Low flyers - beware

This is not my dog but I put it here to illustrate just how keen the German shorthaired pointer breed is when it comes to getting hold of flying objects. Sable, my dog, can do this with low flying ducks, pigeons and almost any small bird. She has had them up to about 6 feet off the ground. This is why I call her a four-legged shotgun!
So - why no photographs of Sable doing it? Easy. At the time I should be clicking the shutter, I'm jumping up and down and shouting her on. Much better than cheering on some overpaid sports star.

What does that lever do Daddy?

For those curious enough, here is a review of the way that a judicial hanging works.

I have a little doubt about the guy who put on weight to avoid his fate. The drop tables were drawn up from the fact that fracture of the third vertebra requires a force of 22 cwt. There is a mechanical formulae to calculate the velocity the body needs to attain. Simple really.

I once saw ropes that had been used to hang three soldiers in Egypt. They had a thick leather covering to the noose element. The force exerted was such that this leather had been extensively split and torn. Those who were involved in the plot to kill Hitler, were hung with piano wire. Think on that.

Cherie and Me - by Saddam Hussein

The guest thing is so very complete that it needs no amplification here. I might just tease out Swiss Tony for friends outside the spread of the BBC.

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Oh dear, they're going to hang him!!

Maybe there is a way?

There is a report in some of today's media of ultra-religious Jews and Palestinians coming together for joint action. They oppose something. No, not Syria. Not Hezbollah. It is a pink agenda. Gays in Jerusalem are planning a march and this has met with joint condemnation from Jewish and Palestinian leaders alike. I'm all in favour of this coming together. Perhaps we could tip the scales a bit by shipping out to the Middle East all the gays, lesbian, transsexuals and bi-sexuals we can find. This would increase the concern felt by locals and cause them to work together and form an understanding of one another. Once we have a good basis for matters of real Middle Eastern import, the gay etc. community could disperse. Nice little holiday in the sun for them - chance to acquire more pink from sub-burn - and a bit of peace and quiet for those of us not in Palestine.

What really attracted me to this story was not the potential benefit that gay action might produce but rather the photograph showing the burning of rubbish as part of a demonstration. It has a dark brooding menace about it. The sort of evocative painting one might find in the museums of Antwerp or Amsterdam. The lighting, unorthodox clothing and the buildings in the background are pure Breughel.

And now for something completely different

These two luscious items are really BBC newsreaders and presenters. Fiona Bruce - her with the legs - does quite serious work such as Crimewatch. Natasha the dancer is a relative newcomer having paid her dues in a number of positions in smaller companies. She has been adopted by the BBC bosses as as figurehead for their dumbing down agenda. She appeared in a Dance Competition where a 'face' is matched with a professional dancer who teached their partner the basic moves and then works out a performance. This is judged by professional judgers and a home audience. Each week the bottom pair are voted off. Natasha won her series of the show. She went on to present a number of award ceremonies and these somewhat illustrated her tendencies.

Fiona is a long term lady. Very professional. Very cool - almost remote. Much loved by those who mimic - one had her saying "There's never a hosepipe ban when I'm in the room" The photgraph here shows her performance in the charity money raising show to save children in need. She and a number of fellow presenters did a replay of Queens' Mama Mia.

Ok, that is the personalities. My blogging these minor earth shaking matters arises from the fact that for the past couple of nights they have been together presenting the main evening news programme. Intentionally or otherwise, this has developed into a battle of the divas. Fiona chose a skirt in place of her normal trousers and Natasha went to town on the make up and figure-hugging clothes. Most enjoyable. For my money, Fiona smashed her into the corner, dragged her out and beat her up again. It was that sort and magnitude of victory.

Out Damned spot

I have had to switch on the moderation feature in Comments. Sorry about this but I refuse to allow spamming adverts and the moderation seems to be the only way that I can keep them away from you, the readers.

Please be assured that my oversight of Comments before they appear will never result in any true Comment being withheld, altered or otherwise messed about. I know the requirement to copy some incomprehensible set of code can be a pain in the nether regions. If any one of you finds this as annoying as I do, contact me on my email (j.wood999@btinternet.com) and I'll make sure the Comment gets placed.

I had a number of emails from readers of my blog about the ethics question on children born with a disability. Most prefaced their communication with something along the lines of not wishing to comment publicly on such a minefield. I have to respect their reticence but can say that those who wrote supported the idea that such measures were appropriate in severe instances.

I experienced a sort of coincidence or alignment with my blog the day after I posted it. Whilst enjoying some retail therapy (it's not just ladies and shoes you know!) I was served at the check-out by a young woman who displayed the symptoms of what I know as cerebral palsy. If that is now an unacceptable description, please forgive me. Also, I am not being
condescending when I say that she was extremely good at what she was doing. She made conversation, helped with the Ali Baba trick of plastic bag opening and was quick and accurate at what she was scanning. When the time came to pay, I realised my wallet was still in the car and told her things would have to wait whilst I got it. This did fluster her and she became animated but told me what I had to do. I got the wallet and paid. I felt guilty at having disturbed her but the thought came to me that this lady was one who might not have got out of the delivery room alive but here she was leading what seemed to be a full, happy and productive life. So, who are we to theorise? I do not want to identify her save to say she was an Asda employee and they are to be commended for giving her an opportunity to contribute. For those outside UK, Asda is the English arm of Walmart of whom I have read criticism over employment practises so even better for them.

Nice idea

Whilst basic meditation requires that one allow the mind to go blank and see what happens, there are themes for those who have advanced a stage or two. One I found for today is,

"What do you have to do? Pack your bags, Go to the station without them, Catch the train, And leave your self behind. - Open Secret by Wei Wu Wei"

Ah, would that I could. Buddhist version of the soldiers' "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile" I suppose. Wei's words are meant only as a starter.

Can one get all one's 'things' into a neat package? Just how does one empty oneself so that only the physical departs? Where is the train headed? Johnny Cash had a song about leaving which included the words

"You can give my other suit to the Salvation Army. I'm moving on"

Wei's words indeed but the idea is not wholly his.

I'd like to move on. Footloose. No responsibilities. No bits and baggage.

Suffer little children.......

There is a move afoot to consider the ethics of allowing children born with serious disabilities to die immediately after delivery. I'm not going to get into this too deeply. There are people's religious beliefs involved. The sanctity of life must be highly regarded. What I do remember is that when I was young, one did not see so many people with - forgive me if this is the ' wrong word' - disabilities as are about today. The story told was that such infants were not resuscitated or given care but allowed to breath their last in the peace and quiet of the delivery room. At the time, I reasoned just what time and attention was required and how the lives of the parents developed. I was especially aware of the effect upon siblings. Just what love and time and attention they were deprived of. They were entitled to this just as much as the child that lived on.

Modern times means that much more can be done for kids with disability. At some time, the parents will be unable to care and will die. What then? The stories one reads about children who are different are uplifting but often reveal a life that one may consider as sad. For my money, if there really is a 'better place', then it must be reasonable to allow them to progress to that 'better place' rather than have to exist in this cruel world on earth.

From the horse's mouth - sorry lady

Mrs Welcome to the World and I have lived in Islamic countries throughout the world for a longish period if it were all added together. Some were more strict than others. An almost universal comment that arose whenever friendly discussion turnd to the respective benefits of lifestyles was the Muslim claim that their women were safe on the streets.

As a sort of policeman I knew this was not exactly the words of The Prophet. My wife was well used to lewd comment from local menfolk and the occasional kindly intentioned check for lumps in her breasts by passing cyclists. None of this did we take seriously although I did once have to ask the Benghazi detectives attached to my unit to deal with a particularly heavy-handed fondler.

So, from the guest blog, have things got worse or are people beginning to be open about this facet of Islamic mentality?

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It is not easy being a woman!

Good for a laugh

I like the idea of using satire to communicate. There is a new web-based publication that, if it keeps on track, will have to be added to my news gatherer.

Where is the Exit?

My guest blog today is from a doctor describing just what goes on. Supporters of the NHS will squeak and remind us what the Minister said, As if that is Gospel. What is written in a guest blog is corroborated by a senior GP.

Go read. My living will says that I wish no resuscitation, no artificial nourishment and no replacement of fluids. That should do it. Even if in coma, I would rather they gave me the dignity a dog gets rather that what a service commended by all the world and free at the point of service

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They wouldn't buy this if it were the script of a horror movie

Getting our minds above our belly buttons

There has been some discussion about the dumbing down at the BBC and on television elsewhere. We see more and more programmes that are cheap in content, profitable in that viewers are required th use premium rate phone lines to compete and meretricious in tone. The general media – newspapers and magazines – have concentrated their coverage on what is intrusive, exploitive and sometimes even fabricated. The sort of product established by Hello and OK or what are known in America as check-out magazines. This sort of 'entertainment' has crept into the quality papers from thje red tops. We see competitions where a fabulous 2 week holiday in Barbados is the prize. All one has to do is answer just one question. “Is the holiday on offer for A – 2 weeks, B – 14 days or C – a fortnight”
This dumbing down is insidious. My wife watches some sort of CSI – Wherever each based it seems in any major city throughout the whole of America. If not, it is good Old Norman the master joiner with the workshop bigger than Victoria rail station. If ever our local carpenter is stabbed with one of his own Stanley chisels, she would be a natural for leading the investigation. I try to point out to her the incredible mistakes in these CSI scenario but she fails to see that they have been, in those words now famous, sexed up.
I am convinced that this process is having a detrimental effect upon us all. There was a convicted murderess Myra Hindley. She and her slightly mental partner abducted young children, tortured them to death and then buried them in wild places up on the moors. A later reincarnation of these two was Ian Huntley and his partner Carr. Huntley enticed two young girls into his home and there murdered one during a sexual act and killed the other to stop her screams. Huntley was a serial sex-offender involving young girls who came to police attention many times but was never taken to court. Hindley acted with clear intent of killing. Huntley knew exactly what the outcome had to be the moment he closed the door. His perverts paradise as school caretaker would collapse if either girl left that house alive. Two characters well deserving the death penalty we gave up. The manner of their offences truly horrendous. Scary to the parent of any young child.
Yet, within a very short while, what purported to be Hindley jokes started to appear. The least offensive I will show here involves her being asked if she would like to go out from the prison on a holiday as part of her psychiatric treatment. She replies that it would be nice but she would not want to go to the moors because of 'all them kids getting under her feet'. I am sure a few of you are saying, “Well. What is so offensive about that?” At the time this witticism appeared there was a great furore. The story was repeated when Hindley died. Almost total lack of any response.
Last Christmas we had the Huntley joke. The BBC had already drawn criticism over a programme they sent out. The other Huntly story was the question “Why does Huntley not like Christmas?” The sought after answer was “Because he cannot get the smell of Holly off his fingers”. Holly was the given name of one of his victims. This appeared in a number of blogs, forum, web joke pages and elsewhere. Generally, it met with stern condemnation. I've seen the joke repeated just recently – doubtless part of our run up to Christmas. No reaction from those who were all for banning and punishment just a year ago.
I just wonder what the relationship is between dumbing down and what seems to be our acceptance of what would previously have been the unprintable. It extends to the four letter words. The F-word was hardly ever used when I first mixed with adult men. Now, it is introduced as an advertisement and T-shirts are worn by young girls. The C-word was even less heard. Just loiter at the edge of a road rage exchange and see how they are now assimilated into everyday vocabulary. Very obscene and racist chants are heard at football matches regardless of the presence of young children.
I'm sure I come across as 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells'. Yes – well maybe. I'm seeing and hearing things I would prefer not to. My Army years removed any suggestion of prudery. I'm seeing the effect of dumbing down on those around me and general standards of public life. It is as if my wish to see some hot young film star in her bikini comes up as a raddled old prostitute in stained and holed knickers.

The broad umbrella of the Church

I am not a believer in the sense of going to Church on Sundays in my best suit and my own personal missal under my arm. I know many will say that this observence is nothing to do with the true Church. My disbelief goes further. I've noted on here that I had a now-deceased Aunt who would nowadays be described as some sort of Christian fundamentalist in the style of the Taliban (or, even, a Jesuit). She had a great influence in my childhood and I could pray, sing hymns, quote from the Scriptures, pontificate as well as any faithful in the last year at Seminary.

The er - scales fell from my eyes when I joined the Army and saw just what went on outside my Aunt's upper class Victorian lounge. The world was not a happy place - I knew that but had not realised just what went on in the big wide world. I got to that question I suppose we all ask sometime. "If my God is the God of love (or insert definition to suit), how does he permit (such and such) to happen? Where is the Love in that? Why does a shepherd allow one of his flock to be treated in this way?". An age-old philosopher named Epicurus has put the ultimate problem into words, Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to; or he cannot and does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent (meaning He is weak somehow). If he can, and does not want to, he is wicked. But, if God both can and wants to abolish evil, then how comes evil in the world? This is, of course, the Big One when it comes to things the clergy must know. I'm being tested, I'm being punished, I'm sure you have heard them all anyway. I once had a very long discussion with a Jewish rabbi on the lines of suffering as a means of spiritual growth. My Catholic contacts had the quick answer along the lines of 'have faith. Believe' when I put the final question to them. It was the non-resolution of this question that led me to put religion on one side.

This is a preamble far longer than intended about something that has just been decided here. It concerns a young woman Helen Percy. A "It does not matter whether you gave your consent or not. It is still adultery" She went to an tribunal. She had been punished and male ministers known to have extramarital relations were allowed to remain in office. Now, this is where things get very spooky, Low down and dirty. The kirk's response to the tribunal was that 1921 C of S Act states "It receives from Lord J C as divine head, the right and power subject to no civil authority to legislate and to adjudicate fully in all matters of Church discipline" In other words 'Foxtrot Oscar the World'

I live within 80 yards of a Church of Scotland church. I hope that I can resist walking that short distance with a can of red spray paint in my hand. 1921 in Scotland when it comes to religion is like the Dark Ages and I can understand the safeguards built into the Act. But, just what sort of twisted, out of date, unsympathic mind allowed this to be used as a defence in 2006? I do not know what this case will do to the image of the Church of Scotland but for me it reinforces my attitude to organised religion.

Just in case there is anyone out there who worries about my state of disbelief, let me add that my early grounding was sufficient to cause me to realise that one must have a set of guiding principles in place of any 10 Commandments. 'This I will try and do. This I will not do". I formulated my own. Amended and expanded as I went through the school of life, hard knocks class. A couple of years ago, I went off on a Buddhist retreat. Given what that religion has been through, I thought it might have answers about a God of Love protecting us. They live by 10 precepts. Same number as Commandments but set out without reference to coveting my neighbours arse. This is they.

• The ten precepts
  I undertake to abstain from taking life.
  I undertake to abstain from taking the not-given.
  I undertake to abstain from sexual misconduct.
  I undertake to abstain from false speech.
  I undertake to abstain from harsh speech.
  I undertake to abstain from useless speech.
  I undertake to abstain from slanderous speech.
  I undertake to abstain from covetousness.
  I undertake to abstain from animosity.
  I undertake to abstain from false views.

These almost exactly reflected my Things I will do and Things I will not do. I cannot put hand on heart and say I achieve every one of these, every day,in every way. I do try. If there be anyone reading this with a problem regarding religiosity, I commend these ten simple sentences to you. They work far better after discussion and expansion with a learned Buddhist but work straight out of the box as well.