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Political randomness
sweetgirl7808 made some stunningly gorgeous snowy SPN icons here. Inspired by her work, I spent a couple of hours in photoshop figuring out how she did it. The result is my lovely new layout; I was going to make a Hogfather layout for December, but this is so much prettier. I don't have the margins quite right on the layout, but I'm working on it :-)
I bought a new slow cooker today. I love slow-cooked cassaroles and can't wait to try it out again. I was on my way home, lugging this huge box toward the bus station when a man stopped me. He said he was a reporter for the local paper - didn't show me any proof, but he was writing in shorthand. Not many men know that unless it's essential for their work. Anyhow, he was interviewing random people about this plan to ban plastic bags from the city centre. I told him what I thought, and that was that. So maybe I'm gonna get quoted! *shrug* The local paper is a rag with all the journalistic integrity of The Sun, so if he does quote me I'll be shocked if he does so accurately. But I'll be interested to see it.
This whole plastic bags thing is a tough issue. Yes, they are horrible. Yes, they fill up landfill and aren't generally biodegradable. Yes, there are too many of them around. But if we ban them altogether, what takes their place? In an ideal world, of course, we'd all use reusable bags, all the time. My Nan always shopped with this little string/net bag with leather handles. Empty it fit easily into a pocket, and full it held at least as much as the average plastic bag. But it had some downsides, like stuff getting wet, or small items falling through the holes. Also something like that kind of assumes all your shopping will fit in one bag: those were the days when most people used buses or shanks' pony to do the shopping. Nowadays most people use cars and buy a lot more in one go.
No, the problem is people are used to getting bags when they go shopping. So if we ban plastic bags, what will we use instead? Paper bags? If we made the same number of paper bags that we now use plastic, we'd be back to the bad old days of major deforestation. Not that deforestation ever really stopped, but think how much worse it could be. Demand would just be too high.
I think the best solution is to make people pay for their plastic bags. Or better still, make the stores pay to take them back. When I was little, we bought soft drinks in big glass bottles and the store would pay 10p for each bottle returned intact. Can't we adopt the same model for bags? They'd need to be heavier plastic than the ones the stores give away free at the moment, but if you were paid, say, 5p for every bag you returned to the store, and the store could then re-use them, there'd be a lot less in landfill, wouldn't there? It would take a major cultural change, but it would work.
Also in the news, I found this article today: Christian group demands prosecution of the BBC over Jerry Springer - the Opera. Essentially, they want to use UK blasphemy laws to bring a private prosecution because the BBC screened the show.
I never saw it, but I'm pretty sure from what I've read that the show would meet the criteria for a blasphemy prosecution. In the UK we don't have a right of free speech. We have a principle of free speech within a bunch of restrictions on what we can do with it. Similarly, we have freedom of the press, but with a bunch of caveats surrounding that, too. But the article - and the group it's all about - aren't arguing the law. They're arguing moral rights.
The article raises some interesting points. One of them relates to the play Behzti (Dishonour). They are comparing their objections to JSTO with the reaction of the Sikh community to that play. But there's a big, big difference. No court stopped the performances of Behzti (Dishonour): the theatre chose to pull the play after protests threatened to become violent. Also, I have no idea who wrote JSTO, but I'll bet he or she isn't a practicing Christian. Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, who wrote Behzti (Dishonour) was writing about her own culture. People objected not because it was racist, but because it wasn't.
They also compare it to the worldwide furore over the Danish anti-Islamic cartoons. Here, again, there's a point to be made. I believe those cartoons were intended to be offensive and degrading. They were no different from the Nazi cartoons of Jews, depicting Mohamed riding a bomb and suchlike. But you can't compare that to similar depictions of Christianity. We in the West have a long history of lampooning our religion through pictures. Good heavens, even some of the most famous religious artworks are inherently subversive.
Ultimately, however, I have to consider the source of these complaints. "Christian Voice" are not a Christian group. They're a gang of bigots using religion as an excuse to spread hatred. This is the group that the Co-operative bank told to take their business elsewhere, because they objected to the bank having a presence at Manchester Gay Pride. When they initially campaigned against the BBC's showing JSTO, their main objection was that Jesus was played by a black actor. As well as campaigning against the BBC for a single showing of JSTO, they campain against equal rights legislation, civil partnerships and gay right, women's rights, and so on. They are scum.
I am troubled. Because there is a line beyond which satire becomes deliberate insult, and religious groups do deserve some level of protection from that. I believe in freedom of speech, but not when it extends to spreading hatred. Not when it's used as an excuse to cause genuine harm. In this case, the messenger colours the message, but the message is partially sound. The challenge is to filter out the propaganda and find the specks of truth hiding in there.
I bought a new slow cooker today. I love slow-cooked cassaroles and can't wait to try it out again. I was on my way home, lugging this huge box toward the bus station when a man stopped me. He said he was a reporter for the local paper - didn't show me any proof, but he was writing in shorthand. Not many men know that unless it's essential for their work. Anyhow, he was interviewing random people about this plan to ban plastic bags from the city centre. I told him what I thought, and that was that. So maybe I'm gonna get quoted! *shrug* The local paper is a rag with all the journalistic integrity of The Sun, so if he does quote me I'll be shocked if he does so accurately. But I'll be interested to see it.
This whole plastic bags thing is a tough issue. Yes, they are horrible. Yes, they fill up landfill and aren't generally biodegradable. Yes, there are too many of them around. But if we ban them altogether, what takes their place? In an ideal world, of course, we'd all use reusable bags, all the time. My Nan always shopped with this little string/net bag with leather handles. Empty it fit easily into a pocket, and full it held at least as much as the average plastic bag. But it had some downsides, like stuff getting wet, or small items falling through the holes. Also something like that kind of assumes all your shopping will fit in one bag: those were the days when most people used buses or shanks' pony to do the shopping. Nowadays most people use cars and buy a lot more in one go.
No, the problem is people are used to getting bags when they go shopping. So if we ban plastic bags, what will we use instead? Paper bags? If we made the same number of paper bags that we now use plastic, we'd be back to the bad old days of major deforestation. Not that deforestation ever really stopped, but think how much worse it could be. Demand would just be too high.
I think the best solution is to make people pay for their plastic bags. Or better still, make the stores pay to take them back. When I was little, we bought soft drinks in big glass bottles and the store would pay 10p for each bottle returned intact. Can't we adopt the same model for bags? They'd need to be heavier plastic than the ones the stores give away free at the moment, but if you were paid, say, 5p for every bag you returned to the store, and the store could then re-use them, there'd be a lot less in landfill, wouldn't there? It would take a major cultural change, but it would work.
Also in the news, I found this article today: Christian group demands prosecution of the BBC over Jerry Springer - the Opera. Essentially, they want to use UK blasphemy laws to bring a private prosecution because the BBC screened the show.
I never saw it, but I'm pretty sure from what I've read that the show would meet the criteria for a blasphemy prosecution. In the UK we don't have a right of free speech. We have a principle of free speech within a bunch of restrictions on what we can do with it. Similarly, we have freedom of the press, but with a bunch of caveats surrounding that, too. But the article - and the group it's all about - aren't arguing the law. They're arguing moral rights.
The article raises some interesting points. One of them relates to the play Behzti (Dishonour). They are comparing their objections to JSTO with the reaction of the Sikh community to that play. But there's a big, big difference. No court stopped the performances of Behzti (Dishonour): the theatre chose to pull the play after protests threatened to become violent. Also, I have no idea who wrote JSTO, but I'll bet he or she isn't a practicing Christian. Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, who wrote Behzti (Dishonour) was writing about her own culture. People objected not because it was racist, but because it wasn't.
They also compare it to the worldwide furore over the Danish anti-Islamic cartoons. Here, again, there's a point to be made. I believe those cartoons were intended to be offensive and degrading. They were no different from the Nazi cartoons of Jews, depicting Mohamed riding a bomb and suchlike. But you can't compare that to similar depictions of Christianity. We in the West have a long history of lampooning our religion through pictures. Good heavens, even some of the most famous religious artworks are inherently subversive.
Ultimately, however, I have to consider the source of these complaints. "Christian Voice" are not a Christian group. They're a gang of bigots using religion as an excuse to spread hatred. This is the group that the Co-operative bank told to take their business elsewhere, because they objected to the bank having a presence at Manchester Gay Pride. When they initially campaigned against the BBC's showing JSTO, their main objection was that Jesus was played by a black actor. As well as campaigning against the BBC for a single showing of JSTO, they campain against equal rights legislation, civil partnerships and gay right, women's rights, and so on. They are scum.
I am troubled. Because there is a line beyond which satire becomes deliberate insult, and religious groups do deserve some level of protection from that. I believe in freedom of speech, but not when it extends to spreading hatred. Not when it's used as an excuse to cause genuine harm. In this case, the messenger colours the message, but the message is partially sound. The challenge is to filter out the propaganda and find the specks of truth hiding in there.
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I hate Tesco's policy, because I refuse to use a clubcard. I don't trust what they do with all the data they collect.
But yes, it's good that they encourage recycling. Actually the supermarkets aren't the biggest problem. At least there, you only get the number of bags you need for your shopping.
It's city centre stores that are the problem. So many of them will hand you a bag - no choice - no matter how small your purchase. Boots: buy a lipstick, and they shove it in a carrier bag for you. It would fit in your pocket! So you end up with more bags than you really need.
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In Bristol, they're increasingly asking if you need/want a carrier bag in a lot of places, including Wilkinson and Virgin. And Virgin have swapped to paper bags, instead of plastic. I've started carrying a couple of bags in my handbag, one small and one carrier sized, so I can say that I don't need one, I've got my own.
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And I'm one of those terrible people who carries a string bag everywhere - I'm more like my granny than my granny was *g*.
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LOL!
I'd shoot myself if I were like my granny. But then, we didn't exactly get along.
Was your granny nice?
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LOL - we managed to avoid speaking to each other for the last 10 years of her life, and probably would have cheerfully taken pot shots at one another... fear of getting too much like her is a great deterrent in my life *g*
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Chico Bags! I keep 5 or so in my purse but they can attach outside too. My grocery stores refund .03-.05 cents per bag. Not a lot but adds up.
http://www.chicobag.com/
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Hey, they look good. *hurries to check it out*
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Everyone I know here (in Canada) uses reusable cloth shopping bags like this one from President's Choice (http://www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/GreatFood/ProductDetails.aspx/id/18667/name/PCGREENCanadasGreenestShoppingBag/catid/64).
Just about every grocery store here sells their own brand of reusable shopping bag for about $1 can. and for every one you use when you shop, you get 5ยข off your order.
Even the Ontario Liquor Board and our local pharmacy chains sell their own brand of reusable bags now for around $1 can. The Liquor Board bag even has divisions in it for the individual bottles. =>}
These bags are strong, with comfortable handles and hold a lot of groceries!
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Some stores - mostly the supermarkets - do sell their own re-usable bags. Mostly, though, they're not the kind convenient to carry around "just in case". That's the problem.
We've got a culture here of expecting bags to be supplied when we shop, and most stores hand them out whether you need a bag or not. It's terribly wasteful, but what's needed is a major culture change. Like when we all quit using paper bags to save the forests (which is, of course, why we started using plastic in the first place!)
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