No to the full monty

Ok the title may be misleading, but as anyone who followers my twitter account may have guessed I am absolutely seething at the event in the last few days. Not because they concern my personal well being, at the moment, but they are opening the doors for all other nations to follow. How can a country allow people from seven nations be barred from their country, when there is no evidence of direct terrorism, when other nations have a running total of murders of said nation, yet are allowed to rely move country. Doesn't sound like a scare tactic, its the start of fascism.

So what does my wonderful countries leader do to show that this is unacceptable, trade embargo or cease diplomatic relations? Hell no why not pop over to the country, have coffee and offer a state invitation to said leader, which we the public will pay for. And of course he accepts wanting the "full monty" of pomp and ritual. All at British tax payers expense no less. Now if that was the previous leaders of other nations acting such way they would have found the gates to our queen and parliament well and truly closed, but because it's America, our special friends.

Well I'm sorry but no way, it's not one law for one countries behaviour and another for another. Apart from the fact that the so called Muslim ban may well have broken it's own countries constitution, it's inhumane and breeches UN directives amongst many more. Not to mention that passing this on Holocaustday was just plain stupid as said same nation also turned away hundreds if not more of Jews during world war 2 thus sending them to their deaths, and now guess what, they are doing it again.

Now if the wonderful British prime minister continues down the path of warmly welcoming said leader to the UK on an all expenses paid ego boost, she is not only allowing this behaviour, she is signing the whole UK up for being tarnished with the same morals. Well I'm sorry but I am not going to lay down quietly and get labelled like that. Because history proves it starts with one nation, or one religion, then slowly filters out and anyone of minority such as disability, or wrong religion or politics, ends up physically wearing that label or having it tattooed one their arm, and so it spirals. So as a nation it is our duty to prevent our leadership to continue down this path.

As there are protests on one side of the Atlantic so there should be here. There is a petition currently going round to called for the invitation to be revoked, sign it. Also there is a direct open letter going round that can be signed. Remember this action has already prevented a knight of the realm Sir Mo Farrah from returning to his family and training as they are in Oregon, and an Oscar nominated director from attending the Oscars to see if he has won. But greater than that it has removed the hope of families being reunited after persecution, and they have now lost every penny they saved being rejected at the gates, after already gaining visa and having been vetted. A thirty second signature by comparison is nothing. If you don't mind you hard earned tax money being wasted on security of the man who caused this pain, on feeding him food that most people in the UK would dream of apart from Christmas, and so on, then feel free to ignore. But remember in times of turmoil indifference easily becomes the keystone for other greater evils. If people like that want the full monty, go ahead and pay for it themselves, don't expect the little people to just to boost your misplaced ego and don't expect me to rubber stamp you actions by bully tactics. As far as I am concerned you can take your full monty and stick it.

Have we learnt nothing

The plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty reads: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" These lines are from the poem "The New Colossus," written by Emma Lazarus in 1883

For those that don't know i am not American, yet I am married to one. I was until November last year considering taking duel citizenship, mealy to ease some situations when travelling to and from the USA for family matters. My husband was considering the same. However now I am looking on in horror as the entire free world of the west slowly disintegrates from the actions of one person. Actually it's not one person, it's the one person in each country who has the power and supposedly responsibilityof each nation on their shoulders. Our leader has now shown her  colours and they are that of a judas to her nation.

Britain, more than America even should have learnt the lessons of the last two world wars! But instead we are too caught up in everyone else's business to stand up for what is right. So as a human being, I'm going to stand up, alone I may be but so be it. I can not in true counciousness be silent any longer. 

I am a churchill by birth, for those who don't know their history in detail, I am going to highlight a few points. Most Churchill's are directly related to the Duke of Marlborough, a key figure in military history, and his wife a shrewd lady at court how had the ear of the Queen and used it. Over the years everyone has learnt the surname thanks to one of his more recent relatives, a man who did more for Britain throughout two wold wars than any other man. Personally I'm not from that branch directly, however the original grit of our founder is still there, along withthe delightful black dog, but hey. My family never actuallymade it onto the battlefields of war, not through want of trying though. Every time they enlisted they were hijacked for other duties, some of which I can't talk about as we couldn't discuss it at home. However my grandmother, another churchill by  marriage like the original, was a key player in the original kinder transport of world war two. She, along with the person she worked for, spent a large portion of the war, providing every legal loophole to rescue as many young Jewish people out of occupied countries as possible. I never got to meet this amazing women, but I do know even after the war, and for a long time after even when she became bed ridden with cancer, she was still dealing with the paperwork to give that generation of people a chance.

Now I am facing a repeat of what she went through, as she raised her children. We aren't more than two generations long and the situation is being repeated. Sure the religion has changed, but the loss, the destruction of youth, the general persecution by religious identity is the same. The only reason we aren't at war status is because no one has been brave enough to call it. We are still dropping bombs on entire countries. And like the war before other countries are using it to score it's own agenda. Also like the previous war we are persecuting more than one religious group, but other minorities that frighten certain people. Yet they swear it is in the name of a certain religion. Yet they have convientantly forgot that Judaism gave birth to Christianity which gave birth to Islam, so by that logic the son I
Has turned on his father in the past and now on to his own son. By the same logic the very scriptures they claim to uphold, preach of tolerance and love, not of war and murder.

History claims seventy five percent of all wars have been caused by religion difference, when in reality one hundred percent of all wars have been caused by fear bred intolerance, and most of greed and the need to dominate what frightens us. Rather than educate and embrace difference, to create harmony and choice. Most wars in the last 400 hundred years have been fought by the everyday man and woman on the comand of a few people. A few people who make or break their reputation by basically throwing all their toys out the pram, till one side gives in, and the cost is blood shed on both sides.

 War and warlike litigation do not unite a nation to be great, they divide people till they blindly submit to the few dominates will. Yet it's a few of these little people who take these horrendous situations and add some humanity, like the kinder transport, and more famously the famous Schlinder, who sheltered many. It was the little people on Christmas day on the battlefields of world war one, who took the day to share a mural day. It's was the little people who took sandwiches and cigarettesto the POWS as they were releasedfrom those camps, despite being starved themselves.On that not it will be the little people who remind the various governments in the world that we can't go through all this again. It will be the little people who remind us that we should have learnt this lesson the last few times. 

So next time you read a piece of news about the next crazy idea, and think have we gone mad, it's that little voice you need to listen to. That little voice is the concious of all those who fell before.

Mundane vs Insane

We are all still returning to our daily grind post festive season. Oh does it really takes this long to reach the post Christmas pay day?

All I know is with it brings the dread car mot, a form of car inspection for road worthiness. In my case my poor little car has been in hibernation since October due to the multiple breaks and subsequent cast on my leg since October. Fortunately my cast is now legal to drive an automatic car so it will be me taking it for its health check.  Having checked it over I have already concluded a new battery is necessary due to its inactivity, in fact it's going to need a serious jump to get it there, and like it's owner it's leg (wheel) looks like it had a close encounter with a kerb thanks to my husband so I expect that will be another cost. All in all not cheap but like it's owner it's a necessary maintenance to keep it ticking along.

It's one of those mundane jobs every driver faces. Like every adult dreads the tax season, the annual flu jab, the increase in bills and so on. We live with these day to day and we accept them with out question, even if we whine about it. As a rule in the same pattern most of us just allow professionals to act in our best interests without to too many questions. Well most of us do, I have to admit since being chronically I'll to the point work is but a dream, I do check on things more than I'd  used to. I now have the time to actually wait at the car service center, and oddly my bills have dropped as unnecessary work isn't even mentioned now. I spent 2 hours on the Internet yesterday only to find out that my mother should have been told to apply for a shortened TV licence as it becomes free on her 75th and now have that corrected. Even going as far as my broken leg I have researched the pros and cons of surgery and questioned by surgeons keeness to operate only to find he has never read my rather extensive medical history, and he agreed then it may make things worse.

In fact what I have found is just because some one has a specialist subject and as a whole knows probably more than most in that field. It doesn't mean they are making the right decision for you. They Base their decisions on general  probabilities and often not on individual cases. For that you have to stand up and make you voice heard by asking questions. An hour spent double checking facts can save you money, time or even more like your health. Sure it becomes a mundane to do this but as day to day society is becoming more insane with its power in the minority, best look out for you.

Feminism 101

It has become so very obvious in the last 3 days of twitter hassle I have received that the idea of feminism is stuck in the 1950's and the sole territory of masculine women, for want of a nicer way to put it. Well I have news for the next over testosterone's male who wants to pick a fight with a "liberal left who should return to the kitchen and stop whining", yes that's one reply I got. Feminism is not just a title for women, of any inclination, but is open to all sexuality.

To be a feminist, is to return the balance to equal respect for both sexes, it means as much for a man to be a nurse or a nanny as it does for a woman to be a navy cadet or a doctor. My late grandad was a feminist and proud of it. He worked hard all his life  in engineering, and he allowed his wife to continue work after the war as she choose. When she was robbed of her life in 1960 (yes folks pre sexual revolution) he didn't rush out to get another wife, no he raised his two teenage children alone. He found he had skills in needlework and the like that even later in life put me to shame. When he retired he took over the child care of this grand daughter, taught himself how to cook family meals that suddenly had to be fully vegetarian, due to my allergic reaction to meat proteins. He did the family budget and shop, and there was always a hot evening meal at 5.45 everyday. He became the ultimate house man, able to repair a violin, a skirt or refuse a gadget. Yet still maintain his masculinity and his own hobbies. In fact he was proud of these new skills and went on to hand make a rug as therapy after an injury. Had he been alive and fit today he would have happily marched with me to reclaim our rights. He never stopped being gentleman, doors were always held open, women were to be respected .

It actually seems that the generation of males who were alive during the wars were naturally feminists as they saw just what women could and would do in real hardship. It's the generation born post war that seem to be the problem, the baby boomers who had really little hardship other than their own egos, they are the source of the problem. It was these men that were the cause of the conflict in the 60's and 70's when the idea of feminist hit the headlines first. Subsequently we have become a world of divide. If it's OK to pay a lead male actor 30 million for a film, but the films leading lady only gets 10 million it's bound to filter down to the office administrator or even the cleaner. To compound this we have one maybe two generations brought up in this atmosphere, and so the behaviours become inbred.

I'm not saying all men are like this, but the pack mentality leads it to become the social norm. When it should be same pay regardless of gender. I truly thought we were moving away from this when paternity pay and parental leave came into force, but in fact it has made it worse, as now women are being penalised for wanting to take a carer break to raise a child. And what's worse is the government enforce  this by demanding children go into pre school earlier and earlier, and then the cost of preschool and day care go sky high, forcing the parents to work longer hours. The chain reaction is the breakdown of families, the downward spiral of social values and the resentment of one or other parent.

Some men would have you believe this was a direct result of feminism and the fact women wanted out of the kitchen. But if that was the case why make it so hard for them financially to stay at home. No it's a way of controlling women in a subversive manner, making the victims seem to be the cause. Funny how these same governments screamed for women to do those jobs when all the men were at war, or trained women to be spies as they had a higher success rate, or needed women of ethnic minority to do the maths to put man into space. Bit of a double standards, run of fear of the male race, unfortunately often also white and with healthy to repulsive bank balances. It's these fragile egos that are forcing the return of aggressive feminism.

So after a couple of decades we are back to fighting for our basic rights, this time pay and health care, in same fashion of the 60's generation to work and the early fighter to gain us the vote. Personally I feel sick my great grandmothers fought to gain me the vote, my grandmothers proved women were men's equals, my own mother fought to get me an education that was more than home ec and nannying, now I am having to fight for the health and future of all women. In a hundred years, despite women prime ministers and presidents in some countries we have learnt nothing but the fight is still going. So when you call me another  bloody feminist, my reply is yes fourth generation that I know of and from both male and female sides. Being a feminist we should encourage our future to be either sex, it's not a gender label but a moral one.

Good riddance 2016 God help us 2017

If like me 2016 has left you shredded like myself you may be still shell shocked from the last few days. It's not just the endless deluge of iconic figures exiting stage right, but it also seems to be happening on an infinitely more personal level. I personally started and finished the year bring a family member.

Sure there have been rough years in the past 1993 sticks out in my mind, but none with so many of such variable ages. Sure post 75 is acceptable, abet still painful, and 90+ is a good innings. The ones that kill are the 20 -65s when people are still in their prime. The likes of Alan Rickman, George Michael and Carrie Fisher were as said in buffer, still cookie dough, not fully baked yet. They had so much more to give.

Over the years I have had to bury those my age and younger and it never gets easy, in fact the older you get the harder it hits. It's also a case of the older you get the more you become aware of history and it's patterns returning. Needless to say 2017 isn't the great light at the end of a tunnel of doom and gloom, instead it's developing into a murky foggy reminiscentof the smog of the 50s. A bit brighter but you can't see more than three inches in front of your nose.

This isn't my rant of Trump being the antichrist, although I have a strong dislike of the man, it's a case of him becoming leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world being the final straw on social stability for all, world wide. We already have North Korea with a brat in charge, Lord above knows what is going on in the àrab nations, as I doubt even they know, unrest in some parts of Africa, Europe well let me know when that mess is sorted because I can't see it happening soon and now America.

People have taken to streets worldwide over women's rights, and had I not been still knee high in plaster I would have been right their with them. But the problem is even more extensive than women. Sure the deprivationof health funding to certain charities if they advertise abortion is beyond belief, but even that has a ripple effect, meaning the spread of HIV, and STDS could increase to epidemic numbers in other minority groups as their sexual health care is also removed. Scary fact when you think ripple effect.

But it's also situations world wide, nuclear weapons are back on the political a gender, educational restrictions by excessive charges, thus making it a case of the wealthy club only, state funded medical care near broken, transport systems unable to functions thus costing people their jobs. This isn't just America or even England, this is worldwide. Spain, Italy and Greece all practically bankrupt, Turkey in civil unrest, Syria, or rather what's left of Syria in total disarray, and I could go on.

The world as I know it is in a worst state than after two world wars. People turning on each other to defend one or other political party, when in reality they are all failing us. You can't run a united country when both sides are so divided on the options, there needs to be a 3rd choice for these situations, a none of the above option. Only then will those in the positions of power start to listen.

What is even more scary in my eyes, is  through out history, when there are highly emotional political situations, the arts usually pick up the slack to maintain some morale. However there seems to have been a very obvious move to limit the liberal arts for all, theaters over priced, films constricted by studio demànds of blockbuster returns etc.  So there is little release for society to relax. Sure we have TV, Netflix etc, but that keeps us contained in our houses. Just think about it for a moment. Local theaters underfunded thanks to government cut backs, yet they can afford to bomb a country hundreds of miles away? Why?

I know what I think, but I believe it's a conclusion every one  needs to work out for themselves. So while I get grief from some anonymous idiot on twitter for a post about equality for all, ask yourself why are government is so fearful of an educated, healthy happy society, and prefers to keep us living in torment and fear. Why so many are really struggling and a few could bail out the health care budget with their yearly returns.

No it isn't just one man causing the trouble, but a collective handful we supposedly voted for and all their little friends . Yet we are still left mourning some of the most vocal talent of a generation (or two) who were taken when  their voices of reason are needed the most.

So while you ponder what is really in store for us all I'll leave you with a quote from the late Carrie Fisher, who about sums it up.

"Sometimes to get to heaven, you have to walk slowly backwards from hell"

What makes us Brits so good at being bad?

Due to various reasons I am currently a fixture upon the family sofa catching up on some missed film viewing. So far I have overdosed on marvel, star trek reboot and a few other worthy causes. But what has become blantantly obvious, is if you want a good guy, there are plenty of eye candy candidates, who seem to be recycled in multiple films. But if you want  a decent bad guy, get a brit.


This is an age old tradition in big Hollywood blockbusters, notable mentions must go to the late greats, Christopher Lee and now Alan Rickman. Both were capable of playing both side of the coin, but they will always been memorised for roles where they stole the s re en being bad. Now a days this custom seems to have past the baton to Benedict Cumberbatch in Star Trek and Tom Hiddlestone in the MCU who totally steals it as Loki. It's not as if America is short of its own  capable actors with this duplicity, Tommy Lee Jones, Williem Defoe and James Franco jump to mind as me than adequate, yet the studios seem to love to box us Brits into these roles. Why? Is it due to our ability to bring a shakespearin quality to a comic figure, or just our accents, we will never know.

Don't get me wrong I am not begrudging the quality of our actors or resenting them work, just the predictable pattern of Hollywood casting. I always remember the film critic Barry Norman summarising the remake of the fugitive, and how it would have been 10 times more dramatic had Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones swapped roles, thus making the audience actually doubt the leads motive. The same question would be made if they swapped the casting of say Loki and Iron Man in the MCU or god for bid, cast the likes of Chris Pine, the entire Hemsworth family or Chris Evans in a complete different role. These are all good actors who are being limited by the studios need for eye candy as a good guy.

Sure films are meant to be escapism, and in this day and age we need the fantasy as much as ever, but come on folks, we have a brain. We don't need to be treated like audiences of old, where John Wayne was always the cowboy with a heart, and Cary Grant would sweep us of our feet. Where all the women need rescuing by an godlike like creature, by putting the Brit back in his gaol. We are far more refined in our tastes, we need a puzzle to be caught up in, stereo type to be challenged, and maybe cheer when the good guy turns bad and the bad guy wins the girl.

Yes a lot of the problem comes from the business that the studios need to make money from what can be hugely expensive investments, but it also comes from the sidelines, the media hype of magazines and Internet feeding the audience glossy images of perfect men with their tops off and women who look like they never have a bad hair day. This always adds to the monetary value of turnover. But it devalues the skill of the jobs of acting and directing, by assuming that the audience wouldn't buy into the fact that these people could still charm and entertain if the roles were reversed. I mean think back to the first ever star wars film, the most charming character was Han solo, who right to the end of the film could have gone either way. The role made Harrison Ford's career, and thrust him into heartthrob status, yet he was far from the textbook hero, more rogue. The same quality that has totally revived Robert Downing Junior's career playing Tony Stark /Iron Man.

So maybe the studio system needs to embrace this, and mix up the casting a bit, give us less Hollywood hero vs British bad guy and just give us more dubious rogues.

Deep breath and pause

I suspect I may not be the only person in the world who really hasn't seen their bed or sleep for the last 48 hours. The only difference between them and myself is in most other cases they  have no choice, where as I do. To be truthful I had to take myself away from all media for 4 hours earlier and enjoy the beauty of the countryside to reset my brain.

I for one, can not believe the actions of others resulting in violence in both Turkey and France in the last two days. The reality than some people put such little value on human life for some extreme belief. I don't know what others think but I am currently torn between constant tears and unbridled rage. 

We are living in a world that is in a perpetual cycle of rage, extreme views and pure venom, but in reality we are destroying ourselves at an alarming rate. Crying out saying it is in the name of some faith or another is nothing more than an infected lie. No faith calls for such actions. And yes I do know the difference between the faiths of Christianity and Islam, because I actually bothered to go out and ask my local mosque to assist me understand, and in return they shared their time and beliefs freely, giving me copy of their holy book in both Arabic and English, so I could make my own educated conclusion. Due to their actions, and what I learnt, I plan to study the Hebrew text in the same way. Why? You may ask, well I believe tolerance is achieved by understanding and to understand you have to learn to see the other point of view.

All that has happened recently, well in the last 18 months especially, has been bed from intolerance, and I for one refuse to add my fuel to any fire with out being as educated and understanding as possible. What, however I have learnt so far, is none of the actions of any of the parties involved seem to match any religion I have read about. This unrest is political extremism, cloaked under a banner of lies to give it justification.

I am actually seething at it even being labeled terrorism now, because even terrorists usually have a fundamental belief that fuels their actions. But what I am seeing is random and ruthless killing, not caring who they kill to get media attention. Because in Nice last night and Paris, and Brussels, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, gay, straight, bi and trans alike were killed the same. No one was given a chance to state their faith or sexuality. This means it is not religious terrorism but mass random murder.

So regardless of faith, belief, sexuality and nationality, we the public to make stand and start sending a clear and blunt message to these violent  bullies and our governments alike, that this is not the world we want to live in, we want a world of equality and justice for all. If we don't starting to join together for this simple common goal we are all in danger of living in this turmoil of violence until some one hits that button that will wipe most if not all of us off the planet.

It's time to take a deep breath, pause and think. We are close to if not already in, the 3rd world war in less than 150 years. A war that if it's allowed to continue will destroy or least permanently damage this world. Is it worth it, based on the fact most of us are allowing it to happen due to our own ignorance and intolerance. I know that's not the legacy I want to leave behind.