Common Sense. R.I.P.

Here we go although it's really someone else's rant :

My parents told me about Mr Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary
Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a Band-Aid to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home but the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap whilst driving a car with the said coffee cup lodged between her thighs, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Arise, Australia Fair !

I received this email from my cousin the other day. I can't help wondering if it's the start of a bit of a backlash against the British chattering classes and their misguided obsession with multiculturalism. I've yet to meet one who understands the difference - and the importance thereof - between multicultural and multiethnic approaches to coping with immigration. It is absolutely clear that multiculturalism has failed most immigrants into Britain. Consider the lunacy of having 27 languages being spoken in one school alone; teach them English and they'll integrate better and make far more progress in generations to come. We don't need ghettoes of ethnic groups living as almost totally enclosed communities. Britain has been a successful melting pot for a couple of thousand years and has done so by gradual accretion and evolution. Our language is a melange of many others - and long may it be so. Please don't start me on the issue of two legal systems either - British law for all Britons NOT just for some and Sharia law for others.

Anyway, the email reads as follows :

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia and her Queen at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his Ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state, and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you", he said on National Television.

"I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia : one the Australian law and another Islamic law that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option", Costello said.

Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the other country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off. Basically people who don't want to be Australians, and who don't want, to live by Australian values and understand them, well then, they can basically clear off", he said.

Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.

Quote: "IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians."

"However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the 'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia ." "However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand." "This idea of Australia being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. And as Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle."

"This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom"

"We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society .. Learn the language!"

"Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture."

"We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us."

"If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like "A Fair Go", then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means, keep your culture, but do not force it on others.

"This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,

'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'."

"If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted."

Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, BRITISH citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths!

"An Inconvenient Truth" - debunked all too easily !!

Somehow, I can't believe I've taken so long to get around to making this point. Al Gore is, apparently, really fond of inconvenient truths. The Keynote (NOT Powerpoint by the way) presentation he made is atrocious. Don't blame Apple. The software's good but the content's rubbish. It shows what a lack of good scientific training does for a man. The rest of the show is self-publicity !

Well here's one for him. 50 years ago I had to learn the basics of the Geological Ages. Pre-Cambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian etc. I spent ages learning an acronym "Poor Cuthbert Ordered Six Devon Cream Puffs Though John Couldn't Even Order Mince Pies Properly - Hopeless ! That gave me everything up to the Holocene - although, now that we know the Ice Age (Pleistocene) may not have finished, the Holocene may be redundant - for the next few million years at least.

However, we then learned the main features of each Epoch. What do we know about the Cretaceous ? It was probably the hottest period ever on Earth. No ice anywhere. Not even at the Poles. If anything, the world had its most even temperature gradient of all time. Fossils of tropical plants were found within a few degrees the of the (then) Poles. Ocean temperatures were so much hotter.

Best estimates from sediment cores suggest that tropical sea surface temperatures were between 9-12°C warmer than today, whilst the deep ocean temperatures were anything up to 15-20° C higher than today's.

Any 4x4s ? Any massive burning of fossil fuels ? Evidence of human activity ? As usual, bearing in mind the Cretaceous Epoch was 144 to 65 Million Years ago, answers on a postcard please ...................

Well, Al Gore, c/o Apple Inc, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA - where's your response to this ?

Retraite Entrante en France, as they say ......

I've been rather more remiss than ever I intended. I originally thought I would be able to blog at least once each week. However, I'm finding time is slipping by rather faster than I thought it ever could. I'm finding it ever more difficult to stay abreast of my specialities; even more difficult to find time to refute the idiocies of the 'Fiends of the Earth' brigade and fellow-travellers. Monbiot, I just long to meet you face to face. As for Porrit, well HoH, the Duke of Rothesay is welcome to him !

My Ultimate Other is desperate to get the gite complex up and running so we can earn income to finance her property ambitions. I suppose it's not out of order. She supported us through the bad times when my income was rather less than necessary to keep her and two growing little 'uns in the luxury she would have loved so much. It's only right I should put the effort into helping her to achieve her dream now - the world is not enough ! Now where did I hear that ? Here in France we are building our little launching pad into a property empire which may well span several countries. If all goes well, we should be buying some properties in eastern Europe in the next couple of years. Is this what I would like ? Answers on a postcard. as always, please .........................

Finally, we are emerging from the long dark financial tunnel of the last 35 years. If all goes well we should be able to pay off the property in the UK in the next few months. Add to that the results of some really careful planning and we are set up for life - even if the speculation in eastern Europe goes dreadfully and horribly wrong.

If all goes well "Her Indoors" may well be able to set herself up as a site agent on a small complex near the Black Sea. That should leave me rather more time time to get on with the Ph.D. I should have completed in the mid-70s. Even as I blog, I am in negotiations with a couple of universities back home. Somehow, the filthy lucre I've accumulated over the years seems so very unimportant now. OK, I've visited so many parts of the world I never thought I'd see but I've stopped stretching the only part of me that really matters. So few years left.

What gives me the greatest satisfaction these days ? Doing things I never thought I could. The gite complex progresses. The inner walls stand neat and strong - brick-laying skills I learned from a former class-mate who bullied me appallingly but who taught me so much in that line years later. The roof trusses are almost in place now - I taught myself so much from a set of books and watching joiners working on a project in Japan in the 90s. As for electrics they're almost finished: I learned those from Morris who was one of my few friends at school. Plumbing - well if anything is simple, then that's the job.

As for now, well, I've just got a short commission in Asia Minor. Looking forward to that - a part of the world where I've not spent too much time. It gives me a reason to learn another language. Oh well, here goes ............