EHRC - Another worthless crock

As my regular reader will testify, every time the phrase 'human rights' is used, by blood pressure goes through the roof!

Now it seems that some common sense is finally permeating into this area of politically correct bullshit. The independant think tank Civitas says that if it were disbanded, not only would taxpayers be saved millions but proper ways could be found to tackle unfairness.

The scathing report by academic Jon Gower Davies says the Commission looks at issues the wrong way. It blames British unfairness for differences in people’s lives that are beyond the Government’s control and too narrowly focuses on “rights” while ignoring responsibilities.

He goes on to criticise the gravy train of pay and perks within the organisation. In support of the call to disband the organisation, the Taxpayers Alliance director, Matthew Sinclair, said: “The EHRC has mismanaged millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money too many times. It has shown that it can’t be trusted to use its budget properly and should be wound up. There are much better uses for the millions of pounds it spends every year than this politicised and wasteful quango.”

Conservative MP Dominic Raab said: “The EHRC is costly and counter-productive. Its fixation on positive discrimination and quotas is socially divisive, anti-meritocratic and out of touch with the aspirations of modern young Britons.”

Fellow Tory MP Priti Patel said: “I am not surprised by this report as I went through the EHRC annual reports and the waste is unbelievable."

The watchdog has continually been in the news for its controversial judgments. In March it was criticised after saying children should be asked from age 11 if they were gay, with records kept of any who were “questioning” their sexuality in case they fell victim to discrimination.

Football fans were furious when the quango backed Bath City club in offering Polish supporters an 80 per cent discount on match tickets.

It also warned full-body security scanners at British airports could be illegal and would be impossible to monitor if there were discrimination in the way passengers were selected for the checks.

The Coalition has already reduced funding for the EHRC, from £70 million in 2007 to £55 million in 2010-11 and plans further cuts to £26 million in 2014-15.

Frankly that's £26 million too much for something which seems to do more to stir up inequalities than to reconcile them...

(You can read more in the Daily Express by clicking here)

EHRC - Another worthless crock

As my regular reader will testify, every time the phrase 'human rights' is used, by blood pressure goes through the roof!

Now it seems that some common sense is finally permeating into this area of politically correct bullshit. The independant think tank Civitas says that if it were disbanded, not only would taxpayers be saved millions but proper ways could be found to tackle unfairness.

The scathing report by academic Jon Gower Davies says the Commission looks at issues the wrong way. It blames British unfairness for differences in people’s lives that are beyond the Government’s control and too narrowly focuses on “rights” while ignoring responsibilities.

He goes on to criticise the gravy train of pay and perks within the organisation. In support of the call to disband the organisation, the Taxpayers Alliance director, Matthew Sinclair, said: “The EHRC has mismanaged millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money too many times. It has shown that it can’t be trusted to use its budget properly and should be wound up. There are much better uses for the millions of pounds it spends every year than this politicised and wasteful quango.”

Conservative MP Dominic Raab said: “The EHRC is costly and counter-productive. Its fixation on positive discrimination and quotas is socially divisive, anti-meritocratic and out of touch with the aspirations of modern young Britons.”

Fellow Tory MP Priti Patel said: “I am not surprised by this report as I went through the EHRC annual reports and the waste is unbelievable."

The watchdog has continually been in the news for its controversial judgments. In March it was criticised after saying children should be asked from age 11 if they were gay, with records kept of any who were “questioning” their sexuality in case they fell victim to discrimination.

Football fans were furious when the quango backed Bath City club in offering Polish supporters an 80 per cent discount on match tickets.

It also warned full-body security scanners at British airports could be illegal and would be impossible to monitor if there were discrimination in the way passengers were selected for the checks.

The Coalition has already reduced funding for the EHRC, from £70 million in 2007 to £55 million in 2010-11 and plans further cuts to £26 million in 2014-15.

Frankly that's £26 million too much for something which seems to do more to stir up inequalities than to reconcile them...

(You can read more in the Daily Express by clicking here)

ecoCrap

I have long suspected that Chris Huhne was a twat, but now he's gone and opened his mouth and proved it!

Huhne has announced that this country will dramatically speed up it's carbon reduction measures and will halve greenhouse gases by 2025, ultimately cutting our emissions by 60% by 2030.

Well, Chris, this is bollocks, isn't it? Even members of your own party don't agree with you. Vince Cable has warned that your unachievable plans will damage business and make us uncompetitive. But Huhne isn't listening. He says that Britain is leading the way and showing the world how things should be done!

Trouble is, that the world isn't watching. The UK is no longer a world power and it's time we woke up to the fact that no-one out there gives a shit what we are doing any more.

The Employers Federation says these measures will drive businesses abroad. Analysts say we will have to produce 97% of our electricity from non carbon sources. It's simply not achievable. Even if it were, then in the great scheme of things, it would make no difference.

To put all this in perspective, whilst we are agonising over whether to build another runway at Heathrow, the Chinese are building SEVENTY new international airports.

It's all a load of old ecoCrap...

ecoCrap

I have long suspected that Chris Huhne was a twat, but now he's gone and opened his mouth and proved it!

Huhne has announced that this country will dramatically speed up it's carbon reduction measures and will halve greenhouse gases by 2025, ultimately cutting our emissions by 60% by 2030.

Well, Chris, this is bollocks, isn't it? Even members of your own party don't agree with you. Vince Cable has warned that your unachievable plans will damage business and make us uncompetitive. But Huhne isn't listening. He says that Britain is leading the way and showing the world how things should be done!

Trouble is, that the world isn't watching. The UK is no longer a world power and it's time we woke up to the fact that no-one out there gives a shit what we are doing any more.

The Employers Federation says these measures will drive businesses abroad. Analysts say we will have to produce 97% of our electricity from non carbon sources. It's simply not achievable. Even if it were, then in the great scheme of things, it would make no difference.

To put all this in perspective, whilst we are agonising over whether to build another runway at Heathrow, the Chinese are building SEVENTY new international airports.

It's all a load of old ecoCrap...

The Great Olympic Ticket Fiasco (2)

Remember you heard it here first !

The Seb Coe popularity shows lumbers on. Apparently, 1,900,000 deluded souls applied for tickets under the impression that they might actually get some, but only 700,000 of them were 'lucky' - and a lot of them didn't get what they really wanted. But never mind...

So basically it was the fuck up I predicted and just to prove that the Brits love a good fuck up and that Coe is the man for the job, there's another fuck up coming our way on the 24th June when they release yet another traunch of tickets  - mainly for the events that no-one wants to actually see.

This time the tickets will be on a first come first served basis - which is how it should have been done in the first place. There will be 2,300,000 tickets initially offered to those who missed out on the first round of the great ticket fiasco. Mind you, if you don't like football then you're in for a bit of a shock because 1,700,000 of these tickets are for football.

Apparently, there will still be more tickets to come later in the year but there is a problem releasing these just yet because the seating arrangements can't be finalised until they decide where to site the cameras!

But the laugh of the week over all this came as I was watching BBC Breakfast the other morning. There was a guy on there who had no trouble at all getting tickets. He applied on line and was instantly sold exactly what he wanted. No problem. No hassle. Job done!

So where exactly is this wonderful Olympic Tickets website?.......

.....It's in Germany.

The Great Olympic Ticket Fiasco (2)

Remember you heard it here first !

The Seb Coe popularity shows lumbers on. Apparently, 1,900,000 deluded souls applied for tickets under the impression that they might actually get some, but only 700,000 of them were 'lucky' - and a lot of them didn't get what they really wanted. But never mind...

So basically it was the fuck up I predicted and just to prove that the Brits love a good fuck up and that Coe is the man for the job, there's another fuck up coming our way on the 24th June when they release yet another traunch of tickets  - mainly for the events that no-one wants to actually see.

This time the tickets will be on a first come first served basis - which is how it should have been done in the first place. There will be 2,300,000 tickets initially offered to those who missed out on the first round of the great ticket fiasco. Mind you, if you don't like football then you're in for a bit of a shock because 1,700,000 of these tickets are for football.

Apparently, there will still be more tickets to come later in the year but there is a problem releasing these just yet because the seating arrangements can't be finalised until they decide where to site the cameras!

But the laugh of the week over all this came as I was watching BBC Breakfast the other morning. There was a guy on there who had no trouble at all getting tickets. He applied on line and was instantly sold exactly what he wanted. No problem. No hassle. Job done!

So where exactly is this wonderful Olympic Tickets website?.......

.....It's in Germany.

Pointless Software - Tesco SatNav

You know, just once in a while I read about something and it occurs to me that someone failed to ask one of the most poinient questions known to the English language - "Why?"

Now I am an ardent fan of technology - not - but I will admit just once in a while something comes along where I think to myself "You know, that could be really useful!" Unfortunately, this isn't one of those moments.

Admittedly Tesco has some big stores and it just might be difficult to find things so some bright spark has come up with a great idea. Let's use in store SatNav through your mobile phone. The idea is that you enter your shopping list into your phone and then the system in the store will direct you through the shop to exactly the items you want by the most efficient route. Fantastic!

Trouble is that it will probably take you considerably longer to enter the list into the phone than the extra time - if any - that it would have taken you to simply walk up and down the aisles in the first place.

And, of course, don't kid yourself it's free, because even if you ignore the cost of the call, there's the application that Tesco will sell you to make it all work in the first place.

So what do Tesco say about all this?

Nick Lansley, head of research and development for Tesco, said “The new service is able to show you where all your wanted products are on a store map, show you where you are on that map, and guide you round the store to pick up your products using the shortest route.”


He added: “We won't be rolling this out to customers in general for a while because we have to think about how useful it's going to be. The system involves a lot of infrastructure installation in the stores so we need to get all kinds of people involved in thinking about the customer experience. It would be awful if we did all this work but few customers really used it.”

Quite...

Pointless Software - Tesco SatNav

You know, just once in a while I read about something and it occurs to me that someone failed to ask one of the most poinient questions known to the English language - "Why?"

Now I am an ardent fan of technology - not - but I will admit just once in a while something comes along where I think to myself "You know, that could be really useful!" Unfortunately, this isn't one of those moments.

Admittedly Tesco has some big stores and it just might be difficult to find things so some bright spark has come up with a great idea. Let's use in store SatNav through your mobile phone. The idea is that you enter your shopping list into your phone and then the system in the store will direct you through the shop to exactly the items you want by the most efficient route. Fantastic!

Trouble is that it will probably take you considerably longer to enter the list into the phone than the extra time - if any - that it would have taken you to simply walk up and down the aisles in the first place.

And, of course, don't kid yourself it's free, because even if you ignore the cost of the call, there's the application that Tesco will sell you to make it all work in the first place.

So what do Tesco say about all this?

Nick Lansley, head of research and development for Tesco, said “The new service is able to show you where all your wanted products are on a store map, show you where you are on that map, and guide you round the store to pick up your products using the shortest route.”


He added: “We won't be rolling this out to customers in general for a while because we have to think about how useful it's going to be. The system involves a lot of infrastructure installation in the stores so we need to get all kinds of people involved in thinking about the customer experience. It would be awful if we did all this work but few customers really used it.”

Quite...

Wake up call from Pope

When Jesus asked his disciples to stay awake while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was asking every believer throughout history to remain awake to the reality of God and to the reality of sin, Pope Benedict XVI has said.

The Pope said that Jesus’s request was “a permanent message for all times because the drowsiness of his disciples was not just a problem in that moment; it is a problem throughout history”.

The Pope said, the lack of awareness about evil is the flip side of an equal lack of awareness about the presence and love of God. “This is our real drowsiness,” he said. “We don’t feel God’s presence."

Sorry, but I just don't get this guy! I mean, I know he's officially infallible and all that but I get the impression that he is just making stuff like this up as he goes along. Where in God's name (pun intended) does he get this guff???

After all, could it be that Jesus just wanted his merry men to stay awake while he prayed? Shurely not...

Wake up call from Pope

When Jesus asked his disciples to stay awake while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was asking every believer throughout history to remain awake to the reality of God and to the reality of sin, Pope Benedict XVI has said.

The Pope said that Jesus’s request was “a permanent message for all times because the drowsiness of his disciples was not just a problem in that moment; it is a problem throughout history”.

The Pope said, the lack of awareness about evil is the flip side of an equal lack of awareness about the presence and love of God. “This is our real drowsiness,” he said. “We don’t feel God’s presence."

Sorry, but I just don't get this guy! I mean, I know he's officially infallible and all that but I get the impression that he is just making stuff like this up as he goes along. Where in God's name (pun intended) does he get this guff???

After all, could it be that Jesus just wanted his merry men to stay awake while he prayed? Shurely not...

No to No to AV...

I don't know if you are for or against the Alternative Vote - that's between you and the ballot box - but what I do know is that I really don't like the way the 'No' campaign is being run.

In the post yesterday was a flier from the 'No' campaign informing me that that if I vote 'Yes' then I will be committing the governement to spending £130 million on electronic vote counting machines. I've looked into this. It's absolute piffle! There are no such plans.

In Saturday's 'Daily Telegraph' there was an article saying that the Conservatives calculate that it will cost three times as much to run a general election under AV. OK, maybe it would cost a bit more because of the extra counting when the leading candidate doesn't get 50% straight off, but three tomes as much? How do you work that out?...

Well, apparently the Conservatives took the costs per head of running an election in Australia and then extrapolated it. Unfortunately, they neglected to mention that Australia is the size of Western Europe and in places very sparsely populated. Oh, yeah, and they elect both houses not just the one.

Then there's 'minority parties are evil' scare tactic. AV will allow the BNP to get seats in parliament. Maybe, but only if 50% of the electorate vote for it.

And, of course, our troops will die from lack of equipment if we spend the money on AV. More crap - even if we don't spend the money on AV you can bet your life the troops won't get any of it.

And let's not forget this classic : "Changing the way we vote will give the politicians more power to ignore the verdict of the voters"! How the hell do you work that one out? They already ignore us!

I'm all in favour of a vigorous debate, but it strikes me the 'No' campaign is aptly named - it's 100% negative.

There are pros and cons on both sides of this debate. At the end of the day it's up to the voters. Personally, I would couple this to compulsory voting, because if you don't vote then you have no right to complain about what you get.

The one thing I would say about AV is that I find it hard to understand how political parties can elect their own leaders under this system, but want to deny us the right to do the same. But that's politicians for you - one rule for them and another for us.

Personally, I'm in Greece on polling day, so I've already posted my vote. How about you?

No to No to AV...

I don't know if you are for or against the Alternative Vote - that's between you and the ballot box - but what I do know is that I really don't like the way the 'No' campaign is being run.

In the post yesterday was a flier from the 'No' campaign informing me that that if I vote 'Yes' then I will be committing the governement to spending £130 million on electronic vote counting machines. I've looked into this. It's absolute piffle! There are no such plans.

In Saturday's 'Daily Telegraph' there was an article saying that the Conservatives calculate that it will cost three times as much to run a general election under AV. OK, maybe it would cost a bit more because of the extra counting when the leading candidate doesn't get 50% straight off, but three tomes as much? How do you work that out?...

Well, apparently the Conservatives took the costs per head of running an election in Australia and then extrapolated it. Unfortunately, they neglected to mention that Australia is the size of Western Europe and in places very sparsely populated. Oh, yeah, and they elect both houses not just the one.

Then there's 'minority parties are evil' scare tactic. AV will allow the BNP to get seats in parliament. Maybe, but only if 50% of the electorate vote for it.

And, of course, our troops will die from lack of equipment if we spend the money on AV. More crap - even if we don't spend the money on AV you can bet your life the troops won't get any of it.

And let's not forget this classic : "Changing the way we vote will give the politicians more power to ignore the verdict of the voters"! How the hell do you work that one out? They already ignore us!

I'm all in favour of a vigorous debate, but it strikes me the 'No' campaign is aptly named - it's 100% negative.

There are pros and cons on both sides of this debate. At the end of the day it's up to the voters. Personally, I would couple this to compulsory voting, because if you don't vote then you have no right to complain about what you get.

The one thing I would say about AV is that I find it hard to understand how political parties can elect their own leaders under this system, but want to deny us the right to do the same. But that's politicians for you - one rule for them and another for us.

Personally, I'm in Greece on polling day, so I've already posted my vote. How about you?

Benny's Easter broadcast

Sorry if you missed it, but Benny has given an Easter broadcast on Italian TV in the interests of 'improving communication and transparency."

Right.......believe that when I see it!

The Vatican invited people to send in their questions by e-mail and then the three most popular questions would be put to the Pope in a pre-recorded broadcast for RAI. In the end they decided to expand this to seven questions. Sounds pretty good on the face of it.

But.......

Questions are restricted by 'relevence to the life of Jesus' - so nothing allowed about covering up sex scandals, then? Transparency, my arse!

The Vatican will decide which are the most asked - sorry, make that relevant - questions and we'll not be told what the others were.

Answering these pertinent and relevant questions, Benny was aked by the mother of a son in a permanent vegetative state whether to let him die and was told 'his soul is still there but his body is like a guitar with broken strings.' Apparently, 'he can still feel love' even though he is totally unaware of anything at all.

Asked by a Japanese about the earthquake and tsunami, Benny told her that 'Jesus suffered as well, you know' so that's alright then. 

And a woman in Ivory Coast asked about the suffering and murder in her country to be told 'only love comes from God. Violence never comes from God' - well apart from the crusades,the Spanish Inquisition etc etc! You get the picture.

Sorry, but I don't get what any of this has to do with a Rabbi who was persecuted and crucified 2000 years ago.

Anyway, it was pre-recorded, not live. So call me a cynic, but it seems to me that it could have been recorded weeks ago. Shurley not?

Benny's Easter broadcast

Sorry if you missed it, but Benny has given an Easter broadcast on Italian TV in the interests of 'improving communication and transparency."

Right.......believe that when I see it!

The Vatican invited people to send in their questions by e-mail and then the three most popular questions would be put to the Pope in a pre-recorded broadcast for RAI. In the end they decided to expand this to seven questions. Sounds pretty good on the face of it.

But.......

Questions are restricted by 'relevence to the life of Jesus' - so nothing allowed about covering up sex scandals, then? Transparency, my arse!

The Vatican will decide which are the most asked - sorry, make that relevant - questions and we'll not be told what the others were.

Answering these pertinent and relevant questions, Benny was aked by the mother of a son in a permanent vegetative state whether to let him die and was told 'his soul is still there but his body is like a guitar with broken strings.' Apparently, 'he can still feel love' even though he is totally unaware of anything at all.

Asked by a Japanese about the earthquake and tsunami, Benny told her that 'Jesus suffered as well, you know' so that's alright then. 

And a woman in Ivory Coast asked about the suffering and murder in her country to be told 'only love comes from God. Violence never comes from God' - well apart from the crusades,the Spanish Inquisition etc etc! You get the picture.

Sorry, but I don't get what any of this has to do with a Rabbi who was persecuted and crucified 2000 years ago.

Anyway, it was pre-recorded, not live. So call me a cynic, but it seems to me that it could have been recorded weeks ago. Shurley not?

It's 'No Charity' Week!

It's Easter Week - so amazingly this is the one week of the year which does not have a national or international charity designated for it.

So here's a list of just a few of the rivetting events and non-events that you either missed out on already this year...

January kicked off with Food Allergy and Intolerance Week (24th - 27th),a campaign to raise awareness about the many people who suffer from food intolerance to ingredients such as wheat, dairy, eggs, and gluten. And in case you have really bas food habits that can make you ill, this coincides with Cancertalk Week.

Don't miss Farmhouse Breakfast Week (23rd - 29th)! Oh, sorry, you already did. This campaign aims to highlight the importance of breakfast and the range and quality of regional breakfast produce available in the UK

Or there's National Storytelling Week (29th - 5th Feb) which aims to 'raise awareness of this ancient form of entertainment'.

February kicks off with National Apprenticeship Week, followed by National Marriage Week. Celebrated in churches and communities across the country - the purpose of the Week is to celebrate the importance of marriage. It's also, ironically, World Orphan Week

This is followed by National Nest Box Week (15th - 21st) which aims to get as many people as possible to put up nest boxes in order to help our breeding birds and other wildlife. Fortuitously, you needn't go hungry as you do this as it's also National Chip Week - celebrating the nation's favourite food

Then there's Student Volunteering Week (21st - 27th) - an opportunity to keep the great unwashed ON the streets for a change! Perhaps they could put up some nest boxes?

28 February - 13 March is a BOGOF! It's Fair Trade Fortnight where students spend a whole two weeks contemplating where their food comes from and how they can help people in poorer countries. Yeah, right...

1st - 31st March is useful for those poor students doing all that comtemplating, because it's National Bed Month!

6th - 12th March is National Glaucoma Week - probably due to all that contemplation, we are seeking to arouse awareness of eye disease.

11th -20th March is National Science and Engineering Week. Says a lot that all these brainy scientists have found a way to make a week last a whole 10 days!

14th - 20th March is Brain Awareness Week which promotes awareness of research into the brain

21st - 27th March is Salt Awareness Week - aiming to educate the public as to the importance of salt in the diet. Shame it didn't coincide with Chip Week.

March ends with Hospital Broadcasting Week, the annnual opportunity to raise the profile of every hospital broadcasting station in the UK. Wow!

April gets a couple of whole month events - National Autism Month and National Pet Month. Plus 10th - 16th is World Homeopathy Awareness Week, and then to bring the month to a close we have RSPCA Week

Oh and did I forget to mention World Braile Day, SOS Day, World Wetlands Day, World Cancer Day, UNICEF Day for Change, Safer Internet Day, National Doodle Day, Gold Heart Day, International Mother Language Day, World Thinking Day, The Toddle Waddle, International Childrens Book Day, World Health Day, World Haemophilia Day, Earth Day, World Book and Copyright Day, World Malaria Day and Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day...

Still, if you did miss a few, there's the rest of the year to go yet.

After all, you wouldn't want to miss Be Nice to Nettles Week, would you?

It's 'No Charity' Week!

It's Easter Week - so amazingly this is the one week of the year which does not have a national or international charity designated for it.

So here's a list of just a few of the rivetting events and non-events that you either missed out on already this year...

January kicked off with Food Allergy and Intolerance Week (24th - 27th),a campaign to raise awareness about the many people who suffer from food intolerance to ingredients such as wheat, dairy, eggs, and gluten. And in case you have really bas food habits that can make you ill, this coincides with Cancertalk Week.

Don't miss Farmhouse Breakfast Week (23rd - 29th)! Oh, sorry, you already did. This campaign aims to highlight the importance of breakfast and the range and quality of regional breakfast produce available in the UK

Or there's National Storytelling Week (29th - 5th Feb) which aims to 'raise awareness of this ancient form of entertainment'.

February kicks off with National Apprenticeship Week, followed by National Marriage Week. Celebrated in churches and communities across the country - the purpose of the Week is to celebrate the importance of marriage. It's also, ironically, World Orphan Week

This is followed by National Nest Box Week (15th - 21st) which aims to get as many people as possible to put up nest boxes in order to help our breeding birds and other wildlife. Fortuitously, you needn't go hungry as you do this as it's also National Chip Week - celebrating the nation's favourite food

Then there's Student Volunteering Week (21st - 27th) - an opportunity to keep the great unwashed ON the streets for a change! Perhaps they could put up some nest boxes?

28 February - 13 March is a BOGOF! It's Fair Trade Fortnight where students spend a whole two weeks contemplating where their food comes from and how they can help people in poorer countries. Yeah, right...

1st - 31st March is useful for those poor students doing all that comtemplating, because it's National Bed Month!

6th - 12th March is National Glaucoma Week - probably due to all that contemplation, we are seeking to arouse awareness of eye disease.

11th -20th March is National Science and Engineering Week. Says a lot that all these brainy scientists have found a way to make a week last a whole 10 days!

14th - 20th March is Brain Awareness Week which promotes awareness of research into the brain

21st - 27th March is Salt Awareness Week - aiming to educate the public as to the importance of salt in the diet. Shame it didn't coincide with Chip Week.

March ends with Hospital Broadcasting Week, the annnual opportunity to raise the profile of every hospital broadcasting station in the UK. Wow!

April gets a couple of whole month events - National Autism Month and National Pet Month. Plus 10th - 16th is World Homeopathy Awareness Week, and then to bring the month to a close we have RSPCA Week

Oh and did I forget to mention World Braile Day, SOS Day, World Wetlands Day, World Cancer Day, UNICEF Day for Change, Safer Internet Day, National Doodle Day, Gold Heart Day, International Mother Language Day, World Thinking Day, The Toddle Waddle, International Childrens Book Day, World Health Day, World Haemophilia Day, Earth Day, World Book and Copyright Day, World Malaria Day and Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day...

Still, if you did miss a few, there's the rest of the year to go yet.

After all, you wouldn't want to miss Be Nice to Nettles Week, would you?

Benny goes to Assisi...

Pope Benedict XVI and representatives of the world’s major religions will make speeches and sign a common commitment to peace when they meet in Assisi in October, but they will not pray together, the Vatican has said.

I find this totally baffling!

The October gathering will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s “prayer for peace” encounter in Assisi. The 1986 event was seen by many as a milestone in interreligious relations but was criticised by some Catholics who said it appeared to inappropriately mix elements from Christian and non-Christian religions.

Given that the last meeting was called "prayer for peace", I find the decision even more baffling!

Pope Benedict will prepare for the Assisi gathering by hosting a prayer service with Catholics from the Diocese of Rome in St Peter’s Basilica the evening before. According to the Catholic Herald, "other Catholic dioceses and other Christian communities are encouraged to organise similar prayer services."

So what they are basically saying is that only the Catholic and 'other Christians' should pray together for peace?

There are also apparently arguments wthin the Catholics community that to pray to God with members of other faiths would degrade the Catholic Church's claim to be the one true faith....

...so, in the interests of peace, let's cut the hypocrisy and bring back the Crusades!

Benny goes to Assisi...

Pope Benedict XVI and representatives of the world’s major religions will make speeches and sign a common commitment to peace when they meet in Assisi in October, but they will not pray together, the Vatican has said.

I find this totally baffling!

The October gathering will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s “prayer for peace” encounter in Assisi. The 1986 event was seen by many as a milestone in interreligious relations but was criticised by some Catholics who said it appeared to inappropriately mix elements from Christian and non-Christian religions.

Given that the last meeting was called "prayer for peace", I find the decision even more baffling!

Pope Benedict will prepare for the Assisi gathering by hosting a prayer service with Catholics from the Diocese of Rome in St Peter’s Basilica the evening before. According to the Catholic Herald, "other Catholic dioceses and other Christian communities are encouraged to organise similar prayer services."

So what they are basically saying is that only the Catholic and 'other Christians' should pray together for peace?

There are also apparently arguments wthin the Catholics community that to pray to God with members of other faiths would degrade the Catholic Church's claim to be the one true faith....

...so, in the interests of peace, let's cut the hypocrisy and bring back the Crusades!

God appears in many guises...

Never mind the Turin Shroud, during the last decade the Lord has indeed appeared to us in many guises. Here's a top ten selection :

1. In November 2002, a devotee doing some baking for the Renewal Retreat Centre in Bangalore, India spotted an image resembling Jesus in a chapati. The likeness was hastily put on public display.
2. On Ash Wednesday in February 2007, Guadalupe Rodriguez, a cafeteria worker at Pugh Elementary in Houston, Texas, noticed a striking image while cleaning the dishes after lunch.
   "On the third rinse I started watching it, trying to discover what it was," she said. "It showed to me like it is the Virgin Mary." Anel Villareal, a pupil, recalled: "They said, 'The Virgin is in the cafeteria,' and I ran over there to see and, my God, it was the Virgin. I cried when I see her with my own eyes."
   The baking pan was soon on display in the front yard of a home a few streets away from the school, attracting numerous visitors.
3. In April 2006, Gregorio Gomez, a 57-year-old Tzotzil Indian, said a voice told him in a dream that he would find an image of Jesus Christ on a rock. The following month he stumbled across the "image" as he was walking near his village of Santa Anita, on Huitepec Mountain in Mexico.
   News of the likeness travelled quickly. Hundreds of people flocked to the rock to study the image and leave a candle.
4. In April 2009, an outline of the Virgin Mary was spotted on a food griddle at a restaurant on the California/Mexico border.
   The image was discovered by Hilda Maciel, a chef at the Las Palmas restaurant in the small border town of Calexico.
   The restaurant's general manager Brenda Martinez told the Associated Press that, after local churchman Reverend Gerardo Fernandez confirmed the image was a "true likeness of the Virgin", more than 100 people hurried to restaurant to view it. Among the onlookers was a group of masked Mexican wrestlers in town for an exhibition.
5. In September 2009 the Daily Telegraph noted that, if looked at from the right angle, a photograph of the Martian surface released by Nasa could show the face and robed body of Jesus. The photo had been taken the previous month.
6. In March 2006, members of the Triumph Learning and Worship Centre for Life, in Saraland, Alabama believed a section of drywall had buckled into an image of Christ on the cross. They attested that the depiction made them feel closer to God. Their church had been flooded by Hurricane Katrina the year before.
7. A tree stump in in Passaic, New Jersey was given a permanent shelter in December 2006, following repeated "glimpses" of the Virgin Mary. The new structure replaced a plywood lean-to that the city dismantled after the makeshift roof collapsed amid prayer candles, flowers and rosary beads.
8. On February 28 2006, Thomas Haley, an employee of Hardy's Hardware in Manchester, Connecticut, was busy unloading supplies from a truck when he discovered a piece of sheet metal he believed bore the image of Jesus Christ.
   Haley and a co-worker subsequently auctioned the piece of metal on eBay, where it was viewed more than 120,000 times. It was purchased for US$1,500 by online casino GoldenPalace.com.
9. The offices of West Midlands company EMS Maintenance Services were evacuated following flooding caused by a torrential downpour in November 2006.
   When staff returned to work the next day they discovered an five-inch "image" of the face of Jesus left behind in the cement of the factory floor. The likeness was made from the remnants of dried mud and concrete left behind by the flash flood at the company's factory in Willenhall, Wolverhampton.
   
10. In August 2006, workers at a luxury chocolate makers in Fountain Valley, California, discovered a two-inch dropping of chocolate that bore a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary.
    Cruz Jacinto, a kitchen worker for Bodega's Chocolates, was the first to spot the lump of melted chocolate when she began her shift cleaning up drippings that had accumulated under a large vat. It looked just like the Virgin Mary on the prayer card she was carrying in her pocket.
    The uniquely-shaped chocolate dropping was initially displayed in the front of the company's gift shop but now rests in a back room and is brought out only for curious visitors.

Barking bloody mad, the lot of 'em!

(You can see the pictures by clicking here)

God appears in many guises...

Never mind the Turin Shroud, during the last decade the Lord has indeed appeared to us in many guises. Here's a top ten selection :

1. In November 2002, a devotee doing some baking for the Renewal Retreat Centre in Bangalore, India spotted an image resembling Jesus in a chapati. The likeness was hastily put on public display.
2. On Ash Wednesday in February 2007, Guadalupe Rodriguez, a cafeteria worker at Pugh Elementary in Houston, Texas, noticed a striking image while cleaning the dishes after lunch.
   "On the third rinse I started watching it, trying to discover what it was," she said. "It showed to me like it is the Virgin Mary." Anel Villareal, a pupil, recalled: "They said, 'The Virgin is in the cafeteria,' and I ran over there to see and, my God, it was the Virgin. I cried when I see her with my own eyes."
   The baking pan was soon on display in the front yard of a home a few streets away from the school, attracting numerous visitors.
3. In April 2006, Gregorio Gomez, a 57-year-old Tzotzil Indian, said a voice told him in a dream that he would find an image of Jesus Christ on a rock. The following month he stumbled across the "image" as he was walking near his village of Santa Anita, on Huitepec Mountain in Mexico.
   News of the likeness travelled quickly. Hundreds of people flocked to the rock to study the image and leave a candle.
4. In April 2009, an outline of the Virgin Mary was spotted on a food griddle at a restaurant on the California/Mexico border.
   The image was discovered by Hilda Maciel, a chef at the Las Palmas restaurant in the small border town of Calexico.
   The restaurant's general manager Brenda Martinez told the Associated Press that, after local churchman Reverend Gerardo Fernandez confirmed the image was a "true likeness of the Virgin", more than 100 people hurried to restaurant to view it. Among the onlookers was a group of masked Mexican wrestlers in town for an exhibition.
5. In September 2009 the Daily Telegraph noted that, if looked at from the right angle, a photograph of the Martian surface released by Nasa could show the face and robed body of Jesus. The photo had been taken the previous month.
6. In March 2006, members of the Triumph Learning and Worship Centre for Life, in Saraland, Alabama believed a section of drywall had buckled into an image of Christ on the cross. They attested that the depiction made them feel closer to God. Their church had been flooded by Hurricane Katrina the year before.
7. A tree stump in in Passaic, New Jersey was given a permanent shelter in December 2006, following repeated "glimpses" of the Virgin Mary. The new structure replaced a plywood lean-to that the city dismantled after the makeshift roof collapsed amid prayer candles, flowers and rosary beads.
8. On February 28 2006, Thomas Haley, an employee of Hardy's Hardware in Manchester, Connecticut, was busy unloading supplies from a truck when he discovered a piece of sheet metal he believed bore the image of Jesus Christ.
   Haley and a co-worker subsequently auctioned the piece of metal on eBay, where it was viewed more than 120,000 times. It was purchased for US$1,500 by online casino GoldenPalace.com.
9. The offices of West Midlands company EMS Maintenance Services were evacuated following flooding caused by a torrential downpour in November 2006.
   When staff returned to work the next day they discovered an five-inch "image" of the face of Jesus left behind in the cement of the factory floor. The likeness was made from the remnants of dried mud and concrete left behind by the flash flood at the company's factory in Willenhall, Wolverhampton.
   
10. In August 2006, workers at a luxury chocolate makers in Fountain Valley, California, discovered a two-inch dropping of chocolate that bore a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary.
    Cruz Jacinto, a kitchen worker for Bodega's Chocolates, was the first to spot the lump of melted chocolate when she began her shift cleaning up drippings that had accumulated under a large vat. It looked just like the Virgin Mary on the prayer card she was carrying in her pocket.
    The uniquely-shaped chocolate dropping was initially displayed in the front of the company's gift shop but now rests in a back room and is brought out only for curious visitors.

Barking bloody mad, the lot of 'em!

(You can see the pictures by clicking here)