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,

Thu 26th Nov 2020. #Thanksgiving. Celebrating Nature & our place in the Solar System. #Thanksgiving2020

The fourth Thursday (26th) 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

Diwali - Just another celebration of the Human place in the Solar System. Light, Darkness, Seasons.

 Diwali. Another part of the global acknowledgment of our place in the solar system. You can tack on any religious nonsense you want to the event but it is essentially a seasonal shift marker. The fictional battle between 'good' and 'evil'. The victory of light over darkness. A new moon after the autumn equinox. The darkest night. Fire, lights, gifts, good wishes, celebrations of life and yearning for springtime and harvest. Our Northern Hemishere ancestors would have been acutely aware of exactly what advancing darkness and longer nights meant to their everyday lives and their geographical position. Preparing for longer, colder nights and celebrating with festivals such as Bonfire Night, Halloween, American 'Thanksgiving' festive lights and Samhain, all of which are connected to the seasonal changes, harvest and winter

'Halloween'. The Day of the Dead. Shorter days. Longer nights. Darkness. Death. Autumn. #Halloween #Samhain

Saturday 31st October '2020'. Here we are again. Halloween. Treats, costumes, lanterns, spiders, bats, blood, horror, death, ghosts. AND this year, for the first time since '1974', there will be a FULL MOON - the 2nd full moon in the calendar month - known as a BLUE MOON. 

Halloween 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

22nd September 2020. Autumn Equinox. The solar reality. #AutumnEquinox Heading into Winter.

1430hrs (UK) on Tuesday 22nd September 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.

FGM / GM is GBH. Abuse. Nothing less.

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 that promotes abuse of a child or adult in such a manner. It's banning should be heavily enforced and those that practice such stone-age rituals should be exposed, shamed and 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 until such a time that they can decide to become involved themselves - let's say 16years old for the sake of argument. A child is not born with religion or superstitions, they are forced upon them through outdated teachings and traditions. Teachings and traditions that have no place in the modern world. It is a relic of stone age beliefs that should be consigned to history. A similar argument should be made to question the practice of male circumcision in infants that are not old enough to consent to the mutilation themselves. If there is no medical need for the mutilation, it is abuse. Discuss.

The cost of more plastic is higher than we know. 10p charge?

An increase in the charge for using plastic bags is a no-brainer and also pointless. Doubling the charge for those people who are too lazy, forgetful or stupid to find a way around it - let's say by bringing their own bags or boxes. It is still plastic waste. Why don't we (as humans) just ban 'plastic' bags totally and make the supermarkets and shops reward those who use an environmentally sound alternative. Material bags used time and time again, recycled paper bags, boxes. Hemp, wool, re-purposed cotton?  Is that really beyond the realms of imagination? A 50p charge for the truly feckless could be given to environmental charities. Neither the supermarkets nor the governments should be profiting from this. It's a rational, sensible way of doing things. It is our duty as modern, environmentally aware humans. Reduce/Re-use/Recycle.

Faith Schools. 'Religious Education'. An Oxymoron.

 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. It is nothing short of 

St Swithin's Day. Myth. Religious nonsense. 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 B.P 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.

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

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

distress caused and the modern consensus is that non-recoverable, pre-stunning should be part of that best practice. There are some groups however, who insist on bypassing these laws, claiming their right to religious freedom. Mumbo-Jumbo has no place in best practices.

The only way to ensure that animal welfare is as high as possible is to enforce the highest of standards across the board and label the products with a standard mark that people can trust. Religious slaughter of previously stunned animals causes no problem as long as it is labelled as such and people have the ability to make an informed choice. If you look at the numbers involved, Halal meat is not the biggest problem, Kosher meat within the market is mostly non-stunned or minimal stun/recoverable stun and a lot of the slaughtered animal is wasted due to religious restrictions on what can be eaten. This is then sold on without labelling properly. Even standard marks like 'RedTractor' do not prevent this.

The debate is not about picking on certain religious groups, it is about best practice, labelling, and respecting the slaughtered animal. There is no excuse for poor levels of animal welfare within the meat industry, we have standards. The idea that shops, supermarkets, restaurants and public outlets are selling religiously slaughtered meat without labelling is a blight on people's ability to make a reasoned choice in the UK. This is not something that should be allowed to happen in a modern, forward thinking country. Backwards practises can only drag us backwards. #moveforward

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

St George. Who the what the hell now? Irrelevant. Farmer Georgios?

St George's Day. Thursday 23rd April, 2020. Let's face it, the day needs revamping. 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 death. Mumbo-Jumbo. Nonsense. Myth.

This military, religious icon was thrust upon us through war 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 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 - bring on the bullshit Easter zombie chocolate rabbit mythical nonsense.

So here we are again. Friday (day of Frige) 20th March 2020. The Spring Equinox. It'll soon be that time of year, "Easter". AKA the Spring Equinox. A bastardisation of a yearly 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 20 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

Pancake Day. Leftover. Nature.Celebrated. #PancakeDay

Pancake Day Some people call it #ShroveTuesday. Another hijacked, residual 'celebration'. Originally a pagan activity, it became part of the Christian spring celebration before loosing all religious meaning to become the bland, over-commercialised, greedy, modern leftover that we have today.

The word SHROVE comes from the old, English word 'shrive', which means to obtain absolution for "sins" by confessing. Thereby being "shriven" before the start of 'Lent'. Pancakes were 'traditionally' eaten on this day to use up perishable goods like eggs and milk before the 40-day fasting of 'Lent'. 'Lent' being invented to give religious control over the uneducated masses.

Before this Christian 'tradition' was invented and tacked on to their 'Oestre/ Easter' hijacking, it is thought that the event might have originated from a pagan observation, when eating warm, round, flour & water flatbreads - symbolising the sun - was a way of celebrating the arrival of spring and the new growing season. Full moon, Spring Equinox - same as Easter. Things happen, change & evolve over time and we have many residual celebrations in modern calendars. #Human #Humanism

Rational Human Thoughts.

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

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

I'm sat watching the #AusOpen2020 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' GBH Abuse by another name.

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

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