Quote of the Week

"Faith means not wanting to know what is true."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

In Living Memory

Whilst away some place across the big pond I received some news that a man I had worked with for many years had died. I was shocked and was thousands of miles away and wasn't due back for 2 weeks. Fortunately, the funeral was held on Friday and I managed to get my jet-lagged self to the various venues.
The deceased man and I had previously worked with a group of people who will forever be a big part of my life. Have you ever been amongst a group of people who were as different as chalk and cheese and yet somehow gelled as one big family, there for the highs and lows of life?

Here is an example of how close and loved people felt: one man had to retire from his work due to ill health. Let's call him Ahmed. He was the kind of person who would bore you to tears in meetings, the kind who wouldn't shut up and always turned a brief point into a 20 minute monologue! Ahmed was not one to take a hint that he had extended his speaking time and so verbal sledge hammers were employed to spare the ears of the meeting attendees. I had been away for many years and due to the recent death I was back in the fold again. Ahmed, I was told, even though he lived many miles away from his old workplace still found time/a reason to visit each week. He cared so much for the people, the job the warmth of these disparate people that he had to be in contact with them. I commented on it to an older Nigerian woman who was viewed with refeverence by all and she said, in a very soft voice, 'He's always welcome'. My heart melted. I understood why I was there, why I, myself, checked in with everyone now and again with the people who helped me to grow up. Who allowed me to be myself and showed real love and patience as I did so.

I recall a line manager saying to me that he cared about people there as if they were family, including me 'because we have a saying in Yoruba which means: he's a bastard, but he's our bastard'. Tolerance was mandatory. So was empathy, understanding and love. It seems very strange writing that about a workplace. Somewhere you are meant to go to check in and cash out. As a result of this experience I now find it almost impossible to be employed and prefer to work for myself. My only reason for leaving was due to luurrvve! (A long story - trust me!)

The man who died was the kind of person who always made you smile. A cheeky chappy who was married to a lovely woman and they had 2 lovely children together plus he had 2 older children who were close and loved by them both. Let's call him Andrew. He had an eye for the ladies but that was it, just an eye. He made jokes about the size of your bottom, or the swinging of hips or the cinched waist of a 'fine looking woman' in the office and never was there a murmur of 'sexual harrassment' - the women gave it right back and sometimes harder than he did! I know sexual harrassment is something that can have damaging consequences on people in the work place and I am not diminishing the pain it can cause, but in that place of work people were free to be themselves and if anyone stepped over the line a little private chat did the trick.
This in an environment which was like the United Nations - a multitude of races and cultures. Where organised lunches would see people bringing in fufu, barabrith, rice and peas and chicken, stuffed paratha, jolloffe rice, gulab jamun and pasta, amongst other dishes. Food from around the globe, made by the staff.

Andrew became ill at work and was sent to a hospital which, apparently, discharged him later that day and he fell ill again at home the same night, was returned to hospital in an ambulance and died within hours. His young wife was/is distraught. She has lost her best friend and she has pain oozing from every pore. It was difficult to even look at her at the funeral, her pain was so visible. She seemed to be permanently on the verge of collapse.
The church was packed, his work colleagues sang a song in tribute and his 10-year-old nephew sang Michael Jackson's 'You Are Not Alone' - confidently and beautifully. People broke down crying as they joined in on the chorus, myself included.
Through all the praying and calling to God I tried to put aside my atheist thoughts and focused on the fact that I was there because of my friend who had now died. The day was truly special and I was pleased that I was able to attend to offically celebrate his life and the joy that he brought into the lives of those he came into contact with.

It made me think about what would I want to happen when I die. As an atheist I previously thought that I didn't want any 'hacklings' (as my Father would say - meaning he didn't want any bother or fuss) and so if something had to be done then cremate me or chuck me in a large paper bag and let the animals eat me.
Now I think: I'll be dead! What do I care how someone chooses to dispose of my body or the ceremonies they choose to conduct because they feel the need to mark my death/life in some way? I couldn't care less. 'Whatever', as the Americans say.

I felt the need to purge my thoughts onto paper and so forgive the disjointed thoughts: just view them as a stream of conciousness, a collection of thoughts strung together after a few days of no sleep, jet lag and reflection.

For the Andrew's and Ahmed's of this world.

Jesus don't like all that stuff...

My experience.
On the train, packed like sardines in a tin. A young black woman talking into her mobile phone at high volume.

'Nah, well I told him that I can't see him anymore cos I gotta another love that I love more than him.'
Pause.
'Yeah, he didn't wanna understand that because of my love for Jesus I gotta break it off.'
Pause.
'Yeah, well the Pastor told me that Jesus takes care of everything in his own time and that I should
make sure that I am only serving Jesus in the right way.'
Pause.
I know. I know. I love him and all dat and he makes me feel good, Girl! He knows all the moves!! [laughs] But I gotta stop all that behaviour cos Jesus don't like all that stuff.'

Child Abuse (6)

Anti-Catholic? Moi?

Here we are in 2010, and as we watch the Catholic Church implode, let us spare a thought for those sheeple placing their shekels in the collection plates each week knowing that the group they have financially supported has covered up child rape and other forms of paedophilic abuse.
The Pope will visit London in the Autumn and he expects to be greeted by a loud group of protestors who have enough of this charade, this parade of nonsense.
The Catholic Church has a limited life span, most cults do - although this has lasted a couple of thousand years so as people move away from the confused, mixed messages we will undoubtedly see the new generations moving towards reason and rationale.
A friend of mine said recently, 'You are anti-Catholic'. I responded: 'No, I'm not anti-Catholic, I'm anti-bullshit.'

Hello, I'm Back!

Life has moved on in a whirl in a very positive way and I have moved into a beautiful apartment in a lovely area where the shopkeepers smile and say hello and have time to have a good old natter (chat/conversation).
I have loved ones close by and all is very good.

Why am I telling you this? Well, with all the packing and moving and all that entails I wondered if I had anything else to say on this blog. Time did not permit me to give any attention to it and so I chose to concentrate on making my new home as comfortable as possible. I have kept up to date with news and current affairs but mainly via the radio - the radio enables you to multi-task!

So much has happened: UK elections, oil disasters, Israel storming and killing personnel on aid vessel, Pope visit to the UK in financial difficulties and so much more. I will try to write about them when I am able to. What's been happening with you?

Observing Love

Recently I attended a jazz brunch at a lovely venue with great food. The 4-piece jazz band whipped up a storm as we ate and we couldn't help following the highs and lows with the music. A few hours spent in the company of a friend  - we desperately needed to catch up on our life experiences and just have a good old laugh, which we did.

The restaurant was within a busy train station and as we left we were both struck by a couple who were stood by the train with their heads together and hands holding the other's head. The embracing couple was one man crying, sobbing with his eyes closed and the other man was whispering comforting words to him. We watched this tender moment and I said, 'We need to see more of that on our streets'. My friend agreed and said, 'On the one hand I am pleased that they felt comfortable enough to ignore the bullshit that the society throws at gay people, but on the other I am scared for them.' I didn't quite understand and she explained that she was worried that someone could see them and cause them physical harm.

Isn't this world fucked up? Here are 2 people who are clearly in love, distressed about leaving each other and yet there's concern that some homophobe might decide to attack them. It is just too sad. So many things going on in the world and yet loving someone of the same sex could get you killed. Right in the centre of London someone had to feel fearful of the consequences of a same-sex embrace.

Powerful Testimony of the Effects of Religious Sexual Abuse

Brilliantly sad. If there was ever a need to dismantle religion then this is it.
If you comment then I promise to respond.
I will write another post about the Pope's'apology' shortly.

Quote of the Week:

'Humans are evolutionarily designed to be paranoid and they believe in God because they are paranoid.

'This innate bias towards paranoia served humans well when self-preservation and protection of their families and clans depended on extreme vigilance to all potential dangers.

'So, more intelligent children are likely to grow up to go against their natural evolutionary tendency to believe in God and they become atheists.'

             ~ Dr Satoshi Kanazawa
            an evolutionary psychologist from the London School of Economics and Political Science

'The British' - Benjamin Zephaniah

'The British' Take some Picts, Celts and Silures  And let them settle, Then overrun them with Roman conquerors. Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years Add lots of Norman French to some Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously. Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans, Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Sudanese. Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians And Pakistanis, Combine with some Guyanese And turn up the heat. Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians, Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese And Palestinians Then add to the melting pot. Leave the ingredients to simmer. As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish Binding them together with English. Allow time to be cool. Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future, Serve with justice And enjoy. Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste. Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.  - Benjamin Zephaniah

'The Catholic Church is a Force for Good in the World' - Debate: Stephen Fry

I enjoy listening to this man. Such an erudite, funny and clever orator. This is an extract from an Intelligence Squared debate and I recommend you spend a little time to hear the contributions from the other participants (the link takes you directly there).
Before you do that, here's a taster.
Stephen makes his point brilliantly and I would be interested to hear if you disagree with his views.

The Pope - The Bigot

The Pope is coming to the UK this year and just to ensure maximum publicity, he has announced that Britain has put in place laws which discriminate against the religious. He states that equal rights has gone too far basically it is wrong that Christians cannot discriminate against gay and lesbian people!
This should come as no surprise to those of us who know the history of the Catholic Church. Here's a quote from his speech:

"Your country is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. Yet as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed. I urge you as pastors to ensure that the church's moral teaching be always presented in its entirety and convincingly defended. Fidelity to the Gospel in no way restricts the freedom of others – on the contrary, it serves their freedom by offering them the truth. Continue to insist upon your right to participate in national debate through respectful dialogue with other elements in society. In doing so, you are not only maintaining long-standing British traditions of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion, but you are actually giving voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them: when so many of the population claim to be Christian, how could anyone dispute the Gospel's right to be heard?"

                                                                                                   Read the whole letter here.

Politics and control screwing up the lives of many and panic setting in as the flocks reduce in numbers             - all wrapped up in superstition for the sheeple.

Arrest That Man!

George Monbiot, a Journalist at the British newspaper 'The Guardian' has started a campaign aimed at advising members of the public how to carry out a citizen's arrest on Tony Blair. In case you don't know Mr Blair is the previous Prime Minister of the UK who did what most politicians do: lie, cheat and basically do everything to fatten the pockets of themselves and their cronies. Blair huffed and puffed and bullied those who stood in his way of charging into Iraq.

So Mr Monbiot has set up a website Arrest Blair where money is being collected to pay the person who carries out a citizens arrest on Mr Blair. He's advising that great care should be taken, not to put yourself in a compromising situation where you could be hurt or accused of causing Mr Blair or his entourage any form of harm.

I must say it is a tricky one. Difficult to execute and fraught with danger. More a public relations exercise.
                                                                                                                 
You see, we here in the UK are, on the whole, not very intelligent. Our brain cells have putrified over the years under the weight of too much telly, take-aways and shopping. Nothing too taxing, please. And definetly nothing as heavy duty as thinking - perish the thought! 'Now this Blair business - sounds like too much hassle, love.'
Now that's not all UK residents, but far too many to make for a society where the politicians know and believe that they are thereto serve the people and not the other way round. A place where the police protect the people from big-time criminals - and not the other way round.

As gimmicky as it might seem I think this is a wonderful idea.
Visit the site for yourself and if you are based in the UK or even anywhere else - thinking about contributing?


 image courtesy of Wikipedia

Quote of the Week

"If someone pointed a machine gun at my daughter and said:

"Say 'Jesus doesn't exist'" and if she turned to me and asked:
"What do I do?", I'd say:
 "What have I taught you to do?" And she'd say:  "Jesus absolutely exists." And I'd see her in heaven."
~ Stephen Baldwin (actor)

Haiti - Don't Pray, Please

The beauty of television is it can bring the horrors of the world right into your face. The earthquake in Haiti is one example.
Seeing those bodies piled on top of each other, people trapped under columns of concrete, some alive, barely breathing and some dead - all mixed up together. Awful.
Then images of women stood by the sea praying, earnestly, some thanking 'God' that their lives had been spared.
Amongst all the horrors this stood out to me and made me angry.
Such wasted time and effort in amongst all the chaos. So many people dead and all we humans can do is marvel and praise an imaginary god that our lives have been saved. The fact that this god must be a complete maniacal freak to wipe out 100,000+ people, men, women, children, babies but spared the life of those standing and praying into the wind...
So sad.

Quote of the Week

"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society"


 -J. Krishnamurthi

Have You Heard about The Garinagu People?

...Lest we forget.

I wanted to share this video as it illustrates, very clearly to me, that in spite of our differences - whether they be religious, racial, gender, height, weight, abilities - there are people who are just getting on with their lives as best they can. People who appear to have little materially, yet our warped values are shamed into admiring those who don't have to try to enjoy their lives - no hamsters on a wheel running on empty with the latest 'must have handbag'.

This video records beautiful elements of the Garinagu communities of coastal Central America.
You may not be familiar with their culture or music but their attempts to elevate their people to believe in themselves and their value is admirable.
Sadly Andy Palacio died last year but his legacy lives on.
Please share your thoughts.

P.S. Have fun in 2010!

Was That It...???: Copenhagen COP15

Have they finished? They packed up and went home with their tails between their legs. Or so it seemed.
The media couldn't decide if it was a success or a failure and it was funny to see the headlines lurching from one to other - even within the same publication/newscast.

No doubt they will regroup and work on another strategy to scare the people into parting with their cash.
Presenting one agreement as open to discussion and then having a 'secret document' under the table is nothing new and to be expected. 'It is only fair if YOU get shafted!'

At least it makes for interesting copy and they get free advertising. Can't wait to see what happens next!

'Please Help the World...'

From the opening ceremony of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15) in Copenhagen.

Glossy-Hollywood-Big Budget Propaganda. I wonder if you see the desperation of the messengers?

People Power

So there we have it. The murky world of man-made global warming-carbon credits-save the world slogans, sound bites and great marketing is unravelling and, at last, there may just be a glimpse, a dawning, that the Emperor has clothes, yes, but ones placed there by people with a big agenda.

It is interesting that my previous post on this matter garnered much comment, more criticism than praise, but some people dislike reality and smother themselves in the soft squidgy-ness of fantasy. Not so I.

We were being played and we did not recognise that the train some of us jumped on was actually a gravy train which we had no ownership of, no control over and our destination was solely in the direction of us being fleeced big time for big bucks ad infinitum.

The number of NGO’s with their noses in the trough is astounding. Groups who are receiving money to promote and assist in the cover up, whose current and future funding depends on how effective they are in getting the message out to the masses – you and me.

But hold on a minute: Some people woke up!! Some smelt the coffee and thought ‘Bollocks! This is too big a con for me to stay silent. This is too big a con for me to quietly go about my business.’ Voila! We have information which appears to show a monumental con has occurred. How this information was released into the public domain is not a concern of mine - some members of our species decided that the lies had to be exposed.

It is called People Power. No, not as in communism, socialism or any other –ism but one where we start to think for ourselves and refuse to remain clueless and powerless to what is happening around us.

The internet has played a pivotal role in uncovering the cover ups and from now on we should be mindful and aware of attacks on our rights to communicate freely and ultimately expose crimes against humanity (as this Great Con should be viewed).

In our own way we can leave a legacy for the future generations: that we thought for ourselves and refused to be sheeple.

What do you think?