The Alternative Bollox

Jamie Oliver and school dinners

2011-11-25T15:30:00.000Z

Jamie Oliver is worried about school dinners. He has every reason to be. School dinners are not the only issue he should be worried about. The decision to allow certain 'private' schools to opt out of nutritional standards passed by the previous government is disturbing and part of a more sinister trend of government which we should all be worried about.

This issue, along with many others, is at the heart, the root of why for me government no longer works and has ceased to be in the best interest of the people. For me, government was created and maintained so as to bring some order to our society, some order to what otherwise might be a chaotic world.

That principle serves us well when it comes to providing services that most people want and need like rubbish collection, law and order, fire prevention and detection, health care and education. Beyond that, government for me has no business getting involved in the private lives of the average citizen only to inform them of their rights and obligations to uphold the law, pay their taxes and turn up for jury service. It is somewhat simplistic, but essentially, we do need to scale down the scope and power that the government currently has.

But and there is a but, it has been agreed up until now, that we need to protect and help the most vulnerable in society. It was decided many moons ago that this was the basis of a civilised society. So, government was given the power to make law and change laws and introduce standards across our society in order to achieve that objective i.e. to protect the poor. This included outlining standards for education and part of that was the food we eat.

Now, I am being told, that a minister has decided WITHOUT asking me, that it is OK to ignore the standards agreed previously and for what reason? Well, as Jamie Oliver explained very clearly, this is all about MONEY! PROFIT! Profit at the expense of your children and their future health and well being. I am glad I was born when I was.

In my day at school, we were lucky, we had school dinners, cooked fresh every day by those strange creatures called DINNER LADIES! Yes, that's right, those nice warm cuddly ladies who took pride in their work and cooked some of the best food I had as a boy. My mother, who was not very well for the latter part of her life, was always so grateful when I came home and was able to tell her that the school dinners were really nice and that I looked forward to them. This fact alone brought us pleasure and relief for my mum who did not have to worry so much because she KNEW that I was getting a proper, balance and NUTRITIONAL diet at school. So it was for me and many of my peers who came from a poor background. Food is so important in our lives and the food we eat when we are young will affect us for the rest of our lives.

The statistics that Jamie Oliver came out with are staggering! One quarter of children under the age of 10 are obese, one 3rd of young people are obese, the cost of obesity a staggering 4 BILLION per year, the cost of diabetes is 10 BILLION per year and that is just the figures. The long term suffering of masses of people cannot be measured and all for what? A retrograde, stupid, mean minded, penny pinching government that is going to stand up one day and proudly announce how well it has managed to serve the nation's health! Bollox!

Big Society is all well and good but we all need to start looking at the fine print and start asking questions about these fundamental changes to the standards in OUR society. This country does not belong to the government - IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US! Shame on you Mr. Cameron for allowing this to happen and don't tell me that you did not know about it. You need to get hold of that idiot who made this decision and give him his P45 for being stupid. I could do a better job! In fact, can you give me a job?

If you start cutting standards for health and healthy eating in schools, you will be cutting your own throat and that of your government.

The Alternative Bollox.

WikiLeaks Out of time and money

2011-11-06T16:57:00.000Z

So, after all said and done, the age old question will be asked - was it all worth it? Was it worth any person, Julian Assange, Bradley Manning (who will probably spend the majority of his adult life in jail) to tell us what we already knew but probably did not want to acknowledge? Risking everything and for what?

Theses diplomatic cables tell us nothing we did not know already i.e. we live in a wicked and nasty world which is getting worse by the day and the biggest problems in the world are not being helped by government and corporations, they are being made worse!

Granted, the video footage of American fighter pilots mercilessly gunning down unarmed people including children, is something we would probably not have seen but for Wikileaks but everyone who knows anything about war knows that terrible things have been done, are being done and will continue to be done in the name of war, justified or not.

Instead of concentrating on bringing government to account and making government do what it is supposed to do i.e. represent people, we are writing about this somewhat shady character Assange and his whistle blowing website Wikileaks which some people say 'blew' the whistle on shady dealings and other 'misdemeanours'. It did no such thing.

Anyone with a reasonable level of intelligence has realised long ago that government has got out of control, so out of control that it now can do pretty much what it wants WITHOUT any reference to anyone. This is a symptom but also part of a trend since Sept 11. Anyone who has studied history such as we know it, can see that government long ago has engaged in pointless wars, World War 1 which we are just about to 'celebrate' being a classic example, Vietnam, Iraq and so on.

Governments have at least turned a blind eye to organised torture of detainees and then justified afterwards by saying it was in the interest of 'national security'! Ah yes, that wonderful catch all phrase, 'national security'. A term designed to brainwash those who cannot work it out or do not much care for anything except their next bottle of beer and burger!

For those of us more in the know, we live in the hope that one day, we will get our government back the way it was supposed to be i.e. ordinary people coming together to help organise our lives and bring some order. Wikileaks just adds to the chaos and it lets government off the hook - for now.

The Alternative Bollox.

Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall

2011-10-25T23:14:00.001+01:00

With all the unrest in the world, I thought it appropriate to remind people out there that some of us have been there before, seen it and done it. There are many tracks I could have chosen from that era but this one pretty much says it all. The video itself is simply brilliant and captures the mood of the time perfectly. The lyrics are simple but say exactly what they need to say - leave us alone!

I completely identified with the schoolboy in the classroom - that is exactly how it was for me at school, head down, cowering over my book, hoping that the big bad and mean nasty teacher would not single me out for treatment. It sucked more than you can imagine.

The culture, such as it was then, was very much keep your mouth shut and maybe we will leave you alone but that was the problem - they did not leave you alone, teacher and students alike found ways of tormenting some one some where for no good reason than they could and they enjoyed it.

Now, with the occupy protests going on, maybe the voice of that child and others like him will start to be heard, we just cannot take it any more! Listen up you fuckers from yesteryear, we are coming to claim what is ours!

The Alternative Bollox

The Doppelgänger Attack

2011-09-12T15:22:00.002+01:00

"By creating web domains that contained commonly mistyped names, the investigators received emails that would otherwise not be delivered."

Well, I think I have now seen it all. A Doppelgänger Attack. What is a Doppelgänger you might ask. Well, from my knowledge of music and Schubert amongst others, which you will find in the video attached, a Doppelgänger is

"a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune. In the vernacular, the word has come to refer to any double or look-alike of a person." (source Wikipedia)

It is so simple, it is almost laughable! Just setup a domain based on commonly mistyped email addresses and just like a fisherman trawls for fish, sit there and hey presto, you will net yourself a whole load of private and sensitive information.

When working on technical support help desks in the past, I wondered where all that rubbish email went. I knew that users made typo errors daily but always assumed that when it did not reach the intended target, that email and it's contents would be destroyed. How wrong I was!

So, what gets me is this - why are we being told this now? Why not warn us years ago? Maybe some one did say something about it but it was not major headline news. It should be major headline news.

I can safely guess that just about everybody who reads this blog or the internet in some way has at least one email address. I can safely guess that at some time, either there email address has been incorrectly spelt or they have spelt an email address incorrectly. Most users probably did not think about it and assumed that it just disappeared into cyberspace with all the other junk mail. I am afraid not.

How can this be avoided? It cannot. Most of your friends and family will know your email address or have it in their address book so there is no issue. But if one of their friends does not know your email address and spells it incorrectly what can you do?

It comes back to a safety first approach. If you are putting something in an email you would not want anyone else to read, DON'T! Email is not secure. Yahoo just recently announced, rather quietly, that they will be scanning your emails for marketing purposes. Go figure. We know Google with their email service keeps your email for up to a year after it has been sent.

You could go the expense of setting up a private email domain in your home but that is not likely to happen. If you cannot communicate important information to another party via the phone or written letter, then I suggest downloading the free encryption software that is available and use it for those emails that you wish to remain private. The free encryption software can be found here:

GNUPG

There is a setup wizard and it takes a little configuration but once setup, it can be used manually or automatically by user choice. So, the next time you send an email that is important, check the spelling.

The Alternative Bollox.

The shooting of Mark Duggan - cause for a riot?

2011-08-07T16:21:00.000+01:00

Let's be clear about one thing, - the shooting of Mark Duggan, is a tragedy. Non one in their right mind would say otherwise. Any suspect i.e. someone who is to be arrested and not charged, that is killed is something that should never happen.

But it does, not very often, but it happens. There are times when the police, the people let us not forget who carry out those duties on our behalf every day, get it wrong. But there are times especially now, when the police are faced with a very dangerous suspect who may not wish to be arrested and is not of sound mind and sees violence as a way of avoiding arrest.

It is not clear yet in this case what actually happened but there is no justification for what followed. Destruction on a scale I have not witnessed before in a place like Tottenham. Tottenham is a bad area. Don't get me wrong, most of the people who live there are like the rest of us, they are just trying to make it work in an increasingly difficult world. But there are times when there will be a certain combination of events that come together like a dangerous chemical cocktail and suddenly and very dramatically explode.

So it was with the latest Tottenham riot. Latest? Yes, Tottenham has previous for this kind of riot circa 1985. Right now there is a need for understanding and calm. Government and police need to understand that before the shooting of Mark Duggan, things were bad. People are hurting. Money is scarce for some people especially in an area like Tottenham. There are organised gangs of criminals like those that looted Tottenham this week, who are waiting for just such an incident to gather, using social media and pounce on an area like Tottenham and wreak havoc and carnage.

The shooting of Mark Duggan was their moment and did they not gorge themselves silly! The people of Tottenham need to come together with the police and be strong and not divided. This is not some wishy washy idealist world, this is the reality. If you have a divided society, criminals will fill it with violence and hatred and the result is clear for all to see. It looks like in all the years since 1985, nothing much has changed in Tottenham.

The Alternative Bollox.

Formula 1 on the BBC - the beginning of the end?

2011-08-04T15:40:00.000+01:00

So, the Beeb, dear old auntie as it once used to be known, has had to do the deal we all feared and dread - they have let in the scumbags at Sky TV. Sharing coverage of a sport with Sky?

At any other time, I am not sure if this deal would have been done this way i.e. if it were me and I were Sky, I would want full and exclusive rights to a sport and maybe allow the BBC to show highlights and even then. This deal has been done as a halfway house to con people in to paying far too much money for Sky TV.

For me, Sky TV is crap, has always been crap and will always be crap. I have never payed for Sky TV and never will. I am not one of those people who are desperate enough to fork out 60 quid per month of my hard earned money to watch their pathetic attempts to cover anything let alone Formula 1. For me, this deal marks the beginning of the end of Formula 1 on the BBC and part of what makes Formula 1 enjoyable to watch is the coverage that the BBC gives to this this sport and has given to this sport for so many years. Unfortunately, in a world where money talks, there is no room for sentiment and the fact that the BBC helped Formula 1 and put it on the map as a global sport. Many people watch BBC around the world to watch Formula 1 and they will not be watching Sky.

So, the question now remains - what kind of coverage ARE we going to get? There are going to be a lot of us who will not have Sky if they were the last TV company on the planet! For me, Formula 1 is Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, DC and Martin Brundle. As far as I am concerned, unless the coverage includes those people, it will not be worth watching. I do not believe you could assemble a team of a higher calibre anywhere.

So, as we mourn the passing of Formula 1 on the BBC albeit delayed by six years, enjoy this last season of BBC coverage for once Sky get their grubby hands on Formula 1, it will become just another minority sport like so many others have done and if Formula 1 does not get the ratings on Sky which it won't, then they will cut it out just like they would an arm or a leg.

The Alternative Bollox.

SarahSleaze's Journal: What's Pissing Me Off Today: Vol 5

2011-07-26T16:33:00.001+01:00

Quote: "when you drink and get behind the wheel of a car you are a fucking idiot. Period."

I could not agree more. In fact, I would go further. People who drink and drive are plain criminal. Criminally responsible and deserving of the most severe punishment possible. The person who killed some 80 people in Norway is a murderer who was intent on killing a certain type of person i.e. political party members. The person who drinks and drives is for me the same.

These heathen specimens of humanity who dare call themselves human, drink to the point of destruction and then think it is perfectly ok to drive a car in that condition and are completely ok with being killed or killing other people! How sick is that? As far as I am concerned, people who drink drive and are caught should never be allowed to drive again and in a country like Canada, that is a harsh penalty especially in the winter.

But it does not compare to the pain and suffering endured by Sarah and many others around the world due to this pernicious and deadly activity. Is there a solution? There could be but it involves all of us allowing our lives to be compromised in order to control the actions of the few. It involves simple measures like banning the sale of alcohol in main line supermarkets especially in countries like the UK. It is far too easy for young people to simply walk into a grocery store there and buy booze.

It involves government educating people on the dangers of drinking and driving and instead of taking large amounts of tax revenues and using it to buy weapons, using that tax money for education and alcohol recovery programs. It involves beefing up the punishment for any offender that is involved in a drink drive charge where injury or death is concerned i.e. automatic life ban on driving anything, no second chance and a lengthy prison sentence. That sentence would include a clause where the family of the perpetrator of the crime would have to pay for their prison costs and court costs - I don't see why the poor taxpayer has to pay for someone to commit crime!

But there is one, simple, undeniable measure that would drastically reduce drink drive crime around the world - DON'T ALLOW ANY DRINK DRIVING! It's a no brainer and I have never worked out why any government of any respectable democracy would allow such a filthy pastime!

Here are some statistics from http://www.drinkdrivingfacts.com/drinkdriving/drink_driving_facts.aspx

The Alternative Bollox.

News of the World Phone Hacking

2011-07-07T16:37:00.002+01:00

In all the time I have been watching, listening or writing about news and current affairs, I can honestly say that I have never heard anything quite so disgraceful as the phone hacking carried out by News International in the guise of the News of the World.

Let's get something clear - the News of the World is known as gutter tabloid press, the worst kind of media where getting the story is all important and nothing else matters. That is all well and good but when an organisation as big as News International, headed by that prize twat Rupert Murdoch, starts to abuse ordinary people and invade their private lives in order to get a so called story, then this is far beneath even gutter press.

The word that comes to mind is depraved - it is so baseless, tasteless, abusive beyond imagination to actually hack into the phone of a private individual whoever they are. Also, let me make it clear that celebrities, politicians, victims of crime and their families in fact almost everyone out there is entitled to privacy. There can be no justification for this kind of CRIMINAL activity.

Now, because most of us have turned a blind eye to Murdoch and his brand of crap journalism, the poor taxpayer is going to have to foot the bill for an enquiry. Enquiry into what? We know what went on, we know how they did it, why does not matter.

What needs to happen now is simple - let the police finish their investigation, bring the evidence to court charge everyone connected including Murdoch, make News International pay massive compensation to all those affected and in addition, make News International PAY for the enquiry! They started all this rubbish of hacking and all the consequences that we are now faced with, let them pay for any enquiries INCLUDING all the police time that has been spent so far investigating the matter.

Lastly, I have to agree with Andrew Neil on the BBC, self regulation of the press DOES NOT WORK! The PCC is a laughing stock that has done nothing to reign in the likes of Murdoch and others. We need statutory laws that make activities such as phone hacking a CRIMINAL OFFENCE punishable with a prison sentence. If they threw the management of the News of the World in prison right now, I bet they would mend their ways!

The Alternative Bollox.

What is contempt of court?

2011-06-14T14:28:00.000+01:00

I did jury service back in the day when there were no mobile phones, smartphones, no internet and certainly no computers. As jurors, we had no access to the volume of information that exists now. We were told by the judge never to discuss the case with anyone ever that included your family and friends.

The culture and the technology now are different. But, jurors today are still bound by the same rules as back then i.e. do not discuss the case outside of the jury room and base your verdicts solely on the evidence presented in court. The person who contacted a defendant in this case, via facebook and was laughing at the whole proceedings, has no regard for the court or the law and should go to prison. She knew exactly what she was doing.

They need to ban all kinds of electronic devices from being taken into court including the public. Jurors should be told not to bring phones to court with them and if they do, they must be handed in to the clerk and handed back at the end of the day.

But even then, before a trial begins, once a suspect is charged say with murder as in the case of Joanne Yeates, that news goes global in seconds and I find it hard to imagine that any person who lives in the modern world would not have heard about the case BEFORE they are on the jury. So, can anyone get a fair trial?

Barack Obama on Twitter

2011-05-16T04:23:00.002+01:00

I received an email in my inbox from the office of Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America. I will quote it below, unedited:

"The CEOs from the five major oil companies -- which together booked $36 billion in profits in the first quarter of 2011 alone -- went to the Senate on Thursday to try to justify the $4 billion in tax giveaways they're receiving this year.

It's a head-smackingly obvious example of how broken Washington is that there's even a question about this. These companies don't need and don't deserve taxpayer money -- especially with a budget deficit to close and gas prices at or near record highs.

Even worse is the fact that when the Senate tries to strip these oil company giveaways, it's likely that a minority of senators will block a vote from happening. And even if the Senate manages to pass a bill eliminating the giveaways, there's little chance it will be brought up for a vote in the House.

Here's why: These five companies are expert manipulators of the money-for-influence game in Washington that the President is working to change. It's simple math -- they spent more than $145 million last year on nearly 800 lobbyists whose job is to defeat bills like this one. The $4 billion they'll likely get to keep as a result represents a 2,700% return on their investment.

I'd like to be able to say with certainty that you can do something to help pass this bill, but the fact is that at this stage we may not be able to affect the outcome of next week's vote.

What we can do is build a campaign that will keep a spotlight on issues like this and the fundamental reasons why Washington doesn't work.

Our campaign doesn't take money from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. This organization will be a living example of doing politics a different way -- from the bottom up; of, by, and for ordinary people.

That example and the results we achieve on Election Day are the biggest blows we can strike against a dysfunctional system and the distorted outcomes it creates.

But we have to start building right now. Add your name to our call for a new kind of politics today:

http://my.barackobama.com/Making-Washington-Work

While the oil industry has been earning billions in profits, gas prices have surpassed $4 a gallon in some parts of the country.

As the President has said, "Instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy sources, we need to invest in tomorrow's."

But on Thursday, one of the CEOs went so far as to say that cutting oil giveaways would be "un-American."

Right now, we're building a grassroots campaign that's led and funded by people like you. We're opening up offices not just in Chicago but all over the place, and putting organizers on the ground in communities across the country.

So if you're frustrated by the way business gets done in Washington, I'm asking you now to channel that feeling into building a massive grassroots organization to change it. Add your name to join our campaign to change Washington:

http://my.barackobama.com/Making-Washington-Work "

Firstly, I had no idea that the poor taxpayer is subsidizing the oil industry to such an extent! There are many people who are struggling to find the $4 bucks a gallon now being asked. So, why on earth have we, yes you and me, allowed this situation to continue? Is it because you feel powerless, hopeless and as if you can do NOTHING in the face of an industry hell bent on gorging itself on your hard earned money and gorging itself on the preciious resources of this planet called Earth?

Whatever you are feeling right now, it is well past the time that you act. I mean actually do something. Write to your MP, congressman/woman. senator and president and tell them that this extortion cannot go on any longer. Believe in the power that you have to change the world for the better. If you believe that there is nothing you can do, then the big oil companies will continue to abuse you, your family and future generations.

Also, the governments of the world, especially the US government, need to make oil and the burning of fossil fuels a thing of the past. Not overnight, but as soon as possible. Electric cars should be the norm not the exception. I wonder if the US government has changed the cars it uses over to electric? If we the people are to lead the change in our world, then we need to lead by example and changing our cars is a start.

As for fixing Washington, make sure you vote for the person who wants to do the right thing for all people, not just a few rich and powerful companies. Like Neo in the Matrix, we have to stand up against the machines and say no!

The Alternative Bollox.

BBC News - Canada Liberal leader Ignatieff quits after election

2011-05-03T18:51:00.001+01:00

BBC News - Canada Liberal leader Ignatieff quits after election

"Mr Ignatieff said on Tuesday that Conservative attack ads, which made use of the more than 30 years Mr Ignatieff lived in Europe and the US, had a large impact on the outcome of the election."

This crushing defeat for both Ignatieff, who lost his seat and the Liberal party, is more than just some attack ads. Yes, they hurt his profile but his party was already seriously damaged long before he appeared on the scene. The result of the election is made up of many parts.

Firstly, the ramifications of the sponsorship scandal. Many people did not like that episode. Secondly, the ousting of Jean Chretien by Paul Martin in a desperate grab for power. This is something that did not go down well with some people. The resulting minority government left the liberals vulnerable to a person, Harper, and a party the conservatives who were and still are hell bent on destroying their old arch enemy the Liberal party of Canada. The Liberals did not heed the warning and change their ways.

Came the time for Martin to leave and what were the liberals doing? Doing what the liberals do best - arguing amongst themselves about who was going to lead like a bunch of vultures around a dead corpse. This is where it gets interesting. Then came the resulting leadership convention which by the way I believe is one of the most undemocratic things in the current system i.e. it is a closed shop not open to the general public. if you really want to be a party of national standing and have people vote for you, then surely you should let all people decide who is going to lead a party for those same people will be doing just that in the federal election.

At the leadership convention, something went wrong as in the person who was expected to win did not. There were several candidates but in the end, Stephane Dion was chosen much to the surprise of many watching. This did not go down well with Ignatieff or Rae who were expected to duke it out for the win. As far as I am concerned, the members looked at the candidates and decided for themselves that they did not like the look of either Ignatieff or Rae for obvious reasons.

In the case of Ignatieff it was clear to me then he was going to be cannon fodder for the Tories for he has been away for over thirty years! Can the liberals not work it out that people want CANADIANS who care and are ever present in their community to be their MP. Igantieff was never going to overcome that handicap. As for Rae, he had a similar handicap in that he came from the NDP! How ironic is that this very morning! So, they chose Dion. Now it gets worse.

The caucus were not happy with Dion. He tried but he was no match for Harper. But instead of getting behind him, they used mealy mouthed words of support and argued yet again amongst themselves about the choice foisted upon them by the membership. So they set him up with this coalition rubbish which of course was like a red rag to a bull for a lot of Canadians. They did not vote for that and the idea should have been strangled at birth. The coup detat on the night he had to give a speech was so bad as to make one wince! Dion lost another election now with even less seats and Dion was dumped without so much as a thank you but no thanks. He has been largely silent since but I note, he WON his seat last night!

But, did the liberals listen. Hell no! They went ahead and argued some more like the vultures they are and in the end there was no leadership challenge to Ignatieff. This was just too much for most people. Here was a person, who had not been around much who was mysteriously now the leader of the opposition! Did he oppose? Well, yes and no? Ignatieff seemed to have the hearing of a donkey! He could not come out and say clearly at any time that there would not be a coalition between his party and any other. Until it was too late. He realised it was too late and the game was up for him. Add that fact to the many times he supported the Tory minority government and tried to make out it was in the best interest of the people and the result last night was predictable.

In addition, it came out and I did not know this, that Ignatieff has hardly been around for the vote. Why? How on earth does anyone expect to win anything if they can't be bothered to show up? When you add all that together, sadly for Michael Ignatieff, he will go down as possibly the worst leader the Liberal Party has ever had and almost single handedly delivered a crushing and possibly terminal blow so bad that I find it hard to believe they can come back.

So, there you have it in a nutshell. The tories did a number on old Iggy pop but the wounds of the savage defeat were largely self inlficted. To be honest, Ignatieff has done the people of Canada a disservice - this election was supposed to be a close three horse race and instead, we now have a Tory majority government with only 40% of the vote. Hey, maybe Iggy pop could go back to the states and help out Obama, by joining the Republican Party and helping to destroy them? I can hear it now, HE'S NOT HERE FOR YOU!

The Alternative Bollox.

Jack Layton for Prime Minister?

2011-04-30T21:35:00.001+01:00

YouTube - The Debrief: Last Stretch of the Election Edition

Jack Layton for Prime Minister? Hang on there for a moment. Jack Layton? Do my eyes deceive me or did I see the Tories at 35%, the NDP at 30% and the Liberals at 22%? What is going on there? This is not in the script. Are Canadians actually considering voting for the NDP not only to be the second largest party but to win the whole damn thing? When one factors in that this poll, which was in the Toronto Star, like other polls has a plus minus variation of 3%, then the NDP could actually be leading the Tories!

Now hang on a minute, this is only a poll of a sample of the electorate but the fact that the NDP numbers are way up is something to be taken seriously. So, let us consider the possibility that Jack Layton and the NDP COULD actually do much better than anyone would expect given past election results. How about it then people - Jack Layton for PM?

Well, you could do worse. You could get Harper and his obnoxious band of cronies again with their arrogance that they know best and anyone who dares to disagree with them is a traitor! Harper never wanted this election because he knew that the numbers were not in his favour and he knew that the real truth about him and his party was going to come out. Don't forget, Harper is the person that shut down parliament to avoid being voted out two years ago. Can you imagine if we had gone for an election then? Maybe the result would have been the same but the point is that THE PEOPLE would have decided who was fit to govern Canada and not one person, that is not how this democracy is supposed to work.

Don't forget, Harper is the person who has led a party that is now in CONTEMPT of parliament, a very serious matter for it goes right to the heart of your democracy i.e. if you cannot trust the government to do the right thing, then who can you trust! There are so many reasons why Harper is not fit to be PM again that they are too numerous to mention here.

Let us consider Michael Ignatieff, the leader of the Liberal Party and until recently, leader of the opposition. Opposition I hear you say? What opposition? Therein lies the problem for Ignatieff. He inherited a party that, as Strombo put it so perfectly in his debrief, had shoved Jean Chretien out of office, given it to Paul Martin who lost, voted for Stephane Dion and then stabbed Dion in the back for losing! Ignatieff has been given a lame duck and along with his relative inexperience as a leader added to which his party have effectively propped up this bogus government on more than one occasion and one can understand why the Liberals are going to take a pounding at the polls come May 2nd. Overall, Ignatieff would probably make a good PM for he understands democracy and the system and I believe he wants to do a proper job. But Ignatieff does not have the party.

So, in considering Jack Layton, he does have the credentials, he does have the experience as a leader but does he have the party to go to? But hang on a minute. I would like at this point to draw a direct comparison to what happened in the general election held in the UK almost exactly one year ago. The Liberal Democrats, a party with a similar political make up to the NDP, had a surge in poll numbers just before the election and were talking about getting 100 seats but come election day, most people chickened out and in fact the Lib Dems actually lost two seats! They now occupy a seat in government with the Tories who did not get enough for a majority!

So, people, it is by no means clear what is going to happen come May 2nd, the contest is too close to call and it is up for grabs. The beautiful feeling that exists in me right now is that it is the PEOPLE who will decide the next government. Despite what you might hear about a massage parlour or two, don't let that deflect you from voting for the person and the party YOU think can do the best job. Most of all it is imperative that you all go and VOTE! For someone who is recovering from cancer, had a hip job and been written off as being no good, maybe Jack Layton is the best man for the job?

The Alternative Bollox.

Democracy in Canada - the system is broken

2011-04-07T17:00:00.001+01:00

Strombo | CBC Television

You may be wondering why I have included a link to website of one George Stromboulopoulos. The reasons are many and varied but there is one incontrovertible fact - he tells like it is, especially when it comes to the current election campaign in Canada.

There is a lot of history you may not be aware of particularly with regard to the MINORITY government of Canada (not the Harper government!) and how that collection of losers has somehow manged to con people in Canada into letting them earn far too much money for doing not a lot. More importantly, the conservative party of Canada has managed to single handedly destroy what little freedom and democracy there is in Canada.

Firstly, Harper shut down parliament (they call it a porogue!) - he did this in order to avoid a confidence vote in parliament which he would have undoubtedly lost. Harper cited that is was in the best interests of the Canadian people that he shut down parliament and said that if he had not done so, then a coalition between the Liberal, NDP and the Bloc Quebecois would have formed a government that in his opinion would be unconstitutional and illegal!

Well, I am not going to start a debate about that here but the fact remains that in the constitution of Canada and the UK, there exists a quite legitimate option for any of the opposition parties to approach the governor general and ask to form a government. This is what would have happened had Harper and his cronies not shut down parliament. Instead, the opposition parties were prevented from exercising their democratic and quite legal right to oppose the government and express with a vote of no confidence their wish to form a government.

Secondly and just recently AND the cause of this election, the MINORITY government WAS FOUND TO BE IN CONTEMPT OF PARLIAMENT! That for me is as bad as it gets. I know the conservatives will try to wash over this one and blame everyone else including Colonel Gaddafi but it is not going to work! They, the conservatives are simply arrogant beyond belief. They carry on like they own the government and everyone else is beneath them!

This wholly objectionable method of politics (it's politics and not democratic) should never be allowed to happen again. The constitution of Canada is so broken in that a party with less than 40% of the vote can control parliament in that way without reference to anyone else except one person, in this case the governor general, who is appointed by the government! How stupid is that?

Not only did Harper shut down parliament, but his style of government indulges itself in brinkmanship i.e. you had better go along with us or we will call an election and blame the opposition. It makes me sick to watch people like John Baird, stand up and use whatever language and tactics in order to score political points against the opposition who need I not remind you, garnered collectively between them more than 60% of the vote in the last election! Does anyone in Ottawa hear the voice of the poor man like me?

I doubt it, they are too busy working out how they are going to hang onto power and too busy finding ways of cheating the people out of their vote.

So, I titled this blog "Democracy in Canada - the system is broken" - you may ask, how are we going to fix it?

Firstly, fix the voting system. The first past the post system in no way, shape or form, recognises every vote cast as important. It has long been the view of most political parties that changing the voting system would be bad for the country and they engage in brainwashing to make sure it stays that way. They do not want to change the system for that would allow people to vote for something they believe in and we cannot allow that! The only way forward I can see is to adopt the Proportional vote system where your vote will count.

Secondly, make voting mandatory. There is no point in hoping that the current lot in Ottawa are going to be able to inspire everyone to vote. For me it is quite simple - it is like jury service or paying your taxes, you don't like doing it but it is part of being a citizen of a country like Canada. If you believe in Canada and believe in the system of democracy, then voting in an election is for me a requirement of you as a citizen and should not be optional. It is no longer acceptable for people not to vote and exercise their right to choose a government. On this point, we could do so much more to make voting easier and clearer so people could really make an informed choice. Why the hell are we still using paper and ballot boxes? What's wrong with making it an electronic process where you would enter a booth, see a touchscreen where pictures of the candidates and their profiles could be viewed and once you were satisfied, you would touch the screen next to the person you wanted to vote for. Then, there would be much less delay and not arguments about spoiled votes and bloody recounts going on for weeks, wasting all that money!

Thirdly, make it so that members of parliament are there to represent people - all people, not just the people who voted for them. There should be no division in parliament along party lines, parliament is not about political parties, it is supposed to be about representing people and making sure that the wishes of people are heard in parliament.

Fourth, make it so that a government is formed from members of all political persuasions that have seats in the house - this is the fair way to represent the votes of the people in a government i.e. no one political party or vested interest would be able to dominate a parliament and ride rough shod over the wishes of the majority of people in the way that the conservatives have been doing.

Fifth, abolish the porogue. There is no reason to shut down a parliament unless agreed by a majority in parliament because of a national crisis i.e. war which makes it impractical to open parliament. Other than that, parliament should be open as much as possible for it is closed for far too long and no business is getting done.

Lastly but not the last thing that could be said on this subject, this business about the Bloc Quebecois in parliament, something that Harper has used as a weapon to scare and divide people. I find it strange but welcome that the Bloc are allowed to have a federal party. It is an anomaly but it should not be feared. For me, it is not fair that they only stand in Quebec and nowhere else. But, people who vote for them know that when they do that, the Bloc are going to represent their interests and their interests only! That is why the Bloc is a success relatively speaking i.e. they do exactly that and their policy and voting patterns are based solely on getting the best deal for Quebec.

This is a very nice thing for Quebec and I applaud the rest of Canada for allowing it. It is the way it should be BUT now you have a choice - you can either allow the status quo, or you can ban the Bloc from standing at a federal level (not likely) or better still, CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION which requires a federal party to place a candidate in all 308 ridings across Canada. Mon dieu I hear you say in Quebec! Why would they do that? Well, it is up to Canadians to express the wishes through parliament. In order to be fair to a party like the greens or anyone else for that matter, the bloc have been getting a free ride and although I respect their wishes to represent the people of Quebec, this is an anomaly that should be rectified. After all, a federal election is about choosing people to form a government and a cabinet AND a Prime Minister.

By the way, this scandalous exclusion of the green party from the debate is nothing short of bullshit! Sorry, that got me mad! Again Strombo put it perfectly - the greens got nearly a million votes and no seats, the Bloc got 1.3 million votes and 49 seats? How the hell does that happen? Like the man said, the system is broken. Democracy is not about exclusion. What about all those permanent residents who are not citizens and do not get to vote - are they not important as well? Which brings me onto Harper and the conservatives excluding people they do not like.

If you are out there and not really bothered about voting then this is not for you. But if you are bothered about who is going to be running the country and spending your tax dollars then hear this:

I would not vote for anyone regardless of who they are and what they stand for if I felt at any point that they did not care about me or my wishes or what it is I had to say. Believe me when I say this, I have never seen such a disgraceful campaign as the one being waged by Harper and his cronies. It is beyond belief! You cannot ask more then four questions and if you do you are ignored. You cannot go to a Harper rally unless you have been vetted and screened by the RCMP AND you do not support another party! Harper will not go on the tonight show with George Stromboulopoulos and face the Canadian public! My god, how bad does it have to get before the Canadian people wake up and realise they have a despot for a Prime Minister!

If we allow this system to continue the way it has been, then the apathy and the political quagmire we are now in will only continue. I call upon all Canadians to make sure they vote! Make sure your wishes are heard and do not let Harper continue to abuse you and democracy in Canada.

The Alternative Bollox.

March For the Alternative

2011-03-28T18:07:00.001+01:00

March For the Alternative: Jobs, Growth, Justice | 26 March 2011: March and rally against the cuts

They should have called it the March for the Alternative Bollox! The bollox comes in the shape of Ed Milliband (aka the millipede, because he crawls!). Milliband had the cheek to stand there, as a politician, and state that "we are here standing on the back of those who have gone before us e.g. the suffragetes, the civil rights activists and so on". Looking at Milliband, he does not know the meaning of the word or of the verb, to suffer. I mean, literally to be in a condition where one's life is a daily struggle against insurmountable odds in order just to survive.

Milliband looks like one of those public school boys who has not done a hard day of work in his life. He has no idea what it is like to have nothing - I mean nothing. ME, my family, my friends and may other people in the UK and elsewhere have had next to nothing all of our lives. I grew up in a terrible dwelling that had mould, damp, broken ceilings and walls which we could not afford to fix because my Dad could not earn enough. We had no heating, no hot water and not even a bath! The council, Westminster City council (another bunch of useless twats), cared not that our dwelling was considered unfit for human habitation. But that is the UK for you. The poor are essentially to be tolerated by the rich and they get nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I do not want a free ride, never did. What I want, along with most people, is equal rights, the chance to earn a good living to pay for the things we need to have a good life and a government and system that puts people first before everything and not after their various vested interests. Milliband is a hypocrite and a liar.

He sat their, in the Labour Party, the party that is supposed to care for the poor, voting in favour of all the budgets put forward by Gordon (he's still alive!) Brown, and the bail out of the banks who helped to cause the financial crisis even though they are still paying themselves huge bonuses! It is Milliband and the Labour Party that have helped to ruin the UK. He has the cheek to stand there and say he is with us in this fight?

It is Milliband and his band of cronies (aka the Labour Party) that cut the education budget in 1976 which led to the closure of my school hence ruining what little chance I had for a good education. It is the Labour Party and it's economic policies that in 1976, brought the UK to it's knees and had to go to the IMF for a loan! It is Milliband that voted for the war in Iraq and so on and so forth. Don't make war. make peace! Stop wasting billions on illegal wars and spend the money in the UK on people! One million people marched against the war in Iraq. Did the Labour Party listen? Hell no!

So, if Milliband comes round looking for your vote sometime, just remember what his party has done and what it will do in the future - they are a bunch of wolves in sheep's clothing, do not trust them ever!

The Alternative Bollox.

BBC News - Student dies in hospital after London street stabbing

2011-02-13T23:25:00.002Z

I see this far too often on the news these days. Stabbed for what reason? A mobile phone? It might be said that the young man, whose young life has been cut short in such a brutal way, made an error carrying a bag marked with T-Mobile on it. You and I who were born in these places of violence know that it is not a good idea to draw attention to oneself in anyway for fear that there might be someone nearby who is desperate enough to take your life for whatever it is you are carrying.

But this young student knew no such fear and probably did not think for one moment that someone would attack him for it. It seems these days that there are a growing number of desperate individuals who will take your life if you so much as look at them the wrong way let alone possess something they want. This is why we need to bring back the death penalty.

I was never a fan of the death penalty for the simple reason that we could not rely on the evidence brought in court for such a serious offence and too many times in the past, the wrong person was put to death. But we are now past that point. I do believe that the technology exists to convict a suspect beyond any doubt. When this situation arises, the death penalty should be automatic and without interpretation.

The death of Samuel Guidera is one such situation that merits the ultimate punishment. It has become far too easy to take a life knowing that there is nothing that can be done to make a criminal pay. Some will argue that having a deterrent such as the death penalty will not deter the type of person who committed this crime. I disagree completely with that view and even if it were true, do we not owe it to the family of Samuel Guidera, owe it to society and to the majority of good people, to rid ourselves of such a person?

There is no easy answer but it is time to stop talking tough about being tough on crime and time to get tough on crime - starting here.

The Alternative Bollox.

God Save the ***king - punk tribute for royal wedding

2011-02-11T15:02:00.002Z

Punk was for me an explosive spark for social and political change the like of which had not really been seen for a long time, since the days of revolution and civil war in the 17th century UK. The Sex Pistols in particular, made it acceptable to question even to be almost disrespectful to the monarchy in ways that growing up, would be unheard of. Little did I know that the monarchy was and still is, a vestige, an anachronism from a bygone age of oppressive regime, every bit as bad as that in Egypt 2010.

One might ask the question: What are they still doing here? It is a good question and the answer is not an easy one. I want to preface my remarks by saying that I wish no harm or ill to either William or Kate. They are going to be married and hopefully have a nice family. The problem is, I do not want to pay for it - ever!

The debate about monarchy is long and fractious but for me it comes down to this - where does it say that a person or persons are above me by dint of birth? That is exactly the issue right here, the royal family as it is called, are placed above the rest of us. This is no longer acceptable in 2010 and change should have come well before now.

The constitution in the UK, such as it is, does not recognise that we are all born equal, under law. It recognises some very old customs and dubious laws passed in the very distant past, that allow this family of Windsor to maintain a lifestyle and status that it may not fully deserve. The whole system of governance in the UK, is all about top down, do as you are told and don't question anything and the monarchy is right at the top of the pile.

For there to be real change, the people of the UK need to take a long hard look at themselves and ask themselves these questions:

Do you really want your children, grandchildren and everyone else brought up in a society that regards them as subjects!? Do you really want a world where the path of your children is blocked by the fact that they are born as subjects and poor? Or do you want a world where your children have a fair chance of doing well?

If the answer to the questions above is no, then dissolution of the monarchy is the only conclusion. What would we replace it with?

Well, I do not mind if Charles and family wish to continue to serve the UK as ambassadors doing the good work they do already, for which they will be rewarded accordingly. The UK can come to an arrangement that they can keep some of the property and wealth they have acquired over the years but the rest of it should be given back to the people.

If the Windsor family did not want to continue serving the UK, then we should search for another family which would not be a political process, I do not want some US style of political process, it needs to be free of corporate and vested interest. After that, a bill of rights needs to be drawn up in line with existing law on human rights so that we can all move on with our lives free from this bullshit of royal this and royal that.

It is not without irony, that the era of punk and anarchy has been chosen to mark the next wedding of the Windsor family. It is yet another ploy to sucker people into thinking that the monarchy is cool. Oh please! Come one people, get with the program, it is time to grow up and tell the Queen to retire!

The Alternative Bollox.

BBC Question Time defined by 'epic' battles

2011-01-20T15:18:00.001Z

However much I like the BBC Question time program, for me it brings into sharp focus the role of Question Time, the BBC and the media in general when dealing with the important issues of the day. We should not be focusing on the personalties on this panel but what they have to say and more importantly do.

I care not for either Campbell or Galloway. For me they are a pair of nobodies who became somebody for dubious reasons. Campbell, as a so called spin doctor, if asked the time could not give you a straight answer in case it compromised government policy! As for Galloway, he has been going around exercising his right to free speech and then some without really stopping to think a little more about the effect. Neither of these people are good examples of politicians that I would look up to. Neither of these two politicians could answer why some 30-40 years down the line, poor people still cannot get a good paying job, cannot get good healthcare and housing.

Granted, Question Time is a television show which relies in part on ratings but part of the reason why it has lasted so long is that it has allowed ordinary people to really get up close and personal with these politicians that claim to be working on our behalf but in all reality, they are just as self serving and reprehensible as the next liar or cheater that appears on the show. The clips of so called famous and epic battles clearly highlights why the UK is in a bad way e.g. Jeffrey Archer - a criminal. Michael Heseltine - a rich man who is alright jack. John Prescott aka Two Jags Prescott, a poor boy who got lucky and then turned out to be just as bad as Heseltine!

Question Time needs to re-focus and allow ordinary people to ask the very hard and difficult questions that need to be asked and answered and not worry about WHO is on the show but what it is they have to say. I would be happy to have a panel which was a mix of politicians AND ordinary people who could speak to their own experiences on a range of topics. That is how I would like to see this show go forward - invite applications from ordinary people to appear on the panel and sit directly opposite some of these politicians and go head to head with them.

Now that would make good TV!

The Alternative Bollox.

David Cameron hits back over taped Lib Dem remarks

2010-12-23T00:47:00.001Z

Let me start by saying this - Milliband aka millipede, the one who crawls, can't hold a candle to Vince Cable let alone pretend to lead anything or anyone except down a blind alley to massive debt and considerable pain for poor people, inflicted on us by his crony driven party and highly spun innuendo. He can't even look squarely in the camera and say what he is thinking without looking down at his notes. This is a sure sign of someone who is not convincing and is someone who needs to make things up to look good.

The issue here is do we trust our politicians? The answer is most firmly no! One only has to look at the result of the general election to work that out. No one party in this corrupt system got a majority. It was left to the Tories and the liberals to hack out some kind of agreement under which they could be bed partners. Let's be clear about this - they don't love each other but they can look the other way when it suits them.

This is exactly what Cameron did this time around - he looked the other way and winced a little at the inconvenience that Cable has heaped upon his fragile coalition. Well, judging by previous holders of his office, he failed his first big test as a PM i.e. knowing when to sack a minister. It is unfortunate that it should be Cable and not someone else for Cable is right to treat with suspicion that nasty horrible thing called Murdoch. Murdoch and his kind care not for the likes of you and me and it is this kind of person you DO NOT want to be controlling anything let alone your media. See what Murdoch has done in the US with the creation of Fox TV and most notably the garbage that they put out in the guise of FOX News. Murdoch even says that he wants to sell the news back to you!

As for Vince Cable, he reminds me of Cable TV - he is always switched on and there is always something on but it is not very good. Frankly, there is nowhere left for Cable to go except to go but like so many of his kind (over paid, stupid and delusional cabinet ministers), he is going to hang on to a job he has no right to keep. There are some clear rules and guidelines not to mention common sense and one of those rules is that when dealing with matters of who owns what, one cannot be seen to biased. The point here is not that Cable was caught out by undercover reporters looking for a story but that he seems to think that he is bigger than the rest of us and has the ability to bring down the government!

No Mr. Cable, you along with everyone else in Parliament, are employed by the people to serve the people - period. There is no other agenda more important than that. There cannot be anyone in government or opposition who does not have that as there number one priority. Vince Cable showed us by his demeanour in the street that he cares not for what we need and want but is only interested in himself and his agenda of waging war on Rupert Murdoch and maybe bringing down the government.

If I had been Prime Minister, I would not want Vince Cable within a mile of my cabinet let alone give him the opportunity to destroy that which is most important to me - the government.

The Alternative Bollox.

The FBI, my husband, and my 87-year-old Uncle David

2010-12-20T04:37:00.001Z

I am not sure what the author of the above article expects from the casual observer. She has, to all intents and purposes, a good life. Probably has a nice home or two, a husband that is employed full time and she has the time to bitch about being asked questions that the FBI is empowered to ask. Well, all I can say is, yes please, I will have some of that!

The FBI does not mean the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it means the Fucked up Bunch of Idiots! This we know already. They could not organise a piss up in a brewery let alone catch a spy. As Jane O'Brien rightly pointed out, it took the feds over seven years before they got round to having a word and even then they sent a contractor! Not even a properly trained agent! The FBI expect us to believe they know what they are doing?

While they were spending time having coffee in down town DC, you can bet some real nasties were laughing into their coffee somewhere else planning their next outrage. I sympathise to a some extent with Jane O'Brien. I had an experience with a friend, crossing the border from Canada (that nasty horrible country that the US government and FOX news hates so much!) to go shopping. We had our passports and everything was in order. But, because we were foreign nationals travelling from a foreign country (Canada for christs sake!), we were told to park the vehicle in another location, our passports were kept and sent up in a tube upstairs and then told that we had to report to the office for 'processing'.

This involved a wait for an hour in which time not one person told us what the hell was going on but other people there said that they are going to take your picture AND your fingerprints AND charge you $7 dollars for the privilege! Well, we had heard the horror stories about people who make a fuss when entering the US so decided to swallow this time, vowing never to return. We were not even given the option of turning around and going back. It seems that once you are on US soil, you belong to the US. They searched our car while we upstairs, I assume they have the powers to do this? There was nothing there of course for we were going shopping there to buy stuff from the US!

Now, I will never go back there. I was in two minds post Sept 11 about going back and it is sad for I always enjoyed going there. But this is how messed up the US and it's security paranoia has become. You can't even go on a casual shopping trip without major hassle. I have no problem with the US protecting it's border but I do not see why I should have to pay for it and they have my picture and dabs on a database for which there is and never will be any accountability.

In the end, the US is the big loser for it has become a fortress that is becoming increasingly difficult for foreign nationals to get into, out of or even through and eventually, people will say enough already and just stop going there. I cannot see that this is what the US government intends to happen but this is the real effect. Jane O'Brien should have no complaints about being questioned by the feds. She married into their family and lives on their soil. She is wise to stop short of becoming a US citizen for once that happens, she will belong to them.

The Alternative Bollox.

Student fees protest: Cameron condemns attack

2010-12-10T15:36:00.001Z

So, this is what is has come to. I watch with a mixture of surprise and shock at the scenes I saw last night in the place I was born and grew up in.

Let me say this from the start - no violence against anyone in their car is acceptable. It does not matter who it is. The fact that is was Charles and Camilla is perhaps ironic and perhaps could be a catalyst for the change we all need. The issue of student fees has been the catalyst for a groundswell of despair and outrage at what is a bad policy in that it causes division in society.

I can see both sides of the argument. The taxpayer at large does not necessarily want to pay for the education of a student for whom they are not responsible. The student who wants to go to university has an expectation and perhaps a right that the rest of society will help them achieve their goals.

This is not an issue that should ever have been allowed to get out of hand. We as a society must decide what kind of world we want. Do we want people to have the chance of a good education which will help them to help themselves or do we want the system we have in the US where generations of people are going through their lives with little or no education. It should not be in the domain of any political party to decide that issue as a political party is one that exists to impose it's brand of ideology or dogma on the rest of us.

How we move forward from here is not clear but perhaps HRH Prince Charles, if he is the kind of person I think he is, will allow himself the luxury of getting involved and saying to the the government that something must be done differently for I must believe that his brush with the citizens of the country that he will be king of one day, will surely have moved him to think that all is not well and that perhaps the government needs to rethink not only this policy but how it does business in general.

I call upon Prime Minister Cameron to do the right thing, catch those people who are doing wrong in the streets but equally, he needs to get a hold of the police and tell them that they need to allow protest and not engage in provocation which it seems clear has taken place on several occasions.

If Cameron cannot control the police, it will be seen as just an arm of government that is there to oppose and crush lawful protest. This is not what the country I call home is about. We are allowed to march on parliament, it is a fundamental part of the democracy which we all deserve. Not only does government need to govern, it needs to listen to the people. The government must not use issues and politics to divide the country so that it can achieve it's political aims. This is more than just one issue, it is about the way we want to live our lives.

The Alternative Bollox.

Cantona cash withdrawal protest irks EU finance leaders

2010-12-07T14:34:00.001Z

"A call by French ex-footballer Eric Cantona for people to punish banks by withdrawing all their cash has been condemned by EU ministers."

I suspect that most people are concentrating more on the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange but the issue of the banks and how they control our lives is one which needs to be kept firmly in focus.

I have always liked and admired Eric Cantona. As a footballer, he was one of the best players to watch. How he played his football is how he is living his life - with passion and full commitment. Cantona is absolutely right, you try and go to your bank and take out all of your money and see what happens. I bet you will come up against a wall of resistance and pressure to leave it there.

In reality, your money is not your money when it is in a bank, it belongs to the bank and they will not let that money go easily. At one time, banks were there to keep your money safe and help you with loans and mortgages. All that has changed. Now banks decide when you can get your money and how. They invest your money without your consent or knowledge in companies and investments that you may not be comfortable or happy about.

But they never tell you this. As far as you are concerned, you and your money are just a number on a database and as long as they can make money out of your money and give you nothing in return, then you will be just fine. But as soon as you exercise your rights to move your money where you like, you become a problem - just like Eric Cantona.

Well I hope the EU finance ministers are feeling pissed and angry. It is they along with the banks, that have created this situation in the world where countries are having to borrow money in order to survive. Guess who is loaning the money at an inflated interest rate? Yes, you guessed it - the banks! Those same banks that have just received a massive bail out from us, the poor taxpayer. Those same banks who got in to massive debt by being greedy and massively irresponsible!

Applaud Eric Cantona and others like him. Cantona is making people sit up and take notice of this issue. You cannot trust the banks - ever! Go and get your money out and let me know what happens. While you are there, sing the football chant:

"Ooh Aah, Cantona!"

The Alternative Bollox

Just Say No to GMO music video

2010-11-21T14:48:00.003Z

"Just Say No to GMO music video and song by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com. Written and performed by Mike Adams, this song exposes the lies of the GMO biotech industry, specifically mentioning Monsanto and genetically modified corn. It also features rap lined from Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology, author of Seeds of Deception."

From responsibletechnology.org:

"You’ll be happy to know that several high profile GMO issues made headlines in 2010:

o The Supreme Court ruled in our favor, and kept GM alfalfa out.
o A federal court banned the selling of GM sugar beets.
o An appeals court ruled against the draconian rbGH labeling restrictions in Ohio.
o And Frankenfish are swimming upstream against 91% of Americans who don’t want ’em.

There’s more good news. Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, which is sold with most GM crops, is imploding. Its overuse has spawned a new generation of superweeds that are resistant to its toxic effects. And Roundup’s promotion of soil pathogens seems to be creating an explosion of plant disease, including widespread Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans, and possibly Mad Soy Disease in South America.

Monsanto’s highly touted Roundup Ready 2 soybeans and Smart Stax corn were flops, forcing the company to drop their inflated prices. In just 11 months, Monsanto’s fortunes went from Forbes “Company of the Year” to the Worst Stock of the Year. Forbes apologized."

Links:

NaturalNews.com
responsibletechnology.org
Irish Side of the Moon

We are being poisoned. Just say no to GMO!

The Alternative Bollox.

Bush defends his controversial White House policies

2010-11-09T17:21:00.001Z

"History would judge him a success, he added, but he would be dead by then."

The man is seriously deluded. I use the word man with conditions i.e. it only describes his gender and that's all! Other than that, he claims he gave up drinking at the age of 40. Obviously the previous 40 years have so seriously damaged his brain to the point where he could not see the evil he was perpetuating on innocent people, creating a whole generation of Americans, Canadians, Brits and many others who have grown up only knowing bad times not only through the various conflicts he started but now economically.

Bush thought about getting rid of Cheney in 2004. Well that thought did not last long! Cheney probably offered him a drink and Bush just crumpled at his knees! This person is so full of it it is quite incredible. I really don't know how he had the nerve to appear in public let alone publish a book full of rubbish. It is as bad as Blair, the bum chum of Bush if ever there was one. Those two were made for each other.

History has already judged the Bush years - the people voted in large numbers in 2008 to kick out the republican party of which he is a member and a party which allowed a president to get out of control, something for which they will never be forgiven. I suggest Bush goes back to his hole and stays there. The damage he has caused has changed the world for the worse and I fear now that we will never get back to a time when there were no wars and we lived in good times.

Thanks Bush but no thanks. Piss off!

The Alternative Bollox

Google in 'significant breach' of UK data laws

2010-11-03T13:42:00.001Z

"New impetus was given to the UK inquiry, which had originally ruled that no significant breach had occurred, following harsh criticisms of Google from the Canadian authorities. Last month it found that the search giant had breached its privacy laws.

"This incident was a serious violation of Canadian's privacy rights," privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart concluded.

But she said that no further action would be taken if Google tightened its privacy policies."

Fancy that! The only reason any kind of scrutiny is being given to this massive breach of privacy is because of the Canadians? I don't expect much of the Canadian government but they are pretty hot on privacy issues. But it is embarrassing that the UK authorities were not all over Google like a bad rash over this issue. It makes a mockery of the notion that we are safe when using our computers to go online.

Yet again, the government has failed you in protecting you from any company let alone Google and there is so much more that could be done which would not cost any money either. For a start, the Internet providers who ship these wireless routers could provide clear, simple instructions to assist the average user in securing their wireless networks. They could also have customer service people available to help a user over the phone.

Some, maybe most of the people out there using the Internet over a wireless connection probably don't realise that their wireless router in many cases is shipped out to you with default settings. These settings include there being NO wireless password on the connection, broadcasting your wireless network name so that anyone passing by or living nearby can see what it is, using a default username and password to gain access to the router itself and using a default ip address for the local network.

What does all that mean? Well, say I lived next door to you and you plugged your wireless router in and did nothing with the settings. Firstly, I would be able to see the name of your wireless connection. Then, if I knew the make of your router I would be able to find out from the Internet the default username and password and gain access to it. If you have not secured your wireless connection with a password, I would simply be able to log onto the Internet using your wireless network connection.

Once logged on to your connection, I could surf the Internet at no cost to me, do all kinds of bad things and here is the real issue, I would be able to see all of the computers connected to that router and if they are not secured with a password, be able to look at what is on your computer and steal any information.

So people, if you know that you have never changed any settings on your wireless router and connection, DO IT NOW! If you need help ask. Ring up your ISP and ask them for help with this, it is very important and don't let them charge you for the service, they should be providing that service free!

The Alternative Bollox.

US Elections 2010: Candidates make last push for votes

2010-11-02T03:01:00.002Z

It seems to me that this election and the final outcome have been overshadowed and dictated by one group - The Tea Party. The millions invested in this group is not lost on me and it smacks of big business jumping on the bandwagon of mid term apathy for a President who is before his time.

The racial divide in the US is as big as ever fueled by big business who dislike the new President not doing things their way i.e. healthcare reform. The US is not ready for Obama and most likely never will be.

The Republican party come November 2 will die for this tea party is only just beginning to gather strength and they will not stop at the mid term elections, they want the President. If this trend continues, Sarah Palin will creep under the radar on a wave of anti-Obama, anti spending, anti taxation mania.

God help the USA.

The Alternative Bollox.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11663672

Warning Signs! - a short film.

2010-10-28T02:34:00.001+01:00

"Ask questions. Demand Answers!"

That's what the commentator said in the film. I agree. In line with my previous blog, it is so imperative that those of you out there that think they are alright and don't need to concern themselves with the big issues in the world, need to get involved, get proactive and start to ask those questions of those people who tricked you into voting for them.

Questions such as:

Why are we still in Iraq? Why didn't Obama simply pull the plug maybe at an agreed time and get the hell out of there?

In the UK, why did Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats and now Deputy Prime Minister, agree to a massive rise in VAT, hitting the poorest AND agree to massive cuts in benefits and services which will hit those same poor people the hardest?

In Canada, why did Stephen Harper agree to host BOTH the G8 and G20 summits, which together cost ONE Billion Dollars when they can't even afford to pay down the deficit he has just so nicely given us?

In France, why are they considering raising the retirement age to 62 causing massive strikes and disruption?

Finally back in the USA, why did the government not bail out Lehmann Brothers which caused a massive stock market collapse which hit everyone all over the world, but did bail out two crappy car manufacturers who through their own lousy management and greed, went bankrupt?

These and many other questions need to asked and answered and if you, yes you, that person sitting in their armchair saying 'I'm alright jack', decide to stay there and do nothing, then it could be your turn next.

The Alternative Bollox.

Spending Review 2010: George Osborne wields the axe

2010-10-20T14:27:00.002+01:00

Here we go again. The poor are going to pay for it. All the mistakes made by the rich and business are going to be paid for by the likes of me and you i.e. the poor. This is a terrible day in the history of the UK. This is worse than Thatcher in the 80's. At least she made the case that in order to have the services we have, everybody has to pay something into the pot. That's ok in the sense that most people will be happy to pay their fair share in order that we do have services and people can get help with education, health and finding work amongst other services.

But this is not about doing the right thing by ordinary, hard working people. This is about government trying to find money that has been wasted and pilfered by previous governments namely the Labour Party and it's bunch of cronies, who claim to stand up for the poor but are just as bad as anyone else! They sat there and did nothing as job after job went to people coming to the UK from the EU and elsewhere leaving those people who were already there up shit creek without a paddle.

Now the government is saying that those people who could not find work BECAUSE of government policy are to get less money so that the government can give the money to someone who does not need it i.e. business or their chums down the local club! This is what these cuts are all about - political ideology gone mad, the notion that there is not going to be a free ride for the poor and that the poor are going to pay for the excesses of the rich!

Bollox, I say, as is the name of this blog. Complete and utter bollox! Osbourne or whatever shit face they have in there, is going to tell me that a man who got laid off through no fault of his own, cannot get work because business does not consider him worthy of their time, is going to have his housing benefit cut by 10%? What does that mean? What about all the money that man paid in taxes both direct and indirect to pay for those benefits he now rightly is receiving? Will the government pay that money back? Hell no! They are just going to keep on taking it ad infinitum and there is almost nothing you can do about it.

Well, I say almost nothing. What you can do is start writing. Do what I am doing now, email, blog, twitter, facebook whatever you choose to use but start writing. WE, the poor cannot just sit her and take this. We are being crucified for the sake of the rich. The rich, who have far too much money and even less sense, created the top down, divide and rule society that we now live in. We are not all in this together crap that Cameron likes to put out there from time to time. It is the rich for the rich and the poor for the poor. It's always been that since I was born and many eons before that.

As I said, start writing and telling your local MP, councilor, MEP what this government, even in such a short space of time has done to increase the divide between the rich and the poor. If you want a divided world, then this is what you are going to get. I say keep on shouting it from the roof tops. Hopefully, someone somewhere is going to hear us and maybe the poor can change this country for the better. The rich don't care, they are alright jack!

The Alternative Bollox.

UK aid worker may have been killed by rescuers' grenade

2010-10-11T17:32:00.002+01:00

This is a mess. A complete and utter mess. Not only have we lost a very special person, Linda Norgrove, but now we learn that some parts of the media have simply assumed that she was killed by her captors - convenient. Oh no, we can never have a death caused by the people trying to rescue her, that would look very bad.

Let me say this before I lay into the government - aid workers like Linda Norgrove have a courage and bravery beyond most people, without these people the world would be a much worse place. Aid workers know, when they go into these places of danger, there is always a chance they will lose their life in someway, either in the course of their work or as in this case, as a victim of a criminal gang.

The decision to attempt to rescue any person in this situation is not one that is taken lightly and I would hate to have to be the person who had to take that decision. However, it was decided for whatever reason, that this was the best course of action despite pleas from tribal elders to give them more time. I am not in full possession of the facts but my instincts tell me that if there was a chance to resolve the situation and secure the release of Linda Norgrove peacefully, then this is something that I would investigate actively.

So, it was decided to send in US troops because they had a 'better knowledge of the area'. When all said and done, soldiers are soldiers and they are operating under strict orders and mission parameters but in the heat of battle, things can and do go wrong. Now we are being told they were using fragment grenades! Why on earth would they be using those? They are indiscriminate and care not who they damage. I hate to say this, but it seems to me that Linda Norgrove was not the main mission parameter, the soldiers were under orders to destroy the location target and if Linda Norgrove survived, then she would have been very lucky. I would say, now that we know they were using fragment grenades, her chances of surviving were slim to none.

To add insult to injury, the Americans, quite systematically and deliberately, put out completely false and misleading information as to how Linda Norgrove died. The US soldiers knew how she died or at least they were not sure but instead of doing the right thing and saying so up front, they lied to cover themselves thinking that no one would be bothered. How wrong they are. We in the UK are very bothered by it.

We are very bothered when a British citizen loses their life in this way. We are very bothered when we are lied to. We are very bothered when we are made to look foolish. I hope the US government is listening and reading to this blog and others. WE DO NOT LIKE IT! It's time to take responsibility for the things that you have done both good and bad. This is one of the bad things. The whole so called war in Afghanistan is a sham and has been for a long time.

As far as the US us concerned, the death of Linda Norgrove is for them, 'collateral damage' and is quite acceptable. It is not for this blogger and most people in the UK.

The Alternative Bollox.

'Homes and cars' smoking ban call by Wales' chief medic

2010-10-06T15:44:00.001+01:00

"people know that smoking is a dangerous habit, but choose to ignore the facts".

Sadly, this is all to true. In fact, there should be laws passed that go even further. I would like to see smoking banned in public period, especially outside places like supermarkets, entrances to public places, cinemas, pubs, clubs in fact anywhere where the smoke can be inhaled by just being near to it. Recently, I was at a supermarket and outside where several smokers. Of course, the cloud of smoke I was forced to inhale was terrible. When I mentioned this to the manager, he was not in the slightest bit interested (must have been a smoker himself bastard) and said he had no powers to remove them to somewhere else. Ironically, he does have powers to remove people drinking alcohol outside the door for they do not have a licence for that but smoking is not considered to be just as dangerous! Stupid!

The government, the local councils need to get tough on smoking and stop playing both sides i.e. they want us to give up but they like getting the taxes from smoking as well. Smoking outside a supermarket door is not acceptable, the smoke was blowing inside the store going over the fresh produce. I am sure if you told people that their fresh fruit and veg was contaminated with cigarette smoke, they would not be too happy. This is a major public health and safety issue, not just an issue of how much money it costs us in health care.

The majority of people are non smokers and wish to stay that way. It's well past the time, the government respected the majority of people and banned smoking in public places.

The Alternative Bollox.

Sick PCs should be banned from the net says Microsoft

2010-10-06T15:27:00.001+01:00

Well, if it wasn't some one from Microsoft saying it, then I would agree that we do need to do more to protect the Internet from sick computers. The problem is, Microsoft caused this crap!! Now, they are trying to preach to us about cyber security and isolating sick computers. It is their horrible, virus ridden piece of garbage called Windows which has been the root cause of the problems we are all now facing.

Maybe the retard at Microsoft should stick his hand in his dirty, stinking pocket and pay for some decent software and support for those people who have no clue or money to tackle the ever increasing threats to their computers running windows? Why should poor people who now have to rely on their computers from which Microsoft has made billions of dollars, pay to keep their computers free from virus that were the result of the crappy windows operating system and all the holes that it came with?

Why did Microsoft ship windows out knowing that it was full of security weaknesses? Why was it not until the release of Service Pack 2 in Windows XP, that they actually introduced a standard firewall which at one fell swoop, automatically protected the system from the majority of virus attacks?

We are never going to get the answers to those and many other questions. I have a suggestion for those bastards at Microsoft, stick your windows where the sun don't shine!

As for the rest of us, I suggest strongly you head over to www.linuxmint.com or any other version of linux, download and install asap. It is free, very well supported and most of all, it works! You will not regret it and will not have the problems you will get using windows.

The Alternative Bollox.

Ed Miliband to mark break with Labour's past in speech

2010-09-28T04:55:00.001+01:00

Ed who? Milliband? Never heard of him. Sounds like an advert for a sticking plaster! Ha! The headline says:

"Ed Miliband to mark break with Labour's past in speech"

Well of course he is! Only a fool would want to be associated with that pair of failures aka Blair and Brown. He might be new but he worked out already that the past was absolutely nothing to do with him even though he supported it fully and joined the party because he wanted to make a difference or some kind of crap - oh please, do me a favour!

Who voted for you? A bunch of cronies in some backroom somewhere who are in no way accountable to the ordinary people you claim to represent. The likes of Blair and Brown said the same thing but they made sure they lined their pockets before they got the boot! Honestly, does this Milliband really think people are going to fall for his brand of bullshit?! Obviously he does think he will be able to fool some of the people some of the time otherwise he would not bother coming with a load of old cobblers heard many times before!

If millipede (crawls like an insect, get it?) or whatever his name is really wants to do politics differently, start by throwing open the election of the leader of the Labour party to anyone in the UK who is a citizen. That way, when it came time for a general election, people would have had a say in who potentially might be the next prime minister. Instead, we get someone who was voted for a by a minority of vested interests who clearly are not concerned about ordinary people.

Milliband is going to learn very soon, that no one person in his party or the government is going to over ride the wishes of business - it is business that runs the country and our lives - Milliband is not going to stand up to them, he going in to bat for them! He says:

"that we are for wealth creation as well the distribution of wealth."

There in lies the crux of the problem. If Milliband were ever going to be PM, firstly he is going to look after himself, then his cronies, then his party followed by big business. The rest of us mere mortals down at the shit end of life will still be waiting for Jesus to come down and rescue us!

The Alternative Bollox.

Nick Clegg - Our welfare system is broken

2010-09-16T16:17:00.001+01:00

"One of my predecessors as party leader, Jo Grimond, argued 30 years ago that a centralised, bureaucratic "welfare State", treating people as passive recipients of benefits, had to be replaced by a "welfare society", in which people engaged as active citizens in promoting their own welfare, and the welfare of others. This vision is long overdue."

Mr. Clegg, we do not make anything. Business shipped everything abroad to save money. The poor have been poor ever since the Feudal system was set up in order to keep them poor. Government policy over the years have consistently tried to force poor people to work for less and less including massive and intrusive immigration, enslaving those that came to the UK in seek of a better life, cuts to benefits, increase in indirect taxation including the rise in VAT to 20%! How is that fair? Joining the EU so as to make it possible for anyone to come to the UK to work for any amount of money and so on. See Rory McLeod

Agreed, the previous bunch of incompetent, overpaid, idealistic losers known as the Labour Party (especially Blair, Brown, Prescott and Mandelson) beat up on the UK something chronic and helped themselves and their friends to as much of the pie as they could before they got booted out. But you just can't blame them, it has been going on for years.

Firstly, business wants to employ people at the lowest possible cost so as to maximise their profits and those of their shareholders. This inherently wrong. If you expect people to work for their benefits, you are going to have to explain to them how they are working for peanuts and those filthy rich are getting richer!

I do not want to damage business but business cannot be allowed to dictate government policy which it has done for far too long. The government will have to issue a subsidy to a person in order that they make take those jobs which do not pay enough. This subsidy may go on for a long time. This is the only way you are going to equalise the unfairness you mentioned in your article.

Secondly, it is madness to simply allow a benefit claimant to turn up every two weeks, sign on and claim that they have been seeking work and then let them go away without some kind of concrete plan to get them back to work! It simply does not work! You have to have a system and a culture where being out of work is not a death sentence and should not be the status quo i.e. it is too easy to be on benefits.

If it were me I would go right back to the beginning and draw up a 'Social Contract'. It would say:

1. We the government, recognise you, the person (name) as a citizen of the United Kingdom.
2. As a citizen, you are entitled to an income which can be derived from benefits, wages or a combination of both.
3. The government will work with you through our agencies to ensure you have access to the necessary tools, advice, education and resources in order to help you find and keep work.
4. You as a citizen, agree that while you are claiming benefits, that you will engage in activity that will help you find work or that you will agree to engage in work provided by the government appropriate to your current skill set. If no work is available that matches your skill set, steps will be taken to upgrade your skill set to the level required in order to attain work. In the meantime, benefits will be paid but this is contingent on you completing skills upgrade.
5. You as a citizen, believe in the community and will do everything you can to make your community better. This could include doing work in the community for which you will receive financial credit and a reference from the government that you have completed certain work in the community.

The last point could really open up the possibilities for people who are desperate to be active and working to give something back and feel like they belong.

This is just a few ideas for how we could go forward. The other side to this equation is government policy and how they get business to interact with the unemployed instead of treating them like some sort of plague. For far too long, the unemployed have felt very bad about themselves. I am sure you heard of many people, with years of experience and skills to match in their fifties, made unemployed, someone younger taken on for less money, and then told that they have to accept less in their lives. This cannot continue.

Business will do what business will do but we cannot leave our lives completely to the whims of the market. Granted we live in a global economy but this is a national issue that needs to be dealt with nationally. If it means that government has to give a subsidy to work then so be it. Surely, that is far better than the current system and surely, it is far better for people to be active, healthy and working than not?

The Alternative Bollox.

MPs 'abused staff over expenses changes'

2010-08-25T17:21:00.000+01:00

Well, what do you expect? As a number of my friends have said, most of the so called MP's are nothing of the sort - they are a bunch of idiots excepting they have been smart enough to con most of us in to electing them to an overpaid, under worked system that rewards cheating, lying and now swearing and threatening behaviour. If I had carried on like that in any of the work places I have worked in, I would have been sacked on the spot, marched from the premises and told in no uncertain terms that I would not be getting a reference!

But no, these are our sacred members of parliament - or should we call them the amoebas of pratdom?! They, who can do no wrong, who have an attitude the size of an elephant's arse, can do whatever they want. Can't they? They can never be questioned, never be asked to so some work, never be in the wrong. Now, they have to account for all of the money they waste on our behalf week in and week out and they are behaving exactly as expected - like a bunch of 3 year olds at kindergarten!

This is precisely what is wrong with our parliamentary system. This is exactly what is wrong with our society. The message is going out loud and clear to the rest of us poor people down here trying to keep it going in difficult times i.e. " we're alright jack, what are you going to do now?!"

Let me remind those bastard MPs, and forgive me for using that language but only a bastard would behave in the way they are behaving now, that this country, along with many others, was built on the backs, the sacrifice and the hardship of ordinary, working people. People who have had very little to start their life with and have got what they got through sheer hard work and determination with little or no help from the government.

So, to hear of such behaviour, such attitude in claiming money that is not theirs, it belongs to all of us and the government was charged with the responsibility of making sure that money goes to the people and places it is most deserved. MPs don't need large amounts of money to do their job. They need to put up and shut up and be grateful they have a job. There are a large number of good people in the community that could do as good a job if not better than the lazy bunch of gits who dare to call themselves a member of parliament.

The current crop of MPs are no better than the last, they want what they think is theirs and anyone or anything getting in the way of that is going to be abused! I say do away with expenses completely. They really don't need it. It comes from a time of privilege and the attitude that an MP was some how better than the rest of us - that clearly is no longer the case.

European Union seal products ban suspended

2010-08-20T07:49:00.001+01:00

"The group and several other native and hunting groups — including Inuit from Greenland — filed a legal action with the court in January, claiming the ban was both illegal and immoral."

Immoral? Illegal? What about those poor seals! This is why the world has gone mad. Some so called humans, mostly savage types like the natives in Canada, have an attitude from the dark ages.
Is it not about time we stopped killing animals for our own selfish and greedy indulgence? After all, who the hell needs to be wearing the skin of a dead animal? The mere thought makes my blood run cold.

Trust that huge and ginormous twat, Stephen Harper, the so called Prime Minister of Canada, he who shuts down parliament to run away from being voted out, to stand up and be counted on an issue that is so sick making I cannot begin to describe the horror of a seal hunt and for what?

For what may I ask are we allowing anyone to slaughter animals for profit? Why on earth can't they find some other means of making a living? Why continue to live in the past instead of living in the present? It is no longer acceptable for most people on this planet to kill animals for any reason, let alone profit from it.

This is about education and investing in people so that they can take their place in society and not be allowed to engage in these barbaric practices. As long as you have idiots like Stephen Harper at the wheel, there is no hope for the rest of us.

The world has truly gone mad.

Election: Vote battle intensifies for final three days

2010-05-03T15:09:00.000+01:00

"Mr Clegg said: "We have got three days in this most exciting election campaign, three days to change Britain for good. Three days to deliver the fairness... for the families and communities of Great Britain."

The people of the United Kingdom have reached a crossroads in the political and social life of the country and have a chance to really shape their future in a real way. The issues are quite clear - either vote for one of the parties that have had made a mess of the country in times past, Labour or Tory, or vote for the party that wants to bring real change and fairness to the country we live in, the Liberal Democratic Party.

For those of you that don't know, the name of the party comes from the merging of the old Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party which was a breakaway from the old Labour Party in the 1980's famously led by Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams, David Owen and Bill Rodgers, aka The Gang of Four. Those four people in a single moment, changed the political landscape for a generation or more. The Labour Party of Tony Blair is far removed from the extremist Labour Party of the 60's, 70's and 80's and owes a lot to the policies of the SDP and Liberals.

The Liberals and the SDP merged in 1988 and now stand on the verge of something important and perhaps historic. More importantly, the Libdems need to either be the government or the largest party come Friday morning if the UK is to awaken from the nightmare that has been the Tory and Labour party governments that have plagued us for far too long.

The Libdems are the ONLY PARTY to campaign on a platform of electoral reform. What that means in reality is that unlike now, every vote that is cast WILL count - period. Under the present system, if you vote for a party and they come second in your constituency, none of the votes cast for that party will count anywhere! How can that be fair?

Under the proportional representation system, your vote will count for if a party gets 30% of the vote then in all fairness, they should get 30% of the seats in the House of Commons - that is what I call a fair system and reflects the will of the people. The Tories will never vote for such a system for under the current system, they can get about 35% of the vote, barely a third of the electorate and still be the largest party - completely unfair and unrepresentative. The Tory party fear PR for it will make them what they really are - a minority party with minority interests i.e. the rich and well to do.

Now we come to the Labour Party led by the person who inherited the job of PM, the bigot hunter, Brown. They too do not want electoral reform although they say they might look at the current system but in reality are lying and never will. In a dozen or so years of government, they have not shown the slightest inclination to change the system that put them there - why would they? They too would become a minority party with their own vested interests.

Now the Tories and Labour are saying that the PR system would lead to weak government and that we need strong government to tackle the issues of the day. That's rubbish and always has been. The House of Commons is there to represent ALL people not just the people that voted for a particular party and if those people elected cannot sit down with other people and work out policy that is good for most people, then they have no business being there!

Cameron says it will take far longer to get things agreed - so what? It is better to take a little more time over major decisions that affect everybody than have more of what Thatcher gave us. Likewise, Labour cannot be trusted to do the right thing especially with that Brown and his weasel words (be careful he might call you a bigot in private!). Don't forget that the Tories have promised to take 6 billion pounds of YOUR money and give it to the richest 1% in a massive cut in inheritance tax.

Only Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democratic Party can deliver real change, fairness, a system where your vote will count and the chance to change the sad old, bad old ways of Labour and Tory policy which have led us to where we are now. Nick Clegg is the only man who I would be proud to call Prime Minister. Please, vote Liberal on May 6th 2010, it will change your life for the better.

Election: Nick Clegg attacks 'desperate' Gordon Brown

2010-04-21T15:30:00.001+01:00

You cannot vote for either Labour or Tories, for they both represent maintaining the status quo i.e. party politics dominated by political dogma and vested interest top down society. For there to be real choice, changes to the voting system, the way MPs are elected to parliament, the way the Prime Minister is chosen and the abolition of political parties would all have to take place.

Firstly, it is imperative that proportional representation is used in the voting system. This would mean that your vote unlike now would actually count instead of the stupid system we have now that in no way reflects the wishes and desires of all of the electorate. Secondly, MPs are elected to represent all people in their area and not just the people that voted for them. They should be made to sign a declaration that their allegiance is to the people and not to a political party. In fact, I would go as far as to ban MPs that belonged to a party for it is not in the best interest of the people. MPs are there to serve people not a political party.

Thirdly, we cannot have a system where the position of Prime Minister is merely handed from one person to another as happened with Blair and Brown. Nobody for voted for Brown in an election and he has demonstrated he is not competent for the job. He has no leadership skills and does not have a vision for the future. It should be written into the constitution that if the position of Prime Minister becomes vacant for whatever reason, then there should be an election for that position. It should never be handed from one person to another and at the very least, if an election can not be held due to extreme circumstances like war, then ALL members of parliament should have a free vote to elect a prime minister until such times as an election for that position could be held. It does not require a general election to elect a prime minister, it only requires an election for that position.

The abolition of all political parties is fundamental to real change in the UK. These parties have been set up deliberately to divide people into convenient self interest groups who have no accountability to the people whatsoever. They are funded by big business who will dictate to the party what policies they want to see passed without reference to the people. If political parties are allowed to continue this way, they will ruin what is already a seriously damaged country.

Lastly, it should be part of a new constitution that citizens of the UK have to vote in a general election. But this can only happen if the voting system is changed. So far, I have not seen any of the Labour or Tory parties propose and make it a priority to do any of the things I have said in this blog. What does that tell you?

It tells you that only a vote for the Liberal Party will deliver real change and a fairer system.

Parents of girl found hanged in bedroom are jailed

2010-04-09T17:39:00.001+01:00

This kind of news has become all to common especially recently. I can only assume that the so called parents are completely ignorant, stupid but most of all uncaring. What in god's name was the mother thinking or feeling to allow her child to suffer in this way? She must be evil, there is no other explanation for it.

Twelve months is not enough and never will be enough. More importantly, the mother, no the bitch, can go and get pregnant again and do this all over if she chooses. Is it not about time that we not only keep these people in prison for longer but also consider chemical castration? Society cannot afford morally or financially, to turn a blind eye to child abuse and cruelty. These types of low class people have no place in society as far as I am concerned and we should not allow them to breed.

Social services and the education authorities cannot prevent these types of heinous crimes in the future, it is up to the courts to make sure they do not get the chance to do it again.

What has this Parliament meant to you?

2010-04-07T16:10:00.000+01:00

This and any other parliament, has meant and will mean nothing. The system of so called democracy means absolutely nothing. It never did. I view parliament as a group of faceless, unaccountable people who are paid far too much money and continue to pass laws that restrict my life in ways I do not appreciate and they keep taking money from me in taxes to do with as they please including fighting illegal wars which I never asked them to do and never will.

It does not matter who you vote for simply because the whole system is designed to favour one class of people over another. Whole corporations have been founded and profited on the backs of the working poor, slavery in other words. Those self same companies fund the political parties who control parliament and have done for hundreds of years. We as people, have allowed this to happen mainly because we did not have the knowledge or power to do anything about it.

The upcoming election is not going to anything to change that. If the political system were to be changed so that we did not vote for a party but were voting for a representative of our area who would represent our views in parliament, then maybe, change might occur. The party political system was set up to give a false sense of democracy, that somehow if you voted for a certain party, things would be better.

Let history be my witness when I say this - Labour or Tory, it made no difference. They have both fought wars which were not necessary, both have had aggressive foreign policies which have brought trouble to our doorstep, both have continued to tax the poor so as to benefit the rich and now both say that the other is corrupt and cannot govern. Are you serious?

Now I hear that those fucking bastard Tories want to cut public spending in order to get the defect down!. Why do the poor have to pay for the rich all over again? It was the rich that created this crisis in the first place through sheer greed! Labour are not any better, they turned a blind eye to what was going on in the US simply because they could not and would not stand up to Bush and tell him to get his house in order! Neither party have spent anything like the amount of money on education so as to help people help themselves. Both parties have allowed immigration to get out of control through consistent policies designed to undermine the indigenous population who do not want to be slaves any more.

If there is a real leader out there that is reading this blog then take note. The first leader, who has a clear vision for the future and whose first order of business is to reform the electoral system and do away with the political parties, WILL GET MY VOTE! Not in your dreams pal.

Madonna 'most played' artist of decade

2010-04-05T19:35:00.000+01:00

Well. what can one say, the old tart herself is the most played artist of the decade just passed! I am not sure what that says about the general public, either they are very loyal to the older artists or there is not much out there for young people to buy and like. Or is it that she was very good at pushing her music out into the market and it is even harder for a new artist to get their music played?

You would think that with the plethora of music sites, social networking and intense information exchange, newer artists would be more popular? But perhaps that is the problem? There is so much music and competition for the attention of people that so much new music, which may not be that new anyway, is simply lost in cyberspace......?

Poll tax riots - 20 years after violence shook London

2010-03-31T14:13:00.000+01:00

"In the London poll tax riots, up to 3,000 of the 70,000 demonstrators turned on police, attacking them with bricks, bottles and scaffolding poles, and 340 were arrested. Of 113 people injured, 45 were police."

This is something I remember well having been appalled that any government could even think that taxing the poor which includes me, would be a fair way of raising revenues to pay for services. I don't think the council tax is much better but at least it is based on property and the number of people living there but it is still far from perfect and along with personal taxation and VAT, needs to be looked at carefully again so that tax is based on ability to pay.

After being ripped off by the banks, I get the sense that there could be more trouble along the line if the UK does not make getting people back to work the top priority.

BBC News - Lie-in for teenagers has positive results

2010-03-23T00:51:00.000Z

I could have told them that. I hated having to start school so early and it really affected me. Along with other simple changes, they, the education authorities, could make the life at school that much more tolerable and maybe even enjoyable. Education needs to be an experience that enhances a person and their potential for a better life. It should never be something to be endured or survived as it was for me and many of my generation.

I would also encourage ways at educating young people at other times of the year especially when the weather is bad i.e. winter. With all the technology available, I really do not understand why schools do not hold more classes over the internet, that way more would be taught without the stress and expense of having to get to school in bad weather. Seeing as most of what a person will learn will be self taught at home on a computer, lessons in a classroom have a limited usefulness.

Additionally, more one on one tuition could be given to those same students at home over the internet. Let's hope that the later starting time is here for good.

BBC News - Man used penis to assault female police officer

2010-03-18T03:24:00.000Z

Some women pay a lot of money for that service!

GetUp! Campaign Actions

2010-03-17T20:13:00.000Z

Don't Let Them Stop You From Voting
*** UPDATE: The vote has been scheduled for Thursday March 18th. ***

This week, Family First Senator Steve Fielding will be deciding which way to vote on important changes to the Electoral Act. What's at stake is whether hundreds of thousands of Australians - mostly young, migrant or Indigenous - will vote in this year's election.

GM FOOD: FACTS NOT CROPS

2010-03-17T20:11:00.000Z

The European Commission has just approved growing genetically modified crops for the first time in 12 years, putting the GM lobby's profits over public concerns -- 60% of Europeans feel we need more information before growing foods that could threaten our health and environment.

Stuart Mitchell - Breaking the Codes at Rosslyn Chapel

2010-03-17T20:03:00.000Z

BBC News - Tiger decline is 'sign of world's failure'

2010-03-15T17:57:00.000Z

The harm so called people do to animals and I don't even like the word animals any more, I much prefer beings, is beyond belief. I suppose the attitude in some people towards Tigers and other species on the planet is ingrained in the human psyche and goes back thousands if not millions of years. It's an attitude that speaks to a perceived sense of superiority which is in no way justified.

The world has failed the Tiger along with all those other species the human has helped in some way to become extinct or in danger of extinction. I have never seen any desire on the part of any government to not only change attitudes but to actively engage in policies and laws specifically designed to eradicate hunting of endangered species. I know there are some countries which ban hunting but significantly not enough is done to enforce existing legislation protecting endangered species like the Tiger.

Canada is a prime example of why humans treat animals the way they do e.g. the seal hunt. Japan and the whale hunting is another example. These so called 'civilised' democratic countries - democratic my arse! These countries along with many others turn a blind eye to hunting as long there is money in it and provides jobs and income. What about the right of the other species on this planet to exist?

We should all be ashamed of being human.

The Lost Generation

2010-03-12T22:50:00.000Z

This is good - very good. I had to stop and listen and realised that the commentary was read forwards and backwards and made sense both ways. You decide which version you prefer. For me it's obvious.

arcconvention.org

2010-03-12T22:41:00.000Z

"A community is created when people join together with a common goal or purpose. There is a commonality or communality that binds us all beyond belief; beyond personality; and beyond the perceived boundaries that exist between ourselves and everything else in the entire universe."

Illuminati rule to end this year, maybe even this week

2010-03-12T22:38:00.000Z

HEALING SOUNDS PYTHAGOREAN TONE GENERATOR

2010-03-12T22:24:00.001Z

"Pythagorean Tone Generator This musical instrument generates Pythagorean notes that the human voice and modern musical instruments cannot duplicate. When seen on an osciloscope, each note is a perfect circle instead of a sawtooth pattern as with our musical scale. Pythagoras believed these notes represented the universal Music of the Spheres and had transformative properties for matter or the bodies of people at lower frequencies of manifestation."

Conversation for Exploration - St. Catherine's Experience

2010-03-12T22:14:00.000Z

Organic Tulsi Tea - The Healthiest Alternative for Coffee

2010-03-12T22:06:00.000Z

Weymouth ridgeway skeletons 'Scandinavian Vikings'

2010-03-12T01:13:00.000Z

Those Brits are brutal!

New documents raise heat on Toyota - Yahoo! Canada Finance

2010-03-11T18:40:00.001Z

"Internal company documents subpoenaed by the Congress committee showed that Toyota executives reported last year that the company had limited the financial impact of its product recalls through lobbying in Washington."

Technically it's legal but morally repulsive. I have to say, having been an owner and fan of Toyota for some years, I have quickly gone off of them and for good reasons. It seems they have created a climate globally that it's ok to cut corners and they have been sucked into a war with the Detroit auto makers which has resulted in them sacrificing their reputation for quality and reliability, something for which they built their brand on. Additionally, the dealerships I have had contact with seem to be infected with the global malaise for cheating i.e. they too cut corners and that on top of the corporate corner cutting has led to deaths in some cases and nearly another one this week in a Prius.

Toyota are still insisting that the electrics on their cars and the software are safe when it is clear to the average user that this clearly is not the case. I suspect that along with some bad quality, third party parts, which they should never have been using, their software will not integrate properly with those parts and it maybe in attempting to re-write the software, they have messed it up for most of their models.

I can say from experience - the 2007 Yaris I bought was fitted with an after market, third party cruise control. The dealership said it was a Toyota factory made part - it was not. It was made by a company in the US and fitted by the dealership. To cut a long story short, the cruise control blew my throttle sensor so I ended up with the opposite of the sudden acceleration i.e. it came to a grinding halt and would only creep along.

The dealership the car was towed to, disconnected the cruise control, replaced the throttle sensor and stated clearly on the repair invoice that the third party cruise control unit was responsible for the car breaking down. They did not attempt to refit the cruise control stating that my Yaris was not pre-wired for a cruise control unit and that fitting one would mean splicing into the harness.

The dealership I bought the Yaris from got the car back and despite me asking them not to re-fit the cruise control unit, attempted to refit the unit that had just blown the throttle sensor! Idiots! They then admitted that they could not get it to 'initialise' that means it would not work with the Toyota software. They ordered another cruise control unit. They still had problems but eventually got it to work. It works but not very well and sometimes it will not work at all and takes a couple of attempts before it engages. The dealership where I purchased the vehicle will not entertain a refund and of course are not responsible for third party parts even if they fit them. To make matters worse, I found out that the vehicle had been in an accident! This is what I mean by cutting corners i.e. it's ok as long as you can get away with it and that attitude comes from the top, from Toyoda himself, he is the one that gives the orders.

Now that the reputation for reliability has gone, what is left is a mess of gigantic proportions and I don't see them being able to recover from that. I certainly won't be giving them a second chance now that I have been cheated and that's the way the market is, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Toyota brought this upon themselves, they killed people through their negligent behaviour and I hope they get what they deserve, a fucking good hiding in court!

Police accused of failures over anti-social behaviour

2010-03-11T15:30:00.000Z

First off, let me state this clearly - anti social behaviour is crime. Period. It is nothing else except crime and should never be interpreted as anything else. I am not talking about kids kicking a football around in the street and being a nuisance, I am talking about various individuals and groups of useless people actively going out and causing harm and damage to people and property. In fact, the mere threat of such behaviour helped to kill one person today as reported by the BBC.

The poor man, who was 64, had learning difficulties, had been terrorised for some 15 years. Today, some toe rags decided to taunt him again, he came out to confront them and the stress caused a heart attack which killed him. You can rest assured that nothing will happen to those idiots because technically they did not commit any crimes or if they did, no one saw anything and if they did are going to keep quiet about it for fear of reprisal.

That's a big part of the problem - responsibility. No right thinking person is going to confront a gang of youths for one they will not be thanked by the police, two they risk getting hurt or worse and three, even if they managed to scare them off, they run the risk that they will become the target next time. As a consequence, many people turn a blind eye to crime as long as it does not affect them.

How we deal with these issues is not easy and will take some major changes in attitudes not only from the police but from government and most importantly, the people who live in these communities. If people don't care that someone is being continually harassed, then these scum bags will continue to do it for they know that there are not enough police to keep up with the whole litany of crimes being committed on a daily basis. That leads almost inevitably to an air of invincibility which can lead to more serious crime being committed with the usual consequences to society as a whole.

I speak from bitter experience, from an early age, we were victims of anti social behaviour and crime including violent unprovoked attacks, vandalism to property, muggings of both parents and so on. As far as I am aware, no one ever except for the first time I was attacked as a child, was ever caught or charged. The one person who was caught (it happened in the school playground) was only given a lousy caution despite the evidence (my groin was black and blue!) that he had attacked me and the many other people in the school who saw it. That's a classic case where parents have taught their children not to get involved lest it happened to them as well.

The police for their part were not just incompetent, they were negligent and had it happened today, I suspect the outcome would have been very different. The attack (I was 5 yeas old when it happened), shaped my life in more ways than I care to share on here but you can rest assured that I am not fond of a certain type of people and have zero tolerance for crime, violent behaviour of any kind, drunken louts with nothing better to do than smash things and generally anyone that is out of order.

Sadly, the police do not share my conviction that crime is crime and should be dealt with accordingly. They seem to go along with the notion that it's OK as long as no one gets hurt or something does not get damaged. That's no good. The answers along with a change in attitude in society include more resources but not just in people but how those people are used. I can well relate to the article on the BBC where it says that a victim could be under siege from local criminals but if a different police officer visits each time, then his/her perception of that crime may be diminished for they are not aware of a pattern and history of trouble. I see a police force that cannot cope. It does not have the amount of people required to do the job.

More importantly, their needs to be different tiers of police officers i.e. ones who go out on the street, ones who gather information to about crime and ones who are expert at solving crime. I would like to see a police force where there are people whose sole function is to sit their and use whatever technology is available to sift through, collate and analyse patterns in criminal behaviour so that when an incident occurs, within a few seconds, an officer can be given information specific to that address, location and person making the call so that when the officer arrives or shortly after, he/she will know that there has been a history of problems in the local area with the victim and act accordingly.

I would like to see police using more and better communications technology than they do know so that they can keep track and be more informed of the patterns of crime in any given area and be able to do that in the field from their police car, that way they can spend more time in the field and not back in the office talking about it. I know that they have technology to check number plates and if they do not, then they should have that now. This is as much about being more efficient with information as it is actual policing methods. It's a no brainer for me, you can't be in two places at once but if you have information about patterns of crime then you may be able to predict and maybe prevent future crime by targeting resources accordingly.

I am sure the police do some analysis already but more importantly, they must remember that they have a duty of care to all people in the community - that means anti social behaviour is a crime.

LHC to shut down for a year to address design faults

2010-03-10T19:42:00.000Z

I don't get it. Why would anyone want to smash atoms together? At what cost? Not just financially but potential damage to the environment. I would far rather they spent their time eradicating disease and poverty than trying to work out how the big bang happened.

Hard drive evolution could hit Microsoft XP users

2010-03-09T15:18:00.001Z

"Those most likely to see the performance problems are those building their own computers or swapping out an old drive for one that uses the new format."

So, for the average user it is not going to make a hill of beans difference only in that they will be charging way more for their product with little or no justification. This is just another money grab on the part of the drive manufacturers and that this article is a warning to us all that things are going to be changing so watch out.

Tennis - David Lloyd calls on LTA's Roger Draper to quit

2010-03-09T03:56:00.000Z

I don't know who Roger Draper is and I don't much care. I am not a fan of the Lloyd brothers either. They were good players but not great ones. Frankly, if you want to sort out the mess that is British tennis, get rid of all of those in charge now and start completely from fresh with a new mandate and constitution.

I cannot believe with all the money that Wimbledon generates and the infrastructure that exists in the UK that we cannot begin to help develop a new generation of players capable of holding their own on the ATP tour and then maybe going on to challenge for grand slams. It will take time but their needs to be a complete overhaul in personnel and attitude before any money is spent.

It is more about attitude than anything i.e. I don't see any black or asian players representing the UK and I don't see any players who look like they came from a poor background but are hungry enough and good enough to make it. This is what part of being a champion player is all about, that hunger and desire to win and rise above your normal level of play as the players from Lithuania were able to do even though on paper they were ranked outside the top 500.

Until tennis is made attractive for a wider cross section of young people, this scenario of not having major success in tennis will continue. It is one of the reasons why England is quite successful at football is the mass participation and the knock on effect that there are so many more good players out there that are good enough and hungry enough to play. I don't expect that tennis will be as popular as football but tennis in the UK has to be taken to those areas that have nothing and grown slowly so that in 10-15 years time, maybe we will see some players coming through.

If it were me, I would be looking for a high profile player to take executive control of the coaching and development of all tennis players under 16. That player would have had to be a grand slam champion, someone who knows what it takes to be a winner, someone who can perhaps inspire as well as coach. Boris Becker comes to mind but I suspect he would not be interested. John McEnroe is another but again is a non starter. Whoever it is but must be very good, have the respect and loyalty of a committed team and be left alone to get on with the job.

The LTA right now reminds me of Heinz 57 varieties aka a bunch of crusty old farts, living in the past with their heads so far up their arse they can taste it. The sooner it is disbanded and replaced by a proper tennis academy with world class grand slam coaches, coaching kids who really want to make it big, the better.

YouTube - Man says he got U.S. passport while declaring NH citizenship

2010-03-08T16:10:00.000Z

I wish someone would explain that to me? How can someone be a citizen of New Hampshire and not be a citizen of the US? Surely, if your main residence i.e. what you call your home is the US, unless you are granted some protected status like the native Indian is in Canada, then you are a citizen of that sovereign state that is called the US. This loop hole that means this guy can get away with not paying federal taxes is interesting but should be closed unless they make it the same for all of us.

justfortheloveofit.org | Promoting Skillsharing | Learn Skills, share tools, save money and make great new friends

2010-03-04T20:40:00.000Z

Freeconomy, feminism and farming

BBC News - Ashcroft cleared over £5.1m Tory donation probe

2010-03-04T16:41:00.000Z

"The commission considered that there was not sufficient evidence to conclude that the party was uncertain about the identity of the donor
Jenny Watson
Electoral Commission chairwoman"

Insufficient evidence? What does that mean? Either they did something wrong or they did not. What is the truth. Also, Mandelson is on tv making allegations with no evidence that there has been some wrong doing. So much for open and transparent government. The Labour Party is just as bad as the tories and the losers here are you and me.

Windows XP users: Don't press F1 - Blogs - Yahoo! Canada Tech

2010-03-04T14:44:00.000Z

As I have said before on this blog, never use Internet Explorer for anything ever! In fact, swithc over to using Linux as soon as you can.

YouTube - Hamish On Parallel Community DVD Trailer

2010-03-02T23:58:00.000Z

Hamish On Parallel Community DVD Trailer, speaking about how we as people can come together to sort out the problems we face.

YouTube - Holy Harmony

2010-03-02T23:52:00.000Z

"This profoundly sacred DVD reveals the hidden/esoteric name of Jesus:Yod-He-Shin-Vav-He: Jeshua...That which was, that which Is, and that which shall be... Upon watching this program one may come to comprehend the Love , Wisdom,Power and Beauty of this most sacred of all names. Holy Harmony, an initiatory experience, reveals the Ancient and Eternal Wisdom in a new and beautiful way."

YouTube - The 2012 Enigma by David Wilcock Pt. 02

2010-03-02T23:50:00.000Z

"2012: Tragedy, transcension or just another year? David Wilcock exposes many great secrets: DNA, consciousness science, wormholes, stargate travel, sacred geometry, three-dimensional time, the Mayan Calendar and much, much more!"

YouTube - Alex Jones Exclusive 2/5: David Icke On The Global Awakening

2010-03-02T23:47:00.000Z

"Filmed in Phoenix Arizona, lecturer and author David Icke explains how the panic-stricken elite are desperate to put the lid back on a global awakening that is stalling their agenda for world domination."

YouTube - The Truth About The Philadelphia Experiment

2010-03-02T23:44:00.000Z

"Amazing secrets revealed. Prepare to be shocked and in awe at the secrets of the Philadelphia Experiment, The Phoenix Projects and Montauk. This is definitely a film they don't want you to see."

In Transition 1.0 on Vimeo

2010-03-02T23:37:00.001Z

YouTube - Cell Phones & Cigarettes: What do they have in Common?

2010-03-02T23:35:00.000Z

Transition Island Blog » Parallel Community

2010-03-02T23:28:00.000Z

"We are a group of ordinary people living in West Cornwall UK, who care passionately about the way the world is heading. We are concerned that the voices of reason are no longer heard."

Amazon.com: Frequencies Sounds Of Healing: Jonathan Goldman: MP3 Downloads

2010-03-02T23:26:00.000Z

Reiki Chants: Jonathan Goldman: Amazon.co.uk: Music

2010-03-02T22:43:00.001Z

48-HR REPLAY: Mark Romero – February 26 | MasterWorks Healing

2010-02-28T18:15:00.000Z

"Tonight, we heard the wonderful story of how Mark came into the whole sound healing arena. We learned that while playing at a wellness center, he was approached by an audience member who told him that she could hear “the tones in his music. Of course, Mark thought that she was going to get a little “weird” on him, but she was quite emphatic when she explained to him how his music affected her. She then bought one of his CDs and told him she would hook him up with a scientist at NASA. About a month later, he received a call and was invited to a lecture about energy and its effect on the body."

Tapping Into Our Inner Creative Genius (Aug. 29, 2009) | Intent.com

2010-02-28T18:11:00.000Z

"Guest: Michael Gelb DaVinci
Deepak Chopra presents a dialogue from Michael Gelb DaVinci, an internationally renowned author, speaker and creative consultant who helps individuals and organizations approach their problems with more innovation."

BBC News - Today - Stephen Vizinczey: 'I owe everything I know to having older girlfriends'

2010-02-28T18:06:00.001Z

Older women are dangerous.

YouTube - Symbolic Spiral Meaning

2010-02-28T18:02:00.000Z

Harmony of the Spheres - Celestial Spheres - Crystalinks

2010-02-28T17:59:00.000Z

Musica Universalis or Music of the Spheres is an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies - the sun, moon, and planets - as a form of musica - the medieval Latin name for music. This music is not audible, but simply a mathematical concept.

CBC News - Books - Writer Stephen Fry to disconnect with 'outside world'

2010-02-28T15:50:00.001Z

Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie

There are not many things that surprise me anymore in life but I discovered this morning that Stephen Fry is for want of a better word, a criminal. That's right, he served time in jail for fraud. Now, one does not know all the facts simply that his crime was that most pernicious and nasty habit of credit card fraud. I am not a fan of the credit card companies far from it, they are all crooked as far as I am concerned but stealing is stealing and one wonders what drove such a talented and intellgient person to do such a thing?

I am also one to give some people a second chance in life and to that extent, Stephen Fry has more than redeemded himself. I will not list his achievements so far but Jeeves and Wooster is a fine example of his work and currently, QI on BBC TV is worth tuning in for. His recent tour of the USA in a black London cab is required viewing and part 2 of his upcoming autobiography is due out in April in which it may be revealed how and why he got into trouble.

BBC News - Jeremy Paxman apologises for swearing on Newsnight

2010-02-23T14:37:00.001Z

"During a post watershed interview with Andrew Rawnsley Jeremy read a direct quote from his book which contained an expletive.

"He apologised immediately to anyone that may have found it offensive."

Are you kidding me?! It must have been a slow mews day? It's ridiculous that time is wasted worrying about a journalist doing his job. If you are worried about swearing, what about Gordon Ramsey? This issue of the so called prime minister (minister of what I am not sure) acting like a bully is very serious and goes right to the heart of what is wrong in society i.e. it's ok as long as you can get away with it.

Now that Brown has been caught out he is on the defensive and I could not give a damn if he is upset about it, he should never have been prime minister. That is the issue i.e. how he came to be where he is.

Nobody asked me if I wanted Brown as PM, there was no election, I was never asked my opinion and in a modern day democracy this is unacceptable. The constituion should be changed so that whenever there is a change of prime minister, the people should get to decide who that person is not a small collection of people in a political party who are not accountable to me or you.

It does not require a general election, just a vote on candidates for PM and that way, people will have a say in who is the PM which will help to alleviate the resentment that exists everytime the most powerful job in the UK is merely handed down from one cronie to another.

Tiger regaining control?

2010-02-20T04:41:00.002Z

We are asked the question did we lose our sense of perepective in our reaction to Tiger Woods? Well, I can't speak for anyone else but I never lose perspective over someone like Woods. I never did and am not about to start.

Frankly, I could not give a damn what he does in his private life, he gets paid far too much money for hitting a ball and if he wishes to be reckless outside of golf, more fool him. There is far too much media coverage of this kind of self indulgent behaviour and the media are like a pack of dogs hunting down their next victim.

I suppose there are some of us that are secretly glad that Woods has fallen from grace but rest assured, after his pathetic attempt to fool some of us into thinking he was a changed and remorseful person, he will be earning too much money again and soon. If you were looking closely, you would have noticed at the critical moment, clear signs of stress in his face that told me he was lying to us all again and this was merely a stunt, invented by his advisors in order to stop the loss of revenue he has been suffering.

Don't be fooled! He is a sick person who has never been told he cannot have what he wants when he wants and how he wants. To put it simply, Woods is a person who has retreated into a fantasy world of insatiable sex and a lust for power and control. Maybe, if there is anything good left in Woods, he will go on to realise that he is mortal and bounds by the same laws and lives in the same world as the rest of us. I doubt it. Woods has had too much of everything, money, power and control to be able to take a back seat and be just one of the guys.

Penguin Reading Guides | Galileo's Daughter | Dava Sobel

2010-02-18T19:51:00.001Z

The world into which Galileo Galilei was born was remarkably different from our own. Music was taught as a branch of mathematics. Medical students learned astrology as an aid to diagnosis and prognosis. Ice was believed to be heavier than water. A ten-pound stone was thought to fall ten times as fast as a one-pound stone. The world was the center of the universe, and the Vatican was the centre of the world.

YouTube - Symbolic Meaning Of Number Eleven

2010-02-18T17:00:00.000Z

Avia Venefica discusses the Meaning of Number Eleven.

September 11?

Music Visualizations

2010-02-18T16:58:00.001Z

Grand Scientific Musical Theatre

2010-02-18T16:58:00.000Z

There was a time when everything in the Universe was seen as music. Known as musica universalis, or the music of the spheres, the balance between harmonic resonance and damping was once known to exist everywhere and in everything, describing the cosmos and all life in it as the frozen harmony of crystallized light.

The Suppression of Ancient Harmonic Science | INTERFERENCE

2010-02-18T16:56:00.000Z

Endless Original Music: Computer Program Creates Music Based On Emotions

2010-02-18T16:55:00.000Z

A group of researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) has developed Inmamusys, a software program that can create music in response to emotions that arise in the listener. By using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, the program enables original, copyright-free and emotion-inspiring music to be played continuously.

Play With Your Head: Student Unlocks Power Of Music For People With Disabilities

2010-02-18T16:54:00.000Z

Since his freshman year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Zane Van Dusen has played in 13 bands — and he founded 11 of them. A vocalist who also plays five instruments, the New York City native has been expressing himself through music for years. Now he has combined his lifelong passion with a keen set of technical and computing skills to create a device that allows all people, regardless of physical mobility, the opportunity to experience music’s positive effects.

YouTube - Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

2010-02-18T16:51:00.000Z

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

BBC News - Madeleine McCann book appeal lost by detective

2010-02-18T14:33:00.002Z

Enough already. There should be a law in the European Union that bans any attempt to make money from a crime that as yet remains unsolved. There is no evidence that I am aware of that indicates that the victim in this case is dead. That means as far as the authorities are concerned, the missing person is still missing and they should still be looking for her.

Recently, there have been some high profile cases of missing persons who have come to light many years later as happened in the US with Jaycee Lee Dugard who was snatched from a bus stop and held captive for 18 years. We must not give up on people who are missing just because some crooked police officer says so, especially when that same police office stands to benefit financially from it.

BBC News - Unlicensed Merseyside Police drone grounded

2010-02-16T14:28:00.000Z

They missed the point. This drone is way too close to the movie Terminator Rise of the Machines. You can gaurantee that it is going to be abused by some one somewhere. At 40000 quid a go, it had better start catching criminals big time. I suspect that it will be used against ordinary people who wish to go on demonstrations instead of catching criminals.

The fact they did not have a licence to fly it says it all!

CBC News - Canada - U.K. press slams Canada's hosting of Games

2010-02-16T01:46:00.000Z

“Made in Canada, it should say. Made by the perversion of the Olympic movement for national gain; made by a culture of worthless aggrandizement and pride.”

Politeness and doing the right thing is scarce in Canada and the incident with the luger is just an example of how the IOC and VANOC do not care. It's not just Canada that has this problem, it's everywhere. It's just that Canada has had a reputation for being nice. Not anymore. They are desperate for success and have spent a large amount of tax dollars on the olympics at the expense of helping their own citizens in a time of economic hardship.

Shame on them.

BBC News - Language skills 'lag a year behind in poorest children'

2010-02-16T01:27:00.000Z

"Children from the poorest homes are almost a year behind middle class pupils by the time they start school"

You don't own your computer, microsoft does - The Inquirer

2010-02-14T21:40:00.001Z

You are not kidding! Fancy that. Old bumface Microsoft can go into your pc and have a snoop around without your knowledge or consent and decide if your copy of shitface 7 is legal! Well, excuse me if I just give them the finger and use Linux instead which has no such problems and is free for all!

Why on earth would the average person let a company spy on them?

Scientists make music into mathematical shapes - Telegraph

2010-02-14T04:33:00.000Z

"More than 2000 years ago, Pythagoras discovered that pleasing musical intervals could be described using simple ratios. The idea of the so-called musica universalis or "music of the spheres" emerged in the Middle Ages which said that the proportions in the movements of the celestial bodies - the sun, moon and planets - could be viewed as a form of music, inaudible but perfectly harmonious."

CBC News - Technology & Science - CRTC struggling to rein in rising phone, TV prices

2010-02-11T22:53:00.000Z

"With an increasing number of telecommunications and broadcasting options becoming available online, the revenue that traditional service providers used to earn is becoming fragmented, the report said. In the near term, this will force a reconsideration of requirements to fund Canadian programming, as well as subsidized services such as universal phone access."

The CRTC have missed the point - some clear principles should be established regarding the provision of phone, TV and Internet in Canada. Those services are no longer for most people a luxury, they are a necessity. That includes Internet for so much of our personal and professional business is conducted online especially banking and government issues such as tax returns.

The CRTC should be instructed to ensure a basic level of TV service to all Canadians. This could be comprised of about five channels from the CBC, CTV, Global and two other local stations such as the A Channel and TVO in Ontario. By what method these channels are broadcast and received is not clear but there are choices. Continue with the existing terrestrial service, offer the channels free on satellite and cable providing the consumer purchases a suitable digital box and dish and/or broadcast online.

The last option is not really viable as it would require vast resources and technology that does not exist in Canada and probably will not be available for some time. Bell as far back as 2006 had already suggested option 2, supply the five channels free on satellite but so far this has not been acted upon. It should be. It would be fairly simple for that to be setup and I expect that the main broadcasters will go along with providing a local channel free of charge PROVIDED that there is no charge to the customer.

If money is an issue then perhaps the CRTC should follow the model in the UK and have a licence fee system. I suspect that would not be popular with many people but look at the service they have in the UK - 30 digital channels and loads of other digital content broadcast over digital terrestrial and online. Now, they have just spent about $170 million dollars ugrading all the transmitters in the UK in order to provide this service but I do not think that is necessary in Canada.

Most people would have access to satellite or cable and they do just as good a job if not better. What seems to have happened here is that the major players have been so concerned with migrating first to digital and now HD that they simply forgot their audience and what they wanted. I can assure the CRTC that many people are not happy with their cable and satellite bills and with the growing popularity of the Internet and it's very good and sharp image broadcast 24/7 and on demand unlike the out dated TV model, they need to compete with that and not try to block it as was stated in the report.

Geo blocking technology? Don't make me laugh! There are lots of ways to see TV on the Internet and all the blocking in the world is not going to make any difference to someone who does not have satellite or cable and cannot afford it. The CRTC calls the Internet 'disruptive' - I call it a god send! If it were not for the Internet there would be nothing to watch on TV for most people. The key to the success and sustained viability of TV in Canada is quite simple - choice.

Most people especially under the age of 30 want to watch what they want to watch. when they want to watch it and for free or very little money. TV as a form of entertainment has limited appeal to the younger audience as it is not interactive. That's part of the reason why social networking and sites like youtube are so popular. Until their is a clear strategy for the provision of TV and Internet so that all Canadians have access to a reasonable level of service, then the big players will continue to gouge for all their worth.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/02/11/crtc-technology-report.html?ref=rss#ixzz0fGj1uM0H

CBC News - Technology & Science - Google launching fibre broadband networks

2010-02-10T23:47:00.001Z

"Such an experiment will be unlikely in Canada, however. Google likely has dark fibre in Canada to serve its capacity needs here, but any attempt to provide telecommunications services would run into legal problems. Restrictions require any infrastructure-owning telecom service provider to be majority Canadian owned and controlled.

Jacob Glick, Google's policy counsel in Canada, said there weren't any reasons why the company couldn't try the fibre experiment here, if not for the ownership restrictions. "I don't see why not," he said.

Geist said Google's experiment is likely to add further pressure on the federal government to lift the foreign ownership restrictions.

"It will highlight just how far behind we are," he said."

EXACTLY - it shows how far behind Canada is and it is well past time they stopped this protectionist, introspective and backward way of doing business. It has been holding Canada back for far too long and has been giving Canadians a raw deal.

For example, in the UK, where there is much more competition AND a government policy which actively encourages the promotion of fast broadband for all, once can get a standard 10 megabit connection for about 10-15 pounds a month on cable internet. Compare that to Canada and you are looking at the best part of $50 bucks! Far too much money for most people. Google experiment aside, the government in Canada needs to get with the program and change the rules so that companies like Google can setup infrastructure and provide a better quality, faster and cheaper service for all.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/02/10/google-fiber-network-experiment.html?ref=rss#ixzz0fBB422JS

Rory McLeod - Farewell welfare

2010-02-09T21:13:00.001Z

Rory McLeod - I can honestly say I have never seen or heard anything quite like Rory McLeod. I was very lucky to be able to see Rory perform live at the Bristol South Bank Arts Centre in November 2009. I was not prepared for what I was treated to for the next three hours! Yes, the man played with a break for over three hours so it was well worth the entrance fee.

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, VIRTUOSO harmonica player and so om. The man is gifted and it shows. When I say virtuoso harmonica player, I mean exactly that. He is without peer on that instrument and it is wonderful to see in these modern times, a master of anything musical let alone harmonica. His performance was spell binding and at times dizzying. The lyrics of his songs are brilliant. Storytelling at it's best.

Rory is currently working on a new album to be released Spring 2010. For those of you interested, more information can be found on his website here:

http://www.rorymcleod.com/index.htm

BBC News - 'Third-hand smoke' could damage health

2010-02-09T05:44:00.000Z

This is a no brainer. There are many people who are highly allergic to many kinds of smoke and smells and odours given off from by various gases from smoking. It is time that there is a ban on not only smoking in the workplace but smoking at work period. There are many people who cannot stand the smell of someone who has just had a cigarette outside only to bring the nasty foul smell back inside with them.

Tim Hortons bans complaining customer - Yahoo! Canada News

2010-02-09T00:49:00.000Z

This says more about Tim Hortons than it does about the customer who 'dared' to complain. God forbid that anyone would ever complain about Tim Hortons. That is just simply not allowed. It's like complaining about the snow, it will not make the slightest difference, it's going to snow come what may. But seriously, if it's come to this where a company whoever it is, has to resort to banning it's customers, then I say that company is no damn good! It's probably a good thing the customer got banned and started making his own coffee at home as he should have done in the first place. Now he realises how much time and money he wasted.

YouTube - The White Pace of Change

2010-02-06T06:33:00.002Z

This is a track I created recently. There is no video as such for the piece. Visuals can be created for the music, let your media player create the visuals or close your eyes and let your mind create the images. If anyone would like to use the music then please ask for permission.