Telling us what to do

Listening to BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat on Monday, they reported on MP's advice to have two alcohol-free days each week.

In true Newsbeat style, they used a series of clips of members of the public giving their opinion. One of them said something along the lines of 'They can't tell people what they can and can't do'.

Two things got me wound up:

1) No one is telling anyone not to do anything. Forbidding something, and advice to not to something, are two very different things.

2) Having two alcohol-free days is completely sensible! It's not like it's hard-going, not touching booze for those two days, is it*?

It strikes me that some people just don't like authority, even when the voice of authority displays a little common-sense.

*I realise that for those addicted to alcohol, this is entirely the case, but I'll negate them for the purposes of this discussion.

More fashion

Evenin' all.

I've blogged about something really similar before, but I'm really wound up by a news story on the BBC News website.

For starters, the headline says "Criminal tag 'not fashion item'". Precisely!

This man committed a criminal offence. That is fact. He was found guilty by a court and convicted under the UK judicial system.

Imagine if another person had convicted an identical offence, at the same time, and been given an identical punishment, yet had not got a job that "required" the wearing of shorts. That other person would now still be receiving their punishment, whereas Aaron Morgan gets away with being "free" now, just because of his job.

Punishments should be given to all convicts of a particular crime as equals. Equal crime/equal punishment.

Part of our punishment system is about the removal of priviledges, such as parts of an individual's freedom. This has failed to happen here.

If his tag happens to make him look 'unfashionable', then so be it! It's not there to look good, it's there to make sure he's in a particular place, at a particular time.

What is the point in laws, if justice isn't carried out fully? Idle threats will give this person the view that he is above the law, and can continue to commit crimes with no consequences.

Why religion isn't for me

Anyone who is living in the UK and not under a rock has probably heard of the plight of Gillian Gibbons, arrested and sentenced for supposedly insulting Islam by allowing her class of Sudanese schoolchildren to name a teddy after a prophet.

What has amazed me over the last couple of days are the protests being held by Sundanese Muslims. For a religion that's striving all over the world to improve its image, these people really aren't helping.

I ask, Muslim people, are those of other faiths expected to understand each and every intricacy of your faith? Is this one simple misunderstanding so great that her life should be ended for it? If that is the case, what becomes of the children, who were the ones who chose the name?

I think some people need to learn some tolerance, and to stop knee-jerking. This teacher didn't mean to offend you, she made a mistake, it's what being human is all about, and it's how we learn.

Why do so many use religion as an excuse for hatred?

More on religion

Two posts in one day!? Anyone would think I'm having a rush of opinions..!

Today, I saw this story, about gay bishops not being allowed in the USA's Episcopal Church.

The part that surprises me most is that they 'made the decision after a six-day meeting'. I thought religion was supposed to be about individual beliefs?

It quite upsets me when religion causes this much bother. Why can't people just believe, and respect each other's beliefs?

It also upsets me that the Catholic church is so against homosexuality. What happened to loving thy neighbour? People can't help who they fall in love with.

Protection from...?

It's been a while...

Today I read this story. It's upset me because the Archbishop's comments about 'infected' condoms are completely unfounded. It states he was 'refusing to name the countries' that the infected condoms come from.

It strikes me that this man is using his position of influence to scare the population of his home country into abstaining from sex at younger ages and before marriage, which is what he believes to be the teaching of the religion he follows.

I believe that when the people of Mozambique hear this, they will be fearful of condom use, and will continue to have sex anyway, but unprotected, therefore worsening the HIV crisis.

Why must religion be used so badly?

Stinging

I read this story on the BBC news website this morning.

What struck me initially was the question of what she expected the pharmacy staff to do. They are not "health professionals" as the article states, at least not in my view anyway. They are simply chemists, not trained to diagnose conditions like anaphylactic shock.

It should be common sense that if you experience any difficulty after a sting/bite, you call 999 straight away.

Maybe this article doesn't highlight the lack of training in the health care domain as the BBC implies it does, but more the lack of understanding amongst the public.

R

Panorama

If you haven't already seen it, have a look at the BBC's Panorama investigation into Scientology. It's fantastic stuff. It's viewable here.

R