid that those days are long gone. I am sure that there are plenty out there for whom the music is far more important than the paychecks but everyone has to live.
What we listen to and enjoy is a very personal thing and there are genres of music which to me have no impact or meaning and i am sure that is so for everyone. I cannot relate in any way to Rap or Hip hop, and at the same time cannot comprehend the music of many modern classical composers. I don't particularly like Johan Strauss of Franz Lehar, and most traditional scottish music irks me.
I can understand then that many people can not relate to what I listen to. The leap from britpop or indiepap to Mozart or PinkFloyd is a huge one and therin lies a chasm which some will never cross in either direction.
Pop music is about youth culture and history shows us that the quality and type of music is an audible commentary on the times, or at least it has been since the forties and fifties. Good times and bad times have a way of producing music with impact and meaning for those to whom the music is aimed.
Good music has power to move people, either thought the overall sound, rhythm, melody or lyrics, and no one has yet managed to have a universal appeal. Even the Beatles at their best never achieved that, and they probably reached more ears than Beethoven ever did. And so when I hear what seems bland, banal and tediously plastic song releases, I must remember that someone out there actually relates to this and that makes it valid.
I do try to listen to whatever comes my way and try to understand what musicians are trying to do. There was a time when they were more about making music than making money, but I am afraid that those days are long gone. I am sure that there are plenty out there for whom the music is far more important than the paychecks but everyone has to live.
What we listen to and enjoy is a very personal thing and there are genres of music which to me have no impact or meaning and i am sure that is so for everyone. I cannot relate in any way to Rap or Hip hop, and at the same time cannot comprehend the music of many modern classical composers. I don't particularly like Johan Strauss of Franz Lehar, and most traditional scottish music irks me.
I can understand then that many people can not relate to what I listen to. The leap from britpop or indiepap to Mozart or PinkFloyd is a huge one and therin lies a chasm which some will never cross in either direction.
Pop music is about youth culture and history shows us that the quality and type of music is an audible commentary on the times, or at least it has been since the forties and fifties. Good times and bad times have a way of producing music with impact and meaning for those to whom the music is aimed.
Good music has power to move people, either thought the overall sound, rhythm, melody or lyrics, and no one has yet managed to have a universal appeal. Even the Beatles at their best never achieved that, and they probably reached more ears than Beethoven ever did. And so when I hear what seems bland, banal and tediously plastic song releases, I must remember that someone out there actually relates to this and that makes it valid.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Bring it on!
Well the struggle for equality continues with the government attempting to change the ground rules and remove glass ceilings allowing freedom of opportunity for all. Now I do agree that we should all have access to the same opportunities, but we should also be realistic.
Well the ex-Nazi leader of the most powerful religion in the world seems to be planning a visit to England because he fears that the new legislation will give free access to positions in his church to homosexuals of all things. How terrible that would be? No longer would they be able to discriminate on the basis of sexuality - or anything else for that matter. Within decades they could be taken over by men in dresses, waving handbags in strange ceremonies.
This is an organisation that preaches tolerance, and yet displays very little of that to anyone who lives outside of their faith. It values poverty as a virtue as long as they don't have to endure it, and like all big companies has vested interests in it's own power and survival.
In my opinion an influx of homosexual bishops could only do them good! A lot of choirboys would be far safer than they are now.
Well the ex-Nazi leader of the most powerful religion in the world seems to be planning a visit to England because he fears that the new legislation will give free access to positions in his church to homosexuals of all things. How terrible that would be? No longer would they be able to discriminate on the basis of sexuality - or anything else for that matter. Within decades they could be taken over by men in dresses, waving handbags in strange ceremonies.
This is an organisation that preaches tolerance, and yet displays very little of that to anyone who lives outside of their faith. It values poverty as a virtue as long as they don't have to endure it, and like all big companies has vested interests in it's own power and survival.
In my opinion an influx of homosexual bishops could only do them good! A lot of choirboys would be far safer than they are now.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Just how stupid can we get?
Surely we have reached rock bottom in the stagnant pool of political correctness, when it is not permitted to advertise a job for a reliable worker on the basis that it discriminated against those who are unreliable. Does this mean that to demand a qualified or experienced worker is unfair on those unqualified or inexperienced? There has to be a point beyond which we cannot go without losing touch with both common sense and the world of reality.
Some people clearly still believe in equality, and yet this has never been realistic. Our society only works because of inequality, it always has, and as long as there are people it always will. All animal populations are made up of individuals that are different. Some are stronger, fitter, prettier or more able to breed than others. Some are better fighters and some are better at finding food. It is this fundamental inequality that drives the process of evolution, and although those with religious faith would have us believe otherwise, the principles of evolution still apply to humans. Apart from biological inequalities we are also subject to inequalities of geographical and cultural bases and so although laudable in principle we do not even come close to equality of opportunity.
I hope that when I travel by air, that the pilot is far more able than I am in handling an aircraft. I hope that the surgeon to whom I entrust my life has not been given the job because someone thought that he deserved a chance, and I hope that the car that I drive has been designed and assembled by some sort of intelligence.
Some people clearly still believe in equality, and yet this has never been realistic. Our society only works because of inequality, it always has, and as long as there are people it always will. All animal populations are made up of individuals that are different. Some are stronger, fitter, prettier or more able to breed than others. Some are better fighters and some are better at finding food. It is this fundamental inequality that drives the process of evolution, and although those with religious faith would have us believe otherwise, the principles of evolution still apply to humans. Apart from biological inequalities we are also subject to inequalities of geographical and cultural bases and so although laudable in principle we do not even come close to equality of opportunity.
I hope that when I travel by air, that the pilot is far more able than I am in handling an aircraft. I hope that the surgeon to whom I entrust my life has not been given the job because someone thought that he deserved a chance, and I hope that the car that I drive has been designed and assembled by some sort of intelligence.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Retail things
One of the benefits of the world wide web is that it by and large protects me from shopping. I have never liked it but my reasons for that have changed as I have grown older. As a youth, I would trail around with my mother, knowing that we could not afford to buy the things that I would have liked and always having to settle for what was affordable, which of course was never very much. Shops for me were placed that offered temptation and made me painfully aware that I was poor.
Of course things change, and for now at least, money is not an issue. I still trail around the shop, pushing a trolley and watching time passing so so slowly. My input is rarely required and mostly irrelevant and this morning I spent a while composing a list of reasons for hating the whole experience. Near to the top of the list are strangers. People with long faces, ambling around like myself, blissfully unaware of those around them, shuffling from aisle to aisle all probably feeling the same sort of antipathy to each other. There seems to be a rule, that wherever you happen to be you are always in someone else's way, so it is impossible just to stand in neutral and disengage from the whole experience.
Following someone while pushing the trolley is a nightmare, far worse than driving in a convoy. Take your eyes off the leader for one instant and said leader vanishes into the maze of aisles, evoking another rule, that being whichever way you go is the wrong way.
I hate trolleys - I always seem to get one that has a wheel that sticks, making steering difficult, and as the load increases, impossible. Mostly I am tempted to pick up the trolley and carry it around, though the ergonomics make that tricky and plainly it would be a stupid thing to do.
I hate the fact that it is impossible to buy just a jar of coffee without having to choose between hundreds of combinations of brand, type, size etc. I loathe the uniformity of fruit and vegetables and the fact that one store is much the same as any other.
I despise the appalling attitudes of some of the staff who in some stores seem to imagine that they are doing you a favour, and I loathe the use of psychological opportunism in the way that supermarkets display goods persuading people to buy what they do not need.
For me, the perfect shopping experience is to search through my favourite sites, make my selection and simply type in my credit card details. To enhance my experience i really do want an iPad, and that I will order online.
Of course things change, and for now at least, money is not an issue. I still trail around the shop, pushing a trolley and watching time passing so so slowly. My input is rarely required and mostly irrelevant and this morning I spent a while composing a list of reasons for hating the whole experience. Near to the top of the list are strangers. People with long faces, ambling around like myself, blissfully unaware of those around them, shuffling from aisle to aisle all probably feeling the same sort of antipathy to each other. There seems to be a rule, that wherever you happen to be you are always in someone else's way, so it is impossible just to stand in neutral and disengage from the whole experience.
Following someone while pushing the trolley is a nightmare, far worse than driving in a convoy. Take your eyes off the leader for one instant and said leader vanishes into the maze of aisles, evoking another rule, that being whichever way you go is the wrong way.
I hate trolleys - I always seem to get one that has a wheel that sticks, making steering difficult, and as the load increases, impossible. Mostly I am tempted to pick up the trolley and carry it around, though the ergonomics make that tricky and plainly it would be a stupid thing to do.
I hate the fact that it is impossible to buy just a jar of coffee without having to choose between hundreds of combinations of brand, type, size etc. I loathe the uniformity of fruit and vegetables and the fact that one store is much the same as any other.
I despise the appalling attitudes of some of the staff who in some stores seem to imagine that they are doing you a favour, and I loathe the use of psychological opportunism in the way that supermarkets display goods persuading people to buy what they do not need.
For me, the perfect shopping experience is to search through my favourite sites, make my selection and simply type in my credit card details. To enhance my experience i really do want an iPad, and that I will order online.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
I believe
An accusation that is often thrown my way by those that have religious convictions is that unless i believe in something then my life must be without meaning. At this point in any discussion I usually bring things to a halt, as to argue further leads to a circular debate that goes nowhere.
It is impossible not to believe in something; it is part of being human, and with most people it is possible to change beliefs in the light of experience or when presented with evidence. Most of us at some time in our lives believed in Santa Claus, Fairies,the bogey man, God and the Easter Bunny, because we were told that these things existed. Parents pass on these untruths as a means of controlling their children, either by threat or anticipation of something good. Most of us grow out of these fictions and do not hold our parents responsible for misleading us, but some do not and hold onto those beliefs with grim determination. There are even those who believe that the earth is flat and many that believe that the holocaust never happened. Fundamentally some people can be induced into believing anything.
I am a natural sceptic and yet I too have beliefs, and there are many things that I believe that I cannot prove. I believe in Science as a process. Where Science scores highly is in it's scepticism. The scientific process is based upon hypotheses formed from observations. These hypotheses are tested experimentally over and over again, until the outcome of an experiment allows the formulation of a Law. A law might state that under circumstance A, B will happen, but with Scientific laws, this only applies until it can be proved otherwise by different experiments. There are many principles that have stood the test of time and can be accepted as truths, and even the most rabid fundamentalists cannot argue that.
I believe that there are probably other life forms in the universe, and that the universe is so large that we will probably never find evidence for their existence. I believe that the universe is eternal and that there is no creator nor need for one. I believe in energy as the currency of the universe and its transmutability.
I believe in the Atom and its structure of fundamental particles, and that one day we will understand the very nature and origin of those particles.
I believe in Evolution and that we are merely a part of an ongoing process that too few people understand.
I believe that people are intrinsically good and that some are made evil by the life into which they are brought. I believe that adherence to the writing in one book leads to a narrow view of life that hinders the moral progress of humankind.
I believe that capitalism is wrong, but as yet we have no workable alternative. The system has produced huge benefits but has also produced a world that is obsessed by property and material things. We have become greedy and self obsessed and this in turn has fuelled religious backlashes and the terrorism that is a canker on civilizations.
I believe that we are failing to make good use of extending lives and that many people are left to rot by the rest of us. We think more of pets than we do of fellow humans and many elderly folk die without dignity in squalid conditions.
I believe that our children are neglected by parents and society in general, and that many children should be taken away from their abusive parents while they still have a chance.
I believe in friendship, family and freedom of thought and expression. I also believe that there is no God but of course I cannot prove it, any more than I can prove that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! I believe that saying something is true, however frequently, does not make it true.
It is impossible not to believe in something; it is part of being human, and with most people it is possible to change beliefs in the light of experience or when presented with evidence. Most of us at some time in our lives believed in Santa Claus, Fairies,the bogey man, God and the Easter Bunny, because we were told that these things existed. Parents pass on these untruths as a means of controlling their children, either by threat or anticipation of something good. Most of us grow out of these fictions and do not hold our parents responsible for misleading us, but some do not and hold onto those beliefs with grim determination. There are even those who believe that the earth is flat and many that believe that the holocaust never happened. Fundamentally some people can be induced into believing anything.
I am a natural sceptic and yet I too have beliefs, and there are many things that I believe that I cannot prove. I believe in Science as a process. Where Science scores highly is in it's scepticism. The scientific process is based upon hypotheses formed from observations. These hypotheses are tested experimentally over and over again, until the outcome of an experiment allows the formulation of a Law. A law might state that under circumstance A, B will happen, but with Scientific laws, this only applies until it can be proved otherwise by different experiments. There are many principles that have stood the test of time and can be accepted as truths, and even the most rabid fundamentalists cannot argue that.
I believe that there are probably other life forms in the universe, and that the universe is so large that we will probably never find evidence for their existence. I believe that the universe is eternal and that there is no creator nor need for one. I believe in energy as the currency of the universe and its transmutability.
I believe in the Atom and its structure of fundamental particles, and that one day we will understand the very nature and origin of those particles.
I believe in Evolution and that we are merely a part of an ongoing process that too few people understand.
I believe that people are intrinsically good and that some are made evil by the life into which they are brought. I believe that adherence to the writing in one book leads to a narrow view of life that hinders the moral progress of humankind.
I believe that capitalism is wrong, but as yet we have no workable alternative. The system has produced huge benefits but has also produced a world that is obsessed by property and material things. We have become greedy and self obsessed and this in turn has fuelled religious backlashes and the terrorism that is a canker on civilizations.
I believe that we are failing to make good use of extending lives and that many people are left to rot by the rest of us. We think more of pets than we do of fellow humans and many elderly folk die without dignity in squalid conditions.
I believe that our children are neglected by parents and society in general, and that many children should be taken away from their abusive parents while they still have a chance.
I believe in friendship, family and freedom of thought and expression. I also believe that there is no God but of course I cannot prove it, any more than I can prove that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! I believe that saying something is true, however frequently, does not make it true.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Desert Island Discs
We have a long running Radio programme called Desert Island Discs. The program selects someone of worth, a celebrity of someone eminent in their particular field, and during a fairly personal interview, they select eight records that they would choose to take to a desert Island, along with a book and one luxury item. This programme has been running for decades, and is as popular today as it has always been. Unlike most chat shows, it seems that those involved are more relaxed and more likely to share their memories than they otherwise would.
I will never be famous or eminent, but I often wonder what I would choose given the opportunity. Choosing eight records/songs is really very hard, and justifying those choices even more so, because to justify a choice is to give something of oneself, and that is something that I have become very wary of. To give of oneself is dangerous in that it makes one extremely vulnerable. In this Blog I do come close to that but as readership is limited to a very select few, I am prepared to take that risk - up to a point that is.
I am sure that my choices would vary according to time of day, season of the year and my own frame of mind but for now my list might, in no particular order, look something like this -
1. Bruch - Violin Concerto. This is one of the first Classical pieces that I ever owned. I played it over and over again. It is a sublime and very emotional work, and one that was very significant in some of my darker days as a young student.
2. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lot of Love. As a student I, like many others in the late 60s discovered heavy rock for the first time. There were two of us who owned the Led Zep 2 album and we would strive to play the song in synchrony at each end of our corridor. Alas our players operated at different speeds so we never achieved anything but the irritation of others.
3. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb. Probably the best ever live performance that I have ever witnessed was the last Floyd tour. I always knew they were good but that night I was transported to a different plane!
4. Monteverdi - 1610 Vespers. For me this is possibly the most wonderful music ever written. To hear this performed in ST Marks Venice would be the most remarkable of experiences.
5. Beatles - Hey Jude. A simple song but one that to me represents the end of those heady hippy days when we were yojng careless, healthy and happy.
6. Richard Strauss - 4 last songs. The last of these Im Abendrot (At Gloaming), was the last thing that Strauss wrote. It seems like he knew that he was dying and this was his farewell. If there was a last piece to hear then this would be it.
7. Beethoven - Symphony number nine. It is difficult not to choose something of Beethoven. Such a brilliant mind and such a tragic life. He strove though the most horrendous difficulties and produced the most sublime music. When he wrote this he was completely deaf and yet he was able to hear the whole thing in his mind. It reminds me that my own hearing loss is nothing compared to his.
8. Loreena McKennitt - Dante's Prayer. I discovered Loreena in recent years and even travelled to Brittany to attend a concert. She has the ability to move me, and this song rarely fails to bring tears to my eyes.
If I had to choose just one of the above it would be the Monteverdi, though the choice would be difficult.
A book? Well I'd have to choose something that would never become a bore so maybe it would be the Oxford English Dictionary.
The luxury item would have to be a supply of pens and paper. That way i could perhaps learn to write and draw.
I will never be famous or eminent, but I often wonder what I would choose given the opportunity. Choosing eight records/songs is really very hard, and justifying those choices even more so, because to justify a choice is to give something of oneself, and that is something that I have become very wary of. To give of oneself is dangerous in that it makes one extremely vulnerable. In this Blog I do come close to that but as readership is limited to a very select few, I am prepared to take that risk - up to a point that is.
I am sure that my choices would vary according to time of day, season of the year and my own frame of mind but for now my list might, in no particular order, look something like this -
1. Bruch - Violin Concerto. This is one of the first Classical pieces that I ever owned. I played it over and over again. It is a sublime and very emotional work, and one that was very significant in some of my darker days as a young student.
2. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lot of Love. As a student I, like many others in the late 60s discovered heavy rock for the first time. There were two of us who owned the Led Zep 2 album and we would strive to play the song in synchrony at each end of our corridor. Alas our players operated at different speeds so we never achieved anything but the irritation of others.
3. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb. Probably the best ever live performance that I have ever witnessed was the last Floyd tour. I always knew they were good but that night I was transported to a different plane!
4. Monteverdi - 1610 Vespers. For me this is possibly the most wonderful music ever written. To hear this performed in ST Marks Venice would be the most remarkable of experiences.
5. Beatles - Hey Jude. A simple song but one that to me represents the end of those heady hippy days when we were yojng careless, healthy and happy.
6. Richard Strauss - 4 last songs. The last of these Im Abendrot (At Gloaming), was the last thing that Strauss wrote. It seems like he knew that he was dying and this was his farewell. If there was a last piece to hear then this would be it.
7. Beethoven - Symphony number nine. It is difficult not to choose something of Beethoven. Such a brilliant mind and such a tragic life. He strove though the most horrendous difficulties and produced the most sublime music. When he wrote this he was completely deaf and yet he was able to hear the whole thing in his mind. It reminds me that my own hearing loss is nothing compared to his.
8. Loreena McKennitt - Dante's Prayer. I discovered Loreena in recent years and even travelled to Brittany to attend a concert. She has the ability to move me, and this song rarely fails to bring tears to my eyes.
If I had to choose just one of the above it would be the Monteverdi, though the choice would be difficult.
A book? Well I'd have to choose something that would never become a bore so maybe it would be the Oxford English Dictionary.
The luxury item would have to be a supply of pens and paper. That way i could perhaps learn to write and draw.
Friday, 22 January 2010
Hidden shallows
Having more or less a Scientific bias to my thinking, life for me is full of uncertainty. Sometimes I envy those who, with their invisible man who moves in mysterious ways, as life is fully explained in the instruction manuals. For most of us though there are no sets of instructions and we must choose our way and live with the consequences.
One of my issues lies in a fundamental question, that being, What is Art? Apart from my flippant definition that it is what you can get away with, I really do find it hard to determine exactly what a great work of art really is. For some, paintings by Mark Rothko are seen as the bees knees, and others actually like the work of Tracey Emin and the Britart movement. There are plenty who will pay a lot of money to own things because they are attached to a famous name or label.
Art is largely in the eye of the beholder, and what moves one may leave another stone cold. Many people love to be surrounded by artwork, some because they clearly appreciate it, while others do so in order to be seen as having taste. What one displays on ones walls says something about the person I guess.
For some, Art is about making the beholder think or feel, whether that may be a positive or negative emotion, and this can apply to painting, music, sculpture or performing arts. I have certainly been moved by music and theatre but cannot recall being moved by a painting. Oh I appreciate paintings, and the tremendous skill that goes into the representation of ideas on canvas, but I could no more weep in front of a painting than slash it with a knife. In my view, some people are very precious about painting, to the point of being pretentious.
The point of this diatribe is that yesterday, for the second time, i went to see James Cameron's AVATAR in 3D. Ok it is a thin plot and the storyline is pretty predictable. There are no great performances, but the whole package is in my opinion a work of art that stands up against any other. It is a beautiful visual feast as well as conveying a message that is subject to any number of interpretations. It does make you think and produces a feast of emotional responses.
There are plenty that will disagree with me about this but i really don't care. I may be shallow and uneducated but I know what i like and there is plenty that I know that I do not like.
One of my issues lies in a fundamental question, that being, What is Art? Apart from my flippant definition that it is what you can get away with, I really do find it hard to determine exactly what a great work of art really is. For some, paintings by Mark Rothko are seen as the bees knees, and others actually like the work of Tracey Emin and the Britart movement. There are plenty who will pay a lot of money to own things because they are attached to a famous name or label.
Art is largely in the eye of the beholder, and what moves one may leave another stone cold. Many people love to be surrounded by artwork, some because they clearly appreciate it, while others do so in order to be seen as having taste. What one displays on ones walls says something about the person I guess.
For some, Art is about making the beholder think or feel, whether that may be a positive or negative emotion, and this can apply to painting, music, sculpture or performing arts. I have certainly been moved by music and theatre but cannot recall being moved by a painting. Oh I appreciate paintings, and the tremendous skill that goes into the representation of ideas on canvas, but I could no more weep in front of a painting than slash it with a knife. In my view, some people are very precious about painting, to the point of being pretentious.
The point of this diatribe is that yesterday, for the second time, i went to see James Cameron's AVATAR in 3D. Ok it is a thin plot and the storyline is pretty predictable. There are no great performances, but the whole package is in my opinion a work of art that stands up against any other. It is a beautiful visual feast as well as conveying a message that is subject to any number of interpretations. It does make you think and produces a feast of emotional responses.
There are plenty that will disagree with me about this but i really don't care. I may be shallow and uneducated but I know what i like and there is plenty that I know that I do not like.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
A case for docking?
So at last the dog is beginning to at least recognise the fleas. Islam4UK in all of it's various guises has been proscribed, and proven membership of said organisation can be met with ten years in prison. Now I would be prepared to put money on that law never being put to the test. All that these young and ignorant radicals will do is to regroup under different headings, and I am sure that none of them will carry membership cards. Proscription of such organisations simply drives them underground, and in the eyes of the deluded and simple minded, they become even more attractive, and so the hideous tumour that lies within our society continues to grow.
Surely it would be better to allow such organisations be seen for what they are, and allowed to go their deluded way, exercising the same free speech that they would deny the rest of us should they get their way. They had planned a tasteless protest march in the town of Wooton Bassett, where hundreds of locals, routinely show their respects to returning bodies of British soldiers. It should have gone ahead. At least then, the membership could have been identified. Their protest seems to be about Muslims being killed by British troops. They make no mention of the fact that huge numbers of their fellow Muslims are killed each day by fellow Muslims who seem unable to discriminate.
Anjem Choudary on the radio this morning spoke lucidly and with the confidence and arrogance of the fanatic that he is, about bringing Sharia law into the country, and his final words were "we shall prevail." Unless the people of this country get off their apathetic bottoms and wake up to the realities of fundamentalism, then I fear that his confidence is well placed.
Surely it would be better to allow such organisations be seen for what they are, and allowed to go their deluded way, exercising the same free speech that they would deny the rest of us should they get their way. They had planned a tasteless protest march in the town of Wooton Bassett, where hundreds of locals, routinely show their respects to returning bodies of British soldiers. It should have gone ahead. At least then, the membership could have been identified. Their protest seems to be about Muslims being killed by British troops. They make no mention of the fact that huge numbers of their fellow Muslims are killed each day by fellow Muslims who seem unable to discriminate.
Anjem Choudary on the radio this morning spoke lucidly and with the confidence and arrogance of the fanatic that he is, about bringing Sharia law into the country, and his final words were "we shall prevail." Unless the people of this country get off their apathetic bottoms and wake up to the realities of fundamentalism, then I fear that his confidence is well placed.
Monday, 11 January 2010
A question
Five Muslim men who protested at a home-coming parade in Luton where soldiers were called murderers have been convicted of being abusive. Does anyone else see the irony in their defence, which was that they were exercising their right to free speech?
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Divorce
When I was a kid, I hoped and prayed that my parents would split. There was only peace in the house when my father was at work, and when he was home there were either rows or long periods of silence where we either left the house or were too afraid to speak. In those days people did marry in haste and repent at length and divorce was very uncommon. So they stayed together, fighting and regretting until at the first opportunity My sister and I left home, and not long afterwards my younger brother die
Since then divorce has become much more straightforward and indeed common, with something in the region of half of all marriages ending within not too many years of that special day. As a result of this, many choose not to wed in the first place and now we have single parents as more of a norm than those who are married. Consequently many children have missing role models and this is having a profound effect on their behaviour and the structure of society as a whole.
So why do so many relationships break down? In my view, much of what we are and how we behave has a biological explanation. We are products of both biological and cultural evolution, and roles of men and women have developed over thousands of generations. I know that I am politically incorrect in my attitudes but I do like to speak my mind, and I have always believed that men and women are different. The failure of society at large to accept this, has led to a situation where the roles of men and women hardly exists as separate entities, and this has happened faster than we are able to cope.
Women's liberation is all very well but it has come at a cost. Women are now the achievers, the national curriculum favours girls, as do the systems of assessment. Women are routinely the subjects of positive discrimination, in the workplace and recently in Parliament, where seats are limited to those with two X chromosomes. Many women are becoming like men in their attitudes and ways of thinking and living, and putting homosexuality aside, most men don't want to live with another man. Sisters doing it for themselves is destroying the natural order of things and producing a vast number of young men, who have nothing to draw on other than their natural biological urges. Education has failed them, society has failed them and worse, women have failed them so what are they to do?
My parents stayed together until my father died. I am not saying that they made the right choice, both might have been better off apart but then, society was far more stable, one partner could provide for a family and a mother could devote her time to looking after her children. There was full employment and equality of opportunity of sorts. I suspect that people's horizons were narrower, but I also believe that people were happier.
Since then divorce has become much more straightforward and indeed common, with something in the region of half of all marriages ending within not too many years of that special day. As a result of this, many choose not to wed in the first place and now we have single parents as more of a norm than those who are married. Consequently many children have missing role models and this is having a profound effect on their behaviour and the structure of society as a whole.
So why do so many relationships break down? In my view, much of what we are and how we behave has a biological explanation. We are products of both biological and cultural evolution, and roles of men and women have developed over thousands of generations. I know that I am politically incorrect in my attitudes but I do like to speak my mind, and I have always believed that men and women are different. The failure of society at large to accept this, has led to a situation where the roles of men and women hardly exists as separate entities, and this has happened faster than we are able to cope.
Women's liberation is all very well but it has come at a cost. Women are now the achievers, the national curriculum favours girls, as do the systems of assessment. Women are routinely the subjects of positive discrimination, in the workplace and recently in Parliament, where seats are limited to those with two X chromosomes. Many women are becoming like men in their attitudes and ways of thinking and living, and putting homosexuality aside, most men don't want to live with another man. Sisters doing it for themselves is destroying the natural order of things and producing a vast number of young men, who have nothing to draw on other than their natural biological urges. Education has failed them, society has failed them and worse, women have failed them so what are they to do?
My parents stayed together until my father died. I am not saying that they made the right choice, both might have been better off apart but then, society was far more stable, one partner could provide for a family and a mother could devote her time to looking after her children. There was full employment and equality of opportunity of sorts. I suspect that people's horizons were narrower, but I also believe that people were happier.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Going postal
I admire the post office enormously. I can write a letter or wrap a parcel, shove it into the mailbox and within a couple of days the said item will be delivered to it's target address. I can order stuff online of an afternoon and have things delivered the next day, and that I think is marvellous. What is more the service is cheap.
When i was a boy, I collected postage stamps; I still have them, and if I can be bothered to look through them I can still recall buying some of them and sticking them into my album. Faces of the young queen, countries that no longer exist, leaders long since dead or deposed are all represented in those tiny scraps of coloured paper. To some people those bits of paper may be worth something in monetary terms, but I don't suppose that I will ever get around to having them valued or putting them up for sale. It was a phase and like all phases it was pretty short lived.
In those days people wrote letters and sent each other cards via the Royal Mail, there was a lot of it and deliveries, even out in the wilds where I lived, were twice daily. Every village had a post office and many towns had several. Now of course we write very little. i think I have forgotten how to use a fountain pen and for me at least letter writing has become a thing of the past. I email of course and pick up the phone from time to time, should I wish to talk to someone.
Despite all of the competition, the mail continues to work, and work well. Oh yes people complain that there are few post offices and that the cost of posting a letter keeps going up, but it is still a small price to pay for what you get. Having said that, there have been no deliveries for a couple of days, I guess that the mailmen are all snowed in too.
When i was a boy, I collected postage stamps; I still have them, and if I can be bothered to look through them I can still recall buying some of them and sticking them into my album. Faces of the young queen, countries that no longer exist, leaders long since dead or deposed are all represented in those tiny scraps of coloured paper. To some people those bits of paper may be worth something in monetary terms, but I don't suppose that I will ever get around to having them valued or putting them up for sale. It was a phase and like all phases it was pretty short lived.
In those days people wrote letters and sent each other cards via the Royal Mail, there was a lot of it and deliveries, even out in the wilds where I lived, were twice daily. Every village had a post office and many towns had several. Now of course we write very little. i think I have forgotten how to use a fountain pen and for me at least letter writing has become a thing of the past. I email of course and pick up the phone from time to time, should I wish to talk to someone.
Despite all of the competition, the mail continues to work, and work well. Oh yes people complain that there are few post offices and that the cost of posting a letter keeps going up, but it is still a small price to pay for what you get. Having said that, there have been no deliveries for a couple of days, I guess that the mailmen are all snowed in too.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
let it snow
LIving on an Island has many advantages but there are real disadvantages too. Today we are covered in snow and the place has come to a grinding halt. There are no buses, the roads are impassable, schools are shut and most businesses will cease to function until the roads are cleared. As I write it is still snowing and I just remembered that I have no boots or wellies. We have no milk and so a trip out is essential.
Days like today are a stark reminder of the fragility of the system under which we live. One tiny push and the house of cards could easily come crashing down. We are fortunate because we live in a society, which though mightily flawed, still hangs together because the glue of tolerance is still in place, that and the adherance to the law. Anarchists would love to see all of that break down, and like most fundamentalists, they think with their testicles rather than their brains. If the house falls, then what would replace it?
Some people think that a brave new world would grow swiftly from it, and maybe it would but what a primitive world it would be. The average person would be completely helpless without a supermarket. We have become incapable of doing things for ourselves, we buy everything ready made and cannot even repair things any more let alone make things from new. Should the worst happen, there would be a terrible dog eat dog society in which the strongest might survive, but once supplies of basics ran out, even the survivors would find it hard to maintain anything but a primitive way of life with lower standards of living than our ancestors enjoyed in the dark ages.
A huge proportion of the world population live is such conditions already and even more are thinking that way. Perhaps those with the medieval mentality will be best able to perpetuate the species.
Days like today are a stark reminder of the fragility of the system under which we live. One tiny push and the house of cards could easily come crashing down. We are fortunate because we live in a society, which though mightily flawed, still hangs together because the glue of tolerance is still in place, that and the adherance to the law. Anarchists would love to see all of that break down, and like most fundamentalists, they think with their testicles rather than their brains. If the house falls, then what would replace it?
Some people think that a brave new world would grow swiftly from it, and maybe it would but what a primitive world it would be. The average person would be completely helpless without a supermarket. We have become incapable of doing things for ourselves, we buy everything ready made and cannot even repair things any more let alone make things from new. Should the worst happen, there would be a terrible dog eat dog society in which the strongest might survive, but once supplies of basics ran out, even the survivors would find it hard to maintain anything but a primitive way of life with lower standards of living than our ancestors enjoyed in the dark ages.
A huge proportion of the world population live is such conditions already and even more are thinking that way. Perhaps those with the medieval mentality will be best able to perpetuate the species.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Aspirations?
I don't think that I have ever had much of a sense of direction. Mostly my life has happened to me, and although i have a natural tendency to fight against the flow, I get swept along on a pretty well worn channel. I cannot claim to have had no opportunities, as I was lucky enough to have been born with a higher than average intelligence and a strong instinct for survival. I went to Grammar school but didn't know why and basically squandered my time there, drifting aimlessly into a career in teaching. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy working with students and like to think that I was able to help some along the way and even steered some in directions that I might have followed with the right kind of guidance.
Every time I read a book, especially one that really grabs me, I aspire to be a writer. I cobble together this blog on a fairly irregular basis and that is about as far as it goes. Oh I have written a few short stories and even done a short course in creative writing but I cannot seem to manage a long term project. I lie in bed at night and have great ideas for stories but when it comes to applying myself to the task of setting down those ideas my terrible sense of direction fails me again and again. I must have started a dozen or more novels, and have yet to get past the first chapter.
They say that everyone has a novel inside them just waiting to get out. I suppose by that, whoever came up with that meant that we all have a different story to tell. When it comes down to it though, most of us lead fairly dull lives; we exist and our presence means very little to the world in general. Only a fortunate minority manage to make a difference, and their stories would be worth reading.
Rarely do I have any idea what I want to say when I start this blog. Today is no exception. If you have read my entries before, you will realise that I don't even proof read and no my writing tends to be full of errors. The reason for that is fundamentally idleness and I apologise to anyone who is affronted by my apparent lack of care. I do in fact care a great deal about what people think of what I write and value your comments and criticisms. I don't suppose that I will change too much in respect to my frequent rants, but hey this is one place where, for now, I can say what I want.
Maybe this year i will make a greater effort to write better and more frequently. Perhaps , just perhaps I can develop one of those dormant ideas into something a little more worthwhile. I'll keep you posted.
Every time I read a book, especially one that really grabs me, I aspire to be a writer. I cobble together this blog on a fairly irregular basis and that is about as far as it goes. Oh I have written a few short stories and even done a short course in creative writing but I cannot seem to manage a long term project. I lie in bed at night and have great ideas for stories but when it comes to applying myself to the task of setting down those ideas my terrible sense of direction fails me again and again. I must have started a dozen or more novels, and have yet to get past the first chapter.
They say that everyone has a novel inside them just waiting to get out. I suppose by that, whoever came up with that meant that we all have a different story to tell. When it comes down to it though, most of us lead fairly dull lives; we exist and our presence means very little to the world in general. Only a fortunate minority manage to make a difference, and their stories would be worth reading.
Rarely do I have any idea what I want to say when I start this blog. Today is no exception. If you have read my entries before, you will realise that I don't even proof read and no my writing tends to be full of errors. The reason for that is fundamentally idleness and I apologise to anyone who is affronted by my apparent lack of care. I do in fact care a great deal about what people think of what I write and value your comments and criticisms. I don't suppose that I will change too much in respect to my frequent rants, but hey this is one place where, for now, I can say what I want.
Maybe this year i will make a greater effort to write better and more frequently. Perhaps , just perhaps I can develop one of those dormant ideas into something a little more worthwhile. I'll keep you posted.
Monday, 4 January 2010
Happy new decade
Well the noughties are over and done with and will probably be remembered for all the bad things that have happened as mankind continues its spiral into inevitable oblivion. Financial meltdown exposed all that is wrong with the system that we all depend upon, politicians, our representatives were shown to be liars and cheats, and the western interference in the Arabic world has opened a chasm between the west and the world of Islam that can only get bigger with the growth of its greatest export - terrorism.
The new year has been heralded with an attack on a Danish cartoonist by an axe wielding fanatic, and the continued decline of Yemen and Somalia, along with other failing nations. How long must it be before people realise the direct link between blind adherence to ludicrously outdated dogma and the inability of nations to govern themselves in an increasingly complex world.
Airport security has had to be ratcheted up again because someone was mentally ill enough to fill his underpants with explosives, and allegedly there are other loonies willing to shove bombs into their bottoms simply to blow up aircraft and kill innocent people - all in the name of a peaceful and tolerant religion of course.
Anyhow - the sun is shining again today and although it is very cold, bright days such as this one are a bonus in probably my second least favourite month of the year. I am determined to write more frequently this year and I will try not to rant too much about the evils of religions, but in my humble opinion the men in silly hats have gone unchallenged for far too long.
May my reader have a good new year and do keep up the feedback - I love a good argument.
The new year has been heralded with an attack on a Danish cartoonist by an axe wielding fanatic, and the continued decline of Yemen and Somalia, along with other failing nations. How long must it be before people realise the direct link between blind adherence to ludicrously outdated dogma and the inability of nations to govern themselves in an increasingly complex world.
Airport security has had to be ratcheted up again because someone was mentally ill enough to fill his underpants with explosives, and allegedly there are other loonies willing to shove bombs into their bottoms simply to blow up aircraft and kill innocent people - all in the name of a peaceful and tolerant religion of course.
Anyhow - the sun is shining again today and although it is very cold, bright days such as this one are a bonus in probably my second least favourite month of the year. I am determined to write more frequently this year and I will try not to rant too much about the evils of religions, but in my humble opinion the men in silly hats have gone unchallenged for far too long.
May my reader have a good new year and do keep up the feedback - I love a good argument.
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