purpleyin

The media would like you to think so, so would the Bush administration and various other government worldwide who don't want to rock the status quo but looking at this graph and realising what it means is damn scary.

http://www.carbonequity.info/images/seaice07.jpg

If the ice caps melt at the rate they're going at (the thick black line apparently shows actual figures as recorded by satellite images) then we mightn't have any ice cap left by as soon as 2020.

And the thing is individuals acting alone can't make enough difference to change that, it's got to be countries, governments, laws/practices, different ways of doing things. Now is the time to write to your MP, petition your government to do something more than the vague promises they put about to get that "green vote".

Today so far I have - written to my MP, my County Councillor (about cycling and allotment provisions), my District Councillors (about local common and allotments) am formulating letter for my MEP's in the European Parliament. Also signed up for the below.

I’m going to be helping to Recharge the Media in December, to make sure the media and the government get the message about climate change.

If you might be interested in taking part too – you can sign up here: http://recharge.stopclimatechaos.org/

Say no to 42 days detention without charge.

I've seen this before, when there was a Norwich meeting about ID cards a year or two ago but I saw this on

guruphil's journal and was reminded of it, thought there might be some people interested in it.

It's the official government released video on ID cards, but redubbed by NO2ID.

I hate reading about the government throwing away money. Of course the alternative is to not read and be ignorant, but I care too much to be that. I just goggle at the coast and how much better spent that'd be on the NHS, education, the police - on paying teachers and nurses and fireman etc decent salaries they can live off. I suppose more money has been wasted on going to war (mustn't get started on that) but this I despise because they're trying to sell us on the idea of it being good for us.

From what I've seen, people either don't care, don't know or don't like it at all - generally - with some casually thinking it might prove useful. The whole thing is ignoring how dangerous the database concept is (the card itself isn't the worst idea ever though I think it a waste of money over current passports and other ID) and how they're relying on technology that is not ready for it, probably set up by contractors who like always won't deliver it on time or as it needs to be. The costs will spiral and we will pay for it. We don't need this. It won't stop terrorism, it won't help prevent crime - it will only complicate life.

I signed the petition against the scheme and I commented on it on a Labour pary feedback survey and all I got in response was standard spiel answers about how great it'll be for me, time saving etc and that the technology is fine - ignoring that it's so not better, the technology isn't there for reliability nor security, and fraud will be probably easier and more of a problem to deal with. Just imagine getting refused service somewhere "because the system doesn't recognise you" or you're already apparently registered for something despite you never having done that and how instead of them thinking hmm there might be a fault you'd probably get bullshitted with "but the system's never wrong" as if computers can't have faults nor be exploited. :/

What will it take to stop this? When I mention it to people I know usually they say they'll just refuse to have a card, ignoring that actually the plan is you'll be fined £1,000 (or was it £10,000) or face jail for refusing to sue them after a certain point in the future. They're going to compulsory and nothing so far has done more than halt their introduction. I just hope someone is brave enough to refuse first off and will get supported by the pledge fund that people promised to donate to should anyone require legal assistance for a boycott.

...why? Because we're getting ID card's quite possibly. They're 'voluntary' until 2010, you can opt out but presumably still pay the same amount for a new passport as if you had one with ID card included, and it appears everyone will get their details held for the database even if they're not getting an ID card.

Tories have pledged to scrap the whole idea should they win the 2010 election (which is likely why the Lords let this amended version through because they knew it'd depend on who's in power after then) and as much as I hate strategic voting this time I may well because I'm really despising what stupid plans Labour big boys have been putting forward lately. The war was bad enough but the new Legislative bill, as well as the ID cards being pushed as anti-terrorist when they'll do bugger all about crime/immigration etc and waste a feck load of money in the process... well, I'm not going to live here if such things get through. I'd much rather vote Liberal Democrat or Green Party but it only makes much difference locally and I'd go against potential conflicts of general principles to protect definite interests like my civil liberties. Privatisation sounds better than 1984 any day. Failing that I may be tempted to move to France, Germany or Canada if I can, but that'd be if everything went south. Still I'd prefer to have thought about the possibility than pretend everything will be rosy when there's still quite a chance it won't be. I've written to both my MP's about the legislative act but don't have anything else much to do against it.

On a different more cheerful note, I've been listening to radio for the first time in a year, to a streamed Minnesotan channel called The Current (my favourite host is Mary Lucia), and I discovered a new band I rather like called Spinto Band. I just adore their song Brown Boxes, tempted to buy their CD and likely shall. If you want to hear it they have it in full streamed on their site here under audio/visual. Though I was disturbed to hear their Bird Flu update on the station, and advice that if there is a pandemic you'd need enough water, supplies (and maybe electricity etc too?) to survive locked in your house for 3 months!

Scarily all that stands between the UK having ID cards seems to be mainly the House of Lords.

News from Feb 2005 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4252919.stm

And it seems from the NO2ID site that it's still ping-ponging about, but is potentially gathering support with the Lords with revisions on it.

If you're asking why this matters and what's so bad about them anyway, then let me tell you. I was rather indifferent on the matter about half a year ago until I went along to a day conference about it here in Norwich and actually found out what the plans were and what they would mean to me as a citizen, as well as to the nation in general.

( Read on if you care )

People have probably seen this kind of thing before, but this one is new hence the linkage.

Loose Change - a 1hr 21 minutes 9/11 documentary by Korey Rowe, Dylan Avery & Jason Bermas

Obviously this is a sensitive topic for some, and fairly disturbing for anyone anyway, but I felt this documentary was interesting enough to recommend. Many intriguing, if also disturbing, facts brought to my attention that previous docummentaries I've seen haven't covered, like the Los Alamos voice morphing software, the bizarre phone calls and the extra 'explosions' that witnesses reported and can supposedly be seen on videos, plus the background going back to 1962 that was odd.

I'm sorry if linking this might upset anyone, and I have to say the theory presented in the documentary upsets me quite a bit - to think of anyone, no matter who it was, being that malicious to set something up is just... well, it makes me speechless. Yet I can believe that it's possible, that it isn't anything like the official stories claims - though obviously having it as sheer negligence would somehow be more comforting, not because it's a good thing but that it would mean no one has been that merciless.But for some money, and/or power, matters that much and more than anything.

But one thing no one has ever mentioned in anything like this, and I don't mean to trivialise it, is that episode of the Lone Gunmen where in fact they have a plot with a plane being programmed to fly into the WTO - the pilot episode actually. Which had the rather chilling mention on the DVD special feature where the writers described how they were trying to think of what could never happen. That they were writing it but were confident there would surely be people making sure that kind of thing wouldn't ever happen. Yet it was only a few months after the episode aired that 9/11 happened. Which is quite sobering. It happened on TV, under the premise that it was meant to be unbelievable, a thing of fiction and only fiction, and yet it happened...

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Entries tagged with politics

Is Climate Change really debatable?

FAO Uk flisters

ID cards - redubbed

ID cards - we know who you are, we own you and you're paying us for the privelege

Don't be surprised if I a) emigrate or b) vote Conservative

Say No to ID Cards

Recommended - Loose Change

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