Day of The Disappeared

Yesterday my better half and myself had volunteered to help clear out and tidy up the meeting room at the Amnesty International bookshop in Newcastle. We were not alone in this task and hopefully the effort will enable the resources to be used more effectively. And the meeting room more pleasant to use. There was no cost to us other than a few hours, as even the travel costs was covered as latter on my better half and I were meeting a group of her friends latter on in the evening and going out for a meal.

As we were going for a meal I had a couple of ideas for lunch, but it was dependent upon the time the voluntary work took, as it was we did have the time for a light fresh lunch so I got a couple of pounds of fresh Muscles. I had the wine and the shallots and could do a Moules Marinieres. A wonderfully easy dish and takes no time to prepare and cook too. And it was just really nice and fun to share preparing, cooking and eating the meal.

While I have met a couple of my better half's friends, the meal in the evening was quite important for her. As because she is younger than I am, a few of her friends have disapproved of even the idea of there being an “us” and this is before they have even met me or seen that she is happy with me. While the initial meeting was a little stilled, once we were all sitting down and talking and breaking bread together any awkwardness just disappeared.

Now personally I can see why folks have any reason to be disapproving as we are just a couple that are in love and happy together. But a few people are allowing their prejudices to colour their thinking. The prejudice could have been based upon or different class backgrounds, religion and many other differentials.

It has made me more aware of the types of prejudices that others have faced in the past. I can remember as a child and young adult the bigotry that would follow any couple of different ethnic backgrounds. Equally I witnessed the prejudice faced by people who are in same gender relationships. Apart from one or two folks who have been openly hostile, for the most part we can just be like any normal couple. We do get looks as we walk about hand in hand, but no one has yet said anything and basically we are just a couple who love and care for each other.

This personal discovery of yet another form of prejudice has heightened my awareness of the prejudice that people face. I have faced prejudice in the past and often that was based upon ignorance and bigotry. As my regular reader will know I am ethnically Jewish, and that causes many bigots to display their true colours.

Now I can hear my dear reader thinking what links doing some voluntary work with Amnesty International and going out for a meal with my Girlfriend and her friends? Well today 30th August has been Designated “The Day of the Disappeared”.

While thinking if I could say anything meaningful or relevant on the topic, I kept coming back to the fact that it is prejudice in its various forms that leads to Human Rights abuses. While I do live in a reasonably free country, no country is totally free, and do not face the extreme abuses that are happening all across the world, the prejudices I have faced have threatened my human rights.

While I have never kept my ethnic origins hidden, I was very young when I discovered that some folks hated Jews. Therefore, I quickly became circumspect about who I told of my ethnic origins. Had I had a different hue, and could be easily seen as being different, then I would not have had that choice. One of the amusing aspects of this has been the racists who assume that as a white European, to them White British, that I will agree with their offensive racist crap. I have lost count of the number of jaws that I have caused to hit the floor just by revealing that I am part Jewish when they start spouting racist nonsense.

Partly that is due to the nature of the society we have here in Britain, where the mainstream media are able constantly drip feed stories that make people that are a different colour or from a different country look bad. But at least here, direct and deliberate racial discrimination is illegal, and therefore attacking or assaulting someone based on their colour or ethnic origin will be dealt with as a serious criminal act. Also while there are serious issues relating to the appalling way that people seeking asylum are treated by the state or the way the Moslem community are treated by the state in trying to combat terrorism, state sanctioned violence against ethnic groups does not happen in Britain.

But that is not the case in many parts of the world. In Europe, in the former Yugoslavia, state sanctioned genocide occurred in recent years. It is happening today in Africa too, all based upon the ethnic background.

Now I ask people to pause and think what the phrase disappeared actually means. Imagine a friend or relative who just disappears. What must that be like? If that person is part of an oppressed minority and the organs of the state (like the police) are actively and openly prejudice, even reporting that disappearance may make you a target for whatever happened to your kith or kin.

In reality the disappeared are normally killed by the state or by police or security forces acting on behalf of the state. Not always with direct orders but with the tacit approval of the state. Often with the bodies just dumped or buried in a secret grave.

The relatives and friends will know that it is likely to have been the Ethnicity, Political affiliation, Community activism or a myriad of other reasons that has caused this loved one to disappear, but because of the nature of the act of internal state terrorism people never know for sure what happened. Equally, there are people that are just detained, and often tortured, but without charge or even official acknowledgement of their detention.

As this has been going on for years and across the globe, therefore I have heard many news stories regarding incidences were people are disappeared by the state. And the common factor is simply that the people left behind are left wondering, often agonising, about what happened to their loved one. Even many years after the event. And often these relatives just needed to know what happened and to know where the bodies were berried.

I can not imagine just what that must feel like.

This is why I feel and know that it is essential to protect human rights here as well campaign for the changes that are abusing the human rights of others across the world. Here our rights are threatened by our government. They, the State want to give themselves powers that they have no right to have. Often using the threat that terrorism brings, or the threat of crime as the justification. Yet be it the DNA Database or Identity cards, the more powers the state gives itself, the greater the danger to our rights here. Often these rights are not clearly under threat. But in all cases where human rights are abused and people are “disappeared” this has only happened when states have given themselves powers they should never have been allowed to take.

Often then followed by a change in government, who then use (or should that be abuse) the laws to enforce their view of how the world should be.
In Britain, there is a real threat that could come from the far right racist political party the BNP. The British Nationalist Party is a Neo Nazi racist group that gained two seats in the European parliament earlier this year. While their support is limited, there is a low level and casual racism within British society that could see these racist gain support and parliamentary seats in the future. It is most likely from a political group like this that the real threat to all our human rights would emerge.

Now I know there will be folks that read this and think that there is no real threat to our Human Rights here, and that Human Rights abuses is something that happens in countries where we don't even know where they are. But even the abuses that happen over seas in places where we barely know where the country is has an impact upon us as the countries where Human rights are routinely abused generates the refugees of the future. So if you want to just be cynical, by helping to stop abuses elsewhere in world we reduce our own problems with migration. Not that migrants are really a problem here.

But I would just ask that people stop and try to imagine what it must be like or feel like to have a member of the family disappear. To never know what has happened to them, to have no help from the authorities to find them as they are the people that has taken them and killed them.

Any human rights abuse that happens across the globe could happen here if we let it, and the only real way of stopping that abuse here is to stop it across the world too.

I cant stop people hating me because my ancestors were of a particular religion or ethnic background. Nor can I stop folks disliking me because they think I am gay, even more puzzling as I now have a girlfriend, but folks are strange like that. Nor can I stop people being jealous of me finding a beautiful young woman who loves me too. But I can fight for the rights of everyone to be jealous or racist or homophobic as I will fight for their human rights as well.

Life in a small Community

As anyone knows the smaller the community the faster news will travel. I have been wondering just how long it would take before folks in the village started asking about my better half. Well on the bus going into Consett today were my neighbours and I was asked directly do I have a “Girlfriend” As one neighbour had been told by someone else that I had. Well I could not lie and told them yes. Yet this amuses me as the same neighbour had been out working on his car when K had last visited and could have seen us kissing a greeting on my doorstep. Its amazing just how observant some folks are.

While talking about observation, today has been the best Red Kite day that I have had for ages. With travelling here and there I saw more than ten of these birds at various points then three in the air together as I was heading home. It is strange that some folks have become so accustom to seeing them that they no longer seem excited by the sight of them. Perhaps its the child in me but I still get a thrill to see them.

I had to go into Consett as I needed to get some fresh Veg and to visit the local Butchers. As I will be feeding my better half tomorrow, I needed to get something that will delight her pallet too. I am quite enjoying cooking for someone special and I have not poisoned her yet!

It was good to see that the local Green grocers are starting to get the new season English Apples in. While they do have imported crops too, the simple fact is that when they can they do stock local or at least British food as it sells better. Having just yesterday been to the supermarket for the goods I cant get elsewhere, I was disappointed to see that there was not any of the Fruit or Vegetables that were British. Therefore all the fresh produce was imported and carrying the hefty carbon footprint that incurs.

Adding to my delight, I went to see the HOP Garden (High Spen Organic Project). The reason was that because of something I am doing tomorrow, I was able to offer them some polystyrene blocks that they can use for insulation. It was great to know that what is waste from one community group will be used by another. The delight though comes from learning they now are able to sell their produce and I can support the HOP garden by getting a few items from them.

I am expecting to have a busy weekend, a mixture of business and pleasure, but no matter how busy I think it will be a good and pleasant one.

Sainsburys and Waitrose Buy British

Two supermarkets, Sainsburys and Waitrose have announced that from now on their own label dairy products will be sourced from British Farmers.

Now while this is good news for British farmers, the question is why on earth did they stop buying from British farmers in the first place. Now the obvious answer is that there was a greater profit margin. But as neither of these businesses were loss making, both are guilty of exploiting their strong market position and treating the farms that supply them like slaves.

The supermarkets in general have been guilty of downward pressure on the growers and suppliers so that farmers were liable to go bust if they did not accept the prices the supermarkets were willing to pay. Further, if they spoke out about their supermarket pay masters they would loose the sales and their businesses.

This means that the largest retailers are guilty of destroying large parts of the farming industry, as well as enforcing a lowering of welfare standards in agriculture.

None of the supermarkets are free of guilt here, they all do this as the senior staff are just far to focused on the profits and the bottom line. Based upon the mistaken assumption that there would always be supply and that prices could always be pushed down.

While the government has started to take notice of the problem of food security, the government have thus far just allowed the major retailers to call the shots. The problem of food security and the vast distances that food is transported effects all areas of policy. I have spoken many times about the health problems regarding food policy and the supermarkets. But the cheep food policy also has the effect of keeping the poor poor and the low nutritional standards of the highly processed food the poor can afford to buy prevents children learning too.

The fact that two supermarkets are now seeking praise for something they should have been doing anyway, is ridiculous. To me it is like an abusive husband trying to claim credit for no longer beating his wife. While I am pleased to hear that organisations that have been doing wrong are changing their ways, they (the supermarkets) have a long way to go before they can ask for the praise they seek.

Trying to watch the Migration

Yesterday, I headed for one of the public hides in the area. I was planning to stick around all day to see if there were any birds that were starting their migration. The likely hood of seeing anything different or unusual is very slim but keeping a watch on this location I would stand a reasonable of seeing anything if they are about. It may mean repeated visits over the next six to eight weeks, but I have the patience to do that.

However, while I had spent several hours waiting and as there had not been anything that was unusual, I had not filmed anything. As I really want to do more than just shoot to record, I am looking to be more creative with my filming. One of my failings is that I can be a little over enthusiastic and try and film everything while I should try to film more creatively. Well that is what I am trying to do.

There had been a few others coming and going but no one stayed for more than an hour. Beyond reporting on the common species that are regularly seen, no one was reciprocating much information back. With some birders they only seem prepared to tell of anything unusual if you can tell them of something on a like for like basis.

As this particular location Osprey has been seen in the past, I am there in the hope of seeing one but it really is going to be luck and effort that will give me the chance of seeing one. While telling the other birders excited some, one told me that I was wasting my time. Well maybe I am, but you never know what may turn up and only by watching will you see what's travelling through.

Then comes lunch time and I was happily alone and the rain was keeping the birds hidden. So I stepped outside for a smoke. I am reducing my addiction with the aim of giving up, but I have not given up yet. While I was there a whole group of young people descended. I have no problem with young people, but this was a group of about twenty, and there were clearly not dedicated birders. Therefore I shot back into the hide to protect my equipment. My camera was set up on the tripod ready, and my bag was sitting open. They had made a bee line for this, and while I was able to stop them touching it, I was also concerned that they may not have the right to be there.

The problem was that I just got a confrontational attitude thrown at me when I asked who they were and did they have permission to be there. Then finally after five minutes or so three adults (Teachers or youth workers) came in. It was clear they were stressed, but instead of talking politely to me I was told I had to get out.

Now I know that when there are school visits to the hides the public have to vacate the hides, but schools are closed for the summer. Therefore I was rather confused by the demand. Also the “Responsible Adults” were little more than young adults themselves and were just demanding I leave without explaining who they were or why. I did remain calm but it was only when I said that I was prepared to call the police did they finally explain that this was a youth group.

Now this incident raises some interesting questions as while I can understand that adults need to be CRB checked before working with young people, this group were probably 14 to 16 year old's. They were in a public place and it is reaching the stage where every adult is seen as suspect. I can almost see it reaching the stage where no adult can be in the same public space with a child unless they can prove they are not a child abuser. It really is mad.

Also these young people were not under any real form of control and where running around with no regard for others. I would like to know who was in need of protection me or them?

I had to end my vigil early and I headed home. But feeling that life was being far from fair to me yesterday.

Lower Welfare for Chickens

Because I was planning on heading out to watch and film the start of the bird migration, I was up early enough to hear Farming Today on the radio. This is a programme that I get as a podcast anyway so while I listening I was also busy making tea and my packed lunch, as well as dealing with a demanding cat. So I was not sure that I had hear correctly the question the presenter had asked.

The story being reported was that the Chicken Industry wants to increase the stocking density of broiler chickens in intensive systems and via Europe this looks likely to happen. This lead the presenter asking what is wrong with the farmer producing chicken at a price the consumer wants to pay?

Now people always want to pay less for everything, so if chickens were available at one pound (money) per bird there will be people that will buy them. As it is, I can still see chickens for sale at three pounds each or two for five pounds.

The problem is that these birds are produced with the lowest welfare standards as it is, so the proposal to lower welfare standards is just not credible. The lowering even further of poor standards just does not make any sense at all.

I know where this idea is coming from, the need to feed a growing population. Also the need to create the illusion that people are brought out of poverty. The problem is that these fast growing hybrid birds that are the mainstay of industrial chicken raising, put on this weight in the form of fat. While chicken from a pure breed bird is a lean meat, these hybrids are not the healthy meat that people think they are. Therefore all the food industry is doing is feeding more fat to the people and especially the poor.

The situation is that governments are treating the symptoms and not the real problems. I can understand that these solutions appear to be a simple fix for the uninformed politician, but with the problems of obesity and poor health allowing lower welfare standards will exacerbate these problems. Also while we have a problem with H1N1 (Swine flu) bubbling away in the population, it is within these intensive animal husbandry systems that influenza breeds and mutates.

While from the start of the swine flu outbreak I tried to suggest that we need to remain calm, I also said that the real risk was this H1N1 mutating and combining with the more dangerous H5N1 Bird flu. All the politicians are doing is creating greater problems further down the line.

All I ask is when will we learn.

Greece - Forest Fires

There can not be anyone that was not disturbed by the forest fires that rampaged for three days around Athens. Fanned by strong winds the fires have destroyed around 150 square miles of Forest and Greenery. People have lost their homes, but at least I have not heard of any loss of life.

But the disturbing rumour is that these fires were started deliberately. By developers who want to build on the land. Unfortunately this is believable as the fires had several seats, starting points, and had it not been for the high winds the fires would have been more isolated. Additionally two years ago the same thing happened and building was allowed to happen on the land that was previously burnt. The Irony is that some of those started developments have now been destroyed in the recent fires. Perhaps this is poetic justice.

However, while there are many possible reasons for the fires starting naturally, lightening strikes being the most likely, if the fires were not the result of arson. With the climate changing and weather patterns altering, forest fires will become more frequent and more devastating.

However, there is a factor that many people are overlooking with events like this; the loss of vegetative cover combined with lack of rain fall means that the process of desertification will speed up.

This then combined with the erosion of the top soils and we are loosing the fertile land that is needed for growing food. All this just as the world is beginning to realise that we are facing a food crisis in the coming years.

With the effect of Climate Change reducing yields combined with loss of fertile land and a growing population, seven million per day, and the lack of political will to tackle Greenhouse Gas pollution looks criminal.

Pakistan Killing Democracy

In Pakistan the local elections that are scheduled to happen in October have been postponed indefinitely because of the security situation. This is the way that all dictatorships start. The previously elected local officials are being replaced with centrally appointed governors.

While I appreciate that it is all to easy for an outsider to say that elections should be held, when I would not be facing the risks. But only with the legitimacy of an election held freely and fairly can people know that the policies enacted in their name are being carried out via the will of the majority. I know that democracy is not and never will be perfect, but it is the only system that is truly fair and just.

The problem is that terrorism is blamed for needing to cancel the elections, yet as a major factor fuelling the terrorism is the corruption in the Pakistani political system, stopping the elections only feeds into the cause of the violence. Therefore adding to the problem.

If we really want to defeat terrorism, we need to support the democratic process and stop supporting corruption in governments.

Bulgaria Easy Money

About three or four years ago the property programmes on television were highlighting Bulgaria as the place to buy property. Not to live in, but as holiday homes and to make money from. Now my views on property speculation are well know here, but to me encouraging people to buy property in a country where there is widespread corruption and what the EU describes the legal system as a failed system was foolish to say the least.

While I am a Europhile and I do think that the expansion of the European project can benefit the whole of Europe and the world, countries should only be accepted if they can show that they have met the high standards expected of all. Therefore Bulgaria should not have been allowed to become part of the European Union until they had sorted out these problems.

Now I know that there are people who will quite rightly say look at the corruption in Italy, and I would agree that Italy too should not be allowed to receive EU funds unless and until it sorts out the corruption there.

It is these examples that gives the critics of the EU their ammunition. I don't think that the EU is perfect and like all big organisations they will do things that make you think what a stupid bunch they are. But only via cooperation can issues like Climate Change or an integrated green energy policy become a reality.

As for all these thousands of British people that have lost their life savings in buying property in Bulgaria, well had you taken the greed blinkers off, you would have seen that there is no such thing as easy money. All these naïve television presenters did was line the pockets of the criminal gangs and add to the corruption in Bulgaria.

Normal service to return

When I attended the local Amnesty meeting, there were two people of conscience that were highlighted. However being cynical old Wood Mouse, I don't just accept all or any information I am given without question. Therefore I have been doing my own research and investigations. While Amnesty International is an organisation that I trust to be truthful and accurate, I still feel that I have a duty to ensure that if I am going to write on a topic that I don't just want repeat what everyone else saying. Also I want to ensure that my postings are accurate.

While it will be a little while before I make that (these) postings, doing the research has thrown up even more cases of abuses of human rights. The problem is that I alone can not ever hope to highlight all of these examples. But it really does show what a messed up world we have.

As I have mentioned here before, there are many posting that I have drafted but as I was lacking corroboration on the facts, or where something has been alleged. But I lacked the detail to ensure that I was accurate. However, on one story, while researching the Human Rights issues I think I found the facts relating to one of the issues that I was at dead end with.

I will be returning to regular blogging soon, but I needed time to carry out the research. On a much lighter note, while sitting on the sofa with my favourite person, I saw a Tawny Owl in daylight fly over and towards the trees where it disappeared from view. While an owl in daylight is a rare sight, as just days ago the long grass was cut for hay, revealing the small rodents, my guess is that the owl was just taking advantage of the new larder.

It is these delights, and my favourite female human, that help keep me sane.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi

In the British press there has been quite a controversy about the last of The Great Train Robbers, Ronald Biggs. He is seriously ill and in the latter stages of his life. While he was a violent criminal and was guilty of the offences he was charged with. However it looked as though he was being detained as for years after he escaped from prison he cocked a snoot at the British authorities.

Having suffered several stokes and unable to communicate verbally, finally he was released on compassionate grounds. While there are some people that wanted to see him die in prison, it is a mark of a truly civilised society that we treat prisoners and wrong doers with dignity.

It does not always happen and the British Government has and does breach the United Nations deceleration on human rights far more often than we are prepared to admit. In Britain today there are people who are detained that have never been charged. This is the result of anti terrorist legislation, and breaches the European Convention of Human Rights that is supposed to integrate throughout or law and legal system.

Basically no one should ever be detained unless they are facing charges and due legal process. If there is enough evidence to detain someone then they should face a trial. I acknowledge that it is not a perfect system and every day there will be people who are found not guilty in courts up and down the country that have gotten away with something criminal. But they have faced due process and if the evidence was not strong enough to convict then it is right that they should go free.

To go off on a tangent, the flip side of that is there have been a shameful number of people who have been finally released after years of imprisonment having been discovered to have been not guilty. The real purporters of that offence though has been walking free and frequently able to commit more offences.

Then just yesterday, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released from prison on compassionate grounds. While there are legitimate reasons to question the safety of the conviction, he was convicted of the bombing of the Pan Am flight 103 and as such is a convicted murderer. However, he is dyeing of cancer, and it is a true measure of a civilised society that the Scottish Government has been able to show compassion.

Now I know that in America many people feel his release is wrong and that he should have died in prison. However this is one of the major divides between our two nations, as the American Justice system is far more political then the British system and the penal system is much more about revenge than seeking real justice and more importantly rehabilitation of offenders. Therefore as an outside observer, the scandal of Guantanamo Bay was fully predictable because of the US judicial system.

While I could not see a British Guantanamo Bay happening as easily, I do not delude myself that this could not happen here in the United Kingdoms. In Northern Ireland there was detention without trial and many abuses of human rights. Yet when you strip away all the ideology and political rhetoric at the core of all terrorism is an abuse of human rights. Therefore any further injustice and abuse of human rights only perpetuates the terrorism.

Therefore showing compassion to Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi does more to reduce the threat of terrorist attacks than any war or military action ever could.

Newcastle Architecture

While in Newcastle recently, on two different occasions, I stopped to snap a couple of images. One is of Central Arcade a Victorian/Georgian covered shopping arcade It is one of the fantastic gems that makes Newcastle such a nice place to live.

The other picture is of the New Central Library in Newcastle. I was never a great fan of the old 1960s building that the new building replaces, but I was always impressed by the helpfulness of the staff. With the new building the city council have included new technology to make using the library a real pleasure and quick too.

While architecturally I doubt that it will be as loved as the Central Arcade is, it does fit into the cityscape well.

Amnesty Meeting

One of the effects of the wonderful whirlwind that has come into my life in the form of my better half, is that on Tuesday I went to the branch meeting of Amnesty International. As my regular reader already knows, I have often touched on human rights issues here. But not as frequently I would have liked to. Part of the reason for this has been my own fault as I often have taken on more than I ever should have done. However also the promised support was never forthcoming and often I was left to do most and even all the work.

Well part of the changes I have decided to make in my life is to be more discerning in what I agree to do for volunteer bodies and groups. The problem in conservation work is that often is there are many folks that want to get involved with the tasks of coppicing. That is cutting down trees without killing them to encourage new growth and open up an area to enable greater species diversity. But when it comes to scrub clearing or litter picking, there are fewer folks willing, as simply these jobs are just to much like hard work.

The same often goes for jobs like surveying an area for specific species. Often this involves walking up and down an area and systematically searching for the signs of activity, of the species. I know that this can be boring but unless you know where Bats are roosting, as an example, any works that are undertaken could do much more damage than the benefit gain.

Therefore as I have previous experience, I was getting lumbered with this. Add to this the unwillingness of people to learn how to carry out the work properly, or take guidance or instruction, and not from me but professionals, and I was getting seriously fed up with being lumbered with these tasks. I would have been willing to share the load but so often I was left alone, or others would give up after a very short time.

Now I appreciate that this work is being done by volunteers who are giving up their time, but so am I. Another aspect that was bugging me was that often folks were not even trying to do many of the tasks properly. I could give a number of examples, but I am not looking to em barres people or groups here, but by failing to do their best often the work is worse than useless, and frequently it ends up with no real conservation value at all.

The problem can so often be equated to “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians” So many people want to be in charge and direct the work but are not prepared to get their hands dirty. Then they want the credit for the benefits gained. Now this is not a gripe about not being given credit for the tasks I have been involved in, as credit should and does go to the group or organisation as a whole. But I do object to folks that do the least wanting to gain the greater credit. There have been many times when I have wanted to make postings here on some of the work I have got involved in. However, for various reasons (excuses) people ask me not to post pictures or write about the projects. And the main reason often was that with no pictures to show that the minor players were not as involved as they would latter claim...

It was and has been this childish and petty game playing that has just made me unwilling to waste my time with these groups. If I am going to get involved with anything now, I want to ensure that my effort is as effective as I can make it. Therefore, I would rather work with some of the larger national groups where the impact can and does have the greatest effect.

Also with writing about the Environment and Conservation, so frequently these issues are interrelated to human rights issues. Both legal and Illegal logging has a serious impact on the Human Rights of many indigenous peoples. Add into this corruption and violence and there are examples where community leaders are murdered and or imprisoned to protect the interests of the logging businesses. Or where over fishing, or unsustainable fishing is effecting poor native peoples and environmental issues become human rights issues too.

Therefore I am grateful to my better half for informing me of the regular meeting that the local Amnesty group hold. As I would rather put my small effort into helping an organisation like this than a bunch of rather selfish people.

While I have a few ideas of how I may be able to assist, I think that one of the best ways may be simply by trying to help raise awareness of the issues and people involved. This little wood mouse has ways of sniffing out the details of issues.

But the one thing that was most touching was just how friendly and welcoming the people were at the Amnesty meeting were. Also, unlike so many groups where people seem to be involved for improving their own status, everyone was there just trying to do their best for humanity.

I will still talk about the local wildlife, human and non human, and other topics will be thrown in to the mix, but I want to feel that writing this blog has some meaning too.

And to return to the quirky way that my mind works, on the bus journey back to my village from Newcastle, the bus driver stopped and asked us to decant to a replacement bus. There was a fault that had developed. As I had been sitting reading some documents, I had to take off my glasses pick up the laptop and was the last off. As we were walking to the replacement bus, the driver made an apology for the inconvenience. Now having overheard him saying to the fitter who had brought the replacement out that there was a problem with the brakes, personally I would rather that minor inconvenience of changing vehicles than being on a bus that was possibly unsafe. While I may criticise the service sometimes, the majority of the staff, the drivers are excellent.

Food Policy in Britain

Saturday I had been planning to go to the Farmers Market at Gibside, but as the weather was wet and there was nothing in particular that I needed, I decided to skip going. As it is my freezer is full and I will not need to buy much food for the next month as it is.

I do try very hard to support local food and business, but there are limits to what I can do. Also I don't like wasting food. As my regular reader already knows with both Scottish and Jewish blood in my genes, you get two stereotypes in one with this Wood Mouse, but it is not about being stingy. For me it comes from being poor and having experienced real hunger. In my past there was a time when I just did not have the money for food. Therefore I have been in the situation of having nothing. While that only lasted for five days, it really is something you never forget.

Thus I can understand how and why it is that the poor in society often are forced to choose the poor quality cheap crap that the supermarkets offer. However, what I can not and will never understand is why or how people living in poverty can end up throwing food away. I am no saint, there has been occasions when I have had to throw out stuff that had gone off. But it is rare. As I have said here before, I generate so little waste that I normally only need to put my bin out once every four or five weeks.

I never have a problem with odour either, as if there is a smell I get the bin emptied sooner. So I can not understand why some people end up throwing out at least a fifth of the food they buy. Even if I have vegetables that are starting to look tired, I will make them into a soup or a stew or a curry. And I have never given myself food poisoning either as if something is off or rotten it does go into the bin. But there are people that just look at the label date and will throw out perfectly good food simply because they have become detached from the land, food and cooking.

Supermarkets date label products to sell the item quickly and to keep their insurers happy, not to provide any meaningful information to the consumer. Equally, the same applies to the so called healthy options and nutritional information. There have been over the years many television programmes that have shown by scientific analysis that while a product may be low in fat but will have excessive amounts of sugar or salt. Therefore even when people try to help themselves the major retailers deliberately mislead people. They are not doing anything illegal but it is highly ill-moral.

A major part of the problem is that western governments have allowed the supermarkets and the food industry to greatly adulterate our food to keep prices low. While this helps the poor gain the required calories it has led to most cheep food lacking in vital nutrients. Therefore even if someone is poor and wants to eat a healthy diet, it is much more expensive. This is why I get frustrated with governments and government policies. At the moment there is a campaign to encourage people to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Yet this is undermined by the cheap food policy as the poor often can not afford to buy Fruit and Vegetables.

Add to this the problem of obesity and the message of a balanced diet is clearly being lost in the marketing noise from the shops of cheap food. Also with education policy so narrowly focused on academic skills, there is a lack of other life skills. While it may rightly be argued that it is not the schools role to teach skills that should be coming from the home, unless schools do this, the children of parents that lack the skills to pass on will be the next generation that will have the same problems.

I also understand that folks often just do not have the time to cook. While when I was a child it was normal for the woman to be the head cook and bottle washer, housekeeper and and all the other roles women have to play within a nuclear family, and now women often have to work just to make ends meet. I am not saying that it is wrong for women to work, far from it as a woman should always have the same economic and career opportunities as do men. However society has now become far to focused tomorrow rather than today.

In both of my significant relationships I did most of the cooking. It looks as though with my new better half that will happen again, but the point is that in the home the work load needs to be shared so that both halves of a partnership can manage to cook and eat a balanced diet.

Last week the British Government made a policy announcement regarding food security. With the analysis of the situation as it stands now, the policy can only work if there are also changes in the education system and an end to cheap food. Now I don't want to see any food system that further boosts the supermarkets profits, they have enough money and power already. And this adjustment to policy will do just that. In addition this adjusted policy relies upon other parts of the world selling us their surplus. But this all fails to acknowledge the effects of climate change and the altered weather patterns that are already here.

I genuinely wish that governments would have properly thought out and multi departmental policies so that one part of the system is not causing problems elsewhere. If we actually ensured that the education system truly empowered people to earn higher wages, and provided the life skills to make informed choices, we could solve a major part of the problem of poverty. And it is the poor that have the lowest quality diet. Therefore by helping people out of poverty would help solve the problems of obesity and poor nutrition.

The poor have been ignored once again in all this, and the government is leaving food policy to the food industry and industrial agriculture. To me it appears as though the government has stuck its head in the sand once again and has failed to see the coming problems. Just as happened with the banking collapse, there were strong indicators that the banks were going to fail years before. A single summer of drought or excessive rainfall, both likely with the changes that we have made to the climate, and there will be a famine in Europe.

The cheap food policy is already forcing farmers and growers out of business and in Britain we only grow or produce sixty percent of our food requirements. Back in 1980 it was ninety percent. And simply relying on our ability to just buy what we want will not work. As when there is a major shortage of food, it will at the minimum cause prices to rocket and the poor will not be able to afford to eat.

This is a crisis that is as predictable as the banking collapse and the British government is failing to see this coming.

Aung san suu Kyi and Burma

When I first heard that a man had swam across the lake to the house of Aung san suu Kyi, I googled his name and found a picture of him with some of the generals in Burma. Therefore I was absolutely sure that the lady had been set up. The picture however was removed and the web page gone when I tried to return latter. While I had bookmarked the page, on my old computer, I really wish now that I had printed the page, something I just do not do normally.

Having stolen the government of the country when the democratic process failed to give the generals the result they wanted, the country has been under a dictatorship for many years. Yet sanctions are not working as countries like India and Nepal still trade with Burma, particularly rubies. Therefore, condemning the people to more and longer oppression.

In governments across the world there is a phrase that well known and understood, that a Government is only six meals away from a riot.

Now if countries enforced sanctions properly, régimes like Burma just would not survive. As if you stop the elite from profiting from selling the nations resources, it just would not be able to keep the infer-structure of repression, like the army, on their side. In Zimbabwe it was only because Mugabe stole food aid and used it to feed his supporters has he been able to survive as long.

In Burma the army would rapidly turn against the leadership if they knew that their families were going hungry too. When the army has been used in Burma to repress the people the generals have had to move troops from different regions as most of the troops will not fire upon their own people.

While in general I am in favour of talking over any form of violence, I also believe that where sanctions are agreed they must be total. There will be people that say rightly sanctions harm the people, but twenty years of oppression by the Burmese government has harmed the people more.

Only by isolating oppressive regimes like Burma can real change be instituted. By allowing tourism and trade to continue we aid the generals to repress the people of Burma.

The traditional way of dealing with problem countries or dictatorships is to arm people, ferment war and create divisions, but this only creates new problems down the line. Afghanistan and Iraq are two perfect examples. Where the very people we in the west have armed, we then have gone to war to deal with latter.

I realise that dealing with any irrational government will never be easy, but in the long term stopping the tacit support of repressive governments will make the world a much safer place.

Aung san suu Kyi is an important symbol for the people of Burma, and the generals fear this woman of peace and democracy. And to me she shows the power of peace.

Follow up posting

When I made the last posting, I omitted posting the picture that I intended to. While I agree that there will always be disagreements and different views of how to get the same result. However, I firmly believe that if we cooperated more and stopped competing we really would get more done effectively and avoid much of the conflicts we have.

No one person nor one single view will always be right. I have personally adjusted my view on many topics from communicating with people and gaining a greater understanding of an issue. And if we all try and think about what is fair to everyone then often via cooperation problems can be resolved.

In relation to war and conflict the spark for the posting, I am sure that if we all cooperated more there would be far less conflicts and less violence.

On another topic though, I am really grateful for the kind words regarding K my better half. As love is a form of mental illness, I am happy to say that I am insane.

Harry Patch and the futility of War

I know that I do have a bit of a wicked sense of humour and on Friday when I had gone into Newcastle to meet my new better half for lunch, she had needed to pop into the chemists to get a cream for some chaffing. With all the diplomacy I could muster I told her that she was being a bit presumptuous. Fortunately I have got to know her well enough that it raised a hearty laugh from her. Then when she slipped away to the ladies I went out in to Old Eldon Square to wait for her. While I was there I took a couple of pictures of the war memorial.

With the Death of Harry Patch the oldest survivor of the first world war, in my thoughts the wording just struck a cord with me. When my Better half came back I had told her what had been on my mind regarding Harry Patch, and we were able to talk about the futility of war in a reasoned and intelligent manner. That is one of the aspects of our friendship that I greatly value, that I can have a good laugh with her one minute and a deep intellectual conversation with her the next.

For me it is a real joy to find a woman who is an intellectual equal and with mind that will challenge me and stretch me. It has been a quality that I have search for all my life and now I have found a woman like that. I am sorry if my dear reader you think I am getting all soppy, but you will have to put up with this from time to time as my head and heals are inverted at the moment.

However, going back to the War Memorial, as I had travelled in to Newcastle on the bus I was looking at the war memorial in the village. Recently some new houses have been built there, and while done tastefully, there does not seem to be the same respect in the Village for the fallen as occurs in other villages. That saddens me a bit as there people from this village in Afghanistan fighting the war there.

Now while I can actually see a valid reason starting that war, and that was to remove Al-Qa'ida and the Bin Liner, the war has become a war with the Afghan tribes. Take away the title of Taliban and that is effectively what it has become. The problem is you just can not win a war like this. Now while I don't know how the war is being reported in other parts of the world, but here it is mainly limited to a count of bodies coming home with derisory information regarding the hundreds of Afghan dead or injured. Alternatively the reporting is about the lack of equipment or claims that the equipment is not up to the job.

Equally there are the political claims that are used to create the illusion that progress is being made. The one that annoys me most is that now there are six million children in schools now. Not true, as while that is the number that is registered in schools less than a fifth are actually attending. Most children are just to afraid to go to school as the Taliban threaten and kill the parents and teachers that try to go. While I feel that what the Taliban are doing is a serious breach of the human rights of all Afghan citizens, it is a greater crime for the girls and women that are excluded from education. Having the women uneducated perpetuates the sick society that oppresses and abuses women.

However, that alone can not justify the loss of life nor the thousands that have been injured. Neither is the fact that Afghanistan is the centre of heroin poppy growing. The simple fact is that we need other ways of dealing with these problems, not by going to war.

The sick Irony is that with both Iraq and Afghanistan it was the countries that are now fighting in the western coalition that supplied the weapons. It is no different to what happened in the first world war, you would think we would learn something from past mistakes.

When Harry Patch reached one hundred years, he was 113 when he died, he started talking about the war and his experiences. He said that that war was not worth a single life lost. That is a sentiment that I can only agree with. In fact the first world war only guaranteed the second world war. The cold war too.

The lessons we need to learn is resolving the causes of conflict long before they ever happen, and central to this is poverty and the lack of a fair society across the globe. The cesspit of conflict that is the middle east has at its heart conflicts over scarce resources especially water. Add to this the great wealth that oils has brought a few and tensions mount. Then throw religion in to this toxic mix and you have an explosive mixture.

While in the past I have tried to avoid upsetting folks by being critical of anyone heartfelt beliefs, as quite simply I feel that if folks want to believe that the moon is made of cheese that is their choice, but the moon is not made of Cheese and god is a human construct. Further, people don't have a choice regarding religion as children across most of the planet are indoctrinated and brainwashed into believing in a god, just pick your flavour to match the part of the world you were born in.

Many years ago I had a debate with one of my ex wife's lecturers while she was doing her degree, I had asked the question of why so many volunteered during the first world war, even after the population knew that the trenches were Hell on Earth. I was told that it was because the conditions in Industry, the Mines and the Factories were so appalling and death in industry was so frequent that going to war was no more dangerous than staying home. I thought on that and I just could not buy that as a reason. Now I know that from the pulpits priests, Vickers and preachers were calling for men to do their patriotic duty. This was gods war, just has is happening now with the conflicts with the Taliban et al.

If we all spent more time effort and money solving the problems such as poverty, injustice lack of health provision and hunger without shoving religious doctrine down children's throats we can all but eliminate war in a generation.

I am not assuming that this will some great utopia, but if more effort was put into making this world better than worrying about a mythical paradise then we really could crate a much better world.

There would always be some chaffing in societies but cooperation is the cream that will ease that.

And my Better Half was not being presumptuous as we ended up doing a lot of walking and she had needed the cream.

Life Changing Decisions

While I have spoken here before about frequently finding myself with more tasks in my in box than I have hours in the day, well I have finally put my foot down on this. While in the past I have been willing to help people, groups and organisations that are involved in conservation issues, but far to often there are people involved in these groups who try to exploit my willingness to try and help. Often not being prepared to do any of the practical work. Or at the very least when they do any work it is just the easy bits.

An example of this is dealing with invasive plant species. As any gardener could tell you to remove a vigorous weed requires ongoing removal. Controlling plants like this requires work to be done year on year. It is boring work, its hard work but it is worthwhile. However, often with many of the people that I have been dealing with they want other people to do the work but they want the praise if the work gets done. Now I recognise that here where I am writing about what I am doing, it may seem as though I am bigging myself up, but I can not see how else I can write about what I am involved in. Yet for some of the people associated with these projects, I don't give them enough credit for what they do. Equally I am often asked not to identify a location or people. Therefore I can only write about my small role in this.

Personally I would love to write about where these groups are and who knows, someone reading my nonsense may even want to volunteer too. But as often happens the people who have appointed themselves as “in charge” will hang on to their self appointed status. Therefore I frequently face people who need their ego massaged but do not really do anything.

Therefore while I have been willing to share my skills, I just end up being exploited. So I have put my foot down and I will not be so willing to do much of this in the future. Not least I am frequently faced by people are doing the conservation work or project for selfish reasons. Often relating to the price of their house. While I personally believe in aiding the environment just to aid the environment for everyone. Equally I have problems where I offer my help to all and one group in one village or location becomes jealous of me also helping people in another village. To me it all becomes so childish and petty. While these folks are supposed to be adults, I often am left feeling that I am working in a kindergarten.

For me this came to a head as I was asked, in a panic, to re do a major grant application. Having done this one already, and had most of my ideas rejected by the people making the application, I was not to keen. But they had just days to complete this, and the grant awarding authority had suggested that many of the factors that I had suggested originally would mean that their application was looked upon favourably. So as I had the understanding of what was needed I did help.

However, I did feel as though I was being used and to quite honest I am sick of the selfish attitudes of a few. I have my own projects that I want and need to work on. While I know that this may seem rather negative, making this discussion feels so liberating. While the environment and wildlife will always be my main focus, issues like human rights, exploitation in all its forms are also strong interests. And my life is evolving and this Blog will reflect that.

As my regular reader will already know I do occasionally write on human rights issues, here and on a blog that is specifically for that topic. Via that I was mailed by a young woman who shares my interest in a fair and just society. Having decided I wanted to reduce my involvement with other peoples selfish agenda, I decided to visit the Amnesty International book shop in Newcastle. While trying to find out some more information so that I could write more effectively about the issues and injustices in the world, I mentioned my blog(s). A young woman who was in there approached me and she knew and had read my blog.

We had a chat and decided to go for a coffee. I bet my reader is already ahead of me here and she was the woman that I had been talking to by email already.

Its funny but there have been times when folks in my village seem to have tried to play matchmaker with me. Why I have no idea as while I am single and alone, I am not lonely. Nor was I actively seeking a relationship, but this young woman and I just connected and clicked. We have been in contact everyday since and we have develop strong feeling to and with each other.

I would not have believed it, but we have fallen in love with each other. I almost feel like a teenager again, but with less hair (much less hair).

It is funny as I was trying to adjust my life a little and I never expected anyone to come into my life and especially not like this. One of the greatest difficulties I find with people is that while I may share interests with them, my values seem to be so different from the norm. I value people, justice the environment far above money. And its rare to find someone who shares these values. In my new girlfriend/partner I have found a soul mate and lover.

Now, I find that my life has changed in the most wonderful way.