Political Correctness

We live in a world which has changed so much in my brief time and so fast it is mind blowing. Not just in the technology but in social and human interaction and attitudes. The moral outrage of my youth would now be considered a quaint prudishness by comparison, our values are ever shifting and public awareness of these shifts, far more quickly absorbed into the public's conscious.   
Much of the change in public acceptance has been and is positive, more equality for women (nowhere enough yet), gay men and women, less racial prejudice (still more to be done) to name but a few. 
One of the things, that has in my opinion that has perhaps been pushed to far, political correctness. Don't get me wrong, there are many words and phrases the most right thinking people and the public in the majority, no longer use and have become taboo and rightly so. When I think back to my schooldays and recall the names some pupils called each other, often not understanding what the meaning was, I shudder at the prejudice that was displayed and am thankful, that in most of society it is no longer tolerated.
Like all moral compasses, which evolve and change,when they have swung to far one way, it will always swing to far in the opposite direction and this is what has happened with Political Correctness. It may eventually balance it itself but at present it has become a stick with which we can all become so easily beaten. Magnified by social networking and the instantaneous publishing of our every day thoughts and comments, a reputation can be ruined by a single tweet! This correctness does not just apply to our speech, it manifests itself in our actions as well. 
When I was younger (much) the idea that you pick up a child and play with them, in an innocent  and perfectly natural way, was perfectly acceptable. Now you fear to do such a thing in case even the slightest suspicion was raised the you maybe a pedophile, indeed I suspect even the previous sentence is enough these days to suggest that some people so eager are they, to look for the sinister in every nuance? It is right that we should be more aware of the evil hidden within society and they should be routed out and kept separate from the object of their sickness, no question. We are almost daily bombarded with tales of this kind of behavior and it is more shocking when it is perpetrated by trusted members of the community such as priests etc.
We seem as always to er to far on the wrong side of propriety, thus making everyone cautious about their behavior and especially men.Some will argue that it is better to be too vigilant than not vigilant enough and there is some truth to this but we are in danger of allowing human contact particularly the interaction between kids and adults  become almost obsolete in the full glare of public opinion. 
I am not naive and I know that today's child is more sophisticated and grows up faster, as each subsequent generation pass (pity in my opinion). They have access to unrivaled communication available 24 hours a day, when was the last time you knew of a child in the west (or almost anywhere these days) who does not have a mobile phone? I understand that today's generations, grow from day one, with technology just part of the fabric of their lives. They have seen and possibly done, things which in my youth we did not even know about never mind participate in! This is a subject I may return too!
I digress, Political Correctness has stopped many from being critical of what have become sacred cows and  you are not allowed to be critical or detrimental of and to them.
Among these, the most sacred of sacred cows is religion. We have lost all perspective when it comes to being a critic of any religious beliefs and one belief in particular (no names, you see I am coward!).
Political Correctness has become a barrier against free speech! There are many offensive words and phrases that have been correctly stopped from everyday use and rightly so. We have also eradicated many actions that are no longer acceptable. 
I ask, in society, have we have become so cautious, we have lost the freedom, to comment and  point out hypocrisy and injustice because we are afraid we may offend and are we no longer allowed to oppose that with which we do not agree?
I am not advocating a return to the days when offensive terms were the norm and insults so utterly vile that we had to bring in laws to regulate what can and can't be said but I do beleive our right to free speech has been irreparably damaged. 
To para phrase "sometimes you have stand up for the person who shouts, that to which you are totally opposed, in order for you to shout about that with which they are totally opposed" 

Cynthia Spencer Charity

Yesterday I took part in a 50 mile charity bike ride in aid of the Cynthia Spencer Trust. The route was around Northamptonshire. To say there were a lot of people taking part would be an understatement, there were hundreds. First let me congratulate everyone who rode, whether it was the 5, 25 or 50 mile route, as you will all know the first two thirds were dry and relativity benign conditions but the final third when the clouds deposited their wetness upon us was some of the worst conditions I have ever ridden in and to quote a fellow rider " I was as wet as a otters pocket". At times the rain was running into my eyes so much that it is was difficult to see.
There is a always a satisfaction in completing an event ride and a masochistic pride in riding in adverse conditions. The camaraderie in the company of fellow cyclists is charming, of course we were all trying to achieve the same distance and understood each others endeavours but cyclists look after each other and most importantly encourage others to keep going. In the company of many bike riders one finds all ages and all abilities, you may be passed by riders and you may pass others but no one minds, everybody understands that is the way of the road. 
You have periods where your legs seem to struggle to turn the pedals often followed by burst of speed. The sensation of speeding along in a high gear with a steady rhythmic cadence is a wonderful feeling, terrain allowing. I have often said that when that happens and you flow along,  you feel as though you could tap out that rhythm forever!  I did find that consuming a protein bar, when I was finding it tough, did give me a burst of energy and drove me onward.  
I completed the ride in  just under four and a half hours, which considering the final conditions and a lengthy stop to repair a cleat on on of my shoes, was not too bad.
I enjoyed it and in spite of every piece of my clothing being soaked, would do it again next year.

Music

I love music, almost any kind of music and I listen too as much as I am able to. From ABBA to Zappa, whether it's Blues,Country, Classical, Folk, Jazz,Soul, R & B, Funk,Rock, Pop, Opera, World, Latin, Reggae, Indian, and the subsections of those and on etc. you get my point? My favourite is Blues and Rock and to nail my colours firmly to the mast, the greatest band ever, no surprise, The Beatles.
 I use BBC Iplayer a lot and have regular programmes, that I listen to every week. As I write this I am listening to Brian Johnson's Rockers & Rollers broadcast on a Thursday night at 10pm. It is a recent series, in which he plays mostly rock and roll as the title would suggest, I enjoy the bands he features and Brian's naive, honest and humorous, delivery is refreshing.
I have been trawling the Rolling Stone Magazine, website http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/marvin-gaye-lets-get-it-on-19691231 and discovered their lists of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Of course, all list are subjective and not everyone will agree, with all the picks, wondering why some albums are not in there but that said it is a pretty definitive list (although I am only up to 165 working down to 1) It has enabled me to find some artists I did not know and remind of many that I did but had not listened to for a long time or ever.
There is a lot of music out there in the world, that it would be impossible to even scrape the surface in one lifetime. I love discovering new music and new genres, music from different parts of the world. The power of the internet has increased many peoples access to a multitude of  musical choice and opened up to a wider public, many artists who otherwise we may not have heard.
Another discovery, I made in the last two days, is an app. on Google Chrome http://www.earbits.com/play#station This give you a selection of different types of musical choice and plays music from new artists within that genre. I spent a pleasant  couple of hours listening to the Blues, from artists I have never heard of, some where good, some were very good and some were excellent. The site, in the main, provides a bio of the artist and gives details of the album that the track comes from and gives you the option to purchase if you want to.
I have one other web based music source I would like to recommend, Spotify https://www.spotify.com/uk/signup/open/?ref=Google_adwords&gclid=CPqWjJ-mxrICFYKMfAodNUIA0A
Once downloaded and installed, it provides a fantastic music player. allowing you to look up almost any music, build playlists (you can even transfer in, your ITunes tracks). It is free but the free version will interject advertisements every few tracks. There are two monthly upgrade subscriptions, which will eliminate the commercials and add more features. The music is held on their website and of course it can be purchased if you want it downloaded, so it is completely legal.
As I have paged through the Rolling Stone Magazine site and found an album of interest, I just click on to Spotify  and in almost all cases can find the music by that artist. Highlight, drag and drop, the tracks, into whichever playlist you want to put them.
My playlists are also available to others who are on Spotify, although that makes no difference to me.
I understand that not everyone maybe as keen on music as I am but if you are even an occasional listener, I heartily recommend looking at these sources. Whatever your musical "bag", you just never know what you may discover!!!!!

USA

Many of us, have a fascination with America? They seem to have an undue influence on the world. Every period of history has a power that is the dominant force on the globe and in my lifetime, so far, it is the good old US of A.

We have had much greatness emerge but equally just as many awful influences. I am not going to dwell on either, as this will put me in danger of getting into "list" mode and going off on a rambling tangent which is not my intention. I'll probably do so anyway, as is my want!

At present America is in the run up to the election of the next President. I find it unbelievable, that the Republican Party have endorsed Mitt Romney as their candidate! Have they turned into the American version, of the  long time British "joke" party, The Raving Loony Monster Party. A party, who offered alternate candidates, knowing they had no chance of winning but engaging the voters, to highlight the often nonsense, that surrounds politics.  
Surely this Mormon based buffoon has no chance against the present incumbent, Barrack Obama? Although this is America and stranger things have happened! 
Now I confess, that while I don't claim to be very knowledgeable about the in and outs and nuances of American politics and it is not always easy to implement your agenda, when dealing with the USA's governmental system, after having high hopes, Mr Obama has been sadly underwhelming. I think we were taken in by his oratory and apparent gravitas, underneath which, there is not as much substance as we may have thought. Granted his presidency has coincided with a economic downturn, the like of which we had not seen but on the world stage and domestically he seems to have been hamstrung by the weight of what it is to be the "leader of the  free world".
Having said all that I do not believe that Mr Romney, has "a cat in hell chance" of defeating him. Perhaps knowing that it would be difficult to topple Obama, the Republicans, are keeping their powder dry until the next election, when they may have a more credible opponent to run against the Democrats, whom themselves may struggle to find a credible replacement for the current President?
Does it matter? Well yes it does. With that much influence in the world, the leader is very important. You only have to remember the Bush and Blair years (a man who could slip under a snake wearing a top hat!) to see the damage these two war criminals did to the planet, a damage which continues to cause suffering . That however is a whole other discussion.

There is another subject, which I personally find alarming about Americans, it is religion, or to be more specific the unhealthy wave of the population and official bodies including some of the government, that believe in Creationism or Intelligent Design as they have tried to re-brand it. More alarming is that, in many States this is at the expense of teaching any alternative such as natural selection (Darwinism) or replacing such teachings, as being against god! The bible belt of the country seems to have a disproportionate hold on the political system, which has written in it's constitution that God and State should be separate. It appears that far from being separate, they are married in unholy wedlock and in my opinion that is extremely dangerous. There is no candidate in America, for any political post who would be foolish enough to engage in a religious debate and expect to get elected! It is a no go subject and political suicide!
I declare that I write, as one who is an atheist and do not believe in any god, so naturally I see things from a particular bias. 
It is utterly beyond my comprehension, that anyone has faith or believes in a supreme being who created the earth and man, when there is not a shred of evidence to support such a premise and a mass of scientific evidence, which overwhelmingly refutes any such notion. However, that is another subject which, though I no doubt will return to it, is not the main thrust of today's blog. 

What capitalism and is the most evident in the USA, boils down to is wealth and power. It is a corporate world we live in where profit  and wealth is the aim for those who run these massive conglomeration's, this has become the mainstay of all business and political will and the no government of any stripe can afford to upset the very hand that feeds them.  It is catch 22! A simplified view, yes but not any less true for being simple. 
Fortunately there always seems to be at least a minority of those who will speak out against such greed, corruption, undue influence, lobbying etc and yes, even those billionaires, who still practice some altruist-ism, thus displaying some hope, about what happens to our planet and the people on it. 
Nature will eventually destroy mankind (unless we destroy it and us first!) because we are the biggest pest the planet has ever seen and I am sure we will end up being eradicated, as so many species have, most of them because of us!

So America, good or bad, a nation that has left an indelible mark on history and events, whilst seemingly cherishing and promoting, many of the ideas that others outside of its borders (and many inside) find abhorrent. I believe, fundamentally it  is a country that  wants the rest of the world to like and respect it but that is juxsupposed, with the desire to be the recognised as the policeman and conscience of the world, whether right or wrong! 
The danger with so much power and accepting, those who wish to cultivate alliances with such a powerful country, is that you really never know exactly who your friends are. 
Clearly America believe they know who the enemy is. Who?  Clearly they are prepared to fight that enemy. Who? When you have so much wealth and power, it is oh to simple to abuse it. These abuses have far reaching effects that do irreparable harm to many other nations and cultures, that only historians of the future may be able to chart. 
Independence is a precious commodity and should always be guarded jealously, however we must never forget we cannot always impose our values on others simply because it suits us or because we believe that our way is best. We all know and have seen, to many examples of where that leads.
America love her or hate her, it is a fascinating mix  and one that will no doubt keep me interested for the rest of my life. 
But Mitt Romney.........................please you cannot be serious!!!!!!!! 

P.S I do wish to point out before anyone gets too angry, that I do not hold the USA solely responsible for all the worlds ills. There are many other regimes  that are far worse and many other cultures and religions that promote unhealthy doctrines and hate, cause wars, carry out genocide, human rights atrocities and many other evils. There are also a number of powerful nations that are as responsible for and more so, in some cases, the worlds problems, than the United States of America. 
Americans have done their major share of championing, the defense of freedom and justice, throughout history, for which their nation, has paid the price with many lives!

Complaints

When you blog it is often to rant against the world or usually a more parochial bent based on your own small province. Humans have an intelligence, brought about by natural selection and like any other part of our physicality, it needs to be exercised. A good rant or complaint has a cathartic effect and clears your mind. We seem to have a predilection to moan about anything and everything and we are very good at it. We are not necessarily constructive or erudite in our gripe, most of us just want to get things "off our chest". 
I claim no high ground , my protests, are often banal  and pointless, achieving little in the way of furthering any intelligent discussion on the subject in hand. A good moan allows us to feel superior in that, we must be in the right otherwise we would have no basis for the complaint. Of course, often the audience we grumble to, will point out, that we are ourselves being unreasonable and that our complaint is without foundation or unjustified.
Little attention is ever paid to the circumstances, with which the victims of the complaint may have found themselves and  provoked your poor comprehension. Many complaints are completely legitimate and justified. High on the list is poor service. Insulting behavior must be another. If people are unreasonable, should we not complain? 
There are people who will not or cannot complain, as you may have gathered, I am not one of those. I believe in justifiable complaints, where ever you find poor service or bad practice. It must be done in a constructive manner, one must not complain for complaining sake. Point out what you expected and how the situation failed to reach those expectations. Of course your expectation must not be so high that that expectation is unreasonable. It is easy to complain for complaining sake and we all know people who will do this. My view starts from the premise that if you don't complain then how can improvements be implemented or an organisation find out that certain practices need review. Employ humour (if appropriate), just ranting will not always capture the attention and you should not always expect any reply, particularly from the written format. 
When dealing with a complaining customer my method was to listen, without interruption, until they finished. If the grievance has some foundation, apologise and ask what they would like you to do about it? Often someone who is dissatisfied has not thought about what they want you to do in order to rectify the issue. 
Ironically when discussing a complaint one often falls into complaining about the complainant!
We will never stop objecting to those incidents that irritate us and it would be foolish for us to do so, it is an intrinsic part of human nature and should be cherished. I would encourage remonstrance in all it's formats, as long as we are prepared to except the consequences of our actions.

EMAIL

Have you noticed how many emails you receive? Its a lot. On a daily basis I must receive upwards of 30 plus. What do you do? You delete them, many without even looking at the content! So why do we eagerly open our inbox each day. You just might have a message that is worth getting, that informs you about a subject, you either knew nothing about or is of interest and thus introduces a fresh place you have never seen. 

I received such an email last year in March, the email in its self, was not of any great interest but something in it's presentation peaked my curiosity, so I clicked a link and was directed to it's website, I looked around with mounting disinterest and was about to close it when in the bottom corner, I spied a familiar surname. Upon further investigation I discovered a friend with whom I had not spoken for over 30 years and lost contact with. The friendship is now re-kindled and whole branch of my life brought back and expanded on. Who new!

If, like me you do a lot of research and "surfing" on the inter-web,  your details are registered on websites like splattering paint on a canvas at random. A box unnoticed or miss ticking can unleash a storm of emails from companies you had know idea you'd contacted! Every now and then I go into my deleted email, it never ceases to amaze how many messages from the same sender there are that I've not read.

Recently on a competition site I decided to tick the yes box on a number of offers, where the company concerned, would phone you, I gave my home phone number and waited. My phone rang the next day and continued to ring for some days after. Talk Talk, were the most persistent, having rung at least 6 to 7 times over 4 days, the calls were from different call centre operatives and at different times during the day and evening. I have a particular method of answering the phone from someone I don't know. When they ask to speak to me, I immediately reply by asking who is calling, if they persist in asking for me, I persist in replying with the same question. It appears that throws many of the callers, as it must be "off script" for them. After all they are calling me, it is common courtesy, to say where you are calling from!  If they do say who they represent and I do not wish talk to them, I apologise and say that I am not at home and don't know when I will be back! On the odd occasion I will continue the call, the bland uninteresting spurious nonsense they spout is quite incredible. Enough of the boring minutiae of my screening calls.

It was not until I was about 10 years old that we had installed this large baker-lite handset on a table, which appeared in our hallway. It had a dial and when you turned it with a set of letters and numbers, you could hear a ringing noise and then magically a voice spoke to you  from out of the earpiece and the effect for a small boy was beyond imagination. Some 50 years later I sit at the most incredible piece of technology than can literally connect me to almost anywhere in the world at the press of button and click of a mouse. We take it for granted but in such a short space of time (relatively) it is incredible!

So what do you do with you emails? Why not share any stories you have of how an email took you somewhere you never expected?

Job Agencies

I have just had one of the most depressing mornings trying my luck with the job agencies in Northampton. A more unhelpful and apathetic bunch I have not come across for many a long time. Pointless talking face to face as they direct you to their websites. Their underwhelming enthusiasm was either designed to put you off or they simply can't be bothered. Perhaps they are depressed about what they have to do and the lack of opportunities to offer, that they cannot even disguise their apathy. 

funny

I head this and had to share it.
An Irishman was asked what the equivalent word in Irish for the Spanish manyana? He replied that they did not have a word that conveyed that much urgency!

BLOGS

I have just paged through some other blogs and I am somewhat perplexed by how mad you all are!
What should stay locked in your heads seems to have been released onto the web with all the frenzy of an escaped loony!
More power to you all, I say, you crazy, wild, eccentric bunch of wonderful people.
The diversity is astonishing and proves how different we all are.
Carry on the good work.

September

It is September and the summer whilst not officially over is on the wain. Autumnal tones are on the way and then within a very short time we shall be regaled with the dreaded headlong rush into Guy Fawkes, Halloween and I dare not mention the last of those events so horrific is the thought. The commercial world and promoted excess will erupt into its most insidious incarnation and more money will wasted in its normal meaningless manner. So I impress upon you all resist the machinations of festival spending especially Halloween which is an Americanism of the worst kind and should never have been imported with such enthusiasm. Have fun!

Riding

Do you like to ride a bike? With all the recent success of our UK riders surely cycling has never had a higher profile? I am a regular rider of some years experience and I have noticed many more people riding, when I am out and about, than ever before.
Riding a bike, which I would promote as a life skill, is one of the most delightful and addictive activities one can participate in. If you revel in the freedom of the road, coupled with the physical effort of turning the pedals at a steady cadence. If you appreciate passing scenery, architecture, towns and villages and discover routes that you would never pass in a car, then cycling could be for you?
Do I paint a rosy picture? Of course it is not all pleasure and sunshine. For every down there is an up, sometimes very hard work. The wind and the rain can slow you down and of course being wet is no picnic! Breakdowns happen and roadside repairs are not fun! And yet, and yet, even these drawbacks can add to the overall adventure, especially if it is a shared one. There is a sense of achievement when you complete a ride, irrespective of any problems that may have befallen you.
Injuries happen and I have had my share, mostly cuts, scrapes and bruises but you need to be well aware of everything around you, in order to avoid a serious crash. Motorists in the main these days, are more aware and are usually fairly tolerant of cyclists. Beware the dog, however, in my experience, when off the lead they are the most unpredictable and dangerous of obstacles for the unsuspecting rider.
Want to loose weight, increase fitness? There is nothing better than a bike. Most fitness experts would agree that it is advantageous in comparison to running (I am not against running, indeed I occasionally indulge) because it puts less strain on joints, knees etc.
Those of you who have read my previous blogs know my story, as I have documented in some detail my quest for less weight and increased fitness, which thus far has been a great success.
So get out on a bike, you do not need the lycra kit or an expensive lightweight  machine. If you have an old steed languishing in the garage or shed, get it out, dust it down and just ride around your local area. Slowly increase the distance if you decide it's an activity you want to do more of, invest in a better bike, research and get advice from the many sources available, spend what you can afford for the best bike you can get.
If you want any advice email me, I do not claim to be an expert but I have yeas of riding behind me.  gozeat666@virginmedia.com

Levis

Those  have of you who have read any of my ramblings may recall that I have promoted my own weight loss (now 12 kilos or for those still stuck with imperial 1st 7lbs). This has been achieved by sensible eating, exercise and willpower!
In the top of my wardrobe I have kept a pair of 501 button fly Levi jeans. They are an original pair and not he current crop, which are rubbish by comparison.
I convinced myself, that I held on to them, because one day I would be able to wear them once more. As I write, the seat I am on is being warmed by the rear of these very Levis. They fit well once again and I have also threaded a belt through the loops, which also has not been around my middle for the same number of years!
It may seem trivial to many of you but for me it is a seminal moment, it is proof positive that one can reach goals that you have constantly put off and it is never too late!
I do not want to set the wrong imaginary picture of me. If you look at my profile photo, that's me on holiday in June this year. Now imagine the loss of weight, quoted above and that's me now. I will post a comparison photo when it has been taken.

I used Herbalife supplements as part of my regime, to replace either breakfast or lunch. They work, yes I was a doubter!

I'm sure those of you who have experienced a similar shedding of the pounds, understand me when I say, that it really does dramatically alter your life. You feel great, you look better and are able to achieve more...........

If you wish to see a slimmer person in the mirror, get in touch, I am happy to share.