How fucking barbaric is this?

Muslim woman to be flogged in Malaysia over beer

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia ‘ An Islamic court in Malaysia has sentenced a Muslim woman to be flogged with a rattan cane for having a beer in a nightclub, a court official said Tuesday."

read more

What makes it even more sickening is that it's in the name of something that doesn't exist.

There is no God, so drink as much beer as you like!

Edward II

Saturday saw me at the Ely folk festival. The big draw for me was Edward II. They have reformed for ‘one year only’ and I just had to see them. It had been quite a few years since I’d last seen them which was just before they split up, disbanded or whatever you want to call it and I was wondering if they’d lost the magic.

Edward II, who were originally called Edward II and the Red Hot Polkas, nice historical joke, are a roots fusion band. They take traditional folk tunes and songs from these isles and give them a ska, reggae or polka treatment, then on other occasions they’ll take modern reggae songs and enhance them with a little local English flavour. It all makes for a highly danceable and pleasing sound. Whilst they are saying that they have reformed for one year only I do hope it is for longer, or that they have frequent ‘get togethers’. They are a quality band and I don’t understand why they were never more popular than they are. They easily have the ability to cross over, but I suppose that’s the nature of the folk world, it is largely ignored by the mainstream music business, which is a shame.

I was not disappointed. They played a blinding set including all their old favourites. I’d forgotten about Simon Care. What can you say about Simon Care? Top class melodeon player and all round nutter perhaps? He bounces around on stage playing with his squeeze box and leering at the audience in a Johnny Rotten style that he has made his own. That coupled with fine musicianship from all the other members including a really strong mini horn section makes for a very round sound. If you get the chance to go and see Edward II do so. I guarantee that you will find it impossible to stay still while they are on.

Other great acts I saw included, Chris While and Julie Matthews (always top performers), Something Nasty In The Woodshed, QP and Flossie Malavialle (an amusing and attractive young French lady who speaks English with a French/Geordie accent - quite surreal). I didn’t bother staying for the final act The Peatbog Faeries, as I just wasn’t bothered, Edward II were top of the bill as far as I was concerned.

We get what we deserve

The recent shenanigans over MPs expenses have left me shouting, ‘What do you expect? ‘at the telly and/or radio on a number of occasions. This is not because I’m a cynic that believes that power corrupts and that they are all in it for the money. Heaven forbid. No, I shout because people are so quick to criticise whilst sitting on their fat arses, whilst at the same time they are not prepared to engage with the democratic process. How many of those that moan actually turn out and vote at every election? When you discover that it’s usually in around 60%/70% for a general election and around half that for local or Euro elections it shows what a farce our democracy is. ‘He who is without sin cast the first stone’. Participation doesn’t end with trolling down to the polling station, that’s just a tiny part of it. Elections are about choosing a representative, but how can they represent the people in their constituency when they don’t know how those people feel? How can they be held to account if they are not questioned, challenged or lobbied by the people they represent?

If we are to live in a true democracy then it requires the vast majority of the people to participate in a more vigorous way than they do now. That means that people should join a political party, go to surgeries, go to council meetings, ‘shout’ about what they believe in and generally let their representatives know how they feel. Until we all start doing some of this we have absolutely no right to criticise and no right to expect MPs, councillors etc to do any better than they are now. That not to say that many don’t do a good job already, because many do. You will often find that idealism, and not personal gain, is what drives people into politics. I think it’s fair to say, no matter of what persuasion that you are, that our prime minister Gordon Brown is one such politician. Doing something, however small, is better than nothing. If you don’t feel ready to go to join a party or go to meetings then start small. If you are reading this then the chances are that you have internet access (unless someone else has printed this out for you). Check the news sites to see what your representatives are up to. Join in with online debates on forums and blogs. Visit ‘TheyWorkForYou.com‘. This is a really useful website that helps to keep tabs on the UK’s parliaments and assemblies, and it also allows you to contact your representatives about issues that are dear to your heart. A sister site’WriteToThem.com‘ enables you to make contact with local councillors and MEPs.

Please do something, however small. Our democracy needs you! Use it or lose it.

Just in case you are wondering, I plan to join a political party, and to see where that takes me.

X

Sportique

I have never really been one for partaking in any sport for the purposes of enjoyment, apart from badminton which was okay when I played with friends just as a knock-about sport. To me sport is something that gives you exercise and is not done for any enjoyment. At school (many many moons ago) I would try and avoid team games. I hate team games and have had nothing to do with them since leaving school. Today most of my exercise is derived from walking, which is far and beyond the most sensible way to retain a modicum of fitness.

There you have it, playing team games and sport in general is basically a shit thing to do. It’s Neanderthal activity for those that are too half-witted to partake in the arts. Given that playing sport is the lowest of the low what does that make those poor lost souls that want to watch it?

I have never been able to fathom out why anyone would want to watch sport of any kind. What can people possibly gain from it? Personally I’d rather watch paint dry than watch sport. Having to suffer 90+ minutes viewing of 22 overpaid lower life forms dragging their knuckles around a football pitch is my idea of hell. Hell comes in many forms, this week it is cricket, last week it was tennis, next week it will be something equally boring. What is the point of it all?

When I’m being entertained, I want to be challenged, amazed and/or amused. I have no wish to sit like a vegetable gawping at boasters of physical prowess. As if watching sport is not bad enough some people actual pay good money to do so. They must be truly mental. Perhaps there should be an extra tax on people who watch sport, as clearly they have more money than sense and therefore would presumably not be too bothered about being relieved of some more of it.

The liberty bodice brigade

‘Liberty’ and ‘freedom’ are two very powerful and emotive words that rational left thinking people should hold very dear, yet we allow the right, and more often the extreme right to hijack them. In true Orwellian newspeak stylee they bandy them around to add weight to their arguments, and we allow them to wear them like they own them. I’m sure you know the type of people I mean. They are those that Monty Python (or was it I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again?) said droned on and on until they fell over backwards. They are inbreeds and their lackeys, and they oppose all change. They protested about the legalisation of homosexuality. They want to bring back hanging. They don’t believe in equal opportunities. They are usually racist. They want out of the European Union. They don’t want to pay taxes unless it’s for ‘defence’ or the police. They think blood sports are good clean fun, that health and safety is a joke, and that the law is there just to keep little people in their place.

They portray advances towards civilisation and democracy as attacks on personal liberty and the erosion of freedom. Their idea of freedom is the freedom to oppress and exploit others. They appear in various guises from Tory party member, to Daily Mail reader via UKIP and the BNP. They are the land-owners, the pro-hunting lobby and the anti smoking ban whingers. They believe that fat cat captains of industry should be paid obscene amounts, whilst at the same time suggesting that the pittance of a minimum wage is ruining business. They are reactionary knob-heads, and they are holding this country back. A plague on all their houses!

Of course in reality there is only one true freedom, and that is anarchy. A concept most of the liberty bodice brigade just couldn’t comprehend.

Long-haired lout

For quite a few years now my haircut of choice has been a Nº4 up the back and sides and a Nº6 on top. Upon moving to Norwich I decided that I would grow it long in a last-ditch attempt to have a ponytail before it all starts to fall out.

I had previously said goodbye to shoulder length hair back in 1977 at the same time as I parted company with my flairs. My hair is just about shoulder length again although I don’t think anything could persuade me to wear flares. God that was not a good look, and don’t get me started on ‘Loon Pants’ which were indeed a crime on humanity. It is still not quite long enough to fashion into a ponytail but it won’t be long so in anticipation I’ve purchase myself a pack of black elasticised hair band thingies from that nice Mr Tesco. I shall inevitably look like a complete twerp when the time comes, but it’s got to be done: 'a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do', so to speak!

I had forgotten how much of a pain in the proverbial long hair was. It takes forever to dry. Brushing or combing it is quite painful as it seems continually to be tangled up in knots. I am a martyr to my boyish good looks!

Once I’ve achieved my goal its days will be numbered as I can’t wait to return to the low maintenance option of the close cut Barnet. As my hair inevitably thins out I intend to have it cut even shorter. No Bobby Charlton comb-over for me.

Something for the weekend sir?

Shit happens, again!

It was a cruel irony that a couple of days before the start of national Carers Week my lady, who works in that sector within local government, fell and broke her ankle, again, and I effectively became her carer. Our life was thrown out of kilter a couple of weeks ago and it is taking me a while to adjust to coping with everything I have to do. The break was quite bad this time, in fact it was two fractures, and so they had to operate and put plate and pins in. As a result she has to keep her leg up most of the time for the next six weeks.

In some ways we were a bit prepared for the consequences of the temporary disability as it’s less than a year since she broke her ankle (same one) before, but unfortunately she has less mobility this time.

I really feel for those that are full-time/permanent carers. It’s not an easy job. Without them the health and social service sectors would grind to a halt. Carers are so vital yet so often go unsung. Our predicament should be short lived. We’ve just had to put our lives on hold for a short period. But for those that have to live this way all of the time I am sure often struggle.

My lady has been treated at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, where the treatment and the staff have all been first class. It’s a modern hospital that was one of the first, I believe, to have been built as a public-private ‘partnership’. Apart from that I only noticed one major flaw it has been designed, probably, by able bodied people for able bodied people. Yes they have no doubt conformed to disability legislation but that is really as far as it goes. You don’t really notice these things until it affects your life in some way. It is just so hard to take someone with their leg in plaster to Out Patients firstly there is a distinct lack of managed space to drop someone off by car, and near enough to the entrance. The next hurdle is to wander off and find a wheelchair. Another trial. I’m sure that those that are permanently disabled would be thinking that I should stop whinging and to stop being such a big girl’s blouse. Which may well be a fair point but my next gripe I feel is much warranted. You would imagine that a fracture clinic is going to have more than its fair share of bods on crutches or in wheelchairs. That given why on earth are their waiting rooms so user unfriendly?

There is nowhere to park a wheelchair, movement around chairs is difficult, nay precarious, and for a new facility that is treating people with broken bones it’s diabolical!

All these shenanigans along with some heavy duty diy, some days away and other assorted grief prior to The Lady’s accident has meant that I’ve been neglecting my blogs. I hope I’ve now got things under control and can get back to blogging a bit more. Watch this (and this: www.realaleblog.co.uk) space.