Category Archives: 2006

Blogs for 2006

Nov 14 2006

Why we must expose facists for what they really are

I recently watched an excellent documentary presented by Bobby Friction where he attempted to seek identity issues associated with the current generation. An observation made was how there is a move away from people from different ethnic backgrounds for example: moving away from, calling themselves British Asians to for example British Moslems, Bristish Sikhs or British (…….) the Religion they belong to. Interestingly in the United States such labels appear to have a different emphasis and meaning, for example, an American Asian is someone not originally (family wise) from India but probably from China. The point being that calling oneself an American or British appears to be insufficient for most people. The question is does this kind of labelling help in any manner?

Last week’s unfortunate decision to clear Nick Griffin of any charges of inciting racial hatred is unfortunate as now the law courts appear to want to make a distinction between what one incites at home Vs a public persona and presentation of hate. Hate is hate, full stop and labels only add fuel to the fire that these individuals enjoy stoking. Take for example, the following awful statement made by him…’ “I’d rather die today with my pride intact, fighting for what I believe in, than live the rest of my life as a sniffling pathetic slave to a multicultural society,…” It is clear to see that it reeks of hate

Since becoming its leader of the BNP in 1999, Nick Griffin has attempted to rebrand the British National Party in an effort to make progress at the ballot box. With recent electoral gains this smartly-dressed, Cambridge-educated family man hidden agenda is subtly merging itself into today’s political issues and agenda. In the 2005 general election, the party raised its total number of votes to 192,850 – from 47,219 in 2001. Mr Griffin himself polled 4,240 votes in Keighley, West Yorkshire – 9.16% of the total cast.

The party contested 119 seats but failed to win any.

In May 2006, it doubled its number of council seats from 20 to 44, making gains in traditional Labour heartlands in the East End of London in particular.

By co-incidence, Bobby Friction also mentioned a similar nightmare to the one I had recently. He mentioned the subtle way that the German nation changed during the time of Hitler to hate and exterminate Jews. Is this happening today? Is there now a new the target community that people, press and personalities which to hate? I certainly hope not.

With regard to labels or race categorisations, they do not help either.
I don’t want a repeat of the nightmare that Bobby and I have had. I only hope that it is not a dark vision for tomorrow.

Why cannot we not live with respect? Maybe we need to become aware of the bigger hidden agenda and not be so blind of the value of peace rather than the possible momentum of hate around us.

Oct 31 2006

Stern warning!

OK, someone sooner or later would ‘play’ on the name. But the points raised by the recent economic report on global climate change commissioned in the UK is not a joke.

Ignoring global warming may & some say will result in an economic nightmare. The report scientists, politicians and economists have been giving their reactions to the report by Sir Nicholas Stern. For example, the former World Bank chief economist has warned that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20%.

An important statement and one that sends some spinal shudders has been made by Professor Bill McGuir from the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, he says, ‘The scariest thing about the Stern report is that it may not be scary enough. If we lose the Greenland ice sheet in the next few centuries, leading to a 7 metre rise in sea level – as well we might – then Stern’s £3.68 trillion will be a drop in the ocean compared to the ultimate cost of climate change’.

Of deep concern is the lack of co-ordinated global effort. As many of us know the major contributors to pollution (especially industrial/commercial and domestic) have refused to sign-up to the Kyoto agreement.

Worrying still is the continue denial that they are contributors, stating that statistics may be wrong.

Although there are some that continue to state that regardless of the effects of pollution, the Earth is changing anyway, I would have thought that it would be better not to make things worse.

Renewalable energy sources and harnessing natural systems requires commitment and investment. It is awful to see wastage too, for example, office lights left on in empty lifeless buildings for hours on end.

Satellite evidence – What more do we need to change our ways?

Satellite Pictures show that Greenland is currently losing about 100 billion tonnes of ice a year and that much of the ice is being lost from southeast Greenland.

US space agency (NASA) scientists have undertaken a new assessment of the rate of melting occurring on the great ice sheet that covers the region.

Their data comes from satellites that detect changes in mass by monitoring tiny fluctuations in the pull of gravity as they fly over the Earth. The results indicate that Greenland lost about 100 billion metric tonnes (or gigatonnes, Gt) of ice per year from 2003 to 2005. Other estimates for the same period have been close to 240 Gt of ice.

Although some figures show stabilization over certain years and also centralized snow fall, the common denominator is that change is happening.

Interestingly, NASA – An institution is clearly showing evidence of change, yet the politicians of the day, refuse to keep their own house in order. I really hope that it is not to late for the world. Collectively we should be proactive in wanting to save lives and anything we can do as a world community to assure our current and future survival has to be worth investing in – rather than taxing us on past oversights!

Ironically, the world continues to import massive shipments from China, comprising of our love for consumer goods, yet it finds difficultly in understanding that associated industrial processes WILL add to a possible nightmare for all.

Oct 23 2006

Cycling for health and Charity

A couple of parallel thoughts this week.

1. A couple of week’s back I attended the annual charity evening for those that have completed the annual Birmingham to London Cycle ride, held every July and organised by the Sikh Arts and Cultural Association. This year £15,000 was raised for Whizz Kids, a national charity that helps disabled children.

2. With this week being reduce wastage week. I also thought about how important it is to respect our environment – For example, often school runs and short trips are performed by car. Although one could argue that the road network makes it increasingly difficult to walk, run or cycle, the path to change has to come from us alone.

Apart from the environmental benefits, there is an enormous health benefit too. Getting on your bike regularly not only gets you where you want to go faster than a car, it is good for your heart and health.

Cycling everyday is an effective and enjoyable form of aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise that is most effective at promoting good health. For example, cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and the most common form of diabetes.

One rough calculation suggests that new cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death (mainly due to the reduction of heart disease) by as much as 22 per cent. Cycling can be part of a programme to lose weight because it burns the energy supplied by a chocolate bar in an hour (about 300 calories). A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat in a year. That kind of cycling pattern also meets the Government’s latest target on exercise: that we should take part in some mild to moderate physical activity … five times a week*.

Cycling can have positive effects on how we feel too. Moderate exercise has been found to reduce levels of depression and stress, improve mood and raise self-esteem, and has also been found to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

*NB Always consult your Doctor, before you start any form of exercise regime, especially if you are not performed any exercise or physical activity for a while.

How cycling improves fitness
A study carried out for the Department of Transport found that ‘even a small amount of cycling can lead to significant gains in fitness’. The study found that aerobic fitness was boosted by 11 per cent after just six weeks of cycling ‘short distances’ four times a week. According to the study people who do not exercise who start cycling move from the third of the population who are the least fit, to the fittest half of the population in just a few months.

Who can cycle?
There are no real age barriers to cycling, and people of most fitness levels can cycle, slowly and gently if necessary. Anyone with heart disease or other conditions affecting their activity should, of course, consult their doctor before starting any exercise programme. Those of all body shapes and all but the most extreme body weights can ride a bike.

Getting Started
Most cyclists are ‘utility’ cyclists where the bike is a way of getting from A to B, and getting some exercise is an added bonus. Nearly three-quarters of journeys people make are of five miles or less, and these could be achievedby most people.

Further information.

There are some great resources to read-up on cycling:

Cycle Touring Club www.ctc.org.uk
London Cycling Campaign www.lcc.org.uk

Now is also the right time to start thinking about the annual Birmingham to London cycle ride organised by the Sikh Art and Cultural Association. Run over 2 days during the 3rd weekend of July, you can work towards completing your centennial mile on the first day and finish the final 40 on the second. Every year over 240 riders take part and The Sikh Times also wonderfully sponsor the event too. Visit: www.charitybikeride.com