Scargill

Archive for February, 2009

So, for me it’s all about learning and there is SO much to learn in the early 21st century.

Sadly, learning new things is not something that appeals to much of the world and as we’re seeing, it is religion as much as science that is shaping the world (recent terrorist events being prime examples but as you’ll see below, even in America, supposedly one of the more advanced countries – there are some terrifying influences at work). Hopefully with Mr Obama at the helm over in the states things might improve a little. I can’t see him having too much time for the religious right.

I recently watched a pair of TV programs by scientist Richard Dawkin which make me wish we’d already mastered space flight – so that some of us could go and live someplace where we can be sure of continued advancement – not something I think is guaranteed in this world – the program is about his travels in America and the religious head-cases he comes across. I recommend you watch these videos, if you’re short of time stick with the second part. This is worrying and if you’ve not seen them before – an eye-opener!

The Root of all Evil? Part I

The Root of All Evil? Part II

On the same page as the first video is a link to a video featuring a guy called Pastor Richard Haggard – an utter and complete nut. Worth watching to see just how stupid people can be.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBC5L6cyq2Y]

“It is an interesting and demonstrable fact, that all children are atheists and were religion not inculcated into their minds, they would remain so.” — Ernestine Rose

Does this remind you of anything: Britain struggling against the cold in the midst of an economic downturn, Power workers on strike with sympathetic strikes sprouting up all over the country, meanwhile our political rulers spend their time sucking up to the communists.

Well, if you’re pretty old,  you may be thinking about the 70’s – I seem to recall it was called “The winter of discontent”.  It seems our socialist government has learned nothing in the intermediate 30-odd years. A couple of inches of snow and the entire south comes to a grinding halt, meanwhile up in the North I had to cancel a trip yesterday not because my car would not work well on a gritted road but because despite phoning the council, no gritters were forthcoming up our way.  Its not even as if it were a surprise… we had ample warning from the weathermen and we still could not get our act together.

I recall things got so bad in the winter of discontent that my dad went out and bought a Honda generator… and watching the news last night as our racist power workers put us to shame, it seems that I might have to consider the same. But this is not the 70’s – there are a lot more of us and we rely on power to a FAR greater extent than ever before. Can you imagine the horrors awaiting us in a winter this cold without power?

I’d rather not… and as for Gordon Brown sucking up to the Chinese.. is there no moral limit to the phrase “business is business” ??

I wondered how long it would be before someone brought up this taboo subject, sadly it seems to be hidden away in a corner of the BBCs website  – maybe it should be on the front page.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7865332.stm

It may be politically incorrect to discuss but the maths is simple – less people means less consumption means less pollution.  I watched a video last night TED – on TV of all places in which a guy discussed the fact that methane as we know comes from livestock – most of which are there so we can eat them – and contributes 18% of greenhouse gases. Bearing in mind that there have always been greenhouse gases and the earth has always kept everything in balance, it seems to me that reducing livestock would make a considerable difference to the effect that greenhouse gases have on our planet. There are two ways to make this happen – if we had less people, we’d need less cattle. Alternatively if we simply ate less meat we’d also need less cattle. Given that the latter, by and large just isn’t going to happen thanks to multinational food giants and our insatiable greed, it seems that a reduced population would be a good second option. After all it’s not as if anyone is going to be hurt by avoiding pregnancies unless you’ve some mystical view of the world.

Of course something as simple as encouraging populations to have no more people than they can actually afford, back in the real world is a non-starter, we’ll probably wait until the population gets so high that a virus does it for us..  but at least now, hopefully the subject is on the discussion table where it should be.

I wondered how long it would be before someone brought up this taboo subject, sadly it seems to be hidden away in a corner of the BBCs website  – maybe it should be on the front page.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7865332.stm

It may be politically incorrect to discuss but the maths is simple – less people means less consumption means less pollution.  I watched a video last night TED – on TV of all places in which a guy discussed the fact that methane as we know comes from livestock – most of which are there so we can eat them – and contributes 18% of greenhouse gases. Bearing in mind that there have always been greenhouse gases and the earth has always kept everything in balance, it seems to me that reducing livestock would make a considerable difference to the effect that greenhouse gases have on our planet. There are two ways to make this happen – if we had less people, we’d need less cattle. Alternatively if we simply ate less meat we’d also need less cattle. Given that the latter, by and large just isn’t going to happen thanks to multinational food giants and our insatiable greed, it seems that a reduced population would be a good second option. After all it’s not as if anyone is going to be hurt by avoiding pregnancies unless you’ve some mystical view of the world.

Of course something as simple as encouraging populations to have no more people than they can actually afford, back in the real world is a non-starter, we’ll probably wait until the population gets so high that a virus does it for us..  but at least now, hopefully the subject is on the discussion table where it should be.

Does this remind you of anything: Britain struggling against the cold in the midst of an economic downturn, Power workers on strike with sympathetic strikes sprouting up all over the country, meanwhile our political rulers spend their time sucking up to the communists.

Well, if you’re pretty old,  you may be thinking about the 70’s – I seem to recall it was called “The winter of discontent”.  It seems our socialist government has learned nothing in the intermediate 30-odd years. A couple of inches of snow and the entire south comes to a grinding halt, meanwhile up in the North I had to cancel a trip yesterday not because my car would not work well on a gritted road but because despite phoning the council, no gritters were forthcoming up our way.  Its not even as if it were a surprise… we had ample warning from the weathermen and we still could not get our act together.

I recall things got so bad in the winter of discontent that my dad went out and bought a Honda generator… and watching the news last night as our racist power workers put us to shame, it seems that I might have to consider the same. But this is not the 70’s – there are a lot more of us and we rely on power to a FAR greater extent than ever before. Can you imagine the horrors awaiting us in a winter this cold without power?

I’d rather not… and as for Gordon Brown sucking up to the Chinese.. is there no moral limit to the phrase “business is business” ??

Can someone tell me, in a small country like Wales, surrounded by English speaking people, in the middle of the worst recession in living memory, are the Welsh INSISTING on pushing forward with making companies that deal with them publish materials in their language? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7863542.stm – the British people have shown we’re incapable of learning other languages (how many of us speak French for example, compared to our multi-lingual partners overseas).

Given our failure to take on other languages – there is NO chance of most of us adding Welsh to the list – so surely that is going to put companies, especially the smaller ones in England and Scotland, from dealing with Wales?? It might just be me  but at least when I see French I can make a STAB at the meaning – Welsh to me just looks like a random assortment of letters.

I assume there must be SOME benefit to this? Or is this another example of officialdom gone wrong – like this recent bus lane I drove past on the way from Celtic Manor in Wales back to the airport..

Note the bus lane on the left – taking up half of the road. It goes on for miles and despite being mid-day Saturday I did not spot ONE bus. I wonder who’s brilliant idea that was!