Korea Be Nice

Well the Kims and the Moons have crossed the line. This time in a good way. Each stepped over a border and back again.
There was lots of smiles handshakes ,Northern style hand clapping and Southern style fearful protectors.
We have been here before but never in quite such a convincing way.
My gut feeling says North Korea have built a bargaining position, offered a conciliation and projected a great piece of propaganda.
The nuttiest USA president ever to have lived will now stumble onto the scene, claim it was all his hard work (all that tweeting). It has all the hallmarks of a complete success! Simply because in a real world this could never have happened.
Korea will give up its nukes but only if it gets financial stability in exchange. The South will get a peace agreement and a border crossing may, just may develop.
I have no idea how the People of North Korea can cope with the western world, I suspect the border crossing will be a gradual opening from South to North and the North will have to learn to stop spying on everyone who visits. One thing is certain though. North Korea cannot survive in the long run.

Plastic Not Fantastic

Plastic Not Fantastic

So the news today reports that 40 major companies have signed up to some agreement about the reduction of single use plastic.

Straight away my brain engaged gnashibility mode.

The problem is so mind numbingly huge it is beyond comprehension.

My immediate thought is, why are we doing this? Why are we happily picking up bits of plastic we know are destroying our planet?

The answer is we have little choice. We are trapped by the conglomerates that provide us with our daily needs.

I have looked on line at the ways to stop using plastic and to be honest I could not afford to do it. I would love to shop at Farmers markets, find alternatives to household cleaning goods, but commodities that are not wrapped up in layers of plastic.

Even recycling is not an option because most of the damned stuff cannot be recycled (according to m local council, who refuse most of it). At first my Green everyday refuse bin suddenly became almost empty when I first got my lovely blue recycling bin. Then gradually I was informed that I could put less and less in it.

Even the stuff we do send to recycling is not really being reused. Its being sent to landfill where it blows into our waterways and ends up in our seas.

The answer is simple. Stop using all unrecyclable plastic. Ban the lot, then we will not have to think what can or cannot be sorted. Of course this is not possible because of cost and production difficulties.

We have dug a huge plastic grave for ourselves over the last 50 years. It was my generation that did it and if the next generation cannot find and answer there will not be many more generations on this planet.

Even if we find an answer it will take another 50 years to clean up the mess.

I will add to this subject as I try to find solutions to using plastic in my own household.

Alfie Evans

For weeks the media has been visiting the issue of this little boy who, according to specialists, has an incurable degenerative condition.

His parents have been fighting to stop his life support treatment from being withdrawn. Each time a court ruled the deed should be done, there has been a fresh appeal to stop the doctors from withdrawing the machines that were keeping him alive.

Low and behold, the machines were at last taken away about 2 days ago and guess what? He kept on breathing.

Suddenly his parents story changed. Now they wanted to take him away, their son should have the right to alternative treatment, the doctors have no right to keep him there.

Hang on a second! First they wanted the machines now they want to take away the palliative care that the NHS experts were providing. Suddenly the doctors were right to withdraw the life support machines that they wanted to take away weeks, if not months ago!

His parents are naturally over the moon he did not die but now they want him to recover because in their opinion he has been misdiagnosed.

Engage gnashibility mode.

I feel pity for the doctors and nurses that have been working all this time to keep Alfie alive. Once again they are in the wrong.

So it seems the question really is. Is it time to just hand over the boy to his parents along with a set of instructions on what would be best to do next.

I think it is, let them make the final decisions. If they want to take him to another country let them, as long as we do not foot the bill.

To me it is as simple as that, so long as he does not suffer more. 

Introduction

Introduction

Hello if you are reading this I  pity you. I often sit watching the news in the morning gritting my teeth with despair. Each topic has it's own set of gnashibility. Gnashibility? Try searching for that one on Google... I think I invented a new word!!! That does not happen often when you are actually meaning to apply it to a sentence in context. 

Yes Gnashibility is the expression of ones sheer frustration over the dribble being fed to you by the media. 

If you are like me, you listen to the feed while wanting to say something like. "For gods sake are you nuts!" or "But,but,but.....What about."

Everyone's take on an issue  is different, that is what makes us who we are, what we are and makes the world a better or worse place depending on your viewpoint.

Please remember to invoke your gnashibility mode when you read my take on things. Without it you may explode. You have been warned.

Well what is MTOTN

My take on the news is simply that. Quite often I get up and turn on the TV to watch and hear so many controversial things I just want to shout out of the window. Of course My neighbours Would think I was nuts....

OK They are right about that, but that is besides the point. A simply want to voice what I think but have no-one to listen to me as my wife is sick of hearing me or just does not want to listen.

I will be picking headline news and trying to make sense of them in a most reasonable way. That can be hard if the subject is emotive, as practically most of them are, but if you read this then a reasonable reply is all that is required.

So lets get started.