The Horse

Elegant and powerful,
Filled with such grace,
a gentle giant you can be,
But one should never judge you in haste.

Kind hearted and open minded,
You take me as I am,
As I brush your soft coat,
Nudge me gently as you stand.

The bond between horse and rider,
Synchronised in unison,
A beauty to watch when joined in action,
A heart warming scene when alone.

Gallop across the open planes,
Jump over every fence,
A wildness lies within your heart,
Unless you’re standing by me.

You munch your hay quietly,
And allow me to tack you up,
Get ready for another time spent with me,
While you teach me how to act.
If I forget to do something,
You do not kick or buck,
You stand there patiently,
Letting me know that I messed up.

I’ve learnt so many skills,
During our time together,
And I know days ahead will be filled with more learning,
In sun, rain or whatever weather.

Trotting up the roads,
Cantering across the fields,
You’ll never know how alive I feel,
When I first press on my heel.
The sense of ability
For the first time in my life,
Springs to life every time
You and I take a stride.
The warmth I feel,
From the powerful beauty that you are,
When sitting astride or walking alongside,
Brings alive a world from afar,
One I never hoped to be apart of,
One I never dared to dream,
But one you bring forth to reality,
And make me not blind it seems.

How can I express,
The thanks to a creature so pure,
Filled with a majesty I am privileged to see,
And a creature of such nobility.

Poets much adept than myself,
Have over the years described your spirit,
Enhanced your beauty of physique and stature
In words upon a page,
But none could ever describe the feelings you bring to me,
For what the horse can provide to a blind rider,
Is something words cannot describe.

A spirit of true beauty,
A heart of priceless gold,
A wildness of ferocity ,
But still I adhere to hold,
You high in my esteems as a human,
Humbled by your irresistible grace,
astounded by your sheer beauty,
And honoured to take my place,
beside you,
Or upon your strong back,
And off we can go together,
In unison on a favourite hack.

I can never truly thank you,
For letting me share your world,
For those times each week I treasure,
As though they were a precious pearl.
Each diamond of wisdom,
You bestow on me each time,
and every moment,
No matter what happens,
Is a treasured moment of yours and mine?

So when asked what the horse can bring for me,
I say simply,
Joy, love, learning,
Hope and freedom,
Filled with majesty and grace
But above all,
mystery.
For one will never truly know the horse,
His wildness still remains,
Even in my gentle giant to which I entrust myself,
The wildness is still maintained.

The trust between horse and rider,
So valuable and unique,
Will not protect you from the wildness of these creatures,
So just wait and see.
Treat them with kindness,
And they shall be so in return,
Love and cherish them but know the truth,
And you may not get hurt.
The balance of trust is so delicate,
The love and care so clear,
But a horse is still a horse,
No matter what you hear.
Think you may have tamed him,
Then a surprise makes you fall,
Anyone who knows horses,
Will exclaim, “I told you so”.

Despite the danger that comes with these beauties,
Many still entrust their lives,
I know I always will be faithful to the great horse,
And take the good with the strifes,
because once a horse has crept
Deep into the depths of your heart,
It’s near impossible to turn your back,
And take leave of their world for a final depart.
They pull you in deep,
And will not let you go,
Their eyes filled with knowing and their hearts of love,
You know you cannot leave them so.

So stand shoulder to shoulder,
Ride upon him with pride,
And know you’ve experienced one of the world’s most precious things,
You’ve gained an honoured friendship of the horse in your life.

The World Is Breaking!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know my various opinions on how society is broken. Ranging from the out of control behaviour of children and young people, to the outright lack of support of society’s disabled and vulnerable. With this week seeing the various party conferences, I have to say, it seems clearer every day that the world in which we live is broken and I see no way out.

The fact that the government now estimate the cost of our intrusion on Libya may now reach the sum of 1.5 billion as opposed to their estimated 250 million back in June while they’re cutting valuable services in their own country to the disabled and elderly truly blows my mind. How can it be justified that you fight, what I consider a losing battle in a foreign country and spend a hell of a lot of money on what is essentially an attack on that country, regardless of their motives, and yet you cut the welfare and support services to blind, physically, mentally and hearing impaired along with children services and day care and rest bite for the elderly? How is that ethical? How can that make sense to anyone?

I am aware what goes on in other countries and if we had the cash to spare, as a country, fine, go and blow Gudafi’s head off, I don’t care about the money then, [my opinion on war intervention aside], but to do it at a financially delicate time when you have already blamed another party for “squandering” tax payer’s money; are you not doing the exact same thing?

VaT was put up to twenty percent this year which was an incredible step from the seventeen point five percent we are used to paying. We already had the highest inflation rate of any country in the Western world, and this increase has only propelled us further. As a consumer, I have seen the effects on food and other daily items. Sure, there is no VAT directly on food but there is on fuel which is used to transport it and everything up until point of purchase which inflates prices.

The government’s stubbornness to not adjust the debt plan will surely rocket us back into a recession and withe the Euro crisis reaching fever point, I fear a full on depression. The capitalist society in which we have all grown up in is about to collapse people, and the bankers, the politicians are all to blame.

It seems nothing they do will change this and when people in the know have suggested ways, they are ignored. Cutting debt is essential, I agree, but if the world economy collapses, as many experts secretly fear, debt will not be our biggest problem.

I can see now how we are going to end up. And in some ways, it’ll be hard at first but in time may be better. We are already moving toward smaller, locally governed areas of society which few wise people say is the best way to live productively, and that will only increase with time. We are already shopping around for lower prices, more so than ever before in my living memory. Going back directly to suppliers is, in my humblest opinion going to become the norm. I’m starting to see that this actually would be a good thing. In some ways, the industrial revolution created nothing but headaches. Bring back the corner shops, the cobblers, the menders, the black smiths. Lets get rid of the consumer driven, superficial, materialistic world that has driven us to this inevitable crash. What is that fame old saying? The higher you climb, the farther you have to fall? In our economy’s case, that will be like us falling at full gravity from Jupiter.

Discipline is another area where we are definitely lacking. Proposals are being rumoured now for bringing back corporal punishment in schools. Good, do it, I say. There is no respect and little discipline. National service definitely needs to be re-introduced. And people need to take responsibility for themselves and their children much more. Human rights have to stop being allowed for every crime as a defence against punishment. I read the most ridiculous article today about inmates in a prison in Wales were suing the government because they only got one Sky sports channel and couldn’t watch all of the premiership Football games and this went against their human rights? Come on! Are you freaking kidding me? I cannot even dignify that with an pro argument and I wouldn’t insult anyone’s intelligence reading this to do an against argument. Anyone who thinks that them receiving any television while serving time for a crime is a human right needs to get a grip on reality. This softly, softly approach that we have in this society regarding children and criminals needs to stop before this country reaches its all time low. While serving a prison sentence, human rights should not come into it. Basic animalistic rights, food, sleep, things you need to prolong a life should be observed but human rights? Forget it! You lost those rights in my opinion the day you committed a crime.

There is so much wrong and broken with this world right now, I cannot possibly write any more without depressing myself greatly. So thank you for reading and please feel free to add your comments.

Childless = Selfish?

This week, it has been circulating the media realms about whether childless women are selfish? A poll showed that 30+ women are less likely to start a family or want to start a family because of their looks, careers or life style choices.

Being a woman of 28, and never having a maternal instinct or the want for a child in my life, I am one hundred percent with those women. I want a good solid career, a life style where I run it around myself, not some snot nosed kids, and I am much more of a horse woman and dog lady than a mother.

Do I think this generation of career prowling, cosmetic obsessed and living life ladies are selfish? My answer is, no. It is a life choice that only an individual can make and for their own reasons.

I think women who have no time for children should be considered more selfish. As they want a child but want to do everything else while other people care for their offspring is deemed, in my book, slightly more of a selfish act. Mothers are meant to be all giving and nurturing , if you’re only having a child for a prestige reason, that is more selfish than a woman choosing to go out and have the “pre mother Hood sex in the city” life style.

The population of the UK is overwhelmed with unwanted, ill mannered and deviant children, why should women, if they have no desire to reproduce, do so for the well being, of who exactly? Our resources in this country are already stretched, encouraging women, no guilt tripping them into having kids because they are looked down upon by this screwed up society is just ludicrous!

The government are cutting services, left right and centre, but still teenage mummies are allowed to breed to the extreme and idle, benefit claimants continue to punch out kids so they can get more child benefit. Where is the sense of making high tax paying women leave their jobs to breast feed and mop up sick to potentially stay at home for the duration of their motherhood?

I say, quit making women feel so bad about making a positive life choice. Being a woman is not only about getting married and having children, there is much more to us as a species, on the whole than being a teat, nappy changer and vomit mopper-upper. We have potential, dreams and they do not revolve around baby milk, powder or nappies, necessarily.

London Burns, but mindless Or Message?

Nobody will disagree that the riots that have taken place in London over the weekend, and which spread to further cities during last night’s intense third night of rioting, are despicable and outright sickening. Luting, setting fire to businesses and essentially attacking each other in what has been portrayed as mindless criminality, surely cannot just be that.

Many, including the government have stated as such but I know this society is in a state of disarray in regard to respect for others but surely the estimated six hundred, if not more, young people across the UK cannot be simply mindless criminals.

First of all, I have a huge issue with the adjective, “Mindless”. Zombies are mindless, but people have choices. Those young people had a choice every night in the past three nights whether to continue on their own usually peaceful path or go out and start causing sheer mayhem on Britain’s streets. To describe these people as mindless is ludicrous! They know what they are doing and therefore, instead of dismissing their actions as “mindless”, which by the way, I think is a pure cop out on the politicians part, we need to figure out why so many felt it OK to trash people’s lively hoods, steel and act like pure hoodlums.

It’s been suspected that the death of a young black man on Thursday in Tottenham last week was the catalyst and although I agree that is the case on the first night of riots, the spread of this outlawnlessness has stepped over that mark. Youth workers have been saying for months they’ve predicted this would happen, potentially during the summer months because of many cuts and cut backs to services and support networks for young people. But we’ll examine that in a little while.

So why are the government consistently ignoring what people are saying? It’s easier to dismiss someone’s behaviour as mindless and not give it a credible motivation as if so, the reasons would have to be heard by the vast majority of the country. Many hate what is happening in the UK and we are all hoping another night of riots will not occur but threatening these people with jail sentences and not giving the police the resources they need to combat the violence is actually going to make this problem spread, in my opinion.

As a former psychologist student, I know that once riots begin, it’s hard to make them stop. Especially in the celebrity era that we are living in. Right or wrong, other young people will go out, as I suspect was the case last night, having seen others like themselves luting and getting infamy and feeling like they could easily get away with it. Part of the mob psyche is the anonymity of the mob. While in a huge group, your identity is temporarily lost and you adopt the group’s identity. By wearing masks, as some did last night, the level of risk was reduced again as they were not only in a huge group of moving rioters but wearing masks and hoodies. Those who weren’t, clearly feel that they will not be caught or in some cases want to be caught.

So why would a large group of young people from several inner city geographics, decide to loot, vandalise and behave like pure criminals?

Only an individual can answer this of course but with what we’ve briefly heard from some people, and previous protests that have occurred, we can summarise a guess. We cannot say simply, these people are criminals because if that was the case, all the criminals would riot and loot on a more regular basis. The last riots we have seen like this were back in 1981 and 1990 when people rioted over the poll tax. That’s over twenty-one years ago and so the “mindless criminals” theory is surely shot out of the water. Criminals don’t appear every twenty or so years, they are constantly around.

Some of those people may be criminals, and it’s more than possible some of them are not. Youth workers, as I said earlier have reiterated this would happen. Services such as youth groups are being discontinued, the education maintenance allowance that helps many young people attend further education independently has been cut, tuition fees to universities have trebled making that path to their futures harder to realise and the job market is such that we have the highest unemployment rate for young people for a very long time.

I will not make excuses for violence and crime but I can understand the anger of some of those. Not all were looting over the past few nights. And the anger that a young man was shot, seemingly unarmed by police, was the spark to light the fire, [pardon the pun].

Happy people do not riot! Contented young people do not destroy the communities in which they live for a kick on a mass level. There are reasons why this happened. And although some of those individuals have gone out to simply “get a new TV” or a phone or any other luxury item or to cause destruction, you have to ask why? Sure, because they have seen others get away with it but also because they don’t see a future worth staying on the strait and narrow for.

As the world economy stands, there are no jobs to work toward, there is little prospect for a successful future. Desperate people do desperate things and although those things are not right, there is still a reason for it.

Some are saying, especially Cameron and his posse that this was not political; I argue that any riot is political. Whether you like it or not, those young people were sending a clear message the past few days. They are saying, I’m angry with this society, I will destroy it because no one is listening. It is said that rioting is the language of the unheard and the point is, this government is still not listening! By dismissing what has happened as “mindless criminality” will not solve the problem. By putting extra police on the streets may help to manage the problem but you have to listen to your people to make the country a better place and this so called “big society” that Cameron keeps harping on about. I see none of that big society anywhere. Maybe the cleaning up that went on today is the closest thing I’ve seen but that’s people helping their people, not the government helping their people helping themselves.

Austerity and oppression will bring you nothing but trouble and sadly this government still do not realise this fact. The irony is that Nick cleg predicted this would happen if the conservatives got into power and, by God, Nick, you were right on the ball. I wish you weren’t but sadly, you were.

Again, I do not condone the violence and looting and destruction that has gone on and I hope it stops but I can feel the anger brewing in this country and I hate to say this but I don’t think it will be quelled that easily. I hope I am so wrong and that the people of every city tonight sleep in peace.

Morality is in the Gutter

The agreements between companies and their outside developers are stringent. Apple for example have often been criticised for the extension of their own secrecy policy to the terms of agreement in their developer programmes. This topic has again been unearthed this week with the announcements at WWDC.

I’m all for people testing. I also get excited when sites like mac Rumours talk about things but I treat them as merely rumours.

I personally know several individuals on the developer scheme and while most of them stick to the non disclosure policy, I’ve seen several who are outright breaking it.

Today it was released that there’s a “backdoor” to get iOs5 through a security leak and my favourite thing I’ve heard is that blind people must get it to ensure it activates.

I seriously roll my eyes at that. There are several blind individuals on the developer programme and if iOS doesn’t activate, they’ll let Apple know the “right way”.

I have to say, this self righteous attitude that we can break rules just to suit ourselves in the blind community is shoddy and needs to stop. You cannot have it all ways. Expect to be treated equally and then put yourself above the rules by flinging the blind card everywhere for the world to see when it suits you; hypocritical, methinks?

I am not saying sighted people or others with different disabilities are not breaching the terms of use and that is also wrong but do not use “the blind card” to justify your piracy.

To the developers who are VI and are testing both Lion and iOS5 while sticking to you’re binding agreement, I applaud you for both. Because you are testing and reporting back to Apple, you are doing the rest of us a service.

Was I tempted? Sure! If we can get something for nothing, most of us are but I will not get either Lion or iOs5 until I can purchase Lion and update my iOS devices in iTunes.

It seems mighty unfair that people who have shed out money to test to give what I I hope is constructive feedback to Apple are being tarnished with a brush by selfish and arrogant individuals determined to get their own way because they can.

I know I’m stepping onto moral high ground but seems the level of morality is in a ditch for most people these days. All I can say to those doing the backdoor way, just know, if it blows up in your face neither Apple nor your phone company will give a damn. I suspect developers and anyone on their account has cover via some reference number and that is fine but just know you are not covered under this unorthodox method.

If I was a developer, I may test and who knows, one day that may happen. With the next version of the Mac OS I might enter into the development programme as I have a spare mac at home now to test on but it wouldn’t be so I could blog about features.

Disabled Invisible? Or the Government and Media Blind, deaf and Dumb?

The 11TH of May 2011 will go down in history. Sadly, only a small sector of the British population will be aware of why.

The conservative government are bull dosing a welfare reform through parliament that will effect hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled individuals. Not only are local councils cutting services to their disabled constituents but the government is putting disabled people under siege by dramatically changing the benefits they are entitled to claim.

Not only will the long term sick and disabled only be allowed to claim Employment support Allowance [esa] for twelve months but the transformation of disability living allowance will not be recognised as something that helps disabled people live their lives. Taking the mobility component from people in residential care who are able, with that extra financial support, to visit friends and families and go to social groups that improves their quality of life, will reduce them to emotional despair. With that component gone, it will leave many isolated and unable to keep in contact with relatives and friends whilst participating in social activities that keep them integrated and active.

The extremely generalised assessment process neither assists those in need or accurately assesses disabled individuals needs correctly. And if found “fit to work” physically, is not to say someone is mentally prepared or actually able. Putting disabled people in to the “lion’s den” of the commercial workplace is going to destroy people. Having rejection upon rejection, while being virtually “bullied” by job centre Plus advisors so they can meet their targets, will mean many people are placed in frightening situations and pushed into a potentially soul destroying path.

Imagine, applying for a job, being interviewed over the telephone only to be told, when you have a disability that they are not sure how they can accommodate your needs, time and time again. Regardless of laws against discrimination, some of the reasons employers cannot employ a disabled person are not always their fault. For blind people, working with money is not practical, employers wouldn’t feel comfortable with money exchanging hands from a blind person to a sighted or vice versa in case the notes are not accurately identified or fraud is being committed. Blind people’s assessment of their own money often takes longer than that of a sighted person, so time pressure would be on them. And that’s if the technology, such as a cash register is accessible. Many are not and never will be in our lifetime.

Wheelchair users can only access buildings with ramps and lifts. And in fire situations, lifts can never be used. Not many employers are willing to take a risk of putting a wheelchair user on the sixth floor in case there is a fire. Some organisations have a buddy system but even if their intentions were their, many insurance companies would not cover the company for such circumstances.

The assessment deems myself “fit to work” if all criteria I have read and been informed about so far is accurate, because I have a guide dog. With the RNIB recently publishing a statistic 92% of employers would not employ someone with a visual impairment, where does that huge misconception that employers have no issue employing the blind come from? do the people behind this horrendous attempt at assessing disabled and sick people for work take into account that despite wanting to work, many being qualified, the employers are not able to for physical or legal reasons employ the disabled. And do these great minds who have created this ludicrous test not think that just because someone has a guide dog or a wheelchair that it can suddenly change employers or insurance companies minds? Changing the “being able to walk” criteria to “being mobilised” was a very devious thing for this government to do. Many disabled could “mobilise” themselves but for how long or how successful are many other questions that are not addressed.

Maria Miller, minister for disabled people, [if she can call herself that], stated that it is a system that is not working if there are more alcoholics and drug addicts claiming DLA than the blind. Well, Miss Miller, if your government has your way under personal independent payments, there will be very few blind people claiming dLA’s successor. Not to mention the fact that the statistics tell a different story? This is people’s futures, Ms Miller, not Jack and Ori.

The media have done nothing but promote the government’s propaganda efforts by publishing in various news sources that 94% in the Mail and 75% in the Daily Express incapacity benefit claimants are deemed “fit to work”. That figure blows my mind. Take away the fact for many disabled, they want to work but are refused employment because of their disability or lack of support into work, what about those suffering from cancer, HIV, MS, chronic arthritis that physically cannot work efficiently every day? That represents only six percent of incapacity claimants? Well, of course not. As usual, the press are promoting government support for tight reform with miscalculated, misinformed, and mostly outright . wrong statistics

The media proved yesterday how much they didn’t care about this society’s disabled. The only major news programmes to cover the march were ITV evening news who did a good piece of coverage and Channel four’s news at seven. BBC had mentioned it during the day but it was missing from it’s popular six o’clock showing on BBC 1 while it was covered on it’s website reasonably well. Sky News, one of the biggest news channels in the UK and streamed around the world mentioned it maybe once but nothing on their website at all. They were able to cover all the things going on in Libya, many foreign stories, even the sentencing of actress Lindsay Lohan but nothing on its website about the thousands of disabled marching through London to protest against the cuts.

It angers me that only the Guardian have been forth coming and extremely supportive of 11TH May protests; having constant updates on a live blog and several write ups both on its online distribution and paper broadsheet. A huge thank you to the Guardian, ITV News, and Channel 4 for having some great coverage of the protest and even interviewing Liam Burns, the shadow work and pensions minister.

None of us expect to be top of the hour news, or front page in the news papers but for crying out loud, we are still here, in our millions as a disabled community! Can this government not hear us? Do they not understand? If they want to cut the deficit, which we all agree on, why target those of us who fight enough in our every day battles with discrimination! I know cuts need to happen, but why are they cutting the quality of our lives? Why are they not recognising blindness as a disability, assessing it below even the threshold to gain a place on the into work scheme under the new ESA benefit, despite having input from organisations such as RNIB who feels their input has been ignored? How can they “assume” that my guide dog makes me more employable than a cane user who may have more sight? How can they say someone with MS can work for eight hours every day if they don’t see them in pain and unable to get up for work because every muscle in their body hurts? How can an abled bodied so called health professional, who is repeatedly passing people fit to work who clearly are not, capable of assessing someone if they’ve never dealt with that disability, some even come across it? If they are not willing to understand and take a fifteen minute snippet with a rigid questionnaire to assess someone’s abilities, it is clearly just a tick in the box and one more person off the sick and disabled list, the better, right, Mr cameron and co?

They say they’ve had conversations with organisations about these changes, but if that was true, then how was it that staff from over forty organisations representing disabled people across the board were marching alongside those people on 11TH May? Richard Leaman , Guide Dogs own chief executive marched alongside clients, dogs and staff alike to protest. Do you think if Guide Dogs as an organisation had agreed to the governments extraordinary changes that he would risk his reputation and the one of his organisation just “for kicks”?

Miller talked about the drug addicts and the alcoholics claiming both DLA and incapacity, and the media have publicised that fact over and over again, but what about those who are disabled who are going to get theirs cut? We didn’t make a life style choice to be blind, lame, deaf, or feel as though our body was on fire, we didn’t abuse the system so then why are we being punished, ignored, sidelined and forced into another system that has not worked for many?

I’ve claimed job seeker’s allowance. I claimed it for almost three years! During that time, neither I nor the job centre could find work. The disability employment advisors did not understand my needs as a blind client or how my blindness would effect me in the work place. No information was accessible to me. Not leaflets, their computer systems, the forms I had to sign every two weeks. It was only through my own research that I attended the royal national college for the blind and transferred to incapacity benefit. After I’d left college, I still couldn’t get work. And despite continued efforts to search, apply for different jobs, I am still unemployed. I was never understood and felt abandoned during that time. Ms Miller speaks of disabled people being abandoned on the current system, so what is she doing then? Throwing many into a system that is not designed to support people with extensive needs; Throwing them into a world of ignorance that no government has tried to change. She says attitudes have changed toward disabled people, really? I must have missed that evolution. We’re still pitied, avoided because people fear the unknown, shunned by others because we’re deemed too needy, patronised because we’re seen to be unintelligent and treated like second class citizens as we always have been, the media have only enhanced that point this week. And society’s attitudes have changed? Just because children are being educated more within mainstream education Ms Miller, it does not mean society’s attitudes have changed just because we’re not locked up and hidden away. The stigmas toward many disabilities still exist and many VI children are segregated within VI units within their school along with other special needs children. Being taught in the same building does not make society’s attitudes toward them any different!

Last year I started a home study degree which was funded by the university so I did not have any fees to pay. Because of the increase to come in for tuition fees, the scheme was cut at the end of my very successful first year. I couldn’t afford the fees and was forced to withdraw. I have and continue to try to gain work or qualifications to be “more employable” on a qualification basis but the truth is, unless my blindness miraculously disappears, or the attitudes of society, the employer’s being educated and insurance companies not deeming disabled people high risk enough to boot premiums to a devastating price change, I will remain unemployed from the mainstream workforce. I take offence to the many headlines calling incapacity and DLA claimants “scroungers” or “lazy” as While looking for work I’ve done everything in my power to gain employment. I’ve attempted study, I volunteer to gain work experience, I blog and participate in accessibility podcasts to widen my knowledge and experience while educating and informing the world best I can about blindness, access technology and guide dogs. I do not sit around, or enjoy four or five holidays to Spain, I do not own extravagant items or go out every weekend to clubs. I’ve tried, I continue to try to make my life productive and full but I can’t single handedly change the attitudes of employers.

Unless I gain employment within a sector for visually impaired or set up my own business, which I eventually would like to do, I will be punished for being blind and become isolated because I cannot fund my disability.

I keep hearing the phrase, “Genuinely disabled,” yet I and others seemingly do not fit into that category. As I stated earlier, the current assessment for ESA would maximumly gain a visually impaired person nine points or less and fifteen is required to qualify for the into work program. So, I clearly am not “disabled” according to these guidelines and to the media who have deemed many claimants to be “scroungers” and have insinuated “faking it”. What an actress I must be, to have faked blindness all my life!

Many do abuse the system and those people need to be caught out, no one would refute that. And that is why we are not asking this government to leave things the way they are but to listen, understand and implement changes suggested to them by the people who know. Realism and practicality need to be adopted here or else the government has outrightly broke its promise to protect the disabled and vulnerable in our society.

As MP Hunt said, stop providing abled bodied, healthy individuals from pushing out three or four children at the tax payer’s expense. If people want to reproduce, they should pay for them. My parents have worked every day of their lives and have contributed to this system and they, like others who are parents of disabled people are angry that it is more socially acceptable to get pregnant and have a child for the sole cause of living off of benefits when disabled families are having support, care and benefits cut.

Miller talks about the numbers of alcoholics and drug users on DLA and incapacity benefit, well stop them claiming it! Children born with disabilities don’t have a choice, soldiers fighting for this country don’t have a choice whether they are hit or not, police and fire service people do not have a choice if they are hurt while on duty, and yet those without the choices are the ones being punished.

This past few days, I’ve felt disappointed, angry, concerned, surprised, shocked and proud for a variety of reasons. Proud of the ones marching; proud of the efforts by those who couldn’t make it who have expressed themselves on the web; proud of some journalists who have maintained their integrity by reporting the events as they are. I was surprised how quickly my MP responded to my email that I sent her only the night of the march and even more so of her support. And yet I’ve been saddened, shocked and rather disgusted with the lack of coverage by many media outlets. No need for breaking news but it still happened! It was one of the biggest, if not the biggest march of its kind in regard to the disabled people in numbers present at a protest, and that wasn’t news worthy? I was also disappointed by the lack of response by some visually impaired people I know. Some were fantastic online yesterday and others I know marched while some remained quiet and as though it wasn’t happening to them. You may not believe writing to your MP will work, or that you’ll lose followers or friends on social networks by mentioning it, but if they’re real friends or interested in what you have to say, isn’t that better than being ignored by the government? I’ve heard people say it won’t have made a difference, maybe not but maybe it will open some eyes. It’s our future and if we don’t help shape it, then we have no real future to call our own.

Miller in my book represents nothing but an empty promise and a cruel and misconceived idea of what disability and sickness really means and how it effects those with it. She was more interested in the prime minister’s question time than the people she’s meant to represent. Even in a committee meeting about the welfare reform, she was vague, unable to give detail or straight, decisive answers to questions posed to her. Cameron’s conservatives are ignorant and malicious. Despite what they’re telling the media the reality of the assessment process, changes to DLA put the disabled in poverty and isolation, stripping them of dignity and independence. No wonder their precious media won’t report it and are more interested in US politics, affairs abroad and war because it’s not affecting them. If Hunt had denied Murdock the deal for Sky, we’d hear about that all right in its entirety but a few blind, wheel chair bound, deaf and sick people are invisible to them. Why hear the cries of the needy while you’re sat eating your finest foods and enjoying your life? Why take notice of a bunch of disabled people, “We’ll get over it,” right? Why take from the rich, corrupt bankers when you can target the ones in need? It seems they have enough money to bail Greece, Ireland, Portugal and others out of debt, give money to the rebels fighting in Libya, donate millions to countries in need and all because they neglected their own people! I feel for other countries plights, but Prime Minister, you and your government are meant to be the British government, here to make Britain better, but you’d rather help other country’s people than your own vulnerable and disabled people! If you want to cut the deficit, give us a chance to live and change the attitudes of employers and society as a whole, because without those changes, we’ll remain invisible to all while we suffer.

If that’s the society we live in, then by God help us all. Because wait until they cut child services more, or petrol prices rise again, that will be top news. I hope anyone who has blatantly ignored this demonstration of courage and pride by the disabled people of Britain never finds themselves in a similar situation. Because where will your loyal government be then? Helping Pakistan, or fighting in the middle East, or bailing out European countries or lending money to some superpower, and giving you nothing!

“The Invisible Disabled,” it seems so but I pledge to you I will not go unnoticed and neither should you. The women who fought for women’s rights were taken seriously eventually , and some would argue there were many more but many were too afraid to fight the system then. Let’s fight for our right to live good qualities of life and to gain opportunities like everyone else. Change society’s attitudes for the better, Clegg and Cameron, don’t change our lives for the worst.

[note. I am totally blind and cannot comment in detail on how people’s disabilities effect them. Hope I grasped the concept of anger we’re all feeling]

Interesting entertainment links

That’s a Cut, SunnieDae1
Broken Britain’s We have A Dream Speech, hardest Hit
Hardest Hit, Day of Action, Scope for Equality

Operation of Osama Ben Laden’s Death: How the rest of the Western world may See it?

[Note to Readers]
I do not aim to offend in this blog. I have many American friends who I cherish dearly. I’m against terrorism, categorically but I feel I need to voice my observations of the recent events. I’m not saying I’m right or wrong, I’m merely discussing how I see things have played out. I will never condone what Ben Laden has done or what he and his followers stand for. Extremism is dangerous and closed minded but ignorance is not productive either. We have free speech, and agree or not, hear me out and see things from others points of view. I’m no expert but I have opinions.
Thanks for reading.

Early hours, UK time, on Monday, 2ND May 2011, it was announced by President Obama of the United States that the leader of Al Qaida , Osama Ben Laden had been captured and killed by a special team of US Navy seals.

The world has seemingly been split over this announcement. His followers, naturally angry and seeking vengeance, some, like myself wanting answers before I make judgement on the situation, and for others optimism and even celebration of the world’s most wanted fugitive who lead the terror attacks against the Western World culminating in September Eleventh.

Before I go into what I want to explore here. I want to make a few things about myself very clear first as I know this article may seem anti-american to some.
first of all, I am not an American. But I have seen terrorism by other organisations in the UK and have grown up hearing about terrorist attacks all of my life with incidents by the IRA and the Spanish group ETA.
secondly, I was in america, attending an American university, on the first anniversary of September Eleventh and attended a memorial service for two former students who died in the attacks. I was touched and moved by this experience and couldn’t understand how others could hurt innocent people in such atrocious ways and how other humans can hold such hate for those with different beliefs.
Thirdly, I watched all the events of that day unfold on TV. It was surreal. Still is now if I see footage. I could not conceive, hardly can now, almost ten years on that something of that magnitude could happen in the world in which I lived. I was about to go off to university the week later, and the fear that rolled through me was horrendous! I was devastated for those victims and their families and for the world as a whole, the world I would never see the same way again.
Fourthly, I believe every human being has animalistic rights, I.E. food, water, sleep, etc. Human rights are more complex, right for equality, right to free speech, and so on. I also believe that if you take away someone’s human rights then, you in turn have given up your own rights. There is a huge difference in my head between human rights and animalistic rights. I also believe, if you have wronged you should ultimately be punished and the worse the crime, the harsher the punishment. We’ve become to free with handing out new identities to criminals in fear of vigil anti groups. Good, let them come. Why should we uphold human rights for those who have stripped others of theirs.
And finally. What Ben Laden has done to Western people is horrendous and he’s a disgusting being. I can’t even title him with human because there seemed nothing human about him. All those who have perished and suffered because of his organisation and its acts were innocent human beings who deserved more and their families absolutely deserve justice.

Now to what happened, as we’ve been told.

I first must point out that since Monday I think the white house have changed the story at least twice with varying other accounts circulating the media realm. And although I do not believe everything I read, i do not discount everything I read either. [Even after my first draft of this article, more contradictory evidence has come to light].

The original story that came out on CNN from Obama’s live address was that Ben Laden had been found at a compound in Pakistan along with members of his family and was “engaged in a forty minute fire fight” which indicates to most people, that the Navy Seals were being shot at by Ben Laden and co. They later retracted this and said Ben Laden was unarmed but resisting capture while others engaged with shooting. [I’ll get to my thoughts in a minute].

They also said he was using women as human shields to which they later said his wife jumped at the US forces and was then shot in the leg where in their first story she had been killed.

The level of Ben Laden’s lifestyle had initially been reported to be extravagant and they valued the compound in which he was living at one million dollars to which they compared to the living conditions of many of his followers. This later was changed to a value of $250000, and pictures from inside the compound do not in any way reflect luxury. [Today, Pakistani officials revealed that it is likely, having been told by his wife that they had lived in the room in which they were found for the past five years]. Obviously, we cannot substantiate this claim. But the conditions were pretty poor.

It was also stated in Monday’s release that the president, his vice president and Hilary Clinton watched the live events unfold which on Tuesday was changed to, “for about twenty minutes, we didn’t know what had happened”.

OK, anyone who has seen either of these live press conferences will note the differences in “facts”. And while I grant them that some information, I.E. the identities of some of the dead or captured individuals may not have been ascertained, some other pieces of information would not have got lost in translation. The main two points for me are how long and how much of the “live” footage did the president and his pals watch. And secondly, either he was armed or he wasn’t. A “fire fight” would convey to anyone that both sides are fighting with arms. I do not doubt he “resisted capture”, most criminals do.

These things have not been fabricated by the press. They were spoken by a white house official and the president’s spokesman at that along with the head of the CIA. And as I said, some things may have been unclear at the first press conference but not all. The value of the compound for one thing. If they had been monitoring it for almost two years, as some have reported, then surely they would know from local records the value. And please do not get me wrong, I’m not defending Ben Laden here, I’m merely pointing out discrepancies and questionable actions by the US officials, but suggesting he was living better than he was, and to actually compare his living conditions as they originally portrayed them to be better than his followers is like listening to a petulant teenager twisting facts to piss off friends of someone if that person has wronged them. I do not expect, despite the horrific things he has done, for government officials to play childish tricks like that. I’m not concerned with upsetting his followers but it looks bad on them and with other things that have occurred questions their integrity. These are meant to be our leaders, the ones we pay taxes to in order for them to run our countries, provide plans of protection and in return for our taxes and votes, honesty, integrity and working with a professional attitude on the world stage should be automatic.

The next thing that didn’t feel right to me is the timeline of the whole thing. I am not a military expert or pretend to be, I am a mere mortal who wonders about things. From several sources, originally, from point of entry, the whole thing took forty minutes. OK, I can realistically conclude the fighting and such may have been under ten, even five minutes long. So they shoot him, swab him or however they took the dNA and photographed the whole thing. Then they got onto the old communications systems and were like, “so yeah, you want Ben Laden’s body to keep?” to a few different governments to which none did and then they gave him a Muslim send off and dumped him into the ocean. Oh, and before that happened, they’d left Pakistan, took off in the helicopter, and left the other burning and landed in Afghanistan and took him to a hanger and then dumped him after his traditional ceremony in the sea. Then they called the boss, told them all about their adventures, got the DNA test back and returned to base. All that in forty minutes? It does seem though that the forty minutes timeline comes from the fighting which was again refuted by Pakistani officials saying only one man was armed and was shot upon entry. So no fire fight without an opposite team to fight with, right? The speediness, regardless of the actual time though is still alarming. No information was given to the Pakistani military, which I’ll go into more detail later, and they flew in, landed, did the operation and collected evidence, set alight to a chopper that was damaged and then called the Pakistani military to collect the survivors. A defence minister from Pakistan said today that at the moment they realised foreign aircraft was in their airspace, they deployed fighter jets but they didn’t get to the compound before the US Navy Seals left. So either, Pakistan are trying to cover their own asses for a lack of knowledge of foreign aircraft in their airspace or the US were that fast or, yes, there’s another option. A former aviator said they looked as though they’d been modified, and not like the traditional Black Hawks, more like the F117 Stealth Fighter The pictures of the jet left behind, it looked as though some adaptations had been done to the jet to bounce radar and quieten the propellors. Whichever version, the timeline is heavily in question.

Putting aside some naivities from both the US president and defence crew and the British prime minister who have said between them that it is a relief, a success and the troops can start coming home soon are statements I roll my eyes at. Cameron was responsible for the “relief” comment. Typical bloody Tory, isn’t scared of anything while he’s in his nuclear proof shelter. Thankfully his foreign secretary and defence minister are slightly more realistic on this front and have practically informed the British public, who haven’t ignored the news all week because of the local elections, that a terror attack is imminent. Thanks for that, Wil and Liam, but I can’t complain, at least you’re not living on Cloud cracking up land.

To Mr Obama and his crew who said they’d succeeded and the troops are coming home. Erm, really? Successful? OK, sure, wonder if you’ll be saying that if, God forbid another attack should happen. I truly hope not but the war in terror is not over, just because you captured a leader who hasn’t been doing very much leading in the past ten years has commanders, and devout followers. This is not over, you just lit the taper for the fireworks to start. And successful? You caught the leader of the Taliban, after over nine years of war, billions of dollars, thousands of lives lost and you consider capturing one man who’s been, by all accounts locked away in a room in Pakistan, next door to the army camp where your soldiers train Pakistani soldiers, a success? I don’t call it a success. Until we change the minds of these extremists, prove, [although this is going to be mere impossible now, was pretty damn difficult before but a million times worse now], to them that we are not what they think we are, the success element of this war has not been achieved. Or maybe, for the government it has. But that’s another conspiracy theory which I won’t detail here.

So to conclude that our leaders are actually morons or they think the general public believes that claptrap has little bearing on other things we still must discuss.

There are a few factors that closely relate here and I must be careful how I word some of my forth coming paragraphs. I am not accusing or assuming, just saying things how I see them from the things we have been told.

Ben Laden was “apparently” resisting capture, [no shock there, the guy’s been on the run for ten years, sitting under the military’s noses, both Pakistani and American alike and they shoot him in the head and stomach. There are varying versions of this story, the American one and the one from Ben Laden’s daughter. I wasn’t there, so only the ones in the room know what happened. But they admitted to shooting him in the head and chest, despite being unarmed yet resisting arrest. The change of story could, at a push be a confusion in translation but the incident happened on Sunday night US time, or there abouts, the first press conference was held on Monday where details of this so called “fire fight” was given and then Tuesday the story had changed to him being unarmed. Surely the first question asked or detail given, how did he die?

I’ve done a little public relations during my time and I know one thing for sure, talking to the press, it is imperative you give the correct information the first time around to the best of your knowledge. One minute, people had seen it all, OBama reportedly “watched Ben Laden killed” yet there was confusion still after a few hours of passing, with a brief undoubtedly being held prior to press? Such a huge announcement, no government in their right mind would rush that and give an not briefed report. If there was video footage, it would have been watched or should have been before anyone spoke to the press. We know there is footage, the seals wear cameras on their helmets. Hilary Clinton spoke today in Rome and said she didn’t know what they were watching when the White House photographer took the now rather famous picture. Seems everyone had a little amnesia about the TV get together all of a sudden?

This bothers me for so many reasons. I don’t give a crap if the White House make a huge public relations screw up, that’s their business and rarely should you trust anything that comes out of a politicians mouth, but what bothers me as a human being that he was shot in the head and chest and was unarmed. Some were armed, and killed as they attacked, fine, but no matter who it is, I have a problem with, dare I say it? Execution style shooting. I’ve seen enough TV and movies, read enough news paper articles and books to perceive disarm first if you can. No one is going to tell me, a man who has been confined to a specific area for a length of time, with no weapons can face off to at least one heavily armed soldier. The fact that they are refusing to release a photo of his body because the “images are too graphic” screams volumes to me.

I know many think he got what he deserved by being shot, no matter how brutally but to me death is the easiest way out. Even that side of the story, one minute it was a kill mission, the next capture where possible then, he had to be killed, he could never have been tried, etc, etc. The excuses, seem to me, keep on coming. I have a few words for you on that point of trial would have been hard, Saddam Husain.

It’s not only the apparent dodginess about the no photo, questionable timelines, contradictory tales in press conferences that bother me, and many others, but these government officials continue to harp on about human rights, democracy, the geneva convention and yet I see none of this practiced in this situation. I don’t blame anyone for hating him, he was a vile being but it seems awfully hypocritical of people on the one hand to be screaming human rights, democracy to countries like Libya and syria and Egypt and then in one mission show no regard to any of the so called principles they preach about.

Trials to prove guilt or innocence have been around for millennia and to kill someone who is not armed when you are with all kinds of technical weaponry, it feels barbaric. Europeans have come under immense attack today in blog entries because of our lack of exuberance for his death. I perceive our mood to be cautious, anxious and as the Arch Bishop of Canterbury said with several others, a man being shot dead so brutally unarmed leaves you feeling uncomfortable. I agree with them. Not because I think what he’s done is remotely OK, his actions were sick and depraved but he should have been captured. I’ve read many angry Americans talk about “innocent lives” and how those in the towers were “unarmed”, yes, I agree but by shooting him with such brutality doesn’t make that justified or right. Forget the moral side of humanity for a moment, there are far many other implications involved by shooting a man who you could easily have captured with a disarming shot rather than “blow his brains out”. But I’ll get to that.

Some people’s reactions to the announcement bothered me as much as the circumstances surrounding his death. People celebrated! They were literally dancing and jumping for joy at the news of his death. I know some argue that some Al Qaida members did the same after September eleventh and I didn’t like that either. No matter what a person has done, celebrating their death is rather tasteless, inhumane, and not at all dignified. And as I have pointed out all week, he was one man. One man who once upon a time, worked with the US government and yes, turned out to do hateful things but celebrating a death makes me look on individuals with a sense of sadness. There is far too much hate in this world, adding to it doesn’t make you the better person.

so, what would have been better? I don’t pretend to have all the answers. And to be honest, the handling of this by the White House has been a complete disaster. Conspirators have so much to go on. The mere things I’ve raised here to start with, the lack of a body, proof of images, timing politically will only fuel those fires. The accusations flying around now from the US that Pakistan officials knew Ben Laden was there and that was why they didn’t tell them about the operation.

And that is another point. Again with the hypocrisy. A camp near to the compound was where Pakistani soldiers were being trained by American troops. So that’s one thing, it was happening under their noses to. Another point is this, the US flew into Pakistani air space, raided a Pakistani citizen’s property all without consulting/informing the Pakistani government in fear of betrayal. I wonder how the US government would respond for a foreign military operation to take place without their prior knowledge? I know what would happen. Human rights, the Geneva convention and all such things would be dragged up and the Pakistanis would probably have to be disciplined by the UN or some international organisation.

To want information from a so-called Ally, and you in return refuse to share information that will happen on their territory? It seems as though its one rule for them and another for everyone else.

I don’t doubt there are corrupt individuals on the governments around the world. In countries like Pakistan, where the Taliban is supported by some, it wouldn’t surprise me. But it seems so unbelievably double standard that it makes me, as a British person rather angry.

The whole thing has more questions than answers around it. But I do not believe we have been given anywhere near an accurate account of events, nor do I believe we ever will. I cannot say in my heart I think it was handled well, especially politically. I do think he should have stood trial, disarming with a bullet to a leg/shoulder would have done it and they say he would have become the focus as a martyr. He already has. By killing him and then coming out to the public with such sketchy views and with no release of a photo, he already is a martyr. As I said earlier, Saddam was tried and he’d been a part of terrorism for a many number of years. Sure, there was no september eleventh but he was a disgusting being.

Even Hitler who was responsible for such disgusting acts was never killed by another’s hand. He didn’t stand trial either but he took his own life.

For pictures to be so graphical, more probably happened than we’ve been told. Pictures that surfaced of unknown bodies today online showed horrendous images and it really raises questions about lawful killing. A lawyer said today, it would be hard to ascertain what happened but he would have liked to see him stand trial. Another lawyer said this would pose many problems for international law. The US has said the killing was lawful under US law, but they weren’t in the US and international law would be upheld while on foreign soil. Lawful or not, it poses many awkward questions about their actions. If stealth was used they clearly meant to approach the compound quietly, granted but if radar blocking systems were used, this poses other issues.

Am I glad they caught him? I can’t say it had made any difference to me before. But now, they have, I fear severe retribution. Should he have died? In my opinion, no, death is an easy way out, how do you suffer in death? Do I think the body should have been brought back to the US? Yes, initially. May have avoided a lot of confusion. Should the photos be released? Yes, and the video tape although this will not quell the conspiratory theorists. Do you think he’s dead? I have no idea. A source, from high in the government told the Alex Jone’s show that he had been told by a general who he would name in front of a grand jury, that Ben Laden had died in 2001 from a medical condition and they kept it secret until a convenient time. Why wait so long? Because they wanted a reason to go to war and this hunt for ben Laden gave it. This and others have even suggested the US orchestrated the whole september eleventh. Do I believe that is true? I believe anything is possible but would like to think that some humanity remains in these people and that they are not the terrorists against their own people. Do I think, if this is the case and the war on terror was based on a sick fabrication, as VietNam was, is that right? No, money, time, intelligence and most of all valuable lives have been lost in this war. I hope for America’s sake, that they check their story, be honest about the events and motives, and maybe this will work out. Do you think they planned to kill him all along? yes, this I do believe. I don’t buy the graphical image crap. Husain was executed on television for goodness sake, if that wasn’t going to create a martyr out of him, nothing would. The pictures would tell a fuller story though I believe, and sorry to say it, but I think that’s why those pictures are staying hidden right now, to restrict us from some knowledge. Hey, they probably don’t trust us either, right? Not to mention the fact that it was suggested the instructions were to kill unless he wasn’t wearing any clothes as he could have concealed a suicide vest. The guy was apparently in his pyjamas. For some reason, logic tells me not even a crazy nutcase like Ben Laden would be chilling in his PJs, indicating he was planning on going to bed with a suicide vest on. He may roll over in his sleep and detonate the bugger. Not sure blowing up the place he was living would have sent such a message considering he had no idea the Navy seals were coming. I apologise for my sarcasm but being fed different stories from the official sources makes me rather annoyed. One minute, kill him, the next capture if he surrenders, and the next only don’t kill him if he’s in his bloody birthday suit? Come on guys, even those who think he got what he deserved and believe death was the best punishment, can’t you see what a circus this is? Doesn’t it concern you that whilst the officials spin more stories than Roald Dahl, high intelligent people who either still work for your government or have worked for them previously are questioning the protocol and pointing out things your government are not willing to admit.

Again, although I have dealt with the things I know through reliable resources and mentioned a few speculations, most of this is my opinion. In parts, I must sound to some as though I’m defending ben Laden or those who protect him but I just want to show that hypocrisy is writhe in our world. Human rights for the guy who killed a three year old child, new identity, new life and the same for a mother who stood by and watched her child slowly murdered over repeated abuse, both horrific people yet some think it’s OK to shoot an unarmed person in the head and chest and fly into airspace and carry out military operations without the prior knowledge to the country in which you are in.

as I opened, I said a person’s human rights are revoked if they violate another’s human rights. I do not discriminate that and do not believe ben Laden deserved to be treated well or right. But I do believe in the right to trial. And these people who “ordered” to kill him are the same people preaching human rights and democracy to the world. America’s military are in libya, and other conflicted countries fighting for human rights yet how does this look? It’s almost like they played into the Al Qaida’s hands. By killing him, they’ve created a martyr, with or without the photographs. already some are calling the sea in which he was dropped, “the Martyr’s sea”. even the Muslim funeral they claim to have given him in which they said he was treated better than any of his victims has been deemed wrong and was deemed religiously improper.

Regardless of what we think of him and the awful things he’s done. What about those who love him? Because clearly they did. Again, not saying he should have been allowed to be free but what about those who are left behind. He had children, that was their father. Regardless of his actions, regardless of their beliefs, they may hate him for all we know, but what about their rights? The adults in that compound may or may not have had a choice whether to be there or not. But there were children, young children, a two year old child. They, despite their parentage, are innocent and deserved a little humanity. They deserved the right to say goodbye, take his body, surely? If they had wanted too. Because the US killed him, did that mean they had property of his body too? With Islamic scholars it to not be a proper Islamic burial, and the burial at sea, even ordinary people question what was being covered up?

I think anyone in their right mind would have shown ben Laden nothing but contempt but if captured, if tried, then executed, many wouldn’t be writing articles like I am, or questioning the government’s actions at all. We are meant to live in a world of democracy and fairness. At least that’s what is preached on a daily basis. it’s the reason Nato has countries militaries fighting in Libya right now. How can we on one hand fight for human rights and preach about it and the Geneva convention and such, then say killing an unarmed man is justified. I understand why many of the Clergy have said they feel uncomfortable with that factor, only made worse by the wheel of stories. As Christians, they feel that seeking vengeance is a ugly matter and destroys the soul and its God’s duty to ultimately judge and punish. It seems very unchristian-like and looks more like vengeance than a form of justice.

Whatever the truth, the Americans who celebrated in the street with effigies of Ben Laden’s head with the statue of liberty will never understand why the rest of the world questions the US actions and decisions. maybe it’s merely a difference in cultures. The death penalty has been dormant for many years here now and most Europeans don’t see death as a punishment. Maybe it’s the maturity too. Europe’s history spans millennia while the US is still only half a millennia old.

Average people are questioning the so called facts. Mainstream media is questioning in ways I never expected to see in regards to Ben Laden. And this is probably why, Europe’s not dancing with joy. We know there are repercussions to come from Al Qaida, but more than that, there will be repercussions to come from this muddled mess of what I think the US hoped to be a dramatic victory. At home, maybe they have got that, worldwide the mood is quite cool and curious.

However the international world moves forward from this, however we are divided by views or beliefs, there’s one thing certain, this is the start of something huge and the pantomime to come out of the white house this week will do the US no favours internationally. They may have killed the leader but it took more than one man to commit all those terrorist acts. The world will be watching, with an anxious air.

What Is Happening To Our Society?

Where have the Good Old Days Gone?

We often will reflect, no matter what generation, on where have the good old days gone? Even generations in the future, [as much as it is hard to believe for us now] will harp on in their thirties and forties on “when they were young”. And once they reach old age, they will harp on as our grandparents have done and our parents will do, about the “Good Old Days”.

But I seriously think the younger generations now, lack respect, and the ability to behave in society. I am currently sitting in the local library, where I come to read and write in peace and quiet and its like I’ve been placed in the middle of a social youth group get together. The individuals I’m referring two are in their middle teens, probably not yet left high school, and are swearing like sailors, talking about sex openly and talking extremely loudly while completely messing about. I must check on the way out, that I didn’t get lost and walk into one of our local public high schools.

I know at that age, I’d be terrified of making a sound in a library and if asked to be quiet or calm it down by an adult, I’d do it. When I was growing up, I was taught a library was a place of quiet, where people worked or read in peace. But during these Easter holidays, it seems it’s transformed into a local youth centre.

I used to dread coming in here because of young children running about, screaming and shouting but seriously, I would prefer such behaviour. This is so disrespectful, to not only the patrons but the librarians.

It makes you wonder what kind of society we live in that makes this behaviour acceptable. I question the lack of morals that have been instilled into these young hooligans. And what frightens me more is they are the Goddamned future. If they indeed, represent a mere fraction of the population, then boy, are we, as a nation in trouble!

Ignorance is Bliss; for the Government

Many knew that when the conservatives took over power, those on the lower end of the income bracket would get screwed over. Others knew that the vulnerable in society, despite repeated promises from said government would be left even more vulnerable and up the creek without a paddle. While few knew that some necessary changes would need to be put into place for the economy to recover but also knew that those who cannot help themselves would bear the brunt of these changes. Wherever you stood within these three areas, you were right.

Anyone who has picked up a newspaper, read an online article from any leading British media outlets, watched the national and local news programmes within the last year know that this country is in financial disarray. Back in October when the chancellor made his budget speech, there was a promise to protect the elderly and the disabled. This promise has recently been shown for what it truly is; a glossy lie.

We all are aware cuts need to be made, no one is actually arguing that fact but the level of which this coalition government is stampeding its path is only going to end in misery for many.

I, like many others agree there are abusers of the benefits system but it is safe to say that these benefits sustain a good quality of life for many. The new assessments being brought in for those on incapacity, while weeding out those “fakers” will put many disabled people An on the breadline and B in a severe state of vulnerability. And that’s not even taking into consideration the future preposed changes to Disability Living Allowance. And why? Because this government has not thought through how the assessments will affect a wide range of individuals with varying levels of disabilities and illnesses.

Already the assessment was reevaluated because it deemed terminally ill individuals fit for work. And even after these changes to the assessment process, many disabled organisations say the assessment is too harsh and not detailed enough to assess accurately.

For example, a lady on the national news today who suffered with a brain haemorrhage 10 months ago, who lost feeling in her right side and has limited vision has been deemed fit to work. What this government has not taken into consideration, are the many barriers that a disability will bring up for not only the individual but the organisation that will employ them.

For an abled bodied person, reading, writing, moving around unaided, being alerted to dangers or alerting others to danger are natural abilities. For someone with a hearing impairment, sight impairment or physical impairment, this is not always possible. For example, one of the questions on the test is can you pull a pen from your pocket with both hands. Many people could do this, even wheel chair bound individuals, depending on their condition. Someone with a visual impairment could pull the pen from their pocket but would not be able to use it in many situations. For those visually impaired people, many would use other formats to write and read with compared to the majority of individuals. For someone who is deaf, they may not hear the suggestion. In an assessment environment, their focus is likely to be on the assessor but in the work place, other tasks could distract and they may not hear a command to take a note.

Another aspect of the criteria to receive the new employment support allowance is if you have a guide dog. Apparently, the government foresee a blind individual capable of employment if they have a guide dog. I’m absolutely uncertain how my guide dog makes me more employable than someone who is a cane user or someone who uses neither. Your choice of mobility aid has little bearing on how you perform in a job. My guide dog will not assist my work. He’ll help me get to and from and around the work place, providing I’ve learnt the route prior, as would a cane user. Clearly, someone in government has not explained to these individuals what a guide dog does and does not do. The same apparently applies to an individual using an electronic wheel chair. So, guide dog owners, electric wheel chair users, you should know that your dog and chair clearly help you do a job. And because of these reasons, we are deemed fit to work immediately and would be put instantly on job seekers allowance.

If anyone has dealt with the job centre and has been disabled and has had a great result, I.E., got into employment that you’ve maintained, congratulations, you have to be in the minority and very lucky. Many disability employment officers, like the government, have no idea what a disabled person’s needs and abilities potentially can be.

And for one moment, put aside the assessment, the criteria and walk with me into the work place. Many, and the RNIB estimate, 92% of employers would find it difficult or mere impossible to employ a visually impaired individual. OK, government, please consider the fact you tell us a million jobs have been created in the past three months and now tell us how many of those jobs are going to be doable from a disabled person’s point of view. And not even that, how many of those prospective employers, would employ someone who is visually impaired, deaf or a wheel chair user. And not necessarily because of their own ignorance, lets face it, they’re also dealing with the economy right now. And does the government know that anyone who is disabled automatically has an increase on a risk assessment for any work place or public building? If they’re not aware of this, they should be. Because, risk assessments lead to insurance and higher risks means a higher premium. Can many companies afford a higher premium?

As much as I don’t think this to be a valid reason for a company not to employ a disabled individual, I understand it in the current economic climate.

Thus far, we’ve only talked about the physical disabilities. Does this assessment take into consideration those individuals who have mental disabilities? I’m sure someone with a learning difficulty could indeed pull a pen from their pocket when asked in a calm, controlled environment. Would that be possible in a stressful work place? Highly doubtful.

In short, the changes to incapacity benefit, although necessary to a degree are being done with such ignorance that not only is this government putting people in more vulnerable situations, they’re not helping everyone into a secure job. I do not mean secure as in financial, I mean in the practicality sense of the word. Someone who is visually impaired would struggle working in a visual environment. Likewise, someone who is deaf would find it challenging to the point of stressfulness in an auditory environment. The government want people into work, but realistically what are they going to do to ensure that happens? Many disabled individuals of working age, want to work and would give anything to work. But is putting them on the poverty line with virtually little, specialised assistance into work the right way to go? And this is before I get to disability living allowance.

Many disabled organisations understand the people they work with. Research shows getting work is not as easy as the government would have everyone else believe. Putting this aside, living with a disability, regardless of work or not is a costly affair. Again, some individuals may use little of their disability living allowance, while others may fluctuate over the months and many others depend solely on it to live day to day with their disability.

I cannot speak for someone in a wheel chair, or a deaf person but I as a visually impaired individual rely a lot on my disability living allowance to buy computer equipment so I can read emails, search for jobs, shop independently, read letters and books accessibly. I also use the mobility component to get to places I’m unfamiliar with. Despite what our oh so wise government believes, my guide dog does not have a map inside of his head and I cannot type a post code and he’ll take me there. He only works from my commands. So if I don’t know an area, he won’t know it either and we could become lost and vulnerable. So, taxis are often a way to get around. I attempt to use public transportation where possible and of the do but there are times taxis are necessary and sometimes my only option. They are expensive and on occasion I have to pay someone to assist me somewhere. For example, shopping for clothes items. I need someone to help me around the store and although shop assistants can be helpful, it is not always the case.

A minister recently said that after three years you shouldn’t need any further financial support when it comes to your disability, I’d like to see him try. You have to replace equipment, I.E., colour detectors/scales or bigger things like computers or washing machines even. People do not realise that using a launderette is not a task for the faint hearted disabled individuals. For a wheel chair user, I’d imagine it troublesome getting to the place, with all of your laundry, then many machines are probably not designed for wheel chair access. For someone who is blind, using the machines at all would be impossible without tactile access or someone helping never mind actually getting there with your laundry.

For anyone to say that living with a disability can be got used to after so many years is an ignorant and cruel statement. Without living with one, how would you know?

I’m not expecting everything to be given to me on a plate, I never would. But I want this government and any future ones to not just penalise individuals and put them on the breadline with no hope out. They need to change people’s attitudes, change legislation for insurers and companies. Make public buildings accessible to all. Put the disability discrimination act into practice and enforce it because right now, disabled people still have no rights. David Cameron talked about the happiness and quality of life for the citizens of this country, I see nothing but misery ahead for many disabled individuals. Some have said without their DLA, their lives would not be worth living. Without help into work, without changing people’s attitudes, without punishing disabled people and actually help through work experience in practical jobs and having an assessment process that was realistic for the individuals being tested and not just convenient to down the governments numbers, I don’t see life in this country worth living either. It’s a bleak future for anyone suffering with a disability right now.

The government do need to save money, they do need to get disabled people into work but not without support and not at the expense of those people’s rights. A right to live. This could be done correctly and competently but as this new system stands, they will be putting their disabled exactly where many suspected they would, at the bottom of a pile of trash.

New Story, 1ST chapter

Hey guys,
I know it has been a while. I’m working on a few different projects at the moment. My fictional writing is taking up quite a bit of my time. I was hoping to get your feedback on my first chapter of my new project. It’s called Shining Star. All feedback will be awesome and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1: Starlet

Chapter 1
Starlet

Leah Collins was your average, middle class, all American young woman, in a secure job, with good prospects and a happy, social life, until one night, when her life changed forever.

“Leah, photo call is in five,” Jenna Townsend, her manager who was in her mid 30s, a failed model stood with her bushy red head poking around the trailer door. Leah, twenty-five, five foot five inches tall, with long, summer, blonde hair, with ample breasts, rounded ass and a thick waist sat at her dressing table, applying light make up to her deeply tanned skin. Leah had baby blue eyes and long dark eyelashes and took more of her father’s Caucasian features than her mother’s African American features. The only blessing her mother had bestowed upon her were the ample breasts and decent ass. Placing an eye liner on the tray she turned to Jenna and smiled with white teeth showing. This was so knew to her. Like she was still unwrapping the gifts on Christmas morning. Sitting in an LA photo studio, with people running around after her every whim, she wasn’t sure how long this dream would last.

It had all happened six months ago, as she partied with her best friends, Letitia and Marina. They had been waiting for their other friend Ella but she had been running late. So they had waited in Micos, a local karaoke bar in Santa Monica and the girls, as usual, pushed Leah to sing.
“Come on girl, you got such a beautiful voice!” Letitia grinned playfully as she pushed her friend toward the guy with the thick book with the song choices. Letitia was so beautiful and outgoing. Her thick, sexy, black body shimmered with the amount of glitter she plastered onto her skin. Her chocolate eyes continually danced with life. She’d grown up in Compton but had got a scholarship to UCLA in Fashion. Leah had met her at a sorority party in their sophomore year and they’d been tight ever since. Letitia was down to earth as they came and Leah loved her straight talking, often blunt attitude toward life. They called her their ghetto queen. All of the girls adored Letitia. She was as ghetto as the hood rats but had a level of class most girls would never aspire to.

Marina was hispanic and they had met her going to a coffee shop in the hills. She was married to a studio manager in Hollywood but still worked so he could never throw the fact that he was rich and provided for her in her face. Marina was strikingly beautiful standing at six foot, she had long black, straight hair and eyes of emerald green. Her skin was a perfect olive complexion and her figure was to die for. All the girls hated on her in secret for the beautiful figure Marina possessed. She was quieter but smarter than Letitia academically, unlike Letitia who had street smarts and an eye for fashion the others only wished they’d had.

Ella was the only pure white girl in their group. She had had a safe and quite sheltered up bringing but had rebelled terribly during her college years. She had learnt about boys, and was now a single mom working two jobs to take care of her little boy, Danny. He was three and Ella had given birth during her sophomore year while her college friends were partying and studying. Ella had been disinherited by her lawyer mother and actor father but she loved Danny and wouldn’t exchange him for the world.

“What song then?” Leah asked, flipping to the page she knew several of her favourite songs were located. She hoped ella wasn’t having baby daddy drama again. Arturo could be an ass when he wanted to be and tonight he was meant to be taking care of his son but Leah suspected Ella’s late entrance was due to him much preferring to fuck his recent squeeze as opposed to take care of his little boy. Sighing, Leah chose and handed the DJ her slip of paper.
“Which one?” Letitia enthused, grabbing Leah’s arm excitedly as they headed to the bar.
“It’s a surprise,” Leah smiled broadly at her friend as they headed into the bar area and ordered cocktails.
“Leah!” A male voice shouted as they chatted to the bar tender they had known for a few months. He had the hots for Marina but she was married. Not exactly happily but she would tell everyone, including her friends that she was.
“You’re up!” Letitia’s face got excited as they rushed back to the crowd watching the singers. This was a hot joint on a Friday night. People loved coming to Mico’s.
“Alright,” The tall biracial guy grinned a toothless grin at her as she picked up the mic and waited for the intro to finish. as she stood looking out at all the faces, a rush of excitement overcame her. She was, for a few moments in her life, in the spotlight. sure, it was only a small time Karaoke bar in LA but it was good enough for her to keep her going back to her nine to five. She opened her mouth and as her best friends always expected, beautiful notes and words came flowing out of her.
“That’s my girl!” Letitia bellowed as Leah hit a high note. She grinned as she finished as the crowd gave her an awesome applause.

“See girl!” Letitia hugged her tightly as the crowd anticipated the next singer. “You always make our night with your beautiful music. You should so be signed!” Leah laughed and Marina smiled noncommittally. Letitia had always pushed for Leah to pursue a career in music but marina had always warned her of the “Bad side” of the industry which she saw through her husband.
“You always say that,” Leah laughed, pulling her two best friends toward the bar, ordering them all some crazy cocktails.
“You was hot girl!” Christian, a overtly homosexual guy they often bumped into around LA complimented. “And girl, that dress makes you look smoking! If I wasn’t taken,” he thumbed toward the tall figure they all knew to be Mario, the hot Italian model Christian had been off and on with for two years now, “I’d so be yours, honey!”
“Of course you would,” Leah laughed, playing along for his amusement.
“Excuse me,” A black guy was pushing his way through and Letitia squealed something incoherently as Leah turned and stared up into the face of a handsome man, with chiselled features and eyes of a smokey brown that would draw you in instantly.
“Hi,” She smiled nervously, making to move away from the bar to let him through. He screamed presence and status as he stood before her. He was around five, ten, not very tall but still so striking that Leah may have considered him. He was chunky but not overweight as such, stocky, as her mother would have put it. “That boy has been eating some good soul food,” she would have said. Leah could hear her words in her ears as she stood, staring at this good looking man.
“No, ma, it’s cool, it’s you I want to talk too,” His eyes fixated on hers and she felt a tingling down her spine as he touched her arm, keeping her where he wanted her.
“Oh?” She smiled gently, hoping she didn’t have the goofy look on her face which she often had when good looking men spoke to her. Despite her natural beauty, Leah hardly ever attracted the guys she deemed good looking. They were looking for girls who gave it up, not girls who “wanted to get to know them”.
“Yeah, that’s some voice you have,” He smiled, displaying a beautiful mouth. “I’m sorry,” He looked slightly embarrassed now and she hoped beyond hope she wasn’t doing the goofy look thing. “I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Nate Reikman. I’m a producer and run a small time record label, Cali-Soul Records?” He raised his eyebrows inquisitively to see if she acknowledged his status. She merely smiled and waited. “Well, I’d like to invite you to our studios up in Hawthorne to do a demo. I really think you got something girl. You’re what this industry needs.” She stared, shelled shocked. Had he just offered her a record deal? She could hear Letitia whispering enthusiastically with Marina to her right and the sounds of the bar seem to rise as the blood pumped around her ears furiously.
“Wow. That’s an incredible offer. What’s the catch?” She asked, feeling the hotness rise in her cheeks. Surely there was a catch! Money, sex?
“No catch,” He smiled openly, rising his palms upward. “No cash, no strings. I wanna hear how you sound and if I can get you a deal with a bigger company, we can come to some arrangement then. If not, then it will cost you nothing.”
“So nothing ventured, nothing gained?” She asked smiling, feeling the nerves wrack her. He nodded compliantly.
“Here’s my card,” He pulled a manilla card from his jeans and handed it to her, brushing her hand with his own briefly. “Call me if you wanna give it a shot.” And with that, Nate reikman disappeared into the crowd and Leah was left dumbfounded.

“Oh, my God!” Letitia squealed with glee as she hugged her. Leah was astounded by what just happened. “See, I told you!” Letitia babbled on about outfits and what she should sing and all kinds of other things for the next few hours. Leah couldn’t quite take any of this in. Had he really offered her a chance? An opportunity to record and possibly be signed? This wasn’t her life, was it?

Leah awoke the next morning in her airy studio apartment to the sounds of LA buzzing. Despite it being Saturday, and she didn’t have to work, she was awake. In truth, she had hardly slept all night. Nate Reikman and his offer had been on her mind all night. Rolling over in her queen sized bed, she glared at the clock that read seven forty-five and stretched her legs. Sitting up, she grabbed her iPhone and checked her messages. Marina had texted, along with Letitia three times and Ella apologising for missing their girls night. She’d been kept home by Danny being sick. Leah nodded and stood up, stretching once more and headed to her small, white bathroom to shower. The sun streamed through the frosted glass, splintering rays of sunlight onto her body as the water cascaded all around her. Her long, summery blond hair was washed and wrapped into a towel as she switched off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a huge white, fluffy towel around her body. Her apartment phone began to ring. As she hurried into the living room area, she saw caller ID and resisted to answer. It was Letitia! She knew she’d be hounding her for a decision on Nate Reikman’s offer and Leah still didn’t know how she was going to make that decision. So instead, she wandered to the coffee machine and started brewing a pot of coffee while making some breakfast and listening to Power 106 on her cute DAB radio her parents had given her for her birthday.

An hour later she was riding the bus down to Venice Beach where she promised to relax, enjoy a craft fair and take in some of the sights of the hot guys on the beach. The day was warming up considerably. April was already at an average of eighty degrees and at ten that morning, it was already seventy-five. Leah was dressed in jeans and a tank top with her timberland sandals. She hired a bike and took off down the beach path, past all the venders selling to tourists and the usual amateur rappers selling their CDs.

“Sup,ma?” An ugly, flat nosed guy with no teeth hollered at her. His dark complexion plagued by acne. Smiling, she nodded and continued past, not even planning on stopping to hear what crap he had to offer. Some of the guys who hustled down on Venice were talented, some even signed, but the majority were wannabees and would never be anyone to reckon with in the rap game. Leah adorned her iPod headphones and blasted some west coast hip-hop as she rode for a few more miles before returning the bike and grabbing lunch at Olive Garden.

The waiter attempted to flirt with her but she was too preoccupied with the business card in her hand to even notice. Finally, after her soup and salad, she took a deep breath, ignored the squirming of the snakes in her stomach and dialled the number into her phone. Waiting patiently as the ringing continued and continued, she was about to hang up when a smooth, seductive voice answered.
“Nate Reikman,” His voice was thick with weed smoke and she shivered involuntarily at the sound.
“Hi, it’s Leah, from last night? The singer?” Wow! Had she just called herself that? Never had Leah Collins ever imagined herself saying, “Hi, my name’s leah, I’m a singer” and yet here she was, saying it as though it was already her occupation.

“Hi, Leah, nice to hear from you,” He knew who she was. He hadn’t been drunk and flinging his business card around. That had been one of her scenarios in her head as she rode around Venice. Why else would a producer give her his business card? But he hadn’t seemed drunk. And obviously he hadn’t been, he seemed to know exactly who she was and what she wanted. “So, wanna try this?”
“And no strings?” She checked, her mouth dry with nerves.
“You have my word,” He said gently down the phone. “I’ll be here until late so if you wanna do this today? I’m guessing you have a nine to five?”
“Erm, yeah, that soon?” She panicked. What was she going to wear? What was she going to sing? But this may be her only opportunity to do this so she couldn’t say no.
“Sure, why not? Strike while the iron is hot, my mama always said. You need a ride?”
“Erm, I’ll be fine, thanks,” She was so cautious about giving out her address to strangers and he didn’t argue so that made her feel more comfortable. He gave her the address and they arranged for her to be there around seven. Hanging up, she realised a trip to the mall was definitely in order.

Normally, she would have enlisted Letitia’s help but she just needed to be alone on this one. Just for now. Standing up, leaving the money for the check, she left Venice Beach and headed toward the Santa Monica mall and hunted high and low for a classy but sexy outfit.

Once she’d found it, she returned home, ate a quick snack, dinner was too much to expect her stomach to take and showered, changed and called her brother Damian. He lived not far from the studios so she begged him to drive her.
“Is this coasher?” He asked her as she could hear him grabbing his keys and heading out of the door. Leah sighed heavily.
“Yes, Damian, it is,” She waited impatiently and soon his Lexis’s horn honked and she was locking up the apartment, heading down the stairs and seating herself by her brother’s side. He lectured her all about safety on the way but Leah was too nervous to take any notice. She still had no idea what she was going to sing. But what the hell, she was doing this! One way or another, it had to work out, or why else was she doing it?