Bin Laden Rant

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy"
- Jessica Dovey.

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Been meaning to vent my spleen on this issue since they shot him. OBL, that is, not MLK.

Like lots of people, I will admit to feelings of glee when the news broke. We've all been hoping he would be found for years of course, that goes without saying. However, as details emerged - the "Capture or Kill" mission and the fact that he was unarmed when they shot him, doubts emerged that the event had been handled in a manner befitting the world's foremost democracy. Then I noticed people were posting the MLK quote, and that, alongside the Americans' unreservedly bullish reaction, prompted me to wade in with my six penn'worth.

It's an old hobbyhorse of mine, this confusion of justice and revenge that seems to happen over the pond. Americans will be calling this "justice" for years to come, but in my book this is as far from justice as chalk is from cheese. Without recourse to dictionaries, or even wikipedia, here's my understanding of their relative meanings; justice is a human construct, a necessary part of a functioning society. It protects the majority from the excesses of society's failures. Those who are deemed to have broken its rules, after having a chance to prove otherwise, are dealt with in a way which prevents a recurrence. Revenge is a much more human phenomenon, based on an emotional response to perceived wrongdoing. It can be misplaced, based on false information or even propaganda, and is altogether damaging to a functioning society. Always. There is no place for revenge in any system of justice, since its primary effect is to reduce its perpetrator to the same moral level as is victim. Public executions anyone?

Just realised, the previous paragraph contains a horrendous generalisation. I should say "Some Americans". Indeed, the very quote that relates nicely to this situation is from Martin Luther King, obviously an American. Mind you, they shot him....

To paraphrase Monty Python, a lot of my friends are Americans, and only a few of them are immature. In other words, if you're reading this and you're American, I don't necessarily mean you. Can a whole country be deemed to act in an immature manner? I think so. I'm sure President Obama is himself a mature individual, but he's in no position to act naturally is he? Should he do what I consider the right thing, and blurt out "Hang on we're behaving like hormonal teenagers", he'd last about ten seconds before being rugby tackled and clapped in irons. That would be justice, of course, and speaks volumes about the size of the task before a president with an agenda of change. Good luck to him.

For the record, my alternative to the way the US Special forces acted goes like this: arrest him on suspicion of encouraging terrorism, put him on trial, convict him and incarcerate him for life. I like to think that's what a British operation would have done. We could not then be accused of making complete arses of ourselves on the world stage, as I believe the Americams have once again. Maybe I'm wrong and their actions have the approval of most people in this country, in which case we're all doomed.

Laters.

Happy Discovery

I found a shower at work. I could weep with happiness.

It's in the cellar and It's almost imposible to get to, because it gets used as storage space, but the security guard, Stan (when you're on first name terms with security you know you've arrived) who showed me the room promised to do some shifting around.

For those wondering why this is good, it means I can cycle to work whenever I choose to, and not have to sit at my desk smelling of sweat. This makes a big difference to my physical wellbeing, which in turn puts me in a much better mood.

While we're on mood, my missus told me this morning that there are more and more things that irritate me as I get older. Effectively this means I'm a grumpy old man. I got to thinking about that. I don't think my personality has changed per se, but the list of things I will moan about is growing. This is to be human. We identify things that irritate us, and without the youthful confidence that anything can be fixed, we're left with talking about it to whoever will listen. Also, over a span of years, trends become visible. For instance the trend towards a "Compensation culture", which I see as a minifestation of the naiive desire to find someone to blame when a bad thing happens. A person who's only had a few years of adult life cannot possibly be aware of the trend, so assumes that it's always been that way. It must be normal, and so on it goes. The depressing thing is that there will never be a trend in the other direction while there's money to be made. The inevitable effect is an erosion of morals. "I fell over and therefore I deserve money" is a statement which would have caused laughter ten years ago, but now it describes a real attitude. Scary.

I'd welcome some discussion on the subject. I think it's important to discuss these things, because if we don't, our attitudes become more and more radical. Being made aware of other people's points of view is the essence of society, normalisation being the desirable outcome. That's not to say that everyone needs to think the same things, but an awareness of other realities surely helps us live harmoniously. I say this on the day when thousands of people in Cumbria are coming to terms with yesterday's gun rampage, wondering what went so badly wrong in that man's life, and just maybe looking for someone to blame...

I STILL Hate Bad Science

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8411329.stm

Well they're at it again. Apparently the secret of long life is to look young for your age. That seems like a simple thing to say, but the way the article above is worded has very dangerous undertones. For instance (and yes I know I'm banging on here), consider these two statements:

1. If your body's cell-reproduction system is good, you will live a long life. You will also appear to age slowly.

2. If you look young for your age, you are likely to live a long life.

The first statement is a bald statement of fact.

The second statement is a subtle spin, which invites the weak-minded to put the cart before the horse and conclude that the secret of long life is to look young. Don't laugh, it happens. They might then rush out and buy up their local Boots' stock of skin creams, or book into the local health spa, having once again been convinced that the problem of ageing and dying can be overcome if they just throw enough money at it.

I'd like to know who put the spin on this article. I'm betting on the journalists. I can't believe any decent scientist would allow their findings to be used in this way. The horrible thing is, once the headline has been swallowed, the actual research can be presented as evidence, and the illusion is reinforced.

Better go, I'm getting far too upset about it.

Be good.

I Hate Bad Science

Read this article, then come back here for a good old rant.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8307024.stm

Have you read it? Right, here's what I hate about it: It's total bollocks.

"Scientists" have hit upon a statistic that there's less illness in greener areas. Naturally, being bad scientists, they reverse cause and effect, and conclude that the trees are beneficial to general health. Hey presto, we have a dangerously wrong conclusion which, when endorsed by the good old BBC, will have all the ill people (and their carers) moving to the nearest rural area. This will, of course, dilute the statistic and make the scientists think again, but by then it'll be too late and there will be lots of people wondering why they feel no better than before.

Here's an alternative theory: people with habits (or occupations) that cause illness tend to live in urban areas.

This could be by choice:

-They have access to whatever drugs made them ill.
-Health care is better in urban areas - hospitals, social workers.

Or by circumstance:

-Thier parents (often abusive) live there.
-They work there.

The above article is chock-full of stats, all very impressive, and all open to misinterpretation if you do as these people do and use the numbers to prove an existing theory. I ask you, how desperate would you have to be to put this sort of spin on your results?

Here's an example:

The researchers also showed that this relation was strongest for children younger than 12.


They were 21% less likely to suffer from depression in the greener areas.

How about this: their parents, a much more likely cause of their depression, prefer urban life, because that's where they were brought up themselves. Nothing to do with the damned trees, Mr PhD.

I'm off.

Done over

Nothing changes - the missus says I have an unhealthy attitude to Policemen. I say it comes from being (or at least feeling) unnecessarily harrassed by them as a teenager on a motorbike. They were, to a man, sarcastic, sadistic and unhelpful in my experience. Enough to scar any young man's psyche. Fast forward 30 years and there I was minding my own business, going to work on a Sunday morning. Next thing I'm being flagged down by a gap-toothed, black-shirted, peak-capped bully, having mysteriously strayed into the middle lane. Apparently bikes aren't allowed out of the gutter here. Anyway he pocketed my license and smugly informed me I could retrieve it at the local constabulary, somewhere in deepest darkest Bangkok. I know this ritual, having done it numerous times already, so I knew that was my cue to suggest I pay the "fine" on the spot. 400 Baht(8 GBP) later, I was on my way, leaving the jumped up Hitler happy and a little richer, my hard-earned cash having disappeared into his arse pocket. That was my serenity gone for the day. How is that the rule of law? If it happened in the UK I'd report him and he'd be fired, but here it's normal. Why don't they just stand on corners with a plastic cup like honest beggars? Hmph.

Be good, and stay in the right lane.

And another thing

Can someone explain why, if I want to eat a lot of fruit to balance out all the junk, I have to peel annoying little round labels off every single item thereof? I'm convinced these things are not biodegradable and we'll soon be sitting on a fruit-sticky-label-mountain. It'll be the straw that breaks the planet's back, mark my words. Also I'm never near a bin when I peel the buggers off. There are scruffy stickers stuck everywhere. My dietary habits could be mapped precisely, just by examining the layers of stickers at strategic points around the apartment/office. Go on, admit it, you've all stuck them to the inside of your desk drawers, or even more sneaky, on the bottom of the table. Or is it just me?

Help me understand #3

And while we're on people(and hence confusion), can anyone explain why nobody gives birth to large, or even medium sized babies? Every time I hear news of a joyful new arrival, even if it's a 12-pound monster, it's always "a little girl" or "a little boy". Bizarre.

Help me understand #2

Just a thought - can anyone explain why most people (ie everyone except me) find it necessary, when explaining dental procedures they've had done, to shove their fingers in their mouths?

Is it in case we've forgotten where our teeth are?

Help me understand

..and I quote - "I believe fate plays a large part in who gets lucky and who doesn't."

This was by Formula 1 commentator Martin Brundle in his column. Normally I enjoy everything the guy says. He's witty, informed and concise. This ditty, however, has me suspecting he's a dimwit. He's talking about Felipe Masa'a accident on Saturday, when a spring from the car in front nearly brained him by bouncing up as he flew down the straight at 200mph.

If anyone can tell me what this sentence means I'd be genuinely pleased because either I'm missing something, or it's nonsense.

Thre word "Fate" has always set me off asking questions of whoever uttered it and as yet I've had no satisfactory answer, only confused mumblings. If I wasn't so charitable I'd be thinking that those who use these phrases are secretly hoping that there's a pattern to events that makes life a bit less frightening. Dare I say a guiding hand? I'd also be telling them to get a grip.

Be good, and watch what you say.