The Truth

Mugabes Latest Accusations

2008-12-13T01:10:00.001-08:00

Mugabe's allies has now decided to lay blame at the door of the UK with regards to the Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has described the outbreak as a 'genocidal' act conducted by the British, following his comments with claims that the outbreak is similar to effects seen by serious biological weapon usage.
Although it is laughable that anyone would take these comments seriously within the western circle, this smear campaign could be believed by the few that trust Ndlovu and Mugabe. Although Britain would not stand to gain a lot by taking Zimbabwe by stealth under it current condition, Mugabe is trying to convince the world that Gordon Brown is attempting to do so, flaunting Britains often violent colonial past as proof. Whether or not Gordon Brown intends to step in and help still remains to be seen.

Eastenders And Its Portrayal Of Child Abuse

2008-12-11T06:32:00.001-08:00

The recent crack down on a child abuse ring has arrived at the same time that the controversial child abuse story line in Eastenders has come to a head.
In July this year Bianca Jackson, an infamous Eastenders classic character arrived back on the square with a bang. She brought with her a brood of children and the story of marvelous Tony who was incarcerated. As Tony emerged on to our screens it became apparent that he was in a relationship with Bianca's 15 year old step daughter Whitney. Eastenders then received 200 complaints, but in my view the story was handled tactfully and was not over sensationalised.

As mentioned in my previous post, child abuse is not something from which we can escape. It is at a global scale and is at crisis levels. So by removing it from our screens we are as nation adopting a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil attitude. Just because we are not exposed to it at entertainment levels it does not mean that it doesn't exist.

Eastenders did not use this story to show sordid scenes that would bring them headlines and viewers, they exposed the manipulation that comes in to child abuse and highlighted the term 'grooming' in a way that may now instruct parents to recognise when a new adult entering their childs life is someone to be suspicious of. Not only this but the producers and actors involved worked closely with the NSPCC, allowing for genuine research and careful monitoring.

Tuesday the 9th of December saw this story line come to a head, Whitney revealed all to Bianca and she subsequently called the police. In this one episode it was revealed that the abuse began when Whitney was 12, her naivety was exposed and Tony's manipulation reached tumultuous levels as he shifted the blame to Whitney.

For most Eastenders with its story lines including who killed Den and Frank Butchers spinning bow tie, is a crass pro gramme. Its depiction of East End life is usually far from the truth and it serves only as mindless viewing. I personally watch it as I spend most of my day with my head engaged in 17th century literature, Chaucer, Anglo Saxon Language etc as part of my degree, so at the end of the day I like a bit of 'trashy' viewing to give my mind a rest. This story line however was not trashy, it touched a real issue and did it with great levels of decorum. Hopefully Eastenders will continue to deliver.

A Dint Is Made In The Global Child Abuse Crisis

2008-12-11T06:09:00.002-08:00

Child abuse is not something we hear of every day, particularly not in the sexual sense, but despite this it is going on and at a global scale. I am referring to this as a crisis because that is what it is, a crisis.
22 men have recently been arrested as part of a global network. The images that were seized from the defendants amounted to 500,000, some videos lasted up to two hours and the children were as young as 12 months. This particularly shocked me because I look at my 16 month old and can still imagine her in my womb, so why anyone would want to touch her or anyone of a young age is beyond my comprehension completely.

Child pornography and child abuse is not at large purely due to the Internet, the sheer lack of deterrent is almost wholly to blame. In Great Britain there are cases where men and women simply escape with community service or less than 18months in prison. In my view child abuse takes away a child's life; innocence is removed, trust is broken and dreams are tainted and shattered forever. So if their lives have been taken, if they can never escape from what has happened why is it that within months a paedophile may be assigned a social worker and allowed to walk the streets months later?

Unfortunately Paedophiles cannot be cured. They are not ill, it is a sexual preference. You can no more deter a Paedophile from abusing a child than you can force someone straight to become gay and vice versa. That is why they need removing from society completely, not by means of death, but they should be made to live out their lives away from children in prison. Yes it infringes on human rights, but should we continue to threaten the safety of our children just to allow a dangerous individual to maintain their human rights?

The case of Keith Jamieson gives weight to my argument. A repeat offender in Australia who was not deterred by long spells in prison even voiced his intent to re-offend after his final spell in Australian prison for raping a seven year old boy. His casual intent and lack of fear at once again entering the judicial system just goes to show how Paedophiles simply cannot help themselves, and those who cannot help themselves cannot be helped by anyone else.

So for as long as the Paedophiles that reside in Britain and across the world are deterred only by mere months 'inside' or scrubbing public toilets, our children are in danger of being abused and this global crsis will continue.

Mugabes Further Delusions And Wild Accusations

2008-12-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

According to The Times newspaper, Mugabe has now begun to draw parallels between the Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe and Mad Cows Disease in Great Britain. In addition to this he has now stated that Zimbabwean doctors have completely removed the Cholera outbreak, the death toll of which now stands at 783 and the outbreak at 16,403.
Mugabe has criticised Gordon Brown, George Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy's calls to remove him by military force and has even gone as far to say that due to the prior existence of mad cows disease in Great Britain, they too should be invaded.
South Africa has now declared its border as being a location that is in a state of emergency due to the influx of Zimbabwe nationals attempting to cross it. Despite this the countries leader has not yet stepped forward to aid the west in removing Zimbabwe from his post.
These statements and the denial of the health crisis that Zimbabwe is facing only gives further weight to the fact that Mugabe must now be removed.

Lily Allen V Katy Perry

2008-12-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

Lily Allens latest cat fight is with U.S stunner Katy Perry. Lily Allen who has never been shy of sparking fights with those more talented than herself (Elton John and Madonna to name but a few), has dubbed Perry's lyrics as 'Crass' and has told her to 'Shut up'. Lily Allen is possibly forgetting that unlike the majority of fellow artists she tends to rub up the wrong way, she is not self made and became famous due to association with her dad, Keith Allen. That aside, can she sing? Katy Perry not only looks better but she also sounds better. Maybe Miss Allen needs to maintain her moments in the limelight through lewd behaviour, lets remember her songs and clothing line have been dreadfully forgettable.

'There Are Plenty Of Jobs Out There' A Clear Message To Those Relient On Benefits

2008-12-10T03:04:00.000-08:00

It appears that the government are beginning to take measures that may actually help the work-shy and stereotyped individuals that rely on benefits.
DWP secretary James Purnell has stated that the recession can not be used as an excuse for unemployment. There are apparently half a million jobs available, something that those attempting to build a life on benefits cannot escape from. Except this time, as opposed to preaching and telling those on benefits they simply must work, the government are now saying how they can help. Lone parents will have to manage their CV, take training courses and go to work focused interviews to prepare them for mandatory work when their youngest child reaches 7. Couples who are reliant on benefits will both have to accept jobs, it will no longer be the case that mothers can stay at home simply because of their children. Housing benefits will be reformed, saving the government and the tax payers billions.
It has been said that these measures are 'Too soft', however it will take a softer approach to ensure that those who we stereotype remain in work and do not feel down-trodden and shunted about by a blame laying system.

Muslims Not Hopeful Of Obama

2008-12-10T02:57:00.000-08:00

During a pilgrimage meant to embody faith politics were rife. Yesterday as the Haji Pilgrims stoned the devil as part of a religious tradition they stated that they were not hopeful would bring the change to America and its attitudes that they desired.
They believed that Obama would not maintain the same violent attitude taken by the USA during the Bush regime, however they do not expect changes 'In favour of Muslims'.
It seems that Obamas pledge to close Guantanamo bay is not enough to meet the expectations of eastern nations.

Cholera Death Toll Reaches 746 As African Union Leaders Stand By Mugabe

2008-12-10T02:48:00.000-08:00

The UN has estimated that the Cholera death count in Mugabes Zimbabwe has now reached 746 and the number of those affected could potentially reach 60,000.
The Cholera outbreak was caused due to a collapsed health system and poor water supplies. George Bush stated yesterday in Washington, 'It is time for Mugabe to go'. His sentiments are also held by Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who believe that peace keeping troops must enter Zimbabwe and Mugabe must be removed by force. However, African leaders do not share this belief and maintain that Mugabe should be instead supported in aligning himself with opposition parties. This may largely be due to the sense of African pride felt after Zimbabwe was handed back to African leaders from the British, something which can be sensed in George Charamba's statement “We won this country through the barrel of the gun and we will defend it the way we won it,”. Charamba seems to be forgetting that Britain did in fact give Zimbabwe back to its rightful leaders, not that it was taken by stealth. The guns he uses to defend Zimbabwe are now only hurting its brothers and sisters, not 'The West' who only seek to defend them.

Child C, Another Haringey Failure

2008-12-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

You would have thought that when social services place a child in a good home, see him flourish, watch his spectacular development, that they would automatically let him stay there. Well you were wrong, once again the box ticking culture of Haringey Council has led to the demise of another young mans life.
Child C (Named so for legal reasons), was illegally deported from Africa as part of a scheme that provided infertile women with children. When his presence was discovered he was shunted between foster families finally landing with a pseudonym named woman (again for legal reasons) who is referred to as Jamila Badawi. Jamila was in her fifties, caring and living in a well looked after home. When Child C came in to her care he was 18 months old, overweight, could not eat solids, couldn't walk and hadn't begun to talk. Jamila taught him to walk, took him to football classes, placed him in nursery. All of these measures led to his development and he soon began to call this woman Mama. Yet Jamila, a woman who through her own determination managed to enhance this boys way of life had Child C snatched from her cruelly. As he played outside a social worker took him away from his toy truck and he shouted out 'Mama Mama' to Jamila who was held back by another social worker. The reasons for this? Haringey Council and its box ticking culture handed Child C over to a suitable adoptive family. They were considered suitable as they were a young couple whilst Jamila was in her fifties and single. Yet this young couple abandoned him as he 'ruined' their marriage and once again Child C entered the cruel system where children have no home, just unfamiliar faces who they won't learn to call Mama because of lack of care and affection. So once again we can look to the red tape and box ticking ideals of Haringey and thank them for yet another child care failing.

Mugabe: One Mans Ego And The Death Of A Nation

2008-12-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

It has been estimated that Zimbabwe's inflation rate now stands at 231m%, a $200, 000, 000 bill is to be issued (equating to approximately 28 US Dollars) and Cholera is attacking a nation.
Mugabe began his time in office with hope and sought prosperity for Zimbabwe. Following years of colonial rule, African independence was embraced and morale was high. Now Mugabe and his ego are leading to the demise of a once great nation.
Accusations are being thrown at the US and Great Britain, we are set to invade according to George Charamba, a Mugabe spokesman. Unfortunately our interests may lie no further than just pressure, Britain and America can ill afford another war...especially one that would produce little financial gain for us (yes that was a stab at Iraq).
Speaking to those of an older generation I get the impression that the popular consensus used to be that Africa as a continent and its nations could not 'run itself' This translates to: black leaders are useless. I do not believe this, I believe that due to the conflict arising from OUR rule in Africa, when those underprivileged were given the chance to vote they did just as the citizens of Russia did when the Tsar fell and as the citizens of Germany did when the Kaiser fell...they went for the most radical and promising option, which failed to deliver. Mugabe intended to better his country, he wanted nothing more, but his ego and sheer belief that he is the only man to save this nation and reluctance to allow an opposition party step in is literally killing hundreds. Britain and America as a nation may want to look beyond sanctions, in order to reinforce the belief that African nations are capable of leading themselves we need to aid a man or woman of African decent in conducting a clean campaign and running Zimbabwe. I fear that what I have just written is even beyond the realms of idealistic, but it is worth dreaming about.

Is Karen Matthews A By-Product Of Our Class Divide.

2008-12-06T08:31:00.001-08:00

When Tony Blair became prime minister we were promised that the benefit reliant class would be eroded, no longer would mothers have children to get a house and shy away from work, teenagers would not come out of school just to live off job seekers allowance and the working class would no longer be defined as those living off benefits.
Yet a decade later there is no sign of Labourite Tony Blairs promises even making a dint in those that rely on benefits. It is not just the credit crunch that has increased the amount of adults 'signing on', or our recent influx of immigrants. Britain, although it claims to be cosmopolitan is a class divided society. Stereotypes force those who need help and support in to a social bracket that then defines the path that their lives follow. It is quite easy to sit on a middle class perch and say 'They can help themselves, they should see that relying on benefits is no way to live'.
Although stereotyping cannot account for every individual that does not work, our snobbery goes a long way towards putting people in their place and keeping them there. I recently watched a documentary called 'Rich Kid, Poor Kid' on channel four. This showed the class divide at its worst, two teenagers living at different ends of one street. One was blonde, thin, in private school and spoke with a plum in her mouth. The other was black, fat, a school drop out and living in a benefits reliant home. Although it is easy to assume that the young girl living on the council estate was simply lazy, it really was not the case. This girl had grown with no father, he had died when she was young. Her mum became depressed, she had to take care of her brother who had learning difficulties which was a one way street to poor education and no social graces. She spoke of a society where everyone she knew had become familiar with muggings,rape and murder. Despite this young womans poor social situation, did anyone pause to help? Surely instead of stereotyping and turning our noses, those of us in Britain should be helping young women in her situation to gain better education and see a better way of life. Unfortunately, those who sit in their over sized houses climbing on to their high horses do not think or are unaware of the harsh reality of life. So this girl did not end up on benefits aged eighteen with no GCSE's because she saw it as the best way of living, she had no choice and had no help. Instead of charity she was cornered in to a school on the special measures list and spent more time worrying about her brothers educational welfare than her own.
Every time a young girl has a baby they are a pram face, not someone who was brave enough to not have an abortion. Someone with no GCSE's is stupid, not misguided or disadvantaged. Britain assumes that everyone on the edge of poverty deserves to be there. The most upsetting thing about the case of Karen Matthews is that our society overlooked how those of Dewsbury Moor pulled together, gave money they could ill afford, petitioned, supported Karen...they truly believed they could help a woman pining for her lost daughter. There was no witch hunt that we saw with Madeleine Mccann, tabloids did not furiously seek to blame Ms Matthews or Mr Meehan. Society pulled together, which proves that despite their far from aesthetic appearance and downtrodden lifestyle, the dreaded British working class is capable of compassion and solidarity.
I am not saying Karen Matthews was completely blameless when we think of what Shannon was subjected to, but society needs to now be more forgiving and less harsh towards our 'benefits state', because the stereotyping and lack of help will produce more Karen Matthews', more Baby P's and more Shannon Matthews' until we realise it is too late.

Baby P: Councillors Keep Their Jobs

2008-11-25T03:10:00.000-08:00

Two heavily criticised Haringey councillors are keeping their jobs following further child abuse atrocities. Following the tragic death of Victoria Climbie in 2003 and baby Peter Conolly in 2007 there have been calls for councillors George Meehan and Liza Santry to lose their jobs. A majority labour group by-passed a vote to act on recommendations of a government review of children s services in the area.

These actions will no doubt fail to restore the faith of the public in Haringey social services and may potentially lead to another brutal ending for an innocent child. As the case of Peter Conolly continues he is failing to see justice. Peter Conolly was tortured to death by his mother, stepfather and their lodger over a period of eight months. Following more than fifty visits by social workers, police officers and medical professionals who failed to notice or act on the multiple injuries he suffered, Peter died on August the 3rd 2007.

So far we have seen little to no redemption for this crime. His mother and stepfather's names cannot be published in a newspaper for 'legal reasons' (see previous blog posts for more information on the parents of Peter Conolly) and now two councillors who were present for not just one death that shocked this nation, but two, have succeeded in maintaining their jobs, which we pay for. So how many more deaths will be splashed across our newspapers due to the failings of George Meehan and Liz Santry? Unfortunately there will be more Peter Conolly's and Victoria Climbie's, we can never prevent child abuse fully. What is even more unfortunate is that Labour now refuse to even protect those who will be subjected to child abuse. We can only hope that our next general election brings change and hope to children at risk in this country.

A New Metropolitan Police Publicity Stunt

2008-11-25T02:58:00.001-08:00

The metropolitan police have shunned Jaqui Smiths offer of funding for taser guns as part of their latest publicity stunt. They claim that they do not want the public to feel frightened by the thought of none-specialist officers carrying the guns and having the jurisdiction to use them when they see fit. However, in a city teeming with the countries most ruthless criminals would it not be a safer option to impose a stronger deterrent? In a country where human rights favours animals more than it does its citizens we require something more than the fear of being man handled to the ground by a police officer. Amnesty International have stated that 'hundreds' of people have died due to taser guns in the USA and Canada, this statement comes across as being more harrowing than it actually is, those 'hundreds' actually amount to less than 400, a feeble number when you consider the combined population of these two countries.
As a member of the public, I feel as though taser guns would make me feel safer. I am speaking as someone who abides by the law and does not intend to put myself in a situation where I may face 50,000 vaults of electricity. When the metropolitan police say that they do not want to scare the public, I am almost certain that they are referring to those that will brawl, attack, deal drugs, prostitute, burgle and worse. Over the past year we have been told repeatedly that our jails are overflowing and that early releases are carried out to ease the pressure. Consider this when thinking of the absence of taser guns, if the most a criminal faces is a night in a cell along with community service due to the lack of prison cells then there is hardly a deterrent at all. All the metropolitan police force are succeeding in doing by releasing this statement is scaring the law abiding citizens, relieving criminals, planting a smile on the face of human rights activists and easing their own consciences.

I Wish I Was A Celebrity...Get Me In To There!

2008-11-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

The title of this post would be a more apt name for the nightly entertainment ITV are bringing to our screens. Aside from Joe Swash and Kilroy, I hadn't heard of any of the 'celebrities' that are currently strutting their stuff on 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here'. That's not to say that they are not entertaining, still I don't know their names so this entry may be slightly confusing. So the 'glamour model' (without meaning to sound bitchy I see far prettier women at university, this one has odd teeth and squinty eyes) constantly protests about her mascara, being able to sleep in the bed she slept in on the first night and her god given right to exist in the centre of the Australian jungle. 'The Wag' (Joe Coles girlfriend) very rarely says or does anything of any substance, 'The Posh One' is a bit weepy, 'The Boy Band Member' is quite attractive, ferocious and he can string a sentence together. Those are the ones that stand out in my mind. So last night two new comers arrived. They were stationed in cages-that had covers and beds-and were highly entertaining. One was named 'Timmy Mallett', and the other is who I like to call 'Mr Mid Life Crisis'. Now the original 'Celebs' were given the option of swapping their luxury items for these two newcomers, Joe Swash very fairly stated that he was not giving up a picture of a loved one for people who had spent their morning in a hotel with nice food whereas Miss Glamour whined about potentially losing some mascara...no mascara in the world could save those eyes. So as Miss Glamour stuck her teeth out to the camera and moaned about the cheek of asking her to trade in some slap for actual human beings, Miss Tennis Player (thats another one I have remembered) went to negotiate. She new offer was for them to trade two meals (they had 10, one for each 'celeb') for these two people. Now this time they sounded more reasonable when all said that the newcomers would have had a decent breakfast, where as they hadn't and so they managed to make themselves look a little more reasonable. That was until they began to talk of their plight as though they were as misfortunate as those that live in the third world, Kilroy leading the discussion. No wonder there are calls to dock his wages.
So the next day Timmy Mallet and Mid Life Crisis arrived at the camp, greeted by the resident friendly cockney-Joe Swash. Within minutes an argument errupted about beds. This argument was over whether the newcomers would sleep in a cave or out in the open where the original celebs had been sleeping. Now the cave didn't look that bad, it was dry, it had beds...decent shelter basically. Miss Glamour ranted and raved about how they had been there since the beginning and so they should be able to keep their beds, Timmy opted for the cave (displaying more intelligence than the rest of them put together) whilst Mid Life Crisis accused the original celebs of bullying. Now if they had all sat down and said 'You new comers have the cave, and we shall rotate from then on to make things fair' there would be no argument, but then that wouldn't make good TV would it? Eventually Mid Life Crisis said he was scared of the dark, posh lady gave him a cuddle, he opted for the cave and decided it wasn't that bad and all were happy.
The show ended with a very funny bush tucker trial where Kilroy ate rats and cuddled snakes (well kind of)...all in all, it may be trashy but its loveable! Unlike Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is relatively funny and short enough for it to be thought of fondly.

BNP Deputy Simon Darby and How We Fund Him

2008-11-20T03:59:00.000-08:00

It has emerged that Simon Darby, a BNP deputy is funded through the tax payers money. Mr Darby is an employee at City Hall, any position in City Hall would surely require someone who is far less likely to carry biased views than a far right BNP member, especially once you consider that London has a high ethnic minority community.

Mr Darby reportedly earns around £16,000 a year for less than 22 hours a week, a part time position a lot of open minded British citizens would long for.

Following the recent BNP member leak scandal Mr Darby has publicly issued what appear to be threats. He stated that those involved in the leak would not be 'sleeping very well' and it would 'turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life'. Nick Griffin-the BNP party leader-claims that Mr Darby did not intend for these comments to be of a threatening nature.

So can we now rest easy with this 'revelation' of far right activists within our midst? To an extent yes. Police forces are currently attempting to determine if any of their officers are BNP members, as this could affect their judgement whilst working. Teachers however are allowed to practice their own views during their 'personal time', a fact that is slightly worrying for parents of ethnic minority children. Civil cervants are discouraged from being members, however if they earn less than £35,000 then they can remain politically active. However, these people have been able to exist in such positions so far, and with the exception of the police, there appears to be no major problems concerning racism. We can only hope that one day the BNP will cease to exist and that our taxes will be directed towards better schools, hospitals and bin men.

Amazon v Ebay? No Contest

2008-11-19T14:21:00.001-08:00

Since about the age of seventeen I have used eBay for several minor purchases. The first item I indulged in was a silver tent for Reading Festival 2005. It was a good tent, it cost me less than £10.00 and didn't leak. So following one eBay success I continued to make purchase after purchase. From DVD's to fancy dress outfits, eBay became my port of call for anything except for clothes. Recently I decided I would like to purchase a Nintendo DS, the idea of brain training, The Sims in miniature and modern versions of Sonic The Hedgehog. However, I was unsure as to whether the Nintendo DS would be a short lived pleasure in my life that would after a few weeks end up in the bottom of my bag covered in sudocrem along with many other expensive items, so I decided that instead of wasting money I would sell some disused items on eBay and then use the contents of my paypal account to purchase a Nintendo DS.

The items were as follows:

A pair of Rock and Republic jeans worth £200.
A pair of Diesel jeans worth £120
A Sex and the City DVD worth £10
A pair of Mango jeans worth 15 euros (purchased abroad).

Now my reasons for selling the jeans were that when I was a size fourteen I had a splurge and then dieted not long after, losing a lot of weight and rendering the jeans pretty much useless. So I kissed goodbye to my jeans, knowing I would not receive anywhere near their worth and posted them on eBay.

The Sex and the City DVD sold for near its worth, the Mango jeans sold for 75% of their original price, the Rock and Republic jeans went for a mere £40.00 and the Diesel jeans for...£4. So everybody had a pretty fair deal, everybody should have been happy. Absaloutely not.

There were no complaints about the Mango jeans or the DVD. Paypal would not release the payment for the Rock and Republic jeans until I had received good feedback, the buyer was a new eBay member and so I sent her a kind reminder dimly detailing the process that was required in order for me to receive payment. Two days later I received an email saying she believed my jeans, the jeans I payed £200 for, were fake. I was a tad angry to say the least. So when I received the email saying she was hopping on the tube to take the jeans to 'Harvey Nics' and compare them with others there I bit my tongue, told her I had purchased them from Next and had proof of purchased and waited. Five days later Miss Buyer responded with 'I was not aware they made the jeans in stretch fabric, you should be more detailed in your description'. I politely informed her that she could receive a refund if she wanted and that I would be happy to take the jeans off her hands. Instead of responding she posted me good feedback (I did deserve my payment after all) but stated I was bad at describing items. Now I am not eBay savvy in the slightest, neither was this woman, but the same level of common sense applies to eBay as it does to real life, if you require something specific you ask and scrutinize until you are sure the money your handing over will get what you want. I was as detailed as I genuinely thought I should be in my description, I stated the serial number, how long I had had them, why I was selling, where they were from...what else was needed? How was I to know that Miss Buyer would be unaware that Rock and Republic stocked stretch fabric jeans, there was even a photo that gave that away!.

So once that was settled and I calmed slightly, I decided to instead transfer the money in to my account and buy a DS from Toys R Us, avoiding any purchasing problems. Now a few days ago my daughters nursery school informed us she was to be a star in their christmass play, an actual star that is in the sky. So I tried to find a none eBay based star costume, failing miserably. So once again I was forced to trawl eBay, and as I did so I noticed an alien message in my eBay inbox. Cue problem number 2: Miss Diesel Buyer, the woman who purchased my £120 Diesel jeans for £4 (postage included) had left a snotty and some what unintelligent message. Now on my eBay I noted that there was some wear to the lower left leg, and there was two teeny-tiny holes. Miss D. Buyer told me there were two massive holes and that I should watch my back on eBay in future otherwise I would no longer be able to sell. My patience was finally eroded, I replied by telling her she should not 'do things on the cheap', not a mature response, but I had gone past that point. Those jeans were sold for £116 less than their purchase price, had been worn three times and suffered two little holes because of it. It was with great pain I sold them for that much and the result was some half-wit telling me to watch my back on an online auction site. Great.

So eventually I was left bad feedback for being abusive and now that I have my daughters star costume (which is perfect) I am closing my account and continuing to use Amazon. Amazon, you can buy a book for £0.01 and it comes in worn but great condition. How I love it so.

Should Britain Update Its Attitude Towards Prostitution

2008-11-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago the general consensus was that women who stripped, appeared in adult movies, acted as sex phone operatives and prostituted themselves were dim degraded whores. Now in the cosmopolitan noughties things have changed. Couples indulge in porn and strip clubs together, girls make money for university through flaunting themselves on web cams and it is now possible to make more money through pretending to be 'Cassie, 18, a horny cheerleader' than working on the stock market. All of these adult careers are no longer looked down on, their not even shocking. Some might say (and I agree) that women assert their sexual power through participating in the adult industry for a while.
Jaqui Smith is now calling for paying for sex provided by a pimped prostitute to be illegal. However hard Jaqui may try you will never remove the age old market: men wanting to pay for sex. But for as long as we try to suppress prostitution in Britain, the easier it becomes for the seedier side to emmerge. Young girls reliant on drugs, imports from abroad, rape...it will all continue because there will be no regulation. Not that this will cease to exist if the government were to bite the bullet and legalise prostitution, but it would make things safer for those involved in the trade. There would be less of a chance of paedophiles praying on vulnerable girls, STI's would drop and the adult industry would become far safer.
So why is it that we cannot sit up and think that women who prostitute themselves are also taking hold of their sexual reigns? The government tells us 'its bad'. Roussou, a French phillosopher, said that it is not certain acts that are sordid, but it is society and societies obscure expectations and views that make them so. Maybe if in Britain we decided to lower the pinky and protect the women that do choose to work the streets for a living our society would be safer.

Britney, Exercise Some Discretion

2008-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Today it has emerged that Britney Spears feels as though her marriage to Kevin Federline was 'a mistake'. Now I know Ms Spears isn't a woman who is familiar with the term 'be discrete', but when children come in to the equation it is always a great idea to exercise discretion.

As the by product of a divorce I know how it feels to be at the centre of some parental mud slinging. Fortunately, most parents will at least pretend they can still stand each other and that their marriage was a cinderella equating fairytale for the sake of their little ones. Being a celebrity should be no excuse for failing to do so, look at Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, their adopted children are not subject to a mummy v daddy ear bashing. Although it has to be said, Madonna and her stringent rules as to what Guy must do when seeing the children and declarations of our beloved Britain being 'boring' are also far from discrete.

Didn't Madonna and Britney once say they had a mother-daughter relationship? Oh well, the apple obviously doesn't fall far from the tree even when it comes to surrogates.

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Jonathan Ross, Will We Lose Another Great Comedian?

2008-11-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

As the debacle surrounding Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand, Georgina Bailey and Andrew Sachs has once again flared, this time with the BBC reconsidering their position over Jonathan Ross and his return to our TV screens.

Just to recap, Jonathan Ross was set to interview Andrew Sachs- the man who played Manuel in 'Fawlty Towers'. Andrew Sachs failed to turn up, Russell Brand however was present. Now to save time I will add that previously Russell Brand had slept with Georgina Bailey-Andrew Sachs' granddaughter- a goth burlesque dancer who forms one piece of an act called 'Satans Sluts'. I won't hesitate to add that Miss Bailey has not once failed to drop Mr Brands name to anyone that comes within her blackened eyeline, she brags about their sexual experience to anyone who feigns interest. So on that fatal day, Mr Ross and Mr Brand left several messages on Mr Sachs' answerphone, mocking him and declaring that Brand had slept with Bailey. All a tad confusing, but it somehow led to one of the largest volumes of complaints to offcom along with the sacking and suspension of two very funny men.

Ms Bailey was reportedly upset by the incident and felt humiliated. Most average, below average and intelligent women would deem burlesque dancing with Satans Sluts as being humiliating, but we all do have different values after all. Following a 28,000 complaint sized bandwagon, Russell Brand was forced to resign and Jonathan Ross was suspended.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the funniest comedy slightly crude if not down right outrageous? There have been many times where I have watched Jimmy Carr and David Walliams mock the sexuality of others and Ricky Gervais opened a comedy gig in Lincoln with a clip of what he deemed to be the most politcally correct man in Britain (he was Asian, in a wheelchair and gay). These comedians a regularly crude, rude and sometimes vile, yet they are on TV and lack complaints pretty much completely. To make matters worse, Andrew Sachs built his career on mocking the Hispanic race with his stereotypes-which were very funny- so his anguish at this matter is hypocritical and pathetic at best.

So thanks to one self declared slut and an ageing hypocrite, who now has a job on coronation street apparently, we may be losing Jonathan Ross. He is a comedian who features intelligence, conducts interviews with great substance and never fails to deliver. So the license payers are about to swap one great comedian for a positively ancient hasbeen. I would like to sarcastically congratulate all who jumped on that bandwagon last month.

BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH: Christmass Hampers!

2008-11-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

The credit crunch has probably left the majority of us dreading buying presents for our friends and family. Once upon a time we could indulge in at least half decent gifts for those we love, but following a major economic downturn this year we are having to be more frugal.

Fret not! This does not mean you have to hand over poor quality gifts, it simply means you must be more creative. So every week on the lead up to Christmas I will post some credit crunch defeating ideas that will remove the worry!

This weeks idea is: Christmass Hampers!

Christmass Hampers are a simple concept. Every year stores such as John Lewis, Waitrose, Debenhams, Boots and House of Fraser make bundles of cash from selling the general public their hampers.

Hampers are a simple concept, you buy a basket, fill it with some tissue and goodies, wrap it in cellophane, finish it off with a bow and voila! You have a family Christmass present. The best thing about hampers is, you don't have to buy everyone an individual hamper, instead you should create a hamper for each section of your family or friends. When I say sections I am referring to the following:

1.In Laws + family
2.Parents + family
3.Grandparents
4.Family friends

Those are just some of the groups you can dedicate your hampers to.

So what do hampers contain aside from tissue paper?

Here are some classic hamper ideas:

Jam, Shortbread, Scones, Mince Pies, Chocolates, Cheese&Crackers...any kind of festive food that will keep your loved ones full and feeling festive.
Candles, oils or incense, selecting fragrances such as myrrh, ginger or even mince pie will leave any house feeling extra Christmassy.
Wine, champagne, real ale, speciality cider/lager or miniature spirits will suit the grown ups.
Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate are great for snuggling up with following a heavy christmass

Hampers can be filled with almost anything you desire, the best bit is all of your hamper fillings can be done on a budget.

Jam: You can make your own jam with little time and little money, the following recipe will fill two big jars or three medium sized ones. CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE. Once you have made your jam you can either fill jars that are nearing the end of their contents or purchase marmelade from the Tesco Value range, scoop out the contents and place yours in! Make your jam jars pretty by placing trimmed fabric on the lid secured with an elastic band or by creating festive labels on your computer.
Shortbread: Shortbread is also quick and easy, it can be cut in to festive shapes, topped with chocolate, mixed with almonds...the list is endless. CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
Scones: Almost everybody loves scones! They will work perfectly with your jam and are easy to make. CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
Mince Pies: Mince pies can be as simple or complicated as you like. Depending on your culinary expertise you may wish to buy your mince meat or you could create your own! CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
Chocolates: Chocolates do not have to be overpriced to please. Tesco stock a great selection of miniature chocolate boxes, buy selecting a small ferrero rocher box, guylian box and a pack of thorntons toffee you will keep your chocolate budget to under £3 per hamper.Blogger: The Truth - Create Post
Cheese&Crackers: Most supermarkets make pre-packed cheese boards for under £5, along with a box of crackers for less than £0.70p.

Candles: Visit www.tesco.com or www.wilkinsonplus.com for candles that are as cheap as £0.99!
Incense and Oils: Most large town and city centres will feature shops that sell incense for less than £1.00 a pack. If you cannot reach a local shop visit www.simplyincense.co.uk

Wine&Champagne: Offers at supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys include 3 for £10 on Lindemans wines. £10 could fill 3 hampers! Visit majestic wine stores or threshers for more great offers, including reduced price champagne.
Real Ale/Lager/Cider: Most major supermarkets also feature regular offers on real ale, cider and lager. Purchase large bottles to fill your hamper, avoid cans and small bottles...they look cheap.
Miniature Spirits: This is another area where supermarkets come in handy! Miniature whisky, baileys, gin and vodka are available over the counter.
Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate: For a wide selection of tea, coffee and hot chocolate visit waitrose. They offer every type of tea imaginable, great roast and instant coffees as well as Green and Blacks hot chocolate.

An Example Of A Hamper:
Visit InStore or Wilkinsons to purchase a basket, these will vary in size, you may purchase one as small or as large as you like. Prices begin at £4.95
Visit Tesco to purchase some of their Value Christmass wrapping paper for £0.14. Shred this and place it in your hamper
GET COOKING! Make shortbreads, jam, scones, mince pies, cupcakes...anything you can think of. These are as good as free, but if you don't have the required supplies in your cupboard visit Asda or Tesco for value range flour, caster sugar, vanilla essence...or anything else you may require. Don't worry about the quality, these will do just as much justice as any other brand. Make sure you make these a few days before giving the hamper to avoid them going stale.
Choose your chocolates. Tesco, Thorntons, BHS...all of them can provide a variety of chocolates that will allow you to spend as much or as little as you like. Visit Tesco to buy a selection of Guylian, Thorntons and Fererro Rocher chocolates for £2.88.
Wine: Buy a quality white or red wine that has been reduced by 50%, you can often find a bottle that has dropped from £8.00 to £3.99 in major supermarkets.
Beer: Magners, Gaymars, Asahi and Bombadeer are often featuring 2 for 1 offers. You can purchase two bottles for as little as £1.80.
Tea: Go to Waitrose and buy some earl grey for £1.99
Hot Chocolate: Green and Blacks is a little pricey at £3.99, but the quality will impress.
Candles: Visit wilkinson to purchase a £1.50 lavender scented candle.
Cheese and Crackers: Purchase a Tesco cheeseboard for £4.95 and crackers for less than £1.

Total for a classic hamper: £22.50

BNP List, Is It Really That Surprising?

2008-11-19T10:17:00.001-08:00

So a BNP list has been 'leaked' on to the internet. Each article featured on this issue talks with vigor about how the list includes teachers, police officers and other upstanding members of society. Are we really that surprised? Do we really imagine that all BNP members are poorly educated, fanatical and sporting skin heads. Logically that is not the case. It is a political party after all, so theoretically it must be composed of at least some intelligent members, just because the members of the BNP are ignorant to the benefits that ethic minorities bring to the UK it does not mean they are dim by any means.

So how have we benefited from this supposed leak? Not at all really. Just as the government begins to tighten employment restrictions on immigrants and a few more members of Britains older generation relax a little the BNP have most likely attempted to gain themselves some publicity, who really gives them much thought throughout their day to day lives? With a blundering prime minister failing to gain public confidence and his Tory counterpart inspiring a little hope in all of us we are not quite in the state of mind to entertain the idea of making the BNP any more than a laughable dream for those that participate in their political activities.

For more information on the BNP please visit: www.bnp.org.uk

Karen Matthews: Misjudged or a Convincing Actress

2008-11-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

It has emerged in court today that Karen Matthews was forced to report Shannon missing as her plans to move her in to a flat with Michael Donovan failed. Ms Matthews claims that she was planning to leave her then boyfriend, Craig Meehan. She moved Shannon in to Mr Donnovan's flat, but claims that when Meehan discovered Shannons absence she was forced to report her missing to cover the truth.

This additional twist to the Shannon Matthews story was revealed by a family liaison officer today in court, the officer described Ms Matthews as being inconsolable and feeling as though she had brought shame upon her family when she finally admitted to knowing Shannons where abouts.

It must be noted however that the same inconsolable mother appealed to the British nation in press conferences, fooling us all in to believing she was the victim of a kidnap plot. So was she drawn in by the promise of fifty thousand pounds once her daughter was 'rescued' and the web of lies grew larger, or was Ms Matthews smart enough to form such an elaborate plot?

The case continues.

Karren Matthews: A Mother That Mocked Madeleine Mccann and Baby P

2008-11-18T08:55:00.001-08:00

The depraved actions of members of our society do not just come in the form of abuse and neglect, Karen Matthews is a woman that proves that.

On February 19th 2008 Karren Matthews reported her daughter Shannon missing, the nation immediately thought of Madeleine Mccann, a four year old girl who had been kidnapped in May 2006 from her holiday apartment in Portugal.
As the days went on newspapers began to compare the response to each case. Madeleine was a middle class girl, born to two doctors who were respected in their community. Shannon came from a working class background, born to a teenage mum who survived on benefits and the wages of her partner who worked in morrisons. Madeleine and her family had received financial backing and millions of pounds worth of donations within weeks, shannon had received a mere £50,000 reward offer from tabloid newspapers. As the weeks went on, the public questioned why a girl from a working class background should receive less attention. We questioned if these two cases displayed the rich and poor divide we see in Great Britain.

Shannon was later found in a flat belonging to her uncle, Michael Donnovan. It has been reported that she was sedated using a strong sedative named temazepam, tethered using a rope and given instructions on how to behave. Shannon broke down when she was found by police in the bottom of a double bed, terrified by her confusing ordeal.
Karren Matthews had approached the find Madeleine fund to gain money to aid her in finding her daughter, all the while knowing that she was tethered in a flat belonging to a relative. These actions confirm the snobbish presumptions made by some: that working class mothers, council estate residents and lone parents are scroungers, unworthy of public services and all round bad parents.
Karren Matthews through her actions made a mockery of Madeleine and her family. Madeleine has not been found, Karren exploited that fact to benefit herself. She wasted £3.2 million of the publics money on a lengthy search, money that could have made lives better for individuals such as Peter Conolly. Whilst she was fooling us all in to believing that she was a victim of child abductors, children across the country continued to suffer. Lets hope she never has access to her children again, to her they are a means of securing child benefit, remaining off work and exploiting the system. Whilst millions of parents are subjected to stringent tests to ascertain whether or not they can adopt, women like Karen Matthews are allowed to continue to produce children that are used as meal tickets. Maybe one day everyone will be subjected to checks that ensure not everyone can be a parent. A factor of a nanny state? Maybe so, but it would prevent more young lives being tarnished due to neglect.

Related Posts:
Nia Glassie: New Zealands Own Baby P
Baby P: In What Form Will Justice Arrive?

Nia Glassie, New Zealand's Own Baby P

2008-11-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

As Britain is reeled with shock from discovering the atrocities that occurred throughout Peter Conolly's short life on the other side of the globe an equally harrowing story is unfolded.

In New Zealand two brothers have been convicted of torturing Nia Glassie, a three year old girl who was neglected by those who should have loved and protected her.
Nia was repeatedly flung against a wall, punched, kicked, held high in the air and dropped. At one point she was placed in a tumble dryer, falling unconscious for thirty six hours without medical attention.

Unlike Peter Conolly, Nia was surrounded by neighbours and friends who were aware of the abuse. No one spoke. These two harrowing cases bring to light how children across the world are being failed.
Members of British society must now step forward to protect those who remain unprotected. Signing petitions, volunteering and donating to the NSPCC and writing to your local MP can help protect those that social services fail to protect.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ Visit the no.10 petitions website to sign petitions that could motivate our Prime Minister to enforce stricter child protection regulations.

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/ The NSPCC is a charity that aims to protect the children of Britain. You can volunteer, fundraise or donate. More information is given on the website.

http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/l/ Find details of your local MP by using this search.

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Baby P: In What Form Will Justice Arrive?

Qantas Embarassment Continues

2008-11-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

Following a mid air oxygen tank explosion on July 25th this year, Qantas has faced further embarrassment as two of its Boeing 747's have collided on the run way. The same aircraft that exploded above the South China Sea's was being towed at Avalon airport when it collided with another 747 aircraft. It was in its final stages of repair as the incident happened.

The nose of one of the planes caved in, however no passengers were aboard the plane as the incident happened.

Baby P: In What Form Will Justice Arrive?

2008-11-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

As Natalie Bracht, mother of four, diagnosed with histrionic syndrome is pursued relentlessly and somewhat calously by Sunderland's social services, the story of 'Baby P' is still heavily featured in the newspapers and across the websites of Great Britain. This article will begin by adding a name to the face of innocence destroyed, his name is Peter Conolly and his story will remain in the hearts of the British public forever.
Last night Panorama documented the failings of Haringey social services in the case of Peter. As his mother surfed the internet, talking of her 'lovely' new boyfriend, Peter was being subjected to brutal assaults that would damage most fully grown adults. Over a period of eight months Peter was inflicted with 50 horrific injuries and received over 60 social work, police and medical profession visits-all of which failed to save him. Peter during that time narrowly missed his chances to be rescued, as he was passed from a mother who indulged in vodka and online gambling to a family friend. During this time he was subjected to no bruising, something which did not ring alarm bells for Haringey Social Services. Peter may have been sent to a loving foster family, had it not been for the management of Haringey Social Services overriding the judgement of those who dealt with him face to face. Finally a doctor failed to notice a broken back, eight broken ribs, missing finger nails, a missing finger tip, large bruises and bite marks from a dog trained to bite him.
Peter Conolly from March 1st 2006 to August 3rd 2007 was denied the human rights he deserved. It may have been his mother, stepfather and their lodger that dealt the fatal blows and inflicted the injuries, but ultimately this little life was failed by Haringey Social Services. So why is it that as a court case that may decide the fate of three of Britains worst killers continues they are provided with the human rights that Peter was denied?. Human rights activists will argue that removing their human rights will not bring Peter back or avenge it. I agree with one of them statements, Peter will not be brought back, he will remain in heaven surrounded by the love he never received here on earth. However, like many others across this country I disagree with the later.

My mother once told me a story about Ian Brady and his psychologist. For a while she worked with Ian Brady's psychologist who told her how he was evil, he showed no remorse and genuinely could not detect any evil in his own actions. Back in the glorious sixties paper work would be 'lost' easily, thus resulting in Ian Brady being repeatedly locked away with a man who could match his sense of evil and insanity ounce for ounce, what is better he was far stronger than the tyranical moors murderer. This loss of paperwork was designed to ensure the tyrannical moors murderer was subjected to sickening violence, in the hope that he would feel a split second of the fear that his victims felt. I do not know one person who would read that story and feel sorry for Ian Brady and the moments he would have spent locked away with someone who would inflict pain and torture on him.
Human rights activists aim to protect people such as the mother of Peter Conolly from vigilantes and all round psychotic individuals. They want to prevent the above scenario.

This is one of the three faces of brutality. Along with her 'lover' and lodger she formed Peter Conolly's own Cerberus, she formed his hell. Her name is Tracey Conolly, she currently resides in Holloway Prison where she receives bi-weekly haircuts and refers to the prison experience as being equal to a holiday at Butlins. This woman laughed as her sons back was broken, she smeared chocolate on his bruised and battered face, swigged vodka and gambled whilst he lay in dirty nappies and bled in his cot for 23 hours a day. Each day a little soul that resided in the body of a young boy woke terrified and could not look upon the one person who should love him to save him from torture.

These three adults brought an end to Peter's short life. Jason Owen/Barker pictured in the top left hand corner is the only individual to have been named by the press. He was a lodger staying with Tracey Conolly, reputed to be sleeping with a fifteen year old girl who has given heart wrenching descriptions of the moments Peter spent being tortured. The man in the top right hand corner is Stephen Barker-a Pentonville inmate- the step father who conducted most of the torture and dealt the devestating blow to Peter's face that resulted in his death. Stephen and Jason are said to be brothers.

On August the third 2007 Peter lay screaming in his cot. He was missing a finger tip, nails had been removed with plyers, eight ribs were broken along with his back. His stepfather Stephen Barker rose to his feet in their front room and said 'I'll sort this', he then proceded to Peters room where he punched him so hard that one of his teeth landed in his stomach, he was then swung against the cot and all went quiet. Jason Barkers fifteen year old girlfriend informed Tracey Conolly that her son was dead, she continued to play online poker and drink vodka for two more hours before calling an ambulance. Later in the week she told a neighbour that Peter had died from cot death, before excitedly talking about her pregnant alsations.

Tracey Conolly cared more for the welfare of her pregnant alsations than her son Peter, Jason Barker enjoyed the sexual company of a fifteen year old girl and Stephen Barker was a solitary individual who as a child enjoyed torturing frogs. Collectively they subjected Peter Conolly, a child of beauty and innocence to endless torture and cruelly ended his life.

So in what form will justice arrive for these three monsters? As their pictures, names and locations are swarming the internet, vigilantes and fellow inmates will be plotting revenge. There will no doubt be redemption in a violent and bloody form. It may be argued that this will not bring Peter back and human rights activists will preach that they deserve human rights as much as any other individual. In a society where a seventeen month old-a child who places all of his trust and safety in others-is tortured to death by three adults who exercise control over him, do human rights exist? Many mothers, and fathers, across the country will feel as though they don't. So maybe justice will arrive for these three tyrants in a brutal form...but no tears will be shed the day that headline hits our morning paper.