The Hitch

I am a little bit late with this as I have been busy, but this is a very sad time for anyone who knew the work of this man.

Christopher Hitchens; Socrates of 21st century, what a fucking legend, a titan among insects, he despised all religions with equal measure. An intelligence that was almost frightening and never failed to make you think. An icon of intellectual integrity. His wars will live on in perpetuity.

You will be very much missed Hitch, but we will never forget you.


For anyone interested in knowing a little bit about this great man:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens

Or a youtube video for those who like watching the man in action:

Xmas Eating

As someone who loves animals, who thinks animals are better than most of the humans she knows, and as someone who enjoys animals company more than human company on most occasions, after watching this video I cannot fathom the idea of eating my Xmas Ham this year.

Pig Abattoir

This is not happening 'overseas' where people 'do things differently so we really shouldn't comment or change the way they do it'. This is happening IN OUR OWN BACKYARD. And it is disgusting. More than that, I cannot stomach the idea of it, figuratively and literally.

These animals are like our own dogs in almost every single way. These animals have the brain capacity of a 3 year old HUMAN CHILD. And we put them through this disgusting, inhumane torture. This upsets me to the very core of my being.

Messages to save my soul.

So for anyone wondering why I go the path I go sometimes with my opinions, especially about religion. On the 17th of November (didn't realise I got this until today) I received a PM on Facebook.

Steven Hamilton

Hey guys and girls please take this seriously and think about it because there's nothing more important then your eternal salvation. The million dollar question: Will you go to heaven when you die? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used Gods name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on judgment day? If you have done those things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. You broke God's law, but Jesus paid your fine. That means He can legally dismiss your case. He can commute your death sentence. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please repent (turn from sin) today and trust alone in Jesus, and God will grant you the gift of everlasting life. Then get a bible and feed on the word daily.

Now, I do not know this 'Steven' person, nor do I know where he got my name from. All I know is that out of nowhere, for no reason, he has sent me a pm to try to 'save my soul'. WTF? I do not care for your religious crazy shit 'Steven', nor have I asked about it or begged you to tell me how I can 'save' myself. Keep out of my personal life. 

Will keep updating if he responds to my reply.

Peta De Villiers

Wtf is this shit? Did I ask you to message me?

UPDATE!


So I have reported for harassment my very first person! I will not tolerate this crap.



Steven Hamilton
No bur i was commanded to. It's a message telling you how you can escape Gods judgment on sin and receive eternal life.
But*


28 NovemberPeta De Villiers
I do not remember you, nor what I commented on. But it must have been a public forum in which I commented. I did not wish to be contacted in private. Refrain from doing so from now on. I do not wish to hear your fairy tales, stories, lies and scaremongering.


If you want to believe something than go right ahead, but you do not have a right to contact me so you can tell me I need to 'save my eternal soul' or whatever it is you think I need to do. 


Keep your opinions to the public platforms of facebook, I do not want to be contacted by you, or anyone like you, in private.


28 NovemberSteven Hamilton
Yeah God exists though if there's a creation there has to be a creator. Allgud if you want to reject the good news you'll have to deal with that on judgmentday.


28 NovemberPeta De Villiers
Look, I do not want to have a debate or a discussion about whether your mythology is true or not. I do not want to talk to you at all.


I just want to make you aware that you should not contact people privately. Ever. No one wants to be contacted privately. If someone were interested in your mythology they would go to your place of worship. 


I have no interest in you, your mythology or what you have to say. If you contact me again, I will be reporting you to facebook.


28 NovemberSteven Hamilton
How can they know to come if they do not hear the Word of God?

Vaccinations?

Saw this article not too long ago:


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-25/immunise-or-lose-benefits-parents-told/3694236




Parents who do not have their children fully immunised will be stripped of family tax benefits under a scheme announced by the Federal Government.
The Government says 11 per cent of five-year-olds are not immunised and has announced a shake-up of the system which will take effect from July 1 next year.
Under the changes, families who refuse vaccinations face losing up to $2,100 per child in benefits.
Families will need to have their children fully immunised to receive the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A end-of-year supplement.
A new immunisation check will be introduced for one-year-olds to supplement the existing immunisation checks at two and five years of age.


My first thoughts were of the children that are not able to be vaccinated.  Will there be a clause in this that does not discriminate against children that cannot be vaccinated due to other health concerns? What about vaccinations that are not life threatening? 


Children will also be immunised against measles, mumps and rubella earlier, at 18 months instead of the current four years of age.


Has there been any reseach into this dramatic change in the age of immunisations? This isn't something that should be messed with without serious consideration and data to back it up!




Other than that, I have no major opinions on this yet. I have a huge phobia of vaccinations. Blood tests are fine for me, so are tattoos, but the thought of a vaccination (or a drip) sends me into hyperventilation, nausea attacks and high fevers. So I cannot/will not be getting vaccinations in the future myself (there goes my dream of ever going to Africa or Egypt!). However my children will be vaccinated as my hubby has no phobia and is able to take the (eventual) children to get them done. 


I do feel however, that there are MUCH more important issues regarding children that the government should be spending money on. The obesity problem being one, bullying another, and perhaps the state of the education system? Not worrying about who is and who is not vaccinated. 


But for now, I am waiting for the day when needles are not needed to be used when being vaccinated.

Xmas

Ah Christmas (which shall now be known as Xmas =) ). The second time of the year that I hate as a baker (the first being Easter), for not only the busy, rushed, stressed people, or the extra workload from people fretting that they'll run out of food, but also for the freakin Xmas carols that are blasted through my workplace hour after hour, day after day, with no end in sight. Luckily, they have not started at my current workplace yet, and hopefully I'll get out of hearing them this year! But I'm not holding my breath.

Now, I do not hate Xmas out of any kind of secret need to 'go against the man' so to speak. I love a good party, good food and time with friends and family as much as any other person does. I hate it because at this time of year, the religious folk seem to think that it is alright to force their crap down my throat more than they do during the year. "Keep Christ in Christmas". "Don't forget your saviour this holiday season". "Celebrate the birth of our holy man".

...

Shall I point out that the judeo-christian religions are not the only religions with a messiah born on the 25th of December in their holy texts/scriptures? (Ignoring the fact that nowhere in the bible does it state the 25th of December is jesus's birthday.) In the last 6,000 years historians have documented over 2,780 gods/goddesses. And out of them over 120 'creator gods' and more than 25 jesus like man-gods that were birthed for the evils of mankind and who were resurrected in either 3 or 5 days after they were killed/crucified/sacrificed their own lives. Most notably out of those 25 are: Horus: who 'lived' about 3,000 years before christ. Krishna about 1,000 years. And Mithra: about 600 years before christ. All of these have nearly identical stories to the christian ones. Funny that.

Then we come to the actual Xmas celebration itself. Everyone (who is true to facts) knows that it was originally a pagan holiday. But what does that mean? Anyone who was not 'christian' was a pagan/atheist. The end of the year would have bought parties to almost every civilisation ever existed, so the celebration itself would not be all that special really. One source says that it was a Roman holiday. And a pretty scary holiday at that.

Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.


More info here: http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm


So this Xmas I will put up my pagan tree, with all its pagan decorations and glory.; to celebrate that my hubby and I have made it through another year, and to celebrate the one to come. I will put time and effort into personal handmade presents for my loved ones; I will not be buying crap that people do not need, I will be contributing as little as possible to the overspending during the holiday period. We will sit down one night and do the calendar up for the coming year, and feel joy over the things we have planned, and know that there will be more joy in the things we do not have planned yet. I will endeavour to think about everyone less fortunate than myself and my family and friends, the people in the world who do not have what I have, and I will say a wish for them. But more than that, I will endeavour to do what I can for them, monetarily, and actively be the voice for them, in the hope that next Xmas, they can share in some of the joy of a good year ending.

And I will do all this without your gods, without your religion. I do not want to participate in your religious celebrations, your religious Xmas carols, nor your religious scaremongering on this holiday season. So please, for the love of all things holy, keep your faith to yourself this holiday season, and I will keep my non-faith to myself. If you proselytize to me, I will remind you that your 'man-god' is only the latest one in a long line of messiahs, and he is nothing special nor is he original. And like all the other 25 that you do not believe in, I do not believe in yours.

Poem

THIS is why I do not drink milk any more.

This almost made me cry. I do not believe in heaven or hell, but I do believe that some living things lives are like a 'hell' on this earth.

Did you know my mother? I'm told her name was Belle.

I don't know what she looked like, but have memories of her smell.

Did you ever hear my mother?...Did her cries pull at your heart?

I remember them quite clearly, when the men pulled us apart.

Did you drink from my mother? Did you ever taste her milk?

Did you feel her face against yours? Was her skin as soft as silk?

I've been told I had two brothers, and my sisters numbered four,

Then my mother went to slaughter, of no value any more.

Were you there with my mother? Did you look into her eyes?

Did you see the fear within them? Did you listen to her cries?

And now MY end is coming, I am waiting with my friends,

We are huddled close together, In this place where all life ends.

Will you be there at our slaughter? For the flesh you want to eat.

Will you ever think about us? When you buy that piece of meat.

It's my turn now, I'm moving. I am going to my end.

I am urged with shouts and kicking, and with sticks that never bend.

I am thinking of my mother, and remembering her smell.

And I know we'll meet in heaven, and forget this life called Hell.

By Mary Lynn

The Pope in Brazil

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1883598,00.html#ixzz1dbbsEwJG


This article... well, it pretty much sums up how out of touch, how crazy the catholic church is. How come it is so easy to minipulate people, how easy it is to scare people so much into believing things that would make them do crazy things?

A 9 year old that has been raped by her step father should ALWAYS BE ALLOWED, and in my personal opinion, encouraged to get an abortion. Without question, without argueing, without thoughts. The CHILD is neither old enough, mentally, intelluctally, or physically for child birth and raising a child. It is disgusting that the church puts an unborn person ahead of the poor child that would have to live with this for the rest of her life. I could not even begin to imagine how this child, or her family would feel.

I hope that the family, and the poor doctors that are mixed up with this, have a good life and are able to live happily with their decisions, knowing they were the correct ones.

Protest

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/some-occupy-to-protest-others-to-hamper-harangue-and-hurt-20111111-1nbn4.html#ixzz1dSMFOdHc

Found this article the other day, and I just cannot believe it. This is a medical center, a LEGAL medical center, and these people are outside this building every day HARRASSING the people trying to get a LEGAL medical procedure. It is disgusting. I want to go down there so bad and just scream at them for awhile and punch a few out. Not helping much at all, and would probably get me arrested, but it would make me feel SOO much better.

The more you know.

This is an awsome new series on youtube. Hope she sticks around for awhile and answers lots of questions!

Healthy, ethical eating habits.

So, over the past 6 months or so I have made some drastic changes to mine and my hubbies diet (with his permission, help, and encouragement of course.. well after he knew he wasn't going to change my mind about it!).

• We have cut back the amount of meat to less than a third of what we were eating. 
• What meat we do eat is now chicken or fish, with the occasional pork (sorlion steaks only please!) and only about once a week/every 10 days a beef dish (with that beef either being our traditional spag bol or a delicious stir fry with plenty of vegies!)
• We have not eaten potatoes in a very long time (minus the occasional hot chippies from the corner store).
• We have Miso Soup at least 5 nights of the week.
• To make up for less meat we have added lots of vegies (mainly capsican, onion, mushroom (of all different varities) shallots, carrot, pak choy, buk choy, choy sum, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, pumpkin... etc!)
• We eat rice with almost every meal (at least 5 times a week).
• The beef we buy is organic beef. The chicken we buy was Lilydale organic, but I have recently found RSPCA approved chicken so am buying that now. And as soon as I can sort things out and find where to buy it from, my meat will be bought directly from the farmer, so I can speak to him/her directly about his/her animal management and slaughter practices.
• Researching and contacting many different egg companies to find the one I was happy with (harder than it seems!) and settled on EgoEggs. They have a chockcam!! So cool.
• We (my hubby!) make all our own sauces to go on our food now. With the exception of good old BBQ sauce for the occasional take out and our newfound love of Tonkatsu sauce. We also use a heap of spices and herbs, fresh and dried.

We have not found these changes hard at all to implement, nor difficult to get used to. We both love the food we are cooking and also love experimenting with which vegies should go with each other and the different sauces we can make for them. We feel lighter, more energetic, and don't feel that cooking dinner is a drag that uses up precious time at the end of the day because we cook together, and enjoy the meal together.

All these choices I have made (and discussed with my hubby before trying them) has been based on animal welfare. The decisions I make about my food now come down to one question: 'Where did this come from, and did animals have to suffer for me to have this?'

My latest addition to my 'healthier, more ethical' eating habits is my decision to give away cows milk. The milk industry is horrifying (to say the least) and unnecessary. I never thought twice about buying milk, but after researching what was actually happening for me to have my coffee in the morning I was disgusted.

So I have now given away my cows milk and replaced it with Soy milk. It def takes a bit to get used to! It almost tastes nutty. I have to make the coffee a little stonger atm to mask a little bit of the flavour of the soy milk but I could tell from the first taste that it is something I will be able to get used to.

It is something I want to, and need to get used to. As I will no longer support the milk trade. It will probably be the hardest thing for me to do personally. I have always been a 'dairy girl', and can drink 2L of milk in less than a day at times. But knowing what I do now, the decision to drink milk would weigh heavily on my conscience, and I do not want that. The animals harmed by this trade do not deserve that. And no matter how long it takes me to get used to Soy milk, I will not go back.

I am def not a perfect person in the least. Even with all these changes, I love my Pizza too much to give it up totally. But instead of eating it once a week, it is now once a month, if that. We no longer eat KFC (I refuse to even go near the place - although the smell is mouth watering). If we don't feel like cooking, we make an effort to go to Subway (although I still maintain Subway is not dinner food! It is lunch food!). And when out for dinner I choose seafood if at all possible, if not, I try one of the vegetarian dishes on the menu.

It makes shopping a little harder, you need to plan out meals a little better (vegies go off so quickly!), and it takes longer to cook. But I have a supportive husband who enjoys cooking as much as me, and is happy to go along with my meat choices to a certain point (def no full vegetarian for him, but thats alright... I don't think I could do it either!).

So I will continue doing so, and continue to make better, healthier, and more ethical choices about my food. And I will sleep well knowing that in my house, I am trying to make a difference.

Melbourne Cup (and any other animal racing)

So, the Melbourne cup came and went, and I almost missed knowing about it completely, which would have been fine with me. However, an RSPCA facebook post reminded me about the race, and also reminded me why I do not participate in any horse racing (or other animal racing) events.

While a race stops a nation - let us pause for all those who didn't make it to the racetrack. Sadly, in a blur of glitz & glamour, high heels, fancy hats, and marquee parties there are some less than glamorous animal welfare issues associated with horse racing.




RSPCA is opposed to the use of animals for any kind of entertainment, exhibition or performance where injury, suffering or distress is likely to be caused. Welfare issues can arise as a result of the performance itself, but also through training, transport, housing and handling associated with such use. (Policy http://kb.rspca.org.au/RSPCA-Policy-C04-Horses-in-sport-entertainment-and-recreation_175.html)


All for a few bucks and a drunken night. =(

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/RSPCAQLDHorseRescue

BSL Bull.

I have been following this for awhile now and it makes me so angry!!! The Breed Specific Legislation is trotted around and claims to be 'helping save the population from dog attacks and bites". What it is really doing is breeding misinformation about dogs and breeds and useing scaremongerouing tactics to 'try' to fix a problem that education would easily fix!!!

http://bslaustralia.org/

http://www.dogslife.com.au/dogs_life_articles?cid=9446&pid=146514

http://www.leabashiba.com/bsl_in_australia.htm

http://www.defendingdog.com/index.html

Some websites that can be visited to get some more information about this BSL.

For people who do not know, the German Shepard, a dog that is now claimed to be an awsome breed for kids, was banned as a dangerous (viscous) dog breed in Australia from 1929 to 1979.

Under the BSL it would not be too far of a stretch to see many breeds banned. On the website DefendingDog it actually states the breed that my dog is half of - Irish WolfHound.

My dog is a border collie cross wolfhound. MY dog!? My innocent, loving, dopey, crybaby sook of a dog might very well be put on the dangerous dog breeds list??? What does that really mean though? Does it REALLY matter if Wolfhounds/Pit Bulls/ Rotties/American Staffordshire Terrier/Boxer/Siberian Husky/Rhodesian Ridgeback/Great Dane/(the list can go on!) are put onto the dangerous breeds list? 
Well the rules for dangerous breeds are as follows:


Rules of keeping a restricted breed
So what exactly is this legislation which produces such grief and devastation in Australia? Each state has only slightly differing specifications in its legislation. For instance, under the NSW Companion Animal Act 1998, an owner of a restricted breed must ensure:
• The dog is kept in a child-proof enclosure
• The dog is at no time in the sole charge of a person under 18
• One or more signs on their property must display "Warning Dangerous Dog"
• When in public the dog is leashed or chained with a muzzle
• The guardians must notify the council if the dog has attacked or injured a person, is lost, has died, changed ownership or moved.
• Owners of restricted breeds who do not comply can be fined up to $5500. On top of that, the dog can be seized by an authorised officer who can enter your property and the dog can then be sold or destroyed within 14 days unless the officer is satisfied the council’s requirements are met. In this case, you have just 14 days to move house or build the necessary enclosures.

Which means that I would not be able to keep my dog. I do not have a huge fence, it most certinaly is not 'child proof'. And as a renter I would not be able to make those changes to the fence. My sister, who owns a (who knows what breed! dane/mastiff/ridgeback/thing) would not be able to leave her own child, the child the dog is growing up with, at home with the dog when the child is 14/15, as it would be classified as a dangerous breed. If she were to leave her child at home with the dog, and was found out, would be facing up to $5500 in fines. And the possibility, like myself, to have the dog put down.

And why is all this happening? Because people seem to think animals are property, that animals are just to be bought as cute puppies/kittens and played with until they are adults and left in the backyard with no toys, no companionship and no love. People seem to think that because we are bigger than these animals that training them does not matter. Training takes too long, is too tiring or costs too much money so why bother? It's only a dog. People that make a purchase of a dog on a whim, because the kids 'want one'. People that make no time investment into looking into what breed would suit them best, what type of dog that would stuit their lifestyle and home/work life.

This is happenieng because of our own laziness and carelessness. Children (and adults) are getting hurt because of US. It is not the dogs fault, it is the humans fault, and the humans must pay the price, not the dogs.

Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that if your dog attacks/injurys/maims someone, then something needs to happen, TO YOU. A full police investigation should be carried out to find out exactly what happened and then you should be judged before a court and sentenced. Owning a dog should not be taken lighlty, and if you fail in your ownership, than your failure should not be taken lightly either. You do the crime, you pay the price for it. What happens to the dog? I do not claim to have all the answers. I do not claim to know how to fix the problem either.

However, I do know that this will not be the answer. This BSL will only cause more problems. And it will cause heartache for resposible pet owners like myself. And I would fight for my rights for my dog with all my heart. Because for me, and for lots of pet owners out there, they are not just dogs, they are part of the family. They are my children. I have seen them grow, learn and turn into fine creatures. They rely on me to provide a safe, loving environment for them, and I give that to them, and will continue to do so. That is our responsibility.

Think Inc!

So I'm finally getting my butt into gear and writing about the covention we went to on the 18th, Think Inc. It was an awsome experience and made me even more excited for the GAC next year! This may be long...

(The videos I have included are not from Think Inc. But I thought I would add a taste of each speaker for viewing =) )

The first speaker of the day was Tim Flannery.

He is an Aussie and a professor and currently works for the government going around to places educating people about global warming. Most of his talk was quite nerdy and not very interesting for people who do not know much about him or what he does. So I won't go into lots of detail. His talk was mostly on how difficult it is to get some people (like older engineers who are not used to the new technology) to look at the facts of global warming without bias. He also spoke a little about how we need to re-establish the respect we should all hold for professionals and their expertise in their area.




The second speaker was Christina Rad.

A Romanian Youtube blogger, she is very outspoken, comical and quite definite in what she believes, how she thinks and how things should be. I feel she is much better in her videos than what she was on stage, but as it was her very first public speaking event I think she did tremendously. Her biggest gripe is with religion and peoples rights, so her talk was mostly on that. And it was very informative.
Did you know that 70% of the worlds population lacks freedom of religion? And this fact remains unchallanged.
She also spoke about decriminilisation of drugs and the affects it would have on society. Portugal decriminilised all drugs in 2001 and shows a drop in consumption. And more importantly, a rise in people seeking help to quit drugs and a drop in the lifetime prevalence of drug usage.
Food for thought.



The third speaker was Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

This fantastic lady actually had to video link into the conference as she could not travel from New York because of death threats (yes, death threats) directed at her. She is an activist for womens rights and religous freedom and has published several books on how she was able to free herself from her opressive society. She spoke about her hopes for the future of the world (way too much detail to retype!). I found her a little, how do you put it, wishy washy? A little too optimistic for my liking, but she had some great ideas, and her kind words and smile do bring hope to millions of women who have not yet been able to do what she has done.



The fourth speaker was Shane Koyczan.

Wow, just wow! Shane is a canadian poet. And he was amazing. He was so good we spent our lunch time buying two of his books, his cd and getting them signed ($60 well spent!). A great addition to the day, he bought tears to almost every audience member with his powerful performace. The poem he did at the end of his performance -




The fifth speaker was the one and only Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Mr Tyson is an American astrophysicist, our generations version of Carl Sagan, and one of the best minds in the world atm. Some of his talk I have seen before, but that would be expected since I have watched hours of him on youtube. There was alot I had not seen though and he did not dissapoint one bit. His talk was exceptional because not only is he smart, he is also witty and funny, he also involved the audience which was awsome. His talk was mainly on the decline of science in America, and how he believes that America will fall behind other nations in science and will never be able to catch up. Which is a bit sad when you think about it, alot of what we know today came out of America.




The sixth speaker was Michael Shermer.

Michael is the founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, and columnist for Scientific American. So his talk was mainly about skepticism and how that is vital in this day and age when religion (especially in America) is trying to make a comeback and sneak into the educational system and politics. He also spoke about why humans in the past believed in supernatural beings and why we do not need to believe in them now. While he wasn't the best speaker of the day, I certainly got interested and am looking at signing up for the Skeptics Magazine!



The seventh speaker who was suposed to be via video link as well was Christopher Hitchens. An auther and journalist you either hate him or love him. He was unable to make it due to a medical emergency (he is currently battling cancer) but he is well now, and I was not too dissapointed as we will hopefully see him next year at the GAC.

So then there was the Panel at the end where all the speakers sat down and took questions from the crowd. But there was another guest bought on as well which we had not seen talk during the day. Catholic priest Father Bob. Good ol Father Bob... what can I say about him... not alot sept that I thought he was absolutely fantastic! One of the most outspoken people of the day, he was up to date with issues, open minded, and funny as. He had the crowd in stitches several times and his views on the issues that mattered were so against his scriptures that it blew my mind. The kind of Father that needs to be in the media. One that understood what was what. If he ever speaks anywhere I will be there with bells on!
There was so many questions fired so quickly I didn't get a chance to note them!

But a few passing thoughts:
> Someone bought up that Australias contribution to climate change is only 1.5% of the total and asked does it really matter? Tim Flannery asked if they gave money to the poor in Africa (or any charity/organisation, ie breat cancer, daffodil day), and they answered yes, and he bought up the point that their donation of $2 isn't alot of money, but together with the whole, it makes a difference.
> That it was better in more primitive times to believe that the rustle in the grass was a predator and not presume it was the wind, as presuming it is the wind could get you killed when it was a predator, but presuming it was a predator when it was the wind will do nothing. And that we do not need to think like that anymore, as we have science.
>That out of the universe, there is 74% dark eneergy, 22% dark matter, and about 4% atoms. We only understand atoms at the moment, so out of everything in the whole universe, we accumilated knoweldge is a whole 4%. We still have a long way to go.
>Because of religion, one sixth (1.3 Billion people) are not doing any science research, are not on the frontier of science. That saddens everyone who is willing to really think about what that means. Those same 1.3 billion people are the ones that came up with our numbers, algebra, that named the stars! And now, they have thrown science out the window for faith. Imagine where we could be today if that hadn't have happened.
> That to beat extremists of any faith at their own game, we must not attack them only. We must focus our attention on their intended audience, get the the people first and the extremists have no ground to stand on.
> That humans have an inbuilt societal nature. Much like ants. Which is fascinating. We know this because society as we know it has risen 5 times independantly.

And the biggest thing I took away from this is that I do not know enough, that we must all strive to learn more, to educate ourselves further, to search for knowledge and truth. 

That we should be thinking of ourselves not as Australians, Americans, Canadians, but as citizens of the world. 

And that to be able to make the changes we need to make, to make sure the human race continues to florish and not kill itself, is to stop teaching our children what to think, and start to teach them HOW to think.

Shark Fin Soup.

This is one of the most awful things I have witnessed. Not only the fact that they chop off the fins while the shark is still alive, or the fact that they take their time doing so, or that they throw them back alive, to bleed to death while slowly flaoting down the the bottom of the ocean. But at 4:00 mins in, Gordon finds a roof where there are fins sitting out to dry, and there would be thousands of these fins. WHY? I almost burst into tears.

Most of the time, things like this can continue because peoples eyes are closed to the facts, they never see it, never get educated to the facts, so they don't think about it. That is no excuse.

I could not watch all the video, I never can with these types of videos. But I skipped to the end, and Gordon has a meeting, and shows some powerful resturant owners exactly where their shark fins come from, and he starts a campeign to ban shark fin soup. As soon as these people saw what was happening around them, they banded together to make a difference. It brings a small amount of hope to the heart.

The rumour.

There was a rumour floating around a little while ago on Facebook about Australian schools 'banning' Advance Australia Fair, our national anthem. Straight away I knew it would bs, but I did some research into it and found the source. And I had to laugh.

There was two private schools in Perth which decided that instead of having the normal second verse of AAF, or even skipping the second verse which is done all the time and going straight to the third, they put their own second verse in instead.

The normal first and second verses: (and the one that is normally left out)

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Brittannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"


What the private Perth schools were having the children sing:

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"


With Christ our head and cornerstone, we'll build our nation's might;
Whose way and truth and light alone, can guide our path aright;
Our lives a sacrifice of love, reflect our master's care;
With faces turned to heav'n above, Advance Australia Fair;
In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.


While a private school can pretty much do what they want, this is rediculous. One it is our national anthem, and they have changed it (like, WTF?), and two, I do not think that they are even telling the kids that this is 'their' version and not the real one.

If this is the source of the rumour not long ago, then GOOD. I would not want my child singing the improvised version, ever. Lets keep to the real national anthem. It said nothing about god, religion or faith. And that is the way it should be.


While I'm at it too, I think this should be the new 'version' if it ever gets changed. I personally like the words, hate the actual song. If this was the song, I'd sing it loud and proud every time.

R 18?

So looking through the news the other day I came across something that really rubbed me the wrong way.

http://www.refused-classification.com/censorship/films/serbian-film-2010.html

An aging porn star agrees to participate in an "art film" in order to make a clean break from the business, only to discover that he has been drafted into making a pedophilia and necrophilia themed snuff film. 

Just from the blurb of the film you should be able to decide whether you would be interested in the film or not. But as well as the blurb you can also watch the trailer to decide for yourself whether you want to watch it. However that is not how our country works apparently.

The 'uncut' version was not allowed classification in Australia. The makers than did a 'cut' version which was denied classification, the second attempt was then accepted and classed R 18+. All up they cut a total of 3 minutes out of the film to achieve classification in Australia.

The film was then played at MUFF (Melbourne Underground Film Festival). A release from MUFF before the viewing:

A SERBIAN FILM
Memo × Friday 19 August × 8pm
Life is fucking fucked. That is the premise for A Serbian Film, which it then proceeds to glibly illustrate in half a dozen different ways, many of them literally, as it looks all the while like some sort of so-called torture porn flick. But unlike the Hostel, Captivity and Great American Snuff Film of your choice, A Serbian Film really knows how to ram itself into your psyche and isn’t afraid to force entry into every available orifice in order to do so. To put it bluntly, A Serbian Film is slick and fully sick and you can take that as both a warning and the greatest challenge to see something through to the end credits.
Plot wise A Serbian Film takes on the story of Milos, a porn stud supreme who thought he had retired and was adjusting awkwardly to life at home with the wife and kid when he gets pulled back into the jizz biz with an offer he couldn’t refuse. Or rather he gets taken on by Vukmir a child psychologist and George Michael look-a-like turned custom filmmaker who’s cry of, “Love, art, blood”, leads to the creation of what he calls, “Newborn Porn”.
Since barrelling out of the Balkans last year A Serbian Film has justifiably made a name for itself as a dangerous film. Of course it immediately lends itself to political readings especially with regards to why it exists but the truth is that no matter what your political perspective or film going fetish nothing has prepared you for the aftermath of watching it that could lead to instant apathy towards all films. While that might be a strange way to kick off a filmfest, even MUFF 12, with A Serbian Film there is simply no way you can avoid its steel-capped kick in the head.
** MUFF WARNING: The sickest film we have ever played. You have been warned! **

The film has now been reviewed by the classification board (a total of THREE people, none of the most populated states) and been deemed 'unclassified' which means it is now banned in Australia and cannot be sold or shown here.

In the Review Board’s opinion, A Serbian Film could not be accommodated within the R 18+ classification as the level of depictions of sexual violence, themes of incest and depictions of child sexual abuse in the film has an impact which is very high and not justified by context.
Films classified RC cannot be sold, hired, or advertised in Australia.
The Review Board convened on Monday 19 September 2011 in response to an application from the Minister for Justice, the Hon Brendan O’Connor, to review the decision made by the Classification Board on 5 April 2011 to classify A Serbian Film R 18+ (Restricted) with the consumer advice, ‘high impact sexual violence, sex scenes and violence’.
In reviewing the classification, the Review Board worked within the framework of the National Classification Scheme, applying the provisions of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995, the National Classification Code and the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games. This is the same framework used by the Classification Board.
I do not understand this whatsoever. As a consenting adult should I not be able to decide for myself what I do and do not want to watch? I do understand that this film pushes many boundries alot of people just do not want to go anywhere near, but that is them, not me. Are we a country that has to police things for people now just incase someone doesn't like something? As long as no one was hurt in the making of the film (which there wasn't) and it was a proper, 'dinky-di' film (which it was), then why the 'F' can we not view it in Australia?

Even if you think the film is disgusting, even if you would never watch it yourself, what makes you think that it right to ban other people from watching it? We live in a free country.

Well I thought so anyway.

Smoking

Please be prewarned, this -will- offend some people. My thoughts on this subject are very strong, and even though I do not say these things to my family members and friends, this is how I feel. I would never think of saying this to someone directly, and if asked about it I will politely say I do not want to talk about it. But this is my blog, and I can say how I feel here.

From Ninemsn today:

Graphic new health warnings on cigarette packets will be larger than the existing ones, removing any vestiges of glamour associated with tobacco, Health Minister Nicola Roxon says.

The federal government on Saturday released new health warnings for tobacco products that are planned to complement the impact of the drab olive-brown background it has proposed to cover cigarette packs from next July.
Under world-first plain packaging laws, the government wants to ban tobacco industry logos, brand imagery, colours and promotional text from packaging.
The legislation is scheduled to go before the Senate next week.
The latest warnings and graphics will cover 75 per cent of the front of the cigarette pack instead of the current 30 per cent.
I do not understand why people smoke. I have heard all of the excuses, I do not believe a single one of them. I think it is a disgusting habit. It DOES kill you, and can harm the people around you. It eats away at not only your body, but your bank account. And does not one good thing for you.

I would never tell someone that they 'cannot smoke', because what you put into your body is your own business. But to smoke? Really?

I can understand the old folks that smoke, when my grandfather started smoking they did not know how bad it could affect you. But with all the information about smoking and how bad for your health it is today, why do people still take it up?

I fully support anything the government does to stop people from taking up smoking. I do not know if I would support a ban on smoking, as I said, it is your body and do whatever with it you want. But I would love to see the day that tabacoo companies are reduced to only one or two major ones because they have no business to keep them afloat.

I would suggest to any kid (teenager/early 20's) that wanted to take up smoking should go to a home/hospice/hospital, and see the damage it does to yourself and your family. My grandfather died of cancer, bone cancer and secondary lung cancer. They found it too late to do anything about it. He was a near pack a day smoker. He had a horrible last couple of months. How about the kids that take up smoking now going to his bed, changing his sheets and adult diaper themselves. Sitting there listening to him barely breathing, and taking only small sips of water. That is what it does to you.

If you do take up smoking, or continue to smoke, I hope that you also save money for your health care later in life. Because even though I would not 'ban' smoking, I would like to see no government funding go to the care of someone who has inflicted pain onto themselves. Why should I have to pay for your mistakes as a person? If you want to smoke, take out private health insurance to cover yourself, free up the beds for people who's illnesses are not self inflicted.

Bullying?

Found this today:

A ten-year-old British transgender girl who has found herself being bullied by adults rather then her fellow classmates has spoken out about her excitement of returning to school as a female.
Born as a male, she was diagnosed two years ago with gender dysphoria – in simple terms someone who experiences discontent with their biological gender. After the diagnosis her parents chose to allow her to live as a girl.
The child’s mother told the Worcester News that while children largely accepted her daughter, parents and local adults had reacted badly, by calling the girl a “freak”.
When the school held a special assembly to educate the children on the girl’s new appearance and name, it was meant with complaints by a few of parents.
The grade six student told the BBC she had been very “disappointed” about being forced to wear boys’ uniform in the past and found it “exciting” to now be allowed to dress as a girl.


It is disgusting to see that adults, the people children should be looking up to, can talk down and redicule a child so easily. She has not 'chosen' to be the way she is, you can not help the way you feel about your body. As adults our job is to help, nuture, support and care for the young, to make sure they know that how they feel is alright, that they can talk to us about it because there is nothing wrong with how they feel. For parents to be against this basic idea.

Good to see the children had no problem with accepting someone they way they are. Maybe some people need to look at the way the children dealt with this issue and learn from them.

I don't think I have to prelude this video with anything. Speaks for itself. 

Me, political?

So I never thought I would do it, but I recently joined up to a political party. >.> The Australian Sex Party. Found them at Sexpo (funny yes yes) and their policies and what they want to do lines up almost exactly with how I feel so thought why not?!

And now my Australian Sex Party shirt is on its way! Will be hilarious to wear it around when it gets here. Might keep it for special occasions though...


If anyone is interested in having a look at the party check them out here:
http://australiansexparty.com.au/

And remember, Don't Blame Me! =(

And from Scotland today:
"And Cardinal Keith O'Brien claimed that moves to give gay and lesbian couples the same marriage rights as mixed-sex pairs would be taken as a sign of the government's "intolerance" to the Catholic Church."
Are you fucken serious? Wtf?
Intolerance to the church? I'm sorry, but no one that is not in your church cares about your church. If you want to be bigoted then go for it. If you do not want to marry off LGBTI couples, then that is your choice. But do not deny the rights of people who do want to be married. There are other ways to be married that are not tied to the church, I know, because I had a marriage that has nothing to do with religion! If it was all about religion, then I would not have married. Some people want nothing to do with your church, get over it.


"If the Scottish Government attempts to demolish a universally recognised human right, it will have forfeited the trust which the nation, including many in the Catholic community, has placed in it, and its intolerance will shame Scotland in the eyes of the world."
This just hows you how out of touch you are with the world cardinal. This decision would now 'shame Scotland in the eyes of the world', in fact, quite the opposite, it would be a shining light in the darkness for equal rights. You are the one that is trying to keep 'universally recognised human rights' back in the dark ages.

He added: "Disingenuously, the government has suggested that same-sex marriage wouldn't be compulsory and churches could choose to opt out. This is quite staggering arrogance. No government has the moral authority to dismantle the universally understood meaning of marriage."
You know what is 'staggaring arrogance'? The thought that your private beliefs might be able to be foisted and forced onto people who do not want anything to do with them. No church has the moral authority to tell someone who is not a member of the church what to do with their life.

Marriage equality is not something the church can weigh in on, as much as it would like to. You can say you don't like it, you can say you don't agree with it, whatever, you do what you want. But you have no say in what the world does, you are one institution, people can choose to be a part of it or not.  You do not have a say in what Governments can and can't do. The intolerance is not falling onto the church my friend, it is falling on the lives of all the people who are not considered equal in the eyes of the LAW.
Marriage equality...
Equality
EQUAL!
DO YOU NOT SEE THE POINT.

If you want to view the article:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/269838-cardinal-claims-same-sex-marriage-would-shame-scotland/

My first post.

Well how to start off my first post. I think with an apology for anyone who has come across this blog that may feel offended by what is in it. Kinda. These are my views on life, and the world, and what does and does not affect me. I will tell it how I feel it, and that is all. If you do not like me then please feel free to click away from the blog. If you do like me, feel free to follow me and check back for regular updates!


I am first and formost a lover of science, rationality, reason and learning. I love animals more than I do most people, and I enjoy their company more.

I'm sure you'll get to know me more as I post my opnion on different matters.