Cancer

My neighbour (friend) has got cancer. This is not something new. He was diagnosed three years ago. Since then he has had his voice box removed and parts of his colon. He has had several sessions of chemical therapy but now is house bound having to feed himself through a tube directly into the stomach. All this sounds really grim. But he has a great sense of humour. He fires off witticism after witticism via SMS; is an avid film buff (watched on some very impressive systems); dabbles on the internet; does all his own cleaning and makes desks and cupboards with expert craftsmanship. It has always been a pleasure and inspiration to be with him.
That is until two weeks ago. Suddenly everything changed. His humour disappeared. He became sullen, depressed, inactive, aggressive (all of the things I would have been had it been me with his illness!). He doe not want to see me, or anyone else. My feelings (which are, of course, of little importance in the scheme of things) are utterly confused. I want to help, but am turned away. I know there is little I can do. This makes for an awful reversal of the subject of concern. I am concerned, without having to emphasise too much, about his condition, but now I also think about what is going on inside me.

We are all weak in our ways.

No arms for Libyan rebels

"No arms for Libyan rebels", says Liam Fox. Who is he kidding? From day one, the USA have been making plans to supply the rebels: "The option of providing military assistance is on the table because no options have been removed from the table," White House spokesman Jay Carney said (Reuters March 5th). David Cameron on February 28th in the House of Commons suggested, "the British government would consider arming the opposition". These sort of signals made by countries that rely so much on making money from their arms industries do not go without a scurrying army of entrepreneurs packing their bags, portfolios and samples bent for the nearest airport.. The logistics for this little business venture were probably in place days before the first aircraft began enforcing the no-fly zone. The only reason I can see for Fox parading his views on the BBC is to ensure that Germany and Turkey fall in line with all the other NATO lands to run this war (I choose my words). As soon as this command structure is established, then watch out.

There are big bucks to be made.

Revenge

Revenge will be a motivation for Gadaffi says justice secretary Kenneth Clarke. And he is right. Revenge for destroying the Gadaffi regime's air force - although supported by UN resolution 1973, with which Gadaffi refuses to comply; revenge for pounding the Gadaffi regime's land army - although supported by UN resolution 1973, with which Gadaffi refuses to comply; revenge for a naval embargo on the Gadaffi regime - although supported by UN resolution 1973, with which Gadaffi refuses to comply. On the other hand is there not an element of revenge in our actions? Revenge for the many deaths caused by Irish terrorists supported by Gadaffi's regime; revenge for the murder of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher; revenge for the deaths of 270 people at Lockerbie? Yes and No. Revenge perhaps, but there is a greater need, that of justice and the protection of the innocent citizens of Libya.

And securing our oil interests.

"..additional measures..."

So NATO are the bosses. Who cares? Well the politicians in the USA seem to be deeply concerned about almost washing their hands. Some anti-USA half-brains might be fooled into thinking that Uncle Sam has now gone fishing. But on the whole the command structure is a realistic depiction of what it must be if this whole operation is to retain some element of morality. To the man or woman on the ground the only thing that really matters is the UN resolution being fulfilled. Are the citizens of Libya being protected? The imprecise answer to this question is the most problematic consequence of the last weeks activity. A consequence that is leading towards an inevitability, for these reasons: 1. It is impossible to protect civilians in a built up area from the air alone; 2. Contingents of marines are on-board ships in the Mediterranean; 3. Ban Ki Moon has warned of "additional measure" that "may" be taken by the UN against the Qadaffi regime.

Troops will be on the ground very soon.

Big Job

Today has been a glorious day. The weather was exceptional. The dog woke me early and as a result I did my spring cleaning. This all sounds very domesticated until perhaps I ought to explain: the kitchen had several days washing up to do; there were signs of rotting food behind the waste disposal; the living room resembled a library after a bomb had exploded; hidden beneath piles of dirty clothing was a bedroom floor, and, perhaps in some peoples eyes, the worst of all, there were dog hairs EVERYWHERE. Even the bathroom had the look and feel of a football stadium urinal - uggh!
But wonders can be done with tidying up, vacuuming and mopping everywhere with hot soapy stinky water. I feel almost reborn again.
Now all I have to do is sort out, sweep clean and wash up my insides and I'll be ready for Easter.
Big job though.

Slip sliding away

So Turkey, that bastion of democracy and human rights in the region, feels unable to support NATO action in Libya. I wonder why? Could this be the reason?
"Trade volume between Turkey and Libya climbed to 2.2 billion USD in 2009. The amount of projects Turkish contractors have undertaken in Libya since 2007 has exceeded 15 billion USD.
Turkey is expected to boost its not only commercial relations and contracting services, but also increase its investments, technical consultancy, tourism, energy and industry with Libya.
Turkish and Libyan governments support establishment of joint ventures. Moreover, foreign trade, investment and contracting working groups, set up between the two countries, are expected to hold meetings soon." (from:http://www.libyaonline.com/).

Filthy favours, the credit card and the horse's head would seem to be in action here.

"...to take all necessary measures..."

So the smart-suited ladies and gentlemen of the British Parliament have debated and the correct moral tone has been found to justify "action" in Libya. The brave men and women of the armed forces resplendent in their uniforms have begun on our behalf the raids and patrolling. Dressing down for the occasion - but still looking good - journalists report their sanitised version of events, fuelled by the propaganda gushing from all sides (not the least coming via the Internet and mobile phones - facilitators of this Revolution). Meanwhile the tyrant calls in his foul favours; gives offers people cannot refuse... and somewhere slouching in the desert or the back streets of Tripoli are a gang, not of Stallone lookalikes dressed in black with passports in their bags, but of hardened veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan. Dirty and dishevelled, Arab speakers with green bandannas, patiently waiting for that moment when they will cut off the Godfather’s head and send it to the fishes.
War (action) is a very, very dirty business.

I.M.H.O.

It has always struck me as a contradiction the phrase "in my humble opinion". Nothing that has attached to it the possessive pronoun "my" can be humble. When expressing an opinion we are viewing the world from our own perspective, however much it is filtered by so-called facts, evidence and argument. All this may sound very confusing and pseudo-intellectual, but all I am trying to express is my confusion as to how much I value what I think are my own opinions.
I have tried to consider the opposite of "my opinion" in order to shed some light on this dilemma. Surprisingly, I would contend that the opposite is not as you would automatically think, "your opinion". I would suggest that the opposite is "no opinion" in the religious sense of "no-ego" as expressed in Buddhism or contemplative Christianity. In other words "my opinion" is a negative way of expressing my relationship with the total lack of "my opinion" expressed particularly by Jesus in the Christian faith.
Does having "my opinion" have any value then?
I believe it does. In so far as we recognise its negativity, grounded as it so often is within negative emotions (fear, hatred, irritation etc.). By exploring this negativity, as we also explore our failings and our errors, we might gain some insight into the only opinion that really matters - Love.

Red Nose Muammar Gaddafi

"Democracy means permanent rule."
"I am not such a dictator that I would shut down Facebook. I'll merely imprison anyone who logs on to it."
"A woman has the right to run for election whether she is male or female!"
"Were it not for electricity, we would have to watch television in the dark."
"Obeying your parents is more important than doing what your parents say."
"I will stay in Libya until I die, or until the end of the time God allows me to live!"
"Protest however you want, but do not go onto the streets and squares!"
"There must be a world revolution which puts an end to all materialistic conditions hindering woman from performing her natural role in life and driving her to carry out man's duties in order to be equal in rights."
Muammar Gaddafi

The laws of physics...

The third of Isaac Newton's "laws of motion" states "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". This law we have seen demonstrated in its awful majesty when two tectonic plates moved beneath the waters of Japan. We are also seeing a further threat to our theories of nuclear power. Despite all precautions being taken; all protections being put in place; all preventions being made; the power of the simple law of physics threatens to reduce the north of Japan to a place frighteningly reminiscent of our obscene misuse of the theories of nuclear fusion on the towns of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.
Are we too stupid to see the lesson being taught here?
Nuclear power - NO THANKS.
Rather use the powers of the laws of motion and other renewable forms of power such as: wind power; hydroelectric energy; biomass; hydrogen and fuel cells; geothermal power; energy from tides, the oceans.
Let the only atomic power we use be that generated by the atomic explosion that sustains our life - the sun.

It's the Middle East

I lived in the Middle East for several years during the 70's. This, of course, doesn't make me an expert on anything but it does bring a wry smile to my lips when I read the news. The endemic tribalism of the area contra the "West's" feigned moral posturing in order to protect their oil interests is a sure recipe for yet again lives to be lost as a result of our uncontrollable greed. I love this story:
A fox and a scorpion stood watching a wadi fill with water in a flash flood in the desert. They both wanted to get over to the other side. The scorpion said to the fox, "If I ride on your back, you can swim over with us both ."
The fox replied, "You must be joking. One sting from you and I am dead."
"Why would I do that?" said the scorpion, "Then we both would drown."
The fox thought a while. "OK" And the scorpion hopped on as he began swimming.
Half way across, the scorpion bit the fox. In his dying breath, the fox whispered, "Why did you do that?"
The scorpion shrugged its claws and said, "It's the Middle East."

Self-centred?

Something that worries me. The news from Japan is terrible, of this there is no doubt. Tens of thousands have lost their lives; tens of thousands are suffering unimaginably. The effects on those who have survived cannot be calculated. It must be a matter of absolute obviousness that we all must give what we can to help. Be it through simple donations to the relevant charities, or through our prayers, or, if we are lucky enough to be able, by our physical presence to lift, move, rescue or bury, care for and rebuild the lost communities.
Why then is the British news so concentrated on reporting we are sending this group or that group, or that group is packing so many boxes of tents and supplies? As well as using up so much TV news time interviewing leaders of one organisation or another involved in sending aid to Japan?
All this work and aid is obvious and necessary and would be a matter of unforgivable shame if we did not make this effort. But what is really important is what is happening on the ground in Japan. We are in a very real danger of patting ourselves too much on the back without analysing the effectiveness of the relief efforts and making sure those who are in real need get the help they require.

Let go the branch...part II

One day, an atheist was walking along a cliff when he slipped and fell over the edge. As he plunged downwards he managed to grab the branch of a small tree that was growing from a crevice in the rock. Hanging there, swaying in the cold wind, he realized how helpless his position was. Far below were jagged boulders and there was no way to climb up. His grip on the branch was weakening every second. "Well," he thought, "only God can save me now. I have never believed in God but I might be wrong. What have I to lose?" So he called out, "God, if you exist, save me, and I will believe in you." There was no answer. He called again, "Please God, I never believed in you, but if you will save me now, I will believe in you from now on!"

Suddenly a great voice boomed down from the clouds, "Do you really believe in me?"
The man was so surprised, he almost lost his grip on the branch. "Yes God. I really mean it; I will believe."

 Finally God said, "Alright, I will save you. Let go of the branch."

Let go the branch...

Mikô suigetsu o saguri,

Shi ni itaru made kyûketsu sezu.

Hôshu shinsen ni mossureba,

Jippô hikari kôketsu.

The monkey is reaching for the moon in the water

Until death overtakes him he'll never give up.

If he'd let go the branch and disappear in the deep pool,

The whole world would shine with dazzling pureness.

Please pray for the people of Japan and anyone who is afraid.

The pink blossom tree..

The pink blossom tree..
is fallen and washed away.
Look! The sun rises.

Broken glass

I have always been a Window’s user. Perhaps I ought to qualify that statement. When I first started using a PC the competition was between the command line instructions of CPM or that system called PCDOS  (later to be called MSDOS); colour was a choice between green, black and grey; graphics were either a vertical or a horizontal straight line and the full range of sound was a beep. So the grey rectangular shapes dividing output to the screen that were given the misnomer Windows (and emulating a similar presentation by a firm called Apple) felt like we were putting round wheels on our square wheel cart. Unfortunately this cart has now become a Viking Mission complete with own Jacuzzi. Fine if your daily usage is a trip to Mars and back, but more than a little overkill if you only travel to Fresco, Florence or the Philippines.
Overkill, I could live with if:

1. The cost was not exponential (more software/more hardware; more hardware/more software ad infinitum) 
2. The system was secure. Despite Microsoft’s Internet Security Essentials, a firewall and an up-to-date anti-virus program, the b*stards still got through (I strongly suspect this whole virus/malware business epidemic to be the technological equivalent of the young boy standing next to the parked car with a brick in his hand saying, “Look after your car for a tenner, mister?”).

So I have scrapped my Windows 7 and installed Linux (Ubuntu) with all the needed applications. It is all FREE and SECURE.
And so what if I have to travel to Fresco, Florence or the Philippines in my own Ferrari? I am quite happy with that. Couldn’t you be too?

An awful inevitability

My friend in Holland has just informed me their pet dog has been diagnosed with bone cancer and has only a few weeks to live. It is far too easy to be either over sentimental or at worse, pathetically cynical about such news. But the fact of the matter remains, whether the pet is an addition to a family with children or - as in this case - a replacement for not having children, dog owners face an awful inevitability. Every parent will tell you their greatest fear is that they could have to bury their own child. Thankfully in most families this will never be the case. But those who love and cherish a pet must invariably face this awful end to their relationship. I have a six year old Labrador and know we are probably half way in our time together. These short loving relationships, together with our own brief human lives and loves, and the richness they bring to our mortal experience, can only confirm the fact that it is the foolish and the ignorant who put their faith in material things.

Vanity

I suppose writing a blog is a form of vanity, but this Ash Wednesday may allow the beginning of some such fun and games. In the film The Devil's Advocate, Satan (Al Pacino) claims that "vanity is his favourite sin". As it is mine too (together with greed and lust), perhaps exposing this vanity might help reduce my addiction. On the other hand a poet wrote:
‘Once in fit of passion,
I cried with fervent grief,
“O Lord, my soul is sunk in sin,
Of sinners I’m the chief.”
Then came my Guardian Angel
And whispered from behind,
“Vanity my little man,
You’re nothing of the kind.”

Let us see what happens in the future.