Childish Religion

One point I forgot to mention earlier in my post regarding the Gillian Gibbons incarceration was that the blogger stated: "All but one of the children in her class are Muslims." As the frequent readers of this blog will know, no child of 6 or 7 years-old is a Muslim. They simply do not have the educational grounding or the experienced learning capable enough of identifying themselves as Muslims. Consciousness needs to be raised on this matter. This is just as absurd as stating 'All but one of the children in her class are postmodernists and Marxists'. These are self-conscious decisions that can be made when the facts and opinions are explicitly presented. As I write this I find that one of the children has spoken out and told the press that the teddy bear was named after himself. Typically with issues surrounding religion, children pose the most pertinent questions. Moreover, Mosques have today been issued with a code of practice; basically outlining how Muslims should follow their own religion. Is it not telling that the British government feels the need to condescendingly prescribe recommendations that bemoan arranged marriages and extremism? I must take this opportunity to tell you all that I won't be posting again until Monday because I'm away in Austin, Texas and I will be without an internet connection for the duration. I do apologize, but I will make it up to you somehow...

Very Bad Sex

A survey conducted on behalf of the book, Sex in America, revealed that only 61% of 18-24 year-old women regularly, or usually, achieve orgasm during sex. C'mon guys, sort it out. On a much more humorous note, or shall I say posthumous, Norman Mailer has been awarded the literary Bad Sex Award for 2007. Apparently, the likening of male genitalia to "a coil of excrement" swung it for the judges. Coincidentally, the Vagina Monologues are set to play throughout February at my university, and given my student-induced open-mindedness I shall look forward to it with interest. If the judges were influenced by the reduction of male piety to faeces, then I'm sure they would have enjoyed Ian McEwan's wonderful On Chesil Beach where the male protagonist was reduced to a quivering premature ejaculation sufferer. It's book-ended a disappointing year for McEwan, but I'm sure he'll come back with another resounding comment on love and relationships to sweep the annual awards.

The Atrocity Continues

Here's the latest from the Guardian Unlimited website where an ex-colleague and friend of Gillian Gibbons, the woman incarcerated for using Muhammed as the name of a teddy bear, speaks up about the growing insanity of this case. In the comment section someone writes: "May I urge posters to show restraint until this case is resolved? Anyone in Sudan with a computer, such as a government official, can read CiF." Interestingly, the moderator has gone to town over deleting people's comments here. For whatever cause the above poster reports to, I am not going to violate our right to free speech just so a bigoted, infantile individual in Sudan can have his twisted way with a respectable Western woman. People are going to look upon this case as 'us against them', which, even if we don't want it, has already been established by the Sudanese. "The police station had been surrounded by a mob baying for Gillian's blood." - All this does is confirm the observation that religion provides a canon for people's debauched blood lust. Peaceful Muslims will decry this as a misinterpretation of Islamic teachings, which, frankly, is no excuse what-so-ever. As is the case with militant Islam, they're no stranger to self-hatred, self'-pity, and self-righteousness. They're besotted with poisoning our society with their own cultish teachings, rather than keeping their beliefs to themselves. If someone wants to call the hate-speech police upon reading this, feel free, but I'm sure there's another delusional martyr willing to strap an explosive vest to themselves for your cause. This is really serious. Where do you stand, comrades? Ask yourself what you believe in, today where a white, western woman is potentially flogged and imprisoned for allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammed in the name of a transparently plagiarised religion.

An Atrocity

Readers of this blog I hope would be alert enough to have come across this story (with interest) already - a British teacher has been arrested in Sudan after "offending" the Muslim faith. Strangely, the articles I can find make no statement as to her ethnicity, however, either way, this is a modern day travesty, equatable to the barbaric, primal, atavistic, and down-right appalling backlash to the Danish cartoons. We live in a world of perpetuated fear, by fanatics who insist, not only on vehemently following their religion, but by forcing it upon others also. This action is regressive, provocative, and absurd. After all, the children of her class named the bear, should they be scoured, flagellated, and abused likewise? Adopting my Dawkinsian guise, I must remind everyone that these children are no more Islamic themselves than the British teacher - they're simply too young to understand the fundamental prejudices of their force-fed faith. This categorically violates freedom of speech, conveniently tying into my post yesterday. I hope the British government grow some balls fast enough to step in and react to this international scandal. I shall be following this one with you.

Free Speech

I can't be bothered to comment on this article. Anyone who has to guess my opinion of this would be insulting me. Irving was imprisoned in Austria for something he had the potential to say - we're drawing closer to Orwellian thought-crime for goodness sake. Well done Oxford: this is the opposite of regression.

Natalie Portman

You may have presumed from the title that I would fall into the trap of endearment and indulgent veneration, but I won't. Am I the only one who finds Natalie Portman discernibly unattractive? It seems she's reached a monolithic state of absolute beauty of which no one can match. In fact, all expressions of beauty are related to, and categorized by, their relationship to Portman's. There's a rather lengthy, highly venerating (venereal?) article in The Observer today devoted to her cultural anonymity and devout (assumed) intellectualism; an article that falls firmly into the aforementioned trap. Read it at your peril.

Sleuth 2

After bringing you news of Sleuth a couple of days ago, I said that I wouldn't pass judgement until I heard the gospel of the good doctor Kermode. Well, today, his weekly interview on BBC Radio 5 featured Sleuth, and he analysed the too-good-to-be-true build up, just as I did. However, as I expected, he didn't like it. Once he'd identified himself as "pompous but brilliant", Kermode admits he's even starting to warm to Jude Law, yet he has "serious problems with this film". He takes issue with the "re-imagining" by Harold Pinter of the original script, which adds a clunky third act that doesn't fit with the previous thematic metaphors. All in all, he reasoned why the film "just didn't gel", so it's fair to say that I won't be rushing to my nearest cinema when I return from the US. If you don't believe me, you can listen for yourself here.

Charge your iPod with an Onion

I feel compelled to try this...

Happy Thanksgiving

Today brings another in the series of American holidays that I've brought you since I begun here in August. Thanksgiving is the staple celebration of American lifestyle every year; it brings unity to scattered families, and provides a valued excuse to eat until you burst. Similar to 'Labour Day', no one seemed to know the true origins of the Thanksgiving tradition: but, it seems obvious now, the truth is in the name. I was invited to my coach's house for a large gathering of friends and teammates, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. And I was glad to note that no Christian rhetoric was brought to the fore to taint the proceedings. This was simply an occasion of celebration - to appreciate the riches of our situation and how fortunate we really are. Today has been my favorite of the recent national holidays. Happy Thanksgiving.

Football

England have proven, once again, their lack of professionalism. Was I the only viewer who was slightly glad England didn't go through to the latter stages of the European Cup? No. Well, not according to the response to the 606 Football Phone-in at least. We were an embarrassment. The blame can be heaped wherever we please; the ineptitude of our manager (subject to change?), the poor tactical decisions (4-5-1?), the lacklustre performance of some of our players (Lampard got man of the match?), the burden of key injuries, and most importantly, the shambles of our Football Association. Not only did they appoint their second choice, McClaren, they also had the bravado to tell the media that they'd always wanted McClaren. Furthermore, they're the ones who sanctioned a friendly against Austria where Owen gets injured, they're the ones who sanctioned a stadium without a roof so the pitch is waterlogged, they're the ones who sanctioned an American Football game at Wembley a week before. And what followed was a continued succession of transparent mistakes from McClaren - dropping Beckham and bringing him back; backing Paul Robinson then not; unveiling Gareth Barry and quashing him in midfield alongside Lampard and Gerard; playing a lone striker whose strength is latching onto crosses yet supporting him with proven non-deliverers. He must go. These are basic mistakes that any halfwit in your local pub would have avoided. People will argue that we were outplayed tonight and the pitch was appalling, but the damage was done long before this game. Well, at least we won't have fantasy media commentary running all the way up to next Summer. We don't deserve to be there, nor do we want to be there with the team as it stands. I've heard it suggested, why not have a home nations competition next year? Probably because Scotland and Northern Ireland would walk all over us.

Sleuth

More from the film canon today as I bring further attention to Sleuth, a British film starring Jude Law and Michael Caine, based on the play by Anthony Shaffer, and adapted by the brilliant Harold Pinter. Everything seems ripe for a classic. Unfortunately, however, it appears that isn't the case, as this reviewer describes: not bad, but not very good either. As yet, I haven't heard from the gospel, Mark Kermode, but I'll relay the news as it happens. Also, I'm an avid reader of Jeffrey Archer's blog (even if it is sporadically updated), and he saw a special screening recently only to be disappointed in the same way. Oh well - I could always just watch these again. Whilst I'm here though, Jeffrey's new book, A Prisoner of Birth, has undergone it's final drafting before being sent to the publishers. I repeatedly curse myself for never taking the time to read his epic novels, but maybe now's the time.

North Korea and Religion

It seems as though my recent posts have been dominated by ponderous reviews of contemporary revolutionists such as Dawkins or Hitchens. I feel as though it is, however, my duty to bring to the fore further information regarding the previously mentioned Atheist Allegiance International, and Christopher Hitchens' speech thereon (the video is accessible here). To conclude his orating he took questions from the audience; it is here where Hitchens produced his most resounding comment on the deciduous state of theocratic belief and lifestyle. Hitchens has visited North Korea, the ultimate example of national secularism, where he reportedly experienced the most base level of impoverished conditions imaginable: a state of endless praise-giving directed at the figurehead, Kim Jong-il, who deserves no such thing based on the meager handouts he provides his citizens. But is it endless? In fact, no, it isn't. As Hitchens puts it: "at least you can fucking die and leave North Korea". However, as is the case with theistic hegemony, the believer has bought into an existence of constant scrutiny and constant servitude under God. Yet, it does not end with existence, this implacable servitude to one's deity is everlasting, beyond death. This is not a choice Hitchens, nor myself, has any sympathy or respect for.

The Law of Evolution

After I questioned my lecturer about the appropriateness of the Law of Evolution he backed down somewhat "reminding" me that we must protect the sensitivities of those around us on a global scale. He makes a point of acknowledging the differing beliefs and sensibilities during his class, so what should I expect. Today, in fact, we were given an unique treat of experiencing the Kuiper Space Sciences Presentation - I light display very similar to the London Planetarium's centrepiece. I visited the Planetarium when I was eight or nine years old but the profound visuals were lost on me. Here though, I was reminded of the nature of our place amongst the galaxies and universes (plural). If I wanted to, I could now adopt my Joycean prose technique and dissect the collective insignificance of our existence, but I won't. Overall, I was touched by the sensual dichotomy of light versus dark, the stars versus space, moon versus crater, etc. As the professor takes pains to point out, evolution is not experienced only in the organic world; we see the mutation of hydrogen atoms to helium atoms, the death of stars, the formation of galaxies from inter-galactic dust. If anything, this all supports the definition: the Law of Evolution.

More on Dawkins etc.

Glancing at Richard Dawkins' website, I discovered this - of which I knew nothing. The Atheist Alliance International (AAI) was set up by Dawkins to accumulate the leading thinkers of atheist thought, including Dan Dennet and Christopher Hitchens, of whom I spoke briefly with regard to his book, god is not Great. Although the videos posted there are lengthy and visually cumbersome, it's certainly worth hearing the speeches in their entirety as they present their philosophies in conjunction with one another - something we wouldn't appreciate by reading the books individually. Note that this is a piece from Dawkins' US mission, so naturally, we're prone to the emphatic applause of the easily entertained Americans.

Politics and Religion

I've consistently stated that religion has no place in politics, let alone in the American presidential campaign. Unfortunately, more and more people steadfastly adopt their candidate representatives on the basis of their religious affinities. It's been well documented how Bush cited Christian experience when justifying the 'War on Terror'. And maybe, just maybe, this piece of information is a turning point in American mindset - if it's OK to bash the Mormons, surely their beliefs are no less absurd than the well-established Christian mainstream. Last month Richard Dawkins embarked on his US mission to preach his atheist manifesto, and although he'll face stronger opposition than perhaps he did in England, he would have experienced the beginnings of a monumental cultural shift, similar to what was witnessed in England. What's more, Bryan anointed Dawkins' The Selfish Gene as one of the books that has defined Britain, and he's been one of the many to call for the Theory of Evolution to be reclassified as the Law of Evolution. I'm not up to scratch on my dictionary definitions, but it is a poignant question, one which I posed to my evolutionist lecturer earlier today (I'll post his answer later).

Super Bad

News surfaced yesterday that the University of Arizona, within which I'm posting from now, enrolls roughly a thousand fewer international students today than it did prior to the September 11th attacks; down from 3011 in the autumn semester of 2002, to 2164 for this semester. Less surprisingly, the Middle-Eastern undergraduate enrollment has fallen by 64%. So the question arises, is it really due to 9/11 or is there more to it? Well, I have a feeling there is an element of 'isolationism' to American Zeitgeist that somewhat denies foreign prospective students the appeal that the culture provides. Obviously, interest in the Ivy League Schools is unlikely to diminish, and I speak as an exception to this trend, but my case was only bolstered by the film I foolishly watched yesterday: Superbad. In the timeless words of the good Doctor Kermode, "the review is in the title". Why didn't I listen? Good question. After watching two quiet classics, A History of Violence and This is England, this film stood out like a sore thumb as a banal attempt at holding a mirror to US High School psychology: everyone has to get drunk and get laid. It was misogynistic, infantile, vindictive, and depressing - not only did this film hold the US Box Office No.1 for 4 weeks, but the audience were doubling over in fits of laughter at every childish line of crass dialogue. I was left distinctly saddened by the state of American pop-culture at present. What society have I immersed myself in where people laugh at period blood. From yesterday onward, I've concluded that these are the reasons deterring international students; the poisonous sub-art that has infected our mainstream consciousness. Yesterday, I was repulsed. More tomorrow.

More Suicides

As the commentators to this article point out, statistics displaying Vietnam War Veterans as suicide-prone individuals were found to be not only exaggerated and contorted, but wholly false in some cases. So let's hope these figures about modern war returnees are further propaganda from the American left. If not however, maybe it's due in part to the desensitization toward death as a result of first-hand experience of its consequences. In the words of Beckett: "the gravedigger lingeringly puts on the forceps"; yet I'm always saddened when people foreshorten their blink of eternity. Though, as I mentioned before - it could be worse, they could be Japanese.

Olympics 2012

Recently, with the unveiling of the non-armadillo-like stadium for the London Olympics, speculation rages on about the true cost of holding the Games. The new, very boring stadium is estimated to cost 500,000 quid. This blogger's expected real cost: more like 800,000. Lest we forget the absolutely ridiculous logo to boot. It makes everyone wonder how they can get away with it all. At least some politicians are standing up and being counted in opposition to the means with which the whole accomplishment will be realised, if it even gets that far. At the time when our bid was victorious, I was staying in a hotel near Venice, Italy; we all remember what happened the day after the announcement, but that's another story. Anyway, before the reasons behind the 7/7 bombings were uncovered, myself and my British teammates were strongly advised not to hang our British flags over our balcony rails, in fear of being targeted by the non-entity embodiment of international terrorism. But I predict a new reason for withholding our national identity: embarrassment.

Japanese Suicides

The only thing that doesn't make sense regarding this report is why nothing was done sooner.

Veteran's Day

Today America celebrates Veteran's Day - the trans-Atlantic translation of Remembrance Day. Although, it appears more as a recognition of war veterans rather than the mourning of lost soldiers, the focus of the British equivalent. There's an article on the Times' website calling for submissions for potential national mottoes for Great Britain. As one would expect, there's the usual blend of sublime and ridiculous, but it provides amusing reading nonetheless. It's good though to see a relatively small number of angst-ridden propositions, indicating a climb in national pride - perhaps succeeding our remembrance.

More on the Finnish Gunman

Following on from my little remonstration concerning the Finland shooting, the Guardian has a couple of articles that interested me this morning. Firstly, this links the event (inevitably) back to America and to the Collumbine Massacre - I am always one step ahead of these guys. Secondly, this article appears to contradict the claim that "Auvinen was a bullied teenage outcast consumed with anger against society", stating that "no-one detected he had problems before he walked into school [...] with a handgun". It's make your mind up time. I feel as though I should refer them back to my earlier post. Anyway, what the second article makes clear is that the Finnish government is taking this very seriously, unlike the US. But let's see how things progress, and whether their firearm legislation is changed.

Movies

I've watched two films in the past two days which are both contenders for my personal favorite. The better, however, was David Cronenberg's A History of Violence. Although the IMDB site gives it 8 stars, it is a favorite of the good doctor Kermode, who sings its praises at every available opportunity - especially recently with the release of Cronenberg's latest, Eastern Promises, starring the same fantastic actor, Viggo Mortensen (better known for his role as Aragorn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings). Incidentally, it was Cronenberg who wrote and directed the horrific cult-classic, The Fly. The second film was This is England, giving a bleak portrayal of Liverpool, and Britain in general, during the early eighties. It focuses on the story of a stunted pre-teen caught up in skinhead culture before it turned nasty. That's exactly what this film depicts, the turning of likable teenagers into ruthless racists, employing the nationalist unity of the Falklands War as its backdrop. Both were emotionally gripping and they've resonated with me for the last couple of days, enough for me to feel compelled and preach them to you. While we're on the subject of movies; the topic of film classification has come up recently alongside the ebb and flow of children's animated films, such as Bee Movie or Ratatouille. Although the internet movie database (imdb.com) is good for overall trivia, the British Board of Film Classification (bbfc.co.uk) often gives a clear plot summary and includes relevant information about a film's content. For example, if you wanted to know whether a film contained extreme violence of fantasy violence, this site will lay it out for you: so it's good for uncertain parents. What's more, if you're still having doubts, visit the Parent's BBFC (pbbfc.co.uk) for in-depth discussions about film content, for parents, by parents.

Stamp Duty

A rugby player has been jailed for 15 moths after stamping on his opponent during a match, presumably deliberately. Whilst this act is highly contemptible, why is the same ruling not implemented in other sporting circles? Water Polo? Football? How about a vicious 50/50 tackle in the midst of a Premiership derby - is that illegal? I presume so, if harm was intended. And, in that case, why was Roy Keane not brought to justice after his self-confessed, pre-empted stamp? Not only did he never face court ruling for this loathsome action, he made profit from the publicity he gained as a biographer. Or am I falling into the non-contact debate?
Edit: Perhaps they all just need to calm down.

An Experiment

A couple of days ago I installed a new site monitor to track the hits on this site. It's a clever little thing: identifying where my visitors come from and how long they're staying, plus any other detail I could possible wish for. Anyway, since my "Humanity is Overrated" post yesterday, I've had a sudden surge in visitors from Finland. I find this fascinating. According to Bryan, his most 'hit' post has been his ponder about tattoos. Perhaps just mentioning the word here will incur a swathe of fanatical body artists. My posts on Yann Martel's book, The Life of Pi get a fair amount of interest too. One can't be blamed for a little self-promotion.

"Humanity is Overrated"

Pekka-Eric Auvinen has died in hospital after turning the gun on himself. He has become the latest suicidal, isolated, solipsistic little shit that has found a means of taking people down with him. Following the Columbine Massacre of 1999, made famous by Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine, and The Virginia Tech Massacre last year, perpetrated by wannabe cult star, Question Mark, Pekka-Eric took inspiration and brought a handgun into school with one thing on his mind. We all know the details. One thing strikes me from the aforementioned; they all broadcast tapes of themselves prior to their respective killing-sprees. Now, with this in mind, isn't it somehow plausible that they wanted to be stopped; they wanted to be discovered and revealed in some way. Surely, if Cho Seung Hui (aka. Question Mark) wished to remain untraceable, he wouldn't have gone to the local television station with his homemade VCRs. Surely, if Pekka-Eric Auvinen wished to remain untraceable, he wouldn't have posted a video of himself brandishing a gun on YouTube one hour before letting loose. Stop me if I'm wrong. Granted, some will label these simply as the glorified suicide notes of disturbed adolescents, or maybe just trivialities - kids looking for their fifteen minutes; but, like the man who puts his head in an oven with a window open, or the man who jumps from a three story building, did they really want to go through with it? Due to the inaction of cathartic YouTube generation, they were all left with no choice, once again, they were forced to carry out their twisted ideas because no-one put up a their hand to stop them. It isn't uncommon for gentlemen at that age to pick up a copy of The Catcher in the Rye or Beyond Good and Evil and think they're the only ones who 'get it'. Doubtless, intelligent discussion will stir for a few days and then the whole incident will be forgotten and have little impact on any other potential psychopaths. Having said that, I did just sign up to 'UAlert' here at the University: a convenient little text message alert system for all students in case of emergencies. Safe and sound? Not yet.

A ReSounding Success

Two pieces of music news for you. Firstly, the results of Radiohead's distribution experiment seem to have paid off, regardless of what the print media has to say. (I'd be surprised if 40% of people paid for their newspaper if it was offered up gratis.) Still, Edward Hunter, an analyst from comScore, called it "a resounding success for Radiohead and music fans everywhere". I feel inclined to agree. All the details are here. Incidentally, if you're interested, Radiohead are broadcasting a live webcast on Friday, similar to those shown back in 2003. When it was initially announced that Radiohead would employ the "honesty box" method of distribution, people compared it to Prince's adopted technique back in 2006, when he handed his album out for free along with everyone's copy of The Mail on Sunday. Ironic so it seems that, today, news has surfaced of the contempt Prince has shown towards his hardcore, veteran fans who use his image and present his music as part of their fansites. It seems strange that Prince wishes to alienate those who have simply widened his audience by making his music more accessible. That's not to say they uploaded his music for free - they merely used his image and artwork, as any fansite would feel inclined to do. The prosecuted fansites have since formed a coalition to fight the threats of Prince and his record label. This somewhat makes me question their future longevity as fans. Well there we have it; the full spectrum of band-to-fan loyalty, and vice-versa.

Ganesha?

Not no more it seems...

'More Racist' as a result of Spite

Just as a brief side note; an anonymous survey of my race and ethnicity class today produced the statistic that 24% of my classmates had, in fact, become "more racist" as a result of the class. What's more, 40% claimed they had become "less colourblind" in terms of racial identity. That left only 36% who said they'd become "more anti-racist", among which I counted myself after being irritated by the James Watson debacle a couple of weeks ago. Although, it just goes to show, jaunty statistics and skewed, generalised trends won't positively resonate with someone's outlook, but rather, it can have the opposite, highly detrimental effect of agitating racial prejudice. This highlights the intimacy of people's prejudices. Statistics won't gain any ground on revolutionising contemporary thought, but closer-to-home experiences will.

Writer's Guild on Strike

This little strike all seems very jovial. The last time the Writer's Guild of America went on strike was in 1988, which lasted for 5 months and had the very predictable effect of causing TV stations to rerun archive episodes of classic programming. Personally, I don't see much wrong with that, however, I have a feeling, the American's aren't used to waiting, and they're certainly not used to anyone going on strike, so this will be cleared up quicker than expected. It seems as though the script writers believe themselves to hold a divine right to the exuberant profits of their shows, and I don't disagree. I'm going to watch this one with keen interest.

A Sad Event

As the news recounts this morning, a woman refused blood following childbirth on the grounds that her religion forbids it, and, consequently, she died. Now, I don't know the ins-and-outs of witnessing Jehovah, but I presume her steadfastness was grounded on sacred texts, and her wish not to sin. If only one of the nurses had the presence of mind to ignore her beliefs and give her the blood anyway; that way, her motherless twins would grow up with the integral maternal bonds we all cherish. I couldn't help guffawing at the statements of her friend: "we can't believe [it] happening in this day and age". Perhaps her unfounded psychological delusion has no place in this day and age too. In today's Western society, on the back of a technological evolution, this event is a travesty. If she would rather have died than be administered with blood, that's her choice, but the innocent individuals here without a choice are her children. Needless to say, they would doubtless have been brought up to be Jehovah's Witnesses also, which, if I were to adopt my pseudo-Dawkinsian guise, is worse than having no mother at all.

Eat Your Greens

I am a self-confessed global-warming agnostic, one of those irritating fence-sitters with hardly any consequential opinions about one of the world's most pressing issues. Having said that, Bryan brings us food-for-thought in this morning's Sunday Times. He himself has admitted to being an agnostic also; but with the true facts at hand, he presents us with the fundamental information we ought to know. He explains why we, as the general population, pinpoint green rhetoric in politics as a good thing, yet we're reluctant to make changes within our daily lives, and similarly explains why the green movement has lost political credibility by arguing amongst itself. What struck me in this highly informed article was the amount of plausible, CO2 reducing solutions being tried and tested right now. So it's strange we never get to hear about them in the public forum. Perhaps activists, such as George Monbiot and Al Gore, enjoy scare-mongering - whipping us into a frenzy of fear for their own, self-aggrandizing, self-promoting, I-told-you-so means.

Gender and Paedophilia

The news arrived today of Claire Lyte's light sentence - she was found guilty of four accounts of sexual child-abuse, and of lying to a court. How long did she get in the slammer? Three years. Now, by no means do I wish to advocate the acts committed by pederasts worldwide, quite the opposite, in fact. Why is it that this woman receives a three year sentence, when a similar case involving a man and a thirteen year-old boy would receive a much more stringent sentence? Is this an attempt to appease the overall public discontent? Surely theses examples should be brought into line. You may recall some time ago the story of a schoolteacher, aged 37, having sexual relations with a boy in her class, aged 15. Whether or not the boy was quoted as saying, "I was a bit of a legend", does not detract from the worrying conclusion: she got a 14 month suspended jail sentence. Statistics have shown that, more often than not, paedophiles will re-offend. Statistics have also shown that re-offence seldom occurs after a four year stint in jail. And so, I propose a minimum sentence of four years for acts of child-molestation et al. Of course, this may impose even greater pressure on her majesty's bulging prison service as it stands, but my case remains.

A Racist Comment

This supposed racial slur from ex-footballer, come cult-pundit, Ian Wright, reminds us all that it is not only the white population who perpetrate active racism: a fact that my race lecturer is all too happy to ignore. And that's the reason I felt justified in applauding a self-professed, Canadian, conservative heckeler who berated her single-minded, self-righteous preachings yesterday. I was glad to hear that I was by no means the only individual in agreement; a fact that filled me with renewed hope regarding American intelligence.

Did I mention about posting more often?

Whilst thinking of something to post about today, I trawled through the usual links and found nothing but talking point after talking point after talking point to do with sport. So I did what all great thinkers do and go for a walk, gathering my thoughts and opinions as I went. It seems that my inflated ego and general assumptions led me to a point where I realised the inconsequence of other people's outlook and the importance of my own. Therefore, the post today comes courtesy of my self-indulgent musings while wandering the symmetrical streets of Tucson. Since I've been at this university, I've made it my duty to ingratiate myself with the local culture and, in doing so, try and read the campus newspaper every day. It has a fairly decent circulation amongst the 38,000 students, and it's very well-rounded, with articles and viewpoints ranging from the obscene to the obtrusive, but all arranged in a pithy, friendly, top-and-tail kind of way. So far I haven't been compelled to right into the paper myself, even when I was bombarded by creationist drivel one day, and anti-Semitic cartoons the next - my surprisingly articulate and well-educated classmates have done that for me. What has struck me though, is the emphasis toward free-speech (a well known American value, as the internet paedophile absurdity will reveal), yet when the Danish cartoon uproar began, or the publication of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses was again reviled as blasphemy, both in 2006, the emphasis remained on religious tolerance and respect, or, as the case may be, intolerance. We must tread carefully...