The loneliness of the long distance swimmer.

The loneliness of the long distance swimmer.

I admire those that attempt to swim the channel. I admire them, as I have been trying to swim it for years.
The initial push into the cold deep sea, with an immeasurable distance before you, and that is only the horizon, and you know quite clearly that there will be many horizons in front, a distance so vast, so huge, that only the mad would attempt it. You are critised even from the outset, and throughout you are told to give it up.
Yet you push off, into the cold, cold waters. Very quickly, a little too quickly the waves rise, the current begins to push you back, but you push and push and you reach what you believe to be that first horizon.  You feel elated, you feel as if you can conquer, and you again begin the reach for the next horizon. You don't get far, the waves are bigger here, you find yourself rising and falling so fast, so much, your head goes under, you gasp, yet you still have strength to propel yourself forward.
And so it goes.
Then you slow down, your arms are tired, you cannot hear the voices anymore, only your own breath, the waves still move you and throw you, but you are numb, you are numb.
This dream  seems to go on forever, up down, back and forth, back and forth.
Then you look up, you see a light on the horizon, you hear a distant cry, a  voice. You fight again, you fight to get to that horizon, you go further under, you are tossed wildly up and around, but now you have a direction, you have a wild feeling, a new energy.
Steady, steady steady, you plough on, you ride the waves, you feel  their rhythm, and you know them. Then you see the land, still a long long way, could be an illusion you tell yourself, but it's still the right way, the right direction. You know you can and will get there, but now is not the time for celebration, the sea is a hard place, and you must keep your wits about you.
Plod on, keep on.

Tory conference

Tory conference.
So the triumphant pig fucking, champagne swilling cunt motherfuckers are meeting to guffaw at their victory. Be afraid, be very afraid. The next 5 years will be aimed at undoing everything that was gained in the decades after the second world war, when returning soldiers and the women who had been working to the bone had decided they were fed up being fucked up the arse by the ruling classes. Thatcher began the dismantling of the state, the selling off of all the peoples' property. The privatisation of key industries was criminally completed on the cheap, benefitting only those already in power, a mass redistribution of wealth to the rich, and still it continues. The Tories don't care about you, you are oiks, cannon fodder, the unwashed. They managed to bribe and trick the last generation into believing they were stake holders, they too could share the wealth, by selling them their own shitty council houses in their shitty council estates in their shitty towns, those houses weren't the fucking government's to sell! Those houses were never replaced and now there is the worst housing crisis in 60 years. But hey ho, it kept the oiks happy and persuaded them to vote Tory. As they slash the armed forces and decimate the police, they have proven they don't care if you are stabbed or murdered as you walk down the street by the ever growing homeless. They don't care as you bleed to death as you wait for an ambulance that doesn't come, or in the E.R. as the NHS can no longer employ enough doctors or nurses.
Freedom, justice? Your right to a defence lawyer has gone, your right to legal aid when you are raped or beaten has gone, your right to any form of legal aid has gone. You can't buy insurance for that, at least you can use your house to pay.
A right to education! Don't be fucking stupid, watch those fees go up and up, you will spend your life paying back that shit. Unemployed, maybe your steel works closed down as the bastards invited Chinese companies to do the work, As a 50 year old, highly skilled steel worker you have tried to get a job in Mcdonalds and Starbucks...but can't. Now you can't afford school uniforms for your kids or school meals, or bus fares, which have all been cut by your council, your kids are therefore excluded from school and you are up in court without a lawyer.  Protecting the local economy, then why are most of the shops empty and why doesn't Amazon pay enough tax?
The middle classes are managed, thrown the odd bone , just enough to throw the stupid fuckers off what is really happening and appeal to their vanity. The poor are thrown to the lions, our town centres and sprawling suburbs will soon make the world of Mad Max look like Butlins.
Welcome to Tory heaven, if you voted for them, then fuck you, you get what you deserve, you will be fucked like a pig.

Smokescreen

50k Jews, 60k Hungarians (Ironic!) 50k Ugandans (of Asian descent), 30k Vietnamese, 20k Kosavans, plus Sierra Leone, Somalia, Ethiopia and many more, those are the refugees, plus the Caribbeans,the Pakistanis, the Chinese, the Polish migrants, and of course the Irish. And the French, and the Germans and the Americans, and the Australians and the......
We are a country of immigrants, take a look at your own family tree and you will find foreign blood. Enoch Powell said in the 60s there would be 'rivers of blood', certainly doesn't seem like that where my family and extended family live, rivers of cups of tea maybe!  3 years ago the enemy was people on the dole, facebook was full of stories and rhetoric about 'spongers', Of course it turnsnout that 0.01% of the welfare bill is down to fraud. Whereas corporate fraud is worth billions upon billions, the bail out of the banks cost not just billions, but hundreds of billions. If you count to to a million it will take you 37 days, if you count to a billion it will take 15 years....most people have no real idea what these numbers mean, now multiply that by 500 or 600, yet public enemy number 1 was a fella selling dvds at the market whilst signing on!
That got old, and too many people saw through it, so the government needed another smokescreen as they fucked pigs, sipped champagne and laughed at how they still are fetting away with it.
UKIP was born, its leader being an ex stockbroker who they chose because he appears to be a fucking dick. He did his job, his job being, shift the blame, and make an almighty smokescreen as we fuck the British people up the arse. Whip up the unclean, the unwashed, those that can no longer express their violence at football matches, basically the mob. This method is tried and tested, and has been used in every major revolution....whip the ignorant into a fervour, pay them, give them beer, tell them to shout loudly, tell them that 'patriotism' is your way, and all that disagree must hate their country! Use images of the military to back you up, even though the majority of the military hate everything you stand for, as they believe in a free, non fascist, non rascist world.
Create such a chasm between people that they will forget as we fuck them, and fuvk them, and fuck them.

My sons

Don't forget Aylan Kurdl

It is a week since  I saw that terrible photo of that poor little boy on the beach.
The world is slowly moving. If only dead children were as important as banks and bankers, then there would be concrete plans to stop this happening again. This boy is sadly just one of thousands.There have been many pictures of dead children, but possibly because they were not the right colour, their impact was much less. Little Aylan looked just like our children and so the storm grew.
The world is on fire and our leaders continue to play their fiddles.
Last century this happened in Europe, twice....and this is no different. We took our world wars twice to The Middle East, and we left it in pieces, and then propped up its dictators for 60 years, until they had outlived their usefulness. We pretend it's not our business today as they crumble. Yet politics and leaders are not the issue here. It is the desperate families, the women, the children.
Nobody was leaving Syria 5 years ago, it was a civilized society that were proud of their history, one of the cradles of civilisation, since then 200,000 people have died, much of the country has been destroyed, 5 million are fleeing their homes in terror.
We have our problems, 'charity begins at home' are what many people are saying, the subtext being....they are not white.
Throughout this week on my own facebook, through the comments from my own friends' posts....all British, a much more frightening tone comes through again and again....'they are all terrorists' 'let them die' 'send the boats back'  and worse. I can't  imagine our grandparents uttering the same poison. Britain had nothing in the 30s, yet we still had humanity, it was a part of our nationality, a part of being British. I am ashamed today, but yet I still believe we are overall a good people, it's just that the animals make more noise.
There are many facets, many angles to this problem, but shrugging our shoulders will not help. The Gulf states have given billions in aid, but they must accept people. The U.S. and Australia and Canada  must accept people, their countries are huge. The refugees must be fairly spread out throughout Europe, even Russia.  Isis must be defeated and Assad removed, then rebuilding can be done and the refugees will return in droves. The boats must be stopped.  The list goes on and on. The racist fuckwits within our own countries must be ignored.

In the meantime, let's try and put ourselves in one man's shoes;

Alan Kurdi's father Abdullah said that shortly after their boat left  it was hit by waves and the captain swam off.
"I tried to catch my children and wife but there was no hope. One by one they died," Mr Kurdi said.
"I tried to steer the boat but another high wave pushed the boat over. That is when it happened," Mr Kurdi said.
"My children were the most beautiful children in the world. Is there anybody in the world for whom their child is not the most precious thing?" Mr Kurdi said.
"My kids were amazing. They woke me every day to play with me. What is more beautiful than this? Everything is gone.
"I would love to sit next to the grave of my family now and relieve the pain I feel," he said.

Earth 2.0

Today humankind found a planet capable of holding life, where one year is 385 days, with a similar number of planets in its solar system and a sun slightly older than ours. Although it is 1,400 light years away, one day our not too distant ancesters will probably visit it. We will find many many more planets like us and it, and we will find many that are much closer to us, within months and within this decade. This marks the beginning, of the proof we are not alone, and not very special, our galaxy is teeming with life, and now we are certain that there are other planets just like this one. This finding is as important as finding out the world is not flat and not 10,000 years old. Above and beyond!

Greek reality check

Back in the 90s British people paid taxes, they worked 38 hours a week, a third of their pay went to the state, they worked to go to Greece for their holiday. Our government  used a not inconsiderable amount of that tax to help Greece, the same Greece we saw on our holiday, relaxing, sleeping, having a wonderful time, not working 38 hours a week, maybe on paper, and absolutely not paying taxes.
We all knew that couldn't  continue.
So did you, and you voted for and allowed your politicians to lie, thinking 'these fuckers are the same as the holidaymakers, we will tell them everything is okay,  or it will be soon...chill out, here have some ouzo,"
Not much has changed, your prime minister handed a hand written post it note plan to pay your debt in a meeting with your creditors, the people you owe $300billion to!
Oh, we will have a plan later, stop worrying, your people have just voted to say fuck you to those creditors.
That money is owed to the German, Italian,Spanish, French and British people who worked and paid their taxes. Now, you threaten our very system, the system made to bring Europeans together to help each other.
Fuck you Greece, bring your people into line, get out of the sunshine, our children don't  have free education anymore, our disabled suffer, our civil servants earn less, retire later....why shouldn't  yours? ?

Happy 10th birthday

10 years, seems shorter, longer. The journey continues! 1334 posts and counting.

Serfdom

Maybe it's time for the indigenous peoples of Britain to seek reparations from a millenia, to say the least,from the crown for our stolen lands, labour and serfdom. For the press ganging of our youth, or slavery as it should be called to man the ships and wars, for the forced seizure of crops, not just for a year or two, but for over a thousand fucking years! For the forced migrations to the colonies, for the Boar wars, for the work houses, for the industrial revolution, World War 1 and 2! And yet, and yet, the privileged still make us pay, for the bankers, for Oxford for Cambridge! When will it stop? The poorest, the weakest, the disabled, and we continue to let them! We have tipped our hats for a thousand years, we are the weakest stupidest people in the world!
Like

Goodliness

If you believe in God, then you believe he didn't cause your problems! He never does anything bad, obviously. So therefore he is not going to arbritarily going to solve them either. He either lets shit happen or doesn't, you can't have both. Anyway, I am really pissed off with your constant posts either saying he will make everything OK if you believe and praise him your life will be super fantastic, or all you need is His love! If he caused your current misery and difficulties then he will either fix it or continue to cause your misery. So, no matter how much you praise him, beg him, get down on your knees to him, he will do it, whatever it is anyway. Prayer, praise, worship is futile, is useless. According to the New Testament, Jesus taught love, acceptance, forgiveness, generosity of the soul, he was not keen on The Temple, The Church, his message was love your fellow man. His message was don't waste your time in the temple, he was extremely clear about that(temple is just another word for church, the word 'church' only came 1000 years later!) Get a fucking grip. Stop praying so much, live your life, in the right way. A church, a building is not what He wanted. The goodness is inside you, spread that!

Woodchurch Wirral today!

Joseph and Jack live here!

I am coming for you!

I could've made it difficult, but I can't, that is not me, not what I want my boys to be. I hurt you, they also get hurt, although you are a lying, evil hypocrital woman. Yet, believe, believe I have everything, for example last year when you asked me to take both of the boys here. I said yes, you were bullshitting, or lying as some people....no as it is called. Lying.  I am coming, you have left me no choice!

I will wait.

No matter what you say or do, you will never be able to take away the 10 years I had with my sons, and I have kept everything since, to one day show them it was you who kept us apart. The truth will come. I could have stayed there and fought for custody, but I trusted you, I never thought you would do this. Now, 7,000 miles away I must play the long game, wait for my boys to turn 18 then, then. This is not how it should've been, not in a million years, YOU were the violent one,YOU were the abusive one. I was willing to forgive, so were you, with my complete subjegation! I will wait for my boys!

Happy Father's Day

Cry

Baby

Baby boomers!

We forgot the old people, the Baby Boomers, those that had it easy; free university, grants, council housing, right to buy their cheap council houses, lower taxation, later retirement ages. Those that are not on twitter or Facebook, happy in M&S and Waitrose after they bought their cheap houses after graduating from their free university education to retire and sell at vastly inflated sums their£1000 house for £100,000s. The pollsters and social media forgot them! They stay quiet, they were born working class, but are now firmly middle class. They did not fight in any wars, or fight for their votes, they were the ones who reaped the benefits, and now quietly vote Tory.
What do we leave for our children? Fuck all! As the last generation took it all!

Phoney

The 2015 UK election result 2 days early.

Here is my final forecast; An absolute dead heat. The incumbent Tories (being the party holding power now) attempting to stay in power with a minority government. Labour will make a Queen's speech which will be voted on and therefore they will be given the keys to number 10........but but but, they also will not be able to maintain a minority government and will concede to a second election, either in July! Or in November.
What happens in that next election is simply those that voted for the 'other' parties will have to choose from the main 3 parties if they wish to have a functioning government. The choice is theirs!

Fuck UKIP

Fire Clarkson

So, if YOU walk around your workplace making racial slurs and demeaning comments about women and then twat your boss, what would happen? Yes! I thought so!. Time for Clarkson to piss off to The Sun and replace him or don't, I couldn't really give a toss about a programme about cars. Once you've seen a hundred you've seen them all. Move on! #BBC #TopGear #BringBackClarkson

Greece, pay your taxes, pay your debts

Greeks have not paid their taxes, now they don't want to repay their debt, I think they are in for a very sharp shock!

The head of the IMF in 2012;

In an uncompromising interview with the Guardian, Lagarde insists it is payback time for Greece and makes it clear that the IMF has no intention of softening the terms of the country's austerity package.


Using some of the bluntest language of the two-and-a-half-year debt crisis, she says Greek parents have to take responsibility if their children are being affected by spending cuts. "Parents have to pay their tax," she says.




Lagarde, predicting that the debt crisis has yet to run its course, adds: "Do you know what? As far as Athens is concerned, I also think about all those people who are trying to escape tax all the time. All these people in Greece who are trying to escape tax." She says she thinks "equally" about Greeks deprived of public services and Greek citizens not paying their tax.

"I think they should also help themselves collectively." Asked how, she replies: "By all paying their tax."



Asked if she is essentially saying to the Greeks and others in Europe that they have had a nice time and it is now payback time, she responds: "That's right."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/25/payback-time-lagarde-greeks

spinning

Thank you Lord!

Thank you Lord, for never making an appearance or making yourself felt in my 43 years, thank you for not bothering me and not interfering in my life in any way whatsoever. I never heard your whisper or felt your spirit, or anything! Thank you for being so strong that even when I begged for your help, especially when my brother was murdered that you still held out and kept your silence. Thank you for being so resolute that no matter that I prayed for the victims of countless disasters you maintained your secrecy and still did nothing!

Thank you Lord, for the nothing you have done!

And I feel absolutely sure that you will never stoop so low as to make an appearance in the years left to me, no matter what they may entail, thank you your omnipotenceness, I shall not not look for you as the light fades from my body and soul as I know, I know you shall not be there.

(The Gospel according to Pope Francis)

And Jesus did stand on the mount addressing his disciples and those hundreds there gathered; 'And love thy neighbour' he commanded. 'But Lord' said Paul also called Simon 'Yes, my son?' Said God's only son on Earth sent to save mankind. ' What if my neighbour makes fun of me and calls me names and draws cartoons?' 'Then punch him in the face!' Beseeched the Christ. And so the hordes left that day to punch the shit out of their neighbours.
(The Gospel according to Pope Francis)

And as The Messiah, the king of kings hung upon the cross, bearing the pain for the salvation of the people, he Said ' Forgive them father, they know not what they do' Peter the fisher of men heard this and said 'Seriously?' And Jesus said unto him 'No, punch the bastards in the face' and so Peter told it so.
(The gospel according to Pope Francis)

You are being scammed!

If you are thinking of joining a Multi Level Marketing company you need to read this, even if you have recently joined a 'networking'  company, you should still read it.
After reading take a good long look at how and why you joined, and ask yourself this very simple question ; Who do I know personally, not through the company that has made any money, or even more money than they have put in, do I know anyone who has made a living from this company(again, except for those that you know through the company)?

This is an excerpt from the author's experience when invited to a 'business opportunity seminar'

.......Then the real BLAST begins when the emcee shouted “Do you want to be a millionaire!!!  I didn’t saw any Spartans with Jesus’s abs but I heard them answered – Awoo! Awoo! 

Beyond the dizzying strobe lights, all suddenly became clear now – This is not a concert, this is Sparta!!!  LOL

I heard that question before when my college friend lured me into attending an “opportunity” seminar in a company called Forever Living. That damn question, which is of course not actually a question, followed by an enumeration of answers - that include big incomes, a new house and lot and expensive cars, financial freedom and huge bank accounts while working part-time - confirmed our suspicion that we are attending a "business opportunity presentation" of a networking company.

Worst of all worst, they will even mention God. In that concert I attended, I heard one speaker said “Those of you who wants to be a millionaire, raise your hand!” Of course not all raised their hand, so he said “God is watching you, those who didn’t raise their hand will not get the blessing.” And so the speaker will repeat the question again. It is also common for other networking companies. Well it is an age-old tactic, when men talk of God, it always give an impression that they are doing something that should not be taken lightly. Even the Pope, I suppose, will find it absurd and pointless. 

Funny enough, I always feel sick in my gut that there is some hidden agenda or deception. These tactics definitely turns me off, it definitely makes me feel treated like an urban dumb.  

Greed is always not Sugarfree 

Marketing presentation of the most tricky pyramiding or multilevel marketing groups often start by appealing to the materialism and greed of their prospects – new home, cars, weekly cash, grand vacations. This works most of the time because, in general, we want to have everything we like. To do this, we must take from our fellow human beings who like the same thing – in our case it’s about money, and I don’t mean illegally robbed them or something like that. Yes, greed is universally condemned but it is ever present. 

Sometimes, it is very obvious that some MLMers are the ones who badly need money – to the point of “sponsoring” others or paying the membership fees as loan just to make them their “downlines” so as not to lose the “opportunity.” Maybe they have not only conned them and profited at their expense, they also made them feel like losers, since they are not able to make a success of the hopeless MLM scheme. Why not simply ask friends and family or relatives for help rather than taking money from them under false pretenses – and also selling them products?

Is Multi Level Marketing Illegal?

Scary question eh? So which is legal and which is illegal? 

Pyramiding involves the investment of money in which you have to recruit your downlines and earn a certain percentage from their membership fee or whatever they call it, and earn again from the recruits of the recruits. That is illegal!

To make it legal, some companies offer products, mostly food supplement, vitamins beauty products and other services which they called Multi Level Marketing. 

So yes, we have to acknowledge that some multi level marketing based companies are completely legit and reputable. They are not all scams waiting to trick and lure you. But most of them are – especially the aggressive one.  

However, according to the report by Max de Leon appeared in Manila Times (April 28, 2003) there is a very thin line between multi level marketing and a pyramid schemes. De Leon also mentioned that in MLMs the product is not the real reason people are enticed to join. The product offered is merely the excuse to legitimize the real and probably illegal moneymaking scam. 

Anyway, it is always up to you if you will let your naivete and greed guide your decisions. 

The Vandruffs further summarized that:

1. MLMs are "doomed by design" to recruit too many salespeople, who in turn will then attempt to recruit even more salespeople, ad infinitum.

2. For many, the real attraction of involvement in multi-level marketing is the thinly veiled pyramid con-scheme made quasi-legal by the presence of a product or service.

3. The ethical concessions necessary to be "successful" in many MLM companies are stark and difficult to deal with for most people.

4. Friends and family should be treated as such, and not as "marks" for exploitation.

This is taken from the excellent post;

http://www.yodisphere.com/2010/06/multi-level-marketing-mlm-pyramiding.html

Today, Muslim extremists murdered 12 people in Paris.

We are living in a world at the mercy of (mainly) Islamic extremists. How did we get here? How can we get out?  I listened to a documentary today about the German journalist who went and spent time in 'The Islamic State'. He said that their number one aim is to murder anyone outside the 'biblical' religions even if that means the genocide of hundreds of millions. The area they now control is larger than the UK!  Al Queda are like the scouts in comparison, and The Taliban more so. 
Are our governments thinking of EVERY possibility that may happen in the coming years and what will they do to protect their citizens, and surely the growth or even existence of The Islamic Caliphate itself must be at the top of the agenda.
Why are Arab countries not doing more, why has the international response been so half hearted? This group, this 'nation' must be stopped at all costs. Every military able nation should be massed on the borders of Iraq and Syria and together strangle and weed out every last one of these animals. The policing of the whole Middle East must be considered, no matter how long it takes.
A grim reality doesn't await our children, it is already here. The nations of the world must decide if they want this horror for their grandchildren.

Hello

http://youtu.be/ZPiHvlAw-ZM

New Year

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Happy Christmas

Still a couple of weeks left, but it is that time again. 5 trips to the Philippines in 13 months, a total of 3 months there. The birth of the most gorgeous, wonderful bundle of joy. An expensive lesson in Philippine health care that I will never forget. An unexpected wonderful and heartbreaking visit from the UK, A major house move. 5 months apart. A nephew who caused hell. 2 parental visits. And then the reunion with my new born son and his beautiful mother. 3 trips to Macau. Christmas is my least favourite time of year because of Christmases past. I loved last year away from Hong Kong with Blaesy's family and this year it will be wonderful to spend it together for my son's first. He doesn't know it's Christmas, the indoctrination will no doubt come later, so for this year, time spent together will be our gifts to each other. Every year brings a surprise or a shock, but 2015's gonna have to be a working year that's for sure, no swanning off for 3 months. Adios 2014, you were exhausting and exhilarating!

F*ck Kim Jong Un!

Sony and various American cinemas are cowardly in their refusal to screen The Interview, the SATIRICAL movie about Kim Jong Un. This is a victory for those against free speech and a despotic regime and sets a very bad precedent. Sony  should take a hit financially and release the movie online for free. How often does the North Korean government and media threaten the total annilialation of the West non satirically? The North Korean government have starved millions of their own people and those who have escaped have desribed it as a living hell, Fuck Kim Jong Un and fuck his government, and Sony grow a fucking backbone!

Happy Winterval

You get what you vote for Russia

The Russian people have overwhelmingly supported his destruction of democracy and his aggression towards his weaker neighbours , the crushing of free speech and media, and his oppression of minority groups. Now they shall enjoy his destruction of their economy and enjoy the return to the never ending queues for bread. Schadenfreude? Maybe.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/16/putin-can-t-bully-or-bomb-a-recession.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page

Swings

Brothers.

Happiness

Happiness is a state of mind a state of being, I have waited a very very long time for mine. It exists in a cocoon, of the present time. What came before, what exists outside, what will happen later is still a part of my consciousness but for this time it is not included, it is all still there, always there. There must come a time when the things of which we have no control of no longer rule us.We never let go, but we must put this here and that there. 
Today I am as happy as I have ever been, and I feel that the future holds much happiness and much love. That is all I ever wanted from my life.

Lest we forget; Christ and the soldier

Christ and the Soldier

by Siegfried Sassoon (1916)

I

The straggled soldier halted -- stared at Him -- Then clumsily dumped down upon his knees, Gasping 

"O blessed crucifix, I'm beat !"

And Christ, still sentried by the seraphim, Near the front-line, between two splintered trees, Spoke him:

"My son, behold these hands and feet."

The soldier eyed him upward, limb by limb, Paused at the Face, then muttered, 

"Wounds like these Would shift a bloke to Blighty just a treat !" 

Christ, gazing downward, grieving and ungrim, Whispered, 

"I made for you the mysteries, Beyond all battles moves the Paraclete."

II

The soldier chucked his rifle in the dust, And slipped his pack, and wiped his neck, and said -- 

"O Christ Almighty, stop this bleeding fight !"

Above that hill the sky was stained like rust With smoke. In sullen daybreak flaring red The guns were thundering bombardment's blight. The soldier cried, 

"I was born full of lust, With hunger, thirst, and wishfulness to wed. Who cares today if I done wrong or right?" 

Christ asked all pitying,

"Can you put no trust In my known word that shrives each faithful head ? Am I not resurrection, life and light ?"

III

Machine-guns rattled from below the hill; High bullets flicked and whistled through the leaves; And smoke came drifting from exploding shells.

Christ said 

"Believe; and I can cleanse your ill. I have not died in vain between two thieves; Nor made a fruitless gift of miracles." 

The soldier answered, 

"Heal me if you will, Maybe there's comfort when a soul believes In mercy, and we need it in these hells. But be you for both sides ? I'm paid to kill And if I shoot a man his mother grieves. Does that come into what your teaching tells ?"

A bird lit on the Christ and twittered gay; Then a breeze passed and shook the ripening corn. A Red Cross waggon bumped along the track. Forsaken Jesus dreamed in the desolate day -- Uplifted Jesus, Prince of Peace forsworn -- An observation post for the attack. 

"Lord Jesus, ain't you got no more to say ?" 

Bowed hung that head below the crown of thorns. The soldier shifted, and picked up his pack, And slung his gun, and stumbled on his way.

"O God," he groaned,"why ever was I born ?"

... The battle boomed, and no reply came back.

Do not go gentle

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

We must ensure life continues in our galaxy.

Just a thought, as I am on the bus; We should not only be obsessed with sending humans to the nearest planets, we should be sending microbial life to all sectors of our galaxy. If it is unrealistic for us to ever travel beyond our solar system, and if the possibility exists that we are the first or only lifeforms in our galaxy, then we have a duty to ensure the survival of life,even if that life is not our species. At some point we should send out spacecrafts that will travel indefinitely  in every direction, until we sadly become extinct. Many of those crafts will by the law of averages crash into habitable planets, and if we continue to this for the next 1 million years until our eventual demise, one of those microbes will take hold and multiply, ensuring the continuation of life.

The economy. From me in 2010

Time for a revolution?

7 October 2010 at 05:00

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Chris Mercer 6.10.10

How to really fix the economy.

The more I think about this, the angrier I get. One hundred years ago, when the gap between the rich and the poor was also as wide as it is today there was revolution. But as George Orwell predicted, our society has become sanitised, our voices drowned out by the state. Big Brother is watching us, and we know it, and we accept it. We don't have the choice of rising up against the system anymore. The proletariat have been silenced.

We have a situation where the whole of society will have to pay dearly for the mistakes of just a few. This week in the UK, the government gave the go ahead for universities to begin charging students £10,000 for tuition. As it stands a degree will no more ensure a successful career than an O level would 30 years ago. This means students from poorer families will have to be saddled with student debt well into their 30s. Why are they paying when the generations before them benefitted so much from universal education, free and topped up by government help? 

Government services are being scaled back at an unprecedented level, but yet  taxes continue to rise. Hospitals, schools, police , emergency services, the list goes on, are all facing dramatic reductions in their ability to function.  Today the taxation system is everywhere, it is a part of everything we do. V.A.T increases the cost of necessities, car tax, road tax, inheritance tax, fuel duty, alcohol duty, property tax/stamp duty, Council rates/tax, and of course income tax.  These taxes are paid by everybody. In the UK V.A.T  was not supposed to be levied upon children's goods, but ask any parent about the cost of flights,books and clothes-today there is no difference between adults and children.  Taxation systems throughout the world are now efficient and the long arm of the taxman is very difficult to avoid. This means that governments' revenues are enormous. The majority of this windfall is paid for by normal people, 'upper middle class, middle class, working class, and even the great unwashed, those at the bottom of the tree.

 

Yet the return that normal people get back from that system is dwindling. The shortfall is the crux. The shortfall means that people have less to spend on leisure, consumer goods, luxuries. People only have enough to survive, to sustain themselves, to pay the myriad of  government and utility charges they are burdened with. As this group represent a very large majority of the population, the knock-on effect is drastic. No purchasing power for goods and services, no sales, no jobs, less tax revenue, more unemployed to share that revenue. An ever decreasing circle, and if we listen to the idiots charged with getting us out of this, a very bleak future indeed.

Some things do have to change. We are living longer and stronger, we must work longer too. We cannot continue to let people rot away in the welfare system, deserving or not. There are ways to deal with long term unemployed, but non more successful as making sure they have jobs to go to. How can we not have enough manpower to help the elderly, to sweep the streets, to clean the beaches, to paint the fences, to teach our children, and to build our homes? We have to find a way, to get everything done that needs to be done with the people that we have. That means of course paying a decent wage. We can't escape big government, we just have to pay for it.

 Back to the beginning though, and back to the reason for my anger. There are many reasons for the collapse of the world's economy, from the greed of banks that didn't care about the credit that they gave, that created  a false sense of security based completely in the 'never-never'. The arrogance and fraud of the markets and financial institutions take your breath away. Surely we cannot let them continue to produce nothing, and trade only in imaginary goods. To think that these people spend their days pressing buttons on keyboards, gambling with the wealth of nations, for no apparent reason is staggering to the extreme-how stupid are we to let this go on?

 Thatcher's idea that everyone should own their own home was seriously misguided, and still is.  In the frenzied race  that followed, the prices of those homes rose to way beyond the means of normal people. A run of the mill 2 bedroom house in the UK(outside London) now costs 20-30 year's salary!! I mean, really! That is unsustainable. It was great while it lasted for those able to buy and sell during those years, but now it's time to come back to earth. 

 The rich have become much, much richer and the poor much poorer, and that is a reality. Those least affected by all of this are the super rich and the rich. They are still paying the same amount of taxes in proportion to their worth as they were before all of this. In fact most of them have become richer. We find that more of the world's wealth is being controlled by a smaller group of people. In the case of the UK, we can also see that large corporations are becoming ever bigger monopolies and duopolies. These companies are able to dictate prices both to consumers and to those who supply them. There are areas of the UK that now remind me of those tumbleweed cowboy towns after the gold rush had moved on. In Hong Kong too, there is a definite danger that too few companies are beginning to strangle the very market that created them. Where is  the dynamism, creativity and competition?

 

It is time to redistribute the wealth again. We don't need communism to do this, again as Orwell pointed out, it doesn't work. We don't even need to give up on capitalism, it's not perfect but it's all we have.

The Americans are terrified of the word socialism, and to be fair it does probably give the wrong idea. Yet in the US right now we have the rise of 'The Tea Party' , which were able to galvanise themselves into existence just because of the fear that arose from Obama's Healthcare reform. The terms Socialism and Communism were bandied around so much, even in relation to Europe that rallies of frightened right wingers soon sprang up. The US has an uphill struggle in trying to even the score out, but after a few years of middle class hardship the tide may well turn.

So, we need capitalism with some very strict controls, with a touch of socialism(not a dirty word outside the US). The controls need to be put on banks, as well as just making a profit, they have a role to play in society. We can't trust them to regulate themselves, so we will have to do it. To begin with, they are more responsible for the mess that we are in  than any other group. Even if they didn't take any government money (Barclays, Hsbc), they still created the conditions for the banking collapse. I am not talking about a small levy on their revenues, but quite a hefty one. This levy must be agreed by the WTO, thereby ensuring the banks don't bugger off to avoid it.  Also a simple rule that if you do any business here you must pay , no matter where your headquarters are. That should bring a nice hefty sum into government coffers to get started with the real recovery.

 Next on the list are the large corporations, to begin with a large increase in business tax, with small and medium sized companies being given a reduction in tax. If the large companies don't like it-so what? Let them go. These commercial tax policies can implemented at least Europe wide, and once again if the companies want access to our markets, they will pay, one way or another.

Next is individual tax, the upper tax rate must be drastically increased, back to the levels of the 60s and 70s. The simple fact is, is that we have to rebuild. If we reduce the wealth of the wealthy, their purchasing power remains the same, they still buy the same things.That money is of much better use to the society that enabled them to gain so much wealth. As things improve this can be reduced again. In the case of the UK, a new law may need to be tabled that even if a citizen in the upper tax bracket was to leave the UK, they would still be required to pay that tax. There are not that many 'tax havens' left in the world, and certainly not many without reciprocal extradition treaties.

These measures alone are enough to balance the huge deficits of Western nations, but they are also sound measures for developing nations as well.

 

Of course balancing the budget is not enough, that only takes care of  governments' needs. It surprises me how the leaders of the world have for some reason forgotten basic economics or are completely ignorant of basic economic principles. It was hearing Warren Buffet today and his views on taxation that gave me hope. I have had the same views on macro economics since school , and have watched the exact opposite happening for the last twenty years. That's why it was so heartening to hear those views repeated by one of the richest men in the world today, and why I felt the urge to write about it.

So back to the matter at hand. Demand also needs to be encouraged. As we have learnt, that demand should not be driven by reckless credit. We need to change society's mindset. The majority of taxation should not be borne by the majority of people. Of course, we should still have a system whereas services are paid for, and only occasionally subsidised(except for health and education which should always be free). Our aim should still be that government, local and national should pay for itself , but that is not a reality yet-only an aim.  The majority need to be free from an overwhelming tax burden. Once they are free from that burden, they will have money to spend. These people are the middle classes, and the working classes. As they spend their money in the economy rather than give it to government, the economy grows. This in turn, generates jobs, and reduces the welfare cost to the government, and the cost of poverty to society.  Hey presto! We once again have a functioning capitalist economy, built on work, goods and services rather than credit, speculation and the tooth fairy.

 

Obama understands this but he is at the helm of a very rowdy ship, and his chances of success are very slim. In the UK, we have a coalition of imbeciles  who don't understand this, and can only think cuts, cuts, cuts, and oh yeah, more cuts! The money that they will get from these cuts is miniscule, and not nearly enough to address the deficit. They are also  blind to the effects that these cuts will have on both the economy and to society as a whole. If they continue on their present track, disaster is nigh. The labour party are no better. All of these politicians are more interested in tabloid headlines, opinion polls and jingoism than thinking outside the box, or of having the guts to really change things.

Hong Kong is run by the corporations and by giant property developers. It, ironically has huge reserves, but won't spend them, it would rather keep the money under the bed. This when its own citizens suffer, when schools and healthcare are woeful, when the elderly sweep the streets and live in cages.

 

Revolution in the end is what is needed,  unfortunately a peaceful one, in my opinion.

War! What is it good for......?

We go to war against a group that 2 months ago were on the verge of completing absolute genocide against a Christian minority group, and would have succeeded if not for the intervention of the U.S. Iraq, including Baghdad would now be under the control of the Caliphate if not for that intervention. A group that have declared war on you, me, your children, and have promised to bring fire on Earth. The Iraqi government has requested help, any action has a legal basis because the sovereign government have invited them. Inaction is criminal, the continued beheadings, not only of westerners, but anyone not of the right 'flavour' of Islam. Whole towns and cities are under what can only be described as a living hell. Left alone, the borders of this 'state' will reach to the Med, left alone the wealth of these evil men will enable them to kill in our cities. There have been mistakes made in the past, killing that chemical weapon using tyrant Sadam was not one of them, nor was the destruction of Gaddafi, once a tyrant begins indiscriminately killing his own citizens on the streets it's time to move in, no matter what the consequences are, after world war 2 the world powers promised to never let that happen again, it is about time we consistently stood up to that promise, as a unified world community. People in the UK question foreign aid, the alternative is what we have in Africa, a plague ridden continent with barely a functioning government, a breeding ground for not only disease but also despots and religious radicals. We stand by and do nothing, we will pay the price later! 

Justice for who?

Justice for who?

So the ex-civil servant Wu Wai Chun was spared a custodial sentence for inflicting 1st and 2nd degree burns to 2% of her Bangladeshi helper's  skin. This was after she pleaded not guilty, so no acceptance of doing wrong and therefore no remorse, a lesser sentence can sometimes be justified with an acceptance of guilt and real remorse, this is not the case here. 

How ridiculous that her current helper asked for leniency, was she given a choice? Was she coerced? How can this evil woman even be allowed to employ another helper?

This case sends a clear message to the Bangladeshi  government and other regional governments " Send your helpers here to be abused without any hope of justice or protection from The Hong Kong government. Shame on Hong Kong justice.

Bonnie Scotland

You take the high road....

Go if you have to, like a best friend moving on, it's up to you. We can't and won't stop you, but it would be wrong of a friend to not to make it clear we think it's wrong. 

We can understand why you want to go, who wouldn't, our employer is shit, Westminster that is. No one even voted those fuckers in, anyone north of the Watford Gap would secede from those feckers if they could! But that is what a democracy is, no use taking your ball home, stay and change the system, the rest of us need your support. The last prime minister was Scottish, even that cunt Cameron is of scottish descent, as have so so many been in power.

Together we built the most powerful empire the world has ever seen, together we fought Napoleon, the Boer war, the 2 world wars, we colonised  and modernised India, and of course Hong Kong and together we still punch far far above our weight in today's very dangerous world. The rest of us will be weaker without you, but we will adjust. You will become an Estonia or a Belgium, albeit a noisy Estonia or Belgium. 

Culturally we are even closer, find a group of  friends in London, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, and you have the proverbial joke, an Englishman, Welshman, Scottishman and an Irishman walk into a bar.... Opting out is not the end of the world, the Irishman is still with us in that bar, but that's a different story.

Once it's done it's done, and I don't believe some of the bullshit that's been said, the Irish have always worked freely and even continued to vote in the UK....100 years after independence!

But, I feel most Scottish people are as proud of the history and heritage of the United Kingdom as the rest of us. As it stands, the Union is a unique beacon in the world of how a union can indeed work, peacefully, and even after hundreds of years the seperate states can keep their unique identity within that union. 

But, and this is a fact, apart we are all weaker, in every way. In today's world that is not a good thing. 

Bitter heart

Bitterness and anger.
At some point we all find ourselves bitter and anger, but we fight through it, move on. For others it covers them and changes them absolutely, it defines them. Who they are is first thought of in those terms. A bitter, angry person is at the forefront, a normal rational person is hidden within.
Inside, the awareness is there, increased outbursts of rage, of jealousy, of spitefulness, and at first apologies to those at the receiving end. Bitterness works like a drug, it becomes unstoppable, it slowly works its way to the heart where it takes root and destroys from within. Like an addict, denial begins, the apologies stop, the blame is put elsewhere, a strong sense of self justification prevails... 'You would act like this if you were me'
Bitterness is the cause, anger is the effect. Anger is the outlet we use when we have lost control, in earlier life we are often angry, we lose control, as we age we are supposed to learn to control that anger, to mellow. By the time we reach our forties that anger should be well under control, even a thing long since gone. If not, there is a cause, a problem...addiction, illness, bitterness.
When that bitterness has reached the heart and overtaken who we are, the transformation is complete, lies are told to deflect blame, those lies are so strong they take hold on the whole perception of reality, truth and fiction, paranoia rules.
Those still around, are used and abused. This is the final crossroads, the point where escape is still possible, a realisation, an epithany, a look in the mirror, or the realisation that the only people still close to you either have no choice or are as bitter and twisted as yourself. Good friends left long before, either seeing what you have become or indeed been the victim of your wrath.
For some help or professional help, counselling, support groups, etc is sought, where invariably the question arises where did the bitterness that feeds the anger come from? Was it rejection as a child, was it a broken marriage?
The solution remains the same, move on, learn from the lessons life throws.....everybody has to, or it would be a bitter world. Everybody's childhood is not perfect, marriages break down everyday. Take the chip off your shoulder and move on...you have no other choice, except of course the other route at the crossroads,
and that is ultimately loneliness and destruction. I have seen too many take that route.

Marching into the abyss.

The march into the abyss continues; Soviet, sorry Russian troops massed on a sovereign nation's border, officially sanctioned racist insults against a serving American president, the real spectre of empty supermarkets in Moscow...you can't eat gas and oil, an escalating sanctions war,a growing Russian friendship with Iran regardless that the same country helped to fuel the Muslim insurgency in Russia's south, and a growing state apparatus crushing any protests or debate.
A cold war in all but name!

Stop the murder

The world has gone mad or was always mad, seems to me  that everything that was fought for during the world wars has been lost. Now, it is ok to kill children, and if you object you are accused of being racist. I have had to block some of my Russian friends as they will not believe their leader is a fascist dictator, that was 6 months ago, now the whole world is appeasing him.  I personally grieved for Jews in a ex-concentration camp! I cried when I was 9 years old in Germany, I paid my respects at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem 12 years later. I worked for and alongside Israelis and Palestinians in a Moshav, I loved all the people. The future back in 1992 seemed optimistic. That was before the walls, the siege. 

Now my heart bleeds, not for the Israelis drinking their Cappuccinos on their smart phones in Tel Aviv in their outdoor cafés, but for the countless children and families who only know death today, whose life has been torn by smart bombs, children like my children and your children. There can never be a justification, none, for killing children. The USA continues to be a part of this crime against humanity, the UK appeases it as does the rest of Europe, why do we tiptoe around this, it is because of our guilt in our roles during the holocaust. 

We certainly do all carry guilt for that dark dark part of history, but we made promises because of it, we made pledges that we would never let it happen again, but apparently that doesn't apply to those that suffered the holocaust. 

It is time the world, stood up and said No, this is not our world, let no one describe Israel as a Western developed nation again, the events that are occurring are more reminiscent of Rwanda than Tiannemen. 

I long for logic, but sadly today that does not appear to exist.

Stop Killing Children

#Gaza #Israel

Snug as a bug in a rug.

Jacob

Putin's propaganda and murdering web of lies.

Mr Putin's doublespeak recalls the days of the Soviet Union when Pravda claimed to tell the truth. This mendocracy will end in the same way as that one did: the lies will eventually unravel, especially as it becomes obvious how much money Mr Putin and his friends have stolen from the Russian people, and he will fall. The sad novelty is that the West takes a different attitude this time round. In the old days it was usually prepared to stand up to the Soviet Union, and call out its falsehoods. With Mr Putin it looks the other way.http://econ.st/1jZe9L4

Ten farewells to the Red Army 龔玥 - 十送紅軍

龔玥 - 十送紅軍
Beautiful song! Ten farewells to the red army.
The song remembers The Long March when the communists escaped the siege of the evil corrupt government of Chiang Kai Shek, the Kuoimintang. The people came together to overthrow the evil overlord. This was 1935, long before the atrocities committed by The Communist party 20 years later. It was still a noble cause, an idealistic cause. The comrades marched to a certain death, but for a reason, to free their people. That is where the emotion of the song comes. A beautiful song.

Hank's farewell.

Hank Moody's final letter.

Dear Karen,

I've been thinking about Us, the story of us. How the fuck do I sum it up? Has it been perfect? Hardly. Any story with me at the center of it will never be anything less than a big smiling mess. But here's what I know for sure—our time in the sun has been a thing of absolute fucking beauty. The nightmares, the hangovers, the fucking and the punching. The gorgeous shimmering insanity of the city of ours. Where for years I woke up, fucked up, said I was sorry, passed out and did it all over again. As a writer, I'm a sucker for happy endings. The guy gets the girl, she saves him from himself, fade to fucking black. As a guy who loves a girl, I realize there's no such thing. There's no sunset. There's just now, and there's just the two of us, which can be scary fucking ugly sometimes. But if you close your eyes and listen for the whisper of your heart—if you simply keep trying and never ever give up, no matter how many times you get it wrong, until the beginning and the end blur into something called until we meet again -- and that's it. I didn't know how to finish it, because it's not over. It'll never be over, as longs as there's you, and there's me, and there's hope, and grace.

Goodbye Motherfuckeeerrr!

Fuck The Sun and News Corp

Today's front page of The Sun celebrates the verdict of the hacking trial..(including the hacking of the phone of a murdered girl'sfamily)...."A victory for all Red Tops" and waxes lyrical about Rebecca Brooks being found innocent without a single mention of News Of The World editor Andy Coulson's guilt. They must think their readers are some stupid motherfuckers....oh wait! They are!

Monopoly

So PCCW have bought CSL, and now plan to hike up prices!
We live in an age of rampant corruption and monopolies. We already pay highly inflated prices for shit services, especially in telecommunications and in supermarkets, 7-11, Wellcome and Park N Shop still holding us to ransom with ever increasing and strangely similar prices.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=146761&sid=42507789&con_type=1

Ban smoking?

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/stub-it-out-doctors-union-backs-lifelong-cigarettes-ban-for-all-children-born-after-2000-9559374.html

First I must say, I don't disagree with outlawing cigarettes for all those born after the year 2000, nobody wants their children to start smoking, including me.
What gets me is the hypocrisy.  How many people does alcohol kill every year, let's ban that too. How many deaths are caused worldwide by pollution from petrol driven private cars and through accidents? I don't drive and never will, and it pisses me off that I have to breath in the pollution from private cars, and risk my life on the roads as a pedestrian or bus passenger....take a bus! Will sugar, chocolate, and fast food be regulated for those born after 2000? Obesity being another major drain on health resources.
There is also the matter of personal freedom, as long as a smoker for example is not subjecting others to second hand smoke, unlike car owners, then surely it is their own choice. Yes, but it takes valuable resources away from the health service.....so does heart disease and diabetes and a myriad of other illnesses caused by alcohol and eating too much shit, or obesity as it is now called. So do car accidents and so does asthma brought on by the dire pollution in our cities.

Jesus never had a swordfight.

 

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 10 March 2010 7.12pm
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Permission Slip

Dear Darryl,

I have received your permission slip featuring what I can only assume is a levitating rabbit about to drop an egg on Jesus.

Thank you for pre-ticking the permission box as this has saved me not only from having to make a choice, but also from having to make my own forty five degree downward stroke followed by a twenty percent longer forty five degree upward stroke. Without your guidance, I may have drawn a picture of a cactus wearing a hat by mistake.

As I trust my offspring's ability to separate fact from fantasy, I am happy for him to participate in your indoctrination process on the proviso that all references to 'Jesus' are replaced with the term 'Purportedly Magic Jew.'

Regards, David.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Thursday 11 March 2010 9.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Permission Slip

Hello David

The tick in the box already was a mistake I noticed after printing them all. I've seen the play and it's not indoctrinating anyone. It's a fun play performed by a great bunch of kids. You do not have to be religious to enjoy it. You are welcome to attend if you have any concerns.

Darryl Robinson, School Chaplain

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 11 March 2010 11.02am
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Dear Darryl,

Thank you for the kind offer, being unable to think of anything more exciting than attending your entertaining and fun filled afternoon, I tried harder and thought of about four hundred things.

I was actually in a Bible based play once and played the role of 'Annoyed about having to do this.' My scene involved offering a potplant, as nobody knew what Myrrh was, to a plastic baby Jesus then standing between 'I forgot my costume so am wearing the teachers poncho' and 'I don't feel very well'. Highlights of the play included a nervous donkey with diarrhoea causing 'I don't feel very well' to vomit onto the back of Mary's head, and the lighting system, designed to provide a halo effect around the manger, overheating and setting it alight. The teacher, later criticised for dousing an electrical fire with a bucket of water and endangering the lives of children, left the building in tears and the audience in silence. We only saw her again briefly when she came to the school to collect her poncho.

Also, your inference that I am without religion is incorrect and I am actually torn between two faiths; while your god's promise of eternal life is very persuasive, the Papua New Guinean mud god, Pikkiwoki, is promising a pig and as many coconuts as you can carry.

Regards, David.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Thursday 11 March 2010 2.52pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Hello David

While it would be a pity for Seb to miss out on the important message of hope that the story of the resurrection gives, if you don't want him to attend the presentation on Monday then just tick the box that says I do not give my child permission to attend.

Darryl Robinson, School Chaplain

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 11 March 2010 5.09pm
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Dear Darryl,

I understand the importance the resurrection story holds in your particular religion. If I too knew some guy that had been killed and placed inside a cave with a rock in front of it and I visited the cave to find the rock moved and his body gone, the only logical assumption would be that he had risen from the dead and is the son of God. Once, my friend Simon was rushed to hospital to have his appendix removed and I visited him the next day to find his bed empty. I immediately sacrificed a goat and burnt a witch in his name but it turned out that he had not had appendicitis, just needed a good poo, and was at home playing Playstation.

Someone probably should have asked "So the rock has been moved and he's gone... has anyone checked his house?" I realise Playstation was not around in those days but they probably had the equivalent. A muddy stick or something. I would have said "Can someone please check if Jesus is at home playing with his muddy stick, if not, then and only then should we all assume, logically, that he has risen from the dead and is the son of God."

If we accept though, that Jesus was the son of an Infinite Being capable of anything, he probably did have a Playstation. Probably a Playstation 7. I know I have to get my offspring all the latest gadgets. God would probably have said to him, "I was going to wait another two thousand years to give you this but seeing as you have been good... just don't tell your mother about Grand Theft Auto."

Also, is it true that Jesus can be stabbed during a sword fight and be ok due to the fact that he can only die if he gets his head chopped off?

Regards, David.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Friday 12 March 2010 10.13am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus have a sword fight. Learning the teachings of the Bible is not just about religion. It teaches a set of ethics that are sadly not taught by parents nowadays.

Darryl Robinson, School Chaplain

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 12 March 2010 2.23pm
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Dear Darryl,

You raise a valid point and I appreciate you pointing out my failings as a parent. Practising a system of ethics based on the promise of a reward, in your case an afterlife, is certainly preferable to practising a system of ethics based on it simply being the right thing to do.

Many years ago, I lived next door to a Christian named Mr Stevens. You could tell he was a Christian because he had a fish sticker on his Datsun. He used to wave at us kids from his bathroom window on hot summer days as we played in the sprinkler. I learnt a lot from Mr Stevens. Mainly about wrestling holds. The trick is to oil up really well making it hard for the other person to hold you down. I would often lie on his living room rug looking up at the pictures of sunsets behind quotes from Psalms while waiting for him to unwrap his legs from around my torso.

Your job would be made much easier if, after making the school children sit through an hour of church youth group teens dancing, singing and re-enacting Jewish magic tricks, you simply told them that it was just a small taste of what hell is like and if they didn't believe in Jesus they would have to sit through it again.

When I was at school, we were forced to attend a similar presentation. Herded into the gym under the pretence of free chips, we were assaulted with an hour of hippies playing guitars and a dance routine featuring some kind of colourful coat and a lot of looking upwards. Due to the air-conditioning in the packed gym not working and it being a hot day, the hippie wearing the colourful coat blacked out mid performance and struck his head against the front edge of the stage spraying the first row of cross-legged children with blood. Unconscious, he also urinated. There was a bit of screaming and an ambulance involved and everyone agreed it was the best play they had ever seen.

Regards, David.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Friday 12 March 2010 2.47pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Hello David

I don't see what any of that has to do with this play. It's important for children to have balance in their life and spirituality is as important in a childs life as everything else. There's an old saying that life without religion is life without beauty.

Darryl Robinson, School Chaplain

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 12 March 2010 3.36pm
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

Dear Darryl,

I agree completely that balance is an important component of a child's education. I will assume then that you will also be organising a class excursion to a play depicting the fifteen billion year expansion of the universe from its initial particle soup moments following the big bang through to molecule coalescion, galaxy and planetary formation and eventually life?

Perhaps your church youth group could put together an interpretive dance routine representing the behaviour of Saturn's moon Hyperion, shattered by an ancient collision and falling randomly back together, tugged to and fro by the gravitational pull of Titan, sixteen sister moons, the multi-billionfold moonlets of Saturn’s rings, Saturn’s gravitational field, companion planets, the variability’s of Sol, stars, galaxy, neighbouring galaxies... or possibly not, according to an old saying, there is no beauty in this.

Also, while I understand that the play is to be held outside school grounds, due to the fact that it is illegal to present medieval metaphysic propaganda in public schools, it is also my understanding that you are now required by law, as of last year, to go by the title Christian Volunteer rather than School Chaplain. A memo you may have missed or filed in your overflowing 'facts that cease to exist when they are ignored' tray.

Regards, David.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Monday 15 March 2010 9.22am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

I'm not going to waste any more precious time replying to your stupid emails. If you don't want your child to attend the play just indicate that on the permission slip.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 15 March 2010 11.04am
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Permission Slip

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Monday 15 March 2010 2.11pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: No Subject

I will pray for you.

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 15 March 2010 2.19pm
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: No Subject

Thanks. Mention that I want a Toyota Prado if you get the chance. A white one. With dark grey leather interior and sat nav.

Regards, David.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Tuesday 16 March 2010 9.20am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: No Subject

I've had enough of your nonsense. Dont email me again.

From: GOD
Date: Tuesday 16 March 2010 10.18am
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Word of God

DARYL, THIS IS GOD. BUY DAVID A TOYOTA PRADO. A WHITE ONE. WITH DARK GREY LEATHER INTERIOR AND SAT NAV.

From: Darryl Robinson
Date: Tuesday 16 March 2010 2.35pm
To: GOD  Cc: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Word of God

I'm serious.

From: GOD
Date: Tuesday 16 March 2010 2.48pm
To: Darryl Robinson
Subject: Re: Re: Word of God

OK.