My Music Folder

After putting it off for months, I finally got round to sorting out my music on my PC.

All of my CD's have been transferred to my Hard Drive at 320KBPS and I 'acquire' MP3's at the same rate or higher.

Anything less and sound quality really suffers in my opinion!

Anyway, when I finally finished, I had 338 different artists consisting of 1,114 Albums and 14,260 individual tracks, which works out at 37 days non-stop music!

I obviously have far too much time on my hands!

Warning over surgery kit cleaning

A plan to move the sterilisation of surgical equipment out of hospitals is "a recipe for chaos", a group of surgeons has said.

The government wants instruments to be cleaned at about 50 new "super centres" across England and Wales, each serving all hospitals in a region.

I appreciate that the NHS needs to be cost effective, but the outsourcing of operationally critical functions is becoming ridiculous!

What next?

Well, if you require stitches, we could send patients to a local tailor? Or maybe we could allow Vetinary Surgeons perform minor operations on the low-income patients?

I'd like to propose that random drug testing be compulsory for all members of Government Steering Bodies be enforced immediately!

Teenagers to run as councillors

Teenagers are among those running for seats on their local council, after the candidacy age was lowered from 21.

Thirteen English councils have candidates aged 18 to 21 standing in the 3 May elections, following changes to the Electoral Administration Act.

What the hell is going on?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the younger generation getting involved in politics, but should we really consider voting someone into a position of power and responsibility who has very little life experience and a certain amount of immaturity?

I'm not being ageist here, God knows we've left the next generation with a massive job of fixing the environment and society, but entrusting this responsibility to someone so young?

Apology for 'idiots' election ban

A council has apologised for banning "lunatics, idiots, deaf and dumb" people from standing for election.

An election pack issued by Bournemouth Borough Council stated that "lunatics and idiots" and "deaf and dumb persons" were disqualified from standing.

Just as well this isn't enforced or else we'd have no government representatives would we?

Further Evidence Of A Screwed Up Society!

CCTV cameras equipped with loudspeakers are to give a public telling-off to people behaving badly in crime hotspots across 20 English towns and cities.

Children's voices are to be used initially to make the encounter less confrontational. In Middlesbrough they have been used to deal with littering, drunken and disorderly behaviour and vandalism, and even to disperse intimidating groups loitering in shopping areas and on housing estates.

CCTV footage released yesterday showed a reveller on a street in Middlesbrough being watched after picking up a traffic cone and hitting a public phone box with it. A voice boomed out from the speaker attached to the camera: "Warning you in the dark T-shirt, you are being monitored by CCTV. Please put the traffic cone back where you found it, thank you." The man put down the cone and went on his way.

Oh My God!

Who came up with this one I wonder? Not only is it ludicrous to think that anyone who is intent on causing a disturbance will actually listen to these "voices of God" but what idiot came up with the idea of using a child's voice?

Can you imagine being told by a pre-pubescent voice to refrain from whatever activity you have been caught doing? It's ludicrous, ridiculous and naive to think that this is going to work!

Instead of making resources available for this ineffectual use of technology, surely it would be better spent on education and providing facilities for the young 'uns to use to keep them off the streets in the first place?

What's going to be next I wonder? Remote control tasers? Tranquiliser darts operated remotely? I dread to think!

It astounds me that people who have the authority to endorse and promote these initiatives are so far away from reality that they think these things are actually going to make a significant difference.

I look forward to the next initiative to promote social change with baited breath!

Our Society Is Fooked!

I've just read this article that states that lie detecting software is going to be used by Jobcentres to ascertain if benefit claimants are lying about their claims.

Benefit fraud costs the UK 700 Million pounds a year.

All well and good I hear you say, and on the surface most people would tend to agree with you, but let me give you another piece of information connected with this story and then see if you feel the same.

More than £7 billion goes unclaimed each year in benefits and grants available to families and the elderly. Many people do not realise, for example, that tax credits are available to households with incomes of up £66,000.

So, the government sees fit to employ invasive software at an undisclosed cost to try and recoup the £700 million lost each year to fraudsters, which is 10% of the value of unclaimed benefits which REMAIN unclaimed because of untrained staff and unnecessary bureaucracy.

What the fook is going on with this country?

When was this little 'idea' put to the vote? Did YOU know this was being planned? Our government is making decisions for YOU that go against everything that stands for privacy, freedom of speech and civil liberty.

For fooks sake, do me a favour? Next time there is a local or general election, make the effort and try and find out what their ideas and their policys are before you dutifully put your little 'X' in the usual slot!

And if you don't vote, why the fook not? If you don't vote, you just show your apathy and willingness to let government (which DOESN'T mean "Better Than You"!) walk all over you and make decisions on your behalf that you personally don't agree with!

This country is going down the toilet, but what makes it even worse is the fact that the majority of you just sit back and let it happen! You are content to be "sheeple" and dutifully go to work, come home and close your door on the world.

As long as you have your big-screen TV's and nice little semi on a respectable housing estate which, incidentally, look as though they were designed by an 8 year old with a Lego set, you seem content to let the very serious problems with our society roll right over you.

"Fook you, I'm alright Jack" seems to be the rule of thumb today. We are judged by others on what we have, not who we are!

Things will never get better as long as the majority just act like "sheeple" and let these things happen without a word of malcontent!

WAKE UP PEOPLE!

This is EXACTLY what the ruling classes want and expect!

If you are happy with introductions into society of lie detectors and other such invasive technologies without being consulted, or if you are happy that the media gives you half the information you need to make an informed choice, or that YOUR government makes decisions and choices that have resulted in the UK being as hated around the world as the Americans, then I feel sorry for you, I truly do.

If you DON'T want to be a "sheeple", then get involved! Say something! Because the longer we sit back and let this happen, the worse it will become.

I sometimes think that we are becoming like the "Big Brother" society foretold in George Orwell's classic "1984" but I can honestly say that he was wrong, things are and will continue to be far worse than he predicted.

God help us all!

Blood Diamond

PLOTLINE

Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman.

Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life...or end it. Solomon, who has been taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields, finds the extraordinary gem and hides it at great risk, knowing if he is discovered, he will be killed instantly. But he also knows the diamond could not only provide the means to save his wife and daughters from a life as refugees but also help rescue his son, Dia, from an even worse fate as a child soldier.

Archer, who has made his living trading diamonds for arms, learns of Solomon's hidden stone while in prison for smuggling. He knows a diamond like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find valuable enough to be his ticket out of Africa and away from the cycle of violence and corruption in which he has been a willing player. Enter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist who is in Sierra Leone to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds, exposing the complicity of diamond industry leaders who have chosen profits over principles.

Maddy seeks out Archer as a source for her article, but soon finds it is he who needs her even more. With Maddy's help, Archer and Solomon embark on a dangerous trek through rebel territory. Archer needs Solomon to find and recover the valuable pink diamond, but Solomon seeks something far more precious...his son.

This film is on general release in the U.K. on 26th January 2007 and has already been nominated for a Golden Globe.

As some of you may be aware, I am something of a movie addict, and after reading the 'blurb' associated with this film, I eagerly anticipated watching this.

Overall, it's not a bad film. The scenery is spectacular, as you would expect from the setting, and the acting by DiCaprio (NOT one of my favourite actors!) is on a par with his performance in "Catch Me If You Can".

The supporting cast perform an adequate task and overall, the story is interesting enough to keep you occupied for a couple of hours.

As usual, a serious subject is approached in a typically American way in that it fails to accurately inform the audience and plays down the real issues that should have been addressed.

I don't know if I would suggest visiting the cinema to watch this, but I'd certainly say it's worth renting when it is released on DVD.

Overall, I'd give this 7/10.

Additional Info

The trade in 'Conflict Diamonds' (or 'Blood Diamonds', hence the film title) was brought to the attention of the U.N. in 2000, and as a result, all nations who traded in diamonds signed up to "The Kimberley Process" which endeavours to ensure that the trading of 'conflict diamonds' is stamped out.

99% of all diamonds are now from conflict free sources, so it has had a measure of success, especially when you know that 10 million people are involved worldwide with the diamond industry.

Some more facts:

1. Approximately $8.4 billion worth of diamonds a year come from African countries.
2. An estimated 65% of the world's diamonds come from African countries.
3. The revenue from diamonds is instrumental in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
4. Sierra Leone is now at peace and exported approximately $142 million diamonds in 2005.
5. Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13.
6. An estimated 5 million people have access to appropriate healthcare globally thanks to revenues from diamonds.

Have You Missed Me?

Probably not, but who cares eh?

Anyway, I've been away for FAR too long and I am pleased to let you know that I am going to be regularly updating my Blog again.

I've missed publishing my thoughts and ideas and I have so many things to say and update you on.

Anyway, I'll be posting daily and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a belated Happy New Year! I hope 2007 is better than last year, but not as good as the next!

'Speak' to you soon......

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones.

"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones."

What? Is this going to be a manic depressives 'must read' post, or am I so disillusioned with life that I feel compelled to draw you into my own nihilistic pessimism?

It appears that way, but in actual fact it's the opposite.

Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could be here in your place but who will never be born outnumber the grains of sand on all the beaches of Earth!

The moment of conception, 9 months before your birth, is the most decisive moment in your life, and no matter what happens after that, you have to be thankful and amazed! It's a moment of dizzying singularity!

We live on a planet that is all but perfect for our kind of life. Agreed, there are deserts, slums, poverty and misery, but compared with most planets, Earth is paradise!

What use is science? You could ask the same of a new-born baby.

But what the baby has is potential! As do each and every one of us.

A part of life should be devoted to living it, not just preventing or delaying its end.

Isn't it an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake upon it as opposed to never wondering why we were born?

Science enables us to understand and appreciate the most wonderful thing ever, ourselves!

There are approximately 100,000,000,000,000 cells in the human body, and the total area of these, inside each and every one of us, is enough to cover approximately 200 acres!

Amazing! And we are, each and every one of us!

So whenever you are feeling demoralised or down, remember that you are incredible! And never forget that life is for living, not enduring!

Be inquisitive, ask questions and enjoy life to the full because, no matter how you feel, it's a miracle that you are here at all!

Unweaving The Rainbow

Unweaving The Rainbow - Richard Dawkins (1998)

Some of you may have seen the link I put on here to Dawkins' revelations and personal theories on Religion and its affects on society today and the constant battle that has raged between religion and science. (If not, WHY not?)

Well, the gentleman in question seemed to strike a chord with me and I promised myself I would investigate further, hence the purchase of said book.

It has been said :

"We are the children of chaos, and the deep structure of change is decay. At root, there is only corruption, and the unstemmable tide of chaos. Gone is purpose; all that is left is direction. This is the bleakness we have to accept as we peer deeply and dispassionately into the heart of the Universe" - sic Peter Aitkens (The Second Law (1984))

Do any of us tie our personal hopes and ambitions to the ultimate fate of the universe? No, or else we would be insane! Our lives are ruled and governed by our personal perceptions, emotions and circumstances. And I for one truly believe that science, as opposed to being responsible of robbing our lives of meaning and purpose, can in fact give us a sense of wonder and hope.

Sorry if this seems a little 'highbrow' for most of you (or am I guilty AGAIN of underestimating other peoples intelligence and inquisitiveness?) but this subject matter is of interest to me and as such, I am keen to share my views and indeed, to receive the views of others, even if they are in direct contradiction of my own!

(Not the musings of a 'hairy palmed wank monkey', I think you'll agree?)

Anyway, expect many musings and thoughts as I plough through this book. I'll put my thoughts on this link, for those of you who are interested. And please, if you feel the need to comment/opinionate/deliberate, do so!

I look forward to sharing with you all......

I Live In The Middle Of Nowhere And Here's The Proof!

Well, as I wait for Dreamweaver to upload some files, which takes ages on this poxy connection of mine, I thought I'd share with you the headlines and features from the local paper "Fenland Citizen" which has a circulation of 41,193.

(What they fail to tell you is that approximately 35,000 of that figure is free circulation!)

Anyway, want to know what the headline is?

FIREWORK ARSON ALERT

Oh no, I hear you cry! There's a major criminal spate of attacks on Firework distributors and sellers in the area?

No.

People are using fireworks to start arson attacks on major public buildings?

No.

As it states in the paper ' a lit firework was posted through the door of Chartered Surveyors offices which went through an open interior door, leaving a black trail across the floor before impaling itself in a door leading to a storage area.'

Now, ignoring the image of a firework thrusting itself on some spike, therefore 'impaling' itself, what the paper fails to tell you is that the 'company' in question is run from a 2 up, 2 down terraced!

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but that hardly warrants an 'arson alert'! Obviously, the people round here haven't experienced urban life. I mean, come on! What are the local headlines in your neighbourhood?

But the headlines are shared this week with a half page spread on Buttercups Day Nursery having a Halloween themed day for the toddlers.

And it gets worse, much worse!

The first 5 pages subsequent to the shocking lead article contain these headings:

"Police Probe Attack" - 1 man had a fight outside a nightclub and had to be treated for minor injuries.
"Children Enjoy Spooky Disco" - Local youthgroups disco.
"Medium Helps In Murder Riddle" - because the police are hopeless, and it's an 8 year old case!
"Girl Braves Pain To Come Dancing" - she had a stress fracture of her left foot.
"Car Driver Saved Our Cats Life" - I kid you not! This is headline news round here!

Argh! Someone save me from monotony and tedium!

No wonder I spend so much time on Xbox.

After all, I could be launching fireworks at spiritualists dressed as ghouls attending the local disco whilst performing CPR on local wildlife!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my coma until next weeks thrilling instalment of local events!

NEW Forum Is Now Available!

Well, after all the faffing about, I now have a forum for us all!

You can find it HERE.

Feel free to register and PLEASE bear in mind that it is a 'work in progress' and as such, will not be perfect from day one!

So it is with deep sorrow that I am no longer going to post on my BLOG.

All my musings and opinions et al will now be restricted to the new Forum, so PLEASE come along and register.

At the very least, bookmark it in your Favourites and visit often, you are all more than welcome!

Hope to see you on there!

All the best, Nem 67 (aka Steve)