Decisions . . .

Let me first state my own position.
I sincerely believe that - whether God-given or not - the human body is of no use to a person once they have died. So, with that premise, I hope that some other person will be able to benefit from parts of my body once it is useless to me. Whether there is a life after death or not, I don't believe the flesh and blood is of any use to me after death so one of the ways I can help my fellow man (or woman) would be to enable them to live.
There is a well-known scheme in Britain. People who feel like me carry a "donor" card stating that they consent to organs being used for transplanting if they should die. Until now that could be reversed by close relatives withdrawing such consent. But as from midnight tonight a new law comes into force stopping the right to veto of next-of-kin.
I can understand the turmoil that some bereaved people must go through. They know it was their loved one's wish to help others but some cannot bring themselves to think that they will be cut up and parts given to others.
Obviously the doctors will have to be sensitive and take into account the wishes of the bereaved. But I believe that the wish of the deceased to help prolong the lives of others should be paramount.
I hope that my family would not oppose the use of parts of my body to save others' lives. In one way - as an agnostic - it would be one of my few ways of still existing. The two other ways would be as memories of my family and of course my two sons who carry my genes on to the next generation.
It is up to all of us who believe that after-death donation is right to talk to our families and convince them that it would be best for both them and the possible recipients.
Very profound Mac . . . nuff said.

War crimes?

According to the BBC, just before the "cease fire" in Lebanon the Israelis sent a barrage of artillery into southern Lebanon. To be expected, you might think. They had to wipe out as much of the Hezbollah enclaves as they could before they stopped firing artillery and bombing. So they used "legal" weapons. The artillery contained cluster bombs. Cluster bombs are legal under international conventions provided they are used against military targets. A good idea. Spread the destruction into the enemy lines to destroy as many personnel as possible. But the conventions clearly state that such weapons should not be used against civilian targets. Orla Guerin of the BBC clearly showed us pictures of unexploded cluster bombs in obviously civilian villages. We were shown pictures of injured children - some of whom would never fully recover from their wounds.
I know Hezbollah have sent rockets into Israel and killed many Israeli civilians.
That is wrong and should be decried by all decent people.
But what the Israelis have done is tantamount to war crimes. There is no doubt that in the type of war Israel is fighting they cannot be sure of hitting only military targets. Hezbollah's tactic of basing themselves in ordinary villages makes sure of that. But to disregard the "collateral" injuries and deaths caused by the use of such cluster bombs is surely a war crime.
Will Israel ever have to answer charges on this matter?
NO, of course not. They have the might of the fascist US military machine on their side.
Bush would not allow it. And what George W says is next to what God says.
Bollocks!
Nuff said . . .

Back to the Grind

I've just spent a week in Cornwall with my darling wife. Offspring Junior was due to come with us but cried off having just spent some days camping in the area with friends. So - luxury of luxuries - a holiday on our own. Yes, just the two of us. The first for more than 20 years! Bliss!
Not that I would not have enjoyed the company of either of my two sons. In fact, it felt quite strange being able to say to my wife "What shall we do today?" knowing that whatever we decided only affected the two of us.
We rented a cottage near Looe, in south East Cornwall. Cottage comfortable with all the necessary amenities. Local village shop - in a village called, believe it or not, No Mans Land -catered for most of our immediate needs (including Cornish clotted cream to go on the blackberries we picked on the roadside near our cottage). About a mile from the cottage is a monkey sanctuary where they look after capuchin and woolly monkeys who have been rescued from private pet owners and from zoos. They have extremely large enclosures with trees and other interesting things to climb on and they can go from one area to another by a series of elevated walkways and bridges. Outside of their natural habitat (to which they could never return) they have the most idyllic surroundings man can give them. The keepers are so knowledgeable and caring. They obviously believe what they are doing is helping the quality of life of these primates. I was really moved by the visits I made there and came away feeling I had really learned something of the way of life of the monkeys and also something of the inhumanity of man.
Visits included the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Polperro, Polruan and Fowey (pronounced Foy). Only once did any rain affect us. That was on our last day when we were on a boat trip on the river at Fowey. The boat had no shelter. It suddenly pissed down and we got drenched. The boat skipper gave us a big umbrella but we still got soaked. We just couldn't stop laughing. And half an hour later the sun was out and the weather was dry and warm. Typical British weather!
Another memorable day was when we took the train from Looe to Liskeard. It was not so much a train as a railcar. As we got near Liskeard after a very slow and scenic route up the river side, the train came to a stop and the conductor got out to manually change the points so that we could reverse onto the branch line that led to Liskeard. After an enjoyable couple of hours in Liskeard we got back on the train and alighted at St Keyne. Just next to the station is a privately run museum of mechanical music. A gentleman by the name of Paul Corin owns and runs the place which is housed in old mill buildings which have been in his family for a long time. Paul is a real enthusiast. He drools over Pianolas, barrel organs and other mechanical means of music making, demonstrating each one in turn. He asks each visitor where they are from and is usually able to tell them where old cinema and theatre organs were in the particular locality. Finally he shows off his "Mighty Wurlitzer" which he has built into the structure. He is not a great virtuoso but his pure enthusiasm takes you past the music. By the time we had seen all the exhibits more than two hours had passed and we had to rush to flag down the next train to get back to Looe. A fantastic visit which I fully recommend every music lover to experience for themselves.
A really enjoyable holiday. Go to Cornwall if you want a good relaxing holiday. But take a good Ordnance Survey map so that you can find all the small coves and beaches to keep away from the holiday moron crowds in their "Kiss me quick" hats.
Ah well - back to work . . .

Private Conversations

It seems that the Royal household is being hacked. The privacy of their mobile phones has been compromised
After a seven-month investigation by the police the Royal Editor of the News of the World and one of his associates have been arrested and interrogated. They were released after 40 hours of questioning. Apparently minor information printed in the tabloid caught the eye of police and they put two and two together and realised that inside information must have been used to get the stories. They were relatively innocuous stories but nevertheless they compromised Prince Charles's sons.
So what? You may think it's nothing. But think of the possibilities. If they can get access to private phone calls it doesn't have to stop at the Royals.
High-powered business deals could be jeopardised. Military secrets could be public knowledge. Political dealings could be put at risk. Our safety and security could be as naught.
Rupert Murdoch has always been known as a tough man who gets what he wants - whether it be freedom from restrictive practices of unions or friendship with, and influence over, the great and the good.
He has more than a little power to influence the nation with his moron-appeal tabloids. If he chose to use such private information to influence his readers he could make a radical difference to the way this country was run.
I, for one, don't want to be ruled - albeit under cover - by a money-grabbing Australian bigot. With all its imperfections I prefer to be part of a democratic state.

It's a Long Time . . .

Well, today it's 30 years since Ros and I got hitched.
To me it feels like a lifetime - but not in a bad way. I'm the luckiest bloke alive to have such a loving and understanding (and patient!) wife. How she has put up with me - through the good times and the not-so-good - I'll never know. I just hope that she and I will be together always and I still love her dearly.
Thank you Ros for being with me and loving me.
I love you above all others.

It's a Long Time Too!

Finally last night Ros and I caught up with my old bass-player Pete. It is well over thirty years since we played together and I caught him at a gig in a pub in the beautiful Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The band he was with specialises in 60s rock and pop and they were not at all bad.
It was great to be able to chat with Pete during his break and after the gig and we've made a firm promise to meet again and maybe even drag a few instruments out and have a jam session.
That'll bring back some memories . . .

Disproportionate response?

Over the past few weeks more than one British Government official has stated that the Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon were "disproportionate" compared with the attacks of Hezbollah on Israel.
Now even a respected American newspaper - no less than the New York Times - has published pictures of the devastation wreaked upon Beirut by Israeli bombs. I don't know what the NYT was trying to prove with the pictures they displayed. Perhaps that the victorious Israelis would win. Perhaps that the Israelis were hitting only selected targets. Perhaps that Israel was over-reacting.
Reading through the article by John Kiener it seems that the latest targets were infrastructure points which were mainly in northern Beirut in the predominantly Christian area of the city. A Christian Lebanese is quoted as saying "where are the Katyushas (rockets) of the Hezbollah here?" It is refreshing to see the an American newspaper is showing the bad side of the Jewish invasion of Lebanon. I hope George Bush is taking note and thinking very hard about what bombs Americans supply to Israel.
Likewise I hope that Hezbollah is looking at all the people who are dying in Lebanon - most of whom have little or no allegiance to their cause. Can they really live with themselves and be sure of a place in heaven with the deaths of all these people on their shoulders?
Why can't they just talk and learn the basics of any religion - namely that the people around you, whatever their beliefs, are just like you. They have aspirations, they have needs and hopes. They also have human frames which can be destroyed by bombs and rockets.
It doesn't matter what each individual believes - killing any one of them for a religious belief is nothing other than murder.
And helping the murderers - either Syria supplying rockets or America supplying tanks and bombs - is just as mortal a sin as if the presidents of Syria or the USA pushed the button to release the carnage themselves.
See the New York Times aerial pictures of the destruction of Beirut for yourself at:
http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/
and make your own judgement . . .

Music to my Ears

It's getting very near my birthday. So I coerced my wife into buying me a 2.1 sound system to go on my PC. Today it arrived (thankyou Amazon for a very speedy delivery). I was very good - I did all the chores around the house that I had planned before I opened the package then spent a few minutes plugging in this and connecting that and finally the big moment - switch on!
Yes!
Yes!!
Yes!!!
Goodbye to flat tinny sounds from inadequate PC speakers. My media players will never sound the same. Rich sounds, bass you can really hear (and control) !
Playing through some representative tracks I have stored on my PC I listened to Swearingen, Saint-Saens, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Phil Collins - all took on the characteristics of being played on a decent hi-fi.
To a music lover like me the difference is like being deaf and suddenly being cured.
Thank you Ros for a truly appreciated birthday present.

Suffer the Little Children . . .

. . . and the old people, the infirm, the helpless, the poor, all those who do not have the ability, the money, the understanding to get out of the way of the destruction.
Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel are two places where no child is safe, no old person can live out their life in peace and comfort. Where the sick and disabled stand little chance of help, where those who have little income cannot afford to leave.
In Israel Hezbollah rockets rain down. In Lebanon American bombs are used by Israelis to destroy "strategic" targets.
Both believe they are Right.
God is on their side.
So - it's acceptable that innocents are killed and wounded - physically and mentally - in the cause of Righteousness.
If this is the case then either God is a two-faced traitor or - more likely - the name of God is being used for indoctrinated men's greed and hate.
The Rabbis and the Mullahs can change things or make them worse. They can preach hate and destruction . . .
Or they could - if they really believed in God's mercy - teach about the love of a God who made them and who must surely despair at the sight of man using his name in the cause of murder and destruction.
We are all indoctrinated - it's part of learning about the world in which each individual life is lived and the culture and traditions of that environment.
But when the beliefs instilled lead to hate and murder then God - however you want to believe in him/her - has no part to play.