Nigerian barbarians crucify cat to protest film

There's an unconfirmed story that some folks in Nigeria crucified a cat in protest of this now infamous film that supposedly insults the Prophet Muhammad and Islam. I say it's unconfirmed because so far when I've searched I've found the story in blogs and other sources that aren't mainstream media.

The story can be found at the following places:

http://weaselzippers.us/2012/09/17/nigerian-muslims-crucify-car-on-the-cross-to-protest-mohammed-film/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2012/09/nigerian-barbarian-muslims-crucify-cat-to-protest-stupid-film.html

As you can see, hardly reliable sources.
 The same has been reported in Malta:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120117/local/crucified-cat-found-at-mosta.402726

If true this is obviously sickening and I hope that each of the perpetrators for each instance whatever the time and whatever animal are hit by a train or a fast moving truck. These people are the animals. This is no way to protest, it's not logical or humane or intelligent. This is why religion in general and indeed certain religions retain certain reputations.
 Of course it's harder to control those sort of reactions and emotions when such things happen in parts of the world that are less developed. It's no secret that the less developed the country the more raw and extreme the religion or chosen faith is. Nevertheless, this is sickening. 

Rest in Peace Michael Clarke Duncan!

This is just a quick blog post to say that the actor Michael Clarke Duncan has passed away.

"Oscar-nominated actor Michael Clarke Duncan, the star of Frank Darabont's prison tale "The Green Mile," has died. He was 54.

The Chicago native rose to fame playing a hulking death row inmate with a special psychic gift in the 1999 film, adapted from the novel by Stephen King. The role, which cast him opposite Tom Hanks, earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations."
 

Apparently he suffered from a  myocardial infarction and he never recovered.

He was a powerful actor and obviously had a great presence.

Source:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-green-mile-star-michael-clarke-duncan-dies-at-age-54-20120903,0,1795797.story 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Clarke_Duncan

Scotish Catholic church acts over plans for gay marriage

The Catholic Church in Scotland has made more moves of protest of the plans to legalise gay marriage.

Quote:

"A letter criticising the Scottish Government for supporting plans to legalise gay marriage will be read out in all of the country's Catholic parishes.

The Roman Catholic Church has declared August 26 as National Marriage Sunday and is calling on politicians to "sustain rather than subvert marriage".

The letter, which will be read in all of Scotland's 500 Catholic parishes, will urge followers to continue to act against efforts to "redefine" marriage."

And:

"Cardinal O'Brien, who has described gay marriage as a "grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right", said: "The Church's teaching on marriage is unequivocal, it is uniquely, the union of a man and a woman and it is wrong that governments, politicians or parliaments should seek to alter or destroy that reality."

These are the sort of people who you could argue with until you're blue in the face and they still won't relent. These sort of people will never accept that their outdated views on homosexuality and gay marriage are based on a farcical two thousand year old book and are not suitable to the 21st century. Homosexuality is perfectly fine and I have yet to see any evidence that gay marriage would seriously affect the sanctity of marriage or society as a whole in a negative way. Maybe that's because it wouldn't.

But don't just take it from me. Here's a snippet by US Political commentator Keith Olbermann who is a fantastic orator and has a great history of making excellent points:

And if that wasn't enough, recent poll suggested that a large amount of people are either indifferent about the issue or they aren't interested at all.

"According to the polling data around 31% of respondents were opposed to gay marriage, and within that third of the population only 12% said it would affect their vote.

Overall 41% of people were in favour of gay marriage, and 27% said they had no opinion one way or the other. "

I think that this is pretty telling. So often during debates I hear people (mostly right wingers) saying that the majority of the country is against gay marriage. Well I think that this proves otherwise. This is further ammunition in the campaign to legalise gay marriage. It shows that more and more people are supporting it.

It's time to throw off the shackles of religious belief and superstition and accept what's right, and that is the legalisation of gay marriage.

Sources:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5itQ5uBrPC4IbIX5ERbhqxL_kuSMg?docId=N0197141345960401114A

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/08/22/lord-ashcroft-poll-on-gay-marriage_n_1820817.html?1345626693

Rest in Peace Neil Armstrong

I think something would be amiss if I didn't mention the passing of Neil Armstong, the first man to walk on the moon. He passed away at the age of 82.

He was undoubtedly a great man whose words as he walked on the moon are engraved in history. Those famous words  "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

He died from cardiovascular surgery complications in the aftermath of Heart bypass surgery.

He was a humble man who hardly sought publicity after the moon landing.

"Armstrong famously refused most public appearances and interviews.

In a rare interview with Australian TV this year, he reflected on a moment during his three hours on the Moon when he stopped to commemorate US astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died in action.
    "It was special and memorable, but it was only instantaneous because there was work to do," he said.

Rest in peace Neil. I know you're making footprints elsewhere, wherever you may be.

Sources:

http://news.sky.com/story/970428/neil-armstrong-recovering-from-heart-bypass

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19384330

http://news.sky.com/story/977119/obama-armstrong-was-great-american-hero

Rest in peace Jerry Nelson, the voice of "Count Von Count!"

In the last few days the deaths of a few notable people have been reported. One is the news of the death of Jerry Nelson who voiced "Count Von Count" in Sesame Street.

"For more than 40 years, Nelson worked on numerous projects featuring Jim Henson's Muppets, including the TV series Fraggle Rock

.

Nelson, who suffered from emphysema, died on Thursday in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

A Sesame Workshop statement said he would be remembered for "the laughter he brought to children worldwide".

He did other work but he is best remembered for playing the and voicing the count which he did from 1972 until his death although he apparently ceased operating the puppet in 2004.

And now, some clips:

Rest in peace Jerry!

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19384794

Street debate after the riots

A year after the riots there seems to be the occasional mention of the riots one year on and what has changed and what has happened. Well whilst idly browsing youtube I came across the following video of a group of people who vary in race, nationality and background (and country of origin) who started discussing in public first the riots and then then origins of the riots and the problems in society that caused it.
 There's a lot of people talking over each other so be patient but there's a lot of good and interesting points made. It is well worth watching.

 I would recommend you watch it to the very end.
  It is my belief that these sort of debates really need to happen a lot more. Raw, spontaneous debates on the street where people can express themselves and talk about their society and why they think the things that happen actually happen.
  The next step would then have more publicised debates of that nature. That is how public opinion and knowledge grows.

Food for thought.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqA9-QGhvZs

  

The tablecloth trick

Just a note, if you want to try the infamous tablecloth trick, beware of your surroundings as well.

Kids, they always want to learn the hard way.

News from the Engineering and Scientific World

I find there is often an interesting story relating to engineering and/or science because there is all too often a new theory or a new goal set out by an ambitious person from their specific field. This week a number of stories have come to my attention so I thought I'd share it with you.

Chinese Physicists Reportedly Break Teleportation Record

From a recent news article from the website for "Time Magazine:"

"Harry Potter and Star Trek fans, rejoice! Teleportation is real. Using powerful lasers and optics to manipulate photons, or units of light, researchers in China set a record for teleporting a photon more than 10 miles (16 km), TIME reported in 2010. Now a different team of physicists at the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai says it has shattered that record, claiming to have sent a photon more than 60 miles (97 km)."

"Quantum teleportation, which has been around since 1997, is a little different than what you see in sci-fi movies. Considered “one of the holy grails of practical quantum communication,” as the scientists write in their abstract, teleportation is the ability to essentially move one object from one place to another without traversing the space in between. But as Forbes explains, the actual object is not moving from point A to point B. Rather, the distant photon mirrors the information contained by the original photon, essentially becoming an identical twin." 

"As Technology Review notes, “these guys clearly have their eye on the possibility of satellite-based quantum cryptography, which would provide ultra-secure communications around the world.” Experts say this all-but-unbreakable code would be a perfect way to transmit classified information such as military directives or codes."

 Sources:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/15/beam-them-up-scotty-chinese-physicists-reportedly-break-teleportation-record/

 http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27843/

 http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.2024



Engineer Wants Us To Build Real-Life Starship Enterprise 

This is the story of a systems and electrical engineer who has said we should build the USS Starship Enterprise and that there exists the ability to do it today, in this current age of technology (although I doubt it'll have warp capability.)
  This is a story that will make the Star Trek nerds blow their loads and make even casual Star Trek fans like me curious.
  The person, know as "BTE-Dan" on twitter has gone into extensive detail as well:

"His site includes layouts of the proposed ship's size and specs, potential missions it could undertake, a schedule outlining its development and even a backup plan should the ship's creation be thrown off schedule."

According to "BTE-Dan" it would be able to reach Mars in just 90 days, as opposed to the current mission to Mars which will land in August after nine months.

"In addition, as Atkinson points out, the ship would serve as a spaceship, a space station and a spaceport for up to a thousand people and could eventually go on missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus and beyond."

The ship would use and ion propulsion engine powered by a 1.5GW nuclear reactor. Another three nuclear reactors would supply electricity for the entire ship.
  The cost would be a cool $1 trillion (or just short) over a period of twenty years.

So there you go, something interesting to look forward to. 

 
Sources:

https://twitter.com/#!/BTEDan

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/real-life-starship-enterprise_n_1514372.html

http://www.universetoday.com/95099/engineer-thinks-we-could-build-a-real-starship-enterprise-in-20-years/

http://www.buildtheenterprise.org/cost-mass

Who says The Simpsons is past it's prime?

I know quite a few people who think "The Simpsons" is past it's prime and that it's no longer entertaining or decent. However I disagree. I generally enjoy the newer series, especially after watching one of the episodes from the latest season yesterday evening.
 The episode is called "How I Wet Your Mother" and it's from Season 23. In it Homer starts to wet the bed for reasons that are unclear. At first he thinks it's guilt after getting his work friends into trouble but even after an apologetic BBQ he still does it, so Professor Frink sends the rest of the Simpsons into Homers mind and dreams to try and find the problem.

They go into Homers dream, and end up falling off a cliff whilst skiing alongside death, however death escapes by pulling a chute so they go into another dream and another until they reach Homer's fantasy land that is full of beer, doughnuts and other luxuries that he enjoys. There they are confronted by death again but the mask is pulled and it's actually Homers mother who takes them to an empty theatre lined with statues of Homer (since this is in his mind) and plays a flashback from Homers childhood that was the cause of his bed wetting.

 
 In the beginning of the episode you see Homer and Bart fishing, this triggered a recollection in Homers mind about when he went Fishing with his dad. He caused the boat to tip over and Homer and his dad went back to his mother empty handed, furthering difficulties between Abe and Homers mother. Homers guilt resided inside his mind since then. But Mona (Homers mother) wasn't angry because she was just glad Abe brought Homer back safe, saying she knew Homer was "in safe hands."
 With this said the theatre starts to collapse, and Mona's parting words are "The three of us will always be together, in your memory."

With that Homer and his family say goodbye and escape to their previous dream and then the dream before that until they are back in reality, and when Homer wakes up he realises he hasn't wet himself.

It's a powerful episode that has to be watched rather than explained. The music fits the suspense of the premise and backs up the excellent story line that delves into Homers past and shows that once upon a time he had two parents that cared about him dearly.
  I really have to take my hat off to the creators of the show, it's pretty exceptional.

I watched it online on a site that probably isn't legal so I won't link it, but if you look in the right places you'll find a good place to watch episodes of "The Simpsons." If you do I really recommend you watch this episode.

Oh Shit was that today?

The good and bad of British football

Yesterday marked the end of another season in British football in what could be described as one of the most spectacular endings. Manchester Utd and Manchester City both had a chance to win the title, and in the very last minute Man City clinched it.
  Similarly both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal had to win to try and secure third place. In that instance, Arsenal won (thankfully.)
  It was a spectacular day with a lot of great football and great moments, however two instants stood out for me. One was good and the other was not so good.

The good was Arsenal winning, obviously since I am an Arsenal supporter. Not just that though, it was the fond farewell to assistant manager Pat Rice who has been with the club for forty-four years. He was a player, starting in 1966 and then captain, and then later a coach. His contributions to the club have been numerous and the amount of years he has given is staggering.

"Rice has been assistant manager throughout Wenger's tenure, having previously been a caretaker manager, a youth coach, and a player from 1966 to 1980. "I would like him to forgive me the bad moments I've given him as well," Wenger continued. "He's been a constant, loyal supporter. I'm just very grateful and privileged to have had him at my side for such a long time."

If there was to be another statue placed outside the Emirates Stadium, I truly believe it should be of Pat Rice.
 I'm very keen about his replacement though. Steve Bould was one of Arsenals Legendary back four in the 90's. He played for Arsenal for eleven seasons, being part of the double winning side. Altogether he's won the league title/Premier league in 1988-89, 1990-91, and 1997-1998. He's won the FA cup twice, The football league cup, The Community Shield twice, and the Uefa Cup winners cup. Plus he's been part of the Arsenal  Youth side for quite a while, gaining success there. A wise choice indeed.

To Mr Pat Rice, I salute you sir!

Now onto The Bad! Who else but Joey Barton? In Queens Park Rangers match against Manchester City (the one Man City needed to win) he stuck out an elbow sending Carlos Tevez to the floor. I don't think the referee saw it but the linesman did and he informed the referee who promptly issued Barton a straight red card. What followed was a disgusting performance by Joey Barton who then lashed out by kicking Sergio Aguero. 
 It's ironic really. A few months ago I bought a copy of "The Big Issue" which I so often do these days, and in it was an article by none other than Joey Barton. In it he portrayed something different, explaining how he'd grown up and changed and was more responsible now so I decided that perhaps he had and that I should try and look at him in a different light. I guess old habits die hard. Ironic really considering he posts tweets like this:

Hmm, yes why indeed I wonder. From a news article:

"Later Barton took to Twitter to claim that he had been told by a team-mate to "take one of theirs with me". "The head was never gone at any stage, once I'd been sent off." 

So a teammate told him this and as captain he decided it was a great idea? That's great leadership, not to mention being a great role model. I think it goes without saying that he should be stripped of his captaincy, although I don't think he should be allowed to play for QPR at all. He is a disgrace to QPR and to professional football.

I don't think he even holds any remorse considering one of his tweets read:

"Still not my proudest moment but who gives a f*ck, we are safe and that is all that matters."

Enough said. But if you don't want to take my word for it, read this article:

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/05/14/3101335/sacked-in-the-morning-disgraced-barton-has-no-place-in-qprs

It hits the nail on the head.

Sources: 

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4314212/Arsene-Wenger-Tight-win-to-clinch-3rd-spot-summed-up-Arsenal.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bould

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tributes-paid-to-pat-rice-who-quits-arsenal-after-44-years-7734647.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/barton-at-risk-of-ninematch-ban-7743637.html

Toddler Leads the Celebration

I came across this video the other day and I love it.

From the video description:

"We snuck out into the middle of Broad Street to snap a pic in front of City Hall and all the crowds. When Will raised his hands for the picture, cheers erupted. So he continued to repeat the gesture, getting wild response from the crowd on both sides of the street up and down the street as far as we could see. We couldn't have planned this if we practised and practised. I wish the video was longer."

I love it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7lJpFwAcCs

Bill Brasky!

I haven't watched a huge amount of "Saturday Night Live" but I certainly have watched some, including some by some of the greats who have been on said show. One of them is Will Ferrell. Whatever you may think of him now, his movies and his performances I think it's pretty clear that whilst he was on Saturday Night Live he made some great performances.
 One of my favourites is the "Bill Brasky" sketch. In it three red nosed stand around remembering their friend Bill Brasky whilst drinking whisky. They recall some rather wild and farcical stories about the man.

For example:

"He once breastfed and injured flamingo back to health!"

and:

"He once punched a hole in a cow just so he could see who was coming up the road."

Anyway here's the video:

The quality isn't great but it's manageable. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NjgPDIeSXA       

Poignant UNICEF advert

I just came across this advertisement from UNICEF:

The writing at the bottom reads:

  "Bad water kills more children than war."

Then below it asks people to support the "One drop of water" project.
 This might have come out ages ago but I hadn't seen it until today, and I thought I'd blog it in case any else who might come across my blog hadn't seen it yet.

I haven't really got a great deal more to say on this. It's a good advert, puts the point across very well. Lets hope it works.

Post dental surgery videos

There's something quite funny yet quite cruel about filming a person whose still in a daze from medication after dental surgery. But mostly it's just funny.

Take this one for instance.

If that were me I'd be pretty pissed that someone filmed this let alone put it on youtube, but thankfully it's not me so I can't laugh my ass off.

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY0jZrKUW4o

Cheerio! Abu Hamza and four others extradited to the USA

Abu Hamza is to be extradited! With four others he will be extradited to the USA to stand trial for terrorism or charges relating to terrorism.

"The European Court of Human Rights this morning rejected claims that the men, Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan, Adel Abdul Bary and Khaled Al-Fawwaz, would be subject to "ill treatment" if they are sent to the US to be tried for terrorist offences.
They have three months before today's ruling is made final, and will not be put on a plane until the Grand Chamber of the court has considered whether to allow an appeal."

And on the case against him:

"A decision on a sixth man, Haroon Aswat, alleged to be an aide to Hamza, was delayed after judges ruled they needed more information about him.
Of the cases, the charges against Hamza are the most serious. The former preacher of Finsbury Park mosque in north London, who was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in Britain in 2006 for inciting hatred, is accused by US authorities of being in contact with Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists, and of being involved in a plot to take 16 western tourists as hostages in Yemen in December 1998. Four people were killed during that incident.
He is also charged with attempting to set up a training camp for "violent jihad" in Oregon in 1999."

So my message to him is as follows:

"Cheerio!"

Yep, cheerio and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.
  In all seriousness though it's about time this happened. It's only taken, what, eight years or so to get the scumbag deported. Meanwhile he's hardly lived a difficult life. Financed, as always, by the taxpayer. It's about time he was made to answer these charges one way or another so it's excellent news that he is being made to do so.
  I think we need to sometimes put things into perspective when talking about human rights. The term is banded around so much sometimes people are not held accountable for their actions (or alleged actions.) This was one such case, so it's good to see there finally has been some progress.

If he is found innocent, the next question is "should he be allowed back into the UK and allowed to stay?" But that's a debate for another day.


Sources:

http://www.channel4.com/news/abu-hamza-extradition-to-us-is-lawful

Awkward Family Photo's

Hey all,
 I haven't posted in quite a while and for that I apologise. Time to start again, and what better way than with humour?

  I would therefore like to state I categorically love the website http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com
It cracks me up every time. Some examples:

Rejected but still determined to get involved.

...and that's where you came from.

So macho

I'm not sure what's better, the picture in general or the expression on the baby's face.

Anyway there are something like three hundred or more pages so it's definitely worth checking out if you have the time or if you just fancy skiving off work. I wouldn't recommend the latter though.

Intellectual idiots strike again!

An article published in the Journal of Medical Ethics has said parents should be able to euthanize their newborn babies if they are disabled and that doing so is "no different from abortion."

"The article, entitled “After-birth abortion: Why should the baby live?”, was written by two of Prof Savulescu’s former associates, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva.

They argued: “The moral status of an infant is equivalent to that of a foetus in the sense that both lack those properties that justify the attribution of a right to life to an individual.”

Rather than being “actual persons”, newborns were “potential persons”. They explained: “Both a foetus and a newborn certainly are human beings and potential persons, but neither is a ‘person’ in the sense of ‘subject of a moral right to life’.

“We take ‘person’ to mean an individual who is capable of attributing to her own existence some (at least) basic value such that being deprived of this existence represents a loss to her.”
As such they argued it was “not possible to damage a newborn by preventing her from developing the potentiality to become a person in the morally relevant sense”.
The authors therefore concluded that “what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled”."

In the UK abortion is legal up until the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy, although many might want to have the procedure before then. Whether or not the foetus can be described as a life from the moment of conception is debatable, however what is certain is that before the twenty-fourth week of the pregnancy the foetus is, for the most part, not covered or protected by law. However after the twenty-fourth week, and indeed after the birth it is legally covered whereupon any physical damage to the child will result in the person(s) responsible to be criminally charged.
   So there is most certainly a difference between ending the life of a newborn and an abortion. One is legal, one is not and that is how it should stay.

To say that a newborn is "morally irrelevant" is itself.....irrelevant in contrast to the law. As much as these idiots might not like it for suiting their loony preferences and beliefs I much prefer it as it is.
  If they had perhaps used tact and not in fact stated that killing newborns is no different to abortions then maybe, just maybe more people might have taken them seriously. Alas, that ship has sailed.

And here we have another group of intellectual idiots. Wonderful.

Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9113394/Killing-babies-no-different-from-abortion-experts-say.html

Howard Stern on Homophobia

In this video clip (or rather, audio clip) Howard Stern well and truly hits the nail on the head when talking about homophobia:

I don't think I really can add anything to that, nor do I need to.

US Republican goes against the grain

In the US at the moment the competition for the Republican candidates is getting more competitive. Some candidates have already fallen by the wayside whilst others have steamed ahead.
  From almost the very beginning there have been two candidates who I have adamantly dismissed and hoped to fail. Those two were Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum. Why? Because of their almost militant stance against gay marriage.
  Opposing it personally is one thing, but when you are in a position of power and influence you really have to ask, just how much should you impose your own views on the general public through influence and legislation? Especially when such views involve discrimination and frankly a rather backward view.
  Rick Santorum is against gay marriage because he believes marriage is for a man and a woman. His views on gay marriage may or may not be founded on Christian beliefs, I'm unsure.
  Michele Bachmann's beliefs definitely are founded on Christian beliefs. Not only does she oppose it but both she and her husband see it almost as some sort of illness that can be cured, which is why Mr Bachman has held "Straight camps."
     Call me narrow minded if you like (although that would be ironic) but if I oppose those two people simply because of their opposition to gay marriage and their opinions on homosexuality, then I think that would be justified.
  Opinions like that are backward and dangerous, not to mention counter-productive so it was refreshing to see a republican speaking out in favour of gay marriage.
   Watch this:

Her name is Maureen Walsh and she is a Republican State Representative in the Washington House of Representatives. She represents the 16th District of Walla Walla, Washington. As of 2012, she is serving her third term.
  Needless to say, she is completely in the right. Frankly there is little logical reason to oppose gay marriage at this point. There is little to no evidence that it would effect society negatively or effect the institution of marriage as we know it.
  It won't wreck marriage, that is nonsense. Do you know what is wrecking straight marriage? Straight people. Because of infidelity, drugs, alcohol, you name it, it's happened.
  The only thing that will happen if gay marriage is legalised is that two people who happen to be of the same sex and who love each other very much will be able to marry. And all the arguments against it frankly are nonsense because I haven't heard one argument that legitimately states one downside that would be exclusive to a gay married couple and that would never happen in a straight marriage. If you can think of one, please do say.
  Oh and if you oppose gay marriage or homosexuality for religious reasons, then maybe you need to pull your head out of your own arse and try joining the 21st Century, and certainly don't try and impose your backwards views on other people.

 I'm 100% for the legalisation of gay marriage and if you're not then you'd better have a good reason otherwise just it happen.


 Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbmbdWK6338&feature=player_embedded 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_Walsh

Off with their heads!

So here we have two stories. One is good, more than good in fact, the other is just another example of daft logic, although I don't think the people involved have much logic or common sense.


First the bad:


Council workers went around a park beheading snowmen because apparently it was "bad for the grass."

"Dog walkers on the Homefield Recreation Ground in Chiswick were aghast when they saw workmen smash down and saw the heads off snowmen earlier this week.

When passers-by complained, the men claimed that they were protecting the grass"

 Of course some people were annoyed because they had put a lot of effort into building the snowmen with their kids and quite frankly in this sort of weather the grass is bound to take a beating. It goes without saying that the parks should be maintained to a standard but to be so over zealous that you have to resort to decapitating snowmen, you really are trying a little too hard.
  Plus I would really like to see a logical explanation for this.

"A spokesman said: “It would appear that some contractors employed to look after parks can occasionally get a bit carried away with their snow clearing duties. However it is certainly not the policy of local government to persecute snowmen.”

 Those poor persecuted snowmen, someone call Shami Chakrabarti!!!

Anyway, needless to say it was an absurd and pointless decision, clearly a great over reaction and whoever make the decision to cut off the heads is a killjoy, amongst other things.

Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9069843/Snowmen-beheaded-for-damaging-the-grass.html

Pope says gay marriage is a "threat to humanity's future."

"Pope Benedict said Monday that gay marriage was one of several threats to the traditional family that undermined "the future of humanity itself."

""This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself," he said."

 I'm not sure really where to start with this. I'm not sure what his idea of the traditional family is but it's certainly not the nuclear family. If the idea of the nuclear family ever existed it certainly hasn't for fifty plus years.
   Secondly I'm not sure I'm ready and willing to take lectures about values and the attack on values from someone who protects paedophiles and child rapists.
   The idea that homosexuality and gay marriage effects society is daft. It doesn't and wouldn't effect society nearly as much as people think. To be honest society and marriage is more likely to be under threat from divorce and infidelity and unless someone can prove it is influenced and caused by gay and gay marriage then obviously concerns are completely overblown.
  
Sadly he's not alone. From the same article:

"One leading opponent of gay marriage in the United States is New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, whom the pope will elevate to cardinal next month.

Dolan fought against gay marriage before it became legal in New York state last June, and in September he sent a letter to President Barack Obama criticising his administration's decision not to support a federal ban on gay marriage.

In that letter Dolan, who holds the powerful post of president of the U.S. Bishops Conference, said such a policy could "precipitate a national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions."

So not only are there other idiots who hold this view but they are in a fairly powerful and influential position. This is incredibly worrying and a destructive attitude to have. It is wrong in so many ways and yet the blind and the ignorant continue this attitude.
  I guess the logical people can just watch in disgust and horror and just call them out when the chance arises. One thing I won't stand for though is lectures from the Pope of all people.

What's also sad is just how many of the US Republican candidates for the US Presidency hold these views or views that are similar. People like that shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the biggest job in the land. Thankfully that homophobic fool Michelle Bachman is no longer in the race, however Rick Santorum holds similar views which is why I am at moment hoping he'll drop out next.

Source:

http://m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/gay-marriage-threat-humanitys-future-pope-184113291.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang=en-us

How do they do it?

Two stories now the likes of which will make you facepalm so hard you'll give yourself a concussion.

1) Papa John's employee accused of racism after slur is printed on receipt.

This was the news that an employee for the pizza company "Papa John's" had put "lady chinky eyes" on the receipt of a customer.

"‘Papa John’s acted after PR rep Cho, 24, posted the bill on Twitter alongside the message: ‘Hey @PapaJohns just FYI my name isn’t ‘‘lady chinky eyes’’.’
Several hours later, the message had gone viral and Papa John’s apologised for the racial slur on its Facebook and Twitter pages."

Said employee has now been fired and the company are trying to reach Ms Cho for an apology.
   I realise standards for fast food chains are rather...well...relaxed, but if you let stupid people work for your company that is the sort of thing you'll come to expect.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/886758-pizza-chain-papa-johns-apologises-for-chinky-racial-slur-on-receipt


2) Naked man spotted in clothing advert

A clothing company released an advertising poster which showed four young (trendy looking) children on a beach. Sounds good right? Well no, not if there's a naked man in the background.
   The advert for La Redoute shows the man in the background who must have wandered into shot as the picture was taken. But how was this not noticed before the advert was released?

Here is the picture in question, see if you can spot the naked man:

 "A spokeswoman for La Redoute said: ‘We are looking at how this mistake has occurred internally. La Redoute are working on it to get an explanation.
‘Again, La Redoute presents its apologies to customers and Internet users.’

 Mistake or publicity stunt? Hmmm

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/886437-naked-man-commits-fashion-faux-pas-in-la-redoute-childrens-ad

Antony Worrall Thompson Caught Shoplifting

So TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson has been caught shoplifting from Tesco's.
 

"The 60-year-old said he was “devastated” by his “irresponsible actions” and that he would seek treatment after security staff caught him stealing cheese and wine.

Worrall Thompson was arrested and given a police caution after he was captured on camera not paying for items at a self-service checkout at the store in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire" 

Of course this led to countless jokes being created and spread throughout Twitter and jokes website "Sickipedia."

 "The Anthony Worrall Thompson diet, cheese and wine .....followed by porridge."


"There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Unless you're using the Anthony Worrall Thompson recipe book."

 And finally:

 "I went to see Ready, Steady, Cook the other day. It was fantastic.

Antony Worrall Thompson absolutely stole the show."


 Not to mention referring to his show now as "Ready, Steady, Crook."



Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9002376/Antony-Worrall-Thompson-Shoplifting-from-Tesco-was-stupid.html

 http://www.sickipedia.org/subcategory/view/3451

Oooh Ah Cantona say Oooh ah (President) Cantona

So former professional football player Eric Cantona wishes to run for President of France. He is currently seeking the required amount of signatures to be endorsed so he can move on with his campaign.

"The footballer, who would need the backing of 500 elected officials by the end of February to run, has sent a letter to French mayors describing himself as an "engaged citizen" and asking for their support.

"This engagement obliges me to speak, more earnestly than usual, but also with a keen sense of my responsibility, at a time when our country faces difficult choices which will be decisive for its future," said the letter.

In his letter, printed in the Liberation newspaper, Cantona denounced the limited opportunities for young people in France and social injustices which were "too numerous, too violent, too systematic", the newspaper said."

But even if he was to get he five hundred signatures required, in April the first round finishes and from what I understand only two candidates go through to the next round.
   Then again if a former Hollywood actor was able to become President of the United States then who knows, perhaps a former footballer like Eric Cantona could go all the way. I must say I  am very interested in what his policies would be and what people's reaction to him will be.
   Time will tell.

And if his election campaign goes bad.....

Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9003925/Eric-Cantona-announces-bid-for-French-presidency.html

Divide and Rule for Diane Abbott

Diane Abbott surely is making more work for herself.
   Last night on Twitter she made a comment which one might either mistake for sarcasm and humour or a rather misguided comment.

  It began with Bim Adewunmi, another Twitter user, commenting on the use of the term "Black community" on the news.

"I do wish everyone would stop saying 'the black community' though. WHICH ONE?"

And then:

"I'm saying that the use of 'black community' in media is often lazy way of generalising."

Then shortly after she posted:

"Clarifying my 'black community' tweet: I hate the generally lazy thinking behind the use of the term. Same for 'black community leaders'."

Cue Diane Abbott's response:

DA: I understand the cultural point you are making. But you are playing into a "divide and rule" agenda.
BA: Maybe. I find it frustrating that half the time, these leaders are out of touch with black people they purport to represent.
DA: White people love playing "divide & rule" We should not play their game #tacticasoldascolonialism

White people love playing divide and rule? Is that even true? Either she was being incredibly ironic or she was trying to use and absurd comment to make a point.
  She then went on to say:

"Ethnic communities that show more public solidarity & unity than black people do much better #dontwashdirtylineninpublic"

So she's clearly trying to make a point about the black community and integration and it's relationship within London and around the country, however she did it badly.
  I still am confused as to what she meant by saying what she said. Of course she deleted the tweet but not before it had been retweeted by someone I follow.
  "White people love playing "divide & rule" We should not play their game." What does that mean, can anyone tell me? Also, can someone please explain what her intention was with that statement?

Anyway she's now trending at #dianeabbot if you wish to follow the drama.
  Enjoy!

Sources:

https://twitter.com/#!/HackneyAbbott

Exit right Michele Bachman?

It is getting pretty close to crunch time for those who are running to be nominated Republican candidate for the US Presidential election. The two who came out top were Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, the former winning by the narrowest of margins.
   At the bottom however things were very different. Michele Bachmann only gained 6,073 votes, which was only about 5%.
  From the Financial times:

"Ms Bachmann did not signal any intention to bow out of the race following her poor performance."

The overall table of results looks like this:

Iowa caucus result

Candidate	Number of votes
Mitt Romney	30,015 (25%)
Rick Santorum	30,007 (25%)
Ron Paul	26,219 (21%)
Newt Gingrich	16,251 (13%)
Rick Perry	12,604 (10%)
Michele Bachmann	6,073 (5%)

So as you can see, Romney only beat Rick Santorum by eight votes. A photo finish, but very important nevertheless.
  But it's not really a great result for Michele Bachman. In fact it's so bad even Sarah Palin thinks she should "call it quits." When the air headed "hockey mom" Sarah Palin thinks you should call it quits you know it's an uphill struggle.
  Frankly I have little sympathy. Michelle Bachman is a conservative buffoon, and most importantly she is a homophobic and so is her husband. The pair shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the White House purely for that very reason.
  Needless to say, I am very glad to see that she is doing poorly. I look forward to hearing she has dropped out of the race.

An interesting article in "The Washington Post" is titled "Where did Michele Bachman's Mama Grizzlies go?" In it, it describes the highs and lows of her campaign thus far to be elected Republican nominee.

"There’s no question why a liberal woman would not care for Bachmann, or at least her policies. She is aggressively pro-life, promises to abolish “Obamacare,” and has called for the military to draw up war plans to bomb Iran. But why aren’t conservative women supporting one of their own?
Iowa voters-- both men and women-- told the Des Moines Register that they just don’t see Bachmann as up to the job, no matter her gender. Bachmann was considered the least knowledgeable on the issues of any candidate running for president tied with Gingrich in the Register’s latest poll on the question of who would be least likely to bring real change."

And another quote:

"But more detrimental to Bachmann than the prominent GOP women who are not endorsing are the everyday Republican women who say they’re not voting for her. In Iowa State University’s latest poll of likely caucus-goers, Bachmann was again polling in the single digits, with slightly fewer women (7.2%) supporting her than men (7.3%). Ron Paul, on the other hand, had a huge gender gap, with far more women (31%) supporting his candidacy than men (22%.)"

It's an interesting article and worth reading:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/where-did-michele-bachmanns-mama-grizzlies-go/2012/01/03/gIQA7Ot4YP_blog.html

Interestingly though some still believe she wouldn't be suited to the role as President because the country is not yet ready for a female president. An interesting sentiment, I wonder what the national attitude would be to such a thing. I personally do not see why in this age such a thing would be counter productive.

All this is food for thought, however one thing I am sure of is that Michelle Bachman is definitely not the sort of person who should be President of the United States. So I hope to see her dropping out of the race very soon.

Sources:


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/70821a32-362a-11e1-a3fa-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1iUtnftRB

Justice for Stephen Lawrence?

After eighteen long years, justice has finally been done for Stephen Lawrence. Two of five men who have been accused of his murder for almost as long or perhaps for longer than he's been alive have finally been found guilty and sentenced.
   David Norris was sentenced to 14 years and three months. Gary Dobson to 15 years, two months.

Because the defendants were not yet eighteen when they committed the crime they had to be still tried as juveniles, however the parents of Stephen Lawrence seem very understanding, even going so far as to say they understand that "the Judges hands were tied."

"A totally innocent 18-year-old youth on the threshold of a promising life was brutally cut down in the street … by a racist, thuggish gang. You were both members of that gang. I have no doubt that you fully subscribed to its views and attitudes."
Addressing Dobson, he said: "You are now 36. At 17 years and 10 months you were very nearly 18 when you murdered Stephen Lawrence."
The judge said under rules at the time of the killing in 1993 he must sentence both men as juveniles to be detained at her majesty's pleasure with recommended minimum life terms.
In Dobson's case he sentenced him to a minimum term of 15 years and two months. Dobson stood with his hands behind his back and stared at the judge as he made his remarks.
To Norris, 35, the judge said he would impose a minimum term of 14 years and three months.
Under the current law which is encompassed in the Criminal Justice Act 2003, if the crime had been committed today, both men could have expected to receive a minimum term of 25 years as juveniles committing a racist knife murder."

But there are still doubts about their guilt:

"But Dobson's mother continued to protest that her son was innocent. Speaking at the front door of her home in Eltham, south-east London, after arriving home from the Old Bailey after the verdict, Pauline Dobson, said: "He's innocent. We are absolutely devastated as a family – devastated.
       "My son is innocent and one day we will prove that.
I really don't know what we are going to do but we will find a way to prove he is        innocent. Ask all the police who have been involved in this case – every single policeman says Gary never did it."

 The case was revived from being a cold case after forensic evidence which previously had been missed or overlooked had been found and deemed acceptable to use in a trial. There are of course doubts about this evidence with some saying that the evidence could have been tampered with, however I believe that without proof that it actually has been tampered with, the theory that it could have been tampered with simply isn't enough in my eyes.

"The prosecution had relied on new forensic evidence after an earlier case was dropped and a private prosecution by the Lawrence family against three men - including Dobson - failed.
Scientists conducting a review of the case in 2007 found a tiny bloodstain on Dobson's jacket that could only have come from Mr Lawrence. They also found a single hair belonging to the teenager on Norris's jeans. The scientists recovered the material from evidence the police had held all along using advanced techniques which were not available to the original case scientists.
   Dobson and Norris denied murdering Mr Lawrence and said their clothing had been contaminated as police mixed up evidence over the years. Detectives spent months establishing the movements and handling of the exhibits since 1993 - and the jury were told that contamination was implausible."

  They are claiming their innocence however now some might say the odds are against them. Of course some might say that the odds have been in against them for some eighteen years, with various media sources calling them out and accusing them, the Daily Mail in particular. Now the Daily Mail is doing it's very own victory lap, no doubt before going back to reporting on the usual cack they report on.
   What I will say though is that I don't condone by any means the way the media treats suspects. We still have an "innocent until proven guilty" system in this county and yet the media, specifically the tabloids still sometimes portray the suspects as guilty. They should be reminded that it is not up to them to decide who is guilty and who is not, regardless of what information they have. It is down to a court, specifically a judge and jury. This is something that must be remembered.

  That said, I have faith in the justice system when it works or when it is perceived to have work. I have faith in the Crown Prosecution service who decided the DNA forensic evidence was sufficient to go to trial, so I can only hope that it proves to be a correct decision.

Either way, lets hope this brings the Lawrence family a step closer on the arduous emotional road that they are on.

Sources:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/04/dobson-norris-murder-stephen-lawrence?CMP=twt_fd

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16403655

Seasons Greetings (Belated)

Hello to all my followers and anyone who reads this!
  I would like to wish you a (rather belated) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you all had a very nice holiday season with nice presents, good food, nice drink and general Christmas cheer!

 Alas though it is now over for another year. I'm not sure about you but I'm back to work today.

Nevermind, onwards and upwards!

In other news, a friend of mine has started up his very own blog! He's a politics major so he already has one up on me.
  His name is Matt Dolman and this is his blog:

http://mattdolman.wordpress.com/

So there you go!

Expect new entries to my blog very soon!
Thanks for tuning in!