Category Archives: Crazy World

March of the Machines

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I tried to speak to my building society the other day but after five minutes of instructions to press one of  keys 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 and then a further choice of numbers, followed by some tinny 70s pop music and a voice repeatedly assuring me that a representative would be with me shortly because they value my call (oh, really?) I hung up. Call me impatient but I just didn’t see the point.

I considered my next move and, trying the the clever modern option, I pressed the “contact us” section at the top of their website’s home page but instead of giving me an email address so that I could (possibly) correspond with a human being I was presented with a drop-down option where I had the choice of about thirty questions and answers. At that point I gave up completely.

Since the Industrial Revolution, which began in 18th century England, mankind has come a long way and many of the advances made in science and technology are quite simply mind-blowing. However, progress has a price and that price is a loss of human input, from the cotton spinning machine doing the work of thirty manual workers to the computer making a whole company accounts department redundant.

Maybe the 19th century Luddites were right in opposing the take-over by machines because we now have large parts of the population who are unlikely ever to find work because, quite simply, there isn’t any; technology has taken over. Governments wonder at the social unrest, upheaval  and disenchantment in modern society. Well, they don’t have to look too far for the cause. Progress? Undoubtedly, but at what cost to humanity?

The Lost Art of Conversation

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One of the latest emails ping-ponging its way across the world is a quotation, attributed to Albert Einstein,  stating the author’s fear of the day that technology overtakes humanity and we produce  a generation of idiots. The realization of that fear is illustrated by a series of photographs of young folk enjoying everyday activities, such as, dining out, visiting a museum, playing on the beach and going to a sports stadium. In every picture all the people concerned are staring intently at their smart-phones completely avoiding any interaction with one another.

The quotation may or may not have come from Einstein – and a brief look at some of his most famous and penetrating statements would seem to indicate that it has not – but it certainly fits! Just walk down the street and see how many young people are on their telephones texting away. Visit your local café or pub, go to a restaurant and see couples sat down ready to enjoy an expensive meal but instead of looking at or speaking to one another they are pressing away on their mobiles. Why waste money on the meal, why not take food tablets like astronauts, or have intravenous drips fitted instead!

What on Earth is wrong with us, have we forgotten how to communicate other than by keyboard and text? Have we really lost the joy of conversation and the wonderful intricacies and nuances of language? Technology is all well and good and much of it has certainly enhanced and improved our lives beyond recognition but, there is clearly a serious downside to all this progress.

The last word goes to Albert Einstein, who definitely did say (about 50 years before the mobile phone was invented!) –   “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”

Poor Spelling

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Is it just me or has the standard of literacy plummeted in this country over the last few years?  Think about it, how many times do you receive correspondence where the grammar, spelling and punctuation are so poor that you shake your head in bemusement?  How often do you see the incorrect use of apostrophes (lot’s of times, Im’ sure youll agree!) or poor spelling such as “independant” or “proffesional” in letters from those who really should know better?

 I received a prime example this week in a letter from a marketing company outlining the proposed regulation of the will-writing market by the solicitors’ governing body, the Law Society. The letter highlighted the fact that the Law Society wants to preserve will-writing for solicitors only and it made reference to the bad publicity surrounding will-writing caused by “rouge will-writers”!

It was obvious what the writer meant unless I’ve got it completely wrong and make-up is an issue among will-writers or perhaps a significant number of them have red-faces! Clearly, nobody bothered to check the letter before its dispatch but, whoever was responsible, it was a dreadful advertisement for a company seeking to create new business. Good spelling used to be vital in all areas of business but, these days, this no longer appears to be the case.

Two days ago it was reported that the Education Secretary, Michael Gove,  is seeking to improve educational standards by restoring A levels to a format familiar to those of us who took ours several years ago. He has ordered the abolition of continuing education and modules (whatever they are!) and their replacement by examinations to be taken at the end of the course. At least that’s a step in the right direction, innit?

Islamic Extremism

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The recent slaughter, in Algeria, of twenty three international workers (including six Britons) by Islamic Militants at a BP owned gas plant was a sickening reminder that the problems of terrorism are still with us and a reminder too that the evil tentacles of these fanatics are able to reach out to virtually any part of the world. Our Prime Minister said that the war against terrorism could take decades to win, if indeed it is winnable, and his warnings are not to be taken lightly.

Closer to home, yesterday’s Sunday Times (a paper not known for gratuitous sensationalism) contained a report that white people in the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest are being apprehended by Islamic vigilantes, seeking to impose Sharia law, the law of Islam. Evidently these vigilantes, calling themselves the Muslim Patrol, have forced whites to pour away cans of alcohol and have told white women wearing short skirts to cover themselves up because they are in Muslim districts where Sharia law applies. Further, it is common in these areas for advertisements deemed offensive to Muslims, such as adverts for ladies’ underwear, to be defaced and homophobic graffiti to be sprayed on buildings.

How do we react to this in a balanced, rational manner without fear of being branded intolerant and reactionary and without upsetting the liberal sensibilities and politically correct thinking of those who rule us? Well, let’s start by saying that there is one law in this land for all of us, the law of statute and common law. Secondly, there is no place for vigilantes since we have a police force to patrol the streets and enforce that law. Thirdly, if people do not like the law then they can seek to change it by democratic means.

This is the United Kingdom and that is how it works. We respect the rights of the individual, we respect and defend the freedoms of speech, movement and association, we are a free country and a democracy. Men and women are equal in the eyes of our law.

It is outrageous that any group should illegally and arbitrarily seek to impose their views, religious or otherwise, on their fellow citizens and such behaviour should be dealt with quickly. We can only hope that the authorities have the political will to act because if they don’t the road ahead is dangerous indeed.

Horse Burgers

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I’ve been fascinated by the fuss over the recent news that Tesco and others have been inadvertently selling horse meat in their beef burgers. Tesco went so far as to place full page apologies in national newspapers stating that they take this matter very seriously indeed and will no longer use the same sources (horses!) for their burgers.

It must have cost them a fortune and whilst it may be the fault of their suppliers, Tesco’s lawyers will certainly have warned their clients about possible legal liability arising from breach of sale of goods legislation and the law of misrepresentation. All that is pretty dull and mundane however and is best left to the dreary lawyers in their ivory towers.

No, what I found interesting was how meat and burger eaters, happy to eat cows, lambs, pigs and chickens etc are indignant and repulsed at the thought of eating horses. Why should this be, I wondered? Are horses superior creatures to cows and sheep, are they more intelligent than pigs? Actually, most scientists seem to be of the opinion that horses are pretty stupid and pigs are far brighter. In spite of this nobody objects to the slaughter of pigs, particularly whilst enjoying their pork pie or bacon butty.

I think it comes down to two main issues. Firstly, horses are useful to us and have traditionally served us well over thousands of years, pulling our carts, ploughing our fields and allowing us to ride them. We give them names and we bond with them. Secondly, they are cute and to eat a horse is akin to eating the family dog, which, of course they do in certain parts of the Far East………..but that’s another story!

In truth, meat is meat and logically there can be no difference whatever in the morality behind eating chicken, lamb, pork or horse. It seems somewhat hypocritical to eat certain sorts of meat and then object to the eating of other sorts. If people really feel strongly about this matter shouldn’t they just give up meat altogether and become vegetarians?

National Flag?

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What a tragedy that the centuries old problems of Ireland, specifically Northern Ireland, show no sign of abating. The province seems to be locked in a vicious spiral where trouble breaks out, peace is made and all is quiet for a while before it all kicks off again. One wonders will it ever end? Sadly, as things stand, the answer is almost certainly no, because whilst there may be a peace-loving majority there are still enough extremists and bigots on both sides of the religious divide to guarantee that any cessation of hostilities will always be temporary. However, the latest outbreaks of violence almost defy belief and those politicians who decided to restrict the flying of the Union flag over Belfast City Hall are surely worthy candidates for admission to the local asylum.

There are of course two separate communities in Northern Ireland namely Catholics and Protestants with the Protestants comprising the majority. Traditionally, Protestants wish to remain a part of the United Kingdom whilst a significant number of Catholics would prefer to be part of a United Ireland. The situation is never less than sensitive or delicate and it doesn’t take much for trouble to arise as can be seen each year during the Protestant marching season when the archaic Orange Order openly and provocatively celebrate their 17th century victory over the Catholics.
The Union flag is much in evidence all year round in Protestant communities and is an obvious symbol of their membership of the UK. The crass decision to restrict the flying of the flag from Belfast City Hall to certain days of the year was inevitably going to lead to outrage and trouble. What on Earth were the City Council members thinking of, surely they must have known what the response to their decision would be?  Northern Ireland is like a keg of gunpowder, nice and calm when the lid is sealed but even a small child can tell you what happens when the lid is removed and you strike a match.
The province is part of the United Kingdom and its citizens should have an unrestricted right to fly the national flag on all public buildings at all times, just as they should, for that matter, in all parts of the UK. As long as the majority in Northern Ireland wish to remain in the UK their wishes should be respected. There may well come a day, and some say it is rapidly approaching due to a rapid growth in the Catholic population, where a new majority decide that they no longer wish to do so. That will be a different ball game and those pressing for a United Ireland may one day get their wish, though if I were a citizen of the Republic of Ireland I doubt that I would want the troubled North to be a part of my country.

Waste

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It was announced yesterday that, worldwide, we end up throwing away one half of the food we buy with, perhaps  unsurprisingly,  the USA and Europe proving to be the worst offenders.

According to many scientists, the Earth’s resources are stretched to breaking point and we are rapidly approaching the stage where there will be insufficient food to sustain the human race.
One of the biggest problems is clearly the rampant consumerism of the decadent West where supermarket aisles are jam-packed full of food at bargain prices (buy one get one free, for example) which prove irresistible to the average shopper. By itself there’s not a lot wrong with this but evidently, once we’ve hauled our purchases home, we realise that we didn’t actually need them after all and we end up putting half in the rubbish bin.
That is scandalous  and it makes our obesity crisis (see last Friday’s blog) even more shameful; and all this whilst a sizeable part of the world’s population starves to death. It’s morally wrong, of course it is, but will we do anything about it. Probably not, and that’s the sad part.

Solving the Obesity Problem

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According to figures released on New Year’s Day our nation’s obesity crisis cost the NHS some £5 billion in 2012. That’s an astounding figure and one hardly welcome to our overstretched and overworked health service.

Obesity is undoubtedly one of the scourges of the modern age but why? It hasn’t always been like this and those of us over the age of 30 can clearly remember a time when obesity was a rarity rather than the norm. There may well have been one or two overweight kids in the classroom or a couple of fatties wobbling down the high street but now they seem to comprise the majority.
Obesity has no positive side and the NHS figures clearly illustrate the dreadful damage that the clinically obese are doing to themselves as well as the cost to the taxpayer. Obviously, there are those who cannot help their weight and they deserve our continuing sympathy and respect but those who owe their gross condition to a lack of willpower in the face of crisps, pasties, chips and an endless supply of Big Macs certainly do not.
The solution to the problem is relatively straightforward since much of it is clearly down to a lack of education as well as a lack of self discipline, willpower and personal pride. The state can play a big part in this and children, particularly in state schools, need to be taught, from a very early age, of the dangers of poor diet and a lack of exercise. They have to be taught, for example, that it is not a good thing to play on their computers all day and that fresh air and a run around the park is actually good fun as well as beneficial to their health.
Recent governments have much responsibility to shoulder in this crisis and the continuing disposal of sports fields by schools and local authorities is nothing short of scandalous. PE and Games should be compulsory for all schoolchildren, just as it used to be, and other than medical conditions there should be no excuses for non-compliance. Outside of school there should be exercise facilities available for the public at large and where necessary subsidized by the state so that even those reliant on state benefits, are able to participate. That’s all there is to it, education, opportunity and self-discipline. Simple really.

Gun Control

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It may be three thousand miles away but what happens in the USA inevitably resonates in this country . Thus, the recent murders of 20 school children and six adults in a Connecticut school evoked the same feelings of outrage and horror n this country as they undoubtedly did  over there. It may not be our problem, but who could fail to be moved by the slaughter of so many innocents and why do such atrocities seem to occur with such alarming regularity in the USA?

For all the fact that Americans speak the same language as us they are a foreign nation and many of their customs and habits are radically different to ours. The right to bear arms is one such custom, enshrined as it is, in the Constitution dating back to 1776 when the newly proclaimed nation was fighting for its very existence. The carrying of guns made sense in those dangerous and lawless days but does it still? The USA is now the world’s most powerful nation and is, ostensibly at least, a leading light for freedom and liberty. In the 21st century isn’t the carrying of guns something of an anachronism?
The gun lobby in the USA is immensely strong and influential in American politics and any attempts by the more enlightened members of society to curb gun ownership have always been comfortably defeated by those in favour of guns. Even the President has shied away from conflict with the gun lobby but this latest atrocity, plus the Christmas killings of fire fighters in New York State by another psychopath have brought the problem to the fore yet again.
From this side of the pond the problem seems almost beyond our comprehension. The growing opposition to gun ownership is perfectly understandable but I can also understand the views of the traditionalists eager to hang on to their constitutional rights. However, surely there has to be some middle ground? If a person is a deer hunter in the wilds of Wyoming or Colorado then he or she should be allowed to own a rifle but that ownership should be firmly regulated and licensed. I can also see why somebody living in the wilds might want to keep a gun for personal protection. Moving into the cities and suburbs however I cannot see any need or justification for keeping or carrying guns for personal protection provided the police do their job properly.
As for the ownership of assault rifles capable of firing hundreds of rounds a minute, a type used increasingly in these mass murders, there can be no justification whatever. These horrific weapons by their very nature are designed purely and simply for killing people and the only place for them is the battlefield and never in the home of the ordinary citizen. Surely that must be obvious to all but the most unbalanced members of the gun lobby, though those particular members seem to be rather significant in number.
It’s incredible that, in the two weeks since the school murders, national sales of guns have actually gone up and the protestations from the gun lobby have grown louder. President Obama faces a difficult task indeed in dealing with an issue that is clearly firmly entrenched in the American psyche. In the long term he may well achieve his aims but how many more innocents will be slaughtered before his opponents finally see sense and allow the law to be changed?

Happy Christmas!

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Well, we managed to escape the end of the world then, perhaps the Mayans got their sums wrong and they actually meant December 21stnext year, or the year after that. Whatever, there’ll always be some nutty group telling us that the end is nigh, so we just keep on carrying on and enjoy each day as it comes. Tomorrow is supposed to be the day that we enjoy the most though because tomorrow is Christmas Day just in case that fact had somehow eluded you!

Earlier this month I spent some time in New York, that most Christmassy of all cities, at least in the commercial sense. Whilst enjoying much that this wonderful city has to offer and doing my best to soak up the Christmas atmosphere I was once more puzzled, as I always am when visiting the USA in December, as to why it is that virtually all the festive advertisements and nearly everybody you bump into wish you “Happy Holidays” rather than a “Happy Christmas”. Strange this when Christmas, as even any half educated person can tell you, is actually a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and one of the most, if not the most, important dates in the Christian calendar.
The USA is still officially a Christian country, though the latest school shootings may make you question this, and I suspect that, other than political correctness, there can be no reason to not wish somebody a “Happy Christmas”. You see, it’s apparently not very nice to wish people a “Happy Christmas” just in case they are not Christians and may be offended by the greeting. What utter nonsense; this is just another example of  the West falling over itself to accommodate people from other cultures, particularly Islam. Does anybody honestly believe that a decent well-balanced (and there’s the rub) non-Christian would be offended by what is clearly meant as a joyous and friendly greeting? Some maybe, but only those extremists who despise everything about us, whatever we say or do.
Isn’t it about time that we stood up for our own culture, whilst respecting the right of everybody else to enjoy theirs, provided of course, that they are equally tolerant? In leaving that thought with you, I wish you truly, a very Happy Christmas!