Saturday 31 July 2010

Muderer Huntley Claims Prison Service Don't Care!

Uncaring murderer of two little girls Ian Huntley is suing the British Prison Service because they haven't taken care of him whilst serving time at her majesty's pleasure. He alledges that when a fellow inmate attacked him and slashed his throat the Prison Service weren't doing enough to look after him.

The gruesome irony of his claim is surely not lost on the biological entity named Ian Huntley. Not that I'm any legal expert. I assume the law provides rights regardless of previous offences otherwise we lapse as a society into the dark place that the perpetrator exists.

This does not mean we have to 'feel sorry' for him. In August 2002 he murdered two ten year old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. He was the caretaker (sic) at their school. He joined in police searches and callous TV interviews feigning dismay and concern.

It seems that he has finally revealed his true nature through psychological projection. This behaviour is defined by Sigmund Freud as "a psychological defense mechanism whereby one "projects" one's own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, feelings, and so on onto someone else" In other words he believes the Prison Service failed in its duty of care and in doing so he is publically admitting that in August 2002 that's exactly what he did. He failed in his duty of care to Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Sunday 25 July 2010

The Importance Of Being Curious

I sometimes wonder if I will ever stop being interested in things. Will there come a time when being curious fades away? If that should happen is it a sign that the end is approaching? Why have we been designed to be curious? I guess at an evolutionary level it starts with learning about what things to avoid and what things to approach. identifying the things that are good for us and the things that are bad for us. Some people stop being curious. You can see this when they behave 'as if' they have made it or cracked it. They mistakenly believe they have the answers. Perhaps they should take heed of Socrates - "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. "


Thursday 22 July 2010

Big Society Is A Two Way Street

It's easy to be cynical about abstract ideas. Concepts are not always obvious in their practical application. Because they are the stuff of thought rather than substance they are often dismissed or belittled. In an ironic sense the concept of the Big Society models exactly what the issue is. Instead of people being handed everything on a plate they have to put some effort into thinking how the the idea might be brought into reality, and they have to make it happen. How easy it is to sit behind your newspaper, to mutter behind your pint, to whinge on your commute about what's wrong with society. To spout off about 'what needs to be done', to pontificate on 'what I'd do if I was in charge'. This is the luxurious position taken by people who never originate, people who say and never do, people who prefer one way rather than two way streets.

Seeing notions such as 'volunteering' as a 'public services on the cheap' is a small minded, self interested interpretation of the concept. If we live in a society where abstract concepts are avoided because people only respond to things that are given to them on a plate then something profound in the idea is being missed. The Big Society is a systemic notion. There are benefits for the people doing it as well as the people served. The idea of doing something unconditionally to help other people re-balances the 'what's in it for me' mentality that is under girded by materialism, consumerism, and bully boy corporate world views.

The mere fact that someone has a tilt at the concept implies they are likely to be the very people that should reflect on what it truly means for themselves and what they could do, right now, without permission, without payment to make someone else's life easier and happier. There are plenty of people who 'get' the Big Society and plenty of people who are doing something to make it more of a reality.

Wednesday 21 July 2010

Big Society Response To Afghanistan Strategy

If I have understood David Cameron's Big Society idea then it means we can all chip in with suggestions for government activities and decisions. As a result I have appointed myself as our Local Community Strategy Advisor on Afghanistan.

Because there is concern the government strategy might be in a bit of a muddle due to apparent mixed messages I have decided to step into the PR arena with a 'Bumper Media Campaign' to avert any misunderstandings. Any questions from the local community on the Afghanistan issue and neighbours can just flag my car down and I'll be happy to clarify government policy for them.

Ali al-Megrahi Astonishingly Released On Faith Not Fact

Just how gullible have the Scottish Government have been in their decision making over the Pan Am 103 murderer al-Megrahi's release now seems clear. For some quaint Scottish reason they choose to forgo the full rigor of 21st century scientific medical advice and release al-Megrahi in good faith!

These people want to be in sole charge of the affairs of Scotland. What a disturbing prospect that must for anyone living in Scotland. With judgements like that they'll soon be burning witches in North Berwick and Dornoch again! So they claim it was a reasonable medical estimate. It wouldn't have been long to wait and fly him back home 24 hours before he was due to 'pop his clogs'. They could have even used and unmanned plane and blown it up over the Atlantic to give him a taste of his own medicine.

I presume he will be entering the Guiness Book of records for defying medical science? It should not be forgotten what this man actually did. Interestingly the BBC have recently written about a study that says that the Scots consume 25% more alcohol than the british average. Perhaps scientists could identify is there is a correlation between this study and the quality of Scottish government decision making?


Monday 19 July 2010

One Sure Fire Incredible Way To Monetize Your Blog

I have been trying for a long while to find the ideal way to monetize my blog. After trawling the web for ideas I came across this sure fire way to instantly monetize any blog or web site. This is how I did it. I searched Google images for a picture by Monet. Picked one, uploaded it and instantly my blog was Monetized. Amazing!

There are other ways of Monetizing your blog too which I discovered in this great book...


Friday 16 July 2010

Siobhan O'Dowd Commits Raoul Moat Facebook Page Suicide


So the infamous Raoul Moat Facebook tribute page has been taken down (pro tem). The BBC said on their website that "Siobhan O'Dowd confirmed she had taken the page down, but has not ruled out putting it back up".


This subject strikes at the heart of  Freedom of Speech. Let me make my position absolutely clear. I believe on the basis of the information presented in the news that Raoul Moat was an aggressive bully who terrorised the people he decided were his victims, killed one man, nearly killed and then blinded a policeman and nearly killed his ex-girlfriend. He disrupted the lives of hundreds of people when he became a fugitive and cost all of us alot of money in hunting him down. By any body's reckoning (except by poor old Gazza) this man was a nasty piece of work.

Nevertheless I remain troubled by the indignation caused by the Facebook site. Yes it was in bad taste, yes it was ill judged, and yes the members of the group left some pretty outrageous opinions in my estimation. That said I have the words of Voltaire ringing in my ears:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." 

What this means is that also have the right to claim that I feel Siobhan O'Dowd has displayed astonishing emotional un-intelligence. She has displayed an immature grasp of the medium she is using and the social impact it can have on the feelings of others. She has turned serious life events into a form of facile entertainment. She has displayed gullibility of gold plated magnitude. The site should be let to stand as evidence of just what an uncaring, ignorant and life thwarting individual Siobhan O'Dowd is. People who might employ her or have relationship with her should visit it to get a real sense of the inner person that Siobhan O'Dowd is. She has provided the evidence herself. These are not statements made by others.

We might be left asking why the site has been taken down? Public pressure? David Cameron? I would suggest these things are unlikely. The reason Siobhan O'Dowd has taken the Raoul Moat Is A Legend Facebook site down is because the penny has dropped that her personal reputation is at stake. She set it up for self serving reasons she has taken it down for similar reasons. Put it back up Siobhan then we can all see the real you! The similarities between you and your anti-hero are disturbing. You enjoy control (you might put the site back up) and you don't seem care about the feelings of other people. This is why you have committed Facebook suicide.

"We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongue, at our peril, risk and hazard."  ~Voltaire, 

"The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. " ~Tommy Smothers

"To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves. " ~Claude-Adrien Helvétius

"God forbid that any book should be banned.  The practice is as indefensible as infanticide." ~Rebecca West


And as I type a second Moat Facebook is published.

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Bloggers The Intelligence Minutemen Of The 21st Century




A fascinating discussion about information, sense-making and power of individuals