The New Yak Times

Fate of democracies

2011-10-20T13:35:00.001+01:00

In 1887 Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinborough, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior: "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship." "The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage."The Obituary follows:

Consciousness

2011-09-28T00:10:00.001+01:00

Take a look at this video on consciousness. It may change the way you think about everything.

Financial Distotion - A Ticking Time Bomb

2011-09-05T23:25:00.000+01:00

Markets have lost their purpose

Anthony Hilton

14 Jun 2011

Twenty years ago, it used to be the case that only in the foreign exchange

market was the underlying business activity dwarfed by speculation -

meaning that the foreign currency needed for the buying and selling of

imports and exports was well under 10% of the global daily volume.

Today, similar conditions have an impact on all manner of markets which are

simply not structured to cope with such waves of speculation.

We are now in a position where flows of hot money drive prices, not the

fundamentals of supply and demand. And because other markets lack the scale

and resilience of forex, the results are less benign.

The belief that markets know best rests on a couple of important factors.

First, there have to be a lot of participants in the market so that no one

can influence more than 5% of either supply or demand, which in turn means

no group is in a position to use its buying clout or monopoly power to

influence price or supply.

Second, it is important that people are principals, either acting in their

own name or for a company which is either supplier or end user. When these

conditions exist, it is reasonable to assume that price signals from the

market are fairly accurate reflections of genuine supply and demand.

This begins to break down when buyers and sellers are in a position to use

other people's money - thereby acting as agents rather than principals.

It is often - though not always - the case that this coincides with their

being interested in speculating on price movements rather than the buying

or selling of the physical goods for some business purpose.

There are two reasons things have gone wrong in financial markets.

In recent times - since technology advanced enough to allow capital to be

moved in seconds into or out of any market in the world - the ebbs and

flows of speculative money have increased massively.

Capital is now mobilised on a global scale and directed anywhere in the

world at the touch of a button. It dwarfs the resources of the original

market participants.

At the same time, with a growing emphasis on trading profits and short-term

time horizons, money managers have embraced momentum - buying not on

fundamentals but simply because everyone else seems to be buying, or

selling because they all seem to be selling. They assume they will be able

to ride the price movement and then use instant-dealing technology to leap

off and take their profits just as the price is turning.

This has increased massively the amount of money swamping a market when it

is in fashion. It has also multiplied the power and influence of those who

are seen to have an edge in a market - the established traders or

investment banks - because where they lead others follow (or risk being

wiped out). The interaction of their expertise and third-party money gives

a few speculators disproportionate influence. These lead speculators now

have the power of the herd behind them. They have enough monopoly power to

distort prices.

Financial markets such as the oil market, the metals markets, the grain

markets or the sovereign debt market were created for actual users, not

speculators, but they are now so dominated by hot money that the sounds

from the original users are no longer audible. As a result, these markets

and their prices indicate what the speculative money believes at any one

time, and this is not necessarily what is happening in the real economy. It

also adds an overwhelmingly short-term perspective and huge layers of

volatility.

We all pay a high price for this because the real economy is then forced to

adjust. In rich countries, oil consumption and economic activity get cut as

oil becomes too expensive. In poor countries, they have riots and

governments fall as food becomes too expensive.

In all countries, governments have to produce policies that put the whims

of the markets before the needs of their citizens - witness the way

policies across Europe are tailored to appease bondholders and debt

markets.

A letter to the Financial Times yesterday pointed out what are only the

most recent examples of how the financial market tail wags the dog.

In oil, pricing is based on two sources of supply: the North Sea's Brent

crude and West Texas intermediate. For years, the price difference between

them has remained between two and three dollars to reflect the oil quality

and its distance from market.

At present, however, the price gap is more than $17. Similarly, it has long

been a feature of metals markets that when stocks rise, the price falls.

But not since 2008. Today, stocks at the London Metal Exchange are high and

rising, but so are metal prices. In both these cases - as well as with

grain and foodstuffs - the new factor in recent years is that these markets

have become fashionable for financial speculators.

To sum up, we have financial institutions that have power without

responsibility. They are dedicated to using that power to make profits for

themselves. They now know they can drive markets in one direction or

another for most, if not all, of the time. The distorted signals these

markets then deliver hold governments and the world's citizens to ransom.

From being the servant of the world economy, the financial markets are

becoming its master.

This is not how the system was meant to work. This is not what a belief in

markets was meant to deliver. It is impossible to know how it will end but

it is surely unsustainable.

Is Dark Matter/Energy Eternal.

2011-08-24T03:15:00.002+01:00

I do not believe that there has ever been a state of "nothingness" from which the Universe somehow materialised. Dark matter must be the missing link.

This is the only explanation of creation that appears to answer all the questions with regard to our existence and the universe about us but where is the proof? Dark matter is surely what was there before the Big Bang?

The first requirement for physical life was the need for light, hence "let there be light". The Universe was thus envisaged into existence by waves created by consciousness existing in parallel with dark matter. This can only be proven however if we can demonstrate that the state of matter can be altered by conscious manipulation affecting the frequency of the wave structure of dark matter.

Is this a feasible theory?

Higg's Bosun - what is it?

2011-08-24T01:30:00.002+01:00

How Particles Acquire Mass

By Mary and Ian Butterworth, Imperial College London, and Doris and Vigdor Teplitz, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA.
The Higgs boson is a hypothesised particle which, if it exists, would give the mechanism by which particles acquire mass.

Matter is made of molecules; molecules of atoms; atoms of a cloud of electrons about one-hundred-millionth of a centimetre and a nucleus about one-hundred-thousandth the size of the electron cloud. The nucleus is made of protons and neutrons. Each proton (or neutron) has about two thousand times the mass of an electron. We know a good deal about why the nucleus is so small. We do not know, however, how the particles get their masses. Why are the masses what they are? Why are the ratios of masses what they are? We can't be said to understand the constituents of matter if we don't have a satisfactory answer to this question.

Peter Higgs has a model in which particle masses arise in a beautiful, but complex, progression. He starts with a particle that has only mass, and no other characteristics, such as charge, that distinguish particles from empty space. We can call his particle H. H interacts with other particles; for example if H is near an electron, there is a force between the two. H is of a class of particles called "bosons". We first attempt a more precise, but non-mathematical statement of the point of the model; then we give explanatory pictures.

In the mathematics of quantum mechanics describing creation and annihilation of elementary particles, as observed at accelerators, particles at particular points arise from "fields" spread over space and time. Higgs found that parameters in the equations for the field associated with the particle H can be chosen in such a way that the lowest energy state of that field (empty space) is one with the field not zero. It is surprising that the field is not zero in empty space, but the result, not an obvious one, is: all particles that can interact with H gain mass from the interaction.

Thus mathematics links the existence of H to a contribution to the mass of all particles with which H interacts. A picture that corresponds to the mathematics is of the lowest energy state, "empty" space, having a crown of H particles with no energy of their own. Other particles get their masses by interacting with this collection of zero-energy H particles. The mass (or inertia or resistance to change in motion) of a particle comes from its being "grabbed at" by Higgs particles when we try and move it.

If particles no get their masses from interacting with the empty space Higgs field, then the Higgs particle must exist; but we can't be certain without finding the Higgs. We have other hints about the Higgs; for example, if it exists, it plays a role in "unifying" different forces. However, we believe that nature could contrive to get the results that would flow from the Higgs in other ways. In fact, proving the Higgs particle does not exist would be scientifically every bit as valuable as proving it does.

These questions, the mechanisms by which particles get their masses, and the relationship amongs different forces of nature, are major ones and so basic to having an understanding of the constituents of matter and the forces among them, that it is hard to see how we can make significant progress in our understanding of the stuff of which the earth is made without answering them.

The broken society

2011-08-10T01:22:00.000+01:00

Over the last ten years I have had many conversations with people about the parlous state of our country. Many were unable to comprehend how we came to sink so low on so many levels. All without exception blamed soft headed thinking at the highest and lowest levels of national and local government which has led to a rapid degredation of morality, parental control, discipline as well as alienation from the political process.

The majority of people in this country have known what is wrong with this country for years but have been unable to convey their fears and concerns to unlistening representatives, more concerned with the perks of political power than the interests of the country. Politicians of all parties have been only too willing to sell sound principles down the drain, if it means winning votes to either hold on to or gain power.

The constant drip drip effect of years of political expediency has led to a gradual weakening of the solid foundations that gave order, principle and stability to our society. We no longer value the cornerstone of any society, the family unit, as we used to do. The media has done its damndest to focus our attention on meaningless drivel, celebrity and youth culture, giving both a superficial gravitas they do not merit.

Instead, the wisdom of the elderly has been devalued to such an extent that the elderly are more or less seen as an inconvenience to be ignored, a class of people with no value and yet it was they who fought for the freedom of those that followed. We have broken our society or rather those that serve us have failed us lamentably and still they will not recognise it.

We the people know what has gone wrong and we know how to fix it but are prevented from doing so by those who legislate, not in the interests of the country but the pursuit of their own political agenda and the ultimate reward of power. If there is a vote in it, they will do it, regardless of the long term effects.

Poor foundations can only make for an unstable building.

It must stop. We must re-build the foundations and construct a sustainable society in which we can all play a part and take pride. That is the task for which we elect leaders. That is the challenge before them.

Complex protoplasm.

2011-08-09T18:00:00.000+01:00

Most complex mass of protoplasm on Earth or maybe in our galaxy! Make of it what you will.

Oldest mass of water ever detected in Universe

2011-07-22T22:20:00.000+01:00

Astronomers have discovered the largest and oldest mass of water ever detected in the universe — a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.

The cloud of water vapor surrounds a supermassive black hole called a quasar located 12 billion light-years from Earth. The discovery shows that water has been prevalent in the universe for nearly its entire existence, researchers said.

"Because the light we are seeing left this quasar more than 12 billion years ago, we are seeing water that was present only some 1.6 billion years after the beginning of the universe," said study co-author Alberto Bolatto, of the University of Maryland, in a statement. "This discovery pushes the detection of water one billion years closer to the Big Bang than any previous find."

God

2011-07-05T16:43:00.002+01:00

If there is no #God, life and death are meaningless as they are without purpose or consequence. The how and the why are worthless pursuits.

It is impossible to accept this synopsis because to do so would mean that everything (the universe and all that it is) is for nothing. To believe that it evolved by mere chance, came from nothing, means nothing and is of no consequence, is too stretch logic to breaking point.

Everything that happens everywhere, whether it be the birth and destruction of stars or galaxies, or the way we and all living things live and die has purpose and meaning. To suggest then that the Cosmos from which life evolved is not imbued with the same meaning and purpose that is demonstrated in everything we see is to admit that logic itself is meaningless.

That makes even less sense than believing in God. If science is based on logic then science has nowhere to go since the Universe itself is apparently without logic.

Champions League Final

2011-05-30T01:55:00.000+01:00

I am sorry to say that Manchester United were outclassed, out-thought, out-worked. It was a dire performance by the English Champions who did not have a clue or any visible game plan. For all his other assets as a manager, I have never thought Alex Ferguson was a great tactician and this performance has only added weight to that belief.

Congratulations to Barcalona. It was a pleasure to watch them turn football/soccer into an art form. They do play the beautiful game, beautifully.

A Pittance

2011-05-26T01:16:00.002+01:00

Nothing worth a pittance will ever come from a philosophy, of spin, half truths and outright deceit

Political hypocricy

2011-05-26T01:14:00.001+01:00

Political hypocricy and double standards will never engender anything but a loss of respect for its practitioners

Excellent article by President of Pakistan

2011-05-03T01:22:00.001+01:00

http://wapo.st/jKXMpj%20#Osama #OBL

Fundamental truth

2011-05-02T01:02:00.000+01:00

One cannot find fulfillment in superficiality nor enlightenment without struggle.

Future in the past

2011-05-01T22:11:00.000+01:00

The future is written by what has gone before and can only be changed by what we do in the present.

Common interest is self interest

2011-04-29T15:15:00.000+01:00

Obama et al when will you understand that national interest is only assured if the common interest is served first? This must be a self evident truth to anyone who cares to give it some thought?

Be lucky

2011-04-23T01:36:00.002+01:00

Being lucky is more important than being respected or beautiful!

Labour Party take note!

2011-04-15T16:11:00.000+01:00

Will the Labour Party in general and Mr Ed Balls in particular please note today's further reduction in Ireland's credit rating. House prices in Ireland are down 50-70%. Jobs are at a premium and migration is at it's highest for 30 years. That is why cuts to public services are obligatory unless we wish to follow suit.

Matter is spirit

2011-04-14T22:24:00.000+01:00

Matter is spirit moving slowly enough to be seen - Teilhard de Chardin

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That's the nature of things!

2011-04-12T15:48:00.000+01:00

When things are going right, they can only go wrong and visa versa. That's the nature of life.

Mankind's Self Deception

2011-04-01T01:27:00.000+01:00

The real stupidity of humankind has been its failure to understand that by tacitly condoning that which we know to be wrong for whatever reason, we simply end up perpetuating and complicating matters to the point that the undoing becomes impossibly difficult. Until we understand, that we can never build a civilised world founded on self interest, deception, greed and hypocrisy, our future will continue to hang by a thread.

What or who is God?

2011-03-31T17:37:00.006+01:00

If there is a God would he/she/it be the supreme energy that controls every living cell? Is this perhaps how cells developed different functions, some cells developed into skeletons, others into eyes, limbs, leaves, trees and so on. Could these cells have developed in such a structured way by chance, haphazardly or randomly to produce the extremely complex world we live in?

Watching David Attenborough's fascinating programs on life on Earth and Brian Cox in the Wonders of the Universe, they give no rational or scientific explanation for the way in which cells developed into complex and complementary structures, each enhancing and enabling life to thrive and survive. This developmental process is simply assumed to have taken place given the visible end results but no indication is given as to how this occurred. The why is clear, the creation of a living viable and sustainable eco-system, but the how is far from clear. It is unscientific to simply say that organisms "developed" skeletol frames, limbs, eyes, lungs, etc. without understanding how. As we can see all around us this process could not have been random, i.e. without purpose. You cannot concoct a chicken curry without the right ingredients and you cannot concoct intelligent life without intelligence. Or if you can where is the proof?

Is the answer that each cell required a catalyst, an instruction, and/or an intelligence to meatmorphose in a certain way as part of a pre-determined grandiose creational scheme? Where is the proof to the contrary? I have yet to see it.

Happiness

2011-03-24T01:50:00.002Z

Life does not owe you happiness. You have to make life happy.

Intervention in Libya but not Rwanda?

2011-03-23T00:52:00.003Z

While we talk of Libya let me remind you that Clinton/Blair et al allowed the genocide of 800,000 Tutsi's in Rwanda to go unchallenged. How many thousands have died or been tortured at the hands of Robert Mugabe and how many more in Congo/Zaire. Where was the UN then and why is Libya a special case now? What is the difference between Libyans and those other poor souls who were left to their fate?

More to the point perhaps is where was/is Africa's compassion for its own brothers and sisters then and why do they continue to stand idly by while Mugabe terrorises his own people? Never let me hear them call the West hypocrites whilst they continue to tolerate atrocities in their own front yard?

Cameron comes through on Libya

2011-03-18T11:40:00.000Z

I was sceptical that the UN would step up to the mark and support military action against Gaddafi. I was also critical of David Cameron raising Libyan hopes of a no fly zone unless he could deliver on his words. He has done so and I congratulate him. He has acted on the basis of humanitarian principles and within the legal framework of international law. He deserves a lot of credit for his leadership in this crisis.

Obama’s transformation from confrontor to accommadator

2011-03-18T01:55:00.001Z

There is nothing new in Obama’s transformation from confrontor to accomadator. Every previous American and Western government were, to their shame and ours accomadators of tyranny.

What is sad is that Obama was the first to understand the longer term importance of confronting bad governace. Taking the bull by the horn sooner rather than later would avoid the inevitability of being tossed and trampled by the bull as it grew fatter and more arrogant with time. Ignore a problem short term and you make it worse long term.

Quite apart from anything else it is the roll of leadership to take humanity to a higher place. To do nothing is to be an accomplice and to condone immoral and murderous regimes. This never has been nor ever can be in anyone’s self interest, other than the dictators themeselves.

In Obama the World saw hope and the possibility of change and therein lies the sadness. So little has as yet changed. However to believe that anyone else would have understood the problem, let alone do anything about it, is self delusion.

Obama was and still is the only World leader who has come close to understanding the need for a new politics which is not based on the beligerent use of raw power and self interest at the expense of the common interest. He understands that self interest can only be served when and if it is aligned to the common interest.

As someone who lived and worked in Africa for many years I know what harm has been caused by sustaining the fetid status quo in the name of so called self interest.

I hope Obama will not lose sight of the fundamental wisdom that gave hope to so many.

UN authorises action against Gaddafi

2011-03-18T01:45:00.000Z

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201131720311168561.html

Is it too late? What action will now belatedly be taken? One must assume that end game is now the overthrow of Gaddafi but can this be achieved without a protracted ground war? A whole new can of worms has just opened up.

Libya and Western hypocracy

2011-03-17T12:37:00.001Z

When all the handwringing and self righteous rhetoric by western powers over recent events in Libya is quelled by Gaddafi's crushing of the pro-democratic movement in his country, which powers will throw off the yoke of principle and continue trading with this tyrant?

We shall be watching.

Postscript:

As a result of miltary action taken by a number of countries in accordance with a UN resolution authorising a "no fly zone" amongst other things, it now looks as though Gaddafi will go one way or another. His position is now untenable. No one could now deal with Gaddafi were he somehow to remain in power. That would be beyond ridiculous and the mother of all hypocracies!

Smiling in adversity

2011-03-13T19:21:00.000Z

If you are interested in helping give these kids an education, please contact me. These kids are amongst 13 being looked after by an 80 year old grandmother. They have nothing and have all lost their parents. We are trying as a family to contribute towards their education but we are unable to help them all.

An education is their way out of poverty and the World should be doing much more to fund education in the poorer countries as a means of tackling long term poverty and dependency. We need to get our priorities right and spend less on war and more on peace. Thank you for reading this.

UFO or clever special effects?

2011-03-13T12:04:00.001Z

http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/ufo-over-haiti/88snyn3t

On Truth & Reality: Philosophy Physics Metaphysics of Space, Wave Structure of Matter. Famous Science Art Quotes.

2011-03-08T22:53:00.000Z

On Truth & Reality: Philosophy Physics Metaphysics of Space, Wave Structure of Matter. Famous Science Art Quotes.

Evidence: The Case for Nasa UFOs

2011-02-27T01:29:00.001Z

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3611205436090721403#docid=8524267568796529301

UN Resolution on Libya

2011-02-27T01:24:00.001Z

http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/index.html

Egypt

2011-02-11T16:12:00.002Z

http://speakeezie.blogspot.com/2009/11/eu-presidency.html

Beware you politicians! You are about to learn that you cannot impose your will on the people forever without their consent. We are millions. You are but a few thousand and a few thousand too many at that!

November 2009

Crystal clear

2011-02-11T14:47:00.002Z

A sense of tranquility

Poerty in motion

Glorious cascade of Wisteria

2011-02-11T14:33:00.000Z

Sometimes words alone cannot describe the beauty of nature!

Whatever happened to the BBC?

2011-01-13T18:49:00.006Z

What happened to journalism? Thirty or forty years ago journalists reported events. Today they offer opinions about events. They stamp their own views on the consciousness of viewers and listeners. They opine. They seek the extreme edges of events, be they floods, earthquakes or some gruesome murder to sensationalise their so called reporting and better draw focus to their own over-inflated egos.

News programs today are packed with negativity. They present a one sided view of the world which is utterly depressing and totally false. A sop to cheeriness is added in an item about pandas or some other cuddly story in the last item of news. This is supposed to make us all feel better before we trudge off to bed, those of us that is, that are still watching.

We have no idea what casualties have been inflicted on the enemy in Afghanistan. We are never told but we know the names of every single one of our soldiers killed in action. Why? Did the media highlight the deaths of every soldier killed in WW1, WW2, or the Korean War. Of course not, that would have taken all day to read out. So why are the relatively few deaths of today's fighting men given such prominence? What is the purpose of it? If you listen to the news, it would appear that only our soldiers are dying. Our allies for all we know, have suffered few if any casualties. As for the enemy who knows? We certainly do not but the question is why not? Do the powers that be think we are idiots that we must only be told only what they want us to know, that we cannot be told the facts or that we should not be given the opportunity to make up our own minds? Who can trust an authority that tries so hard to maipulate the news and by inference our minds?

This is not news broadcasting. This is mind manipulation, media brainwashing and government propaganda. It's abysmal. It's depressing. It's unbalanced and therefore presents a false image of the world we live in. I for one have switched off.

I do not trust the integrity or the motives of those whose job it is to inform us. I do not want opinions. I want news and I want both sides of it not one. I want to hear what is new in the world of science, technology, art and what positive initiatives are being taken by communities and people in our country and elsewhere to make the world a better place. I want to hear about all the good that is going on in the world as well as the bad. I am sick to my back teeth of the garbage that is being fed to us by the television and paper media and so are most people. We are all gradually switching off.

I could go on about the endless dreary repeats that our licence fees paid for donkey's years ago. What are they using licence payers money for now? So mind numbingly dull are many of the programs, I now prefer to watch old black and white films! I hate to think how many times these have been repeated but they are at least better than the rubbish showing on other channels. They at least have a bit of drama in their storylines. I could go on about reality shows and the general dumbing down of the BBC and other networks but I'm sure you have got the drift, so I wont bother. I simply ask who will save us from these donkeys?

Quantum Survival

2011-01-03T18:11:00.009Z

Herewith Dr. R.D. Pearson's theory on Quantum Survival.

It is most definitely worth reading. I will say no more but welcome related comments.

INTRODUCTION

A major paradigm, accepted across all established scientific disciplines, states that mind and consciousness result from brain function alone. This means that mind must vanish at the instant of brain death, a conclusion totally at variance with the evidence. This evidence has been building for over a century and is now so firm as to effectively constitute totally convincing proof of survival. Roll (9) and Zammit (12) cover this aspect exhaustively.

The reason scientists in general go to great pains to discredit this evidence is because it conflicts with all theories physicists have so far developed. Until a major paradigm-shift in physics has occurred there can be no hope of any change of attitude. Hence it is of paramount importance that the flaws in existing physics are resolved so that it becomes extended to incorporate survival and other controversial phenomena.

This article shows how a successful search made to solve three difficulties in physics resulted in providing just such an extension. The resulting “Survival Physics” shows that, as a natural consequence of the mathematical logic, at least the sub-conscious mind is the true reality at the base of all that exists. Although the brain must die its exact copy lives on to be connected with another parallel universe. Built the same way as our own, these seem just as real as ours when the mind is in register.

This is not the only attempt at producing a theory of survival. The states of others, presented at an SPR conference on 24 April 2004, seem less advanced.

THE PROBLEMS WITH PHYSICS
Theoretical physics has so far been unable to resolve three major difficulties. In consequence greater and greater sophistication in concepts and mathematical formalism has resulted, yet no solutions are yet within sight. Could it be that theorists are all leading each other into a blind alley so that a totally different approach is required? This article shows that when a return is made to the logic of common sense, in which only fairly elementary maths is required, a solution to all three problems appears simultaneously.

One problem concerns the big bang theory that purports to explain the creation of the universe from nothing. It is clearly flawed since it makes a major false prediction known as the “Cosmological Constant” (CC). Theorists are unable to switch off their creative explosion. To show how serious this is I quote the Nobel laureate, Steven Weinberg, (11) who wrote in “Reviews of Modern Physics” January 1989 that this “represents a veritable crisis for physics”. Even today the situation remains unchanged after the 25 years of its existence. In 1987 this author realised his own expertise was potentially able to solve the difficulty. Unfortunately the second difficulty known as “wave-particle-duality” needed simultaneous resolution.

When matter is repeatedly divided the atom is eventually reached. Then further division shows this to constitute sub-atomic particles. Quantum theory is the study of the mechanics operating at this sub-microscopic level of reality. In the 1920’s it was discovered that at this level nothing moved as it does at the visible level. In fact motion seemed governed by a plan formed by interfering waves. If two pebbles are thrown into a pond simultaneously waves spread out in rings and the rings cross into each other creating a patch of rough water.

This is the interference pattern characteristic of waves. At the quantum level, particles only appear where the wave amplitudes add up; none are seen where they cancel out. The conceptual difficulties are best illustrated by reading a book by David Deutsch (2) called, “The Fabric of Reality” (Penguin 1998). He says the only possible interpretation requires the universe to split in two every time one of these particles has a choice of two ways to go.

It involves an almost infinite set of universes existing in the same place each multiplying at an almost infinite rate! This is needed if consciousness is kept out of the solution. One of the original ideas from the 20’s, however, is called the “Copenhagen Interpretation”. This says that a particle only exists when an observer “collapses the wave function”. So this interpretation had already accepted consciousness to be involved in the creation of matter.

To me this meant that the quantum level had an unreal quality and had to be contrived by consciousness. There had to be a true reality at a deeper level having a structure able to evolve a conscious intelligence. It could not, therefore, operate on the wave mechanics of the quantum level but needed to exist to make those waves. It was more likely to operate on the classical mechanics found satisfactory for explaining how stars and planets moved: “Classical Mechanics”.
This introduced the third difficulty for which no resolution has emerged for over 70 years. Einstein’s theory called “General Relativity” (GR) is accepted as the best since it has survived almost every experimental check. Unfortunately it is incompatible with quantum theory.

It was also impossible to apply it to solve the problem of the cosmological constant owing to the assumption that only motion relative to the observer existed. Now as objects are speeded up they gain energy of motion called “kinetic energy”. In relativity its value differs from one observer to another if the observers also see each other in motion. Consequently kinetic energy, according to GR, has to be regarded as illusory. To solve the problem of the CC kinetic energy had to be real. Consequently a new mechanics had to be derived. I had to be, not only compatible with quantum theory, but also had to match all the experimental checks that had elevated the status of GR to one of the two major achievements of 20’th century physics.

THE SOLUTION
To provide a satisfactory alternative to GR seemed to present a formidable obstacle since this had to be derived first. However, by applying the mechanical engineers logic of common sense a satisfactory new “Exact Classical Mechanics” (ECM) soon emerged. It matched all the data just as well as did relativity theory but had the advantage of starting out quantum compatible. It was first published in Russia in 1991 (5) but can be found on the “Campaign for Philosophical Freedom” website of Michael Roll, (1) very professionally organised by Paul Read.

ECM theory had all motion referred to the local background medium, to be called the “i-ther”. So now kinetic energy could be regarded as real. To enable a paradox free theory of creation from the zero energy state of nothingness to appear it was also necessary to extend the theory to yield an, “Opposed Energy Dynamics”.

ECM theory yields Einstein’s famous equation E=mc² by a totally different method but without reference to relativity in any way. This equation shows that matter is made out of energy. So energy is the ultimate building substance of the universe of matter. Since matter had to emerge as a construct of the i-ther, this ultimate level of reality had also be made from the same stuff.

For energy to appear from nothing it had to exist in two opposite and complementary kinds: positive and negative. We assume we are made of only positive energy defined by Newton’s laws. He said that when an object was caused to accelerate it had to be pushed by a “force of action” pointing in the same direction as the motion produced.

An object made of negative energy would move in a direction opposite this force. Although difficult to accept at first introduction, this actually involves no conceptual difficulties. If two objects both made of negative energy are imagined to collide, both have their responses reversed and so the effects cancel. Consequently if all matter were negative it would behave in exactly the same way as that we observe. Indeed it is impossible to say which dominates for our matter.

For creation to occur both kinds need to exist as a balanced mixture of minute real particles to be called “primaries”. These are the only true particles that really can exist. Then it is also possible for the positive and negative primaries to cancel each other to zero, so enabling an existing mixture to annihilate itself to become nothingness. So what would actually happen during the collision of opposites? They would certainly all be in vigorous motion, like the molecules of a gas, eternally colliding and bouncing off one another.

Opposed energy dynamics gave the answer. Another law of mechanics called the “conservation of momentum” had also to be satisfied. The momentum of an object is defined as its mass multiplied by its velocity. The sum of the momentums of all objects colliding has to be the same after the collision as it was before, as measured in any specified direction.

Instead of annihilating this condition forced both colliding primaries to gain energy of their own kind in balanced amounts. They were breeding like opposite sexes! A detailed computational study taking collision probabilities into account showed that the average energy gain would be 0.091 of incident kinetic energy if the average speed were 99% of the speed of light. The proportion rose to 0.199 as speed fell to 10% of light speed. Of course the incident kinetic energy rises rapidly as speed increases.

In consequence the i-ther would form a rapidly growing ball but its density would also increase until an unstable condition was reached. And this solved the problem of the CC!

The entire flow field now broke up into minute cells divided by watershed-like boundaries, possibly forming a regular pattern like a honeycomb. Inside each cell, flows converged to a central point and here conditions, again governed by the need to conserve momentum, favoured mutual annihilation. In the outer annulii of each cell a gas-like fluid existed forming a breeding blanket and nearly all this creation was cancelled out at the central focal points.

A minute net creation remained causing a slow growth, over aeons of time, to the vast size of the universe we see today -except for one thing: matter did not yet exist. The i-ther is only the source of matter. However, when matter eventually appeared it would go with the flow. And the flow predicted was one of accelerating expansion. Every part would be moving away from every other with both speeds and accelerations proportional to separating distance. This was predicted in 1992 and in 1998, as reported by Schwarzchild, B (10), astronomers discovered that, contrary to their expectations, the expansion was indeed accelerating. So Survival Physics has made an important prediction later confirmed by observation.

A SUB-QUANTUM CONSCIOUSNESS EVOLVES
There could be almost spherical centres of annihilation (hubs) or long filamentous shapes (links) all of finite diameter and consisting of primaries in the act of mutual destruction. Hubs and links, however, would themselves form permanent structures. Many links could couple to a single hub as one of an infinite variety of geometries that could form by chance.

This structure formed a source of power that could only manifest as waves: so explaining why the quantum level has to operate on wave mechanics. The waves need intelligent organisation, however, but arrangements of hubs and links could be imagined that looked very like the artificial neural networks that scientists, such as Hinton(3) have shown to have memory and learning capability. The speculative part of the emerging theory had to assume that in the fullness of time a neural network would evolve and that further evolution would lead to the emergence of the conscious intelligence needed for wave organisation.

This meant that at least the sub-conscious mind had to exist as an i-theric structure. It would need to contrive matter by the clever organisation of real quantum waves. A sub atomic particle would be formed by the repeated focusing of waves at points chosen at random but confined to regions of constructive wave interference patterns. In this way a satisfying interpretation for the enigma of wave-particle-duality emerged.

A particle, such as an electron, would no longer be regarded as a single object travelling along the curved paths caused by the action of electric and magnetic forces. Instead electrons would be sequences of wave focusing events joined end to end in time but not in position. These positions would be chosen mathematically so that, as observed by scientists, electrons would only now appear to be acted upon by a real force of electromagnetism. The other three forces of nature could be similarly interpreted. Hence our universe now appears as a semi-virtual reality. It is built from real energies but these are intelligently organised.

Each i-theric mind would have to be separated from the universal sub-conscious by some form of information filter-barrier programmed into the i-ther, so that it could interact with other minds in meaningful ways. This could explain why at least one matter system had to be organised to provide a temporary housing in which such interaction could occur.

Then on the demise of that housing another based on different laws of physics was provided so that development of individual minds could continue. The i-ther could build several interpenetrating universes all occupying the same space but tuned to different quantum wave frequencies. Then the i-theric mind could tune into just one at a time. If the brain has its own consciousness then a copy is carried in the i-ther.

In this way a theory emerged, that had survival as its core feature. It had appeared from the simultaneous solution of the three major difficulties of physics. With this model the entire spectrum of the so-called “paranormal” can be given an explanation as potentially real effects including mediumshiop, telepathy, psychokinesis, healing, apports, OOB’s, NDE’s and prediction.

REFERENCES
Most can be found on the Campaign for Philosophical Freedom website:

http://www.cfpf.org.uk/articles/rdp.html Gives an article published by “Frontier Perspectives” Spring Summer 1997 Pearson: Consciousness as a Sub-Quantum Phenomenon http://www.cfpf.org.uk/articles/rdp/cm/cm.html gives maths of An Exact Classical Mechanics http://www.cfpf.org.uk
This covers many other aspects mostly concerning the evidence for survival.
Deutsch, David: The Fabric of Reality : Penguin Books 1998

Hinton, Geoffrey E.: How Neural Networks Learn from Experience Scientific American special Issue “Mind and Brain” September 1992

Keen, Montague: Ellison, Arthur: Fontana, David (of the Society for Psychical Research UK): The Scole Report (More valuable evidence)

Pearson, Ronald D.: Alternative to Relativity including Quantum Gravitation: Second International Conference on Problems in Space and Time: St. Petersburg, (Sept. 1991) pp 278-292.

Pearson, Ronald D.: "Quantum Gravitation and the Structured Ether"Sir Isaac Newton Conference. St. Petersburg (March 1993) pp 39-55 Petrovskaja Academy of Sciences & Arts Chairman. Local Organising Committee: Dr. Michael Varin: Pulkovskoye Road 65-9-1 St. Petersburg 196140, Russia. FAX: (7) (812) 291-81-35. Phone: Alexandre Alekseev: office:(7) (812) 291-36-73, Home:(7) (812) 173-55-69 E-Mail:
consym@saman.spb.su
Pearson, Ronald D.: Origin of Mind [Dec.1992]: -A popularisation plus Technical Appendix (Maths of Opposed Energy Dynamics) 72 pages: (110 grams) direct from Michael Roll.
E-mail:
mike@mroll.freeserve.co.uk; michael@booksbymichael.com
Pearson, R. D.: Consciousness as a Sub-Quantum Phenomenon Frontier Perpectives, Spring/ Summer 1997, Vol.6,No.2 pp70-78 (See 1) website

Roll, Michael: A Rational Scientific Explanation for So-Called Psychic Phenomena: The Paranormal Review October 2004 pp 21-23 Proc.Soc. of Psychical Research Vol.58, Part 220 (1999)

Schwarzchild, B.: Very distant Supernova Suggest that the Cosmic Expansion is Speeding Up: Physics Today, Vol.51(6) pp.17-19

Weinberg, Stephen: The Cosmological Constant Problem Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol.61 (1) Jan 1989

Zammit, Victor: A LAWYER PRESENTS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE AFTERLIFE
www.victorzammit.com
We are grateful to Victor Zammit for giving us the permission to take all this information from his website:
www.victorzammit.com
April 2005

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Survival Physics

2011-01-01T18:46:00.008Z

This is Ronald Pearson (Survival Physics). His eye opening theory should be read by everyone who is interested in Quantum Physics and what happens to us after death. You make up up your own minds. It makes a whole lot of sense to me and answers many of the questions that even the greatest minds have failed to address or explain satisfactorily. (See Above article)

Change and leadership

2010-04-07T01:44:00.006+01:00

“The ego finds its collective expression in the economic structures of this world, such as the huge corporations, which are egoic entities that compete with each other for more. Their only blind aim is profit. They pursue that aim with absolute ruthlessness. Nature, animals, people, even their own employees, are no more than digits on a balance sheet, lifeless objects to be used, then discarded”.

Eckhart Tolle

Herein (the pursuit of ego), lies the cause of immeasurable misery throughout the ages to the present day. What does this tells us? It tells us everything. Above all it tells us that the pursuit of me, mine, more than, I want, I need, I must have, etc., can have only one outcome, that which we have and see before us, one of continual injustice, inequality, poverty, famine, war and endless misery. The end result is that we live in an emotional and physical vacuum disconnected from the world that we inhabit and of which we are made. Worse, we are destroying our world and therefore ultimately ourselves.

Acknowledging this provides us with all the answers we need to transform our world and ourselves. The pursuit of egoic desires is insane (there is no other way of describing it) and has always and will always lead us down a blind alley. It’s a road to nowhere but more of the same.

What we need is a completely different philosophy that understands that less me, mine, etc., both as individuals and nations is the only route to something infinitely more rewarding. We must finally acknowledge that we are all together in the same boat. What happens to anyone of us affects all of us. The wellbeing of all the individual parts guarantees the wellbeing of the whole. We are all of us part of and joined to each other and everything around us. This is not even up for discussion any more. Quantum Physics tells us we are the children of the stars and interconnected to everything. We are part of nature and not apart from it.

We cannot go on creating ego-centric political and corporate structures that have no symbiosis to the well being of the greater world, nor purpose, other than to feed their own insatiable greed at the expense of others. We cannot continue to exploit finite resources at a faster rate than nature or technology can replenish or replace them. We must recognise that unsustainable economic growth is the ultimate insanity. It is quite simply mass suicide.

We need to think about the pace, nature and purpose of our economic growth and we need to target investment toward the right kind of technologies for future planetary sustainability and the betterment of life for all. Above all we must cease producing endless streams of pointless, cheap, plastic products/packaging that have limited usage, short term life spans and long term toxic disposal consequences; all for the sole purpose of making ever more profit. We can no longer ignore the consequences of such blind stupidity. We must recognise the absolute need to eradicate short termism from our thinking. It more often than not causes nothing but long term problems. We have to move away from the unholy grail of maximising profit at the expense of jobs, communities, environment, social adhesion and quality of life. We cannot sustain such a shallow philosophy without destroying the very meaning and purpose of living, the value of which is incalculable.

The pursuit of blind ego has always and will always unleash the negative forces that have brought us to where the world now stands, on the verge of calamity. We are faced with global warming, the clash of cultures, economic meltdown, the widening gap between rich and poor, the loss of moral compass and so on. Perhaps the greatest catastrophe has been the calculated entrapment, by the marketing industry and a compliant media, of our minds which are focused on the worthless and the trivial. The marketing moguls think it is clever to create a superficial demand for endless streams of ecologically harmful, intrinsically unnecessary material products that we can all live comfortably without. It’s not clever. It’s idiotic. It pollutes our world, diminishes our minds and harms our souls. They have very effectively focused our minds on the lowest common denominator of our being in the name of profit driven by greed. We can no longer see the woods for the trees.

The transformation of this mindset is the greatest challenge we face if we are to create a better, more compassionate and just world. This is the inescapable truth that must be confronted. This is the key that can unlock the door to real change. What is needed now is enlightenment and wisdom. A world bereft of wisdom is a vacuous world, a rudderless ship ultimately doomed to crash upon storm whipped rocks with all hands aboard.

Armed with this knowledge our course is as clear as a mountain stream. We must repair our leaking ship and set our sails towards a meaningful and more rewarding destination for all of mankind and every living thing that sails with us. How do we do this? We start by asking ourselves what principles need to be applied in the conception of a better fairer more sustainable socio-economic program that eradicates poverty, provides equity, assures justice and enriches the meaning of life while protecting the planet. The destruction of animal or plant life threatens all life and diminishes us all. We begin by understanding that self interest can only be assured if the common interest is satisfied first. This is a fundamental truth which the ego-centric world has so far failed to comprehend and which once understood has the power to change everything.

Everything we do must be done with thoughtful purpose, within a coherent plan that serves and enriches our life experience and inspires our minds. It must serve the greater good. Those that have must help those who have not. We cannot all be blessed with natural resources but the planets resources must be used for the common good. We cannot continue with the politics of belligerent domination by exploiting our assets to dominate others in order to exercise power over those less fortunate. These resources belong to the cosmos, to all of us, as we belong to it. Their placement is a geological phenomenon not a political birthright of any one nation. Its placement is irrelevant. It belongs to the world.

We are but the temporary guardians of our planet and it’s resources not the owners. If we do not share the resources equitably, there can only ever be one outcome. We must put behind us for ever the politics of dogma and domination. They have served us poorly. What has it ever bought us but inequality, injustice, strife, discontent and misery? What will it bring us in the future but more of the same? This we know to be an absolute truth and yet we continue to bury our heads in the sand and pretend ignorance of our own insanity. What good is knowledge if we do not act upon it? Acknowledging the error of our ways is the first step to change. Herein lies the only way ahead that makes an iota of sense. There is no second or third way, only one way, the right way. There is only one correct solution to any mathematical problem and we are not even close.

Therein, lies the burden and challenge of true leadership. It is not about empty imagery or looking cool on television. It’s about wisdom and enlightenment. The role of leadership is to lead humanity to a higher place. It’s about the spiritual fulfilment of humanity which will never be found at the alter of consumerism, greed or media spin.

The greatest power comes not from nuclear weapons. It is to be found only in the brotherhood of humanity; the understanding that we are all equal and that our common interest is far more important than personal interest. It comes from tearing down that which divides us and building on that which unites us. This is the only role of true leadership. Every war or conflict is a failure of leadership.

UK Immigration

2009-11-19T01:17:00.001Z

Uncontrolled immigration would be untenable and potentially disastrous. Our land mass and resources are limited and therefore there must be some control over immigration. However the ultimate solution is to eradicate poverty and dictatorship in those countries at the source of mass migration. That is the nut that has to be cracked.

Brown's Apology

2009-11-10T16:30:00.004Z

The Prime Minister should not be writing personally to families of brave servicemen and women who have been killed in Afghanistan. This would have been impossible in previous wars where casulties were in the tens of thousands.

The onerous task of informing relatives is the duty of regiment commanders and not the Prime Minister.

The reporting of every single death in the current conflicts is counter-productive and harms public morale. Fatalities are the inevitable price of war. If we cannot take the casualties, we should not be fighting.

The media coverage is grossly sensationalist and short sighted. Mr. Brown's attempt to appear caring is misguided and shows he has little understanding of his duties as a war time leader.

In the meantime we should be grateful that casualties are as low as they are.

New Labour Failure

2009-11-06T02:31:00.003Z

This shower of a government does not think you have a brain or an iota of common sense. This government treats people with contempt. This government loves one size fits all solutions that do not fit anyone. This government will penalise everyone for the crimes and misdemeanors of the few. This government cannot accept that in society there are, have always been and will always be a small percentage of deranged people and no legislation will eradicate that. This government has no common sense!

EU Presidency

2009-11-06T02:15:00.007Z

The people of this country are walking apthetically, blindly and dumbly into the EU superstate trap set for them by the self appointed, unelected, self interested, empire building political elite. They are doing so without question or debate and without consideration of any other alternatives. The creation of a shadowy unaccountable EU superstate is another step towards the suppression of freedom, free trade and independent ground up control of regional affairs.

Who is your MEP? Has he ever communicated with you? What has he done for you and your region?

The new EU President, whomever he or she may be, is no more or less than an imposition by stealth of a European superstate on the people of Europe; whether we want it or not. We don't and that's why we have never been asked!

Beware you politicians! You are about to learn that you cannot impose your will on the people forever without their consent. We are millions. You are but a few thousand and a few thousand too many at that!

Theft of Democracy

2009-11-06T02:06:00.003Z

David Cameron is not the only one who will be haunted by Europe. Because the British people have been denied a promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, it will be a festering sore of increasing discontent that may yet have consequences far beyond Mr Cameron's or for that matter Mr. Brown's tenure not to mention limited imagination. This unpardonable treachery will do more harm than good and may yet bring the EU superstate to it's knees.The people will not tolerate the theft of their democracy for long.

Car Rebate Scheme Madness

2009-08-16T01:16:00.006+01:00

Can somebody tell me why the tax payer has to cough up for the government reabate scheme on new cars? It is the car industry that should have introduced this initative. In times of economic downturn businesses have to jettison any notion of profit out the window and alter their strategy to survival mode. This is not the job or the duty of tax payers. It is the job and duty of corporate management to understand and respond to economic conditions whatever they may be.

In recession, survival is the name of the game and customers are key. There is no profit in bankcruptcy. The only way for the automobile industry to survive is to sell cars. Only by selling cars can they keep production lines operating, cashflow turning and save jobs. In a severe economic downturn, the pursuance of profit is the route to bankcruptcy. The only thing that matters is cash-flow and that can only be maintained by enticing customers into showrooms. The only way to do that is to make customers an offer they cannot refuse, even if it means selling cars at cost price if necessary. At least they would be able to keep production lines going and people in work.

This idiotic government have instead elected to pay automobile corporations for something they should have taken on board themselves at huge cost to the already over-burdened treasury. It's unforgiveable to use taxpayers money with such thoughtless profligacy and demonstrates perfectly why New Labour are not fit to run anything, let alone a country.

Key to Hamas - Isreali Truce

2009-01-13T01:12:00.003Z

Any truce that does not recognise that there is no alternative but to live together in peace is worthless. The alternative is constant and permanent war and an ever mounting body count of innocent people on both sides.

Hamas have failed to comprehend the enormous economic and social benefits that a permanent peace would bring the Palestinian people. The rewards for peace far exceed the rewards of war. Only when this is understood can there be an end to the slaughter.

President Bush's Legacy

2009-01-13T01:10:00.003Z

Whatever else is said about George Bush's presidency and however it may be judged in the future, the one thing that can be said now, is that the world will never be the same again. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan will alter forever the face of that region, possibly for the better in the longer term. In the these endeavours he was at least unwavering.

However, his more immediate legacy is that under his watch and Brown's, the world econonomy was brought to the brink of financial disaster.

Prince Harry’s Video Remarks

2009-01-12T02:07:00.003Z

Dear Mr. Cameron

I was extremely disappointed to hear your remarks with regard to the so called News of the World’s fatuous story about Harry calling one of his army colleagues a “Paki”!

Anyone who has seen the personal video clip can see that there was absolutely no malice intended. On the contrary it was almost a term of endearment and respect that demonstrated his kinship with his unit. Had you not been sucked into the pernicious all pervading dogma of political correctness under which we are all drowning, that is what you should have had the courage to say.

The fact that you fell into the trap so carefully laid by this rag of a newspaper whose motives for digging up a three year old deliberately manipulated, misconstrued, misrepresented and mischievous non-story for the sole purpose of selling more newspapers is, I regret to say, as shameful as the general media reaction.

Whoever dug up or leaked this video clip was quite clearly intent on besmirching the reputation of the Royal family and cared not a jot for the harm it would do to community relations, knowing as he/she or they must have, that it would be misconstrued and abused by every minority pressure group with a chip on it’s shoulder.

Ordinary people of sound mind and sense will feel nothing but yet more contempt for the news editors and politicians who stupidly and thoughtlessly jumped on to this particular band wagon and gave credence to a newspaper that anyone with any judgement at all would only use for one purpose and only then, if they were out of toilet paper and very desperate.

If you want to mend a broken Britain Mr. Cameron you need to start by showing the people that you have real integrity and are capable of speaking out for common sense when all around have lost theirs.

Darling's Pre-Budget Fiasco

2008-11-25T03:22:00.002Z

The pre-budget report is the most ill-thought through, botched and misguided piece of economic mumbo jumbo, I have ever seen. It will fail on every count. It also ignores completely the natural corrective forces of free markets.

When demand crashes, cash-flow becomes king and profit is for another day. To survive stocks must be moved almost at any cost to keep the cash flowing. This leads to a natural reduction on prices to a level that re-ignites consumer interest and increases demand. That is the beginning of a revival.

The government should have concentrated on measures designed to reduce costs to business like a reduction in fuel costs that impact throughout the economy, making goods cheaper and therefore improving profit margins.

The only other thing it had to do was stabalise the banks and make them lend.

Tax cuts funded by higher debt make no sense at all. There is not an ounce of savoir faire or common sense in anything Mr. Darling announced today. All he has achieved is more pain tomorrow. Pathetic

Why Poverty Matters

2008-11-22T01:16:00.005Z

On a sugar plantation in Brazil a worker gets approximately £5/day for cutting 4 tons of cane in hot, suffocating, humid, snake infested conditions. This is slave labour in all but name and there are millions working long hours for less all over the World.

Who amongst us could work in these conditions and who would want to for such meagre reward?

If one wants to increase global demand and boost economic growth, then the first thing one needs to do, is start paying a fair price for labour, thereby increasing the purchasing power of the poor.

Genesis

2008-04-24T21:05:00.004+01:00

In Chapter One the material vegetable and animal kingdoms were all created during the six days (each day being a thousand years). It took seven thousand years including the day of rest for the completion of creation.

Genesis Ch. 2.

Here it states that there is no tree, herb, etc. upon the Earth "The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth" and "there was no man to till the ground". St. Paul said God is a spirit and must be worshipped in the spirit. Spirits of course cannot till the ground.

It is only in the last few decades that we have come to understand with the aid of modern science, how the Earth was transformed from a ball of molten syrup to a crusty volcanic maelstrom to the fertile planet we now inhabit. The authors of Genesis already knew this.

Surely a superstitious scientifically uninformed mind would have come up with a much more primitive interpretation of creation than this?

In Ch.2. v 7 it says:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

In my mind this statement reveals an understanding of natural evolution (from dust to dust) but also says that man initially existed in spirit form. The concept of evolution on the one hand and spiritual existence on the other would appear to be a contradiction in terms to both evolutionists and theists but thousands of years later we are still searching for the answers.

Is it that the ancient mind uncluttered by scientific knowledge and the need for scientific explanation could more easily grasp and accept the possibility of incredible concepts ? To this day the finest brains in history have not been able to prove or disprove the assumption of their so called ancient and primitive forebears.

Food for thought!

Tsunami Coming

2008-04-23T00:17:00.003+01:00

The sub-prime mortgage crisis is a ripple in a pond compared to the gathering oceanic Tsunami about to be unleashed as a result of worldwide food shortages. One hundred million people are now facing the risk of starvation and food riots are breaking out in numerous countries with serious consequences for everyone. It is now that those who in the past, have not understood the meaning of the term “global village,” will come to realise its significance.

Countries like India are cutting back on the export of certain commodities to ensure sufficient food for their own population. Other countries will inevitably follow suit. This will lead to even more dramatic increases in food prices and increasing shortages for everyone.

I have always believed that “globalisation” was a false and dangerous concept, the ultimate pursuit of fool’s gold by greedy corporate and political pirates, chasing an elusive treasure of ever lower manufacturing costs and higher profits. As a consequence we have let our fields lie hallow, taken our manufacturing overseas and sold our utilities to the highest bidder.

In short we are no longer independent but dependent on others and circumstances elsewhere for food, and energy. This grotesque lack of vision, this vacuum of wisdom has meant we are now all sailing in a single ship instead of a convoy of many. When it sinks we all go down

Chinese Complicity In Zimbabwe

2008-04-19T16:36:00.003+01:00

I was disgusted to see Chinese and North Korean “advisors,” sitting in the stadium supporting the Mugabe regime at the 28th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain. In his speech attacking Britain and Brown, Robert Mugabe made one of the most hypocritically ludicrous speeches ever heard. It would have been hilarious were it not so tragic.

China and North Korea continue to arm Mugabe’s bestial regime, knowing full well that the military hardware will be used to oppress his own citizens. The Chinese and North Korea governments have revealed the true depth of their disdain for human rights and democracy. They have demonstrated to the World a total absence of any sense of morality or integrity.

They have shown there is no gutter too disgusting into which they will not stoop, to gain economic and political influence or advantage, irrespective of the misery and cost in human lives. They have shown their true colours and they have proven beyond doubt that they are untrustworthy of support at any level. They are complicit in the crimes committed by Robort Mugabe against his own people and they should be condemned by all humanitarian governments and organisations for so doing.

They must not be allowed to get away with it and I now totally support a boycott of the Beijing Olympics and Chinese products until such time as they change their ways.

Politics, Business And Development

2008-03-23T01:36:00.006Z

One of the most important lessons that I have learned in my life is that all systems are only as good as the people who run them. The fault with all systems is the fallibility of human nature. Corruption, mismanagement, incompetence, patronage, nepotism and self interest are the weak link in all systems. It is therefore not a question of systems but who is implementing them and how.

Socialism, capitalism, communism, dictatorships, royalty are all meritorious ideas in their own way, and each if implemented with the common interest at heart, rather than self interest, can enrich nations and peoples. However the opposite is also true. Each can have disastrous consequences when integrity is overtaken by greed, corruption, self ambition and so on.

For any system to succeed, the people who manage it must be honest, qualified, responsible, motivated, and above all accountable for their actions and decisions at all times. This can only be done by putting in place transparent monitoring tools and mechanisms. This is the key to success for any system.

Another thing I have learned is that competition is essential to progress. Without competition there is less incentive to keep improving and less need to be creative. Lack of competition encourages other human weakness such as self satisfaction and laziness and leads to stagnation. I have seen this so often in monopolies but seldom in private companies.

However, what I have seen in private companies is far too much profit being skimmed off the balance sheets to pay unjustified bonus’ and/or dividends to partners and shareholders. Without the workforce both would be paupers. So, I’m definitely in favour of the workforce having a stake in profits. I know of no better way to boost morale, productivity, competitiveness and innovation.

Likewise, whilst I do not believe in monopolies, I do believe the state is foolish to give up control of strategic service industries such as electricity, water and gas supplies, as has Great Britain for example. Like much of Europe we are more and more dependant on Russian supplies and this means we are vulnerable and no longer in control of our own destiny. However, it is extremely important to ensure that these industries are managed with the same professionalism and efficiency as private industries and although this is no easy task, I am sure it is achievable.

State monopolies often depend on political patronage and are extremely vulnerable to changes of government. They therefore tend to be unstable. They are subject to sudden policy and leadership changes depending on the government of the day and are therefore lacking in continuity resulting in inefficiency. They are also in my experience much more bureaucratic by nature than private industries and therefore lack dynamism. The same is true of all state monopolies anywhere in the world.

Lastly, I would like to suggest that developing countries with natural resources maximise their earnings potential by building partnerships with manufactures from the developed world to add value to their produce at origin in order to export them as finished goods. They must fight restrictive trade practises and value added tariffs of trading blocks like the EU by fighting fire with fire. Insist importing countries remove the tariffs on value added goods or lose the raw materials. Sell the raw materials instead to those countries who are prepared to enter into genuine free trade agreements. This is the only way to ensure sustainable and meaningful development.

Why should producer countries have to export commodities in bulk because the EU and other trading blocks impose tariffs on value added imports . It’s their produce. They invested in it, set land aside for it, grew it and nurtured it with their labour. Why therefore should a company in Belgium, Britain, Holland, Germany, France, etc., make all the profit from adding value to their produce while they make none? This is a blatant imbalance and contrary to fair trade practise.

In order to change this it will be necessary to create a new kind of partnership with the importing nations, one in which one encourages them to invest as manufacturing partners to add value at origin. This is necessary because the importing nations have the established markets. Developing countries need their markets but the developed nations need the produce. This should be the basis for a new kind of partnership in which everyone benefits equitably in a manner that reflects the reality on the ground.

Fair trade can only come about when trade is fair and everyone is a winner. Fair trade is about mutually beneficial partnerships not unequal partnerships and this is I believe the way forward for everyone, but it will take great leadership in developing countries to force the hand of the more advanced economies.
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Iraq In Retrospect

2008-03-20T21:16:00.002Z

As someone who argued strongly in favour of removing Saddam Hussein from power, I now see that his removal has come at an unacceptable cost in innocent Iraqi lives, estimated to be any number between 80,000 – 1,000,000. By contrast, around 4,500 American soldiers and 175 British soldiers have lost their lives. Figures for wounded soldiers are obviously higher but largely kept under wraps.

It was not Saddam Hussein’s WMD that concerned me. It was clear from numerous documentaries that I saw, most of Iraq’s conventional weapons were largely dated and in a state of disrepair. It was also increasingly evident that whatever WMD he might have possessed hardly posed an immediate or deadly threat to anyone. That is not to say that had he remained in power and given time, he would not have become a serious threat. He almost certainly would and that was another reason to remove him from power.

I was in favour of removing Saddam Hussein’s regime on moral grounds but war was a last resort. I believed and still believe that in a globalised world that pretends also, to be civilised, murderous dictatorships are intolerable and must be dealt with by the international community under international law. We cannot call ourselves “civilised” whilst we continue to tolerate the intolerable. That is as they say, a no brainer. I thought much more could have and should have been done to force Saddam Hussein out without recourse to war. However, to achieve this it was vital for the entire international community to stand as one in condemning Saddam Hussein’s regime and to enforce the necessary measures to neutralise him. Self interest and political expediency and/or skulduggery by some of the major players was always going to make this virtually impossible. Seeing the divisions in the international camp served only to embolden Saddam Hussein and make it less likely that he would go quietly.

The UN Charter prohibits interference in the internal affairs of member states by other member states. Thus regimes such as those of Saddam Hussein and Robert Mugabe, to name but two, are legitimised by the international community when they take their seats in World forums; making us all complicit in their crimes against humanity. This is a morally reprehensible cop out by the international community. The UN Charter and those of other World bodies such as the IMF, World bank, etc., must be amended to allow for the expulsion of rogue governments on a majority vote. Whilst there is no serious penalty for criminal behaviour against their own citizens, rogue regimes will continue to feel they have carte blanche to do what they like in their own countries. Robert Mugabe continues to thumb his nose at the international community and the dreadful suffering of millions of Zimbabweans continues unabated. Is this the behaviour of a civilised World? You make the judgement.

So, in this respect the UN was and is not equipped or tooled to deal effectively with criminal governments. No wonder then that the U.S. and others decided to act unilaterally to remove Saddam Hussein. The UN was and is impotent when it comes to dealing with rogue governments. This impotence is bound to encourage unilateral action in times of international tension and crisis. America and its allies took matters into their own hands because there was a general unwillingness by the rest of the international community to do the right thing, take the bull by the horns and remove a tyrannical criminal from power.

It is not enough on its own to simply freeze the overseas assets of murderous regimes but I will grant that it is useful as part of a package of wide ranging measures which would include a World travel ban on all members of any governments that abuse human rights or break international law. No country no matter how large or powerful can take on all the nations of the planet. Part of the purpose of enacting an array of punitive measures against rogue regimes (including expulsion from the UN, IMF WB, etc.) is to encourage an internal reaction by more moderate elements within the countries in question to take steps to remove the offending persons from power, without recourse to international military action.

In the case of Iraq however and given the inevitable failure of a concerted international effort to remove Saddam Hussein, the UN should have given Saddam Hussein an ultimatum to step down and go into exile within 48 hours, irrespective of whether or not he possessed WMD. In the event of compliance he would be given immunity from prosecution. Failure to comply would result in his forced removal from power by any means necessary and prosecution at the International Court at the Hague for crimes against humanity. Had this come from the UN, rather than the U.S., it might have given him more pause for thought.

I agree that to give immunity to a man like Saddam Hussein does not seem like justice and it is not, but at least it would have saved the lives of at least 80,000 people and quite probably ten times that figure and that was a price worth paying.

All this raises the question though, given the lack of moral backbone and integrity within the UN and its membership, why should we the people have any faith in any political institution that allows millions of people to be murdered, tortured and raped at the hands of their own governments. If that is not criminal, reprehensible and uncivilised, then pigs really can fly and I’m a generous Dutchman. As long as expediency rather than morality reigns supreme, the vast majority of people around the globe will continue to view our political institutions with deep seated suspicion and outright contempt and rightly so.

Nothingness

2008-03-13T02:24:00.004Z

The Steven Hawking documentary in two parts on the Theory of Everything was fascinating and dealt with amongst other things, the latest thinking on String Theory. Hawking’s main obstacle to establishing a theory of everything has been explaining the weakness of gravity. M-theory could provide the answers.

However what struck me was his belief that the universe evolved from nothing, rather like a bubble one blows through a hoop from a mixture of soapy water. Now I’m no genius, but I have enormous difficulty with this idea.

If it were possible for something to materialise out of nothing once, then why shouldn’t such a phenomenon occur twice or a billions times? In the history of the Earth there is not a single recorded incident of something materialising from nothing. Not even Jesus was able to do that. He needed water to make wine and one fish and a loaf to feed the five thousand.

Therefore, with the best will in the World and all due respect, I believe Steven Hawking is clutching at straws in this regard.

Nothing can be made from nothing. 0 = 0. I defy anyone to take nothing and make something. I would suggest, it’s never been done and if it has been done then why can’t we do it all the time? Everything we have ever seen has been made from something, including I would suggest, the universe(s).

If that is true, then a state of nothingness never existed.

Dangerous Games

2008-03-09T00:58:00.006Z

The recurring theme of power politics down the ages is that all wars are caused by a handful of unscrupulous, misguided, egotistical, shortsighted leaders who as always, create an agenda (largely out of old habits as well as for their own purposes) into which we the ordinary people are inextricably drawn.

These few people, be it Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe or more recently Putin and Bush and their respective acolytes, gradually through the use of media spin and government propaganda, enslave the minds of ordinary people (Russians, Americans or indeed ordinary peoples anywhere and everywhere) making them believe that the one is a threat to the other.

Before long all Russians are suspicious of all Americans, and visa versa, when in truth all ordinary Russians and Americans really want is to be friends, get along and raise their families in peace and security like everyone else. The Putins and Bushes of this World want nothing more than to demonstrate their power and play with their military toys. They are like kids in the playground trying to prove who is the toughest. Only they are not kids and it is not a school playground. Nor are they playing with toy guns. They are playing with lethal weapons and the real lives of millions of ordinary people. Their truly miniscule imaginations and lack of true wisdom is reflected in their gigantic egos which fills the limited space between their ears.

Instead of using their combined wealth and power to solve the divides between nations, tackle poverty, eradicate disease and build bridges between peoples and cultures, they choose instead to prepare for war by creating unecessary threats and false enemies. This is the evil and blind insanity of many of our respective political leaders.

It's time that we the people of the world called a halt to their dangerous little power games. It's time that we the ordinary people of the world made it crystal clear that we are simply not interested in their playground antics. We want only to live in friendship and peace with each other. I and most of my fellow countrymen and woman have nothing against ordinary Russsians, Americans, Africans, Asians or Arabs but we detest many of their politicians just as much as we detest our own.

Thank you Harry

2008-03-09T00:34:00.005Z

Harry Patch is 109 years old and is apparently the last living veteran of World War I. The Poet Luareate today read a poem composed for him in his honour. The two war generations were indeed a special breed, the like of which we may never see again. Today's youngsters seem totally unaware of the debt we all owe to Mr. Harry Patch and his contempories and this is a scandalous neglect of our educational and social system.

Today's binge drinking, knife carrying, gun toting yobs don't know they have been born. Good people like Mr. Harry Patch and indeed my parents put their lives on the line for all the following generations and how do we repay them? We deny them dignity and proper health care in their old age. We even deny them respect. We don't deserve the sacrifice they made.

Well, I just want to add my thanks and deepest respect to this wonderful gentleman and all those who fought and died for our freedom. Thank you sir.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/last_tommy_gallery_03.shtml

Letter from the Kremlin

2008-03-09T00:30:00.004Z

Office of The President
Kremlin
Red Square
Moscow
Russia

08/03/2008

Dear Prime Minister,

It is true that Russia and Britain have had differences in the recent past. I mean that spy camera in the rock trick was frankly amateurish but gave me slight chuckle. Then we had minor misunderstanding regarding Litvinenko. How are the two British policemen who tested positive for that polonium – 210 by the way? Incredible coincidence, no?

How silly Prime Minister to attach responsibility to Kremlin. You know the rules, total deniability. You could never make it stick, maybe in 1800s but now your country is little and Russia is World leader. We have oil and the gas and you have cheap Danish lager and very thirsty, how do you call them? Ah yes, yobbos. Abramovitch , he keep me informed. He very happy as now exclusive importer of cheap Danish lager!

But I digress Prime Minister. We have been watching your control techniques of population. You have learned well from old KGB strategy. As you are finding out it takes time. In Russia we were quicker because we had no elections so no consequences for leadership. We control media so no problem for arresting political oppositions and no how do you say....ah! yes, no worries about ridiculous human rights violations.

In Britain not so easy yet but am impressed by stealth tactics employed by your government to achieve same ends. You have done well to, how do you say, dumb down population and create political apathy. Very important step in process of population control.

Allow you to pass even more control measures with only minor protest from stupid bloggers and like. Soon you can censor them too when you have your people on inside. Easy to remove articles opposing party then but you still have some work to do. I am not happy about criticisms of my leadership and people calling me a megalomaniac and such bad things. I hope you will stop this soon if you want gas from Mother Russia and your oil don’t forget is soon running out.

I have meeting now with my new President Medvedev . That was good trick no, to choose puppet for President? The Russians they love me. Who is the big daddy now?

I will write again soon. We have much to discuss. Keep up the good work Comrade.

Sincerely,

Prime Minister (President) Putin

Back to Africa

2008-02-23T18:38:00.004Z

The rain battered the tin roof like a demented drummer endlessly stuck on the same rhythm, constant and deafening but somehow hypnotic. The tropical storm bought relief from the heat and dust of the last few days. Jack lay in bed feeling secure, protected from the elements like a baby in its mother's womb. A massive drum roll of thunder played overhead, followed by a bright flash of lightening that lit up the night sky, as though God had briefly lit some monumental torch, to better see his way through the driving rain. Jack sighed and drifted off into unconcerned sleep.

Balthazar woke him at 7 o'clock with a cup of tea as he did every day. That early morning cuppa, somehow made all the difference, providing the necessary fuel to kick start the metabolism. He rose and walked nude into the bathroom. He hated pyjamas. Wearing pyjamas in bed was like wearing a three piece suit to the office, stifling and unnecessary. Thank God, he no longer had to do that. Hell, he thought, bed was the only place where one could be truly free anymore. Working in Africa had its advantages and no pyjamas or suits, were two of them. Yes he was back, back where he belonged, away from the spin and bullshit of London, Paris or New York. God it felt good.

Showered and refreshed, he walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the rooftops and streets of the town and on across the lake, to the hills on the other side. It was a sight that never tired him. Anywhere else on Earth, he thought to himself, you'd have to be a millionaire to enjoy a view like this. He sat down at the table and dug heartily into papaya, eggs and bacon and the best Arabica coffee in the world. He sat back, lost in his thoughts and lit a cigarette, which he inhaled slowly and deeply between sips of coffee.

Bujumbura, like Africa itself, was a tapestry of paradoxes, a simple, pretentious, ugly and yet attractive place. There were no skyscrapers here, just the two storied, largely white painted, flat roofed buildings typical of many towns and cities in Africa, Asia or South America. There weren't even any traffic lights, except the one unblinking set in the Avenue de la Paix, testament to a brief but disastrous flirtation with sophistry.

The uneven pavements that lead one down the main streets, gave way intermittently to hollows and humps of compressed red earth which were constantly re-sculptured by the endless stamp of feet, the stinging chisel of tropical rain and the dehydrating heat, of the equatorial sun. The whole place was in a constant state of repair and disrepair.

Embedded in the surrounding hills overlooking Lake Tanganyika and the Ruzizi Plain were the elegant and spacious houses rented by diplomats, NGOs', technical assistants and successful entrepreneurs. Reflecting in the sunlight out to the north east, were the tin roofs of the poorer shanty dwellers. Scattered everywhere was the fertile green canopy of banana trees, date palms, avocado, mango and papaya trees, whose fruits swelled the market stalls in the town centre and the breakfast tables of rich and poor alike.

The ample gardens of the well to do expatriates were awash with the colour of hibiscus and bougainvillea plants, the scent of moon flowers and yesterday today and tomorrow shrubs. Down below the network of tarmac roads in and around the town centre, gave way to rutted gravel tracks as they headed into the dusty Asian and African quarters, where even weeds struggled to get a grip in the hard trampled barren earth. Yes, Bujumbura had the alluring scent and charm of Africa writ large in every pot holed boulevard and paint flaking wall of its being.

Thanks to the rain, the hills on the opposite shoreline, some 10-15 kms away, were clearly visible. They rose almost vertically out of the lake to 12,000 feet above sea level at the highest point. At their base lay the Zairian town of Uvira, a sprawling African township with it's mix of slum dwellings, traders shops, pot holed roads and the inevitable army barracks. Getting there though was another matter. Crossing the border inevitably meant paying the officials, an unofficial tariff! The fact that your paper work was in order was an irrelevance. The immigration and customs officers could always invent a "new regulation when it suited them.

The then favourite when all else had failed to extract the required bribe, was the "mandatory AIDS certificate" showing that one was not infected. Short of armed robbery any means would do. Unpleasant though this was, it was inevitable given the fact that government officials were seldom paid. They were left to "eek out" their living any way they could. As a result they created their own rules and tariffs with impunity and wily imagination. They were good at it too. If only their noteworthy initiative, could have been put to better use.

This was one aspect of Africa that Jack found hard to stomach and Zaire was perhaps the most anarchic country in Africa, pressing Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone hard for this dubious honour.

To be fair there were other countries in Africa that he would never consider visiting either, under any circumstances. The Americans found Somalia particularly unwelcoming when the U.S. army paid a short visit a few years previously. If the American military could not hack it, Jack thought it was probably advisable to give the place a wide berth.

Angola had been at war for a decade as had Mozambique. Yes, there may have been worse countries than Zaire perhaps but Jack could see no good reason to go there for all that, if he could help it. The border was only 20 kilometres or so from Bujumbura but that was close enough for Jack. Natural diplomat though he was, he was not good at being humble when confronted by a bunch of drunken, greedy, obdurate border "officials" no matter how alluring the country on the other side.

Burundi though was another kettle of fish and there were plenty in Lake Tanganyika. It was a beautiful country of endless rolling hills, covered in a patchwork of small plots planted with maize, sorgem, beans, potatoes, bananas and other food crops. Eucalyptus trees were planted widely on the summits of the hills and along the road sides. Being one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, much of the indigenous vegetation had sadly, long since disappeared but there were still a few patches of precious, glorious equatorial forest scattered around the country.

The jewel in the crown though, was Lake Tanganyika, embedded like a priceless glittering jewel in the huge basin of the Ruzizi plain, part of the magnificent Rift Valley. The lake is the second deepest in the world and stretches southwards for 800 kilometres into Zambia. To be on the lake at the setting of the sun, is to be overwhelmed by its beauty and overpowered by the almost mystical power of Africa. The spirit is forever touched.

Breakfast was always a time of contemplation for Jack and it was always with reluctance that he sipped the last of his coffee before leaving for the office. Yes it was good to be back, very good.

Dear Mr. Cameron

2008-02-23T18:22:00.004Z

By common consent this country is in a dreadful mess. Nearly three hundred thousand people are leaving it each year and this total will without a shadow of a doubt, rise in the coming years, unless there is a sea change in the socio-economic climate. I would further suggest that many of our best and brightest citizens will be among the emigrants.

Britain is a much less agreeable, less compassionate, less respectful, less educated and much more aggressive society than it was 20, 30 or forty years ago, when despite its economic failings, it was still the freest, most liberating and best democracy in the World.

People were generally polite and respectful of each other and the law. The police force was integrated into and a vital part of local communities. The “bobbies” were known by name and also knew many people in their communities by name which created a healthy discourse and information exchange. The “bobbies” had their noses to the ground and knew where to look when trouble occurred. It was a mutually rewarding partnership for both the police and communities and performed a vital social link that no amount of intrusive CCTV cameras can hope to replace or surpass.

Bobbies on the beat prevent crime. CCTV cameras simply record crime. Judging by the amount of crimes caught on CCTV, it is clear that they are obviously not an effective deterrent. They most certainly do not prevent some innocent person sitting quietly on a bench being stabbed by drink fuelled, foul mouthed yobs looking for trouble. We have all seen the CCTV coverage but it was no help to the young man in question. CCTV has recorded countless muggings, robberies and worse and although many of those responsible were later caught after the fact, the cameras were impotent when it came to preventing the crimes which is little comfort to the victims.

Police in the streets is the only deterrent that actually works. You know it. I know it. The whole country knows it and yet the legitimate wishes of the majority in this country are ignored by all of the political parties who whilst they pay lip service to the principle do not actually do anything about it in practice.

The people of this country are sick to the back teeth of the ineptitude of successive governments, failing to get to grips with policing in general and community policing in particular. We recognise that it is not the fault of ordinary policemen and women but of their cow-towing superiors who acquiesce far too meekly to their incompetent, unthinking, intellectually superficial political masters who seemingly have lost all touch with reality and common sense.

The question to you, Mr Cameron, is what if anything are you finally going to do about it and what are you going to do to roll back this horrendously intrusive surveillance state that has mushroomed to cover up the inadequacies of government policies in respect of policing and law and order? What we now have is the laziest and worst of all solutions, a burgeoning police state which is an affront to the liberty, privacy and dignity of the people of this country and why many are leaving.

Incidentally, it is also an abuse of power to install ultra-sonic "Mosquito" equipment permanently at any site, in order to deter youngsters 25 and below from hanging around certain areas. In so doing you are punishishing the innocent and the guilty alike. This goes against every principle of justice in this country. This equipment should be carried by mobile police units and used only to target trouble makers when appropriate.

It is a fundamental mistake by the people of this country to give or cede any more power to the state than is absolutely imperative because as with the atom bomb, someone, somewhere down the line will abuse it. That is already happening as I have just said in the previous paragraph. So again, I finish by asking what are you going to do about it? Your electoral success will depend on your answer to this and other questions many want answered and which I will try to extrapolate in the coming weeks and months?

EU Foetus

2007-12-17T21:56:00.000Z

What does the EU Treaty mean for Britain? It means the same thing to us as it does to every other EU State i.e the quickening end of the nation states and the omnipresent birth of an EU super state.

The EU can be likened to a foetus that is 3 months pregnant and growing, brought about by a shotgun wedding forced upon the bride and groom without their will or consent by a monstrous father who cares only about his own social standing.

Welcome to London the county capital of England.

Common Purpose

2007-12-17T19:50:00.000Z

Interested in conspiracies? What do you make of this?

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3664960863576873594

The AU (American Union)

2007-09-02T21:52:00.000+01:00

Many people spuriously and unthinkingly use the USA as an analogy for the EU. It is of course anything but. A true analogy would be a union of North, Central and South American states where the capital would be Nicuragua and the central bank would be in Buenos Aries. As with the EU there would be a mix of language and culture. Now who in their right mind thinks that such a union would work or that the USA would go along with it for one second? That is why we must oppose it.

Brit Exodus

2007-08-23T22:39:00.000+01:00

Why, asked the BBC news broadcast last night are so many Brits leaving the country? Is it the cost of living, cost of housing, law and order? Needless to say no concrete answer was forthcoming. I would suggest it’s all of those and one might add, gridlocked roads, feral youth, the plethora of speed and CCTV cameras, the appalling treatment of the elderly and the disabled, overcrowded trains, television drivel, gutter tabloid press, MRSA and other killer bugs in our hospitals, lack of NHS dentists, low standard of education, immigration and on and on.

All the above contribute to a Britain that is now so mediocre at every level it is downright depressing. I am surprised anyone is still here. Were I in a position to leave I would not hesitate but sadly my wife’s Parkinson’s precludes that we return to hotter and brighter climes. Happily for them, two of our three children enjoy lives in the tropics as did my wife and I for over twenty years. My eldest has vowed never to return to the UK to live and I do not blame him at all.

This was all summed up for me as I watched England play Germany at the new “fortress” Wembley, last night. I felt no passion, no involvement and I was bored to tears as England passed the ball backwards, sideways and occasionally forwards in such dim-witted unimaginative fashion, I lost the will to live. So lacking in flair and imagination, were they, one wonders if they or those that coach them know anything about anything! They certainly do not seem to know where the goal is. In the end I was cheering on Germany.

40 years ago, this was without a doubt the best country in the World to live in. There was a great community spirit. People by and large respected the law, were courteous and no one spied on anyone or had to carry identity cards or give DNA samples to the police (as is proposed in the future) irrespective of whether they had committed a crime or not. Local bobbies on the beat were part of the community and had their ears to the ground. We were truly free. We left our doors and windows open when we nipped down to the local shop. Remember them! We had faith in the justice system and even our politicians. The BBC reported rather than opined on the news and was respected all over the World as a beacon of truth and dependency. True our cars were lousy but the traffic flowed. Yes, we still made British cars in those days and much more beside. Now all we make is trouble. To those including Gordon Brown who say Britain will become a world leader in the new bio-technologies, etc., I say garbage. I speak to Indians who speak better English and are better educated than most young Brits. Asia is and will knock us into a cocked hat and sit on it. There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that our mediocrity is or will be, a match for their drive, ambition and flair. If we woke up to day and pulled finger, it would still be too late.

Kids were generally well brought up and well behaved. Now we have kids stabbing and shooting kids. We have the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the Western World. Half our 11 year olds can barely read or write which means half our twenty year olds are semi-illiterate. Many respect no-one and nothing. We have more people in prison than our continental neighbours. We used to be able to enjoy a night out on the town without being insulted, accosted or beaten up by hordes of ill-mannered drunken youths. Now most of us steer well away, prisoners in our own streets, towns and cities.

Is it any wonder 300,000 people left the UK permanently last year? How many others left that we do not know about I wonder? Government statistics are now a bad joke at which no one is laughing. Of course the BBC did not mention any of this because right now it’s not on their spin chart. It’s off the agenda. To those who are leaving or have left I say, good on you, bon voyage and the best of luck. Will the last one leaving turn out the lights.

Global Warming Mumbo Jumbo

2007-08-21T17:06:00.000+01:00

Christopher Booker's notebook By Christopher Booker, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 4:00am BST 20/08/2007

Inconveniently, the 1930s were the hottest decade. Recent days have brought to light four more highly "inconvenient truths" for our global warming alarmists. The first caused acute embarrassment to Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), exposing a serious flaw in its record of US surface temperatures since 1880. The error was so glaring that, on August 7, GISS had to post revised figures which show, instead of temperatures reaching their highest level in the past decade, that the hottest year of the 20th century was not 1998 but 1934. Of the 10 warmest years since 1880, it turns out that four were in the 1930s and only three in the past decade.

The significance of this is that James Hansen, the head of GISS, has been Al Gore's closest scientific ally for nearly 20 years in promoting the global warming scare. The revised figures relate only to temperatures in North America but the fact that the pre-eminent scientific champion of the orthodoxy has been promoting erroneous data has considerable implications.

The expert responsible for spotting GISS's error was Stephen McIntyre, a Canadian computer analyst who four years ago scored the greatest coup in the history of this debate by demolishing the notorious "hockey stick" - the graph which purported to show temperatures flat-lining for centuries until they suddenly began an exponential rise in the late 20th century. The "hockey stick" was adopted as the supreme icon of the global warming lobby, led by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which reproduced it no fewer than five times in its 2001 report. Since McIntyre exposed the mass of basic computer errors on which it was based, the IPCC in its most recent report quietly dropped it.

The new GISS graph, conceding that the last decade may not have seen the hottest years of the past century, follows the latest satellite figures from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showing that in recent years global temperatures have not continued to rise (as orthodox CO2 warming theory would suggest) but have flattened out at a level significantly lower than in 1998.

The other "inconvenient truths" all relate to the astronomic cost of measures now being proposed to tackle our supposed "warming".

One was a study reported in Science which finds that the increasing production of biofuels to combat climate change will release between two and nine times more CO2 into the atmosphere in the next 30 years than generating the same energy from fossil fuels. To meet the EU's target of substituting 10 per cent of transport fuel with biofuel by 2020 would take up 40 per cent of all the EU's farmland, unless much of it was imported, at devastating cost to the world's rainforests and wildlife.

The second was a leaked memorandum in which officials of the DTI ( now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) briefed ministers on how to explain to the EU's energy commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, that the UK will not be able to comply with a European Council decision last March that the EU must derive 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The officials have calculated that this could cost UK electricity users alone an additional £22 billion a year, nearly £1,000 a year for every household. This is 2 per cent of GDP, and double Sir Nicholas Stern's estimate for the entire cost of halting global warming. The officials predicted that the target is not remotely achievable anyway.

A final awkward finding comes from the world's leading expert on the financial costs of tackling global warming. Prof William Nordhaus, of Yale, has just published calculations showing that cuts in greenhouse gas emissions on the scale proposed by Gore might possibly save $12 trillion (£12,000bn) - but that their cost would be nearly three times as much, $34 trillion, more than half the world's GDP. Even for those who still believe the likes of Gore and Hansen, it hardly sounds like the bargain of the century.

Media Illusions

2007-08-15T01:59:00.001+01:00

The BBC like other television companies have been caught with their trousers down practising the ancient art of deception, misleading the public, editing programs to suit the political agendas of its/their producers.

We need a sharp wake up call. We are all as brainwashed as any North Korean. Like the North Koreans, we are constantly being fed illusions. The only difference is the manner and nature of the methods used but the objective is the same, mind control. The major difference is that Western methods of brainwashing use more modern and sophisticated tools. In North Korea it is more simple. The people are starved of all information other than that which the state chooses to give. In the West we are inundated with information from politicians, the media and the marketing men, much of it spun to obtain the desired reaction from the masses. The nature of the spin differs only in degree depending on whether it is initiated by the left or right. Irrespective of the messages being transmitted they are for the most part a distortion of the truth. The USSR is/was evil. America is/was the beacon of goodness.

If you believe the Hollywood version of history, America won two world wars on its own and according to the marketing men, junk food and fizzy drinks are desirable and harmless. I could go on and on but the fact is that very little of the information we are fed is the whole truth. We are fed illusions spun to be perceived as the truth, by those who hold the reigns of power and who will do almost anything to maintain their status quo. Self evidently, this has very little to do with democracy and everything to do with the exercise and maintenance of power, by a self promoting elite. What chance does an ordinary citizen with little or no wealth or influence have of breaking into this club. It is clear to anyone who observes the world that money is the key to power. Those without substantial wealth have little or no hope of ever becoming President of The United States or Prime Minister of Britain.

Communists are not bad people because they are communist, anymore than Americans are good because they are democrats but this is the illusion we have been fed. America did not win World War II alone as Hollywood would have us believe. In fact America has never won a war on its own, not even the War of Independence where the French were their allies. America lost the Vietnam War and was unable to subdue a renegade war lord in Somalia. Fifty percent of the troops that landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day were British. Had Britain not held out , albeit with the logistical support of the U.S., there would never have been a D-Day landing because there would have been nowhere from which to launch the invasion. The truth is that it took the combined efforts of many nations to overcome Nazi Germany.

Likewise, America has never dominated the world nor ever could. We need look no further than Germany, Vietnam, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq to know that World domination is an unattainable pipe dream. It's no more possible for America than it is for Bin Laden, China or India. World domination has historically been an aspiration of many including the Neo-Conservatives. America won the Cold War. Ergo America is the world's only remaining super power. It may have super power but it is no match for the rest of the world. It is not even capable of imposing its will on the Middle East let alone Europe, China and India. No, America is not a self contained planet. It is just an island amongst others and it needs the rest of the world as much as the rest of the world needs it. We are all interdependent. We all need each other. That is the real truth America.

The media no longer simply reports the news. It opines on the news and even makes the news. They dictate what we will see, what we will read and what we should think. The media no longer give us thoughtful drama or unbiased documentaries. They give us opinions. They feed the masses a constant drip of so called reality TV drivel that has been carefully manipulated to produce sensationalism. It has absolutely nothing to do with reality. Newspapers bow at the altar of celebrity which they themselves have created and fill their pages with endless kiss and tell tales of inconsequential tittle tattle to occupy our dumbed down, empty little heads. More people know the name of the winner of Big Brother than the name of the Opposition party leaders. Why? What does that say about them, us and our society in general? Who is behind this drive towards intellectual bankruptcy and why? The truth is that the media is in the hands of the rich and the powerful. It is there to serve its own agenda and to make money by concentrating on the banal, the sensational, the wicked. It chooses to appeal to the baser instincts of humanity rather than serve as a tool of enlightenment. In truth we cannot trust the media and we all know it, but do they? Are they now becoming victims of their own deceptions?

And no, junk food and fizzy drinks are not desirable or healthy. They are bad for us. They make us fat, raise our cholesterol levels and give us heart attacks. Nevertheless, somebody, lots of people actually, have made massive fortunes by selling a susceptible public an illusion of something quite different. If this is not mass brainwashing, what is? And let us not even begin to talk about the tobacco or drug industries or we will be here for ever. Suffice it to say we have been sold hogwash and more worryingly we swallowed it, hook line and sinker. So how hard can it be to manipulate minds? Its obviously very easy and the mind benders know it.

However, like all castles built on sand, lies and damn lies, they eventually succumb to the tide of truth. Half truths and lies cannot hide forever from the logic of reason. That is why the Neo-Conservative conspiracy is doomed to the same fate as the communist conspiracy and every other conspiracy built on deception. When will all the would be comptrollers, realise that social adhesion, respect for authority and the building of a common destiny never has and never can be built on lies, deceit and illusions. When will they realise that real good can only prevail if truth and integrity prevail and nothing worth a pittance will ever come from a philosophy, of spin, half truths and outright deceit. Or could it be that the comptrollers are not really interested in real good but only what they perceive is "good" for them?

They are deceiving themselves however. Fundamental truths are indestructible. They are written into the code of life itself and are there for all who have eyes, to see. Those of us who do see through the mirages, understand whilst we are all different, we are nevertheless all part of a single humanity. We know it is only possible to bring nations and cultures together by building bridges, not destroying them. We know that the respect of people for their governments can only be obtained by governments who behave and act with integrity and honesty. Political hypocrisy and double standards will never engender anything but a loss of respect for its practioners. Far from creating orderly societies, such policies can only fuel anger, frustration and a loss of faith in authority, thus engendering the collapse of social adhesion rather than its consolidation. A truth built on a lie will always be a lie. It is a contradiction in terms that will not stand the light of day or the test of time.

Yes we all need to wake up and fast before the castles in the sand are washed away by the tides of true reality.

Impact of Terrorism!

2007-07-18T17:23:00.000+01:00

I received this in my email box and thought it worth sharing. Amused me anyway!
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The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved."

Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability.

It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

The Fear Factor

2007-07-02T01:40:00.001+01:00

It is strange how the powers that be appear to continually create a fear syndrome, a false enemy in order to unite unruly and rebellious citizens behind a common cause. In the recent past we have had the "threat" of communism in the form of the Soviet Union followed by multiple health scares, obesity, second hand smoke, bird flu, MRSN, high cholesterol and every thing in between. On top of that we have the threat of terrorism, nuclear holocost, global freezing (in the 60's), now 50 years later we have global warming.

In the meantime everyone is trading with China despite human rights abuses. Odd that we supplied Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden with arms to fight proxy wars, that Noriega was at first an ally and then a threat, Marcos, Mobutu and Idi Amin too, but to name a few. It suggests there is at the very least, a lot of duplicity about or worse, the ruling elite are either too clever by far, for their own good and ours or simply have no insight or understanding as to where their actions will ultimately lead. It seems to me that what we really need to fear is the myopia of those we trust to govern us.

Pakistan Hardliners Burn Effigy Of Queen

2007-06-20T01:30:00.000+01:00

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Islamic hardliners in Pakistan burned an effigy of Queen Elizabeth as senators Tuesday joined mounting calls for London to withdraw Salman Rushdie's knighthood.

Commemt:

I don't know about other contributors to Politics Wikia but I am becoming inceasingly fed up with the medieval antics of Islamic extremists. I don't like them, I detest them. They represent the worst aspects of all things religious but above all they and those mullahs that encourage them, are a throwback to the dark ages of ignorance and bigotry. They are us, 500 years ago or more, burning so called "heritics" at the stake because thy dared to oppose the tyranny of the Catholic "mullahs" of the time. It's very disturbing imagery and an unwanted reminder of Europe's ignorance and barbarity from a bygone age. Thankfully, we consigned this garbage to the dustbin of history long ago and it's about time Islam did the same.

Those in the Islamic community who complain that the security services are targeting them unfairly as a result of the actions of a minority of extremists have no defence. Were the boot on the other foot and it was a minority of white Christian's who were launching terror attacks against them, we would be the first to turn over the fanatics to the police because we are capable of recognising that terror is against the interests of everyone in a civilised society. We are sufficiently intelligent to recognise pure evil when we see it and treat it as such.

Furthermore, those from the Islamic community who claim to owe allegiance to Islam before their host country deserve no sympathy from the rest of us. If they had any scruples at all, they would return forthwith from whence they came. They are not wanted here by any of us.

If things continue as they are, I fear it will not be long before we are all turned into terrorists. How long can we allow them the advantage of playing by their own brabaric rules while we meekly wait for the next abomination. Unless the Islamic community set their own house in order quickly, all hell will break loose? The clock is ticking.

Thankfully in the UK, we are free to criticise the beliefs of Christianity, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Pope and even the Queen without fear that some religious/political fruit cake will impose a "fatwa" on us. This is what seperates us from dictatorship and tyranny which can only flourish in an environment intolerant of opposition or change to established dogma, be it religious or political. When ideas are stifled, stagnation rules and tyranny thrives.

A Most Profound Truth

2007-05-30T23:22:00.000+01:00

"Civilization depends upon a proper recognition of human rights but the time has come to see that to care for human rights alone is not enough. We share our planet with all of the burgeoning forms of life and together with them we are a giant community that is the responsive part of the Earth system. If we want to sustain our civilisation we need to take care of Earth as much as we do humanity. There is no future for any of us on a dead planet".

James Lovelock (Scientist)

Iraq - Stay or Go?

2007-05-13T03:19:00.000+01:00

I was originally a supporter of the war which I felt was justified on moral grounds i.e. the eradication of a tyrant who had killed hundreds of thousands of his own citizens. I did not believe for one minute that Iraq had any WMD having seen the state of their armaments in various documentaries. I did believe however, that did not mean that Sadam Hussein would not attempt to obtain them at some point in the future unless he was stopped. I also believed that had the international community acted in concert to condemn the Iraqi regime and demand that it step down and go into exile or face other punitive measures including international arrest warrants, seizure of assets, ejection from all world bodies including the UN and a total ban on travel outside of Iraq, Saddam and his henchmen might well have decided that discretion was the better part of valour and lived out their lives in undeserved luxury in exile. That is what should have happened but clearly the self interest of certain countries who were dealing under the table with Saddam got the better of their morals and their backbones. Such is the nature of things in a corrupt world.

It is now clear that had Saddam Hussein gone of his own volition, it would not have changed the current situation very much, given the minority Sunni domination of power in the country. An almighty fracas would have ensued leading probably to the division of Iraq which is the most likely outcome now anyway; the only difference being that the lives of allied soldiers would not have been sacrificed and the blood of innocent Iraqis would not be on our hands.

To me it is clear that the war on terrorism should have been concentrated in Afghanistan not Iraq. Had we injected the same resources into Afghanistan and maybe more, I have little doubt that the Taliban and their terrorist allies would be severely on the back foot now.

It is the common view of the majority of politicians and UK citizens and much of the world that the execution of the post Saddam Hussein strategy has been so inept as to be farcical and it has gone from bad to worse ever since. The lack of post war planning is tribute only to the incompetence of the politicians and military planners responsible. They have embarrassed and weakened the West far more effectively than Bin Laden and his cohorts could ever have done on their own.

Lastly, it is the glee of the ordinary Iraqis (whom we liberated from their tyranny) at the death of our soldiers that has finally convinced me that we should withdraw. How can anyone ask soldiers to sacrifice their lives for people who dance and gloat over their deaths? To me this is a bridge too far, a return to the futility and mentality of the 19th century Charge of the Light Brigade. Two centuries on, it is as ludicrous now, as it was then.

As I have said, Iraq would have blown apart of it's own accord with or without our intervention. Nor did we need to kill tens of thousands of innocent people to prevent Saddam Hussein obtaining WMD. Good intelligence and a few well targeted air raids would have sufficed. The cost in innocent human lives has been too high to justify this war. Sadly, whether we stay or go, there will be many more lives lost before peace returns. At least it will not be our soldiers who are dying needlessly and thanklessy and perhaps, just perhaps, the Iraqi people might stop, think and sort it out, once there is no fallback position or "foreign invaders" to blame. They will have only themselves to blame.

A Perspective On The Legacy of Slavery

2007-03-26T03:02:00.001+01:00

I have heard many comments about the issues surrounding slavery over the last few days, some of which have been thoughtful, sage even. Some have been a crock of manure. I have heard some eloquent discussions from blacks and whites and a lot of clichéd nonsense that borders on the edge of hallucination and hysteria.

On the one side there are those who despite recognising the tragedy that was slavery see it in its historical perspective. Wicked and brutal as it was, it was one human tragedy amongst many from a bygone age. That it happened at all is deeply regrettable and shameful but we cannot now re-write the history books. If we could we would do so in a flash but then there would be no history and without it there would be no present or future. We are where we are today because we have the lessons of history to guide us towards a brighter future.

We are entwined by our histories and history has tested all peoples and nations. What happened, happened. Nothing can change that. What is more important and much more majestic is that we have triumphed over the adversities, disasters and tragedies that have been inflicted upon us and which we have inflicted upon each other. Black people not only survived the horrors of slavery, they overcame it and forged a place of honour in the roll call of humanity. Whilst abhorring the inhumanity of slavery we can now only wonder at the courage and fortitude of its victims. It has made the survivors stronger and wiser and it was ever thus.

Yes slavery was an epic tragedy but in historical terms it was just one amongst countless others no less important, no less ignorant nor tragic. It is vital we remember and understand this episode of history. We should bow our heads in memory of those who suffered unspeakable pain and by doing so ensure it will never happen again. However, to pretend that this is a greater or lesser injustice than those suffered by billions of others of all races and cultures over millennia, is a nonsense.

From the dawn of time rape, pillage, torture and murder has been equally spread throughout humanity. Africans have been as guilty of these crimes against their fellow men, woman and children as Europeans, Indians, Arabs and Asians. We have all been colonised, some of us several times and Britain is no exception.

From the beginning of time, the most adventurous, advanced and powerful tribes, have always been curious as to what lay on the other side of the next range of hills or across the seas. They went, saw and conquered. That is and always has been the nature of the beast from which there is no escaping. It is in-built into our genes and part of nature's plan to ensure the survival of the fittest. In the course of this process genes are transferred along with knowledge and technology making the human race stronger as a whole. This is evolution at work.

The knowledge and technology of the Romans for example, was assimilated by the survivors of those they conquered. Whilst we do not forget those they enslaved, massacred or fed to the lions in the Coliseum nor do we demand an apology. We understand the inevitability of these events. History is littered with victims but from the darkness of ignorance comes enlightenment and progress.

Nothing has changed. Having colonised and de-colonised the globe, mankind driven by his innate curiosity is now looking to the stars and beyond. This is a natural process without which evolution would not nor could not flourish. Let us hope we have learned the lessons of history and will never enslave the occupants of distant galaxies. Let us also hope they have also learned theirs!

Lastly, there are those who say we should now apologise for slavery even if it was our ancestors and not us who were responsible because we are still living off the wealth of slavery. Yes, that is to some extent true but the survivors of slavery are also benificiaries of this wealth. This kind of argument is ill thought through and does not merit any credibility whatsoever.

May the souls of oppressed peoples everywhere rest in peace. However, until such time as we go to the aid of oppressed peoples irrespective of economic interests, the lessons of slavery cannot be said, to have been truly assimilated.

Rwanda, Angola, Somalia, Darfur, Zimbabwe, Congo/Zaire, are today’s humanitarian tragedies and we lift not a finger, black or white to help. What more is there to say?

Global Warming Swindle

2007-03-21T01:32:00.000Z

Why has the documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle" recently shown on television, been all but ignored? I have heard as many views and seen as many documentaries as anyone on the theories that gobal warming is being driven by an increase in Co2 output and that this is largely down to human activity.

I have always regarded and continue to regard the science behind this idea to be simplistic in the extreme. The idea that a single element (Co2) can on its own be entirely responsible for something as complex as global warming seems to me to be absurd. In my life experience nothing is ever that simple.

We have had these cycles before and there were no cars or factories around then! Even now it is acknowledged by most that humans are responsible for the production of an infintessimal percentage of the total Co2 output, less than 1%. The greatest output of Co2 comes from volcanic activity, followed by the sea, rotting vegetation, animal activity and finally human activity. For the now extremely well funded Co2 protagonists to assert that our activity is responsible for sending green house gases through the roof so to speak, seems to me to be as far fetched as a Harry Potter magic spell.

Well, it comes as no surprise to me to hear that Mars and Jupiter are also going through gobal warming. This suggests to me that it is indeed solar activity which is responsible and not me and my car.

As far as I am concerned the propoganda currently being exhaled by the Co2 mumbo jumbo lobby is entirely responsible for any increase in the minute percentage of this much maligned gas that we humans are realeasing into the atmosphere. Although I have to admit that as I get older my personal contribution seems to be on the rise as well. The quacks will soon be suggesting a cull of anyone over 50 is the only solution!

Of course I will continue to re-cycle and support green technologies but only because it makes sense not to pollute the house we live in anyway.

Comic Relief – What Kind of World?

2007-03-18T20:19:00.000Z

I watched Comic Relief on BBC television on the 16th March 2007. There were heart wrenching stories a plenty designed to entice money from our pockets. As usual the British public responded with typical generosity. In doing so the ordinary citizens of this country were exercising a duty of care that is the duty and the responsibility of governments; namely to look after the welfare of the sick and the poor.

Comic Relief highlighted brilliantly the inequalities and injustices that blight the world we live in. How is it that in the 21st century we tolerate these appalling slums with open sewers which run unchecked and unfiltered into the streams and rivers on which the inhabitants depend for cooking, washing and drinking? There are no words to describe such horror. What kind of governments do we have that would rather spend hundreds of millions on extravagant and monumental white elephants in the name of prestige, before they will supply clean water, hygiene, energy and education to millions who live in conditions so adverse it almost defies imagination?

What kind of world and what kind of people are we that we so easily assuage our consciences with a small pecuniary donation over a telephone line before erasing the images from our minds and returning to our vicarious passions for the latest celebrity gossip, mobile phones, reality television and designer clothes?

What kind of society thinks it’s alright for children to have to care for sick parents on their own, as long as we donate enough money to give them a day out each year? How unthinking, uncaring and insulting that is, to some of the most wonderful and compassionate beings on God’s Earth. It’s a shameful reflection on our priorities and our national psyche that we can believe for a single second that it is alright to burden theses children with such overwhelming responsibility and forlorn loneliness.

The burden of caring for sick and disabled relatives is extremely difficult, lonely and physically and financially crippling, even for adults. To leave these magnificent kids to fend more or less for themselves in such circumstances in a country as rich as the U.K., is quite simply morally reprehensible and unacceptable.

It’s time to act. It’s time to stop wasting millions and even billions on white elephant projects such as the failed Dome in this country, whose only purpose was to boost the political prestige of the nation and the political profile of a superficial image conscious government. There is an endless list of misspent public money, frittered away on unnecessary hair-brained schemes designed to “improve” that which needs no improvement.

The glut of new, totally unnecessary road markings and signs that is appearing along the length and breadth of Britain’s highways like an unsightly rash, is but one example. We have managed for decades without traffic lights and lane markings on roundabouts so why do we suddenly need them now? They do nothing for road safety or traffic flow except add confusion and distraction. Stop this madness. There are far more worthy causes that require attention.

Alleviating injustice and poverty and educating the illiterate will bring far greater social and economic returns than investing in white elephants or the non-productive Walter Mitty dreams of hair-brained bureaucrats, trying to justify their existence.

It is impossible to witness the misery and the unspeakable hardship in the slums of Nairobi or elsewhere and not feel deep in one’s soul that in a civilised world, such inequality is intolerable and unpardonable.

As individuals, we can all dip into our pockets as much and as often as we like but ultimately it is a drop in the ocean. As individuals we can do something. We can save some lives but we cannot solve the route problems of poverty or injustice, unless governments around the world dip much more deeply into their national treasuries and act in concert, to tackle the misery we witness in programs like Comic Relief.

They would find it a rewarding exercise. By boosting the productivity through education, of the billions who currently live below the so called poverty line, they would be enhancing skills and therefore potential global earning and buying power. More demand means expanding global economies. Everyone wins.

It’s time to outline and enact new strategies to combat the injustices that are responsible for so much misery around the World. Failure to act now will only lead us all to a darker place. This is the duty of governments not individuals. What we can do as individuals is hold our governments to account. This would be a much more effective way of tackling poverty wherever it is found.

There is only one way to bridge the gulf between the poorer and richer nations and that is through joint ventures in which all trading nations have a stake in the production, distribution and marketing of the goods we commonly produce and consume but this is for another day.

What Justice?

2007-03-12T15:27:00.000Z

It has been reported that the International Court Of Justice in the Hague has issued arrest warrants against Sudanese Ministers for crimes against humanity. Why has no arrest warrant ever been issued against Zimbabwean Ministers, including President Mugabe for the same crimes?

If the law is applied unequally and inconsistently then it is not only unjust but it is totally lacking in any credibility. Why should anyone take these institutions seriously and why do we put up with their double standards and general ineptitude?

Mayan Leaders Cleanse Ancient Ruins

2007-03-10T03:10:00.000Z

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Mayan leaders will spiritually "cleanse" ancient ruins in Guatemala after a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush, unpopular here because of foreign policies going back to Central America's civil wars.

The leaders said they would hold a spiritual ceremony to restore "peace and harmony" at the Mayan ruins of Iximche after Bush tours the site on Monday.
"No, Mr. Bush, you cannot trample and degrade the memory of our ancestors," said indigenous leader Rodolfo

"This is not your ranch in Texas."

Comment:

This is a sad reflection on how the World now regards America under George Bush but is he the sole cause or the natural spawn of ill conceived foreign policy spanning decades? You tell me.

Making expedient short term choices on the basis of perceived strategic self interest is not the same as making the right long term moral choices. Foreign policy that fails to recognise that self interest can never be served when the common interest and morality are ignored is doomed to the outcomes with which we have become familiar in South America and more recently in Iraq (the West's support of Saddam Hussein) and Afghanistan (the arming and financing of Bin Laden) where strategic allies metamorphosed into deadly enemies. This has been the unending pattern of politics throughout history. Is it not time we learned the lessons of past failures and altered our perverted political philosophy by doing what is obviously right rather than what is obviously wrong?

Let those who seek short term gain through perverted thinking and corrupt action dig their own graves. Their victories will be shallow and short lived and we will be there to pick up the benefits when their houses of cards come tumbling down, as they inevitably will and do.

Political philosophies founded on temporal moving sands, have never and will never stand the test of time.

The Pakistan Terror Groups

2007-03-07T01:43:00.000Z

I cannot for the life of me understand how the Taliban and other rogue groups are able to to obtain training and launch attacks from Pakistan into Afghanistan and elsewhere with such impunity. The whereabouts of these training camps and "terrorist" hideouts must be known to every intelligence service worth the name. Why therefore can they not be surrounded and wiped out?

The excuse that these fanatics carry out their clandestine activities in wild and inhospitable terrain might have been a good excuse in 1807 but the age of modern and sophisticated communications systems, spy satellites and helicopters has eradicated any such excuses in 2007.

There is more to all this than meets the eye I suspect but what and why?

Britain's children

2007-02-20T01:18:00.000Z

Britain has been rated by UNICEF 21st out of 21 of the World's leading industrial nations for child well being. Remember Blair's election slogan in 1997 - "Education, education, education"!

Britain's youth are amongst the least well educated, most badly behaved and unhealthy in the developed world. We have the highest rate of teenage pregnancies of any of the leading nations. This is Blair's true legacy and the future does not look bright. Although this downward spiral of shame may have started with the utterly daft, politically correct, soft headed and vociferous peddlars of liberalism that has so bedevilled Britain since the 60's, New Labour have only excasapated the situation since coming to power. The Thatcherite emphasis on individualism has also played it's part in the shocking social breakdown of communities and the family unit.

The disembowelment of principle in favour of vote catching political expediency is at the heart of Britain's descent into enfeebled decadence. Politicians have been undermining the authority of parents and the sanctity of family for decades. Political spin and duplicity at many levels, over many years has also undermined society's faith in our political institutions.

As one intelligent young woman in the audience of last week's Question Time on BBC television observed, Britain is a pushover. You can can get away with anything now, she said. No one has summed it up better.

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Unicef report: Key points at-a-glance

The UK has come bottom of a Unicef league table for child well-being across 21 industrialised countries.

The study looked at a total of 40 indicators in six categories. Here is a summary of some of the report's key findings:

REPORT SUMMARY
European countries dominate the top half of the overall league table, with the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland claiming the top four places.

The UK and United States are in the bottom third of the rankings for five of the six categories covered. The six categories are material well-being, family and peer relationships, health and safety, behaviour and risks, and children's own sense of well-being (educational and subjective).
No country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions of child well-being, although the Netherlands and Sweden come close to achieving this.

MATERIAL WELL-BEING
Child poverty remains above the 15% mark in the three southern European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy) and in three Anglophone countries (the US, the UK, and Ireland).
There is no obvious relationship between levels of child well-being and GDP per capita. The Czech Republic, for example, achieves a higher overall rank for child well-being than several much wealthier countries.
A total of nine countries - all in northern Europe - have brought child poverty rates below 10%.

FAMILY AND PEER RELATIONSHIPS
Approximately 80% of children in the countries under review are living with both parents. This ranges from more than 90% in Greece and Italy to less than 70% in the UK and 60% in the US.
Even in the lowest ranked countries, almost two-thirds of children still regularly eat the main meal of the day with their families, with France and Italy maintaining the tradition most of all.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
Fewer than one in every 10,000 young people die before the age of 19 as a result of accident, murder, suicide or violence.
European countries occupy the top half of the report's child health and safety table, with the top five places claimed by the four Nordic countries and the Netherlands.
Infant mortality rates range from under three per 1,000 births in Iceland and Japan, to over six per 1,000 in Hungary, Poland and the US.

BEHAVIOUR AND RISKS
The overall OECD league table of young people's risk behaviours sees the UK at the foot of the rankings by "a considerable distance".
Risk behaviours considered in the study include smoking, being drunk, using cannabis, fighting and bullying, and sexual behaviour.
Only about a third of young people eat fruit daily.
Only about a third of young people exercise for an hour or more on five or more days a week - youths take most exercise in Ireland, Canada and the US, and the least in Belgium and France.

EDUCATIONAL WELL-BEING
Finland, Canada, Australia, and Japan head this particular table in the report.
The UK is rated in the bottom third of the table for educational well-being.
Four southern European countries - Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal - occupy the bottom four places.

SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING
Children's subjective sense of well-being appears to be markedly higher in the Netherlands, Spain, and Greece and markedly lower in Poland and the UK.
Approximately 80% of young people consider their health to be good or excellent in every OECD country except the UK.

The Netherlands, Norway and Austria, are at the head of the table with over a third of their schoolchildren admitting to "liking school a lot".

Capitalism Or Socialism

2007-02-01T01:35:00.002Z

Capitalism without a conscience is as damaging as socialism without realism. Socialism is expensive and requires a dynamic wealth building economy in order to build the schools, universities, hospitals, roads and so on. Capitalism without Socialism, is doomed to failure because it benefits the few at the expense of the many, which is a recipe for revolt and even revolution. Socialism without capitalism is doomed because it cannot generate the wealth necessary to nourish the many. The one needs the other to succeed and ultimately they have the same objective which is to enrich and nourish societies and nations. They are in fact different degrees of the same thing and are inter-dependant and indispensible, the one to the other.

No End To Labour's Incompetence

2007-01-25T01:15:00.000Z

Is there no end to New Labour's incompetence? Today the Home Secretary asked judges to send only the most dangerous criminals to jail as U.K. jails are now full. So burglars, shoplifters, joy riders and yobs everywhere, you may continue with your nefarious activities, free of fear of any custodial sentences. Given the police know that those they might or should arrest are unlikely to be locked up, what motivation do they now have to collar these types of criminal? It has been well documented over the last decade that new prisons would be needed but New Labour as is their habit continue to play their fiddles while Rome burns.

In similar vein, a senior police officer who was asked why we could not adopt a zero tolerance policy towards yobbish anti-social behaviour, similar to that introduced in New York, responded that his officers would be unable to tackle any other crimes; inferring that the problem is so widespread it is now beyond the capacity of the police to deal with it.

This man should be walking the beat! How does someone of such dull intellect get promoted to Chief Constable? It is beyond me. This dullard has so completely missed the point and purpose of a zero tolerance policy. If you implement a zero tolerance policy properly, the message will soon get through and put a virtual end to miscreant behaviour, freeing up more officers, who would otherwise be patrolling the streets on a Friday and Saturday night chastising violent drunks and those who use our streets and alleys as public toilets.

As my father-in law was keen on saying, "God give me strength" and I would add, save us from this awful mediocrity that pervades our town centres every week-end and struts the upper echelons of our political and social institutions.

The Begining Of Everything

2007-01-16T02:17:00.000Z

In the beginning their was helium and hydrogen. Oh! and there were gaseous clouds floating about. They collided causing a huge reaction of chemical elements and dust particles, which condensed, eventually resulting in a massive nuclear explosion; from which the sun and the planets were formed. We are all made from star dust according to scientists.

It must have been some spectacle, shock and awe on a magnificent scale. Imagine the magnitude of an explosion that created an entire universe. It's almost incomprehensible; as incomprehensible as the the origin of all those gases that just happened to be floating about, in a space and time that did not apparently exist, prior to the Big Bang! So where did they come from? Were they the residue of a previous universe perhaps or did they just sort of materialise as if by magic from nothing out of nowhere? This is of course, the billion dollar question scientists avoid, in order to make their equations add up.

If those gases were the residue from a previous universe and why shouldn't they be, one must assume it had collapsed in on itself. This may have happened countless times, in which case universal evolution stretches back aeons upon aeons further into the distant past than we had hitherto imagined. But it still does not answer the fundamental question, how did it all begin? The only certainty as far as I can see, is that it did not begin with the Big Bang. That was a consequence of pre-existing matter. The Big Bang may explain the birth of our Universe but it does not explain the conception.

In fact it explains precious little and it certainly fails utterly to prove or disprove the existence or otherwise of a God. What we can say without fear of contradiction is that the forces of good and evil are present in the minds of man. However, these forces may simply be our interpretation of the interplay between the forces of construction and destruction which are visible in everything we see. That which destroys, we regard as evil and that which constructs we interpret as good.

The solar winds for example, destroy the atmosphere of some of the outer planets but the Earth's magnetic field shields us from its malevolence. Paradoxically, without the energy supplied by the Sun, there would be no life either. The Sun is therefore both a destroyer and a creator of life as are water and fire and all the other elements and every living thing.

It is so because life could not evolve any other way? It is so because without these opposing forces at work there could be no evolution and no enlightenment. Knowledge is born of experience and observation from which comes wisdom. But what good is the acquisition of knowledge, if in the end there is nothing but death and ultimate universal destruction? To serve any purpose knowledge has to evolve continuously as does life. Temporary knowledge like temporary life, is an exercise in futility.

These are the questions the scientists cannot answer and until they can, we should not place too much emphasis on their assertions anymore than we should believe Popes, Archbishops or Mullahs who have allowed power and politics to corrupt their "truths". We are as far away from understanding the origins and mysteries of life as we ever were. I just have a feeling that even now, with all the scientific knowledge we have, we will not believe our eyes or any of our other senses when and if, all is finally revealed.

Perhaps the key to this eternal mystery might be better understood if we spent less time looking through telescopes and more looking at the nature of life itself. We need to try and understand what we can see, before we try to understand what we cannot. The purpose of life cannot be found through a telescope or in a laboratory, nor is it explained by a big bang. These tools can tell us how life has evolved but cannot, I believe shed light on the purpose of life or the objective of enlightenment. These are the questions we all want answered above all others. I hope that when and if we get the answers, it will be shock and awe on an unimaginable scale. I just hope that we do not find that life is nothing more than a ridiculous exercise in futility.

My head is hurting now, so I'm off to bed to ponder all the ramifications in my sleep! Goodnight.

Destiny Rides Again

2007-01-08T20:20:00.000Z

Every possible destiny is laid out for us on the great celestial map of life. The first path we travel is that which our parents are already on when we are born and on which we remain until such time as we are mentally and physically able to make independent choices.

However, control over our own destiny is as much subject to the direction being taken by others, over whom we have little or no control, as the choices we make for ourselves. If a burglar chooses to rob my house, his destiny crosses mine through no choice of my own.Thus the choices the burglar makes affects my journey as well as his. Our personal destiny is therefore tied to that of every other being and every other living thing. We are as dependant on each other as we are on ourselves. If we look after each other and of course our environment, our destiny will take us to a brighter future. If we abuse each other and destroy our environment, destiny will lead us all, to a darker place.

Thus to believe that individuals have absolute control or no control over their own fate is a complete misnomer. Our individual destinies are self evidently, inextricably linked to the collective journey of life. Politicians in Israel and Palestine and all over the world where nations and cultures are in conflict, would do well to remember that the destiny of nations as well as individuals are inseperable. No man or nation is an island unto himself or itself. Understanding this will help us navigate the map of life more effectively and rewardingly.

Who harbours tyrants - the UN does!

2007-01-03T21:17:00.000Z

(From old news item)

UN envoy upbeat on Mugabe talks

Mr Mugabe says the slums were cleared to root out crime. A UN envoy has spoken warmly of her discussions with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe over his controversial urban slum demolition scheme.

Typical example of UN duplicity

It is time to admit that the United Nations can never be an effective arbiter of civilisation or international law whilst it is founded on the ill conceived often corrupted principles that pervade its entire structure. A United Nations that harbours despotic and corrupt member governments within its walls can and never will be anything but corrupt. Such a body will never be able to act effectively to protect the innocent from state barbarity. We need not look further than the genocide in Rwanda, the chaos in Zimbabwe, the slaughter in Sudan and the persecution of the Iraqi people by Saddam Hussein for over thirty years, to know this to be true.

In the absence of an effective international body responsible for the application of civilised rules of international behavior, countries will inevitably fall back on unilateral action to resolve problems and the world will continue to flounder from catastrophe to catastrophe. Until we understand that the serving of the common interest is the key to self interest, we will go nowhere worth going to.

Now is the time for the Iraqi people to show the world a better way. Their destiny lies not in the hands of the UN or the USA but in their own hands, if they did but realise it. It is what they now do that will determine what course the UN and USA will follow, not the other way around. Say yes to freedom. Say yes to democracy. Say yes to justice and above all say no to terror and the USA will become their client and not their master, their friend and not their enemy.

Re-printed from article written in September 2004

Another War

2007-01-01T20:04:00.000Z

Somalia targets Islamists' escape
Somalia's interim government appeals to Kenya to seal its border to stop fleeing Islamists from crossing.

Comment:

It is time to start bringing those that initiate wars to account. Most if not all wars are the result of actions taken by a tiny minority of the world's population who hunger for power and wealth.

They are for the most part politicians, religious fanatics, self proclaimed revolutioneries or military commanders, seeking to boost their own self interests rather than those of the people they claim to represent; the vast majority of whom would rather live and raise their families in peace.

Why do we, the vast majority allow them to get away with it? How is it that we are so easily duped by their propoganda and why after centuries of abominations have we not yet comprehended the full horror of war? These are not virtual deaths that we are watching every day on our television screens. These are real people like you or I. They are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. They could be your mother, father, daughter or son. They could be you.

Wake up world and smell the coffee. It's aroma is so much more appealing than the stench of death.

Update: 9th January 2007

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Many people died in a U.S. air strike on a southern Somali village occupied by Islamists believed to be sheltering at least one al Qaeda suspect, a Somali government source said on Tuesday.

"I understand there are so many dead bodies and animals in the village," the senior source told Reuters.

In the first known direct U.S. intervention in the Somali war that began over Christmas, an AC-130 plane rained gunfire down on the southern village of Hayo late on Monday.

"The Americans are saying an al Qaeda member heading operations in east Africa is among the Islamists there," the source said. He did not know the man's name or whether he died.

Hayo is in the southern tip of Somalia between Afmadow and Doble, areas where Ethiopian and Somali troops chased the Islamists' last remnants after ending their six-month rule of Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia in a two-week assault.

The End Of Saddam Hussein

2006-12-30T03:03:00.000Z

Saddam was without doubt a brutal dictator but his execution leaves me feeling uneasy. He was responsible for the murder and torture of tens of thousands of people and now he has in a sense been murdered himself. In some ways it seems we have just added another murder to all the others. I don't know whether this is justice or just another case of barbarity.

However, I leave this decision to those who have suffered directly at his hand. I cannot put myself in their place. I cannot feel their grief or their anger. I can only try to imagine it and that is not at all the same thing. There is a world of difference between imagined and actual physical and mental pain.

It is for those who have suffered to make the judgement, I cannot. I suspect that Saddam's death will bring closure to their pain and suffering. I hope so, and if that is the case then some purpose will have been served by his death.

That the West supported this maniac in the war against Iran and therefore perpetuated his tyranny should rest heavily with those responsible and I hope no Western leaders will ever again, put political expediency ahead of their moral duty of care to the people ruled by tyrants like Saddam Hussein. Such an abrogation of duty is unpardonable in a civilised world and they are in part to blame for the appalling chaos that now bedevils Iraq.

Who's a clever boy then?

2006-12-30T01:26:00.000Z

Parrot's oratory stuns scientists
By Alex Kirby BBC News Online environment correspondent

Feathered prodigy: N'kisi leads the fieldThe finding of a parrot with an almost unparalleled power to communicate with people has brought scientists up short.

The bird, a captive African grey called N'kisi, has a vocabulary of 950 words, and shows signs of a sense of humour.

He invents his own words and phrases if he is confronted with novel ideas with which his existing repertoire cannot cope - just as a human child would do. N'kisi's remarkable abilities feature in the latest BBC Wildlife Magazine.

N'kisi is believed to be one of the most advanced users of human language in the animal world.

About 100 words are needed for half of all reading in English, so if N'kisi could read he would be able to cope with a wide range of material.

Polished wordsmith

He uses words in context, with past, present and future tenses, and is often inventive. One N'kisi-ism was "flied" for "flew", and another "pretty smell medicine" to describe the aromatherapy oils used by his owner, an artist based in New York.

When he first met Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned chimpanzee expert, after seeing her in a picture with apes, N'kisi said: "Got a chimp?"

School's in: He is a willing learnerHe appears to fancy himself as a humourist. When another parrot hung upside down from its perch, he commented: "You got to put this bird on the camera."

Dr Goodall says N'kisi's verbal fireworks are an "outstanding example of interspecies communication".

In an experiment, the bird and his owner were put in separate rooms and filmed as the artist opened random envelopes containing picture cards.

Analysis showed the parrot had used appropriate keywords three times more often than would be likely by chance.

Captives' frustrations

This was despite the researchers discounting responses like "What ya doing on the phone?" when N'kisi saw a card of a man with a telephone, and "Can I give you a hug?" with one of a couple embracing.

Professor Donald Broom, of the University of Cambridge's School of Veterinary Medicine, said: "The more we look at the cognitive abilities of animals, the more advanced they appear, and the biggest leap of all has been with parrots."

Alison Hales, of the World Parrot Trust, told BBC News Online: "N'kisi's amazing vocabulary and sense of humour should make everyone who has a pet parrot consider whether they are meeting its needs.

"They may not be able to ask directly, but parrots are long-lived, and a bit of research now could mean an improved quality of life for years."

61 years to pay off World War II loans!

2006-12-29T11:13:00.000Z

Thursday December 28, 06:35 PM

LONDON (Reuters) - The government said it will on Friday pay back the final instalments of loans taken out at the end of World War Two to finance vital reconstruction.

The payments of $83.25 million (42.4 million pounds) to the United States and $22.7 million to Canada will close the final chapter of the war and mean that in total the country has paid close to twice what it borrowed in 1945 and 1946.

"This week we finally honour in full our commitments to the U.S. and Canada for the support they gave us 60 years ago," Treasury minister Ed Balls said on Thursday.
"It was vital support which helped Britain defeat Nazi Germany and secure peace and prosperity in the post-war period. We honour our commitments to them now as they honoured their commitments to us all those years ago," he added.

Britain borrowed a total of $4.3 billion from the United States in 1945, followed in 1946 by a loan of $1.2 billion from Canada -- both at an interest rate of just two percent.

During World War Two, the United States effectively gave Britain billions of dollars worth of goods under the lend-lease programme.

But that abruptly ended in September 1945 despite the fact Britain was on its knees economically after six years of warfare.

Despite the heavily discounted rate of interest on the loans, in the intervening years Britain has failed to make any payments on six occasions because of balance of payments problems -- in 1956, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1976.

To date the country has paid a total of $7.5 billion to the United States and $2 billion to Canada.

The Treasury noted that there were still World War One debts owed to and by Britain, but that no action had been taken on either count since U.S. President Herbert Hoover declared a moratorium in 1931 during the Great Depression.

Should a post Blair Britain re-balance towards Europe?

2006-12-19T03:28:00.000Z

Why would anyone in their right mind want to hand over British Sovereignty to a bunch of unelected Eurocrats who would like nothing better than to get their grubby hands on our economic wealth and resources and spread them around amongst themselves? Why would anyone want to have anything to do with the EU Commission when the auditors have refused for the 12th consecutive year to sign off the accounts? Madness and je dit non, jamais!

Half the time our own government cannot agree amongst themselves about NHS reform, Iraq, education reforms, etc. Imagine 26 governments all with their own problems, ambitions and priorities agreeing about anything that matters. If you can, you have a better imagination than I do. They can't even agree on a constitution which the majority of Europeans don't want anyway.

Asking us to join the Euro express is like asking America to give up her sovereignty and become a part of an American Union with Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Panama, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Canada, Bolivia, Venezuela et al. The capital of this "superpower" would have to be in Nicaragua so as not offend sensibilities and the Central Bank would be installed in Buenos Aries or Rio. It's a nightmare of epic proportions!

So, why should we want any part of such muddled thinking. it's a nonsense?

There are lots of other ways to be in Europe without having to sell our soul and our heritage. We have had joint ventures with European firms for decades. We can invest in or buy European corporations and trade within the EU without being owned by it.

If Britain joins the Euro it will become nothing more than a county of Europe, with no say in the World's affairs. Well I don't buy it. Our ancestors must be turning furiously in their graves at the mere thought of handing our sovereignty over to anybody let alone a Franco-German axis with ambitions to dominate a Europe they were unable to conquer by force, despite their best efforts, over centuries.

Why be in one camp when you can be in many? Voila, ce que je dit a vous tous!.Non, non et non!

Should a post-Blair Britain re balance towards Europe?

Corrupt - who us?

2006-12-15T21:40:00.000Z

There will be a few wry smiles in foreign ministries around the world, particularly perhaps at the Quai D'Orsay in Paris and the state department in Washington, at news that the corruption investigation into a huge British defence contract with Saudi Arabia has been suddenly ended.

Foreign competitors will see another performance by 'perfidious Albion', as the British government holds its hand on its heart and promises that commercial interests have played no part.

British lectures on the "rule of law" will lose some of their force. Other governments - and frankly, many of the British workers engaged on the project - will not believe that the size of the contract in question was not the determining factor. It is for 72 Typhoon Eurofighters from BAE.

Comment:

This is another classic example of double standards and hypocrisy on the part of all concerned. Once again economic interest has outweighed all legal and moral principles. As long as corruption is tolerated, the world will remain corrupt. Any simpleton can surely work that out?

Why should individuals obey the law when the state does not? What is the point of integrity when corruption pays? What is the use of good practice, when bad practice is immorally rewarded? What is the point of professionalism and high standards when greed is the main criteria? What is the point of anything if the determining factor in negotiations is the thickness of a brown envelope?

During my professional career, I had numerous bribes offered to me? I refused them all and sent the "clients" on their way, refusing to have any further dealings with them. I never regretted it. Trust, integrity, respect and honour cannot be bought.

As far as I am concerned, everyone involved in this scandalous affair is an accomplice to fraud and I have no respect for any of them, British, Saudi or anybody else who does business this way. This is not business. This is fraud. This is stealing. It's much harder to be a decent and honourable person than it is to be a rich thief. Nothing good ever came of no good.

PM Quizzed Over Cash For Honours

2006-12-14T16:39:00.000Z

Thursday December 14, 03:43 PM

Book Review

Oh what a lovely trough!

Dollar woman

Tony Blair has been questioned by police in connection with the cash-for-honours investigation, Downing Street has said. The Prime Minister was not spoken to under caution. Mr Blair gave explanations of why he nominated individuals for peerages, the spokesman continued. He added that the PM was not accompanied by a lawyer while being quizzed inside Downing Street.

"Given that the Scottish National Party made the complaint about people nominated for peerages by the Prime Minister, (you would expect that the police would ask to see the PM as their inquiries come to a conclusion," the spokesman added.

The interview lasted between one and two hours. The aide flatly denied that the interview had been deliberately timed to coincide with the release of a report into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The cash-for-honours inquiry revolves around a series of loans made to both main political parties by millionaire backers before last year's general election.

It was sparked by claims that wealthy Labour backers were being rewarded with peerages and was later widened to cover similar claims about the Conservatives.

Sky News Political Editor Adam Boulton said: "We've been getting the message that they (the police) possibly haven't got the evidence to go all the way and indict the Prime Minister. Today's events indicate that."

Angus MacNeil, the SNP MP who triggered the inquiry, said: "This revelation will be shaking the very foundations of Westminster. "For the Prime Minister to be questioned by the police during a criminal investigation is unprecedented."

Now I'ain't saying he did, and I ain't saying he did not know, about cash for honours. I ain't even saying he was aware that there were no WMD in Iraq! I do know he said New Labour would be whiter than white. That, I am sure about!

The familial society

2006-12-12T00:55:00.000Z

Email sent 11the December 2006

For the attention of David Cameron – Conservative Party Leader

According to a report in today’s newspapers, a group of skilled British craftsmen working on an NHS project have been sacked and their jobs given to Polish workers. The 16 glaziers one of whom had just won an award for his dedication and professionalism were working on a hospital construction project.

In the last day or two Mr. Ian Duncan-Smith has been talking about the beneficial aspects of the family unit in bringing up children in a stable environment and the negative social impact of broken families.

There is a massive contradiction in the above scenarios. The politicians want families to stick together and raise their families in loving and stable backgrounds but turn a blind eye when it comes to employment security and stability in the work environment, where corporate social responsibility is at a premium.

If you want to seriously tackle society’s ills, you have to do so across the board, and it has to be done by society as a whole, not just selected parts. This is surely a self evident truth from which there is no escape.

I have long believed that one of the most important factors in the erosion of respect for authority and the slide into binge drinking and the yob culture, is as much the instability in the work place and government expedience, as it is in the family unit. If you lose respect for institutional authority, it will not be long before there is little respect for paternal and maternal authority either. Government has continually undermined the authority of parents over the last three decades.

Corporations are no longer even slightly concerned with the well being of their workers, their neighbourhoods or the society they function in, and from which they make their profits. They are concerned only with the bottom line and making ever greater profit, irrespective of the social cost to their neighbourhoods or indeed the country as a whole.

Likewise governments are no longer concerned with principles or integrity. Political expedience is preferred in the mistaken belief that this is how to win votes and attain or retain power. They cater more and more to minority pressure groups who seek what is good for them but not necessarily what is right for society as a whole. They spin webs of deceit and propaganda to cover up unpalatable failures and have the bare-faced audacity, to wonder why ordinary people hold government and politicians in such low esteem? It is of course no wonder at all.

The much heralded, so called “globalisation” policy now pursued with such vigour by greed driven corporations with a sharp eye for easy money and bigger profits, is one of the driving forces breaking up communities and creating social instability. They don’t think twice about abandoning loyal, hard working staff to exploit cheaper labour in Third World countries, and they care nothing about the cost of the social upheaval they leave behind. Is it any wonder the workers lose faith in their turn?

Where is all this leading? We can see where it is leading, in our city centres on a Friday and Saturday night, in the statistics on divorce, marriage, single mothers, rising unemployment, overflowing prisons, drug addiction, teenage pregnancies, gun crime and on and on.

If we are to right the wrongs in our society we have to build a new model, one in which everyone plays a part. Corporations and their shareholders must understand that they have a duty of care to the people who work for them, their neighbourhoods, the country as a whole and the environment. Corporate culture has become much less service orientated and much more aggressive. They think it works but all it is doing is adding to the general rage levels that pervades society now. It’s counter-productive in the long term and therefore bad business practise. We now live in a rip-off society in which everyone is dissatisfied. They need to wake up and smell the coffee and cannot be allowed to ignore their social responsibilities any more than parents should be allowed to ignore theirs. They need to be pro-active in their communities. Everyone has a responsibility in a civilised society to their society and until we put this foundation stone in place, society will continue to tumble towards anarchy. Capitalism will also, mark my words, continue lemming-like, its headlong rush towards the cliff’s edge and its own demise.

It is no good one man adding a brick to the wall, if another man removes one from the other end. It’s as simple as that. At the end of the day life is about people not money. For people to live in a cohesive and civilised manner, life must first be worth living. That is the only bottom line that counts.

http://www.itv.com/news

The Purpose of Everything

2006-12-09T21:19:00.072Z

One cannot find fulfillment in superficiality nor enlightenment without struggle. The same struggle that brings enlightenment is also the catalyst that drives evolution without which life would stagnate and die.

Current theory holds that the universe as we know it, came into being at the time of the Big Bang. In the course of this momentous explosion all matter was somehow imbued with positive and negative energy. The positive forces are the forces of construction and the negative are those of destruction. It is the balance between the two that ensures that life must struggle to survive thus growing stronger in the process; thereby increasing its chances of survival.

These reactionary and opposite forces are plainly visible everywhere in the natural universe. They are even evident in the human spirit which struggles to balance it's destructive and contstructive side. In spiritual terms, we can call the positive side of our nature, a force for good and the negative side a force for evil. Strangely in English if you remove an "0" from good you get "God" and add a "d" to evil and we have "Devil", the force of God and the force of the Devil. Is this what we really mean when we talk about God and the Devil?

As nature shows us, evolution is dependent on struggle, as is enlightenment. These two opposite forces have been essential to the progression and survival of life since the beginning of time. War is the embodiment of hate, greed and corruption while peace is the embodiment of love, compassion and enlightenment. All these things are the outcome of equal and opposite forces that were released in the creative soup or perhaps pre-existed in the i-ther from which matter materialised. I do not believe that the universe was generated from a state of "nothingness". That makes absolutely no sense.

One must assume that since it has always been this way that it will always be this way for such is the nature of evolution and life as far as we can see it. However, if this is the case, then what is the purpose? We know what the point of struggle is and we know that it's outcome, either by accident or design is enlightenment or knowledge. Is this the purpose of everything and if so to what end? Perhaps as there was no beginning, there is no end either.

I suspect that the struggle will go on until and if, mass enlightenment reaches a certain plateau at which point some kind of transformation in the state of being might occur, Utopia perhaps. Perhaps we will become builders of life rather than destroyers of life.

In the final analysis what does all this mean? It means that the impact on life of negative and positive energies or forces is undeniable and self evidently present in nature. Since there can never have been a state of nothingness, it suggests that these forces have always been present and were therefore instrumental in the creation of the universe and therefore life as we perceive it. This is at the very least is circumstantial evidence of a creative force that understood the need for equal and opposing forces for the birth, progression and survival of life.

On the other hand might we conclude that the purpose of everything is life itself and that enlightenment is essential to the preservation and even creation of life? When all is said and done, the greatest visible forces in the universe are the creative and destructive forces of life, both paradoxically essential for the promotion of life.

Time to pull out of Iraq

2006-12-08T01:32:00.000Z

We rid the Iraqis of a hated and feared dictator. Instead of gratitude our soldiers are greeted with hostility. This has now gone on too long. If it were up to me, I would now say, enough is enough. If that's the way of it, we choose rather to leave Iraq and it's neighbours to their chosen fate but you the Iraqi people should heed this warning.

The time will come when another million of you will have needlessly died in a futile and fractious civil and regional war. The time will come when you will wish you had greeted the American tanks with flowers. You'll wish that you had seen sense before you lost your wife, children, parents and friends. You will wish you had taken the opportunity that our soldiers offered you with the sacrifice of their lives, to build a new, better, more prosperous and peaceful Iraq. When peace finally comes, those of you that survive, will wish your loved ones were still with you. You will ask yourselves why they died so needlessly when peace could have been achieved so easily. You will ask yourselves what good is peace to the fallen?

All that loss of life could have been avoided, if you had just stopped to think for a single minute about the precious opportunity you had, when those American tanks moved into Baghdad. You had a chance for the first time in three decades to build a new and peaceful Iraq. Instead you, the ordinary people of Iraq allowed yourselves to be fooled by those whose only interest was power and not the well being of the Iraqi people. Well it's too late now I fear. Now we must leave. We came to free you and you turned your guns and bombs on us. Ask yourselves why should we stay and sacrifice another life on your behalf? Our soldiers also have families and loved ones. They want their sons and daughters to live and to have families of their own. They want to see their grandchildren grow and thrive. Better that, than to sacrifice more lives in a thankless, futile and fruitless war. So my friends, I would say, we tried. Now we wish you well but as we leave, our hearts are fearful for every one of you.

So what is the solution now? If law and order are to be re-instated in Iraq, the only hope, as far as I can see, is for the USA and its allies to pull out of Iraq and have their troops replaced by Muslim forces from the Arab and Asian countries who incidentally sat idly by while Saddam Hussein murdered and tortured hundreds of thousands of Iraqis over a thirty year period. It was always their responsibility to ensure order and respect for human rights and the rule of law in that geo-political region than that of the West. Their failure to act against Saddam while he was murdering and torturing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens was a total abrogation of moral duty towards their brethren and fellow human beings in the same region.

I recognise that the creation of any such force is unlikely to happen because there is no evidence that Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia or any of the other Middle Eastern countries care any more now about their brethren in Iraq than they did, when Saddam was in power. This is a painful truth. Their only possible excuse is that they dared do nothing while Saddam Hussein had the backing of the USA, Britain, France, Russia and others.

The fact of the matter is that the international community as a whole was guilty of ignoring the plight of the Iraqi people for reasons of political expediency and in so doing were complicit in the crimes committed against them by their own government. Such blatant disregard of international law and human rights is simply unjustifiable and morally reprehensible. These are the unpalatable truths that lie behind the anarchy in Iraq today.

At least the USA, Britain and the other coalition forces did something about Saddam in the end, which is not much of a boast, but it's more than Russia, Germany, France and the rest of the world were prepared to do; for which they will forever remain condemned in the history books. If they had had their way Saddam would still be in power murdering and torturing his people today and possibly seeking WMD. Nobody comes out of this mess with any credit.

This said, it does not alter the fact that the intervention of Muslim forces to enforce the rule of law in Iraq now seems the only hope left. Clearly the presence of western forces is exasperating the situation in the current circumstances and playing into the hands of the extremists. The first task must be to isolate the extremists and if possible bring them to justice for their atrocities. Before peace can be restored and old wounds healed, the rule of law must prevail. Only then can the re-building process start.

If either regional governments or the wider international community, will not fulfil their moral and humanitarian obligations, then the Iraqi people will be left to do it themselves. They alone will be able to stop the carnage. They should get out in the streets in their hundreds of thousands and demand an end to the violence or become involved in a long, senseless and bloody, civil war. It is time for all peace loving people in the region to get together and make their feelings clear.

Either way, the International Community owes Iraq a debt for their humanitarian lapses over the last thirty years and whatever happens they will have no choice but to pay for much of the re-construction when the peace comes. This, I am afraid is the cost of political expediency.

However, like it or not, the Islamic nations will have to acknowledge that tolerance of other cultures and religions is the only way forward. In Western democracies everyone is free to express themselves and practise their religion in their own way without fear, prejudice or hindrance, for good reason. We know that this is the only way peoples of different races, cultures and religions can live together in peace. It is not possible to impose belief systems on others without it leading to friction and eventually to war, which only further entrenches distrust and hatred anyway. That is why war is almost always a futile enterprise and a waste of valuable time, resources and most importantly, life. Living in peace is the only choice we have unless we want hell on Earth. War is an abomination. Mutual tolerance and respect is the key to peace and living in peace, is the heartfelt desire of the vast majority of people, around the world.

We can only live in peace by acting peacefully. Tell the war mongers to go bury themselves, whoever they may be. Let us remind our leaders that the first and most sacred duty of leadership is to seek and make peace, not war. Those that fail in that endeavour should be brought to account, whoever they may be.

Violent games

2006-12-03T14:37:00.000Z

Violent video games are harming the brains of young teenagers, scientists have found. The effects include increased activity in the part that governs emotional arousal.

This is accompamied by a fall in activity in the region associated with control, focus and concentration. The research was carried out by a team at the University School of Medicine in Indanapolis.

Team leader Professor Vincent Mathews said: "Playing a certain type of violent video game may have different short-term effects than playing a non-violent, but exciting, game."

His study involved 44 adolescents who played a violent or non-violent video game for 30 minutes.

They then performed a series of tasks measuring inhibition, concentration, and emotional responses. The group that played the violent game showed a loss of concentration and self control, coupled with increased emotion. Further research is planned looking at the long-term effects of violent video games on the players.

Comment:

Do we need scientists with degrees to tell us the obvious?

Blair's deep sorrow over slavery

2006-11-27T15:14:00.000Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A black rights organisation said on Monday Prime Minister Tony Blair's declaration of "deep sorrow" for Britain's role in the slave trade did not go far enough and failed to address the issue of compensation.

Blair said the bicentenary of the trade's abolition next year offered the opportunity to condemn Britain's past involvement in slavery.

But his statement in black community newspaper New Nation, stopped short of a full apology, in what activists said was an attempt to stave off demands for reparations.

"Blair's article is taking a backward step from Britain's official position in 1807 when it abolished the trade and expressed regret for what had happened," said Kofi Mawuli Klu of rights group Rendezvous of Victory.

"This has heightened feelings among people in the African community. We want an apology of substance that addresses the demands for African reparations," he added.

Comment:

So I take it the African communities are blameless and without historical blemish. If they feel able to demand an apology from us for our "crimes" against humanity, one must assume they are guiltless and have no blood on their hands.

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Did not some of them actively particiapte in slavery? Are not some of them still selling children into slavery today? How many genocides have they committed in their history? How many wars and atrocities have they perpetrated against their neighbours? The answer is of course that they are as guilty as anyone else of crimes against humanity. No one is blameless, including them and it is time they faced facts and took off their blinkers.

This nonsense has got stop. Tony Blair should have had the guts to front up on this matter. He should now address the issue in an intelligent but forthright manner and put the issue to bed for good. Of course he will not and I don't suppose anyone else will either. It really is pathetic. History is history. It cannot be rewritten so lets just put it behind us and move forward for heaven's sake.

Dirty Words

2006-11-22T18:21:00.001Z

We now live in a society where mutual respect, good manners and good practice are practically dirty words. We live in a destructive society and we are slowly but surely destroying everything including our own humanity.

The Problem with Mr. Miliband’s green taxes

2006-11-16T19:42:00.000Z

The idea that taxes can be or should be used to control or manipulate the behaviour of society is a frankly medieval concept. It is a throwback to the notion of centralised control much beloved by communists, socialists, religious sects and feudal lords. It lacks vision, trust and imagination. It is negative in its nature and penalising and restrictive in practice. The idea that people must pay more tax in order to change habits is like saying people must eat bad meat, to become vegetarians. It’s ridiculous.

In a modern, educated well informed society, people do not respond well to the stick because it’s simply unnecessary. They respond better to the carrots of reason, logic and intelligent debate. They react better to tax cuts for behaving well rather than tax increases for behaving badly, which only make life harder in countless ways for ordinary people.

The raising of taxes is not a solution for reducing anything other than individual wealth. Raising taxes will not convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. It will not prevent the continuing destruction of primeval rain forests. It will not plant a single new tree or convert combustion engines into electric hybrids. These things can only be done through multi-lateral government agreements and the ingenuity of scientists and engineers. These are the people that have to be motivated.

The less money people have in their pockets, the more difficult it is for them to insulate their homes or install solar heating panels or wind driven turbines on their roofs. Instead of taxing people, the government should be giving homeowners incentives to exploit new technologies. In so doing they will catalyse those industries to increase R&D and invest in newer more efficient and cheaper technologies to combat global warming. How is raising the taxes of ordinary people going to achieve any of these things? People do not have to be forced into green technologies. They all understand the need. They want only to be able to afford them. Taxation does the opposite and makes affordability more difficult.

Those that can afford higher taxes at least have a choice. They can either pay the taxes, move somewhere else where taxes are lower or give up their gas guzzlers because it makes simple sense to do so. Those that cannot afford the taxes, have fewer options. Increasing their tax burden in any way shape or form, will only make it harder than ever for them to afford greener technologies. That is why using increased taxes to change habits is such an appallingly sterile and stale approach to global warming.

How will we pay for it? On the face of it there are massive savings to be made in oil and gas imports. Paradoxically however, this will lower the price of oil and gas and rejuvenate demand for fossil fuels. This is a problem that economists and governments need to deliberate in depth. What will oil producers do initially as demand falls? What incentive will they have to switch to greener energy themselves when oil is plentiful and cheap and in their own backyard? These are matters that require a global approach that simple local taxation cannot begin to address.

We also need to recognise that for the time being at least, war is no longer an option we want or can afford. The only war left is the one to save our planet. World leaders should be sitting round a table as I write, agreeing to reduce military spending by at least 50% in order to transfer funds to the war on global warming. Failure to do so will render the word “superpower” meaningless, taxes irrelevant and life or much of it, extinct.

The Earth we are told is in mortal peril. So what are we doing spending billions in Iraq and Afghanistan when there is a much more serious threat to our survival than a few mad mullahs. If they must kill each other, we should not spend one penny to help them do it. These people need to start worrying about their future and that of their children, just like us. They need to be planting trees, building reservoirs and constructing wind farms to save their own hides from nature’s wrath. We are all in the same boat here and its sinking. Until governments start taking dramatic and meaningful action along these lines, how can any of us take anything they say seriously? Unless they do act and quickly, there is not a snowflake’s chance in hell of saving the planet simply by taxing 4x4s in Richmond or tripling congestion charges on gas guzzlers in London!

Here’s another conundrum. How will the Chancellor cope with all that lost VAT revenue he collects on oil and petrol as consumption falls? I suppose he will in time honoured fashion, start taxing all the green technologies, thus making them even more unobtainable for ordinary people. One thing is certain, Mr. Brown and all the other overpaid bureaucrats who live off our taxes will not suffer and nor will their pensions; at least not until they, like us are extinguished by our common Mother Earth, who is rapidly losing patience with her wayward children!

Random thoughts of a tired fella

2006-10-20T03:15:00.000+01:00

More than 20 million Africans have died in wars over the last 30 years. One million people were slaughtered in just 100 days in the genocide in Rwanda. What did the international community do? What is it doing in Darfur now or Zimbabwe?

We fret about Wayne Rooney's broken metatarsal lest he not be fit for the World Cup but everyday hundreds of children lose limbs to landmines in current and past war zones around the world. Do they make the headlines?

We spend millions of pounds voting on appalling reality TV shows, stream fed to us by brain dead television producers determined that we should all become morons.

We make many undeserving nobodies into celebrities while the real heroes in our society, the nurses, firemen and others remain anonymous and relatively poorly paid.

Great things are done everyday by ordinary people but we never hear about them.

Our soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians die by the arms we manufacture and sell to warlords and dictators. What do we do then? We send aid to the hapless victims of these weapons, to rehabilitate their shattered lives and economies at great expense to taxpayers and much profit to fat cat corporations. That's a grisly little merry-go-round don't you think?

Why are we not seeking alternatives modern solutions to old intransigent problems.? On the other hand, why use dialogue or the instruments of international law when you can use B52s? Why use a handshake and smile when you can use a Kalashnikov? Well I can think of millions of reasons why, and they will never see another sunrise.

Lenders freely loan money to those that can least afford more debt against assets they are bound to lose. Why? Because its easier to entrap the poor into borrowing beyond their means than the rich. It is exploitation of the basest kind.

We exploit developing countries to produce ever cheaper goods for the rich. Mr. Brown the Chancellor pats himself on the back and takes the credit for low inflation. Enough said!

In conclusion and without labouring the point further, we inexorably speed unwittingly and most carelessly towards our own demise, because we never do what is philosophically and morally right, only what is politically convenient.

Poetry: http://www.spearman.blogspot.com