A Halloween Interlude with.......Rob Zombie

When I was a kid it was all "penny for the guy", you don't see that anymore though fireworks still get purchased to celebrate an act of treason by Guy Fawkes. These days Halloween seems to be the main celebration at this time of year.

Oh well lets enter the spirit with this number from Rob Zombie...... trick & treat safely guys & ghouls!

Joint Community Statement on attacks on Jewish Students

The following statement has been issued by the main organisations representing the Jewish Community in the Uk following yet another attack on the rights of Jewish, pro-Israel and Israeli students to freely debate in our universities.

The attacks by the so-called "Palestinian Solidarity" activists and Islamist students supported by the new black-shirt far-left comes at a time when anti-Semitism is rearing it's ugly head in our society again. the fact that a British Peer, Jenny Tongue can hold a meeting in the House of Lords where speakers are applauded for saying that Jews themselves caused the Holocaust shows how deep the rot has become.

There should be no "safe space" for the purveyors of hate that these activists represent. We can all start fighting back now. Never Again!

A split in Socialist Unity

SOCIALIST UNITY

Politics. Culture. Debate.

With everything that's going on inside the Labour Party with the rise of the "Corbynistas", Momentum and the rising tide of controversy over anti-Semitism around the likes of Jackie Walker, Ken Livingstone and others, I'd almost forgotten about the Socialist Unity website.

A joint effort by Andy Newman and John Wight, they appear to have had "creative differences" or in plain English a falling out of some sort.

Andy Newman writes:

For those of you who haven’t followed developments in the comments, there is a significant change here at SU. John Wight will be publishing his writings elsewhere, and we wish him luck, and every success for the future.

John has relinquished his editing and admin rights at SU, and if you were banned by John, then welcome back. I have asked Tony, who brilliantly assists with technical support behind the scenes, to “unban” people (it is quite beyond me). This may take a while to percolate through, so please be patient.That's me still banned then!

However the actual argument that led to their falling out is still on-line under one of their earlier posts on Scottish Indendence.

Start on or about comment #56.

By comment #77 Newman writes:

This has gone on long enough. I have given John a great deal of slack due to past friendship, but given that he has now reduced to personal abuse against me, and deleting anyone who disagrees with him. I have removed him from the Su editorial team.

Socialist Unity can now once again disappear into the wilderness where it really belongs.

The clocks go backwards? Will Hay explains....

The clocks go backwards tonight adding to the general confusion that is the morning after. That "extra hour in bed" never seems to be of any use as most of us get up around the same time our body clocks tell us to.

Still at least it won't lead to this...

A dip into the world of the weird

It's Friday night, I'm still fighting off this damned cold that's doing the rounds and a lot of people are starting to prepare for Halloween. However I like to "dip in" to the world of the weird on You Tube every so often and one these channels "UFOmania" has been churning out lots of stuff this week, one of which I posted to Facebook about a US base suffering from an "alien attack".

I'm sure the real media would have noticed.... but still this latest effort with info apparently courtesy of the Russians explains how Mr Putin is preparing against a forthcoming invasion or some such nonsense. I mean, like, haven't you noticed how extreme the weather has been getting? Aliens of course.

Anyway here's a little bit of conspiracy mania to frighten you in your beds before the ghouls come out on Monday.

As for me? I'm off for an early night with a Lem-Sip (other cold cures are available) and will return.

Aliens willing of course!

Bake Off to By-Election

Over the last 24 hours the politico's on social media have been concentrating on the forthcoming by-election in Richmond triggered by the resignation of Zac Goldsmith over the Heathrow airport extension....

Meanwhile the masses have been watching BBC One's Bake Off final in their millions. Well done Candice by the way.

The decision of the Government to build a third runway at Heathrow is now under scrutiny. Good for business and job creation, the new scheme will involve a massive bridge over the M25 and eventually the loss of homes and more noise and pollution for the poor buggers that live there. How the balance is struck between economic necessity and environment is and always will be a tricky question.

However it is the politics of the forthcoming by-election that will be of interest. Already the Conservative Party has decided not to stand a candidate against Goldsmith which will avoid a much more public spat than necessary since if reelected Zac can be relied on to side with the Tories.

The Liberal-Democrats are already crowing about their chances and are fielding Sarah Olney as their candidate. Given that previously the Lib-Dems have done quite well in this part of London and seem to be on a roll they could poll well. Their chances could be increased if Labour's Deputy Leader Tom Watson gets his way.

Watson along with a couple of other Labour "notables" has seriously suggested that their party does not contest the by-election to give the Lib-Dems a "free run". Given the internal warfare going on inside the Labour Party this kind of makes sense. Labour are in no position to win in Richmond under even "normal" circumstances, let alone with the party falling apart under comrade Steptoes Corbyn's watch. I can't call it leadership. Man's a fool with even more foolish and somewhat dangerous advisors.

A Liberal Democrat resurgence could strengthen the middle ground in British politics. Cleggs gone alone with Cable and the rest and Tim Farron for all his shortcomings could build a re-invigorated centre party that in time could act as a catalyst for a major realignment in British politics if /when the moderates decide there is no longer hope of recapturing the Labour Party.

First the election must run it's course.....

Meanwhile I think the British public now quite disillusioned with the political classes will be more interested in the recipe for Candice's wonderful chocolate cake.

You really can have your cake and eat it.

Well sometimes anyway!

More University flakery

University standards have certainly been going down since the introduction of "trigger warnings" and "safe spaces" for the poor little souls who aren't ready for the real world. We've seen students in the USA walk out of lectures on Greek mythology because the content was "offensive".

Have these kids only ever seen Disney or Marvel Comic versions of these stories? The Greek Gods were a rather nasty lot when it came to meddling in human affairs and were rather brutal when seeking either revenge or taking what or who(usually women) that they wanted. Perhaps the students involved should, like, have actually read a book about them before enrolling.

There are plenty of other examples of student (and university) flakery, but the news that archeology students will get "trigger warnings" because the sight of bones might upset the poor little souls...

The Tab reports

Lecturer Gabriel Moshenka said that introducing trigger warnings were necessary as some students had served in the army and might induce psychological trauma from the content of the course.

Students affected are allowed to step outside without penalty, but are expected to catch up on all they have missed from the lecture.

A trigger warning allows academics to warn students at the beginning of a lecture that it might contain material that some students might find traumatic.

The decision to introduce the warnings was not in response to demand from students, but rather a precautionary measure taken by academic staff.

One asks what else they might expect to find when digging up the remnants of long lost civilisations and tombs.

I hope they don't watch horror movies.

Here's an excerpt from The Prisoner which may explain the lecturers concerns...or not!