Happy 'New Year'. So-called '2020'.

Happy 'New Year'.

So, here we are again. Another solar year is done.

Why is it that this coming solar year is called '2020'? The answer is that it is an arbitrary number, it actually has very little meaning. The very idea of '2020' is a human, religious creation, forced on us by power struggles, religious bigots, greed and wars. It is merely an expression

Winter Solstice. The real reason for the season. Sun-Day 22nd Dec 2019 0400hrs. #WinterSolstice #WinterSolstice2018

So here it is. The #WinterSolstice '2019'.

'Sun-Day' December 22nd 0400hrs. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it is Winter Solstice. The time of year when daylight is at its shortest. From this point on, the days will start to become longer, a consequence of the sun appearing higher overhead in the sky. It is literally 'the coming of the light'. This is why our ancestors held this time of year as an important marker in their calendar. They had made it to the darkest point in the season and could look forward to increased daylight from now on. It would have meant a new start, a new growing season and the prospect of new food. Celebrated by fire, lights, decorated trees, the giving of offerings/gifts and feasting on livestock.

This has been hijacked, bastardised and used by politically religious power-mongers to spread their

The plastic tat & religious nonsense that we call 'christmas'.

It is that time of year again. The sickly, manipulative adverts have begun. People are gearing themselves up to spend too much money on a bunch of made up, zombie nonsense. Eating, drinking and buying too much plastic tat that makes them feel like they are part of something. Walking mindlessly through the shopping and eating 'traditions' like something undead.

I am talking, of course, about 'Christmas' and 'New Year'. At the risk of being called 'a humbug' or a 'party-pooper,' it really is the worst time of year. The depths of a Northern Hemisphere winter spoilt by overly commercialised, overly religious festivals that nobody thinks about and that should have limited place in a modern society. Think about it. Creationism, prophecies, virgin births, angels, wise men, magical moving stars, stables, donkeys, trees, turkeys, crackers, reindeer, chimneys and gifts. Really? What a load of absolute hokum. Nothing more than a mixed up, patchwork quilt of Pagan,

Thanksgiving #Thanksgiving. Celebrating Nature & our place in the Solar System. #Thanksgiving2019

The fourth Thursday of November in the USA is 'Thanksgiving', their fixed celebration of seasons, harvest and plenty. Based on ancient, pagan, seasonal celebrations. Now, high-jacked for religious / political gains, it wasn't always a fixed date. For millennia, early peoples would have been aware that the summer growing season was over and their journey in to winter was beginning and food stores would have to last

Manifesto - pledge - Political Promises. Just other words for LIES.

Low voter turn-out, disillusioned voters and lack of respect for politicians of all varieties - a problem that effects the UK and many other democratic nations. 'Manifesto', 'pledge' and 'election promise' are just words that politicians spray around with no desire to see them become reality. Empty words repeated so many times they have no meaning.

Make each party  MANIFESTO legally binding before an election. A manifesto that they are legally obliged to enforce within SIX MONTHS of being voted in. These manifesto pledges will be spread over a number of political areas ( 4 year tax levels, health care spending, environment, foreign aid etc ) and they would be legally binding. If they fail to follow up on these pledges, it automatically triggers an immediate election and

It is that time of year again. The sickly, plastic consumer adverts have begun. Winter

It is that time of year again. The sickly, manipulative adverts have begun. People are gearing themselves up to spend too much money on a bunch of made up, zombie nonsense. Eating, drinking and buying too much plastic tat that makes them feel like they are part of something. Walking mindlessly through the shopping and eating 'traditions' like something undead.

I am talking, of course, about 'Christmas' and 'New Year'. At the risk of being called 'a humbug' or a 'party-pooper,' it really is the worst time of year. The depths of a Northern Hemisphere winter spoilt by overly commercialised, overly religious festivals that nobody thinks about and that should have limited place in a modern society. Think about it. Creationism, prophecies, virgin births, angels, wise men, magical moving stars, stables, donkeys, trees, turkeys, crackers, reindeer, chimneys and gifts. Really? What a load of absolute hokum. Nothing more than a mixed up, patchwork quilt of Pagan,

Remember, 5th November. Burning Popes, Light & Autumn Equinox. Whizz. OOOOOooo Ahhhhh

Bonfire Night. Burning Popes, religions, cats and traditions.

Another crazed, religiously inspired, leftover celebration. Guy Fawkes was a Catholic man who wanted to over-throw a King. The King was a Protestant who knew the importance of instilling religious fear in his servants . As the King survived an attempt on his life in the 1605 plot, it was thought that the Protestant version of 'god' was good and puritanical ministers in government effectively made it a day of compulsory worship. There is even the possibility that the whole 'plot' was an exercise in spin, designed to inflame anti-Catholic feelings. ( here ) In 1606, to avoid being hung, drawn and publicly disemboweled for his 'crime', Guy Fawkes jumped from

'Halloween'. Shorter days. Longer nights. Darkness. Death. Autumn. #Halloween #Samhain #Human #Nature

So here we are again. Halloween. Treats, costumes, lanterns, spiders, bats, blood, horror, death, ghosts.

It has its origins in the ancient, pagan, pre-Christian, Celtic festival known as Samhain ("sah-win"). The Feast of the Dead. A time when humans had much less knowledge of the world around them. Later, hijacked and assimilated by the religious ceremony of All Hallows Eve & All Saints Day. A day to celebrate the onset of Winter. Look it up. It is a celebration of the end of the harvest season, a recognition of the lengthening nights, worsening weather and the harsh winter season running up to the winter solstice ( Dec 21st aka Christmas. Here ). It represents the point in the calendar when livestock were moved to lower level farmland from the higher, summer feeding grounds and when animals were slaughtered for the winter larders.  In the northern hemisphere, the reduced daylight, winter temperatures and sparse food supply meant that our ancient, pagan ancestors felt the icy grip of winter tightening and closer to their (made up) spirit world, disease and death. The coming of the Light. Humans have always feared the things that they hadn't worked out.

Organised Religion. A weakness at best, a cancer within society at worst.

Organised Religion is a disease within society. One that affects clarity of thought. It prevents freethinking and forces the brain to ignore evidence, instead instilling a belief in ancient myths. It holds back the potential of human beings by dulling their perception of the world. A weakness, an illness that is forced on to children and vulnerable, uninformed adults before they have the mental capacity to resist and is perpetuated by cultural relics dressed up as traditions from an age gone by. The cure is rational thought. A diet of science, study, intelligent conversation and a willingness to accept that traditions based on ancient myths have been proved to have no basis in reality. Responsible education of the next generation, teaching facts not fiction and encouraging scepticism. Once cured, the modern world can progress towards a better future.

Radical, fundamental and extreme religions are a cancer. They preach division, hatred, regressive lies and stone age morals. They are dangerous and destroy all before them with no thought or consideration. They have to be cut out, removed from modern societies as their very existence is counter to the advancement of a moral and just community. They aggressively resist and destroy all

'Faith Schools' are a contradiction. Brainwashing is not education.

I live in Britain, We, as a nation, should be leading the way in all areas of modern life. We should be demonstrating to other nations of the world how to move forward in to an increasingly fact-based world. We should be leaving behind outdated rules, traditions, thoughts and processes. We should be pushing the boundaries of modern science and technologies and debunking myths wherever they exist within our society. We should be modern.

It is for this reason that we need to get rid of 'Faith Schools' from the education system, not just the state schools but across the board. Schooling should be about education and knowledge, truth and evidential sciences. It should not be about brainwashing vulnerable children and forcing them to believe clearly wrong, ancient myths and religions. Those that their parents wish to impose on them. It is nothing short of

Autumn Equinox. A solar reality. No need for religious BS. #AutumnEquinox Heading into Winter.

0850hrs September 23rd 2019 is the Autumn Equinox for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. When length of light hours & dark hours draw towards #Equilux. The sun appears to pass the equator on it's journey in to the southern hemisphere at it's height. It means shorter hours of daylight as we head towards the winter solstice in December. For the next few weeks of the solar year, we will lose appx 4mins of daylight per day (in UK). Our ancestors would have been acutely aware of exactly what this event meant to their everyday lives. Prepare for longer, colder nights and look out for human celebrations such as Diwali, Halloween, American 'Thanksgiving' and Samhain, all of which are connected to the seasonal changes, harvest and winter moons.

Human. Rational. We need to rebalance modern society.

Like you, I am a human being. A member of a species that has evolved over millions of years to the point where we control our environment and resources. An intelligent, rational, sociable creature that has the ability to be compassionate and caring. Instead however, we have allowed our species to become ill-informed, miseducated, anti-social beings, lacking understanding and divided by our levels of ignorance. Happy to exploit each other and our world to attain levels of greed far beyond sustainable limits. We look at the world through rose-coloured glasses, given to us by a system that wants to control and abuse rather than advance and nurture. We have it wrong. We have it ALL WRONG. From the moment we are born we are bombarded

St Swithin's Day. Myth. Archaic

15th July.

"Kippers for breakfast, Aunt Helga? Is it St Swithin's Day already? Tis replied Aunt Helga" (TheSimpsons)

St Swithun's /St Swithin's Day. Myth & superstition say that if it rains on St Swithin's Day, it will rain for 40 days & nights. Obviously nonsense. We now have the Science of Meteorology, weather apps and long range forecasts that make this kind of 'prophecy talk' archaic and laughable. Another modern day tradition based on outdated myths & the ramblings of our poorly educated, religiously brainwashed, technologically backward ancestors.

Swithun was Bishop of Winchester 1200years bp and it is claimed that he did many 'miracles', mostly once he was dead. (Very convenient) He didn't do anything noteworthy during his lifetime and didn't actually do any 'miracles' because actual 'miracles' are not a real thing. Especially 'miracles' with eggs. He was dismembered and spread around churches by and for intellectually challenged individuals and cults. Myths & superstition have no place in modern society. Aunt Helga wouldn't be pleased.

'St Swithun's day if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain

St Swithun's day if thou be fair, For forty days 'twill rain nae mare'.

Or, ye could check the forecast.

We need to move away from the outdated idea that 'this is the 21st century'.

We need to move away from the outdated idea that 'this is the 21st century'. '2019 A.D' Why is it that this solar year is called '2019'? The answer is that it is an arbitrary number, it actually has very little meaning. The very idea of '2019' is a human creation, forced on us by power struggles, religious bigots and wars. It is merely an expression

#SummerSolstice #WorldHumanistDay Nothing to do with man-made nonsense.

Friday June 21st 2019. Happy Summer Solstice. Happy World Humanist Day

The Summer Solstice. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, June 21st '2019' is the #SummerSolstice, the Longest Day of the year. It is the point in our celestial year when the sun appears to reach its highest point in the sky. In the Southern Hemisphere, it represents the winter solstice when the path of the sun in the sky is at its lowest, the shortest day. For many thousands of years our ancestors would have celebrated this time of year and

The scandal of single-use plastics. #NationalRefillDay

Today, June 19th 2019, is #NationalRefillDay. The UK uses 7.7 BILLION single use, plastic water bottles every year and the problem is getting greater every year. This is not and has never been sustainable. Producers need to be charged 100% for the costs of processing this mess. That way, costs will have to be passed on to consumers and that will mean a reality of choice and a move towards more sustainable products. Market forces. Companies, governments, organisations and INDIVIDUALS need to take a much more pro-active approach to this scandal. Sending our unsustainable single-use plastic waste to other countries is not a solution. Global increases in plastic use is not an option. We have no choice but to do something drastic about this, NOW. #WarOnPlastic #ReduceReuseRecycle #NationalRefillDay

Grand Slam Tennis - Why the Inequality? #FairPlay #CloseThePlayGap

I'm sat watching the #FrenchOpen2019 on TV and, yet again, find myself asking the same question that I have asked for many years.Why do the women get away with only playing 'Best of 3 Sets'. The Men's pathway to a Grand Slam Final is littered with long, gruelling 'Best of 5 Sets' matches, so why the inequality? Why aren't there loud voices calling for the 'Play Gap' to be closed?

Surely, in times where equality is pushed with such fervour (rightly so), it is only right that the women get the same prize money for the

Circumcision & FGM. Archaic 'traditions' equal to GBH.

FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and Male Circumcision is nothing less than GBH (Grievous bodily harm) by another name. We should neither value nor respect a culture/religion that promotes abuse of a child in such a manner. It's banning should be heavily enforced and those that practice such stone-age rituals should be exposed, shamed and, in the worst cases, be imprisoned. It is pathetic that in a modern country we allow such disgusting practices to go unpunished.

Every right-minded person should be appalled by such activities which should be consigned to history along with many other simple-minded religious relics. A modern country should be a haven in which children are free from exposure to ancient religions and practices

#Religion A Disease. Holding back Human potential.

Organised Religion is a disease within society. One that affects clarity of thought. It prevents freethinking and forces the brain to ignore evidence, instead instilling a belief in ancient myths. It holds back the potential of human beings by dulling their perception of the world. A weakness, an illness that is forced on to children and vulnerable, uninformed adults before they have the mental capacity to resist and is perpetuated by cultural relics dressed up as traditions from an age gone by. The cure is rational thought. A diet of science, study, intelligent conversation and a willingness to accept that traditions based on ancient myths have been proved to have no basis in reality. Responsible education of the next generation, teaching facts not fiction and encouraging scepticism. Once cured, the modern world can progress towards a better future.

Radical, fundamental and extreme religions are a cancer. They preach division, hatred, regressive lies and stone age morals. They are dangerous and destroy all before them with no thought or consideration. They have to be cut out, removed from modern societies as their very existence is counter to the advancement of a moral and just community. They aggressively resist and destroy all
attempts to moderate them, proliferating in areas of the world and communities that have not evolved far enough to educate their humans beyond the boundaries of believing in mythology. Every modern human, whether religious or not, should be appalled at their invasive, aggressive, regressive, hate-full and destructive dogma and we should stand together to prevent any further damage to a responsible and inclusive society. They need to be highlighted for the damage they are doing and destroyed before their evil, myth based dogma infects other areas where a healthier attitude prevails.

People who believe that their made-up sky fairy gives them a divine right to brainwash their children with stone age myths, ignore modern science and modern morals, abuse/mutilate children, torture, imprison and behead non-believers, rape women, hate and kill those that have evolved past the stone-age religions that have clearly numbed their brains, will hopefully recoil back in to the caves they came from and die out, to be ridiculed by future generations for their stupidity and pathetic, hate-full lives. #moveforward

George? Who? #StGeorgesDay #Myths #Spring

St George's Day. Who the what the hell now? Let's face it, the day is meaningless.. A celebration of Spring that has become a sorry excuse for a national celebration. It usually passes with a quiet whimper and a bit of flag waving, failing to be embraced by the vast majority of the English nation. Here is why.

We have a poorly educated, Roman soldier, allegedly born in what would be modern Turkey, who was possibly persecuted and executed for his religious beliefs in a made-up emerging cult nearly 1800 years ago. He also slayed a dragon that didn't exist ( most likely a graphical representation of victory in battle ) and then magically re-appeared to lead troops in to battle, approximately 1000 years after his supposed death. Mumbo-Jumbo. Nonsense. Myth. An over-hyped, result of a religious game of 'Chinese Whispers'

This military, religious icon was thrust upon us through religion, religious war, nationalistic flag waving and tyranny. His myth is celebrated throughout many countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Russia, Syria and Romania. As a figurehead of 'Englishness' he has very little going for him. He never even set foot in the  green and pleasant land.

A small group of people 'celebrate' his fictional, holy-englishness by draping themselves in red and white flags, drinking ales and singing religious/football songs in pubs before vomiting in a bin and being thrown out for fighting. It is lame

'Spring Equinox' Tonight. The reason for the Season. Spring or 'easter/ishtar'. #Spring

So here we are again. It is that time of year, "Easter". AKA the Spring Equinox. On Wednesday 20th March 2019, just before 10pm, there will be this year's equinox and a Full Moon. That means there must be a religious ceremony tacked on to this reality. You could say 'Ishtar' or 'Eostre' or 'Ostara' if you prefer. It's all the same. A bastardisation of a solar event that has importance for all our lives. A moment of solar transition from one season to another. Yet another public holiday based on a religious myth that has nothing to do with it's actual origins. 

'Easter' is a laughably movable celebration within the Christian church that is held between 21 March and 25 April. It falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the northern hemisphere spring equinox - how amazingly pagan that all seems to be. Just think about it. Spring equinox, a new growing season, rebirth and the return of the sun (light) to the northern hemisphere, rabbits for reproduction, eggs for fertility, and lots of chocolate because it is tasty and encourages spending - it is all just 'symbollocks'. Even the name 'Easter' is taken from a Germanic Pagan goddess and is related to the fact that sunlight returns ( the dawn ). As humans, we are

Until regressive, religious slaughter of meat products is banned, we need good labelling.

We need clear, concise and truthful labelling of all produce on sale in supermarkets and shops so that people can make informed choices about what to buy. All religiously slaughtered meat on sale in the UK should be labelled as such regardless of where it came from. Labelling that clearly shows the whole-of-life process and methods used in slaughter so that people can make an informed choice about what to support.. There is no argument.

We have laws to govern the best possible treatment of animals during slaughter, laws that have developed over time in conjunction with many concerned groups. These laws have evolved and advanced through study and collaboration and we should be leading the way in animal welfare throughout the modern world. ( Amongst others, the BVA, Compassion in World Farming, RSPCA, Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and FAWC all support a ban on non-stun slaughter ). We should be practicing the highest of standards when it comes to animal husbandry, welfare and managing the end of life process. There should be no room for religious exemptions and loop-holes like #RecoverableStun. There is always room for improvement and the only way to ensure that animals don't suffer is to not eat meat.

It is important that we employ the best practice during animal slaughter to minimise the stress and

'Faith Schools' are a contradiction. Brainwashing is not education.

I live in Britain, We, as a nation, should be leading the way in all areas of modern life. We should be demonstrating to other nations of the world how to move forward in to an increasingly fact-based world. We should be leaving behind outdated rules, traditions, thoughts and processes. We should be pushing the boundaries of modern science and technologies and debunking myths wherever they exist within our society. We should be modern.

It is for this reason that we need to get rid of 'Faith Schools' from the education system, not just the state schools but across the board. Schooling should be about education and knowledge, truth and evidential sciences. It should not be about brainwashing vulnerable children and forcing them to believe clearly wrong, ancient myths and religions. Those that their parents wish to impose on them. It is nothing short of

Think. It is time to rebalance our society to become better humans.

Think. It is time to rebalance our society to become better humans.

Like you, I am a human being. A member of a species that has evolved over millions of years to the point where we control our environment and resources. An intelligent, rational, sociable creature that has the ability to be compassionate and caring. Instead however, we have allowed our species to become ill-informed, miseducated, anti-social beings, lacking understanding and divided by our levels of ignorance. Happy to exploit each other and our world to attain levels of greed far beyond sustainable limits. We look at the world through rose-coloured glasses, given to us by a system that wants to control and abuse rather than advance and nurture. 

We have it wrong. We have it ALL WRONG. From the moment we are born we are bombarded
with propaganda, restrained in our ambitions and forced in to a society that blindly accepts obviously wrong ideologies. Misinformation is passed down through generations and this prevents our full potential as HUMAN BEINGS from coming to the fore. We have it wrong. The balances in society are so far out of kilter that it would take a huge amount of effort to put them right. Politics, religion, education, economics, environmental boundaries, ethics, health, love, marriage, life and ambition all need changing. 

The one force that can redress the balance is RATIONAL THOUGHT. A reasoned and realistic look at the world that is not swayed by emotional arguments or powerful lobbies or hatred. It is pure. Open your mind, accept evidence, realise that somebody, somewhere is out to fool you and only looking at facts can help you hear the truth through all the background noise. You owe it to yourself to fully understand who you are, where you are, and what is being done around you. Ignorance is no defence. THINK.

Religion - Mental illness or disease? #religion #myth #FundaMental

Organised Religion is a disease within society. One that affects clarity of thought. It prevents freethinking and forces the brain to ignore evidence, instead instilling a belief in ancient myths. It holds back the potential of human beings by dulling their perception of the world. A weakness, an illness that is forced on to children and vulnerable, uninformed adults before they have the mental capacity to resist and is perpetuated by cultural relics dressed up as traditions from an age gone by. The cure is rational thought. A diet of science, study, intelligent conversation and a willingness to accept that traditions based on ancient myths have been proved to have no basis in reality. Responsible education of the next generation, teaching facts not fiction and encouraging scepticism. Once cured, the modern world can progress towards a better future.

Radical, fundamental and extreme religions are a cancer. They preach division, hatred, regressive lies and stone age morals. They are dangerous and destroy all before them with no thought or consideration. They have to be cut out, removed from modern societies as their very existence is counter to the advancement of a moral and just community. They aggressively resist and destroy all

Tennis. Why don't the women play '5 Set' matches. Close the 'Play Gap'. #AustralianOpen

I'm sat watching the #AustralianOpen on TV and, yet again, find myself asking the same question that I have asked for many years.Why do the women get away with only playing 'Best of 3 Sets'. The Men's pathway to the Final is littered with long, gruelling 'Best of 5 Sets' matches, so why the inequality? Why aren't there loud voices calling for the 'Play Gap' to be closed?

Surely, in times where equality is pushed with such fervour (rightly so), it is only right that the women get the same prize money for the

Noah and his ark are fiction. If you believe otherwise, you are part of the problem. Religions.

If you believe literally in religious nonsense like the myth of #NoahsArk you are part of what is wrong with our world. Ignorant, brainwashed and moronic. It's a myth people. Grow up. A myth created by humans of very little understanding. Here's another made up, but more likely, version of the origins of such a tale....

Once upon a time in an underdeveloped society, far, far away there was a group of humans that had a very basic understanding of the world around them. They didn't understand the world or their place in it and they relied on tribal elders who made up random stories to help them make sense of the things they saw. They were fearful that the sun wouldn't rise, they thought that supernatural powers controlled the weather and that demons and monsters roamed the flat earth. They had very little knowledge.

One day, someone was walking up a hill somewhere and there, they found fossils and shells and evidence of previous life and they just couldn't get their primitive brains around what they were or how they could have got there. It made no sense to them as they had very little knowledge. So, they went to the tribal elders ( who enjoyed a life of privilege because they had nurtured fear and ignorance in those below them ).

"How can these animal bones have got to the top of the hill oh wise one?" asked the fearful and ignorant humans. Not in eloquent English obviously, but in some primitive form of language. The tribal elders decided that this was another great opportunity to reinforce their position as leaders so they told another story of a vengeful and destructive deity who would smite them unless they complied with the rules ( made up by the elders