Last post

Decided to dedicate my blogging time to my journal and my disabled rights blog http://disabledknowyourrights.blogspot.com/ and so am closing this blog. Will keep it open for a few days and then close it down.

It's been fun learning how to write and this has only ever been for 'fun' and for my own benefit and to give me something to stop the pain monster chasing. The new blog has a purpose and I'm happy for that. It's there to name and shame companies and organisations who are and have treated disabled people badly so if you know any let me know and I'll do the investigating.

Cez

Deplomacy And The Forgotten Hostage

BBC journalist Alan Johnson was kidnapped by person's unknown while working in the Gaza Strip three weeks ago.

A spokesperson for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) denounced the kidnapping of a BBC correspondent in the Gaza Strip back on the 13th of March
The leftist DFLP described as this as “outside the context of the values and ethics of the Palestinian people's struggle.”

Alan Johnston, a British national had been working for the BBC in the Gaza Strip for three years. He was aware that numerous journalists who were kidnapped during 2006. Most of whom, were released within hours or at the most within a few days. No one was injured and demands ranged from jobs in the Gazan economy devastated by closure, or the release of political prisoners.

Is he safe NOW? Nobody knows? An unconfirmed report a week after his abduction stated he was well but how could anyone truly know?

Every news report starts with "15 hostages in Iran" which while important to their families and also important that we as a nation deal with this issue quickly, we must not neglect the forgotten hostages yet we have?

It is obvious why Iran will not realease the UK hostages and it has nothing to do with "Not showing respect rubbish"

Iran wants the world to accept that our troops were in THEIR waters and not Iraq's desputed waters. This area is long argued about and apparently this marine hostage taking tactic occurred in 2004 but Blair produced evidence to state that the troops were in Iraqi waters and the marines were released. Hasn't worked this time then? How fortunate for Iran when the 15 marines checked a Iranian merchant ship in this desputed sea! You then have yet another crisis which the UK have to deal with and it takes the focus off the fact that Iran is at the centre of highly critisized nuclear programme and even the Russians, their former ally is in danger of abandoning them.

What else does Iran have to gain with this act?

Why keep Faye Turney on the TV all of the time humilating her and the UK government?

The poor woman is in obvious distress and it is a disgusting ploy. Iran is not keeping our service people in accordance to the rules of the Geneva Convention but then again I did not think that was likely.

Disgusting........

Last time we had to work with Iran, it was over that baffoon of a man Salmon Rushdie and his Satanic Verses. That took 15 years of diplomatic bridge building to get back to square one. We have to remember that we live in different worlds and have different beliefs too. But I don't think the hostage taking has anything to do with what we believe in. It is much bigger than that.

Humilliating our great service people who give their lives for our country and humiliating our government is Iran's little game Our government I am sure are working behind the scenes and the UN has now stepped in to critisize Iran. Maybe sanctions or should I say further sanctions may help? Problem there is they only hurt the poorest people and they are the ones who you need to help. I wonder if Blair decided to call upon his best mate over the pond? There is no way that Iran would wish to upset the USA........Sometimes it has paid to be buddy buddy politcally with Mr Bush (whether agreeing with him is another matter).

Who on earth is going to help Alan Johnson?

My last words are for him. A pray for his family who must be worried sick for his safety, lets hope wherever he is, he's healthy and will be home soon.

Mugabe

I can't work out why world leaders are not shouting - SCREAMING from the rooftops about this man?

Maybe Zimbabwe is not as valuable as Iraq or I'm sure there would have been an excuse to bomb it by now and remove the evil dictator who runs the country with an iron fist spreading hatred and fear.

So why I ask again isn't South Africa for instance yelling. You'd think as the closest neighbour that at least they would have something to say but yet again nothing......It is almost as though the World is keeping quiet and hoping Mugabe would drop dread (which I've never wished for anyone apart from him). Karma is a wonderful thing isn't it?

I have been trying to think of the good things Mugabe has done for his country but I can't think of any? There is no democracy, his citizens are starving and his policies are crucifying them further.

Torture for some - Literally!

So who's going to speak out for the citizens of Zimabwe?

No one it seems...........

Stay on till 18 or PRISON?

WHAT?

The government has announced it's new rule that it wants kids to stay on at school till the age of 18 or failing that they have to find some sort of training scheme. If not these unlucky souls face being given an anti social behaviour order and if they still can't find a job then they face the prospect of PRISON!

I have a sneaky feeling that Alan Johnson MP, and Minister for Idiotic Ideas....sorry Education Secretary, has been drinking heavily or maybe he has a serious drug problem because this solution to a problem is absurd?

Point one, only a few short weeks ago the government stated there were no spaces in the country's prisons and young offender centres; point two, it is difficult enough to catch the kids who are 'bunking off' and they still haven't got that right yet.

I wonder with this government if they sit in their parlimentary rooms eating hash cakes, drinking trebles and making the most ridiculous decisions because of this. Nothing makes sense anymore and it appears as though the Labour party have put their hands in the air and are saying "We don't want to be in charge any more" We're cr*p and let someone else take over".

"Education, Education, Education" were the buzz words at the beginning of the Labour party rule and now the only answers we have are old man Liberal and fuddy fuzzy Tory.

Can I emigrate?

The Chimp Hero

I have had many happy weekends down in Dorset and we always go along to Monkey World

http://www.monkeyworld.co.uk/topic.php?TopicID=1&Template=standard

to see the chimps, orangutans and assorted primates. The kids then go off to the play area and hang on the ropes and play on the slides and look just like the chimps we've just visited.

We have watched Monkey World grow from in 1987, being a small primate sanctury set up by Jim and Alison Cronin which was set up to rescue Spanish chimps from being abused, to being a world renowned rescue centre.

Sadly Jim Cronin died on Saturday 17 March in his home city of New York. But his legacy will live on with all of the primates he and his wife saved from abuse not only from the streets of Spain but Tailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the list goes on.

Respect to you dear Jim

Heather Mills Grrrr

This is more about the rule than about her but I still can't stand the woman. In fact she should be more sensitive and is only out to look out for number one. She's always in the press and uses her own rule of her "Conservation issues". What rot! But I digress.....

Heather Mills lives in the same part of the world as me and she because she has had an amputation she has a 'Blue Badge'. This blue badge allows the person who owns the car to park it where ever they would like as long as the car is not parked in a loading area. Blue badges are difficult to get hold of and you are only supposed to have them if you fulfill a strict criteria and admittedly having an amputation is one of the rules and so Heather deserves a badge in that case; that said, I have a friend who can hardly walk due to chronic and severe daily pain and cannot get a blue badge from the same city authority that gave the baddge to Heather? My friend does not have an amputation and has to fulfil another rule of "Not being able to walk 50 or 100metres (depending on the authority) without severe pain" Sometimes my friend can walk this distance and she does not want to lie, yet other times she spends her days in bed.

Heather Mills scored 18/30 on America's Dancing with the Stars so is she disabled or is she able-bodied? Does she deserve that blue badge and SHOULD people with amputations have to fulfil the same criteria as those without amputations because I feel the rule is a farce.

This is not the first time that Heather Mills has made me angry and it has nothing to do with what the press print. I can watch a TV and see what comes out of her mouth and I do not like it. She's out for what she can get, (IMHO) I cannot be the only disabled person to be angry with her and her gigantic 4X4. I'll be honest I do not even park it on double yellow lines like she does!
I know I'm having a good old moan here but it has been building up for some time. I felt sorry for her and even liked her at one point, however not any more.

Heather Mills, do some good for good causes and stop publisizing YOURSELF!
(No picture and no further mention of the woman)

The Tragedy Of A Mother

Sally Clark aged 42 died Thursday night her family have announced. To those in other countries, you will not know who Sally Clark is? To those in this country, do you remember?

(Sally Clark at the beginning of her trial with the 2nd photo at her release)

Sally Clark was a solicitor who was found guilty of murder, not just any murder but that of her two baby boys. The conviction was squashed and the Paediatricain who gave evidence has since become his own victim because his evidence does not have any! Other cases have been quashed, another mother convicted of murdering two of her children, Angela Cannings, also walked free after this Paediatrician's evidence was found to be unsafe.

So we go back to Sally Clark. She'd been released from Prison in 2003 back to her husband and remaining baby boy. It seems Sally never got over the death of her babies and it is too soon to say how she died. The coroner will give his reasons, but Sally had no major illnesses but was not well if that makes sense. The rumours are of an alcoholic who binge drank.

Whaever the rumours I hope she is at peace now. This case opened up so many other cases and many other parents were released from prison because of it. Some people are still in prison and obviously sometimes parents do commit terrible acts and those have to serve their time (Forever in my view).

As I said.....Hope she is at peace.