Disconnect

This is one of the first blog postings where I do not know where to start. So many alternative sentences and analogies to kick things off! Jeremy Clarkson's hysterical car reviews in The Times often start with a brilliant (off topic!) preamble, before he knuckles down for some laddish talk.

OK, let's try this one: You were right!

One of the key early drivers of the Internet, other than porn and online product information was it's ability to allow those with wobbly minds to easily and affordably publish their theories and conspiracies using a medium that became increasingly easy to access. I am sure some of you have come across them - many featuring mid 90s style html with flashing links and pictures of bug eyed aliens of the Whitley Strieber variety. Even more such sites popped up after 9/11.

(FYI, unless convinced someone may be onto something, I steer clear, preferring to source my knowledge from science publications or public engagement.)

All said, if you do throw that many darts at the board, even if unskilled, you'll eventually hit the bulls eye. Further, if you do in fact know what you are doing, then with less darts, you'll still hit the bull.

The revelations by Edward Snowden (recently added to my 'Heroes' page) that the NSA and other agencies have not only been spying on you, but also archiving just about everything you have done, stored and said in cyberspace and on the phone, generated approximately three responses across the media and blogosphere:

1. That's cool, it will protect us from the bad guys. I have nothing to hide. I am perfect!
2. I knew it! So my detractors were wrong, we really are all being monitored 24/7.
3. What?!! I feel betrayed. Shoulders dropped, I am but a mere powerless pawn in the grand scheme of things and have no connection to the truth or reality, unless there in person.

Betrayal is the word here. A sense that the very people on our side (whoever 'our' is) had collected information and could not no longer be trusted caused one to lose faith in all institutions, not just the banks and other nefarious entities. Quite simply, there is no one to trust, to believe, to rely upon as one's rock - beyond family, best friend and/or God. (This extends to my still yet to be completed mega post entitled '2+2=5', that discusses the huge amount of disinformation and cover ups by special interests, in particular in the carbon energy, processed food and pharmaceutical industries.)

Just two days ago, what some of us has always believed (no conspiracy theory, just 'plane' obvious) was potentially vindicated, namely that Pan Am Flight 103 was not brought down by Libya, but in fact Iran.

The reasons for this kind of cover up are of course to maintain the complex geopolitical balance that makes the world continue to spin relatively smoothly, and hopefully, not go wobbly. IE, allow us to continue to obtain our nasty carbon fuels from people we don't really like, but have to do business with.

No matter, the point is that we're being spoon fed porkie pies. And the spoon feeding is so ingrained into the system that when a modern aircraft goes missing, all that technology that is used to monitor us 6' tall squidgy organic things cannot locate it after almost a week.

Or to put it more transparently, someone knows where Flight MH370 is, but isn't telling, because that would upset the geopolitical apple cart. What's inside the apples is now further down the news headlines.

It is even possible that those who don't want the aircraft found too soon are responsible for it's demise, but we'll let time tell, for that does tend to be the best teller of truth.

Another example of how disconnected and lacking in control we are is when it comes to communications, in particular trying to reach an organisation or individual by telephone. Tried calling the HMRC in the UK? Or how about a specific individual or support line at Google? Good luck! If you call the UK's BT (telecommunications provider) because your Internet is not working, you'll get a recorded message to say something like "Don't forget, you can get more help online at www.bt..." etc. Really?

Flight back club: Be omnipresent?

It's time that you were going
And there's no way of knowing
How long we'll be apart
Wherever life may lead you
Remember how I need you
Keep our love locked in your heart, ^wo-oh, wo-oh

Jet plane flying high above me
Don't stay away too long
Come back darling, say you love me
Don't stay away too long
Tell me you'll be thinking of me
Each time you hear this song

We'll love again, some other day
Don't stay away too long^^

I miss you every minute
My world without you in it
Is such an empty place
When days bring rainy weather
As long as we're together
There is nothing we can't face

Rep from ^ to ^^ twice more
- Peters & Lee

Hindsight

Over the last few years I have begun to digitise my library of film shot photographs. A huge and laborious process that those born into the digital age do not need to contend with. Although since childhood I made notes in a log book when it was convenient (linked to a unique ID for each roll of film), there are a number of photos that are hard to date.

One can understand that during the age of film there was no way to record location information (GPS is relatively new), what is surprising is that cameras did not log the date and time on the negatives! I had not really paid attention to this until recently. Some film cameras did have date electronics built in that allowed you to select an option to imprint the date and time on each frame, but that spoiled the photo and was only really suited to specific situations, such as crime.

In a way, this matter is similar to the flooding here in the UK. Today the government are rightly being accused of doing too little too late, despite the years of warnings that climate change (no matter how caused) would lead to an increase in precipitation or 'rain' as we Brits call it and have too much of even without climate change!

We are taught to think of the future when it comes to money. "Save for a rainy day." "Put a bit aside for X." Etc. Yet for most other matters, humanity seems to think far too short term, and then pay the price later. In my case, lack of the obvious concept of embedding a cheap electronic circuit in every camera and date stamping the negatives means most of us who started out in photography prior to digital now have a lot of work on our hands!

Fight back club: Plan ahead.

Greenpeace

Given very little press coverage is the fact that the crew of a Greenpeace ship protesting Russian drilling in the arctic have been arrested and charged with piracy. (Ha!)

The issue is not just that the Russians have arrested them (such behaviour and worse has happened before to Greenpeace), nor the lack of press coverage (despite IPCC report today), but the lack of comment or action by our or other governments. And we all know why, because our oil companies are equally keen to exploit that part of the world.

The whole situation is a huge charade and evidence that for all the talk, nothing changes and the energy industry have absolute power.

Fight blackstuff club: The usual, avoid using carbon fuels - and as I am doing, donate to the most non political pro-active brave charity out there.

Update: Much coverage a few weeks after my post. They have all been released now.

Nasty Business

What riles me about having to blog is that it occupies time and mental energy that should be focused on work. So each time something comes up that will effect the quality of life of good people, I have to take a break to highlight an issue that cannot be deferred.

One can safely assume that readers are aware a large proportion of England's (currently) beautiful land is owned by the Church, the Oxbridge Universities and wealthy landowners, the latter who we have much to be grateful for, but that is another discussion.

Just this week, the Church hinted that fracking would be good for the poor.

1. How many of those residing near any refinery or mine live a high quality of life? Clean air? Quiet streets? Nice views? Silence 24/7? (As is the case in most English villages.) I don't think so. I drove past countless refineries in the USA and was shocked at the quality of life in the vicinity. Some even harken to the old days when dirty industries powered the economy (which they did, no denying that), but we're in 2013 now!
2. Do the poor want to warm their homes using clean next generation technologies, or be complicit in using fuels that are potentially carcinogenic not to mention above ground carbon emissions that damage the environment?

Then we discover that the Church may profit from making it's land available to frackers. Where there is smoke, there is fire. And the fire is that the current Arch Bish of C was a former oil industry exec. What's this from an organisation that is from my understanding supposed to put charity before self?

The National Trust HQ in Swindon, UK
Gorgeous sustainable healthy architecture all powered by 100% solar energy
(Which begs the question, why not build houses and other offices like this?)

This folks is how nasty things happen in this so called democratic world. People worm their way into and up the ladder at respected entities, only to then exploit their position at the opportune moment for the benefit of the few.

But there's more! The Church has admitted it has interests in Wonga, another dubious organisation that has recently corrupted some UK football teams through sponsorship to such an extent that yesterday on Radio 4 (UK), spokespeople for some football clubs refused to allow club staff to say anything!

(Have been fond of and defended the Church quite a bit so this is quite a kick in the teeth really.)

Corruption and threats from a nasty industry at the highest level. If Wonga sponsored Liverpool, who I have supported since childhood (still got my Kevin Keegan cigarette cards), well, my fandom would go elsewhere, with broken heart.

(Note that only dubious entities require spokespeople. Ideal when the perpetrator does not have the guts to show their face! Gun for hire?)

Consumer debt is evil, and any attempt to gloss over that fact is deceitful to vulnerable people.

Today we are defending our interests in Gibraltar (my history is rubbish, so no idea if we're the 'good guys' - although I understand we bank roll Spain to the tune of several billion £ a year for reasons associated with our mutual conflictual past), but beyond all the Royal pomp and Olympics, I cannot help but feel that along with all the jobsworth state surveillance, hospital parking fees (£7 for 4 hours at my last visit), life destroying politically correctness/health & safety, trash TV, dangerous dogs etc Britain is becoming a fairly repulsive piece of work, so we have no right to be telling others countries what to do or spreading our nasty ways around the globe either!

By the way, for those overseas reading Vision Aforethought, over here, if a traffic warden sees you doing something wrong (such as your car slightly poking out of a spot - yes, a crime in some locations), rather than walk up and politely inform you of your wrongdoing, they will wait until you leave and only then approach your vehicle and stick a penalty charge notice on your windscreen. Or they will walk up to it whilst you are still there, ignoring your pleas. The event I refer to happened to an elderly gentleman and was witnessed by a professional colleague of mine who informed me, without knowing I maintain a blog that highlights such repressive abuse of power.

There is so much nastiness going on in the UK right now, all hidden by intentionally generated superficialities. Give it 15 years, and beyond being a true dystopia, thousands will begin to be afflicted by the carcinogenic effects of fracking (not to mention how it will genuinely decimate our countryside), but those who run these large organisations will be laughing all the way to their remote pollution and flood free homes up on the hills.

F(l)ight back club: Emigrate to where it's nicer? Challenge the Church? Encourage your community to build solar powered homes, schools, town halls etc, and get yourselves off the grid to show those nasty middlemen you mean good business. Now that's liberty!

Test of Blogger using iPad mini

Content. My poodle ate my noodle.