Congratulations to Lorna Rider

Like most people, I have my school friends on Facebook.

Politically, I'm very revolutionary. Coming from a Catholic school I have never taken much interest in the posts that my old school 'friends' decide to share. That's not to say that all my old school attendees are particularly conservative, I'm sure many of them have opened their eyes to the world we live in. It's just that I never see it. Perhaps they never share their anguish at the system we live under. Perhaps it is because most do not care.

Either way, it is always refreshing when I see someone from my school life actively participate in political situations. Unfortunately it rarely happens.

So I want to take this opportunity to congratulate someone I was at school with.

Lorna Rider, to me was just a 'goth girl' that I went to school with. You know the type, black hair, lots of make-up and generally on the outside of the 'norm'. Being somewhat esoteric myself, I never judged.

She grew up to be a nurse, a dedicated one at that. I've seen lately many posts in support of the junior doctors strike, fighting to save the NHS, but never from my old school friends, not until I started seeing Lorna's posts.

So I commend Lorna, for standing up to the current Tory goverment's plans to privatise the NHS. I commend her for having the courage to stand up in public and say what is on the mind of most NHS staff. It makes me proud to see that others care, and it gives me hope for the next generation.

Well done Lorna, good for you. 

I hope you can all see this link, Lorna standing up for all of us

https://www.facebook.com/truthrecords87/posts/1132459526784708

Today's good deed

I've been casually learning Spanish now for about a year. By casually I mean I've been doing a Spanish lesson daily for nearly three months (The smartphone app named Duolingo) During my whole journey of learning, I've always told people I can't speak Spanish. Anyone who's tried learning a foreign language for the first time can testify that a large part of it is confidence. Confidence in speaking the language being learnt.

I've tried throwing myself into Spanish speaking situations, which mainly involved asking for things in shops; asking for directions; trying to listen to Spanish conversations; but when you live in a mostly English speaking area, it is easy to fall back on English and not bother with Spanish. I have met so many people who have lived in Spain for decades without speaking a word of Spanish.

I never wanted to be one of those people. I wanted to be able to communicate with the locals. I wanted to show that I was in fact making an effort.

So today, in Gibraltar, I walked past an elder Spanish lady who was struggling with two big, wheeled carriers, and two shopping bags. I walked past normally as most people did, then I turned back and asked her if she wanted some help, in Spanish. She was thrilled and took me up on the offer.

This was at Eroski, which is a few minutes from the border. I got to practice my Spanish, and as I'd had a bit to drink, I was quite confident. I managed to have a few conversations and I worked out where the lady was going. I deduced that she was 66 years old (because she told me in Spanish) and I even told her my age. I ended up walking her to the bus station in La Linea, for which she was very grateful. I spent about half an hour with this Spanish stranger, and not a minute of it felt awkward.

Anyway, I wanted to share this in case I ever forget. There have been times in my life where I have struggled to carry a weight. (quite literally), and to a certain degree I believe that one 'reaps what they sow' in life, and if I was in this lady's situation, I would certainly appreciate help, regardless of whether they spoke perfect Spanish or not. That is why I wanted to help. I guess in a way I wanted to prove that language barriers aren't as much of an issue when it comes to human goodness.

I feel good about my deed. Maybe it will come back to me one day, maybe not. Either way, I am happy with the way I feel about it, and I'd gladly do it again.

Modern Poets

I haven't always been a fan of poetry, and for many years, I didn't see the appeal in either reading or writing poetry. Mostly because I didn't understand, and partly because my scepticism led me to thinking that the non-fiction side of arts was a pretentious con. I would see paintings and arrangements that made no sense to me, and I would wonder if there really was any meaning behind the work, or whether the artist merely threw colours at a canvas, letting the audience choose the meaning.


When a piece of art is released to the world, the artist has a message or a story to tell. It means something, as intended by the creator of said art work. When the audience admires the work, because the meaning behind the piece has not been explained, the audience gives the work a meaning, by analysing and studying the piece. This means the same work of art can in fact be interpreted different ways, and can invoke conflicting emotions in different members of the audience.



I had the wonderful privilege of attending an Arts By Offenders exhibit, hosted by the Koestler Awards at Southbank in London a few years back. One of the pieces, was an A5 piece of paper with a formula on it.

Z + Y = X

x = horse in formaldehyde

y = a gullible idiot 

z = lots of money

It was sold for around £50, and I can only imagine the convict sitting in his cell, chuckling to himself.

Though it was somewhat of a satirical art piece, in my opinion it was more valid than some works I've seen over the years. First of all it had a clear meaning and message from the artist. There was something of his/her personality that shone through this piece vividly, a kind of narcissistic personality with a disdain for pretentious art, a sceptical, even suspicious mind. Secondly, it clearly struck a chord with the buyer. Perhaps the wit of the piece impressed an art lover, or perhaps the buyer agreed with the message it contained.




Getting back to poetry, it's similar to visual art in the sense that it requires a certain level of decoding or analysing. So I've always found rap an interesting creative art. The way an mc or rapper (I don't know the difference) collates words into an aural art piece takes skill, creativity and a seasoned vocabulary. Having the confidence to shorten, lengthen or even amalgamate words is also a must. The content within rap tends to be much darker than other forms of poetry, and the contemporary issues speak to a wide range or audiences. NWA spread the bitter tune of police brutality throughout America. Immortal Technique acknowledged worldwide struggle from an urban angle. Eminem has powerful poetic lyrics up there with the greats.

So I'll say it, there are rappers out there who are modern poets, worthy of the same respect as the likes of Whitman, Poe and Browning.

Anyway, in true traditional rant style I've wandered from one point to the next, so I'll end by mentioning one of the rising stars of modern rap. Head over to my poetry page for a listen (because he is a poet), or click the link below.

Spit-E-Zen

PDSA Promote Animal Slavery

Lucca, a US. Marine Corps. German Shepard, has been awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal after losing his leg in an explosion and being forced into early retirement, after being forced into war zones for over a decade. The news report that I saw recently showed Lucca 'proudly' displaying his medal. Personally I'm not convinced that dogs feel pride, but that is besides the point here.

Lucca may have lost a leg, but at least he got a medal. That'll keep him occupied when he's rotting in a kennel.

What is more concerning is that an 'animal welfare' charity, PDSA, would promote and encourage the exploitation of animals for military purposes and thus furthering the suffering of animals. From looking at their website, it is difficult to see any mission statement other than 'help a vet help a pet', so the PDSA seems to lack any real long-term goals. 'Encouraging responsible pet ownership' doesn't quite cut it if they aren't actively discouraging the pet industry. It leads me to believe that these kind of charities are merely around to legitimize abhorrent practices such as using animals for war and promoting pet ownership for the purpose of aiding the veterinary industry.

PDSA had this to say on their website and Twitter: "Lucca has become a symbol of hope for many, meeting the public at military outreach events."

Perhaps, I'm being ignorant here, but what symbol of hope? Hope that by sending animals to their death in a foreign country will somehow protect domestic innocents? We are told that no US soldier was killed whilst Lucca was on tour, so the service dog gets to live the rest of his days out in retirement, likely in a kennel if he can't be re-homed. That's if they don't kill him.

Brus wasn't so lucky:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/540010/Military-Dogs-Destroyed-MOD


Still it's no surprise that an army would destroy an animal once it's outlived it's usefulness, they are just as bad with their humans, sacking people hours before their pensions and failing to help soldiers adjust to society. Just ask any one of the numerous ex-soldiers that end up sleeping rough on park benches in Civvie Street, who are usually bullied away by the police.

Handed in my notice today - Hope my boss has a sense of humour