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Zombie

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  1. Zombie

    FIFA - an absolute disgrace

    By Zombie,


    FIFA and the World Cup
    FIFA - corrupt dishonest and spineless
    Association Football (soccer in the US). How did a game invented 150 years in England end up being controlled by an infamously corrupt, dishonest and spineless “organisation” headquartered in Zurich?
    It’s a while since I posted a point of view but the current World Cup is all over the news and TV schedules and for all the wrong reasons - thanks to the greedy, self-serving, incompetent male patriarchy that has controlled FIFA for generations and nobody has cared or understood what they were up to until the execrable Seb Blatter’s corruption and mismanagement hit the headlines.
    And now we have the latest disgraceful behaviour by this band of misogynist, homophobic, venal, male-dominated, self-serving, talentless grifters, exemplified by the infantile, ignorant, arrogant president Gianni Infantino who truly lived up to his surname with his jaw dropping attempts to defend awarding the World Cup to Qatar and thereby actively supporting its abhorrent oppression and persecution of sexual freedom whilst simultaneously lambasting the wave of outrage now crashing onto FIFA by attacking “Europe” for its values and history. Sorry, Mr Infantile, but we are living in the present, where people are being beaten up and jailed just for loving someone of the same sex, and whatever happened or was done by Europeans during the last “3,000 years” is history. You are no historian and your job is not to lecture and chastise a whole continent on a subject of which you clearly have only the feeblest understanding, but to make sensible policy decisions for the good of the game and for the values you and FIFA dishonestly claim to support but don’t. 

     
  2. Zombie

    Music - Ensembles

    By Zombie,


    Music
    Stravinsky Suite Italienne 
    Stravinsky is a name that scares off many people, maybe thinking Rite of Spring, or The Firebird with lots of dissonance and it’s not for them. Which is not just a shame (both those pieces are incredible experiences with a full orchestra in a concert hall) but simply wrong. Stravinsky was not just an exceptional composer - the greatest of the twentieth century? - but wide-ranging and versatile, composing in many styles during his life and perfectly capable of writing beautiful melodies.
    The Suite Italienne uses music from his short ballet Pulcinella (composed 1930) which he rearranged two years later for piano and cello. The piece has five movements and in the second, serenata, Stravinsky uses the “siciliana” form popular during the Baroque period with a minor key and a gentle rhythm.
     
     
     
     
     
  3. Zombie

    Music - Henry Purcell 1659 - 1695

    By Zombie,


    Music
    Henry Purcell 1659 - 1695

    Purcell was a 17th century English composer and songwriter who died aged just 36 having lived his entire life in London. 
    He was born in the final year of the English Commonwealth - a turbulent period in British history of bloody civil wars which ended when England became a republic under Oliver Cromwell, after chopping off the king’s head (Charles I). By the following year, 1660, the republican experiment was all over - the English monarchy was restored.

     
    During the Commonwealth period, tw
     
    musicians and composers were out of a job (no King = no Royal patronage) and cathedral church music 
     
    But when the Crown was recreated for Charles II (the original Crown Jewels had been broken up, melted down and flogged off by Cromwell) London became Party Central, with musical theatre at the heart of a thriving entertainment business, and the Church could once again embrace music without fear of violent retribution.
    Which was great news for Purcell.
    Because by the time he had completed his musical education he was able to make a good living from song writing, musical theatre, Church music and, best of all, have a steady income from Royal Patronage - basically writing music for the Royal Court with no other purpose than praising and celebrating the glorious Monarch.
    Now you would expect music where the public is spending its own cash to be good quality, but Royal Court patronage was essentially State money so perhaps Purcell needn’t have taken the same 
    Purcell was also a prolific composer of popular music, writing over 100 “pop songs”.  But how could he make money from songs when there was no radio, TV or internet?  Simple - Purcell published in the various bestselling songbooks, such as Choice Ayres (yes really ) which were regularly updated in new editions by the London-based music publisher, John Playford (who effectively held the monopoly on music publishing throughout England).
    This is one of those songs written by Purcell around 1680: 
    She Loves And She Confesses Too
     
    If you listened carefully you’ll have noticed this song is written above what’s called a “ground bass” or “bass line” that repeats throughout the song. I’ll post more about this and other stuff later.
     
     
  4. Zombie

    Music - Christmas

    By Zombie,


    Music
    In dulci jubilo (“In sweet rejoicing")
    Over 600 years ago, one of the most famous carols was composed (the composer is unknown)
    The earliest known manuscript, Codex 1305, dates the music from c 1400 and is held in Leipzig University Library.
    Various arrangements have been made over the centuries and this especially beautiful version is by Bach.
     
     
    This is a recording by the exceptional English organist, Peter Hurford (who died this year), as part of Decca’s monumental 12 year project from 1974 to 1986 to record all of JS Bach’s organ works.
    Except... we now know this piece should NOT have been included in the series because it was NOT composed by JS Bach, but by another member of the Bach family, Johann Michael Bach (there are a lot of Bachs )
    For over 250 years it was attributed to JS Bach who did in fact compose several arrangements of In dulci jubilo including two organ works: the Orgelbüchlein, BWV 608, and chorale prelude, BWV 739 (BWV - Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, or Bach works catalogue - is the unique identifier numbering system prefix for all works by J S Bach).
    This arrangement was found in a manuscript copy made in the 1730s by Johann Gottlieb Preller, which attributed the work to "di Bach" and was assigned the JS Bach catalogue number "BWV 751" in the nineteenth-century.  But after the BWV catalogue first appeared in print (1893), there were doubts that the style was more consistent with Johann Michael Bach rather than his famous relative, Johann Sebastian.
    Then, in the 1980s, another copy of this arrangement was discovered among the so-called "Neumeister Chorales", proving once and for all that this chorale is indeed by Johann Michael Bach. 
     
     
  5. Zombie

    Music - Keyboards

    By Zombie,


    Music
    Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) 
    A prolific Austrian composer, especially for the piano, Schubert wasn’t very well known or regarded as a composer during his short life.
    Much of his work was unpublished including this now famous “impromptu”, written the year before he died, which was only finally published some 30 years later.
    In fact Schubert wrote two sets of four impromptus for piano and this is the third in the first set, played by Alfred Brendel. The melody is hauntingly beautiful.
    Impromptu No. 3 in G flat Major D899 Op 90 
     
  6. Zombie

    The Dream

    By Zombie,

    I heard a terrible noise. I didn't know what it was.
    In the distance a farm tractor moved slowly across a field, a man walking alongside. 
    Everything was so vivid, the sky a brilliant blue - too blue - and the hedgerows and trees impossibly green.  
    Looking back at the tractor I could see it had changed direction, lurching across the field towards a gap in the boundary hedge, the walking man now clinging to the tractor as if for his life.  Strange; both he and the driver seemed to be looking backwards.  
    I turned to see and there it was - a dark column of dust and debris moving across the adjoining field. Straight at them.  
    I know about tornadoes, I've seen them on the news.  But this was different.  It wasn’t right.  It seemed to have... intent.
    The tractor had reached the edge of the field where it jolted and stopped at an odd angle.  Both men ran towards the gap.  Running for their lives.
    Then I heard - felt? - a new sound; deeper, louder.
    I was standing in the middle of a large expanse of bright yellow crop at the far end of which stood a row of tall poplars, silvery leaves waving in the breeze.  Except this was no breeze. 
    Then I saw it, rising above the poplars, a monstrous writhing maelstrom of darkness, destruction and death.  Curiously, I thought about those farmers.  What happened to them? 
    No time to waste on others, I stared uncomprehendingly at the awful horror breaking through the line of trees.  I turned and ran.  For my life, just like those two men.  A glance over my shoulder and I could see it was closer.  I changed direction and looked again.  It made no difference. The noise was unbearable - a roaring, rushing, whirling, dreadful noise like nothing I had ever heard.  It was alive and angry, roaring and eating everything in its path.  I knew whichever way I ran would make no difference.
    It would get me.
    I was going to die.
     
    Then I woke up.
  7. Zombie

    A Warning

    By Zombie,

    You should have thrown it out

    A long time ago

    But you didn’t

    You were going to get rid of it yesterday before you put the fresh stuff in

    But you were nervous

    It’s been there so long

    So, you pushed in the fresh stuff, shoving it to the back of the fridge

    You can’t see it now

    But you know it’s there

    And you’re scared
  8. Zombie

    Flags Of Hate

    By Zombie,

    Germany has accepted, atoned for and come to terms with its past and moved on to become a modern, progressive, successful and generally enviable nation.
  9. Zombie
    Just 33 hours to go now to Thursday's referendum - Britain only ever votes on Thursdays.
     
    You'll have read / watched the arguments ad nauseam - or not, in which case you won't be reading this - so I won't rehash them. And I won't repeat posts in the two earlier blogs:
    http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/blog/504/entry-14328-scotland-nearer-to-independence/
    http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/blog/504/entry-13245-scottish-independence/
     
    What's emerged in the final weeks of campaigning is the unmatched presentational and political skills of Alex Salmond heading the Yes campaign and the feeble incompetence of the No campaign. Only in the final two weeks has the No campaign had an effective and credible presenter: ex Labour Prime Minister and former Chancellor Gordon Brown.
     
    It doesn't matter what rational arguments have been made against independence, or who has made them - including dire warnings from European banks and CEOs of big finance and oil - Salmond has simply deflected them as "bullying" of the little guy, Scotland, by the big bad guy, England. No matter the strength of the arguments against leaving the Union the gap has been closing to the point where a Yes vote is now very likely.
     
    Show stoppers like Scottish banknotes have been overlooked. Here's one: vote Yes, Mr and Mrs Tartan Haggis, and you kiss goodbye to this
     

     
    Because the Scots do love their Scottish banknotes. So why has no-one told them they'll cease to exist without currency union? [well, Scots may still have them but they won't have Sterling value]. All three main UK political parties have vetoed sharing the Pound and the politically neutral Canadian Governor of The Bank of England, Mark Carney, has stated currency union will be impossible with an independent Scotland.
     
    Whatever happens on Thursday the UK as we know it will never be the same. Even if the vote is No, we will inevitably move to a more federalist model with - shudder - perhaps even a written constitution. The fact is the Union merged five distinct nations into a single State, but centralised unitary government from London - the fifth nation - is no longer sustainable.
  10. Zombie
    Gay marriage becomes legal in Britain as from midnight tomorrow, 28/29 March.
     
    Here's a commentary from The Daily Telegraph:
     
     
    Why gay marriage deserves to quietly disappear
     
    Much has been written about the importance of this weekend and rightly so but once we have seen the inevitable ‘first couple’ on the news, this story deserves to quietly disappear. Whilst it has been wonderful to hear the positive debate, the debate has inevitably brought out the ugly and I for one will be glad not to have to listen to the well-rehearsed anti equality arguments anymore.
     
    There will come a day and I do not believe that day is very far off, when we won’t even be able to imagine that we had this debate. We baulk now when we remember those signs in the ‘60’s that read: ‘No Blacks, No Jews, No Irish’. Soon we will baulk at the fact that not so long ago gay couples did not have the right to formalise their love in the same way as everybody else.
     
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10727517/Gay-marriage-deserves-to-quietly-disappear-says-Alice-Arnold.html
  11. Zombie
    "Nudity in America is a four letter word. Especially when it comes to men. I really do find that pretty silly and ironic at the same time. I was raised in a very Midwestern lifestyle and quite prudish when it comes to sex and nudity. But that is me. What I am not is judgmental. How is it possible in America we can show violence and war... but god save us if we show a nipple in a photo! There is definitely a double standard when it comes to male nudity in America. We can objectify the hell out of women and that is the norm. But a portrait of a man standing naked is obscene. It is so weird to me."
     
    Tony Duran, photographer
     
    What's going on? Where have the links gone?
     
    I had posted several links to ohlalamag.com, an online blog mag, interviewing Tony Duran about his explicit homoerotic photographic work with the French rugby team, Stade Français Paris. The problem is the links contain the photographs of the rugby team. Lots of them. Since 2001 the rugby team has produced an annual calendar called "Dieux du Stade" on sale to the public as well as a lavish book of photographs called "Dieux du Stade: Gods of the Stadium The Book".
     
    Now here's the irony. GA has asked me to remove the links because.... they contain male nudity...
     
    The reason for this is that commercial sponsorship of GA to keep it going - and here I'm guessing, but I suspect most likely American sponsors - would be put at risk.
     
    Which kind of confirms what this blog is about.
     
    The good news is if you are now desperate to see these pics although I can't give you the links I can suggest how you might find them
     
    First of all copy and paste this into Google...

    site:ohlalamag.com  
    ...leave a space then type in a search phrase between inverted commas, maybe you could try "Dieux du Stade". Yes, that might work The "site:" prefix forces google only to show pages on that site and no others - useful to know if you want to search other sites for key words - and the phrase picks all the relevant pages on that site. And there are lots - when do those French rugby players ever get time to play rugby???
     
    Any problems just PM me
  12. Zombie
    After two months of incessant and record breaking rainfall Britain is now waterlogged. Literally. All ground aquifers are not just full up, water is being forced out of the ground under pressure at the same time as rain continues to fall from the sky.
     
    We're famous for talking about the weather in casual conversation but it has been headline news now for weeks. Every day. Things are now so serious, and in so many parts of the country, that the government has cleared other business to focus on the domestic crisis.
     
    Even if it stopped raining tomorrow, flooding from ground aquifers will continue for months. But it isn't going to stop raining. We are stuck in a cycle of vicious jet-stream-driven Atlantic storms that shows no sign of changing anytime soon. Another severe storm is going to hit later this week.
     
    Normally the jet stream takes this weather much further north where it doesn't matter. It's the same jet-stream that has been causing the terrible winter in the Northern United States. Even Americans have started complaining about their weather - on this site! And they've been doing this for weeks! This is anti-American. It's unconstitutional!
     
    Britain invented weather. Well, we invented weather forecasting As an island nation we've always needed to know what's coming our way. We spend a huge amount on weather forecasting. This is done by the Met Office, a government dept since 1854 and closely linked to the MoD. These are not amateurs. They train many forecasters from around the world. They have the most qualified and experienced climate scientists and two IBM supercomputers for global climate modelling. The "butterfly effect" means you have to model the whole planet if you are to be a serious and effective weather forecaster.
     
    And this is what they said today:
     
    "This series of winter storms has been exceptional in its duration, and has led to the wettest December to January period in the UK since records began. Heavy rains combined with strong winds and high waves led to widespread flooding and coastal damage, causing significant disruption to individuals, businesses and infrastructure.
     
    The severe weather in the UK coincided with exceptionally cold weather in Canada and the USA. These extreme weather events on both sides of the Atlantic were linked to a persistent pattern of perturbations to the jet stream, over the Pacific Ocean and North America.
     
    The major changes in the Pacific jet stream were driven by a persistent pattern of enhanced rainfall over Indonesia and the tropical West Pacific associated with higher than normal ocean temperatures in that region. The North Atlantic jet stream has also been unusually strong; this can be linked to exceptional wind patterns in the stratosphere with a very intense polar vortex.
     
    ...recent studies have suggested an increase in the intensity of Atlantic storms that take a more southerly track, typical of this winter's extreme weather. There is also an increasing body of evidence that shows that extreme daily rainfall rates are becoming more intense, and that the rate of increase is consistent with what is expected from the fundamental physics of a warming world. "
     
    The full report is here. If you have a view on global warming and climate change you should read it
     
    http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/1/2/Recent_Storms_Briefing_Final_SLR_20140211.pdf
  13. Zombie
    It seems increasingly likely Scotland will vote for independence in September and become a separate nation state. Most people in England and Wales don't seem too bothered at the moment. Maybe that will change between now and September's ballot. Not that it will make any difference because only Scottish residents get to vote
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     
    A lot of people have asked why is Scotland being given this ballot, including on this site. Well, if you believe in democracy then you must also believe in the right to self determination. The question then becomes at what point must people be granted their right through a ballot? And this is a practical question. There has to be some verifiable means to measure the level of pressure for separation. In the case of Scotland that pressure reached a tipping point in 2011 when the Scottish people voted-in the Scottish Nationalist Party with a "landslide" majority in the Scottish Parliament.
     
    So the answer to the "why?" question is... there is no other democratic option At best the other options are delay and obfuscation; at worst denial and oppression. And, as we know from history and what's going on right now in various countries, the end game there is violence and possible civil war.
     
    History also shows us that nation states are not fixed and permanent. Nothing is forever. And no generation can bind future generations.
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     
    So what will these islands look like after the split? Obviously, the United Kingdom will become the Former United Kingdom - or FUK - and Hadrian's Wall will need to be rebuilt to keep out those wild-eyed and dangerous hairy men in skirts...
     
    More seriously, both sides are now engaging in the political battle that will dominate UK politics over the next 7 months. Recently the UK govt removed a financial problem by accepting liability for all debt, which would remain with England and Wales if Scotland votes "yes". Alex Salmond, the SNP Leader and Scotland's First Minister, claimed this means Scotland will get to keep the pound with a simple tie-in to Bank of England oversight. Well, no. The fact is Salmond has made hundreds of pages of assumptions in his White Paper and two weeks ago Mark Carney, the Canadian Governor of the Bank of England, had a meeting with him to correct a few of those assumptions
     
    Scotland's economic viability as an independent nation is absolutely dependent on EU membership. There are several problems here that Salmond hasn't dealt with. First, EU membership terms would be much less favourable - no rebate for example - and there'd be a commitment to join the Euro. But Scotland wants to retain the pound - which is a bedrock of its financial plan - so how could it do this and not join the Euro? And retaining the pound means Scotland would not have control over its tax and spend policies - a major purpose of separation - because final say on those would be with our friendly Canadian Mark Carney, not Alex Salmond And how is this all going to work if the promised referendum on EU membership ends up with England, Wales and Northern Ireland leaving the EU?
     
    And what will happen to the Union Jack? And the BBC? And, and... So many questions...
     
    *this is an update to an earlier blog here http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/blog/504/entry-13245-scottish-independence/ *
  14. Zombie

    Climate Change

    By Zombie,

    Hmm. Gets a lot of strong reactions. Like religion
     
    First off "climate change" and "global warming". They are not the same words and they do not have the same meaning.
     
    However they are two sides of the same coin. Global warming is about averages. Climate change is about localized conditions. It's important not to conflate them.
     
    But guess what - that's exactly what the "strong reactors" do! So with all the cold weather records being broken in the US over the last week or so, the "strong reactors" have been triumphantly squawking "so this is global warming, eh????"
     
    It's been said that climate is what you expect... weather is what you get. So when the weather that you get is consistently deviating significantly from the weather that you expect then there comes a point where you need to change what you expect. At that point your climate has... changed
     
    See, it's really not that difficult
  15. Zombie

    Children and adults

    By Zombie,

    I've just been re-reading Second Wind, by Mickey S, about a guy, Joey, who has a very young child, Connor, and a new boyfriend, Ben, who he's only known a few months:

    "Although I teased Ben about his ulterior motives about getting a crib for Connor, I was thrilled with the idea. I wanted some 'alone time' with Ben in his bedroom as much as he did. But I was even more pleased about what his thought meant. I had heard single parents complain about the problems of dating when you have kids. It wasn't just finding time alone. If you got into a serious relationship the other person had to love your kid nearly as much as you did. "  
    I don't know when this story was originally written, but would someone with a new partner really feel that way today? When I was a child it was normal for adults I came into contact with at home to play with me. I loved the rough and tumble, being rolled over and tickled by relatives, uncles and family friends,and they would engage with me - talk to me, find out what I liked, what I was interested in. But move forward to the present and I find I can't do that - because that could be interpreted as potential "grooming".
     
    The unremitting news of one child abuse scandal after another has created a climate of fear and suspicion about children. In some respects rightly so, especially as we now know that many cases of child abuse involved close friends and family members. But in other respects this is toxic. It's like the shutters have been pulled down on families - inside is the immediate nuclear family unit, outside is everyone else, with those inside looking out at every one else with suspicion, questioning every approach, every contact, wondering... Tbh I just can't be done with that. Who wants to be a suspected paedophile every time they play with or just even talk to a child? So, effectively, for a long time now I've switched off all meaningful contact with anyone not "adult". It probably wasn't even a conscious choice to begin with, just an "awareness" of other people's possible fears. But over time it became a default behaviour, and maybe a defence. After all child abuse is the worst possible crime, probably ranking above multiple murder in the public mind, and the mere misinterpretation of normal and innocent behaviour would have devastating personal consequences.
     
    But the really sad thing is this has included my interactions with children of my own friends and family. It's been very business like - certainly no physical rough and tumble, nothing like the real, uninhibited and unsupervised contact I experienced with many adults and loved as a child. I hate myself for having done it - not fighting against it - and I despair at society, what it has become, and what it has lost. I see no way back to the childhood innocence and relationships with many adults that I enjoyed and learned from
  16. Zombie
    asamvav111 posted this depressing news item today
     
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25329065
     
    India's top court has upheld a law which criminalises gay sex, in a ruling seen as a major blow to gay rights. The Supreme Court ruling reverses a landmark 2009 Delhi High Court order which had decriminalised homosexual acts. The court said it was up to parliament to legislate on the issue.
    According to Section 377, a 153-year-old colonial-era law, a same-sex relationship is an "unnatural offence" and punishable by a 10-year jail term. Several political, social and religious groups had petitioned the Supreme Court to have the law reinstated in the wake of the 2009 court ruling.
     
    Correspondents say although the law has rarely - if ever - been used to prosecute anyone for consensual sex, it has often been used by the police to harass homosexuals. Also, in deeply conservative India, homosexuality is a taboo and many people still regard same-sex relationships as illegitimate.
    The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says some politicians have spoken out against the court decision - but many believe it is going to be difficult for them to take on the anti-gay lobby.
     
    A 153-year-old colonial law describes a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence"
     
    'Black day'
    "It is up to parliament to legislate on this issue," Justice GS Singhvi, the head of the two-judge Supreme Court bench, said in Wednesday's ruling, which came on his last day before retiring. "The legislature must consider deleting this provision (Section 377) from law as per the recommendations of the attorney general," he added. India's Law Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters the government would respect the ruling but did not say whether there were plans to amend the law. Correspondents say any new legislation is unlikely soon - general elections are due next year.
     
    Gay rights activists have described Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling as "disappointing" and said they would approach the court to review its decision. "Such a decision was totally unexpected from the top court. It is a black day," Arvind Narrain, a lawyer for the Alternative Law Forum gay rights group, told reporters. "We are very angry about this regressive decision of the court," he said. "This decision is a body-blow to people's rights to equality, privacy and dignity," G Ananthapadmanabhan of Amnesty International India said in a statement. "It is hard not to feel let down by this judgement, which has taken India back several years in its commitment to protect basic rights," he added.
     
    However, the ruling has been welcomed by religious groups, particularly leaders of India's Muslim and Christian communities, who had challenged the Delhi High Court order.
     
    Many
     
    Many religious and political groups had opposed decriminalisation of gay sex
     
    "The Supreme Court has upheld the century-old traditions of India, the court is not suppressing any citizen, instead it is understanding the beliefs and values of the large majority of the country," Zafaryab Jilani, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, told BBC Hindi. In its 2009 ruling, the Delhi High Court had described Section 377 as discriminatory and said gay sex between consenting adults should not be treated as a crime. The ruling was widely and visibly welcomed by India's gay community, which said the judgement would help protect them from harassment and persecution.
     
    Analysis - by Geeta Pandey BBC News, Delhi
    The Supreme Court ruling has come as a huge surprise for activists who have described it as "retrograde" and say this is "a black day" for gay rights in India. They have campaigned for years for acceptance in India's deeply conservative society and many have vowed to carry on the fight for "their constitutional right". Nobody expected the Supreme Court, often seen as a last recourse for citizens faced with an unresponsive government, to reverse an order many had hailed as a landmark. As Justice GS Singhvi announced the order, activists and members of the gay and lesbian community present outside the court began crying and hugging each other. Some asked if after the court ruling, they had become criminals.
     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


     
    I am deeply ashamed to say my country is to blame for imposing this terrible law under British Rule of India. This law has nothing to do with India's traditions but everything to do with Victorian obsessions about sex - a poisonous obsession that was exported across the World, and in many countries - including the US - this still prevails. This outdated, imposed and irrelevant law is as relevant to India as the court saying India should once again be a British colony. Ridiculous and very very sad.
     
    But we are seeing progress being turned back in an alarming number of countries: Russia, India, Nigeria - the list is deeply worrying. And at the root of it all seems to be religion. We need to remember that "progress" can be a two way street
     
    There is a real problem with words like "democracy" and also "terrorism" - these words are being used more and more to justify repressive measures against minorities.
     
    People often mistake democracy for the "will of the majority". But it isn't. At least not in a plural, healthy and culturally diverse society. Because "will of the majority" inevitably leads to tyranny of minorities. All of them. Because all societies have lots and lots and lots of minorities. And everyone falls into one or more minorities at some time or other. So next time "the majority" could be coming for "you". People need to be reminded of that
  17. Zombie

    How we treat dogs

    By Zombie,

    The other week I posted a pic of a dog, clipped to make it seem like it was wearing a certain type of garment.
     
    Someone posted in reply that it was "the cruelest hoax ever perpetrated on a dog".
     
    Well, it wasn't a hoax - it was real.
     
    And it wasn't cruel. Looking at the pic it's clear the "trim" was professionally done - just like this poodle
     

     
    There's no evidence that the dog whose pic I posted was caused any discomfort, let alone pain. And in time the dog's hair would grow back. So no harm done.
     
    Or was there?
     
    What was done to that dog was certainly in bad taste. But worse, it transformed an animal from looking like it should into an object of ridicule, for people's amusement - including, presumably, the owner's - and to be laughed at.
     
    What sort of owner would do that? And what should a dog look like anyway?
     
    Isn't the poodle also disturbing?
     
    Fact is, all domesticated dogs are creatures of man. We have shaped them to look as they do. Over hundreds of generations of inbreeding we have exaggerated certain traits to create "pedigrees" that are - I usually avoid this word but here it is apt - unnatural. Many "pedigrees" are prone to all kinds of health problems and are often produced for huge profit at "puppy farms". For our own amusement and vanity.
     
    So for me, next time I have an overwhelming desire to have another dog I'll be off to the pet rescue centre to pick a Heinz Variety
  18. Zombie
    Same-sex marriage is set to become law in England and Wales later this week. Scotland is on course to adopt a similar change in the law.
    All main political parties in Britain have united to back gay marriage in Britain. That's
     
    - the Conservative Party
    - the Labour Party
    - the Liberal Party
    - the Scottish Nationalist Party
     
    This includes protections for transgender couples, which will allow people to change sex and remain married.
     
    The bill allowing same-sex couples to marry in England and Wales has passed its final hurdle in Parliament. The government legislation is now due to get royal assent, after which it is likely to become law later this week.
     
    The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaderships all backed the bill, after the Lords approved the changes on Monday. It is expected that the first gay and lesbian wedding ceremonies will take place by summer next year.
     
    Under the terms of the the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, religious organisations will have to "opt in" to offering weddings, with the Church of England and Church in Wales being banned in law from doing so.
    'Bulldozed' MPs decided not oppose a number of minor changes agreed by the House of Lords.
     
    Among these were protections for transgender couples, which will allow people to change sex and remain married ...
    During the Commons debate, equalities minister Maria Miller said people should be free to marry "regardless of sexuality or gender". The passing of the bill was "clear affirmation" that "respect for each and every person is paramount, regardless of age, religion, gender, ethnicity or sexuality", she added.
     
    Western countries are rapidly moving forward on gay rights - those that don't will increasingly look like reactionary dinosaurs, clinging to old fashioned and outmoded ideas.
     
    In the end it is MONEY that will bring all laggardly western countries together on this.
     
    Because if there is one thing every western country understands and values most of all ... it is money
    Money trumps EVERYTHING
     
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23338279
  19. Zombie

    Scottish independence?

    By Zombie,

    Bad news: this has had to be moved from The Lounge
    Good news: you can now say what you like
     
     
    Next year Scottish residents will get to vote in a referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent country. For this process to work you have to have an appropriate question. One that is simple to understand and neutrally worded.
     
    Responsibility for coming up with a suitable wording was delegated to an independent body, the Electoral Commission, and has been accepted by the UK and Scottish governments. The question the Scottish National Party wanted was “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country”. Language is a complex thing and the subtlest choice of words can influence behaviours. After extensive testing it was decided that "Do you agree" has innate bias because it tends to incline neutral voters to a positive view i.e. to support whatever is being proposed. So the question that Scottish voters will be asked next year will be:
     
    “Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes / No.”
     
    The commission has also proposed arrangements for campaign funding so that both "sides" have equal spending power.
     
    Scotland has always had its own distinct identity, including a distinct legal system, but joined with England in 1707, under the Acts of Union, to create a new nation Great Britain. Under these acts Scotland retained its identity and legal system but the new nation combined national functions like treasury, defence and foreign policy.
     
    Interestingly it was assumed that "England" included Wales - a Principality - but legally this was not watertight. So 40 years later a further Act was passed to confirm this. Even more curious, it specifically included the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. This town had swapped backwards and forwards between England and Scotland so many times that no-one was quite sure where it belonged! So, just to be on the safe side, they bunged it into this Act as well - the Wales and Berwick Act 1746
     
    In Britain we don't have referendums on laws, only on constitutional matters. That's because under our Parliamentary system of government we elect a representative - a Member of Parliament [called an "MP"] - to act on behalf of constituency voters and use his / her judgment when voting in the legislative chamber [the "House of Commons"]. But where there is an issue concerning the nation state at the highest level convention has developed that these matters are put to the nation.
     
    That's what happened in 1975 when Britain was negotiating to join the European Common Market [which is what it was then - an international free trade area on agreed terms], and we may get another referendum on whether we want to leave [recently promised by the Prime Minister - yeah, right, government promises heheheh].
     
    And that's what's going to happen next year - because for some time more and more people in Scotland have been seeking separation. At some point a tipping point is reached where politicians have to decide how to respond. In some countries this can lead to fighting and insurrection. But the UK is a mature democracy and the referendum process is obviously a more democratic and humane response
     
    So now it's up to the Scottish voters. Personally I hope they vote to retain the Union because I think Great Britain is a more viable entity than two separated nation states, and disentanglement will be a complicated and expensive business.
     
    As the song says "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" but if the Scottish people decide to part company then so be it.
  20. Zombie
    Britain's Parliament is taking off two days - today and tomorrow - to debate a bill to introduce gay marriage in England and Wales backed by the Conservative / Liberal coalition. At the moment it seems likely to go through and become law allowing gays to get married despite the "swivel-eyed loons", the description given by a senior Conservative to describe "grass roots" Conservative Party members - essentially elderly coffin dodgers - who are angrily opposed to gay marriage. There are plans too in Scotland for a similar gay marriage law.
  21. Zombie

    Colonisation

    By Zombie,

    Ghostboy posted a comment in "Gorilla Glass"
    "There is nothing that can be imagined that can't be accomplished. It might take a long time for some things to reach the point of viability, but it will happen. The only thing that worries me is there might not be enough time to do it all. One of the things that we seem to be failing at is maintaining the planet we depend on for survival. The big idea in that respect seems to be figuring out how to colonize other planets in time to save a few humans before the earth becomes unlivable. It's no fun imagining the earth as a big cemetery. Maybe, if people can pay attention long enough, we can still save our home. It's a thought. It's a dream. I hope it's a dream that comes true. "
     
    As Ghostboy says, Earth is our home in the Solar System. If we fuck it up then we do likewise to ourselves as a species. But what does this mean? People use phrases like "we're wrecking the planet". Well, no we're not. Earth will still be around. What we are doing is changing the incredibly complex and interconnected systems - which we do not fully understand either individually, or how they interact with each other - that enable us to sustain our existence on this ball of rock. So when we change these systems, for example by making species go extinct by destroying their habitats, or by emitting halon gases into the atmosphere, we risk changing the physical and biological environment that is necessary for us to survive and prosper as a species. Earth has seen millions of species go extinct through no fault of their own - and we are no different. Except we could also be the first species to go extinct because of our own fault
     
    Ghostboy raises an idea that some people hold that it's not so bad if we fuck up on Earth. If that happens - and some don't seem to care or be bothered - we just move somewhere else. What they probably mean is "we the privileged and very wealthy" can escape somewhere else.
     
    Sorry to disillusion you, guys, but "we're all in it together". Yes, that includes you, the privileged rich and wealthy. There is no "escape" option, for several reasons. First, despite Elon Musk's ridiculous announcements, we are not going to other planets any time soon. We are still in the stone age as far as space travel goes, using the technology of Nazi Germany. Second, if we can't even manage our own planet's environment why would we be any better trying to manage another planet's environment? Never mind successfully achieving the "terraforming" beloved by sci-fi story writers.
     
    Finally, even if we could overcome all those obstacles there's one we can't overcome, and that's gravity. Or rather lack or it. Gravity on the Moon is about one sixth Earth's, and on Mars it's about one third. Human bodies are not designed to live in low gravity, our bones dissolve and we would be literally crippled. Creating and maintaining gravity equal to the Earth's can only be done in one place - and that's here on Earth The only possible alternative planet in terms of gravity is Venus. And if you think global warming on Earth is a problem, turn your telescope to the lead-melting cauldron of Venus
     
    So there is no alternative. We have to understand our physical and biological planetary environment mechanisms much better than we do, and we have to change our collective attitude to what we do on Earth and how we treat it. Ghostboy is right - Earth is our home, and you don't shit all over your own home. Not if you want to be able to keep on living there.
  22. Zombie
    I gave up long ago taking seriously - if I ever did - the posturing by economists that they truly understand how economies work and what actions really need to be taken to deliver a healthy and sustainable economy. Because it seems to me they're charlatans, the proverbial snake oil salesmen peddling their own patent remedies under the guise of "wisdom and knowledge", when the reality is that modern economies are underpinned by smoke and mirrors - the illusion of wealth that is "money". British banknotes state “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of [the note's value]" signed by the Chief Cashier of the Bank of England. But these are just promisory notes, and the promise is worthless.
     
    Right at the centre are the shareholder owned banks - the middle men given control of all this worthless money that the government prints but which drives the smoke machines and the rotating mirrors. The claim is that banks lend to business, that generates wealth, and we all get richer as a result. But they're not doing this. Despite the astonishingly low rates of interest we have apparently had now for more than five years, banks are not lending to business, or if they are it is on such unfavourable terms - personal guarantees by business owners against their own property, or at usurious rates of interest, or both - as to be unacceptable and therefore irrelevant.
     
    So what is the point of banks if they're not lending to business? They dumped business banking years ago, and kicked out traditional "bank managers" who knew and understood their local businesses and had authority to lend to them, in favour of the low hanging fruit of mortgage lending and the easy pickings of speculating depositors money in the casino banking frenzy that enabled those at the controls of the banks to "enrich themselves beyond avarice". Problem is the banks now don't know what to do. They're been compelled to "de-risk" their activities which means holding more capital, and they lost the skills of business banking when they kicked out their highly knowledgeable business bankers.
     
    Figures released today show the UK economy grew by 0.3% over the last quarter. That's pathetic. And the reality is that "growth" occurred in the service sector while manufacturing continued to shrink. Surely if the government creates the money by just printing it they should now cut out the middle man - the banks - and start lending directly to business to get the economy moving. Or at the very least create a state owned Business Bank to challenge and compete with the private banks, to provide an alternative to the current system so that businesses can get the money they need. Because the current banking system is by any measure discredited, broken and not fit for purpose.
     
    But, hey, what do I know - I'm not an economist
  23. Zombie
    Today the prosecution completed their case with the final summing up. The defence summing up starts tomorrow.
     
    This trial's now been going on for over 5 months and I am sick of seeing the face of OP. The sooner this trial is over and this dangerous psychopath is locked up "for life" - 25 years - the better.
     
    There, I feel better already
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