Commandments worth living by

woot

In the same week that I congratulate our UK politicians on a rational debate, I find myself delighted with the bureaucratic boffins over at the EU. Today their Consumer Protection Regulations come into force, which the BBC describe as "the biggest shake-up in consumer law for 40 years".

Whilst I'm all for protecting the naive from dodgy dealings, I'm also cackling with glee to find that the regulations require Fortune-tellers, Astrologers and Mediums to inform customers that their services are for "entertainment only"! They replace the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1955 and finally acknowledge, once and for all, that the very act of purporting to be psychic is either fraudulent, psychotic or most probably both.

Predictably, the woo flingers are up in arms. The Spiritual Workers Association state that "it's turning spiritualism the religion into a consumer product, which it is not." Right, let me get this straight - rubbing a crystal ball whilst reading my palms is a religion? Even if it were, why in the world should our legislation protect something as unsubstantiated as divining the future through the pattern of stars?

Though we do protect the rights of beardy zombie worshippers to run a protection racket against our non-existent souls.

Now there's a thought...

I boldly went...

...into an elevator that made me feel a bit like Capt Kirk.

Politics gets it right

This week our UK Parliament has been debating the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The bill is wide ranging and could have meant the reduction of the abortion limit from 24 weeks to 12, a ban on human / animal hybrid embryo research and the requirement to consider the need for a father in fertility treatment - effectively banning same sex parenting.

The house has voted in the following ways;

A rejection of the reduction of abortion limit by 332 votes to 190.

A rejection to require consideration of the need for a father in fertilisation treatment by 290 votes to 222.

A backing of hybrid embryo research by 336 votes to 176.

It makes me happy to see evidence and rationality take precedence over superstition and brittle, religious morality.

Perhaps there is hope for us all.

Lost perspective

Of the 6,597 photos I have on my hard drive right now, there are no more than twenty shots of me. Given my face, which is best suited for radio, this is probably a good thing. Sometimes I worry however, that having spent so much time watching life through a viewfinder, I'm no longer living it and simply a bystander documenting proceedings.

Certain kinds of blogging (or any descriptive pursuit I suppose) pose similar hazards to me - in that they seem to separate me - the observer from everyone else - the observed. And really, the thing is, I'm only moderately good at writing and photography anyway. It's not as if I'm some kind artistic genius.

So I've took a break from blogging 'to get over myself (for fuck sake)' and live life with a bit more immediacy.

Having done so for a month, I think I'm ready to start posting again.

It's nice to be back.

You only get wet once

A sprint back to the office yesterday before the sky opened up. Drenched, I was.

I'll be back blogging soon.