End Time

The curtains are closing on 2009. I can't say i'm disappointed to see the back of it. This year has been every kind of adjective.

I see no point in going over certain things that have occured. Not least because reviewing it will bring back some bad memories its better for my mental well being to forget and i can do no more about them now as i could last week or even several months ago.

I always think making mistakes is fine, as long as you learn from them. Life is just a collection of experiences, and your 'take' on them changes over time. It's like being in a familiar room and then breaking the step ladders out and climbing to the top of them. The room takes on a new perspective and sometimes it can look better or worse. The step ladders represent time, and its up to you what you make of the new view.

You know those nights when it all goes wrong, when it all blows up and you feel like your life has taken a turn from which it will never recover? Well you're just having a new experience, and experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes instead of old ones. Someone a whole lot smarter than myself said that getting over a painful experience is a lot like crossing monkey bars, you have to let go at some point in order to move forward.

So rather than focus on the bad things that occured in January and February of 2009, i'd rather look to the positives. You know, i think too many people big themselves up about the wrong things at the wrong times. There's a painfully thin line between confidence and arrogance. A lot of blokes fail to spot it, but a lot of girls don't seem to mind. Sometimes it sounds like people are just trying to convince themselves that they're splendid.

I'm not dumb enough to think that my life isn't very easy. A lot of it is a lazy stroll in a picturesque park on a summers day. Despite that, I moan like Victor Meldrew on amphetamines, but its only about the minor stuff. The major stuff usually shocks me to silence.

My biggest upheaval this year was being made redundant in February. My moans about that would be thus; i worked for them for 10 years. I worked bloody hard and tried to learn as much as i could and better myself there. They kept people on there that had been there less time then me, and were not as trained in as many jobs as i was.

But, while it was one big, fat, nimbus cloud, the glorious, shiny uv beams were making their presence known behind it. If you were to work for a company for ten years, and they uncerimoniously show you the door because they're a bit strapped for cash, it doesn't take Noam Chomsky to work out you're better off not working for cunts like that in the first place.

That is confidence. To say you're better than the place would be arrogance. I'm not better than it, but there's better things out there than it, and i owe it to myself to go and find them.

With that in mind then, i enroled at the City of Bath College. Despite the regular piss taking of my so-called-friends, i'm still there. My eyes fixed firmly on the prize. The prize being making up for something i'd regretted most of my life which is not getting a better education than the one i ran out of school with aged 16, my head full of dreams of rock superstardom.

I'm hoping that University awaits next year, and i can further surprise myself by going and doing the best that i can there.

But friends, don't think for one minute i've given up on the dreams of rock superstardom! Not on your chuffin nelly. Frenzy have been pretty damn busy this year, even doing fly-in-fly-out gigs to America. That isn't very common i assure you. I even joined the Virgin Flyers Club. That is, for the airline Virgin, not a flyers club for people who haven't had sex. That's how many airmiles we were chalking up. Next year we're doing a 24 date European tour, and i'm finding it hard to think of any aspirations i had with playing the guitar that haven't already been fulfilled. That's a pretty good feeling.

Despite Far-Cue taking a VERY well earned break at the start of this year, we came back with a blast later on and soon got back into the swing of giggery. I think we were all a little lost without it, and its frightening how something like that can become such a huge part of your identity. Without it though, you can appreciate how much you miss it, so it's a whole lot more fun now than it ever used to be.

My faith in science has been shaken this year. I'm pro-science. To the point that it would probably scare you. I look around and see that most things we do throughout our days are only made possible through the quest for knowledge, which is science. I tire of hearing the old line 'Scientists aren't always right'. Of course they're not, that's kind of the point. It takes a long time for a theory to be proved, and even when it does it can take an even longer time for someone very smart to blow it to pieces. For example, i saw footage of a perpetual motion machine the other day which is a complete piss off for the laws of thermodynamics........if it really is a perpetual motion machine that is, and i know some of you are probably scoffing but you really should see it for yourself before making a judgement.

The reason my faith is shaken is because of the bullshit and hyperbole surrounding this alledged man made global warming. The people who are supposed to question everything (thats the scientists by the way) are having their palms greased by the politicans to prove something that doesnt exist. This puts humanity in a dangerous place, as scientists and the media are supposed to be politically unbiased and not subject to bribery. Sadly, they are only human, and everyone has their price.

The man made global warming theory is an interesting one, and i can understand why people would buy it. Thing is, in the 70's, the same scientists that are global warming alarmists were trying to warn us of another problem facing humanity; an ice age. That came and went, then it was the hole in the ozone layer. Now it's man made CO2. New ways to terrorise the public and keep them sedated.

I shan't go on about it, i'd like to say it's an interesting subject for debate but sadly it seems that the subject isn't up for debate. Which should immediately start you asking the WHY questions, and putting it up for debate because clearly something strange is going on if something cannot be questioned. Neitzche said that there are no facts, only interpretations. So ponder on that.

One of the most cringeworthy things you can listen to is a parent going on about how outrageously wonderful their child is. If you're not a parent yourself, it's even worse. I am sympathetic to this fact, and though i love talking about my son Jake, i try and keep it succint and not over sugar anything. I also only talk about him to the people i guess wouldn't mind too much. Let's just say he's still doing great, he's making me very proud, and i consider myself very lucky to have him.

I was bowled over this year at the campaign to get Rage Against The Machine to number 1 for Xmas. Frankly it could have been any song except The X Factor for me, but because it was Rage and it was that song made it doubly joyous. Don't for one minute think this is some kind of turning point. 'Reality' TV is still with us, making heroes out of idiots and convincing us that we'll all be adored one day. I can't think of anything more banal and troublesome than being famous. I can't imagine what goes through people's heads when they say they aspire to be so. They're probably just looking for the acceptance they never got from their parents or peers, but i don't think they'll find it in front of a barrage of cameras. Some, like that dispicably vile creature, Jordan, seem to revel in that stuff......i'm thankful that i don't understand why. It would mean myself and her have something in common and i couldn't have that.

So in a few days it'll be good riddance to two thousand and NOT FINE (nine), and it's bloody good to see you two thousand and START AGAIN (ten). Clever isn't i.

Every now and then i believe you experience a year that will be forever etched into your brain. For me, 1994 was one such year, and the year 2000. It's been a while, but i believe 2009 will earn it's place amongst my Remembered Years Hall Of Fame. It's been so many things, and though i like to think i've learned a lot already from the events of this year, i know that it's only with a buffer of three of four years can you really look back and see what was going on and maybe even why. I don't want to talk about destiny or fate, concepts that i tend to dismiss as it renders you out of control of your own life and i've had enough of that for one year, but certainly this has been a year of change. Change that i initially thought was for the worse, but i can see it coming round to my side, and that feels pretty good. I am a creature of habit, some of which would probably disgust you, but like Rain Man, i freak out when my routines and habits are broken. It is however, liberating to be free of such things, and to be like Kerouac and embrace what's happening now rather than finding comfort in the norm. Long may it continue. I hope you all ring in the new year in a spectacular fashion, and that like me, you can't wait to get the fucking thing started. 2009 has took the piss for long enough.

On The Subject Of Change

I should start this with a disclaimer. That is, i'm not denying that the climate of the world is changing. That means i'm not a 'climate change denyer' in the strictist sense. What i'm denying, is that the fault lies on the front door of mankind.

I'm complled to write this after Gordon Brown said that climate change skeptics are 'flat-earthers', and 'anti-science'. Goes to show what the half blind manky scottish wanker knows about me then. I am pro science to the core. I get stick for it from people. I get the line 'Science isn't always right.' Well duuuuhhhh. That's the point of it, it constantly tests itself, constantly tries to prove itself wrong so it can gain more accuracy. I'd like to see Religion do the same to it's claims. It wouldn't last five minutes.

So with my pro-science attitude, i adopt the teachings of a certain Noam Chomsky. He is labelled an 'intellectual' which is a damn lofty title. He says to be an intellectual, you need to look at things yourself from every angle. In other words, don't take someone's word for it. Which is splendid advice.

With that in mind then, let's get our chops around some facts.
Let's go back a while. The Soviets analysing ice core data in Antarctica have said that according to their research, CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been steadily rising for 18,000 years.
Must have been all those planes and six litre vehicles driving around 18,000 years ago.

The Hadley Centre for Climate Change Prediciton stumbled on an 'inconvenient truth' in 2007. That is, since 1998 there has been no rise in the average temperature of the planet.
So does this mean we're all doing really really well? And we've managed to keep CO2 levels down? Or does it mean that there is NO correlation between the CO2 in the atmosphere and the temperature of the planet? Go here to find out more; www.sciencebits.com/icecoretruth

The thing with Global Warming doomsters, is that they haven't read the facts. Or, they've been selective with the facts. It's like a religion. You can swan around these days saying God doesnt exist, or you can say you dont think he does, and people will just smile warmly and say you're entitled to your beliefs.
If you say you don't believe in global warming, people get VERY narky about it. I should know, i've argued with plenty of them. It's like you've just gone round and shit in their favourite hat. They're appalled, and they have no reason to be. These are the bad scientists, the people who believe every news bulletin and newspaper article about it, without looking into it themselves.
I understand if you dont have the time, but please then dont fiercely defend something you know nothing about. It renders you without a frame of reference, regurgatating half baked ideas you've over heard on the tv. Thats not even bad science, it borders on stupidity.

The 'evidence' used to back up the claim that the planet is getting hotter, comes from ground based weather stations. Most of these weather stations were initially planted in rural areas. What's happened now, is those same stations are subject to a background bias due to urban sprawl. So they give a false reading. If you want an accurate reading, use the sattelite weather stations, as they aren't subjected to these factors. If you were to do so, you'd discover much the same as the Hadley Centre did, that is there is NO increase in the planet's average temperature, year on year.

Weird things are happening with the weather, that can't be denied. Getting hotter? I missed summer this year didn't you? A more plausible explanation for climate change is the Sun. Our glorious perpetual nuclear explosion up there. One tiny change in the Sun's output disturbs the climate here on earth. And the sun is doing things we've never seen before with it's solar flares and winds. It's a monster, and it's angry. What are the climate changers planning to do? Protest against the sun?

The only evidence for man-made global warming is computer models. Sadly, the models are wrong. How do i know this? Because they tested the models against past warming. The models predicted high temperatures in certain areas in the northern hemisphere and the tropics. When compared to actual readings from the same time frame, the models did not predict reality. It doesn't add up. It doesn't work. To think that all this fuss and fuckery, all the tax money (Cap and Trade = a HUGE con), all the protests, all the scaremongering, is the result of a computer simulation.

People are looking on mankind as a virus, a cancer on the planet that needs to be eradicated.
I don't understand why people can't marvel at their own inventiveness. Why can't we look around and think 'We're doing alright here, look at everything we've achieved'.
Humans feel the need to feel guilty about it. You can't leave your tv on standby. You can't leave your car running. You can't mix paper with plastic. You can't burn coal. You can't leave a light on. Fuck, it's getting so that you can't even throw your own rubbish out. There's a collection of individuals that see progress as a bad thing. They want us to go back to a 'golden age' which sadly only exists in memories looked at through rosy tinted specs. There is a phenomenal amount we can do with medicine, and with stem cell research diseases like Parkinsons and Altzheimers will be treatable. To me, that's not only exciting, its a fucking relief too. They're even trying to grow body parts in petri dishes now. Fucking right as well. If i lost an eye, and was told they could grow me a new one, i'd be one happy bloke. If i lost an eye, and they said we were at the point where we could have grown you a new one but some hand wringing moraliser decided we were playing God so good luck not bumping into things, I'd find that moraliser and see how they like it sans BOTH their eyes.

People should stop feeling guilty. CO2 has been rising long before you bought your car. The industrial revolution started but 200 years ago. Am i supposed to swallow that climate change is the fault of man? I don't. I don't because it makes no sense. Not when you look at nature, and it's own contributions. Through volcanoes, decaying plants and animals, and biolgic activity in the oceans. In fact, of the 186 billion tonnes of CO2 that gets released into the atmosphere every year, man is accountable for only 6 billion of it. WHAT SHALL WE DO ABOUT THE OTHER 180 BILLION? That's my question, because that's what should be addressed. We're pissing in the wind worrying about 6 billion tonnes when there's 180 more of it to be accounted for.

CO2 makes up less than 4/100ths of 1% of all gases present in the atmosphere. Read that again and take it in. Then consider mankind's contribution to that. If you look at geological data, we are in fact living in a time that's CO2 IMPOVERISHED. Put in capitals so you get the point. This is bad, as plants need CO2 to live. And we need plants to live.

American spent 25 billion in government funding into climate change since 1990. That is why you won't hear any of the above from anyone who makes a fast buck out of selling you a myth. It nearly happened though, on the eve of the bullshit Copenhagen summit, some clever clogs hacked into the East Anglian University's computers and stole thousands of emails containing information that the facts and figures for climate change have been 'massaged' to make things seem worse than they are.

Jobs are at stake. So is integrity. The climate is changing. What can YOU do about it? Not a lot. So stop worrying. I see a Facebook group now, going on about how people shouldn't oppose wind farms on the grounds that they're eye sores. I won't. I'll oppose them on the grounds that they're fucking useless. The solution to our 'energy crisis' is something no-one wants to hear. It starts with n and ends in uclear. But that's for another blog.

Amen

So as Christmas comes in, it does make me smile at the number of atheists that will be rushing around buying presents to celebrate a festival they clearly have no business celebrating: The birth of someone who does not exist, and never has.

I'm an agnostic these days. I think it somewhat ignorant to be an atheist. I used to be fearful of God. My Mother was (is) a practising catholic, and i would accompany her to church as a boy. Whether you believe in it or not, you have to admit the God squad did a great job when it comes to churches. They are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and there's always an atmosphere when you walk into one. The musty stench, the echoes, the stained glass and crosses. Tim Smith said (and i happen to agree with him) that hymns are pretty stirring. All those voices singing together as one. The power of it all.

It was only really as i reached my mid-twenties that i began to entertain the idea that there was no God. No omni present force tut tutting every time you had a sly hand shandy into a Xmas sock. No omnicient presence that has a master plan and steers you in the right direction at a cross roads. It may have been nothing but a fairy story. Like Santa Claus, only less likely. Actually he's a lot like Santa, he has a long white beard, knows who's naughty or nice, is taught to and believed in by children, and he rewards virtue and punishes evil.

For me it was a scary time. Imagine if all this, what we do down here on this mudball, has NO relevance whatsoever. You know all those people that are cunts? Yeah you do, you know a lot of them, you probably seem them every day. I do. They behave atrociously and only ever seem to prosper. Now i know the Buddhists have this thing called 'Karma'. Let's not stick to picking on God shall we, let's have a go at the fat chap too.
Karma, in a simple, fundamental kind of way, states that what goes around comes around.
If you behave like a shit, you'll get shit happen to you. Change it round, behave like a saint, and you'll get good stuff heading your way. You've seen My Name Is Earl, i need not go on.
Anyway, the Buddhists are smart enough to have this great get out clause. That is, you behave so badly down here (think Adolf), that there's no possible way for Karma to sort you out in one lifetime. So what happens is Karma picks on you in your next life too.
A trifle unfair wouldn't you say?
You might be having an awful time now, like a double arm amputee with an itchy anus, and while you might have done your best to behave brilliantly, it matters not. Your previous self was an arse, so you'd better run that butt of yours along the carpet like the dog you are.
Were.
Whatever.
It's perfect. It can't be proved or dis-proved. It's faith. Blind faith. And blind faith is a dangerous thing.
It's the answer to everything that should be questioned.

So let's say the unstoppable force is blind faith. No matter what questions you come out with, readers and believers in the Bible will tell you simply that you have to have faith. Yes the Bible contradicts itself, but you have to have faith. God treats you like dog poo that's worked it's way into the tread of his sandal but it's okay, because he has a master plan for you and everything will be fine if you just have faith.

The immovable object is common sense. Supposedly what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object is that the unstoppable force stops and the immovable object moves. It doesnt apply here. Neither give way. Neither yield to the other.

Take the story of Larry and Lucky Parker. They were true believers. Their son was diagnosed as diabetic, and they decided they weren't going to trust in modern medicine (that ogre, science, that we'll get to soon), and instead trust God to cure their boy. It didn't work, the child died and the couple were convicted of manslaughter. They wouldn't entertain the idea of insulin, they believed God would sort him out. If you're a parent, you'll know just how ridiculous an idea this is to consider, and even if you're not you must see how fucking ridiculous it is.

The world turns, it grinds on and science and technology drag it forward. I might have a headache one day, as i often do. I take my Rizatriptan to rid myself of this affliction. Praying to God to relieve me of the pain would result in one thing; more headache. I'm aware this doesnt close the case on Him. Im sure he'd have better things to do than get rid of my headache, but imagine if this child of the Parker's was cured? If it defied all medical explanation. If it was, in fact, a miracle? That's something for the Pope to wave under the atheist's nose isn't it? Personally i'd have sprung on that. It'd have been great PR.

As a species, i hope we humans have moved on from the Stone Age. To me, religion drags us back there. It erects perimitters and barriers and prevents us from moving forward.
For instance, stem cell research. It's playing God apparently. I'm sure they said that when the Wright brothers launched themselves into the air. 'If God wanted us to fly He'd have given us wings' yadda yadda yawn yawn. The positives of stem cell research far outweigh the paranoia of the Catholic Church.
Let's see now, treatment and possible cure of lukemia, cancer, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries. Last time i checked, the church had little to no success in the treatment of these ailments.

The word Science comes to us from the latin Scientia, which means Knowledge or Knowing. What i like about it is that it challenges itself. It comes up with a theory, then sets out to disprove it, to make it fail, rather than just declaring it to be the truth. That's admirable and courageous. Hats off i say. It's the polar opposite of blind faith, our troublesome little friend from a couple hundred words ago.

You have opinions. Most people are pretty welded to theirs. Something pretty major has to happen for a person to change their opinion of something. Imagine if we all analyzed our opinions to see if they stand up to scrutiny, or just some bullplop we enjoy spouting. It throws you off balance to discover something you believed in or held true is as transparent as a clean window on a summer's day. Science is a bold beast. It constantly questions itself.
Try it. Its distressing.

So my Mother was religious. My Dad was an atheist. He went along with my Mother's wishes to christen both myself and my brother, and would never openly mock her decision to attend church on a Sunday. Nor did he ever say anything about it to me when i went.
Close to the end of his life, my Dad would say he believed in 'his God'. He never really disclosed who or what that was. He obviously believed there was a higher power, but that the higher power didn't need his ass kissing in a church every Sunday. I think my Dad was closer to being a Pantheist. For those that don't know, a Pantheist is basically someone who believes that God and the universe are one and the same. That God is everywhere, in the trees and the wind and a part of it all. Kind of like The Force in Star Wars. He surrounds us and binds the galaxy together.

It's a nice thought, and one i'm more comfortable with than the image of an old man with a long white beard perched on a cloud telling you you're an awful person but he forgives you.

When my Dad was on his death bed, he didn't have the ability to speak. He had a tracheotomy which meant he couldn't employ his vocal chords to communicate. So i never really got to know what Muse put as 'The last thoughts of a dying atheist'. Knowingly facing death must be a terrifying thing. This is where faith comes into it's own. If you really truly believe in God, then death holds no fear for you.

The only thing that makes humans believe in God is fear. Fear that there is an afterlife and we all get fucked or praised for our actions down here on earth. I believe that in as little as 100 or 200 years time, humans will look back on us and snigger at the things we believed in. At the things that held us back and halted progress. Much in the same way we smile at the Egyptians or the Incas for their beliefs. Slaughtering people so the sun would rise, the very idea huh?

I completely understand the comfort the belief in God brings. Shortly after my Dad's death i had the misfortune to purchase Dawkin's book, The God Delusion. It basically blows holes in every aspect of the existence of God (the parts i read were a bit one sided), and to be totally honest with you, i really didn't want to read that stuff so soon after my Dad had passed on. I was still struggling with the notion of God, but it felt comforting to think he'd gone on to a better place. All the common sense in me, all the logic and reason saying it's pretty much impossible that God exists was pushed out so i could feel better about his passing. Which brings to mind Robert Heinlein's quote 'Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help'.

This is why if anyone does say they believe in God, i'm not one to start yammering in their face about the absurdity of it all. People who do are no better than Jehova's witnesses knocking on your door telling you how the world works. I completely understand the fear of the unknown, and so do you, every time you walk into a new place, start a new job, or go on a first date.

To stick with my Dad, he said religion is responsible for more war, carnage and death than anything else. I think you could say that and get nods of approval, but isn't it more the interpretation of religion, and the application of it to everyday life that gets people arguing?

If someone asks my opinion on something i'll give it to them. If i'm not busy or just can't be bothered. The trouble with religion and it's causing of wars is just a difference of opinion. One group interpret a book one way, another a different way and before you know it they're shelling the shite out of each other.

I believe people should be free to believe in anything they like, as long as they don't hurt someone else doing it. I was introduced to Humanism through reading Kurt Vonnegut's books, and it's a pretty damn good way to live your life. As i mentioned before, my Mother is a catholic, yet her behaviour could be classed as Humanist. She doesn't want to burn Dawkins at the stake, as catholics from a couple hundred years ago would have done, and is content to let him carry on.

Who knows? She might have the last laugh. At least if there is a heaven, when it comes my time i'll have someone up there on my side, nudging God to let me in despite.......numerous things i'd rather not go into. Because i tend to have a psychologist's head on, i believe a person's religious beliefs act as a placebo on their very existence. Whatever shit life throws at them, their belief in a reward for weathering the excrement shower means they're not as affected by it as an atheist who may just despair at the world for having no meaning.

Existence without meaning can be liberating, but it can also render itself pretty pointless. To think that we're not just blobs of proteins and water, oozing around a speck in the universe. That there is fate, destiny and the grand plan. This is what religion should bring to those that need it, like a junkie needs H, to get through the day.
Me? I just want a nice Christmas prezzie.

Dear Gordon,

Dear Gordon Brown,

With interest and sadness i read over the weekend that you have seen fit to dismiss your chief drug advisor, Professor David Nutt.

Now, i can honestly say i don't have the first idea how to run this country, which puts you and me on a level pegging. I do know however, that the sacking of a government advisor for doing his job puts us into frightening territory.

I know Mr Nutt is not adverse to making headlines. I remember the time he declared that taking Ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse. He rightly pointed out there were 100 deaths a year from horseriding compared to 30 deaths a year from taking Ecstasy. Do you not see that Mr Nutt only meant this statistically, and didn't deserve the dressing down he got from your valued ex-Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, for that comment?
It's no different to when people come out with ' Flying by plane is the safest form of travel '.
It is.
Statistically.
But i've had 3 car crashes and walked out of every one. I think if i'd endured 3 plane crashes, i wouldn't be here now. This makes air travel very dangerous indeed. I'm sure you can figure it out. The papers tell me you're bright so i have faith that you can, but i applaud you for your ability at keeping your intelligence well hidden.

I feel the need to firstly say why it was wrong to sack Professor Nutt. He was employed by your government to advise you on drugs. It is then down to your government to decide whether or not to take that advice. He was not there to tell you to do this or that. Not too long ago he recommended cannabis should not be reclassified from Class C to Class B. Both yourself and Jacqui Smith ignored his advice on that, and you and your new-though-no-less-incompetent Home Secretary Alan Johnson could have done so with this too.

Scientists are there to carry out and provide the results of studies and experiments. Science is the quest for knowledge but rather than point out where they're right, most scientists try to prove themselves wrong and in doing so, gain the knowledge they desire.
What you were given by Nutt et al, was the result of a study. The study was based on three factors: the drug's addictive potential, it's possible damage to the user, and it's affect on society.
Sounds like an experiment an A level student could have come up with to me. The study showed various legal drugs were considered more harmful than some that are freely available now.

Up to this point, i see no sackable offence. I see an interesting piece of work that you and your associates could have read and learned from.
I know lots of people addicted to tobacco. I also know a few who, whether they know it or not, are addicted to alcohol. I have lots of friends that have taken LSD, Ecstasy and Amphetamines. I don't know anyone addicted to any of these drugs.

If history is correct, LSD was used by the CIA in thought experiments, and it was also tried as a truth serum. Due to it being colourless, odourless and relatively tasteless, it made it the drug of choice to 'spike' someone's drink with, and the CIA spent a few months spiking their own men to see if anyone could tell they'd been spiked before the drug kicked in.
They couldn't and for a while it showed promise as a theraputic agent. It was 5 times more successful than Alcoholics Anonymous for treating people addicted to alcohol. Only when the drug was 'abused' by the great unwashed did it become illegal to carry and use.
LSD addictions are extremely rare, the chances of an LSD user harming you while on a trip are next to none as any bad trips usually result in the user being more scared of their surroundings than showing aggression towards them, and since the drug is cheap, it's damage to society by potential addicts is minimal.

I don't feel i have to address other drugs in that manner, and point out how the same could not be said of tobacco and alcohol, as these two drugs alone put a bigger strain on the NHS than any LSD user could.

My opinion changes regularly on whether or not drugs should be legalised.
I am sure though, that a person's body is their own, to do with what they please. If they choose to fill it with drugs or poisons to achieve a desired effect it is their business to do so.
I'm assuming if they stroll to McDonald's and purchase and eat a takeaway, this does not upset Alan Johnson. Yet eating McDonald's everyday is bad for you. Some say fast food is addictive too. It is something addictive that is bad for you. Some scientists (those people that don't know what they're talking about) say we're in an obesity epidemic. Gluttony is making our citizens quite ill and also applying more pressure on the NHS. Perhaps this problem needs addressing too?
A drug's potential damage to the user is simply this: none of your damn business.

Ecstasy stimulates serotonin levels in the brain. It gets inside the receptor and vacuums out the stuff, giving the user an intense feeling of euphoria and well being. If someone strives for such a mindset, surely it is fine that they go out and seek it? In Britain under a Labour government there is precious little to be happy about. If one cannot find joy at home, joy can be forced upon people with MDMA. For only 3 pounds a pill, and an effect that lasts most of the night, i fail to see how this can be damaging to society. People walking around feeling 'loved up' can only be a good thing in some towns. Nutt wanted Ecstasy reclassified from a Class A drug to Class B. This was also turned down.

Heroin and Cocaine. People steal to feed addiction to these drugs. People die from overdosing on these drugs. Ask a Heroin user what their first thought is in the morning, and it's more than likely 'How the fuck am i going to make it through today?'. It is right that Prof. Nutt put these two drugs at the top of his 'Most Dangerous' list. If you agree with this also, perhaps you might entertain the idea that he was right with the rest of his findings too.

As i mentioned before, the idea that you sack someone for not 'fitting in' to your ideals puts us into frightening territory.
You're either with us or against us, right?
I have a word for that: totalitarian. Which according to a dictionary, means a centralized government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion and that exercises dictatorial control over many aspects of life.

From totalitarian it's only a hop skip and a back hander to communism, which is the frightening place i refer to.

Professor David Nutt produced a study you and your government didn't like the results of, so you did away with him and will fill his slippers with someone who will fit in with your line of thinking.

'The Home Secretary's action is a bad day for science and a bad day for the cause of evidence-informed policy making'. So says the director of the centre for crime and justice.
I couldn't have put it better myself, so i won't.

Yours in tired disbelief,

Steve Eaton
Aged 33 and a half

Witches

The other day i heard some news. Family news, nothing worthy of a front page.
It turns out my brother is to be a Dad.
Becoming a parent is one of the few things i beat him to.
Knowing him as i do, i'm not entirely sure how he'll adapt to this position.

Having a child lives up to every cliche in the book. It alters you, and fundamentally changes your values and outlook on everything.

For me, when my son Jake was in utero, i thought every change was going to be for the worst. I thought my life was being taken away from me and the good times were grinding to a halt.
I was wrong, and while i shudder at the teen pregnancy trend used by young girls to gain free accommodation, i still thoroughly recommend parenthood.

I'm not about to wax lyrical about it all. As i said before, pretty much every cliche is true, and you find yourself faced with this tiny human that you're responsible for. You can fill them up with morals, values, truths and love. Or you can go the other way, and frankly i don't know how or why anyone would want to do that.

With this in mind then, i can only stand with my jaw on the floor when i hear of stories like the one about Nwanaokwo Edet. Hardly a household name i know, but Nwanaokwo was a nine year old boy from Eket in Nigeria. If you didn't hear about this story i'll quickly relay it; Nwanaokwo's family pastor accused him of being a witch. A nine year old boy remember........
As an exorcism, his father tried to force acid down his throat. As the boy struggled, the acid spilled and burned away his face and eyes. A month later he was dead.

Apparently there's a rising trend in Africa of children accused of witchcraft and then tortured and killed by their own families.

When i think of my son, i can't even think of hurting him. I'm not one who's outraged at the idea of smacking. I've smacked Jake only once, and that was on the wrist but you know what? He was being naughty and he deserved it.
I felt bloody awful after it. His face all screwed up and wet with tears. The shrieks and yells.
Usually in that circumstance you rush to comfort them, but when you've just dished out punishment, you can't.
It's a hard one, but sometimes necessary.
Thankfully not often with Jake, he's a cool kid.

The idea of beating, abusing, torturing or going near him with acid actually makes me feel sick.
I fail to see two things.
Firstly, how there could have been any love from Nwanaokwo's father towards him at any point in his nine short years.
And secondly, how fucked up people must be to believe everything their pastor says.
Let's add a third and fourth thing here: how fucked up the pastor must be to come out with such monumental bullshit, and how the job fucking lot of them manage to sleep at night knowing what they've done.

So now we approach the thorny subject of religion.
It's easy to say it's all religion's fault for a Dad throwing acid in his son's face deliberately.
If that 'Dad' wasn't such a gullible dickhead, he might have thought for himself.
If a pastor, priest, vicar, mormon, scientologist or Jehova's witness came up to me and said to me earnestly that my son is a witch and deserves to die, that person would be meeting the God they worship a lot quicker than they first anticipated.
Why then, did Nwanaokwo's Dad not share my mentality on this?

According to Fox News, it's because families are extremely poor and are sometimes grateful that there's one less mouth to feed, and because when communities are under pressure they look for a scapegoat and children are defenseless. In the past month alone, 3 Nigerian children accused of witchcraft were killed and another 3 set on fire.

In Nigeria, churches outnumber banks, clinics and schools put together. If you're a pastor, the competition is tough to recruit people to your church.
So now we're getting down to the real reason these bastards are accusing kids of being witches.
Pastors can establish their credentials by doing so. If the pastors are respected they get more people joining their church. More people joining their church means.............ker-ching!

In an odd twist, the church that this particular pastor belonged to is Mount Zion Lighthouse which is based in California. Needless to say the Californians have pleaded ignorance to it, but the Nigerian branch say that with 30 million members, they ' cant keep an eye on everybody '.
Turns out they can collect membership fees from everybody though.

There's more horror stories: one child's mother tried to saw the top of her skull off after a pastor denounced her, another was buried alive and let's not forget the one who was starved, then made to eat cement and finally set on fire.
For me, this opens up so many questions about the nature of religion and the screaming divide between our country and those in the third world.

Science, industry, knowledge and technology surge forward relentlessly, and some citizens of this planet are being left behind. The gap is only getting bigger to me, as stories like this one show.
The actions of these ' parents ' are signs of out and out madness, but at least they used religion as an excuse eh? Baby P's Mum was just an evil fucker.

I hope as my son grows up he'll realise how fortunate he is to have been born here and in this day and age. I'll certainly try my best to make him see it.

It's Halloween on Saturday. He'll be going out with his Mum Trick or Treating. He's 7 now, so he's still at the age where he believes in the kid stuff like the Tooth Fairy, Father Christmas, and ghosts and goblins.

Long may that continue. It's what being a kid is all about isn't it? Believing in magic and fairy tales. I stopped believing in that stuff a while ago. But then i hear about people setting fire to their own kids because somebody told them they were Witches and i realise that monsters really do exist, and that ignorance can be the scariest thing of all.

It Begins......

Welcome to my first blog post. Let's not get too emotional about it. I derived considerable joy from blogging on myspace, and it used to give me a giddy thrill when i checked the blog count and discovered people were actually reading them.

Myspace users have all but disappeared from the radar now, and facebook has welcomed them with open pixels. While i appreciate the fast load up time and ease of use with facebook, it all looks rather cold to me, photos being your only opportunity to stamp your mark on your page. Im a barrel of opinions, so expect regular blogs ranting about things i cannot hope to change.

Last night i played a gig with Far-Cue in Melksham. The Far-Cue story is an interesting one, featuring pretty much every cliche rock n roll moment only without the money to back it up. But then money and Far-Cue are like oil and water, they really don't mix.
We hadn't played in Melksham for quite a while. Brains were racked trying to figure out just how long it was but estimations ranged from a few months ( wrong! ) to a couple of years ( nearer the mark ). Happily, the good people of the 'Sham hadn't forgotten we existed and the pub was what one might label 'heaving'.

This is in no way an attempt of self trumpet blowing on my part. Being a chap who enjoys live music, and being a chap who plays in two bands that partake of that very activity, i have recently observed a disturbing trend in local music gigs.
The ' pub scene ' is not one to be ignored. It gives bands a chance to refine their chops, for people to listen to their music, and God forbid, to even make a bit of cash into the bargain.
The trend i speak of is sadly nothing more than a lack of interest. After discussions with various people whose opinions i respect, it all pretty much points to the same thing: the smoking ban.

Last year, this one legislation was responsible for the closure of 4 pubs A DAY. I can only imagine that figure has increased this year, especially with the recession piling on the misery.
Me? I'm not a smoker. I'll get my cancer for free ta very much. I don't mind people who do smoke though. I dont think i've had a girlfriend that didnt smoke. Growing up around smokers, i actually derive some comfort and pleasure from the tang of cigarette smoke, and second hand smoke is a damn sight cheaper than paying for it yourself.
Of course i'm probably in the minority there, but the impact of the smoking ban on struggling bands is thus; people go out for a cigarette in the middle of your gig and.......they don't come back. I've seen it time and again, both from the stage and quite near it.

In the smoking areas, conversations are struck, anecdotes and jokes swapped and gossip spread. You can do neither of these things with a band playing in your face. I know, because i'm guilty of doing that very thing. I head out to the smoking area with my friends who smoke because i dont want to stand alone like a lemon, then before you know it the band have finished. And lets not forget the smoking ban means you're lucky if people go to the pubs at all anymore.

Bands are up against it. I think live music is taken for granted in this country. We're extremely fortunate to have the breadth and quality of music we do from the pub scene, and punters can just walk in for free and get a taster of it.
Lucky devils.
The only real reward for bands is the reception they get from the audience, i assure you the rewards are not financial. Last night was brilliant. If i did wear a hat, i'd take it off to every last person in that pub. They cheered every song so much we ended up playing for two hours. Take that Bruce Springsteen. Lately, we would not have had the interest to warrant a two hour gig. It runs in a circle. If the crowd love it, you love it, you look like you're loving it so the crowd love it. It sounds a bit like a hippy theory of an energy circuit but it's true.

For a time i thought it was us. Far-Cue took a little break, and came back not with a bang but with a bottom burp. A few months off renders you out of shape, out of favour and out of practice. I sincerely hope last night wasn't a one off because it felt like.....dare i say it.....old times.