Planets, War and Ignorance not being Bliss
Another astronomical conjunction for you, Dear Reader. Should the pre-dawn Venus/Jupiter conjunction (last weekend) have been too early, try going out shortly after sundown and you could see a triangle formed by Mars, Saturn and the second brightest star in Libra, Zubenelgenubi. It's in the southwestern sky and, at present, quite low down. So, due to 'ahses in between, I doubt I'll be seeing it. Shucks! Maybe it's time for a trip up Portsdown?
* * *
Meanwhile the latest war between Israel and Gaza is, finally, over. After fifty days of bombing, rockets, incursions and general slaughter - the death tolls look something like Israel - 71, including 66 soldiers and one child - Gaza - 2,143, including 577 children, 263 women, 102 elderly. Rebuilding Gaza will take some time, so much of it has been flattened so thoroughly. That's without the hardening of attitudes against Israel. Those who have lost parents, children, other family members, will be even more against Israel and even more determined to fight against them. Rebuilding Israel will take much less time. Just the odd bit here and there. The people though, are even more entrenched in their siege mentality, their perception that Israel is alone against the whole world in arms. This is rubbish but there you are. You can't counter such perceptions with logic, apparently. As for the Israeli slogan, "Let's bomb them til they stop hating us!" What wingnut came up with that? And how many Israelis didn't think but just took it up? That's the problem though, too many people just don't think these days.
After all, if the whole world is not against Israel then how does it justify this latest war? And how does it justify the fact that, after fifty days of shelling, bombing, fighting, the overall reaction is that a draw has been achieved. I assume most Israelis know the story of David and Goliath. This time David has been Palestinian. That's certainly how it's looked to the rest of the world - a modern, heavily armed rich country has picked on a small, poor, poorly armed country and had a good go at flattening it.
We've seen too much of that in the Near East - what with IS in Iraq, the various groups in Syria, the Taliban in Afghanistan. I don't know whether Binjamin Netanyahu realises it but, after the latest war, Israel is being compared with some of the worst of the fundamentalist Islamic fighting groups in the region and beyond. This is not the sort of company he would wish to be seen with, certainly not the sort of company the Islamic groups would want to keep! But there you are, if you go to war for practically no reason, if you indiscriminately bomb women and children - the meanwhile protesting your shots are 'surgically precise' and that the enemy is hiding behind said women and children, if you invade a country and do your best to flatten parts of it . . . What do you expect?
* * *
I suppose you've heard, Dear Reader, of the dreadful mess in Rotherham? Various 'at risk' children claimed, over a period of sixteen (that's SIX-TEEN) years that they had been abused physically and sexually. Those in charge did nothing. Ignored the children. Ignored their claims. Nothing. When it came to light that there might well be groups of men grooming at risk children for abuse they still did nothing, partly because most of the men were of Pakistani origin and they (the authorities) didn't want to be labelled racist. They also didn't want to get into trouble for suddenly discovering that the children's allegations were grounded. Hmmm
Of course, so many pigeons are now coming home to roost that it's black as night for the ignoring people who were in charge. The Police and Crime Commissioner has steadfastly declined to fall on his sword and resign, declaring that he hasn't actually done anything wrong himself so he doesn't need to. And that despite calls from his political party and the party leader to go! All of which sounds like he doth protest too much and has something to hide, even if he doesn't.
Rotherham Social Services and Child Care departments are experiencing somewhat of a witch hunt, but that is only to be expected after sixteen (that's SIX-TEEN) years of cover up (at the very least). Muslims from Rotherham and other places are queuing up to state that in no way does Islam condone, let alone permit, child abuse. Which is what most of us, probably, thought. So far though only one group of abusers has been caught. Logic dictates that there must (have) be(en) others, where are they?
The whole scandal is set to rumble on for a while yet. I hope other Social Service and Child Care agencies are carefully reviewing their practices and principles to ensure that there are no such horrendous events hidden in their records. Various people are saying that they're changing the procedure for when children report abuse. Yes, I know, at some stage a child will report an event or several which will turn out to be untrue. It's sad but human nature. Meanwhile authorities had better be believing accusations and investigating them - whether they're subsequently accused of Racism or being rigorous, it's better than being found to be complacent, neglectful and all the other charges being leveled at Rotherham.
* * *And as if that wasn't enough, the authorities have decided to upgrade the terrorist threat in the UK from 'substantial' to 'severe'. Apparently Islamic extremists are thought to prove a greater threat to our way of life. Quite whether that's the extremists in the Middle East, extremists who head there to fight or those who get radicalised, head there to fight then eventually return here I'm not sure. Are the authorities?
David Cameron and Nick Clegg are holding talks over the weekend to try to reach agreement on new measures to tackle the threat posed by Islamist extremists. They are also looking at ways of preventing people, mainly young men, from heading off to the war zones to fight.
There now, we pity the Muslims in the Gaza Strip. We don't want to be seen as Racist with some Muslims in Rotherham and we are very concerned about extremist Muslims in the Middle East and don't want any of 'our' Muslims going to join them, which I can appreciate. Whoever thought 'Muslim' covered such a wide range?
* * *And finally - you know those hollow face illusion things, Dear Reader? They're models of a human face but pushed into the plane of the sheet they're made from rather than sticking out? Got it? You know the way the 'face' 'turns' to follow you as you turn it? Have a butcher's at this. A T. Rex which also follows you, on a somewhat similar principle.
There now, always finish on a high note. Y'all have a good day now!
* * *
Meanwhile the latest war between Israel and Gaza is, finally, over. After fifty days of bombing, rockets, incursions and general slaughter - the death tolls look something like Israel - 71, including 66 soldiers and one child - Gaza - 2,143, including 577 children, 263 women, 102 elderly. Rebuilding Gaza will take some time, so much of it has been flattened so thoroughly. That's without the hardening of attitudes against Israel. Those who have lost parents, children, other family members, will be even more against Israel and even more determined to fight against them. Rebuilding Israel will take much less time. Just the odd bit here and there. The people though, are even more entrenched in their siege mentality, their perception that Israel is alone against the whole world in arms. This is rubbish but there you are. You can't counter such perceptions with logic, apparently. As for the Israeli slogan, "Let's bomb them til they stop hating us!" What wingnut came up with that? And how many Israelis didn't think but just took it up? That's the problem though, too many people just don't think these days.
After all, if the whole world is not against Israel then how does it justify this latest war? And how does it justify the fact that, after fifty days of shelling, bombing, fighting, the overall reaction is that a draw has been achieved. I assume most Israelis know the story of David and Goliath. This time David has been Palestinian. That's certainly how it's looked to the rest of the world - a modern, heavily armed rich country has picked on a small, poor, poorly armed country and had a good go at flattening it.
We've seen too much of that in the Near East - what with IS in Iraq, the various groups in Syria, the Taliban in Afghanistan. I don't know whether Binjamin Netanyahu realises it but, after the latest war, Israel is being compared with some of the worst of the fundamentalist Islamic fighting groups in the region and beyond. This is not the sort of company he would wish to be seen with, certainly not the sort of company the Islamic groups would want to keep! But there you are, if you go to war for practically no reason, if you indiscriminately bomb women and children - the meanwhile protesting your shots are 'surgically precise' and that the enemy is hiding behind said women and children, if you invade a country and do your best to flatten parts of it . . . What do you expect?
* * *
I suppose you've heard, Dear Reader, of the dreadful mess in Rotherham? Various 'at risk' children claimed, over a period of sixteen (that's SIX-TEEN) years that they had been abused physically and sexually. Those in charge did nothing. Ignored the children. Ignored their claims. Nothing. When it came to light that there might well be groups of men grooming at risk children for abuse they still did nothing, partly because most of the men were of Pakistani origin and they (the authorities) didn't want to be labelled racist. They also didn't want to get into trouble for suddenly discovering that the children's allegations were grounded. Hmmm
Of course, so many pigeons are now coming home to roost that it's black as night for the ignoring people who were in charge. The Police and Crime Commissioner has steadfastly declined to fall on his sword and resign, declaring that he hasn't actually done anything wrong himself so he doesn't need to. And that despite calls from his political party and the party leader to go! All of which sounds like he doth protest too much and has something to hide, even if he doesn't.
Rotherham Social Services and Child Care departments are experiencing somewhat of a witch hunt, but that is only to be expected after sixteen (that's SIX-TEEN) years of cover up (at the very least). Muslims from Rotherham and other places are queuing up to state that in no way does Islam condone, let alone permit, child abuse. Which is what most of us, probably, thought. So far though only one group of abusers has been caught. Logic dictates that there must (have) be(en) others, where are they?
The whole scandal is set to rumble on for a while yet. I hope other Social Service and Child Care agencies are carefully reviewing their practices and principles to ensure that there are no such horrendous events hidden in their records. Various people are saying that they're changing the procedure for when children report abuse. Yes, I know, at some stage a child will report an event or several which will turn out to be untrue. It's sad but human nature. Meanwhile authorities had better be believing accusations and investigating them - whether they're subsequently accused of Racism or being rigorous, it's better than being found to be complacent, neglectful and all the other charges being leveled at Rotherham.
* * *And as if that wasn't enough, the authorities have decided to upgrade the terrorist threat in the UK from 'substantial' to 'severe'. Apparently Islamic extremists are thought to prove a greater threat to our way of life. Quite whether that's the extremists in the Middle East, extremists who head there to fight or those who get radicalised, head there to fight then eventually return here I'm not sure. Are the authorities?
David Cameron and Nick Clegg are holding talks over the weekend to try to reach agreement on new measures to tackle the threat posed by Islamist extremists. They are also looking at ways of preventing people, mainly young men, from heading off to the war zones to fight.
There now, we pity the Muslims in the Gaza Strip. We don't want to be seen as Racist with some Muslims in Rotherham and we are very concerned about extremist Muslims in the Middle East and don't want any of 'our' Muslims going to join them, which I can appreciate. Whoever thought 'Muslim' covered such a wide range?
* * *And finally - you know those hollow face illusion things, Dear Reader? They're models of a human face but pushed into the plane of the sheet they're made from rather than sticking out? Got it? You know the way the 'face' 'turns' to follow you as you turn it? Have a butcher's at this. A T. Rex which also follows you, on a somewhat similar principle.
There now, always finish on a high note. Y'all have a good day now!