Christmas

Apologies for the gap between posts, but I’ve been busy with last minute Xmas shopping, then back off to the outskirts of Glasgow for a nice time at my parents. While there I also took the opportunity to visit my dear uncle - known to most of the family as ‘the Comrade’; he’s old school socialist with a human face and has proudly worn this alternative moniker I dubbed him with many moons ago.

I was warned by everyone to brace myself for his appearance, because he has deteriorated so much even since my previous visit two week ago. One of my cousins up visiting from the Deep South of England (land of thatched cottages) hadn’t seen him for many months, certainly not since the Big C came back with a vengeance and was so shocked she couldn’t stay long in his room. I can’t blame her for that - he’s wasting away before our eyes and growing weaker every day; frankly I was surprised he was still there, I had the horrible feeling that my previous visit would prove to be the last time I saw him alive. That’s a bloody horrible feeling - worse for my Canadian uncle over to visit his dying brother and knowing full well that it would be the last week he would get to spend with him.

So I braced myself and did my best not to let it show when I was with him, or round my poor mother who is fighting to stay together to help my aunt look after her husband, my mother’s big brother. Again we managed to swap jokes and share some laughs (the sense of humour must be up there with love as our finest defence mechanism), despite his voice growing weaker and fainter, as if every faculty is slowly winding down for him now, except his eyes which still shine. Lord knows what is keeping him going - he always was a tall, broad built, strong man with a good constitution; it is what helped him fight this awful disease the first time round, but now it is as much a liability since it is prolonging the inevitable. Part of me likes to think that he tried his level best to hold on through the holidays so as not to ruin Xmas for the family. Sheer speculation I know, but it would be very much in keeping with his selfless attitude and since no-one can prove such conjecture either way I choose to think it.

So I did manage to keep it together and spent some good time with the Comrade over my days back home. Between those visits, being around my beloved parents and seeing so more of my cousins and aunts than I have in ages (perhaps a positive aspect to all of this) I managed to keep it together, although I did fall apart in the car as my Dad drove me home after Xmas. We were just talking about it and the damned thing up and overwhelmed me, the sheer unfairness of this happening to such a good man. As regular readers know I’m not religious, but the Comrade is a devout Catholic (his absence at the special Xmas Eve mass finally drove it home to my poor aunt that his days were really coming to an end). If I hadn’t lost faith in any god decades ago I would now - he’s a good man, never missed mass in his life, did good work for the church… What sort of reward is this for any god to show to such a faithful follower? I know, life simply isn’t fair and bad things happen to good people, it rains on the just and the unjust, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it and it still doesn’t make it right. Naturally I keep such observations to myself - not really the time or place to air them around my uncle, aunt or mother (watching what this does to her is as hurtful as the thought of losing the Comrade).

Despite this we actually had some good times over Christmas. Spending time with my folks is always good (I am a very, very lucky boy in that respect). My mother’s home cooking was the highlight of course and naturally I did my best to eat absolutely everything she put out on the table until it felt like I’d swallowed a cannonball. Main veggie course for me was a gorgeous terrine of wild mushrooms, two types of cheese, two types of nuts and spiced potatoes, with an accompanying (and also home-made of course) spicy tomato sauce. My mum’s cooking skills are matched only by her baking skills (she is the official maker of cakes to the family) and her meringues crunched delicately under my spoon…mmmmmmm……

My birthday arrives tomorrow, on Hogmanay when I will be - ahem - years old, although I’m not especially in a birthday or New Years kind of mood really. Will try and post something slightly less depressing later on - its hard to talk about this stuff but equally hard not to talk about it, if you know what I mean. Hopefully go for a complete subject change when I next post (actually I wasn’t even going to write what I did today, but it just kind of came out and I feel a little better for that. I know all too many of you have loved ones who have endured or fallen to cancer as well, so you know where I’m coming from) - perhaps it is that time to do a review of the year (the one just ending, not next year; I would review 2006 for you now but I promised the Time Lords I wouldn’t monkey around with causality anymore)? Pick a few best of an worst of movies and books from the last twelve months, maybe some events - anyone wanting to add their own best or worst ofs for 2005 feel free to post (on which note I apologise for having to make the Woolamaloo comments non-anonymous, but I was getting some awful hate comments from some right-wing neo-nazi thugs for an earlier posting, and, as always with nasty folk, posted behind the cowardly ‘anonymous’ mask, so I had to withdraw that facility - apologies to the majority who used it for constructive purposes).

Giving is good...

...As they say. Last year instead of traditional present for some folk I knew I wouldn't see for a while because they live far away from me and haivng it lying around the flat for ages until I next saw them I logged on to Oxfam Unwrapped and bought some charity gifts in their name. This year several of my friends and I all decided that we had more than enough junk already and that instead we'd buy each other charity gifts. So some of us are buying gifts which then get donated to the likes of the Salvation Army to be distributed to folk who don't normally get presents, some are taking out a monthly donation to a charity in a friend's name and some are buying charity gifts online. Bit late for Christmas now, but if you have any late gift buying to do for friends or relatives that you may not see until after the big day then think about doing one or two of them this way - Oxfam Unwrapped have a good range of ideas and prices and they will send a card to the person you bought it for to tell them what has been given in their name. This time of year is supposed to be about giving, regardless of your religious inclinations (or lack thereof) that's not a bad thing to recall from time to time in our consumerist society.

Do I really need another movie on DVD or would I rather my friend bought a gift from Oxfam in my name that is going to help someone somewhere in the world who isn't going to a nice family home for the holidays to be with loving parents and eat more home-cooked food than some parts of the world see in a month? I'm not saying don't buy any traditional presents of course and like anyone else I fancy a look at the Janaury Sales - its nice to give and receive those too - but if even a quarter of us took the charity route for but a handful of our seasonal gifts splurge we'd make the world a little better, feel better about ourselves, make the person in whose name we give it feel good, be a little less consumerist and help someone who needs it far more than most of us. I'm not preaching here or trying to tell anyone what they should do, but as a suggestion I think that's a win-win all round, don't you?

Solstice

The shortest day of the year and - a vampire's delight - the longest night, the Winter Solstice. A huge, glowing moon in the sky this morning when I woke up, with the rising sun beginning its ascent in the eastern sky at the same time as that as that shining moon descended in the west. A very ancient celebration, especially here in the British Isles, with many of the components and traditions absorbed by those pesky Christians (get your own traditions you spongers!!!) including such 'Christmas' staples as mistletoe (a Druidic staple as all Asterix readers know).

Partly a religious observation and a way of marking the seasons for our ancestors, it was also a good excuse to brighten up the long, cold nights of the Celtic winter by having a big-ass part with plenty of food, dancing and drink. So, not a lot of change there then, really for modern Scots. On which score I've tried not to let my nasty cold get in the way of catching up with chums this week for some drinks and food before Christmas hits. Or, as in tonight, combining food and drink in the same place - good company, fine ale and some warm grub on a cold night, life's simple pleasures. Happy Solstice everyone.

CNN

You may recall that a few weeks ago I recorded an interview for CNN for a programme on the freedom of expression online. I haven't actually heard from them since then as to when the programme was going out, but this morning my chum George got in touch to send me this link to CNN's page, where, lo and behold, there is an article based on some of the interviews in the programme, including myself. I do hope this doesn't mean I've missed the programme!

My friend Cheryl, on reading this, sent me a link to an interesting related item where Brian Turner is facing a possible court case by a nasty company who want to sue his company and him personally over comments by disappointed customers of that company on his discussion forum. Nothing derogatory, just complaints from unsatisfied customers - however this company seems to think that customers are allowed to make comments and anyone who allows them should be bullied (and let's face it, that's what this is - bullying people and abusing their freedom of expression). Good luck to you, Brian, but a shame you need to go through this. As I said on the CNN interview, one of the biggest threats to our freedom of expression online today isn't from governmental interference but from corporations. Corporations that haven't realised that this kind of action backfires on them because it will line them up for ridicule and criticism online and that isn't going to help you get new customers.

Intelligent Judgement

From the excellent New Scientist team:

"Pennsylvania science teachers will not be forced to advocate "intelligent design" after a judge ruled that that the theory is really religion in disguise.

Judge John Jones of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled that intelligent design - which bills itself as a scientific theory and states that life shows signs of being the work of an intelligent designer - is in fact reworked creationism."

Thank smeg someone in the juidicial system realises what a crock this Intelligent Design (a rather oxymoronic label) nonsense is. Now if someone wants to believe in Creationism then I believe they are perfectly entitled to do so - we're all allowed to make our own stupid mistakes after all, and I reserve the right to think they are incredibly stupid, supertitious peasants one step away from panicking about the sky falling on their head or dropping off the edge of the world or decrying books which claim the Earth is not the centre of the solar system.

If you want to believe that, go ahead - I think you're crazy for taking the word of a book which has been edited and reinterpreted and translated, often by groups with an agenda to push over years of solid, scientific research and evidence, but hey, you are free to choose. Just don't try and push it on everyone else. And when that fails, don't try to dress it up in a new frock and try to sell it to us in such a sneaky manner - it smacks of both desperation and malicious manipulation: we can't convince people with logical argument (because our argument isn't terribly logical and has nothing to back it up) so we will try and trick you.

Newsnight had two people on recently on this subject, one an advocate of ID, the other opposed to having it in schools in the US. The opponent was not a scientist but a pastor, who believed in the Bible but also in the constitution which seperates church and state and said clearly, as a minister of the Lord, he thought this was the same old Creationism in a new set of clothes (they used to be the Emperor's New Clothes) and had no place being taught in schools, let alone being put alongside science teaching. Honestly, have these ID eejits never studied the Gospels of Saint Bill of Hicks? Don't make me quote the "what about the dinosaurs" parable of the Great Man again!

Rock On With Jet City Rednecks

My mate and colleague Paul has a groovy website set up for his rock band here. I was listening to it while I worked today and unlike most band websites where you can listen to just a couple of sample tracks, the Jet City Rednecks have a whole gig for you to listen to. Pretty much all covers, I must admit, but they are all rock standards that anyone who has ever messed around in a band will recongnise and think, yeah we used to play that in my mate's garage/flat/rehersal room (I remember a few from my band days myself. Jet City Rednecks, proving that there is more to Leicester than a dead King Richard and red cheese! Rock on!

Talent shows

It is a bit depressing to me that two of the highest rated shows on UK TV the last few weekends have been talent shows: Strictly Come Dancing on the Beeb and X-Factor on ITV. One lot of amateurs and professionals competing in ballroom dancing, week after week while on the other a panel of snide judges belittle a bunch of wannabe pop stars (like we need to encourage any more talentless pop stars). Is it just me being cynical (who, me?) or is this the sort of exercise you expect at some old Hi-De-Hi style holiday camp? However, they pulled in many millions of viewers, so what next to keep pulling in those goggle-eyed boob-tube watchers? Well, we all know skin sells, so perhaps the next natural step for these talent shows will be:

The Sex Factor; hopeful amateurs line up each week to perform a variety of hardcore sexual acts in the hope of winning through to the grand final and a contract with a major adult entertainment, becoming major porno stars. The BBC counters with Stricly Cum Fencing in which the trickiest part of pornographic films is covered as one hopeful amateur is paired with one professional as they try to create a variety of inventive 'money shots'.

And before you all groan and say what a dirty minded little sod I am, yes I know (and let's be honest, most of you too are, you just don't admit it as much!). And also I would ask to to consider that the above is a little jest, but in parts of the Japanese or Italian cable media they may very well already be real shows...