Europe, - Centre Of Culture

On Saturday night, my family and I settled down to watch that pinnacle of culture, - the Eurovision Song Contest. In brief, it is a contest where European countries each enter a song (and singer(s), group etc) with the aim of selecting through a democratic process, the best song.

A number of problems with this is the political nature of the voting, - Greece won't vote for Turkey or vice versa, the Balkan countries all vote for each other, but not for Serbia, the Balkan states also all vote for each other, and also for Russia so they aren't offended. Ironically, the only country to give us maximum points, considering our history, was Ireland!

But this year, there was only ever going to be one winner, a Finnish 5-member combo who sang an up-lifting little number called "Hard-Rock Hallelujah". What made me want them to do well was that a Finnish right-wing politician thought they should be withdrawn. Anything that upsets a right-winger is alright by me!

But what really appealed were the conservative, but imaginative costumes of the members of the band. Not something you would see in Gap! I thought they looked lovely and would make very good ambassadors of European culture.

Where's My Silver Lining?

I've not been in the loop a lot recently, and not been able to get around or do very much in blogland over the last week or so.

Work has been manic, including coping with a customer who called us and then went into an epileptic fit while on the phone. Ordering an ambulance in Manchester for an address in Edinburgh was a bit of a novel experience.

With so many staff off on holiday or sick, I've hardly had any time to scratch my bum, let alone take a decent breather. Customers, contrary to all established dictacts, are not always right. In fact, they are generally wrong on most things, ordering items or services they are neither knowledgeable or competent to have or use! On top of that, being asked for advice by colleagues about this and that every five minutes, and for which they should know the answer, just adds to my general feeling of mallaise! Sometimes, it feels I'm in charge of school classroom, except, children seem to have some idea of what they are doing, whereas my team don't!

At present, I'm looking for a new job in a company with prospects, but that in itself is just as stressful, and I feel it is 2 steps forward and 1 step back. I don't hate my job, but I want one where I can see where I could get to over the next 10 years and I have a team of staff that have some idea of what they should be doing and why they are there.

But all this has given me little time and inclination to blog in any meaningful way. The same old b*****ds are telling the same old lies and playing the same old games, and in the meantime, we, the ordinary sods who really keep this world going, get more and more dumped on us.

What I need is some hope!

When Are We Going To Stop Letting The Terrorists Win?

Each and every day brings yet another government attack on our hard fought and won civil liberties. Tony Blair is furious that the courts can go against government decisions based solely on the rule of law! The government want some Afghan hijackers to be returned to almost certain death in Afghanistan, which the courts disagreed with. The totalitarian Britain of Tony Blair's dreams is on hold for a little longer.

But a much more cogently argued attack on Tony Blair's position on civil liberties and rights was argued in the Observer this weekend. I would recommend every one to have a read of it as it talks a lot of sense. Tony Blair (along with Bush in America) has set himself up as the protector of British "way of life", but seems ignorant of the fact that our "way of life" includes honesty, probity, fairness and the rule of law.

Every time we chip away our fabric of civil rights and liberties, the terrorist wins, and it is this intolerant and dictatorial government that glorifies terrorism.

This weekend, I got a copy of Neil Young's Living with War. Well worth listening to.

Big Brother? This Getting Out Of Control!

A regular read of mine is Moxiegrrrl who posted this particular post which should shock all and every honest American. A further report can be found at USA Today which, apparently, broke the story wide open.

I'll not repeat the details here, but ask that you read the links above, but in a nutshell, the NSA has been secretly compiling what is probably the biggest database in the history of computing storing phone activities of American people. All done with the connivance of the major phone companies after the White House cried 'terrorist'.

Is it just me, or has all semblance of reason now been abandoned in the pursuit of control and invasion of privacy? This is government intrusion well beyond what is acceptable. It is the sort of action one would expect in totalitarian regimes, not in a democratic, freedom loving country.

The nagging worry for me is that if it is happening over there, is it happening here and we just don't know about it yet.

Photographic Memories

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I had started to scan the best of my photo collection onto the PC as a sort of backup, - as well as making it available for easy viewing. When I started, I knew it would be a long and slow process, but I hadn't counted on the emotional ride it would take me on.

It's strange how we take photos look at them and then stuff them into boxes, never to be seen again. Some of the pictures I've been going through have only been seen the once, and that's a shame. The memories, these pictures have brought back have been startling. The picture of my Uncle John with his brother, my Dad, over from Australia for a visit. They are sitting on a grassy bank watching a display at the Wirral show with Bethen, my daughter sitting in the middle beaming her head off. Beautiful picture, but sad. Shortly after returning to Australia, Uncle John died.

Other pictures include Dad's other siblings, my Auntie Margaret and Uncle Norman, both also now died, others include pictures of my wife's family and relations now departed sad memories.

But other memories are much happier, - the girls as babies, other people who were important to me in the past. Places that have and hold memories both good and bad. This project, which at the rate I'm going, has some way to run, and more revelations no doubt. But what it has taught me, old photos are important and were taken to be looked at.

They're All Guilty, So Stop Whining

The great defender and upholder of civil rights, President Bush, made an extraordinary statement on German TV over the weekend. Talking about Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-Ray, he said, "Of course Guantanamo Bay is a delicate issue for people. I would love to close the camp and put the prisoners on trial".

He went on to say, "Out top court must still rule on whether they should go before a civil or military court". This top court I believe, is the Supreme Court which Bush has gerrymandered so that it is likely to do what he wants. He goes on, "They will get their day in court". However, it is now that he reveals something extraordinary. He concludes, "One can't say that of the people that they killed. They didn't give these people the opportunity for a fair trial".

This is an amazing statement and raises some issues. First off, Bush and his gang have always maintained that they were not soldiers and so not subject to the Geneva Convention, so if the Supreme Court decide they should be tried by a military court, what does that say about their designation. Of course, if the trial is in a civil court, then a lot more information will come out to the general public which I'm sure Bush does not want to come out.

Secondly, that statement must surely be seen as prejudicial to any future trial when the president of the United States says they are killers. My point is that all these people are innocent, - they haven't even been charged. Surely if the authorities were sure of a person's guilt, as Bush seems to be, then get them charged, get them in front of a judge and jury and let's hear the evidence, and then, maybe, I'll be able to get off Bush's back.

One other thing Bush divulged in his interview, was that the highlight of his Presidency was catching a 7.5lb perch in his lake! Well, bully for him.

We Can Save The World

Recent newspaper and magazine stories have reported encouraging news in the battle to save the ozone layer, and in particular, closing the Ozone Hole. Technology News, The New Scientist, Reuters and others have all recently stated that at present rates of progress, the Ozone Hole should be closed by 2050.

The 1987 Montreal Protocol banned the use of CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) as aerosol propellants and in refridgerators. 180 countries ratified the protocol, - including Republican led America and Thatcher led Britain, and this leads me to a hope that man-made damage can be repaired given brave, collective will and leadership from those countries that should provide an example.

It is strange to think that those times could almost be considered enlightened times, compared to the negative, head-in-the-sand, self-serving attitudes of those in present day leadership positions. Many of those reports go on to say that the upper, protective atmospheric layer is still under attack, primarily from nitrous and carbon compounds, which we are doing next to nothing to stop.

The tenuous and fragile progress in the repair of the ozone layer should be proof that when mankind stands together, we can make a real difference. All it takes is some backbone from those in positions to take a lead.

A Link With The Past

Recently, I've started a new project which is to go through all the photographs I've managed to retain over the years, select the best, - or at least those I think are best, or have special significance, and scan them onto the computer. Some of them may even find their way onto Flickr (some already have).

It has, so far, been a fascinating voyage, and I've come across some interesting pictures. Of course I have tons of the girls in their early years, but I've also got many pictures that go well back into the past before being married or having a family. I've still got the pictures I took during a 'glamour' day at the Photographer's Club in London, Deer in Richmond Park, even an ex-girlfriend! These are all memories, and were important to me at the time, and many still have a relevance today. I'm sure there will be many more memories in the boxes I have to go through. I just wish I had gone for quality rather than quantity.

However, one thing I did find which made me stop for a while was a brown envelope sitting at the bottom of the box. It is address to me and had been posted at 1:30pm on the 10th February 1956 in Manchester. On opening it I found a birthday card that had been sent to me for my 3rd birthday from my Granddad and Nanna, my mother's father and mother. My birthday is on the 12th February.


Inside the card was a letter.

The beautifully handwritten letter had been written by Granddad to wish me a very happy birthday, and had probably accompanied a 10 shilling note for Mum to buy me something. At the age of three, I probably would not have read the letter myself, and I'm sure it was more a letter from a father to a beloved daughter. However, one paragraph struck me as I re-read this letter. In it Granddad said that he was "back between the blankets for a day or two". He goes on to say that, "I am not too bad, but I have shivered all over." Granddad was none too well and had gone back to bed.

On the back of the envelope is a short note from my mother:


"Granddad died - 8.20pm, 11th February 1956". The day before my 3rd Birthday, and my card and letter was the last thing he ever wrote.

The Rules Of Cricket

The 2006 cricket season has started, and, of course, it is raining! After last year's efforts by the England team thrashing the Aussies at a game they thought they were the world's best at, it is going to be very hard to beat. Lancashire, my local county side, should be in-line for a trophy or two as the team now looks a bit more balanced and experienced.

However, I have recently become the Boston Red Sox's (I wish that Americans learnt to spell!) biggest fan, but when I went onto the sites about them and rounders in general, I could not find anything to explain the rules. Because of that, I thought it would be useful if I provided a summary of the rules of cricket for those who don't understand the game. They are really quite simple, so here they are in a nutshell:

You have 2 sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in, until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in, and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When both sides have been in and out, including the not outs, that's the end of the game.

Clear?

Spitting

First off, fortunately, I couldn't find a picture that portrays my disgust at this habit, - which is probably a good thing.

I travel to work each day on public transport and most days there is some callow youth standing on the platform spitting every 30 seconds or so. Some of these boys (I have rarely seen girls doing this) seem to enjoy sniffing up and pulling up enough sputum to sink the Titanic. Rolling it around the mouth as if savoring a fine wine, before ejecting it, with some velocity, onto the ground. It is disgusting!

But why do they do it? I don't need to spit, so why do they? Do they not have any idea what their activity does to other people? Have they no respect for the majority, non-spitting traveling public? Don't they know that they can easily spread disease? It doesn't help when TV have close-ups of sportsmen gobbing all over the pitch!

The other night I got to the station, walked to my favourite spot on the platform, went to put my bag down and noticed what seemed like a pint of the stuff. No, I'm pretty hardy about such things, but this almost turned my stomach.

I have tried to talk to a couple of these yobs, only to be told "F*** Off, Grandad, what you're going to do about it?" If only I was allowed to do what I wanted to do, he would have great difficulty spitting anything!

I'm all for youthful rebellion and contempt for adults, but this is going too far.

A Man And His Cat

This story really touched my heart:

A man came downstairs one morning and found his cat, lying very still on the kitchen floor.

Now he was very attached to the beast and didn't like to think the obvious, so he took it to the vet to see if there was anything could be done for it.

"Well," says the vet, "it looks a bit dead to me, but I can examine it professionally if you like. But it'll cost you fifty quid." So the man puts poor pussy on the table, the vet has a poke around its eyes and mouth and so on, turns round and says, "yes, I'm really sorry but your cat is definitely dead."

"But I'm really fond of my cat," says the man, "can I have a second opinion?"

"You can, but it'll cost you more," says the vet."Ok, Ok, anything." So the vet opens the door and whistles, and in strolls a big ginger tom-cat. It jumps up on the table, looks at the moggie, has a sniff, looks at the vet, shakes its head, jumps down and walks out. "There you are," says the vet. "The cat says it's dead. What more do you want?"

"But look, my cat's special, isn't there any hope at all?"

"I could get a third opinion for you, but it really will cost you."

"Ok, I don't care, my cat is worth it to me." So the vet opens the door and whistles again, and this time in walks a big black Labrador. It jumps up on the table, looks at the cat, has a sniff and a scratch, looks at the vet, shakes its head, jumps down and walks out. "I'm sorry," says the vet, "but there's no hope at all. I say your cat is dead, the tom says it's dead, and the Labrador says it's dead. That will be five hundred pounds please."

The man is pretty shocked by this. "You said it would be expensive, but I didn't expect that much. Why is it such a lot?"

"Well," says the vet. "Medical procedures are expensive. You could have just taken my word for it, but no, you had to go for the full CAT scan and lab tests..."

Death Of The High Street

Tesco underlined its dominance of the retail sector today by reporting annual profits of £2.21bn - almost 17% higher than a year earlier. It now commands almost 30% of the market and its position seems unassailable.

Six years ago, we moved to a small town on the outskirts of Wigan, and at the time there was a thriving High Street. There were shops of all kinds, including a super-market which housed the local Post Office, but 3 years ago, the super-market closed, Tesco bought the site and put up a mediumn sized super-market in its place. Of course, with the prices that Tesco is able to charge, there was no competition from the high street, and now a third of the shops are closed and boarded up. The local diversity that once existed has been destroyed, and will probably never return.

But it is their tactics that seem very mercenary and preditary. For example, they have bought large tracts of land in prime locations with the sole purpose of stopping rivals and local competitors from getting a foot hold. These "land banks" have recently been criticised by the Office of Fair Trading and is considering taking it to the Competition Commission. In other places, they swamp the area, again, with the objective of killing off any meaningful competition. Aberdeen has four Tesco super stores around it's perimeter, with a couple of Tesco Metro's and Expresses within the city for good measure.

In response to Tesco's "booming" profits today, Friends of the Earth (FoE) said it was "time to put the brakes on the Tesco juggernaut". An FoE campaigner, Sandra Bell, said: "The government and competition authorities must recognise the value of small shops to local communities and create an environment that allows retail choice to flourish."

I'm not against super-markets in principle. They do have a role to play, but I feel that it is dangerous when one company has such a stranglehold in the market, and is openly searching for ways to increase that share. There has to be room for diversity, or we will all be living in Tescoland!

Holiday Over

Tomorrow, it's back to work. Oh joy!

My small week of freedom and liberty has come to an end. No more the pleasure of getting up and making my own decisions about the day. No more the delight of looking at the weather and deciding that a day of day-time TV is just what the doctor ordered.

No! It's back to routine. Catching the train, walking to the office, the same problems day in day out, the lack of choice in how I choose to conduct my life.

It's not a bad job as jobs go, and I suppose I should feel privileged to have one, but I just feel that I'm missing opportunities in those parts of my life that matter.

I'm fed-up!

Huddersfield Narrow Canal

For our first major bike ride of the year, I decided to search for pastures new and chose to do a stretch of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. This canal starts in Ashton-Under-Lyne, about 8 miles east of Manchester at a point where 3 canals meet. The Ashton canal that runs to Manchester, and the Forest Peak canal that runs south towards the Peak District in Derbyshire. The canal rises very quickly through numerous locks towards the Pennines and at Diggle, it enters the Standedge Tunnel which runs for approximately 2 miles under Pule Hill to Marsden. Unfortunately there isn't a tow-path, so for us to reach Huddersfield, we'll have to go over!

Jayne and I, armed with our Greater Manchester Ranger tickets, set off by train from Hindley to Greenfield which is about 5 miles north-east of Stalybridge, about 9 miles up the canal from Ashton-Under-Lyne. Here, we joined the canal and started riding north-east up the canal towards the Pennines.

It becomes very quickly apparent that this canal is not for the faint hearted. It is a rugged, tough, no-nonsense canal. The locks are many and most of them have steps rather than a slope up the side so bikes have to be pushed. However, the hard work is rewarded by the magnificent views of the hills and the changing countryside the canal transcends.

We cycled on to Diggle and stopped to re-assess the situation. I could clearly see the hill we would have to go over, and in our present state of fitness, I felt it would be a step too far, so I decided we would descend the canal and cycle down to Stalybridge. This was a reasonably straight-forward ride, and it was interesting to see how the countryside changes from rugged moorland to a softer, more gentle countryside the further down we went. Throughout the ride, we never really lost site of the dark imposing bulk of Saddleworth Moor, and the canal has constant companions in the form of the railway and the River Tame.




Stopped for lunch at the Tollemarche Arms in Mossley and enjoyed a refreshing pint of Hatters. In the beer garden, there is a bench that commemorates a favoured local - now that's the way I would like to be remembered! From there, the canal drops down towards Stalybridge, running through Scout Tunnel which has a towpath. It was a bit creepy in the middle, but there were railings to stop us from falling in.


Arriving at Stalybridge, we found the station, and in particular, the station buffet bar which is a reasonable restoration of a 1930's/1940's buffet bar, - think Brief Encounter. It serves good food, and an interesting range of real ales, - mine was a pint of Miller's. From there we got the train back home.

Not a massive ride, but a tough workout none-the-less. I saw enough to make me want to go back again, and a few more rides will ensure that we can make it over the hill next time, - even if we have to walk it!

For a complete set of pictures, you can find them here.

I'm Supporting The Boston Red Socks

Red Socks - Again, originally uploaded by markhsal.

I've been given to believe that there is a rounders team in America that many support called the Boston Red Socks (for some reason, some people spell it Sox - very strange!). As red is a favourite colour of mine and Jayne, we decided to become supporters too and get some red socks. As you can see, we also got the tea out so we could have a party - Earl Grey of course!

Rounders is a game loved by lots of girls and women over here, and I'm sure they would love to come across and play against the American rounders teams like the Red Socks.

I also hear that there is a team that plays in white socks! I wonder if other teams play in different coloured socks? How about green, brown, yellow, - perhaps pink, that would be nice. Mind you, it would be easier to spot if the kits were different colours, - socks must be very difficult to spot from a distance.

Happy Easter

Here's hoping you have a good, relaxing Easter Day, and that the Easter Bunny brings all your favourite chocolate.

If it hasn't got to you yet, it is on the way, - our back garden is full of the stuff! Mind you, with the world cat problem increasing each year, it does get tougher for it, - especially around Texas!

It's Finished

The decoration of the hall and stairs is now finished, and I think it looks a lot better. The space is lighter and feels more welcoming, but now we've got to find the right pictures to go on it to give it some colour and highlight.

Please Read This

Please read this and pass it on.

Thanks Sande.

Are We Or Are We Not Monkeys?

Two stories from the papers this weekend have brought into focus the evolution/creationist debate.

In the Guardian newspaper on Saturday, came a report about an animal, scientists have called Tiktaalik which provides evidence of the 'missing' link between fish and animals. This animal showed that the transfer from sea to land happened slowly, with fish first starting to inhabit shallow water, before moving onto land completely. Further details of this fascinating animal can be found here.

But then I read in the Observer newspaper, that John Mackay, and Australian geologist and leading member of the creationist movement, is coming to the UK to visit schools, universities and churches to put the view of 'Intelligent Design'. One of the arguments used by the creationists is that there are breaks in the fossil record, well, the story above which was first published in Nature, and hopefully, rigorously peer-reviewed, should knock a further dent in this particular 'scientific' theory.

I am very much an evolutionist, but as a believer in free speech, John Mackay has the right to his point of view. It's just that I wish the creationist theory could be debunked sooner rather than later, so mankind can move and evolve forward.

To All My Subscribers

My apologies to my subscribers who have not been receiving notification of changes to my blog, but there seems to have been a problem with Bloglet, the site that controls this activity. It appears to have lost its connection to my site.

Hopefully, that has now been restored.