The Religious Policeman has announced his last post. At least he’s writing a book to take the sting out of this, but I will miss his comments on his world.
Category: Society
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The Gene Pool Patrol
Are lions shaping up to act as a gene pool patrol for humanity? After a botched attempt in Taipei, they seem to have got the message through to Kiev, where one of their colleagues has succeeded in removing someone from the gene pool. -
The Problem is Faith
PZ Myers nails it:Faith is a hole in your brain. Faith stops critical thinking. Faith is a failure point inculcated into people’s minds, an unguarded weak point that allows all kinds of nasty, maggoty, wretched ideas to crawl into their heads and take up occupancy. Supporting faith is like supporting people who refuse to be vaccinated: they’re harmless in and of themselves, they may be perfectly healthy right now, but they represent fertile ground for disease, and they represent potential severe damage to the social compact.Precisely. Read the rest. -
Life: Absurd and Potentially Short
Salam Pax has another blog entry that makes me realise how lucky I am. -
Who Is This Stanley Kurtz?
As he admits himself, he appears to have a bee in his bonnet about gay marriage. Frankly, he should just keep taking the tablets, because he appears not to be talking any sense whatsoever. I’ve categorised this post under "Society", but perhaps I should just define a new category: Wingnuttery. -
Hirsi Ali and the Crabs
My father used to tell a story – a Manx parable. He used to say that if you went to a fishing harbour in England, you’d see creels (fishermen’s baskets) full of crabs. Crabs would be sorted, with crabs of the same size put into each creel. Occasionally, you’d see a small crab laboriously struggle out of its creel, and try its best to get into a creel containing larger crabs. Nothing unusual in that, my father would say. However, he would continue, if you go to the harbour in Douglas, and look at the creels of Manx crabs, you’d notice something different. There would be the creel of little crabs, and yes, there would be a crab trying to pull itself out. The difference was that all the other little crabs would be doing their damndest to pull it back…I am reminded of that story when I look at the Hirsi Ali affair. The nastier side of the Dutch character is currently on display in many people and it is not a pleasant sight. This article by Okke Ornstein – the Stoning of Hirsi Ali describes the situation well. And Hirsi Ali’s own press release from yesterday is a dignified response to the recent sorry events.It seems to me that some people in Dutch society are confusing the letter of the law with the spirit of the law. They do not have the wisdom of Solomon, and would be all too willing to split a baby in two to follow the letter of the law. -
Fungal Madness
A recurring nightmare of mine is to realise that, bit by bit, the society around me is changing to become something that is dangerous to my very survival. Fortunately for me (at least so far), that scenario is thankfully relegated to my paranoid subconscious. When I wake in the morning, the sunlight can drive it away and I can relax.Unfortunately for many, it can literally be how daily life is to be experienced. Take, for example, Salam Pax’s latest post. I would find it terrifying to live in today’s Iraq. -
Recycling Is Good Business
As a result of the house move and buying some new stuff, we’d accumulated a lot of rubbish that needed to be got rid of. It was time to look at the recycling options. When we were in Gouda, we’d just load the car up with the junk and take it down to the Cyclus plant and offload it for free. Here in the Achterhoek, I discovered that there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.There is a recycling location, Ter Horst in Varsseveld, but as a privatised concern (no longer under the control of the council), you have to pay to get rid of your rubbish. This has had two effects. One, the good burgers of Varsseveld and the surrounding environs tend to just dump their rubbish anywhere rather than actually taking it to Ter Horst and paying someone to get rid of it. The Dutch have a reputation second only to the Scots for being careful with their money. And two, I noticed that a privatised recycling business which not only charges its customers, but which also makes money through recycling the stuff they bring in is clearly doing well. I note this from the fact that the line of cars owned by the employees and the owner of the concern were, without exception, rather expensive BMWs.Ah well, such is life, I thought as I offloaded the junk and received a chit that I had to take to the cash desk. And it was there that I had the experience for which it was all worthwhile. The cash desk was in the kitchen of the business owner’s house, and it was presided over by Gypsy Rose Lee. She was every inch the part, and guarded by two fearsome dogs of some kind of (very large) bulldog breed. The house was doing its best to masquerade as a gypsy caravan, complete with chandeliers, oil stoves, knicknacks and tapestries. Glorious to see that sub-cultures are alive and well in the Netherlands… -
Mourning Sickness
An interesting, and sobering, story in The Guardian today. It’s about the reaction to the death of an American teenager – Anna Svidersky – that has become an Internet phenomenon. Real life and online life appear to be becoming one and the same for some people. Indeed, as the article points out: for some, their online life seems to be more important. -
Prejudice in the EU
A sobering article in the Guardian today that contrasts the situation of gays and lesbians living in different parts of the EU. The prejudice and homophobia that exists in some countries such as Poland must make life pretty miserable for gay people. Another reason to be thankful that I live where I do. -
Koninginnedag Comes Early This Year
On the 30th April every year, the Dutch celebrate the late Queen Juliana’s birthday. This is Queen’s day (Koninginnedag). It’s really an excuse for a big party that will happen throughout the Netherlands. Because the 30th April falls on a Sunday this year, the celebrations are being brought forward to the 29th.Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll be cycling around part of a 44 kilometre circuit that takes in a series of art exhibitions in the locality. Then on Sunday we’ll be joining our new neighbours for the local Koninginnedag party, which, to confuse everyone, is actually being held on the 30th instead of the 29th. I’m sure it made sense to someone… -
The Dutch Citizenship Test
Last January, I mentioned the test that would-be immigrants to the Netherlands would have to take. It went live last week. There’s an article on the Radio Netherlands web site describing the procedure. I certainly don’t share the journalist’s touching belief that the voice-recognition system used in the test (there are no human examiners involved) is "foolproof". Pull the other one – it’s got bells on it. It turns out that entrants will need to buy the exam materials, which contain all 100 questions and their authorised answers. Then in the exam, 30 questions, selected from the 100, will be given. My hunch is that the entrant will have to parrot back exactly the words and intonation used in the authorised answer to have any hope of passing the voice-recognition system. So the Dutch want parrots, not citizens…The procedure is described on the Ministry for Justice web site. While I see that EU citizens are exempt from having to take the test, I did notice in the fine print on this page the statement: "As newcomers these people will, however, usually be required to follow the integration programme once in the Netherlands"."Required", eh? That doesn’t sound like an exemption to me. -
Homes for the Elderly
One of the joyful little tasks I will have in my list of things to do in twenty years time will be preparing to select a suitable care home where I can end my days, surrounded by handsome male nurses who will do anything for me.Of course, this ideal care home will probably be difficult to find (if it exists at all). While I’m sure that there are some excellent care homes, there are also places like this, probably better named the Why the Fuck Should We Care Home. I only hope that I have the nous and the wherewithal to spot the ones like this and avoid at all costs.(hat tip to Tom Reynolds for the link) -
“Absolute Madness, Naive and Irresponsible”
Those are the words ("volstrekt krankzinnig, naïef en onverantwoord") used by a member of the Dutch parliament to describe a recent decision of Rita Verdonk, the minister of Immigration and Integration. And what has the lovely Rita done now? Well, she’s decided to reverse the ban on deporting failed asylum-seekers who are gay or Christian back to Iran. This is likely to include Saba Rawi. The problem is that Rawi fled Iran over four years ago in fear for his life because he is gay. And now Rita wants him back in Iran, where the authorities now know full well that he is gay. There is real concern that if he is returned to Iran he will be executed. I honestly wonder how Rita Verdonk can live with her conscience – perhaps she simply doesn’t have one.Update, 6th March: This morning, the Volkskrant is reporting that Minister Verdonk has apparently had second thoughts about sending failed asylum-seekers who are gay back to Iran. She is now saying that they will receive permits to stay. Doubtless everyone will wait and see what happens in the case of Saba Rawi in the next few days. The Volkskrant also reports that the basis for Verdonk’s original proposal to send gays back was a report from the Foreign Affairs Ministry saying that according to the Human Rights Watch organisation, the two teenagers hanged in Iran last year were not executed because they were gay and that therefore gays are not at risk in Iran. That’s brought a stinging reaction from an HRW representative stating that gays are certainly in danger of their lives in Iran. It should be pointed out that while the HRW chose to interpret the execution of the two teenagers as being for rape, and not because they were gay, other observers claim differently. Nonetheless, the HRW recognises the dangerous situation for gays in Iran.The HRW itself reported on two more executions of gays in Iran in November 2005. -
How Much is that Doggy in the Window?
As I’ve mentioned before, when we move to our farmhouse in the country (and now there’s less than a month to go, hooray!), Martin wants to become a dog owner once more. He’s not had a dog for the last 20 years, partly because he doesn’t think it’s right to keep a large dog in a built-up area such as where we currently live.However, the gloves come off once we are settled in the farmhouse, since we’ll have nearly two acres of land ourselves, let alone all the surrounding countryside to exercise the animal. Part of me thinks what is the point of having a dog, while another part of me thinks it will be good. It’s rather like having a devil on my left shoulder, and an angel on my right, both whispering into my ears.I see that the devil has turned up some evidence to bolster his cause; Churchill Insurance has produced research that shows that the lifetime cost of the average dog is £20,000 (€30,000). Egad! As they say, that’s more than the cost of a brand-new 3-series BMW. Oh well, Martin has his heart set on having a dog, so I’ll just have to be on the side of the angels this time around. -
Another Data Point
Following on from the experience I mentioned in Eroding Liberties, Jenni Russell relates a similar depressing incident that occurred to her on arrival in Heathrow. Is this sort of thing becoming more prevalent? Jenni may be the canary in the coal mine. I sometimes feel the rest of us are frogs in water, unable to feel that the temperature is rising. -
Echoes of a Bomb
When you’ve been involved in an extreme event, it takes time for the impact echoes to die away. Sometimes they never do. Rachel is someone who has been involved in an extreme event, and this posting clearly shows the impact that it continues to have. But, small step by small step, I hope it gets better for her. -
Eroding Liberties
I’m becoming increasingly alarmed by what I view as the erosion of civil liberties that appears to be happening in the UK, driven by fear of terrorism – both real and imagined. The atmosphere of suspicion is getting thicker, and this has a negative impact on the way in which the authorities treat the citizen.For example, take the case of the actors and others returning from the Berlin Film Festival after a showing of their film The Road to Guantánamo. They were detained by police at Luton airport and questioned under the anti-terror laws. The disturbing thing to me was the manner in which they were questioned. Read the account by one of the actors of the incident, and reflect on it. Is this the sort of political police force that is emerging in the UK?Update: and then there’s this… -
Dumbing Down
The Guardian reports today on worrying evidence that the brain-eating virus of creationism is on the increase in British universities and colleges.A 21-year-old medical student and member of the Islamic Society, who did not want to be named, said that the Qur’an was clear that man had been created and had not evolved as Darwin suggests. "There is no scientific evidence for it [Darwin’s Origin of Species]. It’s only a theory. Man is the wonder of God’s creation."Ah, the "it’s only a theory" meme again… So is gravity, so perhaps this student would care to step off a cliff to demonstrate the fact.At another London campus some students have been failed because they have presented creationism as fact. They have been told by their examiners that, while they are entitled to explain both sides of the debate, they cannot present the Bible or Qur’an as scientifically factual if they want to pass exams.What a surprise… But apparently the students won’t let sticking to stories get in the way of passing exams; they’ll simply follow the advice of creationist David Rosevear:"I’ve got no problem with an all-powerful God producing everything in six days," he said. He said it was an early example of the six-day week. Students taking exams on the subject should not be dogmatic one way or the other. "I tell them – answer the question, it’s no good saying it [creationism] is a fact any more than saying evolution is a fact."Are we heading back into the Dark Ages? -
Self-loathing
What a sad person Ronald G. Lee must be, judging by the content of this article that he has written. Still, Sadly No! has managed to see the humour in the piece, and gleefully points it out for the purple-prosed pile of tosh that it is.Note: declaration of interest – I have visited Lobo’s in Houston several times over the years. Somehow, I managed to avoid the magnetic pull of the pornography in the back that exercised such a fascination on Mr. Lee, and have purchased a number of well-written novels and biographies there. I have even bought a coffee and a slice of carrotcake in the bookstore’s coffeeshop, and consumed them whilst reading my purchases in a state of calm. Even though there were other – gasp – homo-seks-uals on the premises, we somehow managed to exist in a state of clothed decorum and equanimity.
Geoff Coupe's Blog 