The case of Islamic State bride Shamima Begum carries on and she is back in the news as her baby has unfortunately died three weeks after she gave birth.
As our Government has stripped her of her nationality, she literally has nowhere to go and Bangladesh, who her family has a very tenuous link with, have said they don't want her there.
While any mother losing her child tugs at the heartstrings, it is hard to sympathise with her plight at having nowhere to call home but it does seem that we have passed our problem onto elsewhere.
I don't particularly want her back here, her interviews showed no remorse for what she has done, but she is British and was radicalised while in Britain so she is our problem and we shouldn't be passing her on to any country that will take her.
My solution would be to allow her back but arrest her as soon as she steps off the plane.
Some are now trying to pin the blame for the child's death on the Government decision but that's not right, making her stateless had no bearing on the health of her baby while living in a refugee camp and remember she was only there and asking to come back due to Islamic State collapsing.
To say she isn't enough of a fit and proper person to live in Britain but she can go live elsewhere is not right, she is our problem and we should be dealing with her.
As international law says you can't remove a persons citizenship unless they have another country to go to means that the law courts will only make us give her back her passport anyway so let's avoid a lengthy and costly trial which we can't win and allow her back and show her how the British justice system works.
Saturday, 9 March 2019
Cheering On Other Football Teams
We are getting to the business end of the Football Season and for many football fans their teams have no chance of glory and face a couple of months of irrelevance so we look towards the teams that can still win things, and try and work out which rival team we object to the least and hold our nose and lend our tentative backing to the least annoying teams and supporters to win the Premier League, FA Cup, Championship and both of the European Cups.
The Premier League title winner will come from either Manchester City or Liverpool although Tottenham have an outside chance but even the most rabid Spurs fan will agree that ship has sailed so it's out of the Mancs and the Scousers. I know lots of annoying Liverpool fans and they do go on and on and on about winning the League a few times decades ago so as i know no Manchester City fans, i'm backing the Citizens to lift the massive Premier League trophy in May.
The remaining teams in the FA Cup Quarter Finals are Watford, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Manchester City, Wolves, Manchester United, Millwall and Brighton. As long as it isn't either of the Manchester Clubs climbing the Wembley steps i will be satisfied but based on geography, i will be cheering loudest for Brighton and Crystal Palace. I lost £500 buying Millwall shares a few years ago so i especially hope they get a royal tonking and also just because they are Millwall.
The Championship winners and therefore guaranteed promotion to the Premier League is tight but a long held hatred for Leeds rules them out of garnering any support from me so it's Norwich and West Brom. Norwich because while they score lots they follow the Arsene Wenger school of defending so can win 5-0, lose 6-3 or draw 4-4 on any given day which is always fun to watch. West Brom go up and down like Donald Trumps zipper and i know some very nice West Brom fans so would nice to see them join the big boys again next season.
The UEFA Europa League still has a long way to go but all the time my team Arsenal are still in it (by their fingertips admittedly), i won't cast a glance elsewhere but if we don't get past Rennes next week then i will flutter my eyelashes in a flirty manner at Inter Milan and whoever are playing Chelsea.
The first milestone for the UEFA Champions League is that Tottenham don't win it, that would be the ninth circle of hell right there for an Arsenal fan who knows an unhealthy amount of Spurs fans. After stopping Tottenham, i wouldn't want Manchester United to win the pot either, they still drone on about then they won it in 2008 so let's stop that joy before it begins. Call it bitter but if Arsenal can't win it then i don't want another English team toy so i will be hoping that Manchester City and Liverpool also bow out gracefully soon.
Looking at who is left i get bored with Barcelona always getting to the Final so i will be gazing lovingly at Ajax and Juventus.
All means my wish list at the moment is Manchester City to win the League, Brighton/Crystal Palace for the FA Cup, Norwich/WBA for the Championship, Arsenal/Inter Milan for the Europa League and Ajax/Juventus for the Champions League and i will throw in Portsmouth for the 1st Division.
The Premier League title winner will come from either Manchester City or Liverpool although Tottenham have an outside chance but even the most rabid Spurs fan will agree that ship has sailed so it's out of the Mancs and the Scousers. I know lots of annoying Liverpool fans and they do go on and on and on about winning the League a few times decades ago so as i know no Manchester City fans, i'm backing the Citizens to lift the massive Premier League trophy in May.
The remaining teams in the FA Cup Quarter Finals are Watford, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Manchester City, Wolves, Manchester United, Millwall and Brighton. As long as it isn't either of the Manchester Clubs climbing the Wembley steps i will be satisfied but based on geography, i will be cheering loudest for Brighton and Crystal Palace. I lost £500 buying Millwall shares a few years ago so i especially hope they get a royal tonking and also just because they are Millwall.
The Championship winners and therefore guaranteed promotion to the Premier League is tight but a long held hatred for Leeds rules them out of garnering any support from me so it's Norwich and West Brom. Norwich because while they score lots they follow the Arsene Wenger school of defending so can win 5-0, lose 6-3 or draw 4-4 on any given day which is always fun to watch. West Brom go up and down like Donald Trumps zipper and i know some very nice West Brom fans so would nice to see them join the big boys again next season.
The UEFA Europa League still has a long way to go but all the time my team Arsenal are still in it (by their fingertips admittedly), i won't cast a glance elsewhere but if we don't get past Rennes next week then i will flutter my eyelashes in a flirty manner at Inter Milan and whoever are playing Chelsea.
The first milestone for the UEFA Champions League is that Tottenham don't win it, that would be the ninth circle of hell right there for an Arsenal fan who knows an unhealthy amount of Spurs fans. After stopping Tottenham, i wouldn't want Manchester United to win the pot either, they still drone on about then they won it in 2008 so let's stop that joy before it begins. Call it bitter but if Arsenal can't win it then i don't want another English team toy so i will be hoping that Manchester City and Liverpool also bow out gracefully soon.
Looking at who is left i get bored with Barcelona always getting to the Final so i will be gazing lovingly at Ajax and Juventus.
All means my wish list at the moment is Manchester City to win the League, Brighton/Crystal Palace for the FA Cup, Norwich/WBA for the Championship, Arsenal/Inter Milan for the Europa League and Ajax/Juventus for the Champions League and i will throw in Portsmouth for the 1st Division.
Friday, 8 March 2019
Not A Good Week To Be A Tory
It's been a good week to be a Conservative, or it is if you were not one of those Conservatives who called someone 'coloured', or state in parliament that Islamophobia against British Muslims is a matter for the Foreign Office or say that the deaths caused by British soldiers in Northern Ireland could not be crimes because they were caused by British soldiers as put forward by the Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley none the less.
To be fair to Bradley she did try and make amends by confusingly saying that: 'I want to be clear – I do not believe what I said, that is not my view'. Glad we got that straight then.
This week also saw the Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announce that the UK armed forces 'stand ready to respond to the knife crime crisis' so expect to see a Type 45 destroyer in a London pond soon.
At least Chris Grayling hasn't ballsed up anything that cost us £33 million this week for which we should be grateful and at least all the hapless people running our country takes our minds off Brexit for a while.
To be fair to Bradley she did try and make amends by confusingly saying that: 'I want to be clear – I do not believe what I said, that is not my view'. Glad we got that straight then.
This week also saw the Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, announce that the UK armed forces 'stand ready to respond to the knife crime crisis' so expect to see a Type 45 destroyer in a London pond soon.
At least Chris Grayling hasn't ballsed up anything that cost us £33 million this week for which we should be grateful and at least all the hapless people running our country takes our minds off Brexit for a while.
Wednesday, 6 March 2019
Top 10 Causes Of Global Deaths
On average, the Global birth rate is 131 million per year while the average death rate is 56 million annually which my calculator shows is averaging a surplus of 75 million of us, give or take a few.
It is an unfortunate fact that death comes to us all at some point and that some point averages out at around 71 and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) have worked out the most likely causes of death.
The biggest killer is cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and arteries and kills 32.3% of us, double the amount of deaths by various types of Cancer (16.3%).
Respiratory Diseases such as Asthma, Emphysema and Pneumonia claim 6.5%, Diabetes 5.8%, Lower Respiratory Diseases like Bronchitis and Edema account for 4.4%, Dementia 4.4, Neonatal death before the baby reaches 28 days take 3.2%, Diarrhoeal diseases 3%, Road injuries 2.5%,
Liver disease 2.3%.
While the cause of death varies from country to country, the deaths that preoccupy us the most such as terrorism, war and natural disasters make up less than 0.5% of all deaths combined. Globally, twice as many people die by suicide than by murder.
It may make for a sad picture but compared to previous centuries we have made a huge leap in how, when and why we die and improvements in sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, vaccination and basic healthcare are all part of it but we still have a long way to go when Diarrhoea is in the top 10 of the largest global killers and 1.8 million newborns don't make it past 28 days.
It is an unfortunate fact that death comes to us all at some point and that some point averages out at around 71 and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) have worked out the most likely causes of death.
The biggest killer is cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and arteries and kills 32.3% of us, double the amount of deaths by various types of Cancer (16.3%).
Respiratory Diseases such as Asthma, Emphysema and Pneumonia claim 6.5%, Diabetes 5.8%, Lower Respiratory Diseases like Bronchitis and Edema account for 4.4%, Dementia 4.4, Neonatal death before the baby reaches 28 days take 3.2%, Diarrhoeal diseases 3%, Road injuries 2.5%,
Liver disease 2.3%.
While the cause of death varies from country to country, the deaths that preoccupy us the most such as terrorism, war and natural disasters make up less than 0.5% of all deaths combined. Globally, twice as many people die by suicide than by murder.
It may make for a sad picture but compared to previous centuries we have made a huge leap in how, when and why we die and improvements in sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, vaccination and basic healthcare are all part of it but we still have a long way to go when Diarrhoea is in the top 10 of the largest global killers and 1.8 million newborns don't make it past 28 days.
Monday, 4 March 2019
Right Wing Agenda Not Working
In their right wing zeal for a smaller Government, the Conservatives took a massive axe to the public service which resulted in passports taking 6 months to process, Tax Returns not being captured in time, a shortage of beds in the NHS and 27,000 less police officers.
It is the latter that has resulted in an explosion of crime in the UK which the police describe as putting them 'under significant stress' so it shouldn't be hard to work out, if there are less of the people employed to stop crime, then crime will rise.
The Conservatives have been awful, the austerity cuts devastating the country so this is the direct result of Government policy and while the blame goes to the morons arming themselves with knives and sticking them in each other, the choices the Government have made has enabled the environment for it to happen in.
It was Theresa May as Home Secretary who run down the Police Force and the day after two teenagers were stabbed to death, she defended her policy by saying that there was 'no direct correlation' between fewer police and higher crime despite police calling for more help and resources to deal with the problem.
It would be laughable if it was not so serious but the Conservatives are not listening, they saw the economic crisis as a way to drive through their ideological plans and they won't let something like teenagers being stabbed to death to throw them off their failed right-wing agenda.
It is the latter that has resulted in an explosion of crime in the UK which the police describe as putting them 'under significant stress' so it shouldn't be hard to work out, if there are less of the people employed to stop crime, then crime will rise.
The Conservatives have been awful, the austerity cuts devastating the country so this is the direct result of Government policy and while the blame goes to the morons arming themselves with knives and sticking them in each other, the choices the Government have made has enabled the environment for it to happen in.
It was Theresa May as Home Secretary who run down the Police Force and the day after two teenagers were stabbed to death, she defended her policy by saying that there was 'no direct correlation' between fewer police and higher crime despite police calling for more help and resources to deal with the problem.
It would be laughable if it was not so serious but the Conservatives are not listening, they saw the economic crisis as a way to drive through their ideological plans and they won't let something like teenagers being stabbed to death to throw them off their failed right-wing agenda.
Sunday, 3 March 2019
Spiritualism The Religion For The Younger Generation
In an age when science can answer most things, 'what happens when you die?' is one of the few mysteries that we have left.
My rather flippant answer is always 'the same as happened before you were born' but that doesn't seem to wash with younger generations who are looking for the answer in greater numbers.
The major beneficiary seems to be Spiritual Churches and Mediums with the Spiritualists’ National Union of Great Britain estimating that they have seen a rise of 22% attending their churches to try to communicate with the spirit world, bolstered by an increasing interest from younger generations.
Spiritualist practises are now big business with sales of tarot card decks seeing a 268% boom in sales and Astrology apps attracting millions of users and sales of crystals reached £1.5 billion last year while magazines devoted solely to witchcraft have also sprung up.
Spiritualism dates back to 1848 and began when two American sisters, Maggie and Kate Fox said they could communicate with the ghost of a man murdered in their home years before their family moved in. Despite a confession in 1888 by Maggie Fox that she and her sister had faked it all along, Spiritualism had been launched and people have been trying to debunk it ever since.
Famous sceptic, James Randi, has had a million dollar challenge to anyone who can prove mediumship, psychic ability or clairvoyance and as yet is unclaimed, as Randi said: 'Under properly controlled conditions, even those mediums who genuinely think they have a gift don’t seem able to do what they claim'.
Believers will put forward the 'proof they receive at seances or readings but that is routinely dismissed as the Barnum Effect where generic statements are accepted and made to fit to make sense to the individual.
Classic supernatural TV shows such as Buffy, Charmed, True Blood and Sabrina could explain why the younger generation are turning towards this 'religion' and i feel that psychics charging for a reading leaves a bad taste but almost everyone has at some point wondered 'what's next?'
I don't believe in heaven, hell or even life after death but what Spiritualism is peddling is exactly what the other religions have been doing since they were first invented, the answer to what happens when you die.
Whether you choose to accept it from a Medium, Priest or a Rabbi that is your choice, as is the choice to dismiss the lot of them.
My rather flippant answer is always 'the same as happened before you were born' but that doesn't seem to wash with younger generations who are looking for the answer in greater numbers.
The major beneficiary seems to be Spiritual Churches and Mediums with the Spiritualists’ National Union of Great Britain estimating that they have seen a rise of 22% attending their churches to try to communicate with the spirit world, bolstered by an increasing interest from younger generations.
Spiritualist practises are now big business with sales of tarot card decks seeing a 268% boom in sales and Astrology apps attracting millions of users and sales of crystals reached £1.5 billion last year while magazines devoted solely to witchcraft have also sprung up.
Spiritualism dates back to 1848 and began when two American sisters, Maggie and Kate Fox said they could communicate with the ghost of a man murdered in their home years before their family moved in. Despite a confession in 1888 by Maggie Fox that she and her sister had faked it all along, Spiritualism had been launched and people have been trying to debunk it ever since.
Famous sceptic, James Randi, has had a million dollar challenge to anyone who can prove mediumship, psychic ability or clairvoyance and as yet is unclaimed, as Randi said: 'Under properly controlled conditions, even those mediums who genuinely think they have a gift don’t seem able to do what they claim'.
Believers will put forward the 'proof they receive at seances or readings but that is routinely dismissed as the Barnum Effect where generic statements are accepted and made to fit to make sense to the individual.
Classic supernatural TV shows such as Buffy, Charmed, True Blood and Sabrina could explain why the younger generation are turning towards this 'religion' and i feel that psychics charging for a reading leaves a bad taste but almost everyone has at some point wondered 'what's next?'
I don't believe in heaven, hell or even life after death but what Spiritualism is peddling is exactly what the other religions have been doing since they were first invented, the answer to what happens when you die.
Whether you choose to accept it from a Medium, Priest or a Rabbi that is your choice, as is the choice to dismiss the lot of them.
Friday, 1 March 2019
Remembering The 2007 Bloggers
In some ways our lives are like novels. You have your family who are the main cast and a supporting cast of friends, neighbours and work colleagues and the bit players such as hairdressers and accountants.
There are thousands of extras, those people who temporarily enter your life and then go again but sometimes there are people who don't fit neatly into any of these categories.
I was thinking of this the other day when i noticed that over 4,000 times now i have polluted the Internet with my whiny, lefty views on everything from American Gun Laws to Dr Who and all things in between over 12 years.
When i started Falling On A Bruise in 2007, blogging was probably at it's height and many excellent bloggers have since moved on and as i read back over the comments sections of the early posts, i began wondering what some of the bloggers who i was lucky enough to have met back then are doing today.
Sometimes controversial, sometimes serious but always entertaining, i'm interested to know how the last 12 years have treated the bloggers who made turning on my computer and loading the Blogger Page such fun back in the day.
If any of the following stumble across this post then maybe drop by and say hi.
Joe the Troll, Paula, O' Tim, Daniel/David G, Stephen, iMuslim, Dining Philosopher, Jeff K, Mark (Knocking On The Golden Gate), The Little Cheese, The Intolerant One, Cheezy, Arthur Vandelay, AnonyMouse, Jodie K, The Fez Monkey, Sacramento Voice, Ruth, Jefe, Annie, Cody Bones, Jenny Jinx, Noah 'Nog', RaeJane, Don, SwissToni, Stephen K.
I'm sure there are many more that i have missed out but looking back at the old comments and laughing, it would be nice to know that my old Blogging friends are still doing fine and remain out there swinging somewhere.
There are thousands of extras, those people who temporarily enter your life and then go again but sometimes there are people who don't fit neatly into any of these categories.
I was thinking of this the other day when i noticed that over 4,000 times now i have polluted the Internet with my whiny, lefty views on everything from American Gun Laws to Dr Who and all things in between over 12 years.
When i started Falling On A Bruise in 2007, blogging was probably at it's height and many excellent bloggers have since moved on and as i read back over the comments sections of the early posts, i began wondering what some of the bloggers who i was lucky enough to have met back then are doing today.
Sometimes controversial, sometimes serious but always entertaining, i'm interested to know how the last 12 years have treated the bloggers who made turning on my computer and loading the Blogger Page such fun back in the day.
If any of the following stumble across this post then maybe drop by and say hi.
Joe the Troll, Paula, O' Tim, Daniel/David G, Stephen, iMuslim, Dining Philosopher, Jeff K, Mark (Knocking On The Golden Gate), The Little Cheese, The Intolerant One, Cheezy, Arthur Vandelay, AnonyMouse, Jodie K, The Fez Monkey, Sacramento Voice, Ruth, Jefe, Annie, Cody Bones, Jenny Jinx, Noah 'Nog', RaeJane, Don, SwissToni, Stephen K.
I'm sure there are many more that i have missed out but looking back at the old comments and laughing, it would be nice to know that my old Blogging friends are still doing fine and remain out there swinging somewhere.
Leaving Neverland And Michael Jackson's Reputation
As Gary Glitter found out, being branded a paedophile is suicide to your career as your records stop being played and you are resigned, quite rightly, into the bargain bin of pop music.
Somehow, Michael Jackson avoided that fate although his reputation was tarnished but not permanently damaged until now with the film Leaving Neverland appearing to make it clear that the once King of Pop was a paedophile.
Some Jackson fans will clearly deny any allegations while others will try and separate the music from the man while others will just erase the musician from their record collection.
The allegations against him are hideous although they just confirm what was strongly suspected at the time and it will be interesting to see if Jackson's music will now be treated the way Glitter’s is, banned from radio and TV, especially as Jackson was so much a bigger star than Glitter.
I was never a massive Jackson fan but his songs are part of my teenage years, especially the Thriller years, but him being a child abuser will now always trump his music which means that this is what he will become, quite rightly known for, by generations after my own.
There will be those who will make the awful mistake that an artist automatically embodies greatness because they like their work but that is a dreadful mistake to make because as hard as it is, sometimes the crimes are just so bad that it is practically impossible to separate the man from the music.
Somehow, Michael Jackson avoided that fate although his reputation was tarnished but not permanently damaged until now with the film Leaving Neverland appearing to make it clear that the once King of Pop was a paedophile.
Some Jackson fans will clearly deny any allegations while others will try and separate the music from the man while others will just erase the musician from their record collection.
The allegations against him are hideous although they just confirm what was strongly suspected at the time and it will be interesting to see if Jackson's music will now be treated the way Glitter’s is, banned from radio and TV, especially as Jackson was so much a bigger star than Glitter.
I was never a massive Jackson fan but his songs are part of my teenage years, especially the Thriller years, but him being a child abuser will now always trump his music which means that this is what he will become, quite rightly known for, by generations after my own.
There will be those who will make the awful mistake that an artist automatically embodies greatness because they like their work but that is a dreadful mistake to make because as hard as it is, sometimes the crimes are just so bad that it is practically impossible to separate the man from the music.
Why David Lammy Should Shut Up
David Lammy has always been one of the better British MP's and i don't know what his problem is with Stacey Dooley but he is embarrassingly wrong on attacking her for posing with a black child in Uganda as part of Comic Relief.
The Tottenham MP has blasted the charity for flying white British celebrities to Africa to make films as it shows 'White Saviour complex' and he has a problem with 'white people spotlighting poverty in Africa'.
Dooley responded by tweeting: 'David, is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question) ... because if that’s the case, you could always go over there and try to raise awareness?'
Obviously Lammy's issue is with Dooley being a white person and highlighting poverty in an African nation although what a persons colour has to do with anything when attempting to raise money to help is nonsense and stinks of racism.
If a person is well meaning and using their celebrity to do a brilliant thing to raise awareness of fellow humans struggling in any country of the World then that is to be applauded and David Lammy should not only apologise to Stacey Dooley but keep his racist views to himself and do something himself instead of sniping at those who are.
The Tottenham MP has blasted the charity for flying white British celebrities to Africa to make films as it shows 'White Saviour complex' and he has a problem with 'white people spotlighting poverty in Africa'.
Dooley responded by tweeting: 'David, is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question) ... because if that’s the case, you could always go over there and try to raise awareness?'
Obviously Lammy's issue is with Dooley being a white person and highlighting poverty in an African nation although what a persons colour has to do with anything when attempting to raise money to help is nonsense and stinks of racism.
If a person is well meaning and using their celebrity to do a brilliant thing to raise awareness of fellow humans struggling in any country of the World then that is to be applauded and David Lammy should not only apologise to Stacey Dooley but keep his racist views to himself and do something himself instead of sniping at those who are.
Defending Trump The Liar
Sandwiched between nuclear India and Pakistan coming to blows and North Korea's refusal to give up their nuclear ambitions, we had Michael Cohen's explosive statement which made some shocking claims about Donald Trump.
While it is not looking good for the third fattest President with the Mueller investigation coming to a head possible next week, his fellow Republicans have come to his defence, sort of.
Senator Rick Santorum has offered the most brilliantly bizarre, back handed defence of the President claiming that: 'He doesn't tell the truth about a lot of things'.
That he shouldn't be believed when he says things is not a defence that is often heard in law courts and is not often a welcome trait in your leader but somehow in Santorum's mind this makes things okay.
Not to defend him but he did say that he didn't have an extra marital affair with a porn star despite the evidence that he did and blamed the opposition for the Government shut down soon after saying he would proud to shut down the Government so he is consistent in lying so maybe we should not take him at is word that there was no Russian Collusion and dodgy, grubby deals and a certain video tape of events in a Russian Hotel.
I just hope that they are not just too hasty with the impeachment because watching Trump making an ass of himself is great viewing and a normal, non-mentally challenged President in the White House will be boring after the god-awful Trump years.
While it is not looking good for the third fattest President with the Mueller investigation coming to a head possible next week, his fellow Republicans have come to his defence, sort of.
Senator Rick Santorum has offered the most brilliantly bizarre, back handed defence of the President claiming that: 'He doesn't tell the truth about a lot of things'.
That he shouldn't be believed when he says things is not a defence that is often heard in law courts and is not often a welcome trait in your leader but somehow in Santorum's mind this makes things okay.
Not to defend him but he did say that he didn't have an extra marital affair with a porn star despite the evidence that he did and blamed the opposition for the Government shut down soon after saying he would proud to shut down the Government so he is consistent in lying so maybe we should not take him at is word that there was no Russian Collusion and dodgy, grubby deals and a certain video tape of events in a Russian Hotel.
I just hope that they are not just too hasty with the impeachment because watching Trump making an ass of himself is great viewing and a normal, non-mentally challenged President in the White House will be boring after the god-awful Trump years.
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