Could Local Councils Have Inspired Metal Thievery?

So the UK is now facing a seemingly daunting and very mysterious problem of a special type - metal thievery! It is so bad, it has affected almost every establishment you can not think of. In fact, it befell even graveyards, cenotaphs, churches, etc. Where else could be more sacred?

Metal thievery seeped into the media mostly in regards to rail tracks being affected. It was threatened that the culprits were running a risk of electrocution. But does thieves really care about risks? Very little. Stealing at that level is probably not easy and what is well known is that criminals are usually one-step ahead in their game...well, in most cases of course.

But this can be linked to the moment local councils strangely renamed metal barriers [that used to safe-guard pedestrians from cars] into 'Street Furnitures', other than guiderails by which they were known. It was strange indeed.

The Only Way To Drop The NHS Bill Without Shame

The infamous NHS Reform Bill is now at a critical point with no solution. In fact, the simplest definition of its position now could be the saying, "between the devil and the deep blue sea".

Almost every supposed stakeholder to the NHS has rejected this reform and worst of all, majority of  service users are not sure nor convinced about the proposed change. In the NHS itself, the proposed change, obviously rammed through without planning, testing and consultation, has left services and management in utter confusion. Redundancies has swallowed most of the budget that PCTs had throwing some into unexpected financial ill-health. Croydon PCT is one of those.

Religion: We Must Be At The Brink Of A New Era - Part 2

cont'd from post below...

But rest your breathe again; the world will not turn irreligious; far from it. Man remains the only mammal as, that has continuously searched for answer for the unanswerable. At the moment, we know and see that a good number of those who are unsubscribing (or are not subscribed at all) to present day organized religion are however, creating a new religion.

These new religion are of variant types. It is therefore difficult to predict which will outdo the rest. The Human Rights ideologists, the Ethics rebellious, Science/Scientologist, Humanists or the Material worshippers? Time will tell.

It is however obvious that supremacy may end up split between Human Rights/Humanists and the Ethics/Human Rights. Science will always remain a tool for service just like Material worship. These 2 accessories are human behaviour of curiousity and obsession and will never leave.

Religion: Are We At The Brink Of A New Era - Part 1

Across the world, never had there been a time in recent generations, when debate on religions is as high as it presently is. While religions' incarnations has remained a part of the human race all along, there had always been that milestone that can only be the tipping point.

We may just go back just a mere 3000 years ago and we realize how fast Changes with religion has occurred. From pagan worship of our forebearers to the conquering and imposition of monotheist faiths, what is very clear is that the human mind is never at rest in its quest to solve the mystery of its existence.

In the time between 200 to 1700AD when Christianity and Islam finally took hold of the world over, - this timing is based on the fact that while Europe was Christainized in early 3rd Century when Constantine finally adopted the religion, the Americas and Africa were to wait until later before Christianity and Islam arrived to change them - rebellions and refusal to accept the arriving faiths were high and repeated in all communities. Of course, who finds it easy to change their way of life?

Canada: Amends Its Mistake On Same-sex Marriage

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

The Canadian Government has introduced a Bill into Parliament amending the Civil Marriage Act. The amendments are intended to address concerns raised in a recent case involving a lesbian couple who are not residents of Canada but who were married in Canada. Unable to divorce where they reside, they turned to the Canadian courts to seek a divorce.

It is estimated that more than 5,000 non-resident same sex couples have been married in Canada, which has no requirement of residence or citizenship for marriage. It is believed that almost all of those same sex couples were unable to marry where they resided. The Canadian Government lawyer in the recent case had argued that the divorce could not be granted because (a) the marriage was not valid under Canadian law because it had not been valid under the laws of their home jurisdictions when performed, and (b) because only Canadian residents can be divorced in Canada.

The Bill provides that all marriages that are otherwise valid in Canada are valid even if the parties lack the capacity to marry under the law of the jurisdiction where they reside. The Bill is fully retroactive.

The Bill also provides greater access to divorce for same sex couples. If a couple married in Canada is unable to divorce in their home jurisdiction, they will be able to seek a divorce in the Canadian courts. However, the only grounds recognized will be separation for one year, and the only relief available will be a dissolution of the marriage.

The Bill is expected to pass.

As reported by Douglas Elliott on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity (SOGI) list from Toronto, Canada

Commonwealth in Sri Lanka; A Wrong Step?

image taken from Creative Commons

The Commonwealth announced at its last Summit; the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia that its next CHOGM will be hosted by Sri Lanka. Shocks!!!

Criticism has followed ever since and it is very easy to see why.

Sri Lanka is synonymous to ethnic insurgency to most of young generation of Commonwealth. Whether you know where Sri Lanka is or not, one thing is clear and very ethnic conflict has been non-stop. In fact, Tamil and Sri Lanka are far more popular to Commonwealth citizens than the Commonwealth itself.

Over the 50 years the problem has brewed in Sri Lanka Prime Minister Bandaranaike introduced the controversial Sinhala Only Act that recognized Sinhala as the sole official language of the government in the middle of 1950s, Sri Lanka as a country has known little to no comfort.

Sales Of Weapon Fell By 14%; Hope It Continues

Image taken from www.baesystems.com

UK defence group BAE Systems has reported a drop in annual sales after defence orders fell back and has warned sales will not grow this year.

The report confirms that sales at BAE fell by 14% and a particular reason cited is the USA's pull out from Iraq.

Although shareholders in BAE might feel sad at the prospect of losing business, it seems a good thing that less weapons are being purchased and a forecast that it would continue is just the right thing.

But when would our world report such a fall in aggressions and war? A fall in violence, in shoot and kill, in crimes; of assassinations, murder, man-slaughter, dangerous riots, etc. When?

When will we wake up to a world that gets a whole day of peace? Of no suicide bombing, or terrorism or self-immolation? when?

George Osborne: The Man Who Invents Myths

George Osborne (left), looking dazed.

At the 2009 Tory conference, George Osborne, the then Shadow Chancellor, in a term of concrete and well rehearsed PR onslaught for No 10, invented the phrase: "we are all in this together".

Giving his conference speech that year (October 6), with a backdrop of typical British brick houses, Mr. Osborne announced that the Conservatives would make bankers pay, and other myths he told the nation that day;

"But if we find the money that should be going into stronger bank balance sheets is being unreasonably diverted into bigger pay and bonuses - we reserve the right to take further action and that includes using the tax system."

In trying to confuse the nation, George Osborne used the phrase "we are all in this together" seven good times. So far, 19 months into the actual game as the Chancellor, we now know that we are surely not in the same thing as him.

The same bonuses he promised above "to take further action..."; he now defends thus

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Message

"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong." - HRH, Princess Elizabeth; 1947 in South Africa. Happy Diamond Jubilee

Today, as I mark 60 years as your Queen, I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given to me and Prince Philip over these years and to tell you how deeply moved we have been to receive so many kind messages about the Diamond Jubilee.

In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign and which my family and I look forward to seeing in many forms as we travel throughout the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth.

I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart as we join together in our celebrations.

I send my sincere good wishes to you all.

ELIZABETH R.

GPs Give The NHS One More Year To Live If...

Image taken from bpacc.net

Say, is there any other professional medical groups left to disown the UK government's Health Reform Bill?

Possibly, there is/are. Except that such must be faceless. In the government response to the latest criticism, Health Minister Simon Burns told the BBC, "...I find it in one way baffling, because it (GPs Criticism) is not representative of what I hear GPs up and down the country saying." As you can see, these "GPs up and down the country" has no identity.

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) was the latest to run far from the Reform. It is even stranger considering that this whole hulla-ballo has been built and hinged on the fact to give the said GPs the power to run healthcare in the UK as they wish. Yuk!