This is my main blog - it's been going since 2004. It was originally my personal diary but has expanded to something more sophisticated, thanks to Blogger. Most articles on this site are unfinished and remain so. I am trying very very hard to change this! I have a sidebar on the right - please scroll down - full great web sites, articles, podcasts, etc. The tone of this blog is mostly unfocussed, and long may it remain so...
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Labour needs to learn from Barack Obama, warns David Miliband | Politics | The Observer
Labour needs to learn from Barack Obama, warns David Miliband | Politics | The Observer:
Here we go - Atlanticism within the Labour Party. It's Blair and New Labour all over again.
'
Here we go - Atlanticism within the Labour Party. It's Blair and New Labour all over again.
'
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
On the way home today
After a shift on the GLA pod today i cycled back along the Thames path. At Woolwich there was a one ferry service.
 |
| it's rare that I get to frame all three ferries on one shot |
A few spots of rain and massive rumbles of thinder in the distance - quickly moving in my direction.
I tried, but failed to get ahead of the storm. Ended up soaked to the bone!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Thursday, August 09, 2012
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Greenwich
Today i was mainly herding horse fans back from the equestrian centre to the train stations - DLR left, mainline trains right.
I stopped at Woolwich to take some sunset shots looking back at London
a tall ship was on the move - i tweeted and coincidentally a tall ship was also passing the Tate & Lyle plant in Liverpool!
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Monday, July 09, 2012
NHS Chief Quits, Calls Austerity a Weapon to “Dismantle the State” | Andy Worthington
NHS Chief Quits, Calls Austerity a Weapon to “Dismantle the State” | Andy Worthington:
Dr. Gabriel Scally, who resigned in April, also talks of “a very deliberate policy across all of the public sector to roll back the achievements that have been made in this country since the second world war,” and “a systematic downgrading, if not destruction, of civil society in England” by the Tory-led coalition government, as well as speaking about “the circling birds of prey of the private sector seeking to make big profits out of healthcare.”
Dr. Gabriel Scally, who resigned in April, also talks of “a very deliberate policy across all of the public sector to roll back the achievements that have been made in this country since the second world war,” and “a systematic downgrading, if not destruction, of civil society in England” by the Tory-led coalition government, as well as speaking about “the circling birds of prey of the private sector seeking to make big profits out of healthcare.”
Monday, July 02, 2012
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Lazy Sunbathers
I took a stroll today, along the canals of east London. I dragged along a friend, and we were determined to see some of the Olympic Park and surrounding area before it was mostly closed off to the public. We were just in time! We entered the canal tow path from Victoria Park. Almost immediately we came across these tiny sculptures:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Great Drag Race 2012
 |
| Having found a summer dress that fit me, I put it on |
I actually ran in the first ever Great Drag Race in 2010. Then I had a year off. this year I paid my entry fee, which went to the charity that organised the even, but I did not run. I merely, er, attended.
 |
| pink shades and lipsticks and a pair of fashionable wedge sandals later! |
 |
| Drag Race 2012 competitor |
 |
| some jumped for joy |
 |
| photos were taken |
 |
| i just sat about looking glam! |
 |
| got a bit of a tan on my legs! |
 |
| and drank beer...nothing stops me drinking beer |
 |
| Yay!! Winner!! |
 |
| these two trying to be an old Beneton ad |
 |
| what the fuck am I doing? |
Giggles from schoolkids aside, no one paid me the slightest bit of attention as I sauntered onto the bus and took my seat, smoothing the back of my dress as i did so. then i say prim and upright until our stop.
finally the last walk back, across a bust street, down K's road, and home!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Government Backs New River Crossings | Londonist
Government Backs New River Crossings | Londonist:
and yet again the car looks like winning out over foot or cycling traffic. There are so many ways to cross the river by car already - how many by bike? The Dartford Bridge / tunnel requires you to wait for a vehicle to bus you through - slow and requires planning ahead for large groups.
The Woolwich and Greenwich foot tunnels require you to walk your bikes through and often to carry them up and down many, many steps. Not always even possible. I've been close to collapse coming up the woolwich steps on one accasion when i had quite heavy bags on the bike!
There's the ferry which stops at 8pm. I usually finish work around 7/8 pm.
Other ferries are expensive and difficult and slow.
Why can't we just have a FUCKING BRIDGE you arseholes?
and yet again the car looks like winning out over foot or cycling traffic. There are so many ways to cross the river by car already - how many by bike? The Dartford Bridge / tunnel requires you to wait for a vehicle to bus you through - slow and requires planning ahead for large groups.
The Woolwich and Greenwich foot tunnels require you to walk your bikes through and often to carry them up and down many, many steps. Not always even possible. I've been close to collapse coming up the woolwich steps on one accasion when i had quite heavy bags on the bike!
There's the ferry which stops at 8pm. I usually finish work around 7/8 pm.
Other ferries are expensive and difficult and slow.
Why can't we just have a FUCKING BRIDGE you arseholes?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Painter and Fucking Decorator Blues
OK - this has been going on since fucking March and I'm sick of it now!!
My landlord engaged a painter and decorator to do the hall and stairs of the house i live in and cos he works 9 to 5 he's fine with the house being invaded between 10 and 3 ever fucking day.
The guy has taken several weeks off during this period but i have no idea whether he's coming or not so i can't plan the tasks i normally do in the morning such as cooking lunch, laundry, sorting out my room, baths, etc just becasue i don't know that when i start at 9am i will still be able to complete it when the P&D comes in sometime between 9.30 and 10.00.
I sometimes have to go out without a coffee cos he's set his paste table up in the tiny kitchen. Sometimes I can't get my lunch out of the fridge. I've stopped being able to have porridge for breakfast so my weight has started to go up again. I have a pile of dishes in the sink I can't complete!! I have a pile of recycling I can't deal with cos it's blocked in the kitchen. I feel all ikky and sticky before leaving home because I can't shower or have a bath in the mornings. This has been going on for fucking months!!!!
I can't even work from home cos of his fucking noise - or take a day off which is badly needed!!!!
worst of all its an invasion of my fucking space. It's the time I've taken out to be by myself and to be me and it's fucking gone and everything is a fucking mess. Help me!!!!
There's no sign that he's nearly done either - I have a day off tomorrow to get the backlogged jobs done but if he's here I'm just going to go out on my fucking bike!!!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
To the motorist who demanded I say thankyou on Saturday
You stopped when I was standing waiting for a gap in the traffic where for three years I have struggled to cross the road. Where a car park and a rat run route all feed in to the main road and where there is usually a pretty solid and relentless flow of traffic. In the past I have dashed across in a gap only to have drivers actually speed up, to all intents and purposes, try to run me over. I have received threats fro just trying to get across the road where, incidentally, there is no available crossing.
You stopped to let me cross when I was not expecting anyone to stop because in three years noone has ever stopped to let ne cross.
I was looking the other way because as the flow was relentless in both directions I needed a gap on the other direction too before I could cross. You stopped. I wasn't looking. You got angry and beeped and frightened the shit out of me.
So I crossed. I probably wouldn't have crossed right then if you hadn't harrassed me into crossing right then.
As I crossed you shouted "a thankyou would be nice".
Ok heres your fucking thankyou!
Thankyou for the pollution that has so penetrated my lungs that for the long periods I haven't been able to ride a bike or stop coughing for nearly two years.
Thankyou for the constant noise which, even inside my house, causes me a high level of stress.
Thanks for me being run over several times with complete disinterest from police while the drivers leave the scene without even asking me if I'm ok.
Thanks for the abuse I get while trying to ride my bike anywhere.
Thanks for all the hours I've spent waiting to cross roads, the times drivers have driven at me to "teach me" about where peds and cyclists fit on the road user food chain.
Thanks for the hours my bus has been held up.
Thanks for the tax I've paid to supplement your right to drive.
Thanks! Really fucking thanks. I'm so fucking grateful that you've seen fit to stop to let me cross my own fucking road so I cam get to the railway station. And with such fucking grace as well! I thought you were going to get out and hit me at one point! Ever heard of doing something good for the sake of doing it? Ever thought that doing something good might be reward in its self? do you really need the people around you to express sincere gratitude for the most minor of positive acts? How many motorists do you think say thanks when a cyclist or a pedestrian stops to give way? Most people deny cyclists ever give way and then rant about red lights and pavements! So - not many - in case you're interested.
Hope that's the thankyou you were expecting?
You stopped to let me cross when I was not expecting anyone to stop because in three years noone has ever stopped to let ne cross.
I was looking the other way because as the flow was relentless in both directions I needed a gap on the other direction too before I could cross. You stopped. I wasn't looking. You got angry and beeped and frightened the shit out of me.
So I crossed. I probably wouldn't have crossed right then if you hadn't harrassed me into crossing right then.
As I crossed you shouted "a thankyou would be nice".
Ok heres your fucking thankyou!
Thankyou for the pollution that has so penetrated my lungs that for the long periods I haven't been able to ride a bike or stop coughing for nearly two years.
Thankyou for the constant noise which, even inside my house, causes me a high level of stress.
Thanks for me being run over several times with complete disinterest from police while the drivers leave the scene without even asking me if I'm ok.
Thanks for the abuse I get while trying to ride my bike anywhere.
Thanks for all the hours I've spent waiting to cross roads, the times drivers have driven at me to "teach me" about where peds and cyclists fit on the road user food chain.
Thanks for the hours my bus has been held up.
Thanks for the tax I've paid to supplement your right to drive.
Thanks! Really fucking thanks. I'm so fucking grateful that you've seen fit to stop to let me cross my own fucking road so I cam get to the railway station. And with such fucking grace as well! I thought you were going to get out and hit me at one point! Ever heard of doing something good for the sake of doing it? Ever thought that doing something good might be reward in its self? do you really need the people around you to express sincere gratitude for the most minor of positive acts? How many motorists do you think say thanks when a cyclist or a pedestrian stops to give way? Most people deny cyclists ever give way and then rant about red lights and pavements! So - not many - in case you're interested.
Hope that's the thankyou you were expecting?
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Laughing Noam Tweeting policy
I've joked about having a twitter policy - so now's the time to take the joke to the next stage - actual policy in actual words. I may well be only half joking though:
tweeting policy
1. I follow back except the special categories detailed below:
exceptions include bots, spammers, marketing tweeters, jesus tweeters, Lib dems, Tories, extremely boring tweeters, libertarians, people who tweet about cupcakes, amusing satirical or kooky feline tweeters...
2. I do not engage in hostile disussion (or arguments), i have enough of that on the Guardian's CiF. Twitter is for friendly and civilised discussion and that doesn't mean complete agreement either. Disagreement is fine. But uncivilised isn't.
3. A person who is in breach of 2. either for trolling, or for obviously aggressive disagreement, refusal to listen to a logical argument, setting up straw men or deliberate misinterpretation or cherry picking from my posts, arguing in league with a bunch of their "buddies", ad hominem attacks on me, anti-science, anti-logic, anti-reason, laughing at any of my Aspie traits, laughing at any of my non-aspie traits, taking the piss because of my age, etc will be given an intitial warning to back off, apologise, or conform to the rules of civilised discourse (as defined above). No second warning need be issued. Further non-conformance to the reasonable discourse or not responding within a reasonable time (defined by me) and a block will then be applied.
4. Every Tweeter may be given one chance to see reason or respond to logic before I can then resort to calling them names. Their failure to respond to reason can then be used as evidence when calling them an idiot, moron, fuckspud, etc.
5. people who refuse to respond through 2. and 3. may be liable to spamming depending on how drunk i am at the time.
6. People taking issue with my Tweet content can be offered the chance to unfollow. If they don't even follow me then they will be told to FUCK OFF, and possibly blocked. Though they may well be encouraged to block me first though i will curse their name and spam them for it!!!!
7. Blocking: most offenders can be expected to be blocked for a month then unblocked. Though a repeat offense will result in a permanent block immediately. Jesus Tweeters may also be blocked indefinitely.
In certain cases particularly troublesome tweeters may be blocked for longer though their unblocking will be regularly reviewed.
8. Unfollowers will be sarcastically treated to a "bye bye" tweet possibly with "missing you already" added at the end. This is their final chance to refollow and I will follow back. If unfollower responds with strong protest then negotiations can be entered into. If protest consists of swear words and ad hominem attacks then unfollower may be blocked.
9. I endeavour to review my new followers at least once a week. Obvious Jesus Tweeters will be blocked immediately with no warning given. Any Tweeps not falling into the excepted categories detailed in clause 1) will be followed back.
10. I may action a validation request DM to prove I'm real, but don't rely on it!!!!!
tweeting policy
1. I follow back except the special categories detailed below:
exceptions include bots, spammers, marketing tweeters, jesus tweeters, Lib dems, Tories, extremely boring tweeters, libertarians, people who tweet about cupcakes, amusing satirical or kooky feline tweeters...
2. I do not engage in hostile disussion (or arguments), i have enough of that on the Guardian's CiF. Twitter is for friendly and civilised discussion and that doesn't mean complete agreement either. Disagreement is fine. But uncivilised isn't.
3. A person who is in breach of 2. either for trolling, or for obviously aggressive disagreement, refusal to listen to a logical argument, setting up straw men or deliberate misinterpretation or cherry picking from my posts, arguing in league with a bunch of their "buddies", ad hominem attacks on me, anti-science, anti-logic, anti-reason, laughing at any of my Aspie traits, laughing at any of my non-aspie traits, taking the piss because of my age, etc will be given an intitial warning to back off, apologise, or conform to the rules of civilised discourse (as defined above). No second warning need be issued. Further non-conformance to the reasonable discourse or not responding within a reasonable time (defined by me) and a block will then be applied.
4. Every Tweeter may be given one chance to see reason or respond to logic before I can then resort to calling them names. Their failure to respond to reason can then be used as evidence when calling them an idiot, moron, fuckspud, etc.
5. people who refuse to respond through 2. and 3. may be liable to spamming depending on how drunk i am at the time.
6. People taking issue with my Tweet content can be offered the chance to unfollow. If they don't even follow me then they will be told to FUCK OFF, and possibly blocked. Though they may well be encouraged to block me first though i will curse their name and spam them for it!!!!
7. Blocking: most offenders can be expected to be blocked for a month then unblocked. Though a repeat offense will result in a permanent block immediately. Jesus Tweeters may also be blocked indefinitely.
In certain cases particularly troublesome tweeters may be blocked for longer though their unblocking will be regularly reviewed.
8. Unfollowers will be sarcastically treated to a "bye bye" tweet possibly with "missing you already" added at the end. This is their final chance to refollow and I will follow back. If unfollower responds with strong protest then negotiations can be entered into. If protest consists of swear words and ad hominem attacks then unfollower may be blocked.
9. I endeavour to review my new followers at least once a week. Obvious Jesus Tweeters will be blocked immediately with no warning given. Any Tweeps not falling into the excepted categories detailed in clause 1) will be followed back.
10. I may action a validation request DM to prove I'm real, but don't rely on it!!!!!
11. I retweet stuff I find amusing, interesting, informative. Don't try to tell me what i can RT because i will block you!!
12. I mostly follow Tweeps likely to follow me back. If I follow you it's probably because you use one of my key words (to be listed later). Although it might be because you were #FFd by one of my follows.
If you don't follow me back I will unfollow you and put you on one of my lists (if you're lucky)!
13. I rarely #FF. It's too bothersome! However, I do RT a lot so Tweeps who want to can follow those I RT! I will tend to #FF those who I feel write better Tweets thans me and yet have fewer followers.
14. I swear a lot. It's not childish. It doesn't make me stupid or infantile, I am merely celebrating the English Language.
15. I will not RT sexist or racist jokes or anything anti disabled or anything that can be construed as against vulnerable people, or minorities; or anything that may be unfair, untrue or offensive to people who aren't the dipshits that I consider my enemies.
16. Do not expect me to ignore your bullshit or tweet bullshit just so I do not offend or annoy you. I do not sit back and tolerate bullshit!
17. On special occasions I will ceremonially release Tweeps from my blockage. If you are being unblocked, I will inform you of this fact and you will be given an opportunity to behave like a reasonable person and stay the fuck away from me. If you continue to bother me with your crap I will block you permanently!
12. I mostly follow Tweeps likely to follow me back. If I follow you it's probably because you use one of my key words (to be listed later). Although it might be because you were #FFd by one of my follows.
If you don't follow me back I will unfollow you and put you on one of my lists (if you're lucky)!
13. I rarely #FF. It's too bothersome! However, I do RT a lot so Tweeps who want to can follow those I RT! I will tend to #FF those who I feel write better Tweets thans me and yet have fewer followers.
14. I swear a lot. It's not childish. It doesn't make me stupid or infantile, I am merely celebrating the English Language.
15. I will not RT sexist or racist jokes or anything anti disabled or anything that can be construed as against vulnerable people, or minorities; or anything that may be unfair, untrue or offensive to people who aren't the dipshits that I consider my enemies.
16. Do not expect me to ignore your bullshit or tweet bullshit just so I do not offend or annoy you. I do not sit back and tolerate bullshit!
17. On special occasions I will ceremonially release Tweeps from my blockage. If you are being unblocked, I will inform you of this fact and you will be given an opportunity to behave like a reasonable person and stay the fuck away from me. If you continue to bother me with your crap I will block you permanently!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
In Humor, Truth: An unnatural obsession with safety equipment
In Humor, Truth: An unnatural obsession with safety equipment:
War against the bicycle! Why you shouldn;t wear a helmet!
War against the bicycle! Why you shouldn;t wear a helmet!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Addison Lee - What a Bunch of C****s!!!
Addison Lee Challenges TfL Over Bus Lanes | Londonist:
Well known among London cyclists as the worst drivers on the roads....
Well known among London cyclists as the worst drivers on the roads....
Friday, April 20, 2012
Sack Boris
I think it's generally taken that anarchists don't take part in elections and election campaigns. I'm not sure why that is so - it's a bit like saying that atheists shouldn't read the Bible, sing hymns or celebrate Christmas; once you decide that religion is meaningless shite then even going to church isn't going to be a problem as long as you recognise it for what it is, a purely cultural phenomena and something that can be enjoyed on that basis only, and not as a philosophy to live your life by.
My argument has always been that anarchists may legitimately do what they need to do to achieve what we need to achieve which leads one down the sticky route of legitimising violence. and of course, contrary to all that Gandhi bollocks, violence is certainly required even if its only the sort of violence designed to repel the violence from the state that will be directed at us. Unfortunately for the idealists we do live in a physical universe and violent interaction of parts of that universe, even in the tree of life, is a fundamental part of that reality!
It also means, that in the cause of pragmatism, if we choose to hijack an election for our purposes then we may perfectly legitimately do so, as long as we make it clear that we are not playing their game, but we are disrupting their game. This I am seriously considering doing at the next general election! I may well stand as a "none of the above" candidate, if I can rally enough support for it.
While the forces of state oppression and corporate fascism are influencing and fixing elections then I think it ill behoves us to completely ignore the party political arena unfortunately, and especially while most people still look to "legitimate" and prescribed politics for their answers.
Yes, I've been pissing around with all sorts of ideas ever since Reclaim The Streets collapsed and the forces of democratic justice decided our democratic views were surplus to requirement. I even joined the Green Party for a bit, but as of this week, I am poltically a completely free agent once again. Happy to work with the Green Party where I see that their cause is the same as mine, but not happy to play the game of parliament and the sham democracy our lords and masters see fit to allow us!
Before the next General election though - there is another election I would like to influence. That is the London mayoral election. Boris as mayor has been far more damaging than I ever expected and the situation just cannot continue. Boris must be ditched!!
My personal take on this comes from suffering from poor air quality and grave concerns over whether I have somewhere affordable to live in the future (Johnson is offering nothing in his manifesto, not a fucking sausage).
Add to that concerns about my job, the environment in general, transport, cycle facilities (Boris being the only candidate not endorsing LCC demands fr better Dutch style facilities).
Environmental pledges
Boris Johnson's idea of a transport policy and the most expensive bus in history
Boris's idea of managing pollution is to directly sabotage the monitoring system and to attack the regulators ... not actually giving a shit about those of us who are suffering.
In the next few days I hope to be putting together an argument for voting Green and putting Ken as your second preference - which is what I'll be doing.
As for Brian Paddick - the flakey ex policeman who may or may not have been an anarchist - what an utter wanker!! He too lacks credible policies - not much on transport, little on housing, and if you want to sort out racism in the Met electing an ex copper to do it would be a grave mistake. Anyway - who the fuck is stupid enough to trust a Lib Dem these days?
So, in conclusion, if you vote for Boris you're voting for 4 more years of waste, neglect, increasing pollution, and lost opportunity and basically voting in someone who doesn't really want the job and is using it as a politcal stepping stone; if you vote Paddick then you're voting for a vanity candidate with no credibilty. This really leave just two options left. The Greens and Ken Livingstone do have an agreement. They are urging their supporters to put the other down as a 2nd preference. My own instinct is to vote Green to enable the green party to have more clout in the next administration just because London is crying out for a better environment for all of us - I'm sick of seeing people around me getting sicker and sicker, not to mention myself!
So - vote green and put Ken down as 2nd preference, that way we may end up with the best of all worlds.
Livingstone's Energy Pledge:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/19/ken-livingstone-energy-firms-mayoral
Air Pollution:
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/6122/
This is a documentary "Pancevo Mrtav
Grad" which talks about Pancevo, the bigger industrial site of former
Yugoslavia holds headquarters. This town is also known for being the
most polluted in Europe. Meanwhile Pancevo people are getting cancer
and the kids crowd the hospitals because of very serious breathing
problems.
and there's the no arms fair pledge too!
My argument has always been that anarchists may legitimately do what they need to do to achieve what we need to achieve which leads one down the sticky route of legitimising violence. and of course, contrary to all that Gandhi bollocks, violence is certainly required even if its only the sort of violence designed to repel the violence from the state that will be directed at us. Unfortunately for the idealists we do live in a physical universe and violent interaction of parts of that universe, even in the tree of life, is a fundamental part of that reality!
It also means, that in the cause of pragmatism, if we choose to hijack an election for our purposes then we may perfectly legitimately do so, as long as we make it clear that we are not playing their game, but we are disrupting their game. This I am seriously considering doing at the next general election! I may well stand as a "none of the above" candidate, if I can rally enough support for it.
While the forces of state oppression and corporate fascism are influencing and fixing elections then I think it ill behoves us to completely ignore the party political arena unfortunately, and especially while most people still look to "legitimate" and prescribed politics for their answers.
Yes, I've been pissing around with all sorts of ideas ever since Reclaim The Streets collapsed and the forces of democratic justice decided our democratic views were surplus to requirement. I even joined the Green Party for a bit, but as of this week, I am poltically a completely free agent once again. Happy to work with the Green Party where I see that their cause is the same as mine, but not happy to play the game of parliament and the sham democracy our lords and masters see fit to allow us!
Before the next General election though - there is another election I would like to influence. That is the London mayoral election. Boris as mayor has been far more damaging than I ever expected and the situation just cannot continue. Boris must be ditched!!
My personal take on this comes from suffering from poor air quality and grave concerns over whether I have somewhere affordable to live in the future (Johnson is offering nothing in his manifesto, not a fucking sausage).
Add to that concerns about my job, the environment in general, transport, cycle facilities (Boris being the only candidate not endorsing LCC demands fr better Dutch style facilities).
Environmental pledges
Boris Johnson's idea of a transport policy and the most expensive bus in history
Boris's idea of managing pollution is to directly sabotage the monitoring system and to attack the regulators ... not actually giving a shit about those of us who are suffering.
In the next few days I hope to be putting together an argument for voting Green and putting Ken as your second preference - which is what I'll be doing.
As for Brian Paddick - the flakey ex policeman who may or may not have been an anarchist - what an utter wanker!! He too lacks credible policies - not much on transport, little on housing, and if you want to sort out racism in the Met electing an ex copper to do it would be a grave mistake. Anyway - who the fuck is stupid enough to trust a Lib Dem these days?
So, in conclusion, if you vote for Boris you're voting for 4 more years of waste, neglect, increasing pollution, and lost opportunity and basically voting in someone who doesn't really want the job and is using it as a politcal stepping stone; if you vote Paddick then you're voting for a vanity candidate with no credibilty. This really leave just two options left. The Greens and Ken Livingstone do have an agreement. They are urging their supporters to put the other down as a 2nd preference. My own instinct is to vote Green to enable the green party to have more clout in the next administration just because London is crying out for a better environment for all of us - I'm sick of seeing people around me getting sicker and sicker, not to mention myself!
So - vote green and put Ken down as 2nd preference, that way we may end up with the best of all worlds.
Livingstone's Energy Pledge:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/19/ken-livingstone-energy-firms-mayoral
Air Pollution:
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/6122/
This is a documentary "Pancevo Mrtav
Grad" which talks about Pancevo, the bigger industrial site of former
Yugoslavia holds headquarters. This town is also known for being the
most polluted in Europe. Meanwhile Pancevo people are getting cancer
and the kids crowd the hospitals because of very serious breathing
problems.
Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm - BlackListedNews.com
Blamed for Bee Collapse, Monsanto Buys Leading Bee Research Firm - BlackListedNews.com:
This sort of thing is often held to be the stuff of conspiracy theorists - so let it be recorded that this did happen, and it is true. Monsanto is set on silencing evidence based criticism of its activities, and this may be a significant event in our journey towards complete ecological collapse of life in this planet!
This sort of thing is often held to be the stuff of conspiracy theorists - so let it be recorded that this did happen, and it is true. Monsanto is set on silencing evidence based criticism of its activities, and this may be a significant event in our journey towards complete ecological collapse of life in this planet!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Mouse Crucified On A Cactus
I asked for a sign from Jesus and nothing arrived all over Easter. In vain I lived off toasties in the hope of an effigy appearing in one. Nothing. Then less than a week later, a mouse, an innocent creature, crucifies itself on a cactus! this is truly a sign from Jesus. This mouse died for my sins...He is the Mouseiah.
In a Godless unfeeling universe, such terrible cruelty is inevitable. Poor mousey, got stuck on cactus and died. We found him this morning already dead. Damn you God, damn you!! Why are you so cruel?
#cosyoudon'texistIknow
Friday, April 13, 2012
Earliest trans memory?
Distinctly
remember standing in the kitchen with me and my sister being made ready for
school, think she was about 4, and i would have been 6. My mum was just
straightening my sister's little pleated skirt and I said to my mum, all
innocent like, that it'd be fun to go to school dressed in my sister's clothes.
My mum said, alright then, and I went all shy and said noooo!. Wish I'd said
yes!!
Pretty
sure it was something that I'd been mulling around in my head for a while.
Then
at age 8 or 9 me and my sister started playing dress-up with a bag of clothes
that had suddenly appeared in the back room, with the full knowledge of my mum,
though not my Dad, I used to put on the little dresses and pretend to be a girl;
we'd perform little "plays" in front of the mirror and sometimes
record them on a tape recorder.
When
my Dad found out it was stopped - though he said nothing to me about it, ever.
After
that I dressed up in whatever I could find, my mum's stuff, my sister's stuff,
which briefly fitted me from age of about 8 to 12 or 13.
I
never really thought about wanting to be a girl until after puberty though - i
guess once it became clear that i was defintely going to be a big hairy man, I
realised that that was what I defintely didn't want to be!! :(
Sunday, April 08, 2012
comment is free strike again
Fucking Guardian!! I don't know why I bother. I'm inflicted with the delusion that my viewpoint is as valid as anyone else's - but not on Guardian's Comment Is Free apparently.
so often I end up getting censored after making a valid point. If I was a climate change denier I'd be fine to post up any old untrue made up bollocks I liked. Even swearing and personal abuse is fine up to a point. Guardian doesn't mind that too much. But if you ever cut to the bone on a key and important issue that does not serve the Guardian's neo-Liberal agenda, then you're off.
This article dealt with the proposed execution of a middle class business woman in China.
My comment merely dealt with the fact that there seems to be more outrage being voiced over the proposed execution of a "nice" middle class business woman (white collar fraud) than I have seen over many, many executions both in China and in the USA. China executes political activists, China kills people for their beliefs! China kills people for being Tibetan and / or Buddhist. And yet we see this article agonising over the death of this proven criminal who may well have ruined many people's lives (note for binary people, this does not mean I support the death penalty for anyone and am not in anyway stating that I support the judicial murder of this young woman).
I also pointed out that the USA tends to execute black people, poor white people and people of low IQ in unrepresentatively high numbers. The comment has been removed by moderators. I have no idea why.
Before it was removed I got this comment in reply:
I have to answer it here and hope the nitwit who responded, Oozaveared (not me), finds it and reads it because the democrat republic of Guardian CIF prevented me from finding the thread until the it was closed for comments!
My poor claim just got ignored and they leapt straight for the race aspect. That was the first straw man!
Firstly - I am a bit baffled where he got his figures from as everywhere I've checked I see hispanic is not a race and hispanic people can be either white or black, or mixed race. So it's nice that he can be so certain about his 10% (binary people again, see?).
However, I'll go with his figures for now. I checked the racial make up of the US. Blacks in the US make up 13% of the overall population. Which proves right away my argument that blacks in the US tend to be executed in unrepresentatively high numbers - 28% of executions, only 13% of the population.
Maybe some of those "hispanics" were black too which would make it even higher. I'll be looking at his claim that 28% blacks might be representative of the states that still carry out death penalty, though i am dubious and also think this is a red herring as not everyone executed by a state is from that state. People do tend to move around for all sorts of reasons.
The next bit about the 8th amendment rules - he uses it to rather dismissively brush my claim away.
8th Amendment rules prevent under Federal law people with low IQ from being executed. States can't do that.
Oh, can't they? this from amnesty International. It's the first one that comes up on Google. The moron didn't even bother checking his facts before leaping in with his complacent nonsense!
So when you consider that what most of what Oozaveared wrote was complacent bollocks and what i wrote was provable even using Oozaveared's own figures, why THE FUCK were my comments removed Oh Great wise Lib Dem supporting FUCKING Guardian? Eh?
so often I end up getting censored after making a valid point. If I was a climate change denier I'd be fine to post up any old untrue made up bollocks I liked. Even swearing and personal abuse is fine up to a point. Guardian doesn't mind that too much. But if you ever cut to the bone on a key and important issue that does not serve the Guardian's neo-Liberal agenda, then you're off.
This article dealt with the proposed execution of a middle class business woman in China.
My comment merely dealt with the fact that there seems to be more outrage being voiced over the proposed execution of a "nice" middle class business woman (white collar fraud) than I have seen over many, many executions both in China and in the USA. China executes political activists, China kills people for their beliefs! China kills people for being Tibetan and / or Buddhist. And yet we see this article agonising over the death of this proven criminal who may well have ruined many people's lives (note for binary people, this does not mean I support the death penalty for anyone and am not in anyway stating that I support the judicial murder of this young woman).
I also pointed out that the USA tends to execute black people, poor white people and people of low IQ in unrepresentatively high numbers. The comment has been removed by moderators. I have no idea why.
Before it was removed I got this comment in reply:
Response to LaughingNoam, 4 April 2012 5:30PM
In 2010, 12 states executed 46 inmates — 28 white, 13 black and 5 Hispanic. That's a 60% White 28% Black 10% Hispanic. Considering the states that still carry out the death penalty that's probably representative.
8th Amendment rules prevent under Federal law people with low IQ from being executed. States can't do that.
I have to answer it here and hope the nitwit who responded, Oozaveared (not me), finds it and reads it because the democrat republic of Guardian CIF prevented me from finding the thread until the it was closed for comments!
My poor claim just got ignored and they leapt straight for the race aspect. That was the first straw man!
Firstly - I am a bit baffled where he got his figures from as everywhere I've checked I see hispanic is not a race and hispanic people can be either white or black, or mixed race. So it's nice that he can be so certain about his 10% (binary people again, see?).
However, I'll go with his figures for now. I checked the racial make up of the US. Blacks in the US make up 13% of the overall population. Which proves right away my argument that blacks in the US tend to be executed in unrepresentatively high numbers - 28% of executions, only 13% of the population.
Maybe some of those "hispanics" were black too which would make it even higher. I'll be looking at his claim that 28% blacks might be representative of the states that still carry out death penalty, though i am dubious and also think this is a red herring as not everyone executed by a state is from that state. People do tend to move around for all sorts of reasons.
The next bit about the 8th amendment rules - he uses it to rather dismissively brush my claim away.
8th Amendment rules prevent under Federal law people with low IQ from being executed. States can't do that.
Oh, can't they? this from amnesty International. It's the first one that comes up on Google. The moron didn't even bother checking his facts before leaping in with his complacent nonsense!
So when you consider that what most of what Oozaveared wrote was complacent bollocks and what i wrote was provable even using Oozaveared's own figures, why THE FUCK were my comments removed Oh Great wise Lib Dem supporting FUCKING Guardian? Eh?
Saturday, April 07, 2012
God's Wife Edited Out of the Bible -- Almost : Discovery News
God's Wife Edited Out of the Bible -- Almost : Discovery News:
Modern Christians so hate women that they've even edited out their own god's wife. The architects of Christianity, not satisfied to have removed all traces of Jesus' family and reworked his wife, Mary, into a whore, they also decided to completely expurgate all references to Yahweh's powerful fertility godess wife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Binary people
I've coined this phrase from my experiences of arguing with complete nitwits on Twitter. You say something bad about capitalism and you get an idiotic interjection to point out that communism was quite bad too. Sometimes they do this to make a point that capitalism shouldn't be criticised because the alternative is worse. THE alternative????!!! As if only two types of economic system are available off the shelf and that we as human beings, the most resourceful animal on earth could not possibly devise a third, or indeed many, alternatives if we put our minds to it, or that within the two kinds of systems that exist in the binary peoples' headspace there isn't actually an infinite number of different versions, or that it would be entirely impossible for us to discuss moving on to a post-economic era.
Usually the point they're making, I use the word "point" very loosely here, is just some illogical vague "point" that because communism is bad (with no evidence provided) then capitalism must be good, which amounts to if tea is bad then coffee is good, if salt is bad then pepper is good, of Oasis is bad then Blur are good (one for the teenagers there).
It's the same with anything though. These people see yes or no, black or white, good or bad. When I say Labour are shit I used to get accused of being a Tory. Now when I say Tories are shit I get a tirade of how terrible labour were in government. As if that was even relevant to my point!
The same people seem incapable of having an in depth argument about anything either. Try to analyse a film or a book that they enjoy, with a balanced critique, and they retort, 'why did you bloody watch it then?' Which is quite amusing cos if you criticise a film you haven't seen (I knew I didn't have to watch Pearl Harbor to know it was going to be shit. I was right.) they say you have no right to criticise it: catch 22.
Criticise this country and they will either say, well why don't you go and live in Russia/China/Cuba/Iran (all actual examples I've received). Criticise a city and they will either say, piss off then go live somewhere else, or fuck off, we don't want you here.
If I ever complained about the war in Iraq being illegal and unethical and, well, misguided in every possible way, I got told I was supporting Saddam Hussein and his massacre of the Kurds. WHAT? HOW??
In their world cyclists don't walk or drive, they just ride bikes (through red lights or on pavements), and motorists drive, do not ever walk or cycle and are firm upstanding good taxpaying people.
To men of this ilk women are all to be revered, placed on some sort of pedestal as if they're angels, but they must be pretty, available and be submissive, controlled and owned like cattle. The reverence of women is something you get throughout the male gender and it is so clearly the other side of the misogyny coin. A compliant female is to be revered and a "deviant" female is to be held against the perfect version and reviled! Most men move from the casual misogyny of youth to the teary eyed reverence of "good" women in their married years. Men who fall off the marriage wagon at any point often revert straight back to misogyny.
Anyone who challenges this binary gender position is to be sneered at or shunned. If a woman steps out of line she is a hairy feminist weirdo and if a man wants to be feminine in any way (wearing pink can be an issue for many men, let alone the wearing of skirts, soft fabrics, flower prints or slightly wide trousers, or "feminine" pursuits such as looking after children, creative crafts, having empathy, feeling emotion, personal grooming, etc. etc.) then he must be shunned and kept away from the god fearing folk.
For them, things are either 100% ticketty boo. Or 100% completely fucking shit. Presumably it's a waste of time saying good evening to them because to them it will either be day or night and nothing in between.
Intelligent people realise that nothing exists in this binary way. Everything - or at least near as dammit - exists in a spectrum. There are a multiplicity of ways to organise an economy, but all but two have been thoroughly stamped out and ignored. There are a multiplicity of gender positions one can take -from full on heterosexual to full on homosexuality. These two positions as well as male and female seem to be accepted these days. but not bisexuality, or any combination theirin, nor is transgendered very acceptable. though true to the binary view, men or women who are transgendered should always seek gender reassignment, then everyone will be (sort of) happy; don't try to mix things up though - trouble lies that way! If you don't fit into a box, and an offically sanctioned box at that, then FUCK OFF. Or go sit in the box marked "enemies of the Daily Mail".
Many cyclists drive. Many drivers cycle. We all fucking walk!! even motorists have to get out of their cars at some point.
No one is truly good and no one is evil. We are all just human beings trying to get on. some of us realise that hatred and exploitation of others should be challenged and others don't and completely embrace capitalism, vote Tory or LibDem (or Labour).
Increasingly I see things as those who support the status quo and those who don't. So maybe I'm guilty too. On the other hand - maybe it is that simple in this particular case? Or maybe I am a hypocrite? Well in my book that makes me human, but to the Binaries it probably makes me an evil dipshit.
Here's a perfect example of binary thinking in action as described by a Palestinian freedom fighter
I raise this point mainly as I don't seem to fit into many boxes - not happy about my gender, I recognise both feminine and masculine traits within me, and try to deny neither, I claim to be a male feminist, an anarchist, an atheist, I refuse to describe myself as either a pedestrian, cyclist or a motorist, I am both a tenant and a landlord, brought up working class and yet I feel more middle class, have in the past belonged to two political parties neither of which i vote for. I have been many things and many people through my short life so far, so I am particularly annoyed to have that experience denied by a bunch of nitwits!
Usually the point they're making, I use the word "point" very loosely here, is just some illogical vague "point" that because communism is bad (with no evidence provided) then capitalism must be good, which amounts to if tea is bad then coffee is good, if salt is bad then pepper is good, of Oasis is bad then Blur are good (one for the teenagers there).
It's the same with anything though. These people see yes or no, black or white, good or bad. When I say Labour are shit I used to get accused of being a Tory. Now when I say Tories are shit I get a tirade of how terrible labour were in government. As if that was even relevant to my point!
The same people seem incapable of having an in depth argument about anything either. Try to analyse a film or a book that they enjoy, with a balanced critique, and they retort, 'why did you bloody watch it then?' Which is quite amusing cos if you criticise a film you haven't seen (I knew I didn't have to watch Pearl Harbor to know it was going to be shit. I was right.) they say you have no right to criticise it: catch 22.
Criticise this country and they will either say, well why don't you go and live in Russia/China/Cuba/Iran (all actual examples I've received). Criticise a city and they will either say, piss off then go live somewhere else, or fuck off, we don't want you here.
If I ever complained about the war in Iraq being illegal and unethical and, well, misguided in every possible way, I got told I was supporting Saddam Hussein and his massacre of the Kurds. WHAT? HOW??
In their world cyclists don't walk or drive, they just ride bikes (through red lights or on pavements), and motorists drive, do not ever walk or cycle and are firm upstanding good taxpaying people.
To men of this ilk women are all to be revered, placed on some sort of pedestal as if they're angels, but they must be pretty, available and be submissive, controlled and owned like cattle. The reverence of women is something you get throughout the male gender and it is so clearly the other side of the misogyny coin. A compliant female is to be revered and a "deviant" female is to be held against the perfect version and reviled! Most men move from the casual misogyny of youth to the teary eyed reverence of "good" women in their married years. Men who fall off the marriage wagon at any point often revert straight back to misogyny.
Anyone who challenges this binary gender position is to be sneered at or shunned. If a woman steps out of line she is a hairy feminist weirdo and if a man wants to be feminine in any way (wearing pink can be an issue for many men, let alone the wearing of skirts, soft fabrics, flower prints or slightly wide trousers, or "feminine" pursuits such as looking after children, creative crafts, having empathy, feeling emotion, personal grooming, etc. etc.) then he must be shunned and kept away from the god fearing folk.
For them, things are either 100% ticketty boo. Or 100% completely fucking shit. Presumably it's a waste of time saying good evening to them because to them it will either be day or night and nothing in between.
Intelligent people realise that nothing exists in this binary way. Everything - or at least near as dammit - exists in a spectrum. There are a multiplicity of ways to organise an economy, but all but two have been thoroughly stamped out and ignored. There are a multiplicity of gender positions one can take -from full on heterosexual to full on homosexuality. These two positions as well as male and female seem to be accepted these days. but not bisexuality, or any combination theirin, nor is transgendered very acceptable. though true to the binary view, men or women who are transgendered should always seek gender reassignment, then everyone will be (sort of) happy; don't try to mix things up though - trouble lies that way! If you don't fit into a box, and an offically sanctioned box at that, then FUCK OFF. Or go sit in the box marked "enemies of the Daily Mail".
Many cyclists drive. Many drivers cycle. We all fucking walk!! even motorists have to get out of their cars at some point.
No one is truly good and no one is evil. We are all just human beings trying to get on. some of us realise that hatred and exploitation of others should be challenged and others don't and completely embrace capitalism, vote Tory or LibDem (or Labour).
Increasingly I see things as those who support the status quo and those who don't. So maybe I'm guilty too. On the other hand - maybe it is that simple in this particular case? Or maybe I am a hypocrite? Well in my book that makes me human, but to the Binaries it probably makes me an evil dipshit.
Here's a perfect example of binary thinking in action as described by a Palestinian freedom fighter
I raise this point mainly as I don't seem to fit into many boxes - not happy about my gender, I recognise both feminine and masculine traits within me, and try to deny neither, I claim to be a male feminist, an anarchist, an atheist, I refuse to describe myself as either a pedestrian, cyclist or a motorist, I am both a tenant and a landlord, brought up working class and yet I feel more middle class, have in the past belonged to two political parties neither of which i vote for. I have been many things and many people through my short life so far, so I am particularly annoyed to have that experience denied by a bunch of nitwits!
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