I want to cry: part 2

I’m home from work and I’ve been able to formulate a few thoughts. I have tried not to talk about religion though, because I still need to get things sorted out in my head about that. I’m not shy about my dislike of the Abrahamic god; he’s a dick. Just because you’re god is a mass murdering wanker doesn’t mean you should be. (I came to this conclusion many years ago, after reading the Bible, rereading it last year did not change my sentiments on the subject).

Actually, scotch that, lets talk about religion then we’ll get on with the politics. The vile specimins of humanity that carried out these attacks do not represent all Muslims any more than Fundamental Protestants or conservative Catholics represent all Christians, etc. My personal opinion is that if your god condones mass murder that’s a god you should avoid. Unfortunately people draw on their beliefs to validate their hatred of others; religion cannot be taken out of the equation,  but it is more complex than religious = bad, not religious = good. Let’s not forget that this is about human beings not Europeans against Middle Eastern people, or Muslims and Christians, or secular vs. religious. People will focus on the religious element and ignore underlying causes for these atrocities, because it’s easier to say that this group or that religion are evil,than to look at the history, the reasons behind the behaviours, the contributing factors, the reason people turn to religion to justify hatred.

Continue reading “I want to cry: part 2”

I want to cry

I’m watching the news, about Paris. In a comments of a blog I read several people have mentioned other massacres yesterday, in Baghdad and Beirut;I followed up by checking the BBC website. In total, approximately 180 died and hundreds more injured yesterday – 127 in Paris, 40 in Beirut, 25 in Baghdad – there may be more deaths to be added. Daesh (IS,ISIS, ISIL) has claimed all three attacks; in the Beirut and Baghdad cases it seems there was a sectarian element, Shia areas were targeted.

It’s heartbreaking, all of it. So many deaths for no reason, so much pain caused for no reason.

And now I have to go to work.

A few links for the story:

http://mic.com/articles/128551/terrorist-suicide-bombing-attack-on-beirut-lebanon-kills-43-and-injures-hundreds?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social#.rNMrDXl9i

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34810672

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34821001

 

Thoughts on ‘Suffragette’

Suffragette: an insulting diminutive coined in 1905 by the Daily Mail for women involved in the suffrage movement. Adopted by the WSPU as a badge of honour.
I went to see the new film about the Suffragettes on Thursday afternoon with my oldest friend. I really enjoyed the film, it was inspiring.

[There will be spoilers in this post, skip the first few paragraphs if you don’t want to know what happens. You have been warned, don’t complain.]

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Review: ‘Furiously Happy’ by Jenny Lawson

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Pan Macmillan
24th September 2015
ISBN 9781447238324

Furiously Happy is a book about mental illness, but under the surface it’s about embracing joy in fantastic and outrageous ways. And who doesn’t need a bit more of that?

Continue reading “Review: ‘Furiously Happy’ by Jenny Lawson”