Sim-O

Heresy Corner:

Creationism doesn’t come on its own. In that respect at least Michael Reiss was right: it’s part of an entire world view. It is merely one part of a much larger structure of fundamentalist belief. Belief in the literal truth of the Bible underpins it, of course: but so, too, does the whole scheme of salvation. Jesus died for the sins of mankind, goes the theory. This belief entails others: for example, that mankind is in a state of sin. Sin exists because of the Fall: Adam and Eve sinned, and that Original Sin has been transmitted to all succeeding generations. No Adam and Eve, no Garden of Eden, no Original Sin: no need for Jesus. Similarly with the “young earth”. Given that the creation, fall and redemption of man is (according to traditional doctrine) the whole point of the universe, then the idea that it is around 15 billion years old, whereas modern human beings have been around for about one hundred and fifty thousandth of that time, leads to problems of scale. Of course God, who can do all things, could have spent those billions of years twiddling his divine thumbs waiting for man to arrive; but contemplating the immensities of time and space tends to make the traditional religious narrative seem rather parochial.

Times Online:

The size of a banker’s pile of money is like the size of anything else in a macho environment: you need the biggest one to show that you are good at what you do. The pile does not necessarily reflect personal greed, it reflects the need to be the best banker. It reflects how long and hard you have worked.

Bollox does it.

Via

I was going to do a post on this story, about the Tories get discount vouchers for a lap dancing club in the back of their conference brochure, along the lines of ‘isn’t it funny, what with the Conservatives calling for stronger local powers to block new clubs and family values etc.’

But then I saw this piece on LC by Laurie Penny:

Eighty three per-cent of sex workers, according to recent studies by Object and Fawcett, want to leave the profession; but thousands of women every year make that career choice, and they make it because the country in which we live is currently fostering a gruelling long-hours culture in which women make up the bulk of lower-paid, exploited workers. Women are still paid 17% less than men in full time work and 33% less in part-time work, and when they get home they are still expected to perform the bulk of domestic chores, especially if they are single parents, as many sex workers are.

But the Tory delegates who have been so warmly invited to enjoy the bodies of the low-paid women of Birmingham at a discount price do not think this is a priority. In fact, a key part of current Tory policy proposes an end to equal pay audits, insisting that ‘only those firms which lose sex discrimination cases will be subject’ to them. Until the Tories get serious about offering low-paid workers decent living wages, then any paltry statement blaming the City of Birmingham for putting entirely appropriate adverts in the back of their brochures will be crass hypocrisy.

‘Nuff said really.

Boston Standard:

Treo, a black Labrador, and his handler Cpl David Heyhoe, 39, of New York, have been stationed in Afghanistan for the last six months.

The duo are responsible for sniffing out hidden explosives to protect the other troops, as part of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.

Now, through The Sun newspaper’s Military Awards, or the Millies, you can recognise their efforts.

Nothing wrong with a paper nominating anyone for a comedy medal that the armed forces don’t seem too keen on, then you’ve at least got to say what the nominee has done more than just their job.

And surely there’s someone more deserving that needs a mention than a fucking dog.

The Miserable Old Fart is, being an arse. He is asking where the support for Kezia Dugdale is.

Last year there was a blog consensus that the blogosphere would stand up to rich people trying to bully individual bloggers when Asmanov went after Bloggerheads, where is that blog support for Kez?

All of the following blogs were willing to support bloggerheads. Was their support real? Or was it just an opportunistic way of getting a hit on Technorati?

Nice call for help, huh? Try telling people about it before implying hypocrisy, Farty.

Anyway, Kezia Dugdale is Scottish Labour party activist that has had the expensive lawyers of a man with deep pockets silence her.

There is a story that I’m now aware of, regarding Glasgow SNP Councillor Jahangir Hanif.
The abridged version is, at the beginning of August, cllr Hanif took 5 of his 6 children to Pakistan, near the Kashmir border and fired off AK-47s, made his children fire them and to learn how to use them. Including his five year old daughter. There was a big hoo-ha and Hanif got a slap on the wrist from the SNP, but they refused to do any more.
The way that Hanif seemed to get off so lightly prompted Hanifs’ 17 year old daughter to write a letter to Alex Salmond, the leader of the SNP & First Minister of Scotland.
This letter wasn’t, how can I put this… Hanifs’ daughter, Noor, wasn’t congratulating Alex on his judgement, or extolling her fathers parenting skills and even temper.

Kezia published this scathing letter (I think there may have been some political motivation there) and was subsequently given 15 minutes by Hanifs’ lawyers to remove it. The letter is still floating around teh internets somewhere *cough*.

Curly has some appropriate words:

Once again we see the power of those with larger pockets being used to stifle and suppress free speech on the issuing of a 15 minute ultimatum from a firm of expensive solicitors. there are those amongst us who can ill afford to even challenge these edicts, unless some kind lawyer decides to ride to our aid on a white charger with an offer of gratis assistance, the law is loaded in favour of those who have the means and money to pull the correct levers, and it is true that I have come close to being in a very similar situation to Kezia. So on this occasion I must lend my support, particularly as yet again we find that

“that there are no actual libel proceedings, and no Court Order for the lawyers to enforce, only the threat of expensive legal action and general hassle, being used to silence.”

For a fuller picture of what’s happened see the links below:
Miserable Old Fart: Where is support for Kez
Bloggerheads: Noo Hanifs’ letter to Alex Salmond
Curlys’ Corner Shop: A call for help
Kezia Dugdale: A brief statement
Wikileaks

Daily Mail;

Nick Clegg will risk infuriating 250,000 households tonight when he attempts to win their votes by ‘cold calling’ them during Coronation Street and EastEnders.

Families up and down the country will be disturbed by an automated telephone featuring a recorded message from the Liberal Democrat leader just as they are trying to relax.

What the fuck are the LibDems playing at?

People hate automated telephone systems.
We only sit through the “press 1 for accounts. Press 2 for more options. Press 3 to wait an unspecified length of time.” because we have no choice when we call the bank/insurance company/zoo. We ring up and then have to sit through lots of lists of options, I think the most I’ve had to wade through is 4 menus, while all the time there is no option that sounds like the one you want when it would be quicker and easier to tell someone your basic problem and they put you through. People don’t like machines on phones.

People hate cold calls. It’s annoying enough to get fuckers ringing up out of the blue trying to sell you windows or kitchens. People leave the phone on the side and bugger off leaving the caller talking to themselves and other silly games. Normally nice people that wouldn’t say boo to, well anything, blow whistles down the phone, potentially damaging the hearing of the caller, who may not have much choice about their career path and are only doing the job because it’s a warm office instead of cleaning toilets.
Taking that into consideration, why would anyone listen to a recorded message that phones up out of the blue?

And how are the phone numbers selected? Did someone trawl a phone book? Does the machine just dial random numbers? has a list been bought from somewhere?

So if people don’t like to talk to machines on the telephone, and people really don’t like cold callers, who was the brainbox that thought it would be a good idea to put the two together?

*sorry for the obvious title for post*

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Via Obnoxio the Clown

Beer, drugs and shouting at the party in power. What more could you want of a weekend?

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The Guardian:

Phorm, the controversial ad-targeting system, does conform to European data laws, the UK government has said

Bollox.

The Plymouth-Banjul Challenge:

The original Banger Challenge, that has spawned so many others. In December 2002, the first group of hopeful souls left the UK in a motley collection of vehicles, optimistically believing that Julian Nowill knew what he was doing, and had substance and experience behind his words. Despite later finding out to the contrary, this first event was a great success and most of the 42 Teams even made it to Banjul. This Challenge is now in it’s seventh year!

The Banjul Challenge heads South through Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal, arriving in Banjul in The Gambia. The route travels mostly on tarmac roads, but the highlight is the two-day crossing of the Sahara Desert. The journey is approximately 3700 miles, and can comfortably be covered in three weeks (if all goes well). Those in a hurry have completed in under two weeks, but that is missing the point, really. This is NOT a race. There is so much of interest en-route that it makes no sense to rush your travels.

The Challenge really starts in Southern Spain, where hotel accommodation is provided. The Road Book provides the clues as the Participants bond over a beer (or two) in the hotel bar, and form into travelling groups for the journey South. Ahead lies Sand, Sea and… even more sand. Experience the heat of the desert sun, and the challenge of nursing a knackered car all the way to destinations that most people would only consider flying to.

This Challenge is only open to Left-Hand Drive vehicles. The route can be completed by almost any vehicle, and there is no distinct advantage to having 4×4 drive (except when others are stuck in the sand!). It is a condition of entry that All vehicles MUST be donated to the Control Committee in The Gambia. The vehicles are auctioned and the funds raised are distributed to local worthy causes. This is the only legitimate way to ensure that the best price is obtained and that the funds are distributed appropriately. Nasty things do happen to those who might flout this requirement, because it is illegal to sell your vehicle privately.

And I have a couple of friends doing it this year.

Team Gonzo.

The vehicle Team Gonzo have bought is a 23 year old BMW E30. Not just any BMW, but a 324 diesel, which according to my sources wasn’t available in 1985.
Oh, did I mention that it cost £100? There’s been a couple of teething problems with it, but the guys are working their way through them and getting the car sorted ready for departure at the end of December.

Rajan and Ravi are doing this, not just for an adventure, but to raise some money for a couple of charities, in addition to the local organisations that receive the proceed from the auction of the vehicles in Banjul.
The first is Kids For Kids:

KIDS FOR KIDS helps children living in remote villages in Darfur, Sudan, who live lives of inexcusable hardship. It is the only organisation created specially to help children in Darfur. It supports families through long term, self sustainable projects, identified and run by the villagers themselves. KIDS FOR KIDS is different because it enables people to improve their own lives in the way they want – by listening to the families themselves we help them in the most effective way. And by supporting a number of initiatives, some very small, we are making a major difference to over 165,000 people – despite the tragedy of the ongoing conflict.

and the second is Build A School In India:

Who are we?
Id:ology.
All our work is dedicated to helping people to be the best version of themselves they can be. What it means to be yourself, to be fully alive, and to put that originality of identity to work, at work.
Click here to find out more.

Every year we nominate a cause in residence.
This year, our cause is St. Mary’s School in India. It’s the biggest project that we’ve tackled so far, and for that we need your help.
St. Mary’s School needs only $300,000 (currently just over £150,000) to give each child the opportunity of two years of further education, enabling them to get to university, and we’ve pledged to help them raise it. Our aim is to extend the school, in building, in capacity, in capability, and reach.

Throw $300,000 at the education system of a developed country and it will barely make a difference. Put it in the little oasis of possibility that’s St. Mary’s School, and you’ll be making infinite use of a finite sum. If we can awaken the children, we can save the world.

So be a sport and sponsor, donate or whatever you want to call it and help Rajan and Ravi raise some money for kids that desperately need it. Just a fiver or tenner will do. They are taking your sponsorship/donations via JustGiving.com here (for Kids for Kids) and here (Build a school in India).