You can always count on Hugo Chávez for a headline – if he isn’t creating a unique time zone,  he’s heaping praise on international despots or planning to ‘bomb’ the country’s clouds to make it rain. Now, however, he has turned Santa Claus, bulk buying in toys from China so his cash-strapped and increasingly frustrated electorate can afford to celebrate Christmas in a style similar to their North American counterparts. But, in a country with the highest rate of inflation in South America, and where many struggle to buy food, is enticing the population to spend half a month’s salary on toys really a sensible way to increase your popularity in the run up to an election?

At this time of year, it’s impossible to avoid the mass-marketed version of Christmas. A walk down any high street in December bombards you constantly with the secular images which have become synonymous with the season. Around you hurry people of all ages desperately running from shop to shop and gaudy displays fill the window, presumably designed to entice you to part with yet more cash. (Perversely even in South Africa, where temperatures regularly reach the high 30s during the festive period, shops are also dominated by these Western images of wooly hats, fleece lined boots and snow-laden landscapes). The traditional religious season has become corrupted by the capitalist elements of our society, and it so seems odd that Chávez (so famed for his Anti-American/ anti-capitalism tirades) is now condoning that the people of Venezuela also enter into this buying frenzy.

Of course, I understand the pressure to deliver at Christmas, and with Western media, images and lifestyles seeping into cultures across the globe, it’s unsurprising that families want to have “the perfect Christmas.” But whilst reading the article in the Guardian, I was reminded of one of my most memorable Christmas gifts.

One Christmas shortly before he died,  I remember my Grandad gave me a Frisbee and a pack of Kit-Kats. Not exactly memorable, but what made the gift special was the way it had been given. Even though I was still quite young at the time (11 or 12), I knew that financially he had been failed by the government in his retirement and, not being well enough to live at home, all his money was tied up in paying for board in a nursing home. Consequently, the Frisbee took on a bigger role because here was my Grandad spending some of the little money he did have, on me. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t expensive, but at that moment I knew exactly how much he loved me, and it was truly priceless.

I don’t remember anything else I received that Christmas, and I doubt very much if I’ve kept anything else. But I remember that Frisbee vividly and over 10 years later, I still have it.

# I feel like I was born for devastation and reform, destroy everything I love and the worst part is, I pour my heart out reconstruct but in the end it’s nothing but a shell of what I had when I first started.#

Devastation and Reform – Relient K

Next week, leaders from across the globe will travel to Denmark for the much awaited UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Over the course of two weeks, our elected representatives will discuss and debate ways to tackle the ever present threat of man-made Climate Change and, hopefully, broker a deal which will make significant in-roads into cutting the world’s carbon emissions.

Ok, so Relient K didn’t write this song about the environment, the message behind the words warns us not to burn the bridges between those we love because, once broken, they can never fully be rebuilt. But after listening live to MP Ed Miliband’s live conference call organised by 38 degrees this morning, it dawned on me that these lyrics are just as pertinent with regards our treatment of the world around us.

Back in August, I was given a copy of the Green Bible for my birthday, which includes an enlightening foreword by Nobel Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In it he discredits all those who would claim to be Christian but fail to realise the consequences our wasteful society is having on the environment which surrounds us. ‘We must act now and wake up to our moral obligations,’ he writes.

We, who should have been responsible stewards preserving our vulnerable, fragile planet home, have been wantonly wasteful through our reckless consumerism, devouring irreplaceable natural resources

‘Irreplaceable natural resources.’ Just as Relient K point out, we are destroying everything we love and as much as we would like to turn back the clock, the damage has been done. All we can do now is to find ways to halt the destruction so that there is still hope for the generations to come.

And so we come to the crux of the argument. Offsetting.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the Simpsons episode where Bart finds the Bolivian tree Lizards, which then get loose and begin to eat all the birds in Springfield. In their short-sighted fashion, the town council then decide to release Chinese Needle Snakes to deal with the lizards and then snake-eating gorillas to deal with the snakes, and so they go on.  Yes, this may be a ridiculous and far-fetched anecdote, but it serves to demonstrate the danger of only thinking in the short-term.

Carbon offsetting is in no way a solution to the environmental problems we are facing. And any ’solution’ which enables us to continue to devour our natural resources and continue to emit immense amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, is too dangerous to even consider.

Tolkien wrote that it is not for us to decide what happens to us in our lifetimes, instead we must ” decide what to do with the time that is given to us”. It is no secret that Tolkien disliked the industrialisation of the English countryside and I would like to believe that he would fully support the move to ensuring real carbon cuts and a greener, more sustainable future. In this mindset, I use these words to urge our leaders and elected representatives to be fully aware that moments like this are unique. The next two weeks offer a real chance to commit to a lasting change and a safer environental future.  Of course cuts without offsetting will not be easy, but the old adage rings true and so, ‘if it is worth doing, then it is worth doing properly.’

And so, I am using my voice to petition Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to hold true to his pledge for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen and not to bow to the naysayers and agree to Carbon offsetting or trading.

Please take action to get an agreement which ensures real carbon cuts in rich countries of 40% by 2020 without offsetting.

From the Petition to Gordon Brown by 38 Degrees

Prime Minister, the public are angry about the failure to seriously address the issue of climate change and carbon emissions, and now is the time to raise our collective head from the sand and face our demons head on. Tomorrow’s world is Today’s problem.

Last time I was in the States I came face to face with the failings of their health care system. We had been out celebrating our 21st birthday and my sister tripped over the front step in the dark. A friend of ours rushed forward to make sure that the storm door didn’t slam shut on her, but while doing so ended up cutting open his eyelid on the very same door.

Now, had the same accident occurred here, we would have packed him up and driven straight to A&E. Yes we would probably have waited a good long while, but at the end of the night his eye would have been properly seen to and on the way to recovery.

Unfortunately we were not at home and my friend (who’s American) had recently been made redundant, losing not only his job but his health insurance. Consequently he has a permanent scar underneath his eyebrow.

I have always, and will always be an advocate for a free National Health Service. Access to health care is a basic human right. Which is why this article in the Guardian today has made my blood boil.

For the self-proclaimed ‘leader of the free world,’ the US has a wholy inadequate 2-tier health care system – for those who can afford the premiums, you can expect the best quality care, but for those who can’t – well need I say any more.

At the very heart of any democracy is the idea that we are all born equal – we all have the same chance in life as any other person. Ok, whilst I am an idealist I am in no way naive. I know this is an unattainable ideal, but structures should be in place to at least assist these goals and at the very least a social welfare system which is representative of the country’s standard of living.

But this in no way means a decline in standards, and having a spending plan doesn’t mean you put a price on human life. If anything not having some sort of NHS devalues lives because it basically states that if you can’t afford the treatment you are in some way unworthy of continuing to live.  As far as I can tell the main argumment is that by having these spending caps in place, and  an octogenarian won’t recieve the same standard of health care as a younger person.

This is utterly ridiculous. Having seen the treatment all four of my grandparents received at the end of their lives, I never ever considered that the nurses and doctors were working any less hard to treat them, than any other patient.  They were, after all, as deserving as the next person to walk through the door.

Health care is always a contentious issue, and I will happily admit that the NHS is far from perfect. But despite its faults and its critics it remains a constant and for that I am eternally grateful.

Finally, to any who remain critical I give you this.

The World Health Organisation ranks Britain’s healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place

Says it all really.

This week it’s been impossible to open the paper without seeing at least one article denouncing the likelihood of me graduating with a job in October. With at least 50 graduates applying for every position, the odds are, unfortunately, stacked against me. It’s doom and gloom reading.

But it wasn’t ’til today that the reality of Recession finally hit home.

When I was in Madrid I didn’t get on with my housemates. As a result I used to spend as much time out as possible. My favourite hideaway was a small cafe on the Glorieta de San Bernardo – just opposite the metro station. First discovered on a particularly windy day back in October 2005, we were enticed inside by the prospect of proper toast and jam – not this pan de molde rubbish. 4 months later, when I moved into the city from Majadahonda, I discovered I lived right round the corner and the rest was history.

I’ve been back to Madrid twice since I left in 2006 – both times I was warmly welcomed back by the owners Luis and Jose – and as a result whenever I think of my time in Spain I invariably think first of the cafe, sitting in the corner reading some book or another that I’d picked up from the second hand bookshop round the corner.

Today though, I found out that the cafe closed. It was no longer making any money. There’s no room for sentimentality in a Recession.

With the amount of media coverage dedicated to the effects of the credit crunch here in the UK, it’s easy to put on the blinkers and think that it’s only happening to us. But Spain has been deeply feeling the crunch since the beginning of the year and analysts expect it to be the worst they have faced for 50 years. We are not alone, so why are we seeking out individual solutions.

I’m not an economist, I have no financial background -  save for 6 weeks as a PA in a bank, but it would seem we are all fighting the same battle and yet are fighting against each other. Consequently, it is the little people who suffer.

I’ve always been left feeling slightly embarrassed by overt displays of pariotism – even singing the National Anthem makes me feel uncomfortable. So it’s probably not that surprising to hear I’ve never celebrated St George’s Day.

But a couple of weeks ago [sorry] I found myself shoulder-to-shoulder with the flag waving brigade in the shadow of Nelson’s Column.

It was all in aid of celebrating the huge variety of musical styles that British Folk has spawned. From Northumbria to Dartmoor via India and Zimbabwe, it would seem that Folk is not only still alive and kicking, it is evolving and experimenting, and attracting a whole new audience as a result.

But the celebration has provoked rumbles of discontent in the die-hard folk brigade, and not in the way you might think.

For centuries music has been used to cement ideologies and identities – just look at the Russian composers writing at the time of the Revolution or the hymns sung by anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. ‘Folk’ is no different. Traditionally the music of the people, its songs and tunes have been the people’s reaction to the situation and issues of the age. But more recently its revival in America during the time of the civil rights movement has meant that modern ‘folk’ has had a distinct socialist vibe.

So was it right for Boris Johnson to use the genre, and some of the country’s leading artists, to celebrate a day, which has, for all intents and purposes, been hijacked by the extreme Right? Well in all fairness, there was little politics at the concert itself – it seemed that most people had come to enjoy, what turned out to be a sunny day in London with some awesome music thrown in.

And as for the artists, they did all – in one way or another – keep the ‘protest’ tradition alive – with Bishi raising a round of applause when she came on stage wearing a fabulous dress encorporating both the Indian and Union flags. And her song Indian Skin definitely questionned what it is to be considered British. And with tracks like ‘Rise Up’ it would seem that the Demon Barbers embody the traditional folk spirit in a modern fusion style.

Folk is evolving - it needs to if it’s going to stay fresh. But I would hope it remains a genre ‘of the people’ and a space where we can make sense of the issues which surround us.

I went to the gig in my new role as a ‘contributor’ to the Daily Music Guide. As a result I was able to interview the very wonderful Netsayi.

Listen to my interview below -  or read my review on the site!

Has the Christian community have forgotten what it is to Love?

[Ed. I have been trying to write this blog (in various guises) for a while, but I have never really known how to phrase it. I am sure that some may find the contents slightly uncomfortable, but if you could refrain from condemning me to an eternity of flaming torment I would appreciate it. So here goes.]

Let love be your only debt! If you love others , you have done all that the Law demands.

Romans 13:8

Since Richard Dawkins unveiled his new “Atheist” bus back in December there has been no shortage of religion-based stories. From calls to make Thought for the Day a more inclusive forum to Papal warnings about the Facebook phenomenon, to  Dr Rowan Williams supporting the disestablishment of the CofE, it would seem that the entrance of the Routemaster has brought our religious consciousness to the fore.

Unfortunately, for some this spiritual awakening has been moulded into a force for hate.

“They tell me to burn in hell and good riddance.”

David Attenborough

A recent article published in the Guardian has revealed that around half of Britons do not believe in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, with 22% believing in a Creator or some sort of intelligent design.

[Ed. This is neither the time or place to get into a discussion over the various theories surrounding the creation of the universe, but if anyone is interested in finding out my personal thoughts, please click here.]

In a digital age it takes a lot to move someone to put pen to paper, it takes more time and is less comodious than the computer. In other words you’d have to be overcome by a huge wave of emotion, which, in this case, must be Anger.

Last month the Frontline club rescreened “America’s most hated family” in which Louis Theroux follows the Phelps family as the wage a hate war against America. All in the name of God.

The CofE is often accused of watering down the Bible in order to be inclusive, but if this is true then the religious Right are guilty of ignoring the teachings of Christ by continuing to pursue hate campaigns.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets [c] are based on these two commandments.

Matthew 22: 37-40

Anger, hate, condemnation – not really compatible with a God of Love, are they?

So much to do with Religion is political. The various denominations of the Christian Church are entrenched in a battle for supremacy and it seems that the message of Christ is the ultimate loser.

I will never agree with those like the Phelps family who would quicker condemn than offer a helping hand. I do not worship a God who is vengeful or quick to judge but one who gave His life so that we might have a meaningful relationship. So if you want to send hate mail to David Attenborough or protest at a funeral pleae don’t do it and still call yourself a Christian.

Before I finish I wan’t to quickly refer back to Dawkins’ big red bus. At school I was told there are 3 types of belief. There are those who believe wholeheartedly in a specific God, those who believe that there is a “divine” presence but aren’t really sure as to what it is and those who believe without doubt that there is no higher power what-so-ever. Believers, Agnostics and Atheists. So what was with the “probably?” If you are going to take your message to the people on the side of a London Routemaster it’s always best to say it with confidence. Then we can have a reasoned argument.

Balancing a belief in God with a scientific mind is hard. Genesis 1 says that the Earth was created in 7 days. Some religious scholars put the creation of the Earth, and by proxy. the universe at around 6 000 years ago. Scientists, however, put this at more like 10 bn years ago. So how do I balance this, and still keep my faith?

7 days

As a Christian I have been taught that the Bible is God’s Word – it is our direct line to Heaven. Consequently, whenever we need guidance we are advised to pray, read and then pray again. This I understand and accept, but how should I interpret the words that I read?

Given that I speak neither Greek nor Hebrew, the words contained within my Bible are one removed from the original text. And as with all translations, the English words chosen to replace those of the original language have already changed the meaning, albeit very slightly, of the original text.

So with regards Genesis 1 are we talking 7 periods of 24 hours or 7 epocs?

Intelligent design

I first heard of The God Theory at the Planetarium in Montreal. At first I didn’t agree with it, and I am still not sure – I like the idea of “aliens,” and I still can’t reconcile myself with the idea that, in an infinite  universe, we are the only ones here. It seems incredibly arrogant.

However, having said that. this piece of video almost perfectly explains my own beliefs.

In his Watchmaker Analogy, William Paley suggests that if you were to find a watch in the field you would automatically know that it had been made and then placed in the field. It had not naturally appeared there. The Teleological Argument suggests that the proof of God’s existence is in the complex balance within which life on Earth is possible.

1. X is too complex, orderly, adaptive, apparently purposeful or beautiful to have occurred randomly or accidentally.
2. Therefore, X must have been created by a sentient, intelligent, wise, or purposeful being.
3. God is a sentient, intelligent, wise, or purposeful being.
4. Therefore, God exists.

As much as I believe in evolution, I cannot believe that it all happened purely by chance. The delicate balance which is needed for life to exist, in my mind, points directly to some designer. I don’t think that it was all created, merely nutured.

Parents give their children the building blocks necessary to succeed in life, but they can’t live our lives for us . It is their job to supply us with what we need and then nudge us in the right direction whenever it might look like we might be lost. In the same way I believe that God gave the Earth the building blocks needed for live to thrive, and then has played the Parent role ever since.

All eyes have been on the US this week as the new administration take possession of the keys to the Oval Office. Change was promised but will it be delivered? However, back here in the UK another story has also been bubbling away, coming to a head on Friday when it was announced that our economy is officially in Recession.

So where now?

Over the past few weeks there have been a whole host of articles/ blogs speculating on how President Obama will tackle the issue of climate change and the environment. I, like many, was disappointed that it was not mentioned in his inauguration speech last Tuesday, but the signs suggest it is still one of his top priorities.

It was in this vein that I read Peter Seligmann’s editorial piece for the BBC Setting out Obama’s Green Agenda.

The piece itself was nothing different from what I had read before – a good synopsis of the issues facing our community, but nothing to blog about specifically. However, a reader’s comment flagged up an issue which I’ve touched upon before. In such uncertain times, which should prevail – the Economy or the Environment?

“…The time to fix the environment was when we were flush (under Clinton and Bush), not now. It’ll, really, never be now and y’all should quit your whining.”

Brendan Steuble, Gainesville, VA, USA

For years politicians have been promising action on the environment, promising to create sustainable fuel alternatives and cutting carbon emissions. Now however the time for promises is over, action is required, and oh look – it’s an untapped industry to boot!

In his Pre-Budget Report, Alistair Campbell set out a strategy which would create jobs and help the UK reach its environmental targets. If you’ll excuse the cliche, it was a case of killing 2 birds with one stone. But it would seem that those on the other side of the pond, have had similar ideas.

In the month’s since his election, Barack Obama has often spoken of taking America in a new direction. There has been talk of an “age of responsibility” and a team of environmental heavyweights has been established help do just that. But in a country where oil tycoons weild so much power, can the future really be green? Or will it be yet another case of greenwash?

The word “economy” popped up throughout the list of the previous White House’s environmental “achievements.” They were at least honest enough to admit that the environement was an issue only when economically expedient.  And as much as I would love to believe that the move towards a more greener and responsible society is the result of some sort of ecological epiphany, I can’t. In answer to Brendan, yes the time to fix the environment was when we were flush, but where was the political motivation? For all our claims of enlightenment, Western society is incredibly short sighted.

But at the end of the day, it is better that something is being done. What’s the point of rebuilding the economy if the planet we live on is falling down around our ears?

Cantankerous Frank ¦ Mark Roberts

N.B. Brendan,  I don’t whine.  I may well object, remonstrate and criticise but please don’t confuse these with the actions of a 2 year old having a tantrum.

Change is upon us. Barack Obama is on the cusp of being sworn into the Oval Office, but it just all seems too good to be true.

Video courtesy of Amnesty International

Cantankerous Frank ¦ Mark Roberts

Call me cynical if you will, but I just can’t allow myself to be swept away by the whole occassion. In 1997 Tony Blair came to power with as much pomp and ceremony as the British Electoral Commission allows. Fair enough, I don’t think that John Major was unpopular as George Bush has become, but don’t forget how the Thatcher Government ended just a few years before. It was a time of hope, the ousting of an outdated system and an official embrace of the promise of something new.

But then what happened? 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, 7/7 and Recession. Change was upon us, but the hopes of many came to nothing. So as much as this day is historic, and should be celebrated as such, it is only the wedding day – the marriage is still to come.

Since his election in November his every move has been watched by people all over the world – such is the power of the Oval Office. Questions have been raised over Guantanamo, Climate Change and the War on Terror, but the President-elect has been noticibly silent on key occasions since the polls closed.

So as I sit and watch the inaugral address being broadcast live accross the world it worries me that so much expectation has been put onto Obama’s presidency. One man can’t change the world, whatever his position.

Cantankerous Frank ¦ Mark Roberts

Over the last month, President-elect Obama has made all the right noises with regards the environment. If you are to believe his manifesto, he has some impressive environmental objectives for the next 4 years. And he has recently announced that Nobel laureate, Steve Chu, will take up the post of Energy Secretary in order to make these dreams a reality.

Call me cynical if you will, but I just can’t shake the feeling that these are only words. We have been here so many times before. Climate directives are all very well in theory but it is time now to put your money where your mouth is and if we are going to see any sort of lasting behavioural change, the impetus has to come from a grass-roots level.

Speaking to the Guardian, Ed Miliband called for popular mobilisation in order to call the government into account over its environmental pledges. But how?  Surely Al Gore tried this last year with An Inconvenient Truth and Live Earth?

Cantankerous Frank ¦ Mark Roberts

As far as I can see Live Earth was always destined to fail. Unlike the Live Aid campaign, which primarily wanted to raise money, its environmental counterpart needed viewers to go one step further and change their behaviour in order to succeed. This cannot be achieved from atop a stage.

Over the past term I have been learning all about “interest areas”. In News terms, the local angle should always come first - one dead Briton equals any number of foreigners. The same rings true for the environment. If the masses are to be mobilised you have to hit them where it hurts most – their backyard.

Live Earth should have been a local affair based on the Macmillian Coffee Mornings rather than the Make Poverty History campaign. Small, local events where residents engage with the issue would have enabled local issues to be aired and funds to be raised for local environmental projects. Instead of some far off politician spouting doom and gloom from a far corner of the world, the issue would have been brought to life by a community run campaign. Also, it would have saved on all that fuel used to fly celebrities half way across the world in order to campaign against carbon emissions!

When it comes to the environment it is very easy to focus on the doom and gloom. The Earth is in such a dire state, surely will call the masses to arms. But such reporting can only go so far and in the long run may actually dissuade people from joining the campaign. Why should we get involved when it seems like a lost cause?

Whilst it is important to keep the pressure on, it wouldn’t do any harm to remind everybody that there are small things to be done at home. As they say, “every little helps.”

So here are my top energy saving tips.

1. LIGHTS! If you are not in the room, switch it off
2. TV. That little red light uses up more power than you think. Turn your TV right off once you have finished watching it
3. CHARGERS. If the charger gets warm when it is plugged in then it is using energy even if it isn’t attached the other end. Remember – take the plug out when you are done.
4. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. My pet peeve is waste. I hate it when recyclables are put in the normal rubbish rather than being recycled. Landfill is running out fast. On average we produce enough rubbish to fill the Albert Hall every 2 hours in the UK alone. So do your bit and don’t throw out more than need be. And remember, you don’t need to take the packaging home, you are within your rights to leave any excess at the supermarket!
5. KETTLE. Only boil what you need
6. WALK. Short journeys use more petrol, so if you can walk, do. It’ll help you reach your 10 000 step target. Or if not, take the bus.
7. TAKE YOUR OWN DRINK. Plastic bottles make no environmental sense and the same goes for the plastic lids on your coffee cup. So reuse a bottle you have already got or take a flask.
8. PLASTIC BAGS. Get a bag for life. They are stronger, hold more and make much more sense environmentally. One plastic bag takes up to 1000 years to biodegrade, they may seem temporary but they have a permanent effect on the environment.
9. ENERGY SAVING BULBS etc... Think about energy saving or effiicient appliances next time you are shopping

This post started as an environmental review, a chance to take stock of the directives and pledges made in 2008. Over the next week I will endeavour to finish my environmental review, for now I hope you will forgive me for the truly random nature of this most recent post.