Wise or Dogmatic?

What planet does the Pope live on? Certainly not this one! The dogmatic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church have for years been extremely controversial, but I think Pope Benedict's gaff during his African tour has perhaps opened up new levels.

The Catholic Church has never given an inch on the question of birth control in whatever form, but is it now time for that to change? I think so. It is well documented that the greater majority of Catholics use birth control anyway, so why the dogmatism? Surely it must come down to your interpretation of the Scriptures, but there are others more qualified than I to comment on that.

The world is already overpopulated, and a new scientific report out today by the UK Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor John Beddington, states that by 2030 this planet will be in for a 'Perfect Storm'; for this read 'Melt-down'. Why? The growing world population will cause mass-migration as people hunt for food and water.

The following link will allow you to see the full interview on BBC News.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7952348.stm

Now, given this fact, I ask one question: Is it responsible of the Catholic Church to go on preaching against contraception? I think not. Professor Beddington (who may be the new Enoch Powell) has stated publicly that with the world population topping 8.3 billion by 2030, pretty soon it will be 'standing room only' (wars will be fought because someone is standing on your foot!). He estimates there will be a 50% increase in the demand for food and energy, and a 30% increase in demand for water.

As to the statement by Pope Benedict that "contraception does not help combating the AIDS epidemic but makes it worse", I wonder who his scientific advisor is?

He could not have chosen a worse place to make this statement, with Africa having the largest number of AIDS patients on the planet, 22%. To tell these people that condoms do not help in the spread of this disease is grossly irresponsible.

Aid Agencies and governments have been trying for decades to get the African people to use condoms in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease, and when they are starting to see some progress, along comes the Pope to denounce it all. Bah! Balderdash!

Various arms of the global religions have become more and more involved in politics during the last two decades, and I for one wish they would stop. It does not help the world's problems when Pius clergy open their mouths about things of which they have very little understanding.

If the human race is to survive into the next century, drastic measures will have to be taken to halt, and turn back the explosive increase in world population.

A prime example of what it could be like is the Tube Train in London or Tokyo's rush hour. Thousands of people trying to squeeze onto one train until they are so tightly packed they cannot breath properly. (Excuse me! could you give me an extra millimetre so I can have a heart-attack?)

Is this the future of the world? Not really, because before then we will have run out of food and water, and wars will be fought over these commodities.

So what do we do? I can see the kind of birth restrictions currently in place in China being applied world wide, as we fight to maintain a level of population that is sustainable by our planet's resources.

What of the Catholic Church doctrine then? Will it have bowed to the inevitable? I think not because it is so archaic it will take a brave Pope to go against it, and would also admit that this stance has been flawed all along. It will be up to the catholic people themselves to make the judgement, continue the religious beliefs or die as a race.

It may not come to that anyway, because sad to say, at least in the West, religion is slowly dying. With each new generation you find less people who believe in God, and church attendances are falling year by year. This in itself is very sad, because in my generation, while you were not a Saint, religion did put the brakes on some aspects of your behaviour.

Ah! The good old days - I remember them well!!!! Back then you at least had room to fall down when you had a heart-attack!

Keep smiling - it could get better!

Roy

The Law is Mad!

At one time it was oft said "An Englishman's home is his castle" but that was yesterday. If the events currently taking place in Nottingham, England are anything to go by, you can forget the 'castle' bit.

The UK Sunday Telegraph is reporting the story of a 17-year-old burgler, stabbed to death today following a struggle when, after breaking into someone's house in broad daylight, he was caught red-handed. A man of 22 from the house is being questioned by Police on suspicion of murder!

This follows a string of burgleries in the local area for which no-one has yet been caught. I guess the Police can close that file.

The 'victim's' mother apparantly went on a social website thanking supporters of her 'wonderful son'. It makes me wonder how parents can be so blind to the antics of their children. Amazing that even serial killers are someone's 'lovely, innocent child'.

This case will once again raise the debate on whether someone has the right to protect their home from criminals. According to the 'Law of the Land', if someone breaks into your home you are supposed to stand around waiting until they have finished and then call the Police.

You can just imagine the scene:

(sound of breaking glass) Mr. X gets out of his chair and goes to the kitchen to see a thief standing there. "Oh hello" says Mr. X "Are you burgling my house?"

"Yes" replies the thief, "Where are your valuables?". "Oh, they're upstairs in the dressing table drawer, third on the right" replies Mr. X.

Reaching for the kettle, Mr. X asks the thief "Would you like a cup tea while you are ransacking the house?" "Yea! OK" replies the thief, "Milk, with one sugar". Mr. X puts on the kettle and shouts to the thief as he climbs the upstairs, "It'll be ready in a couple of minutes".

Mr. X thinks about calling the Police while the burgler is upstairs, but realises he had better wait until the man finishes or he may get into trouble with the Law himself.

Upstairs, the man starts emptying drawers on the floor, pulls all the clothes out of the closet before turning to the dressing table. "Are you sure it's the third drawer on the right mate?" he yells down stairs. "Yes, quite sure" shouts Mr. X. You should find all my wife's jewellery in there". "Oh by the way, you'll find my wallet in the second drawer" he adds. "OK mate, thanks" replies the thief.

Taking the jewellery boxes and wallet the thief returns downstairs just as Mr. X finishes making the tea. "Ah! Nothing like a good cuppa when you're on the job" he says appreciatively. Taking the tea he sits down at the table and lights a cigarette "You got an ashtray mate" he asks. "Sorry" Mr. X replies, "my wife and I are non-smokers". "Oh" says the thief, suddenly concerned "would you rather I smoke outside then" Mr. X looked thoughtful and replies, "It would be nice if you don't mind. My wife will be home shortly and she has asthma."

With that the burgler steps outside the backdoor and smokes his cigarette. After he finishes both his tea and cigarette he re-enters the house, puts the cup in the sink and asks "are you sure you don't have anymore valuables in the house?" "No I think you have taken just about everything of value we have" replies Mr. X. "OK then, I'll be off. Oh! By the way, would you mind waiting a couple of minutes before you call the cops so I can get away?" says the thief with a broad grin, and then departs.

Mr. X checks his watch and after two minutes dutifully calls the Police.

That I think is the scenario preferred by British Law. This way the Police don't have to arrest anyone for defending their own home, and no nasty habitual criminals get killed. The insurance pays for the stolen items, and apart from everyone's insurance payments going up by 50%, no-one gets hurt.

It is inconceivable that the Crown Prosecution Service would even contemplate arresting someone for defending their own family and property, but they do.

Ask Tony Martin, a Norfolk farmer who in 1999 was charged with murder and sentenced to 'Life', but served 3 years after the charges were reduced to manslaughter on appeal. His crime, he fired a shotgun at youths who had broken into his farmhouse, a 16-year-old boy was killed. One of the boy's accomplices was wounded in the leg.

The 16-year-old and his two accomplices had 100 convictions between them for theft, and the boy was on bail for an offence committed just days before they decided to rob Mr. Martin who lived alone in an isolated farmhouse. An obvious question arises here, why were they free at all?

The really sad thing is, the wounded accomplice, who was jailed for 3 years, sued Mr. Martin for damages and loss of mobility, and almost got a £100,000 compensation payment from Mr. Martin for 'Unlawful Wounding'. He messed it up when he was photographed by a newspaper riding his bike.

He has a string of convictions, and after serving only half of his sentence, he was quickly back inside for stealing a Toyota Landcruiser. The third youngster, who received a sentence of 42 months, is continually in and out of jail.

The boy who died was also an habitual thief despite his age, and guess what! In 2001 his Father was jailed for 14 years for armed robbery. Like Father-like son and they put Tony Martin the victim in jail!!!!! So much for British Justice!

It is time for the Politicians and Law Lords to wake up to the fact EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEIR FAMILY AND PROPERTY!

Oh well - back to the scenario! Tea or Coffe Sir?

May what is yours, always be yours!

Roy.

The Sadness of Jealousy

Emotions are part of our makeup, without them we would be little more than machines, but how sad when we make more use of the bad ones than the good ones.

My wife and I were staying with our friend Maria who lives in an apartment block within a urbanization on the edge of Salamanca, Spain.

Upon returning from town, all the parking spaces outside were taken except for three across the road so I parked my car in one. My wife, who speaks Spanish, noticed a sign which said they were for disabled people. I decided to leave the car there because there was nowhere else, and as we had a good view from the apartment, I would move it as soon as a spot came free elsewhere.

About thirty minutes later I looked out the window to check the status of the street and saw the car was gone. Oh Great! Just what we needed!

OK! I freely admit I should not have parked there in the first place, but considering the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of these parking spots all over Europe and they are occupied less than 0.5% of the time I didn't think I was doing any harm for the short time I would be there. There were after all still two more vacant slots.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we had to take two buses to get to the Police Impound Yard, pay the charges and fine to get the car back.

It was later when I thought about it, that the Police and tow truck had been on the scene pretty darned quick to catch us out, and it was not an area frequented by them at all. Then it struck me, some 'kind' person must have called them! Later, when our friend Maria came home, she said she was sure that is what happened.

It got me to thinking. Maria said there are no disabled people living in the area, so it must have been just pure mischief on someones part because they saw a Lexus parked there and were jealous. This didn't make me mad, it just made me feel sad for the individual who was upset because someone had something they didn't, and decided to 'get their own back'. My wife put it perfectly; "There is no need to get mad or even, because when it comes time for those people to stand before their Maker, I am sure He will take this little episode into account." Straight away I agreed.

I really feel sorry for the person or persons responsible, because if they have nothing more interesting to do with their lives than peek through their curtains at the world outside to see if they can 'get even' with individuals who have a life, then they are to be pitied, not scorned.

It is however significant of our times, that individuals with less, are consumed by jealousy for those who have worked hard all there lives and managed to attain a small luxury or two.

They are typified by those who see a nice car, e.g. a BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar or Lexus and run down the side of it with a key or other implement with the sole purpose of causing as much damage, and therefore expense to the unfortunate owner, as possible because he has something they do not. Not everyone who drives a Lexus is rich. Some like myself, have worked hard and saved to buy a nice car for their retirement, so what right do these individuals have to destroy my 'harmony'?

When I was a child, the destructive kind of jealousy you see today was unheard of. Jealousy was around of course, but not so blatant as it is today. The narrow minded attitude, and vicious acts of pure vandalism against those with a little more are intolerable in today's society, but sad to say, it is on the increase day by day.

These days few people are willing to work hard for what they want, save for what they want, and above all, wait for what they want. The cry you hear above all others today is; "I want it NOW!" A good indication of the reason for the current economic crisis where everyone is buying on credit.

Too many today are lazy and disinterested in bettering themselves through serious study or hard work, but still think they are entitled to the same standard of living as those who do.

I believe that everyone is capable of bettering themselves, if they are willing to study to better their qualifications and work hard. The sad thing is, most people just can't be bothered. So long as they have enough money for cigarettes, beer, and their own simple pleasures they are not interested. But it still angers them when someone has more than they do, and it matters not that the individual concerned has perhaps been to night-school, does a hard days work, and saves for the fine things he/she has. The general attitude today is, 'If I can't have it, then neither should you!'.

It is indeed unfortunate that these people must wait until they meet their Maker before action is taken against them, for in the meantime, they can make the lives of good hard-working folk a complete misery, for they are seldom caught and punished by the Law.

During a trip to Craiova in Romania some years ago, my car was scratched up by someone during the night. Thankfully it was a hire car so it was covered, but I was told by my friends, that it was probably because the car had Bucharest plates, and local people hate those in Bucharest because in general, they have a better standard of living in the capitol. I know the person who did it was never caught because there was no way to identify the culprit.

I guess like many good citizens today, I will have to wait for 'Judgement Day'.

Never give up, there are still good people around.

Roy.

Will The Last Englishman Leaving the Country.....

In human history great nations rise and fall, it is the way of things. In the past, empires have risen through conquest and then been defeated by it.

History shows us that once great countries like Italy under the Romans, France with Napoleon, Spain under Phillipe 2, The British in the time of Queens Elizabeth and Victoria, and in more recent times the Germans under Hitler, all aspired to rule great areas of the globe, some with great success. The Arabs tried, the Turks, and even as far afield as the Far East, Japan, China and Mongolia have all tried with varying degrees of success. All have fallen.

It would seem every race on Earth has a dream to rule the world. Direct confrontation has been the accepted form of conquest in the past, but that is no longer a viable proposition, therefore, today we are confronted with sneak attacks from within. It is a sure way of taking over a country without war, bloodshed and violence, and it is in action right this minute in my country; England. It is true that a great deal of cooperation is required from the target country, and some European countries like Britain and The Netherlands among others, are giving it.

After the Second World War, Britain was on her knees, even in triumph, and the years that followed saw the 'End of Empire'. Countries right left and centre were demanding independence from Britain, and 'She' had no choice but to comply.

At the time, Britain had colonies from the Far East to Africa and from the Middle East to the Caribbean. From all this came the Commonwealth, which still survives today.

After the war, Britain, like many other countries, was short of manpower to rebuild. This started the immigration programme from previous empire states, and still continues today.

To take just one example, in 1961 the British Government passed the Commonwealth Immigration Act which gave all people belonging to ex-colonies the right of immigration into the UK. The floodgates were opened, and as can be seen on the streets of any English town today, they came in their droves.

It was not until 1968 came around with England beginning to be inundated with immigrants, that a very brave visionary, Conservative Cabinet Minister Enoch Powell, stood up in Parliament and gave his 'Rivers of Blood' speech that went down in parliamentary history.

He was the only politician in the country to see that Britain was accepting too many immigrants, and this would bring trouble on a huge scale. Enoch was called racist, ridiculed and shouted down by his peers, and removed from his post, but today, people look back and swear he was 100% right.

More than any other country, Britain has accepted refugees, asylum-seekers and other immigrants (mostly economic) to it's shores in the last 60 years, and believe it or not, they still haven't closed the gates. It's incredible!

Since 1960 Indians, Pakistani, Jamaicans, Africans from various countries and Muslims from the Middle East have flocked to Britain's shores in search of a better life. No-one can blame them for wanting to have a standard of living only dreamed about in their own country, and I certainly don't, but emigrating to a new country has its responsibilities. Sadly, this sentiment is not held by all who have come to Britain.

It is sad to relate that there are tens of thousands of Indians and Pakistani for example, who came to England in the 60's, and still don't speak a word of English. It is also a fact that these numbers are growing year by year.

It has always been my belief, that if you emigrate to another country, you owe it to the laws of decency and respect for your hosts to at least make an effort to learn the language of that country.

It is true that the British government did not help the process by allowing immigrants from the same cultural backgrounds to live together in areas of the same town instead of spreading them out among the general population.The immigrants have taken over so many areas of English towns that in many you are hard put to find an English face.

You have only to walk down a street in Bradford England to see that the whole town has been taken over by Pakistani Indians and Bangladeshi. They even wanted to legally change the name of the town a couple of years ago to reflect their heritage.

Could you imagine going to a foreign country (Iran -ha ha!)and asking them to change the name of a town because a few of you live there? You would probably end up on the chopping block!

Most irritating is the number of mosques being built with English tax-payers money so 'they' have somewhere to pray, and listen to the cleric preaching hatred for the system of government and style of living they moved so far to be a part of. Try asking the Iranian government for money to build a church because you are Christian (Ouch! Chopping block time again)!

In my opinion, when someone moves to another country they should do their best to integrate into that countries society, and above all, accept the customs and traditions of that land. This is not to say you are required to forget your own customs and religions however, just adapt them to your new life and surroundings.

Unfortunately, Britain forgot this when the immigrants started coming in, and did just the opposite, they started changing the English traditions and way of life to accommodate these people. That was the second big mistake.

Ridiculous as it may seem, even a children's nursery rhyme was banned because it mentioned the word 'Black' (Ba Ba black sheep have you any wool....) and was considered racist.

It is my belief that all this nonsense was started by insignificant, marginalised people who suddenly saw an opportunity to be the centre of attention, and get their names in the papers and on the TV news.

After the first beginnings, more people saw 'The light' and jumped on the bandwagon, and now the country is overrun with 'Bleeding Heart Brigades' who will protest about anything that doesn't suit their tiny warped minds. It is significant that in the beginning, the majority of these people were English, but now more and more groups are appearing, staffed by immigrants who are playing the system.

What is truly tragic, is the English people themselves either don't realise how their culture is being manipulated and undermined, or just don't care. It's incredible, and ultimately very sad!

In more recent times the disease has spread even further. Since many Eastern European countries have joined the EU there has been a huge influx of, for example, Polish. Most countries have strict immigration laws, but sadly Britain does not appear to have any at all. It would seem that anyone can gain entry to the UK, be given an apartment or house, plus weekly benefit handouts from the Local Council. It is wrong, desperately wrong, and the once proud British are nearing extinction, along with their traditions, history and culture.

It is known well enough that the immigrant population is currently breeding like rabbits, while the true English birthrate is falling.

It does not help the situation when pompous idiots like Dr. Rowen Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury said at the beginning of 2008 Britain should accept parts of Islamic Sharia Law. He really created a storm with that one! He has single-handed destroyed The Church of England with his radical ideas since he became Archbishop. However, it does give an insight into the thinking of many English. They still seem to believe that we need to change our way of life to accommodate the immigrants.

Personally, I think we should take a leaf from the Australian book: "If you don't like the way we do business, go back where you came from!" No subtlety about the 'Aussies', adapt or get out.

Unfortunately, for Britain it is too late, there are now so many immigrants in Local Councils, Parliament, and even The House of Lords, that the clock cannot be put back.

In the latest attack on the British way of life, some schools are now giving the classes in Hindi, Turkish or Arab because there are no 'English' kids left in the school. These kids are living, and will grow up in Britain, so why do they need to have their lessons in their parents mother tongue????? It is mind-boggling in the extreme.

I could imagine the reaction if I emigrated to Sudan and demanded that the school give my children all lessons in English!

The end result will no doubt be that all English people that can, will leave this 'Green and Pleasant Land' and live somewhere else. "Will the last Englishman to leave the country, please turn out the lights!" As a consequence of this, the immigrants will have won and the country will be handed over to them forever. The once mighty Britain will be nothing but a distant memory.

There may be readers of this blog who think I am racist, for that I am sorry, but I am not. I bear no ill-will towards any man or woman no matter what race or creed they belong to. The simple fact is, I love my country even though I don't live there anymore, and I find it sad to see a once proud nation slowly destroying itself and need to speak out. For this I make no apologies.

For those who wish to read the text of Enoch Powell's speech in full, please make use of the following link. I apologise for the site where I found it. I am not a member of the National Front nor do I necessarily agree with their policies.

http://www.natfront.com/powell.html


England, My England, May Your Sun Never Set.
Roy

Amnesty International's Prima Donna!

Oh how shameless some people are! Filled with righteous indignation at the Gaza conflict, Mizz Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's Chief Researcher for the Israeli/Arab conflict zone, has once again spewed forth her one-sided view of happenings there.

According to today's headlines, she now accuses the Israeli's of war crimes because Palestinian houses were demolished by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) during the recent conflict.

Personally Madam, I think you know nothing of military tactics, you know nothing of the way Arab Terrorists fight, and consequently, for a "Researcher", you know very little about Gaza! Please, get off your high horse, do some proper research, and provide the world with an unbiased opinion or shut up!

Amnesty informed the BBC Website that 'Israeli forces engaged in "wanton destruction" of Palestinian homes during the recent conflict in Gaza'.

Mizz Rovera said:- "The destruction was, in our view, and according to our findings, wanton destruction - it could not be justified on military grounds." She is further quoted as saying :- "Wanton destruction on a large scale would qualify as a war crime."

Serious charges in anyone's book, but are they justified? I think not, being ex military, one who is totally impartial, does not have an axe to grind, and is not swayed by the sensationalistic headlines in the Press.

Yes! Houses were destroyed during the conflict, and yes! many of them were family homes, but the reasons for this were omitted by Mizz Rovera. She obviously didn't read my previous blog (25 January titled 'Gaza-The Dirty War') before going to the Press. More fool her!

I quote an IDF written communique that said:- "For example, buildings were either booby-trapped, located over tunnels, or fire was opened from within them in the direction of IDF soldiers............The terrorist organisations operated from within the civilian population, using them as a cover and made cynical use of the IDF's strict rules of engagement, opening fire from within civilian population centres, mosques, schools, hospitals and even private residences of citizens in the Gaza Strip".

You may beat me with a six-foot banana if this is not exactly what I said in my 25 January blog on Gaza! Mizz Rovera it would seem has conveniently forgotten this Arab Terrorist tactic!

It is not the first time Mizz Rovera has been found wanting during an interview on the subject of Palestine.

Late last year, Rovera was interviewed by Dan Izenberg which prompted the following response on December 18th from Sarah Mandel, an NGO Monitor, who wrote on the blog discoverthenetworks.org the following:- "Rovera, as an Amnesty International representative, is mistakenly assumed to be a regional expert. Yet, not only does she spend little time in the region and speak limited Hebrew, but her analysis in Izenberg’s interview is baffling - She omits to mention, let alone make the connection, between the reality of daily terror launched from Gaza while condemning Israeli government policy".

Sarah Mandel went further by saying:- "As detailed NGO Monitor research has shown, the one-woman operation run by Ms. Rovera has produced numerous false claims, including in Amnesty's obsessive reporting on the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Dr. Michael Ehrlich, the former head of Amnesty’s Israel branch (1998-9), exposed the façade of this “research” based on so-called eyewitness evidence, and this led him to resign in protest. And NGO Monitor has shown quantitatively how Amnesty has consistently and unfairly singled out Israel for condemnation, to a far greater extent than oppressive regimes such as Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Libya, making a mockery of human rights claims".

Thank you Sarah, I hope you don't mind me quoting you. You and I are definitely on the same wavelength.

As for Amnesty International, they should disassociate themselves from this women before their reputation goes completely down the toilet.

In the beginning I admired the work of this organization, and felt some sympathy for the causes they were "fighting" for, now I am afraid their image has, over the years, been tainted by their biased reporting, and dare I say it, sensationalist reporting of "The Facts".

The fighting, loss of life, and suffering of the Palestinian People is known the world over, but they cannot expect any real help or sympathy from the rest of us until they show a commitment to finding peace with Israel. It is they, and they alone who voted in Hamas as their government, knowing full well they were a terrorist group. It stands to reason then that nothing will change until the people of Palestine remove these troublemakers as their government, and have someone who is willing to deal with Israel for a permanent solution.

It should be no surprise to anyone that the world press is also a party to this debacle, willing as it is to print any story, no matter how unfounded, and by people that have already been discredited, just for the sake of sensationalism! Gentlemen of the Press - You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Thank God for what you have, and be ready to share.

Roy.

'Middle of the Road' Used to be a Group!

I reported on my road trip from Spain to Holland, and thought the item really begs a follow-on, because driving through four countries, was an ideal opportunity to compare driving standards across Europe, or part of it anyway. Driving in Spain is sometimes a lottery because the Spanish are VERY macho when it comes to their 'Cocha' and driving. In a newspaper article I read recently, they were described as "frustrated bull-fighters" that had taken to the road. I guess this just about sums them up really. Ole!!

In Spanish towns, you will often hear a cacophony of two-tone horns, single tone horns, and often cheeky beeps if you don't pull away fast enough from the lights, or if you are accidentally blocking their route. It is not unusual to see someone driving at breakneck speed through the town and even worse on the motorway.

As in most big towns world-wide, the scooters zipping in and out between cars is something that would give any old lady a heart attack.

I drive fairly regularly on one or two motorways where I live, and the most frustrating thing is people who drive down the middle lane of a three lane highway. They even sit in the third lane of a four lane motorway. This is extremely frustrating if you have to cross two or three lanes in order to pass them, and you waste your time flashing them or hooting at them because they will not move over - at least, not until their exit comes up. Overtaking on the inside is a regular occurrence, even if illegal.

In the seventies and eighties this was a constant problem in Britain and still is. There were even TV debates on the subject, and those guilty of this breach in highway etiquette, and the Highway Code, often said "But the inside lane is for trucks" Duh! Nincompoops! Idiots! It is quite obvious that none of them had ever heard of the Highway Code, let alone read it!

For my American readers, let me just say that in Europe you must overtake on the left (right in Britain) unlike the USA where you may, I believe, overtake on both sides.

Now to get back to the point, this is a constant occurrence both in Spain and Belgium, and the strange thing is, in both countries, the majority of offenders are women drivers. Sorry girls, but it is a fact. That is not to say men don't do it because they too are guilty. It is sad to note that none of this has any impression on the Police in any country. They are completely disinterested in the entire affair and take no action at all.

Another annoying thing about driving in Spain is people who drive on full headlights all the time, totally ignoring the fact that they could cause an accident by blinding preceding or on-coming drivers.

I have often stated to friends that I would love to be a traffic policeman with a hammer. If I were, I would stop these inconsiderate individuals and smash their headlights on the spot. Perhaps they would be more considerate after they were forced to stay where they were until daylight, and then had the cost of repairs. Unfortunately, Justice is not that straightforward.

Anyway, on to France! In general I find the French are much more considerate than the majority of European countries. They will move over if you wish to overtake, however they still have their 'middle laners'. They do have one throw-back to the sixties that they just don't seem able to forget.

It was taught many years ago, that if you wished to overtake you put on your indicator and left it on until the maneuver was completed. If they were overtaking a string of cars or trucks this meant a long time. Today however, we have three and four lane motorways for which this system is not suited. If someone pulls out into the second lane to overtake, you do not know if they are also going to cross into the third or fourth lane also. A bit dodgy if you ask me.

Paris is of course a rule unto itself. They are plain crazy in Paris and if you look around you, nearly all the cars have dents and scratches like nobodies business. It's scary!!! If you come out alive and unharmed you can thank your lucky stars once again.

As previously stated, Belgium is a pleasure to drive at night, if you don't mind the noisy, bumpy ride, but here we have the same 'Middle of the Road' mentality as in Spain. As previously stated, most are women, and I wonder if they feel safer in the middle lane, or is it a statement thing. You know! Here I am and this lane is mine, do you hear, MINE!

Belgian men can be aggressive if you flash them because they are hogging the overtaking lane too much. Though in Spain the men are much much worse if you criticise their driving in any way.

Overall, the Dutch have improved from some ten years ago. Once they got into the outside lane on a motorway you could not shift them for love or money! Now, thankfully they have learned, somewhat, that the outside lane is intended for overtaking only. Most, but not all will move over when you approach from behind with the intention of overtaking.

In general, I think I can say with the utmost authority, that driving standards across Europe have fallen significantly over that past 40 years or so. Cars have become faster and more efficient at speed, but with that must surely come an increased awareness of the responsibility of the driver to control that machine in such a way as to be safe on the road, and considerate to other road users. Unfortunately both are sadly lacking.

Driving schools all over Europe have but one aim; To get you through the driving test as quickly as possible with the minimum of investment. Gone are the days when people were taught how to drive, and were taught all the rules for safe and courteous driving. No amount of investment will change today's mentality.

So what do we do? I really can't answer that question. All I can say is try your best to be safe and courteous and hope you don't get mown down by some idiot.

May your wheels continue turning.

Roy

The Insanity of Self-Indulgence

I have just seen an item on the BBC news page that begs comment.

Zimbabwe - What a tragedy! All due to one man's egotistical addiction to power that is so common these days. I, as a reasonably normal individual, find it abhorrent that a man such as Mugabi can totally destroy an entire country, its population, and its economy just to keep himself in power. To me it beggers belief that no government on this planet is doing anything to stop this meglomaniac.

At the time of British colonial rule, Zimbawe, or Rhodesia as it was then known, was considered the 'bread-basket' of Africa and had one of the most successful economy's on the continent. Its farms, under white ownership were the most productive anywhere in Africa and the economy was also the strongest.

While I do not neccessarily agree with colonization of one country by another, it cannot be denied that in countries like Zimbabwe, the effects were almost all positive. There was work and food for everyone, and the population lived to a standard unimaginable in todays Zimbabwe, in fact in the rest of Africa.

What a shame it was all destroyed by one man, with a thirst for power equalled only by his grim determination to hang on to it at whatever cost to his country or its people.

After he came to power, Mugabi orchestrated the seizure of farms still owned by white farmers and distributed the land to his followers. The land became infertile and useless within a few short months. This is when the economic woes first started. With the decline of food production in the country things started going from bad to worse.

Today we have starvation, cholera, and inflation so high it is almost impossible to calculate. Cholera has killed an estimated 3,894 people since August last year, with more than 84,000 cases registered. More than half the population cannot survive without food aid, and only 10% of the population have a job.

As if this is not enough, to add insult to injury, Mugabi has just spent $250,000 on his 85th birthday celebrations. His birthday cake weighed in at a staggering 85 kilos, and during his speech he made it quite clear that farms taken from white farmers in the latest round of seizures would not be returned under any circumstances. He also stated that further seizures would take place with the same result.

This last statement was in direct retaliation to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), who had decreed the seizures were in violation of the law after being approached by some of the displaced farmers.

His political opponent Norman Tsvangeria was not present at the celebrations because I am sure he was not in a celebratory mood at such excesses. He has already stated that it would take around $5billion to fix the Zimbabwe enconomy, and just days before Mugabi's excessive display of wealth and power, his country had asked other African nations for $2billion to start getting the economy sorted out.

What a sad state of affairs in today's world when one man can drive an entire country, and its people, into the ground. Excuses can be made for the Zimbabwean people themselves, because part of Mugabi's tactic is to rule by fear. Anyone caught dissenting against the President could find themselves, or members of their families, suddenly missing a limb or worse, after being attacked by one of the Zanu-PF parties thugs who roam the streets with machetes.

There is no doubt, Mugabi has the country sewn up, and it will take concerted international effort to get him out before the country can be rebuilt.

Who will make the first move?????

Keep hoping for a better world - it will come someday!

Roy.

The Wonders of Travel

Just for a change I thought I wouldn't jump on anybody's case, but do something different.

Today, travel is second nature to the majority of people, and we do so over huge distances unheard of in times gone by.

I have just arrived back in Holland where I lived for many years before moving to Spain, a journey of 2253 kilometres which I covered in approximately 26 hours. I did it by car, mainly because I enjoy driving.

I left home at 16.15, heading north out of Marbella along the coastal strip that is the Costa Del Sol, before turning inland through the mountains in the direction of Granada. It is well known that the Costa has a unique climate, and the mountain chain stretching along the coast 20 or so kilometres inland is the reason for this.

Once through the mountains I found myself in an agricultural area that is dotted far and wide with small communities.

Reaching Granada is somewhat of a shock because one hears so much about this famous city and it's beautiful architecture, but from the motorway it does not look impressive at all, but of course from there, you do not see the beauty of the city itself. I will certainly return one day and look for myself.

Continuing on, one must pass Juen before getting to Madrid, the capital. What a huge sprawling city it is, like most capital cities I suppose. It can be a bit daunting to drive through without an in-car navigation system, thankfully my Lexus has an excellant one. At several points through the city you find three or four motorways flowing parallel to each other. Imagine 16 to 18 lanes of traffic seperated into four motorways running side by side, and you have to get in the correct lane to get onto the motorway you want! You need to have your wits about you, and that's no understatement.

Eventually we leave Madrid behind and find ourselves in the heartland of Spain. Strangely enough, it looks a lot like the countryside south of Madrid, because the one thing that struck me the most was this; Olive Trees! From horizon to horizon, covering every available patch of ground, were olive trees. I really would not like the job of carrying out an olive tree census in Spain.

It is a particular pleasure when travelling in Spain, to stop off somewhere for a Caffee con Leche (milk coffee) and a Tapas, which is a small snack such as Tortilla (potato omlette) or a small salad, or baguette. These are available at any roadside cafe or bar and are delicious, and very cheap. I recommend them to any traveller in Spain.

Still travelling north we come to Burgos, one of the coldest parts of Spain, before entering the Pyranees and the Spanish Basquenland. It is general knowledge that a very small minority of the Basque people have been trying for years to break away from Spain proper, and driving through the region I can't for the life of me understand why! It would seem that everything they have, they get from the Spanish Government; like the new motorway through the mountains. The old road was a typical torturous mountain road with hairpin bends, a true nightmare, especially for trucks. Now, with the new motorway you go through tunnels etc, and by comparison, hardly notice the mountains at all, driving-wise that is. It has cut the Pyranees travel time by half at least, all thanks to the Spanish Government and tax-payers.

The only downside to all the new motorways being built in Spain is that many are becoming Toll Roads, a trick they learned from the French no doubt!

Anyway, onward to the border with France. The first thing you notice after crossing is 'Peage'!! The direction I need to go i.e. Paris (all roads in France lead to Paris) is for the most part toll roads. We head for Bordeaux via Biarritz, that French coastal resort so loved by the English Victorians. If you ever visit Biarritz you will find a fascinating number of walkways, small islands and decorations along the seafront, all installed by the Victorian English.

It takes about two and a half hours to get to Bordeaux from the border, it never looks that far on the map. This French town was of course infamous during the Second World War because it was used by the Nazi's as a base for part of their U-Boat fleet. You can still see the concrete submarine pens constructed by the Germans during the war. They have not been torn down because they were built to withstand bombing attacks by the RAF, and with true Deutsche "Grundlichkeit", are indestructable.

Once past Bordeaux you enter France proper, with fields stretching for kilometres either side of the road, areas of woodland and quaint little villages, all very picturesque. The motorway is studded every few kilometres by parking places with strange names called "Aieres" (not sure about the spelling). You see Aiere de Sant Villiers, Aiere Le Chagnastie and many more.

Of course there are the usual petrol stations and coffee shops, but a word of warning, don't drink the automat-coffee in a petrol station shop. For 1.20 Euroes you get 12 millilitres (2 sips) of muck that I wouldn't give to my dog if I had one! Driving through on a Sunday, you will find all of these Rest Stops packed out, with every parking slot taken. I can only judge from the facts that it appears to be a French thing to go for a day out to one or other rest stop, even in winter.

After about 530 kilometres its time for the big one: Paris! This city is perhaps the biggest nightmare for travelling through anywhere in Europe. The drivers in Paris are crazy, and you need eyes in the back of your head to see where the next one is coming from. I almost got crushed into the barrier by a huge truck pulling out to overtake. Luckily he saw me in time to prevent an accident.

Having said that, the motorways through Paris are not too bad and you can get through without too much hassle, providing you plan well ahead any lane changes you need to make for exits. Mine from Paris was via Charles De Gaulle Airport, and I must say, it was fascinating to watch a 747 taxi over my head as I travelled along the motorway.

On leaving Paris you hit the toll road pretty quick, and then its heading north-east for the border with Belgium through the lush green fields of northern France. Once again, beware of the coffee if you want to stay healthy.

On hitting the frontier you are immediately surprised to find the Customs post still intact, even though internal borders were swept away years ago by the EU. They may not be manned, but they are still there. Its not like travelling between, say Holland, Belgium or Germany, where you don't even slow down for the border because its not there anymore. France has kept its border posts for some reason and it is neccessary to go through at 10 km per hour! Crazy Huh! Ah Well! The French have always been a law unto themselves!

On into Belgium and its suffering motorway system. The road surfaces are not all they could be, being constructed of concrete slabs which, while extremely durable, are very noisy. Unfortunately it seems that many motorways in Belgium are now at a stage where the surfaces are in desperate need of repair. But once you get used to the thrumming of the tyres its not too bad. Night driving in Belgium is fine because all the motorways are lit at night. I would hate to have to pay the electricty bill for that lot.

It takes but a couple of hours or so to cross Belgium via Liege and then you pass a sign saying you have entered Holland. The sign is the only way you would know you have crossed a border.

It has been approximately 26 hours since I left Marbella travelling at a steady speed, and stopping a couple of times for sleep, not counting the other stops for coffee, toilet etc.

This is just one example of the modern day miracle of fast travel. Five Hundred years ago, this journey on foot would have taken just over 35 days to complete, estimated at a steady 8kmph for 8 hours a day. Even with a horse, it would still have taken more than 20 days. Amazing what technology can achieve!

Ode to Fatness

For years the streets of America have been thronged with overweight people who are classed as obese, and now the problem has reached epidemic proportions in Britain. "Aaaaaargh! Excuse me! Would you mind moving your belly, it's on my foot!"

It was reported by the UK Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health yesterday, that between 1997 and 2003 a 74% rise in diabetes was recorded. By 2005, more than 4% of the population were classed as having diabetes - nearly double the rate of 10 years earlier. Most are the Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) which usually happens to people over 40 years of age, however in recent times, children as young as seven are being diagnosed with the condition.

Current research indicates there are now 2.5 million Brits with diabetes, and another 500,000 who don't even know they have it! Boy! have they got a surprise coming. The cause of this diabetes increase - obesity - or, super-huge fatness!

It was estimated that 8% of women, and 6% of men in England were obese in 1980, but by 1998 the numbers had shot up to 21% of women and 17% of men ( the ladies are still winning!). Almost a 300% increase! Current estimates now put 58% of the British population as either overweight or obese. Some people think you should not make fun of the obese, and I agree , but when I hear the excuses they trot out, blaming everything and everyone but themselves for their condition I cringe: "It's genetic - Pass the mayonnaise dear!" or "It's my hormones - Can I have some more french fries?" "Its in my genes, can't do a thing about it - Pass the cake please".

There are also a few crackpots around. One Doctor, I can't remember his name, reported the results of his research last year which suggested that obesity was caused by a virus!!!!!! Bull Doc!!!!(... and I kept that clean) I have heard some lame excuses for obesity, but that one deserves an Oscar!

Why are people obese? The two main reasons, according to doctors who really know their stuff, are:- over-indulgence and lack of exercise - so there!

To some, the body is a temple, but that is going a bit too far for me. However, anyone who abuses their body to the extent where they need two aeroplane seats just to sit down should be chained in the stocks at least.

I am a smoker, I have been for more than 50 years, and I make no apology for that. When I started, we had no idea of the harm that can be done to the lungs when smoking. The past few years have seen a witch hunt levelled at smokers with a ferociousness unequaled in modern history. Smoking is no longer allowed in public places in many countries, and everywhere you turn there is someone trying to make you stop.

I can understand the non-smoking fraternity not wanting to smell ashtrays or sit in a smoke-filled room, and I accept that with good grace, but when Doctors blame any illness you have (even the common cold) on smoking, then I say Bah! Humbug!

At the time, much was said about the increased cost to the UK National Health Service (NHS) in treating smoking related illness, and this was used as a lever to get legislation through Parliament.

Which brings me full circle back to obesity. The NHS is currently spending £1m every hour, 10% of its total budget, treating people with diabetes and its complications, and this is set to rise enormously in the next few years. On top of that, all the obese people are going to completely overload the heart clinics and hospital cardiac wards when the old ticker starts to give under the strain. Then we will see a real crisis in the NHS. Probably mass suicide by NHS managerial staff led by the Health Minister!

So should we now have a witch hunt against fat people??? "No fat people in public places please!" - "I'm sorry, you can't be fat in here, you'll have to be fat outside!" - "No fat people on the buses (now there's a thought)!" - "no fat people in cinema's!!!" Need I go on?

If an adult wishes to abuse her/his (ladies first) body to the extent where they shorten their life span by tens of years it is up to them, but what really upsets me is when their children are also grossly overweight. For this there is no excuse. If, as an adult you wish to eat crap and lounge on the sofa all day that is your prerogative, but if you have children it should be against the law.

You cannot always lead your children by example, but you should try. You should at least care enough about them to make sure they do not follow your self-destructive ways, and if you can't you do not deserve them. Period!.

It is no great feat to feed your children good healthy meals and teach them to get plenty of exercise. Who knows, some of it may even rub off on you, but if you are too overweight to chase them around the garden yourself, buy a big dog and train it to chase them for you! You see, for every problem a solution!

I despair when I see parents coming out of supermarkets with trolleys loaded to the brim with these huge bags of potato chips and bags of french fries. Invariably, the accompanying children already have their snouts in a bag of potato chips on the way out!! Unbelievable!

Whereas the Americans like their hamburgers, the British have become addicted to the french fry. It is unfortunate but true, that the English diet now consists of french fries with everything! How sad!

If the current trends continue in the West, I can see humans becoming more like those depicted in the film Wall-E; fat bloated bodies with tiny fat legs and arms, laying on anti-gravity couches and being moved around automatically. Somebody tell me this is not the future!

May fatness be your guide (to good eating). Bon Appetite!

Roy.

No Hable Espanol!

Now that I live in Spain, one of my top priorities is to learn the Spanish language. I had intended to start at a state run academy this month, but as I have to go back to my old stamping ground for an operation, it has been put on hold.

This makes it all the more annoying when I get redirected to the Spanish version of a web site while surfing the net. I try where possible to put my location as the UK, because then at least I get the pages in English. But sometimes that doesn't work and I still get directed to the .es site automatically. This is very frustrating!

Admittedly, some web pages think of people like me, and put a language selection menu on the page which is handy. What a pity all do not have this foresight.

One of the worst problems is buying stuff on-line. I have for example, I-Tunes on my computer, but when I go to the Shop, I must go to the German page because I have a German credit card. I even had to give my old employers address in Germany just so I could buy music or whatever from Apple. You can't live in one country and have a credit card or bank account from another? Isn't it ridiculous?

We have now a global economy, with people moving from one country to another to find work, or some other reason, but this doesn't seem to get through to the web. How many Poles are living in Western Europe? How many Turks live in Europe? How many Middle East people have moved into Europe? The list is endless, and yet the Internet does not support this migration to the extent it should. It is time company's ensure their websites reflect the needs of people who no longer live in their countries of origin.

I am sure a Polish person living and working in France would love to view pages of interest to him in his own language, no matter how good he speaks french. To do this he must go to a Polish site, only to find himself redirected to the french site because that is where his computer is!!!

The only web company that has done something useful in this area is Google with its translation tool featured on their pages. A very handy tool that I have made use of frequently.

Web Page designers must be made aware of this shortfall in their product, and the best way to do that is for everybody to send e-mails to the Help Section of the page being viewed. Maybe then they will listen. Miracles do happen!

May tomorrow be better for you than today

Roy.