Bloody Stupid Facebook Status

I just saw this as someone's Facebook status - 
"I have a personal reason for asking if everyone could put this as their status for 1 hour. I'm pretty sure I know the names of those who will. Think of Someone you know who has or has had cancer, or someone you lost from Cancer. My wish is that in 2011 they will find a cure. Will you post this for one hour in honor of those who have fought or are fighting cancer"


My first reaction was WHY? Why do you feel the need to share this information with anyone and why do you imagine that I would want that as my status.


My second reaction was HOW ON EARTH DO YOU THINK THAT THIS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO ANYTHING? Assuming that it is intended to encourage and spur on all those who are looking to find cures, why on earth would this status message make any difference? I would imagine that they're working quite hard at it already and this is not going to make them work any harder.


So, my conclusion is that this status is simply a request for sympathy. And, since pretty much everyone has been touched by cancer in some way, it is unlikely to mark out the poster as special or deserving. Needy, yes - but special, no.

Confusion

Just to clear up any potential confusion, this is not being written by a lesbian in Syria. But there again it turns out that this wasn't either - Damascus Gay Girl Blog.

I'm not sure what is worse - the fact that it was written by an American guy or the fact that so many people believed it. I'm sure that there are terrible things happening in Damascus, but this work of fiction took focus away from real issues and onto a made up story.

My Standard Super 8

One of the things that I really enjoy doing is taking my old car out. She is a 1956 Standard Super 8 called Suzie. 


Just to save me a little time here are some answers to a few of the questions that I get asked...
Q - So, it this a Morris?
A - No, it's a Standard


Q - But who made it?
A - Erm, Standard made it


Q - What's it like to drive?
A - Bloody scary


Q - Is it fast?
A - Well since it has an engine about as powerful as your average food mixer, no


Q - Have you always like Standards?
A - No, only since I bought one


Q - Do you mind if my spotty child with ADHD puts their grubby hands on your car?
A - Yes, I bloody well do mind (although to be fair that is not a question that gets asked, it just happens)

Who voted for this?

I have just seen an item on the BBC News website saying that the Archbishop of Canterbury is warning that the government is committing Britain to "radical, long-term policies for which no-one voted". The full article can be found here - BBC News article .


I have a problem with the whole concept that people should feel that they can vote on important and complex issues. I like to think that I am reasonably intelligent, however I certainly do not understand what needs to be done to fix the economy or to ensure the survival and viability of the NHS. So I really struggle with the concept that the average man in the street, with an average intellect should feel that they can decide what happens. Anyone who did understand the concepts is more likely to be driven by self-interest than by a desire to fix things for the greater good. For example, if I am asked whether I want my local hospital to close, offer fewer services or expand then I'm likely to say 'expand'. The chances are that this is the wrong decision (or at the very least the right decision for the wrong reason). 


We need to accept that the average person is not the right person to make complex decisions about some things. If I had a broken leg then I'd rather have the opinion of an intelligent and trained doctor than a *ahem* less bright and ignorant carpet fitter. Of course this does depend on our elected representatives being capable of making the right decisions rather than lining their own pockets of pandering to popularity, but I'll save that one for another day.  

The Cinema

OK - firstly let me say that I hate the cinema. I'm agnostic about the industry because I guess that it largely caters to whatever it thinks will make money, but I loathe the places where films are shown....


Occasionally there is a film that I would really like to see. 'Senna' is one such movie - http://www.sennamovie.co.uk/  All of the reviews seem to say that it is a great piece of film making. I find it quite reassuring that films like Senna can still be made today - clearly there are still some brave and intelligent people left. There is a big HOWEVER to this....  


However, to see the film in a suitable form I really need to go to a cinema so I checked the listings for the two big multiplexes near us assuming that they might have found a way to show it amongst the other shit. How wrong I was. There is one showing listed on Tuesday 21st June (yes, over two weeks away). However, if I wanted to see some brain-dead rehashed version of a previous film I would have been in luck. I could see Fast and Furious 5, Pirates of the Caribbean, X-Men ad nauseum, but I can't see anything with a small amount of intellectual merit.


I'm sure that these shit holes, sorry cinemas, are only reacting to what is popular because their aim is to make money for their shareholders, but why don't they try taking a risk. If they created a nice environment where people with a brain could watch something vaguely intelligent then I'm guessing they may actually engage a whole new section of the population who usually avoid cinemas like the plague. Sadly, because they only keep on doing what they do today they will never find out if there is a market. They will continue to attract people who are happy to watch cynically produced rehashed rubbish and people who want to see something with a bit of intelligence will stay away in droves.

Introduction

I've been toying with the idea of creating a blog for ages and finally decided to give it a go. I have no idea if anyone will care or even view what I write, but I guess that is true for the vast majority of content that is published.


I am sure that lots of what I write will come over as being very negative. This is not the intention. There is a great deal that I like and enjoy about the modern world. However, there is also an enormous amount wrong in the UK and in the world as a whole. 


Will my ramblings change anything? Of course not. Will my ramblings make anyone feel any better? I doubt it. However, maybe there are others who see the shite and maybe this will make them realise that they are not alone.