Educating the Masses: London Burns

It was a rough day in London yesterday. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I know everything (or for that matter ANYTHING) about British politics. Most of my knowledge of UK politics comes from British comedians and The Bugle podcast (with one of my all time favourites, Andy Zaltzam. Check it out!).

So, this is what I gather. In the wake of a coalition government being elected (sorta) to run things, something went horribly wrong. Two completely opposing parties somehow shook hands and decided to work together. These are the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats. Okay. I'm writing this more to get things straightened out in my own mind as opposed to trying to give anyone else info. So, Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats ran on a platform of no new university fees (roughly. Please, someone correct me if I am wrong with any of this). So, this platform went down well with students, so, they voted for him. Then he became part of the grand coalition and changed his mind, thinking it wasn't such a good idea after all. Now, of course the world has been in a bit of a financial mess for the past few years and governments everywhere are trying to cut back on spending. This coalition that is running things in the UK is taking this idea to heart and going nuts with their cuts, by the looks of things.

So, yesterday, it was decided that tuition fees would rise from roughly 3000 of those pound things to somewhere around 9000 of those pound things. Now, that is one heck of a crazy increase if you ask me. Apparently this doesn't have to be paid right away. Very nice of them. This is paid back once the grad gets a job that pays enough to be able to get them deep into debt paying this cash back. At least this is what I'm garnering. Cuts to university budgets also seem to be going through which will cut the number of available seats in university classrooms by 6000. That's a whole lot of seats. Think of a game of musical chairs with 6000 seats? Less seats means less opportunity to get into a school that is getting increasingly harder to afford. This just doesn't sound very good all around for students.

And there have been protests. Oh have there been protests. Lots and lots and lots of protests by some very angry students. And rightfully so, although some of the violence that has gone along with it hasn't gone over well with the British public, understandably. Last night, when the vote went through to approve all of this stuff, things got pretty heated...literally. People lit fires. Well, mostly because they were cold. But, there were fires none the less. And vandalism. Even poor Charles and Camilla had their car dented up a bit. That wasn't overly cool. It was a nice car! Students battled with police, horses were involved and, according to angry callers in the BBC, Christmas shopping was interrupted in some places. Tragedy.

Why should these students be protesting? That's easy. Here is why, based on my knowledge as a Canadian. I am going to do a bit of assuming that there are some parallels between Britain and Canada. We are both pretty common, what with our...um...our....well, we have the same Queen. There.

My wife went through 8 years of university. Or more. I can't recall. I guess I could ask her. Anyway, we'll be paying off that education for the next 25 years (or less...or more. Again. I should ask her). Basically, a lot of money was spent and a lot of money is owed. Now, it's impossible to get a decent job WITHOUT a university education. Jobs that at one time only need secondary education now require college diplomas or university degrees. There are so many people looking for jobs, the competition is high, and without a good education, chances are pretty bleak. In addition, traditional jobs in manufacturing were shipped to countries where workers are paid far less meaning that there aren't jobs out there for those without an education, unless it is in the service industry. And what kind of future is that? If someone is living in London, Vancouver, Toronto or some other big city, how can they possibly do that on a McDonald's paycheque?? Then, add on to that, less and less companies are actually hiring people full time. They are preferring to go with contracts. That makes things pretty tough. Insecurity abounds. Education can relieve that. The more one can bring to a company, theoretically, the safer their job may be. Things have changed a lot even in the past 10 to 15 years. More and more, employers are doing what they can to circumnavigate involvement of unions and doing more and more to shed any responsibilities to their employees, and....um, I think I'm getting off on a tangent here.

Anyway, the point is that if fees go up and cuts are made to education, meaning fewer seats for students (at least those that can afford it) opportunities will dry up even faster. More unemployment or underemployment because people can't get access to education? I can see that happening, for sure. That doesn't seem like it would help the economy of a country that is looking to improve it's economy. In fact, that sounds like it would do the opposite! Why create a situation where it may be even harder for people to get decent jobs?? Education is an investment. The better educated a nation is, the better off that nation...well...is. Don't take away educational opportunities. That's like shooting yourself in the foot. Make sure people can get the education they need so that they can get to work and keep the economy going.

I'm sure I'm missing some points in here. There is plenty more to say. It seems like a very complicated and tough situation all around. I feel for the students. I support their protests. It would nice if stuff wasn't wrecked in the process, but that seems to be a small minority of people who are doing that stuff. So, keep up with it kids! Will it help. No, probably not. Sorry to end that on a negative note. Damn.  

The Double Edged Sword: 2022

Well, Qatar did it. Qatar put a bid in to FIFA to hold the 2022 World Cup, and today they were awarded the games over the US, Japan and, well, another loser who I can't remember.

I was fortunate enough to be down at the Corniche in Doha, the capital city where I am living, when the announcement was made. Well, I say fortunate, although at the time, I felt dumb. There were a few other location around the city that had giant screens for people to gather around to watch the awarding ceremony. I thought the Corniche was one of those places. I was wrong. There was no screen. So, I sat, in my car, looking out over the waters of the Persian Gulf and listened to Al Jazeera on the radio waiting for the announcement. There were very few people around. It was pretty quiet. I was going to miss all of the excitement it seemed. Not a great move. Then, two minutes after the head FIFA-er announced that Qatar had won, the Corniche suddenly filled up with cars and a whole lot of very, very excited Qataris. Boy, were they excited. Horns honking, flags waving, music playing, laughter and joy all around. I had never seen revelry in Qatar, let alone this amount. People were having a really great time. I mean, a REALLY great time, driving around, honking, waving, and being open, warm and friendly! It was impressive and fun and I'm glad I was there when it happened. I headed home as streams of people were heading in. I think the festivities will go on for an awful lot of fun.

HOWEVER, tomorrow will be a new day, and Qatar is going to face a lot of scrutiny and be in the center of a very powerful spotlight. It's going to be interesting to see how this goes down. Already twitter is alive with a whole lot of interesting comments. Let's take a look, shall we...

windoverwater

#Qatar will expect all women to have shoulders and neck covered, no #tanktops ladies, sorry.

azewde

#Qatar built its track & field team by naturalizing East African runners. Now they'll build their #2022 soccer team w/ West Africans #Quatar

@danlobb FIFA representatives will be very very very rich from announcing #Russia 2018 & #Qatar 2022 world cups.#howmuchdidyoupayRoman???

girlfriday19

Seriously tho, I understand ppl want to separate sports from politics, but end of the day, human rights issues are more impt. #Qatar #FIFA

vicki_dee

Alcohol Laws of #Qatar: Public drunkenness, openly displaying alcohol in public are forbidden. ...Ummm, that #worldcup is gonna suck.

windoverwater

#Qatar apparently has no tolerance for #homosexuals. Will be jailed on sight.

dawashington

Does @FIFAcom hate gay soccer fans? (goo.gl/wajtp) #worldcup2022 #qatar

SeeDice

#Qatar? Its as big as san francisco.

bisialimi

And #2022 goes to ....... #qatar, now #fifa is a Joke, big time ... Lol

_nctrnl

Boycott #FIFA World Cup in #Qatar 2022 Sign the Petition http://twt.gs/FHWIT #WorldCup2022 #WC2022 #FIFAFail #Fail #EpicFail

msalgado

Raise your hand if you think western women want to travel to a World Cup in Qatar! #nofuckingway #qatar #wtf

MegoSalbashian

The only way for Qatar to play in the world cup is to buy the whole bid in 2022. #Qatar #Worldcup2022

jabmakepeace

#QATAR #worldcupcorruption Interesting human trafficking report on QATAR - http://bit.ly/hp01l8

nwskyles

Fifa is crooked. #Qatar #WorldCup

GarethGeorge

The 2022 #worldcup will 100% not happen in #Qatar. Not a chance, zip, zero. New vote within 5 years.

TheLazySalesman

I'd love to see the #Qatar 'bid book', an index and 500 blank pages of Rymans finest Basildon Bond I reckon

markmravic

Fiver: "the preposterously wealthy human rights- and women-abusing crackling furnace that is #Qatar." http://bit.ly/ew81lg

peterkonnecke

@insidethegames something stinks with qatar team seen congratulating each other before vote announced #fifa #qatar @worldcup

martywyss

#Qatar does not meet humans rights standards of the UN and still has a form of slavery called sponsorship ... smart move #FIFA

ZacherMediaPR

Cowherd on #Qatar: "People from Qatar vacation in Phoenix in August to cool off."

And it goes on and on and on. And, it's only four hours after the announcement has been made. Qatar isn't a fan of negative comments as it is, so I think some of the stuff that will be talked about in the media and online is going to be pretty hard for some Qataris to swallow.

As you can see by a number of the comments, already questions about migrant workers and human rights are being brought up. What more will come? Qatar is a pretty small country and it has gone largely unnoticed by much of the world. Everything is about to change, and with that change is going to come some heavy criticism, I think it is fair to say. How will Qatar handle it?

Qatar did a good job with it's bid presentation. It has the 2022 World Cup. Now it has a lot of work to do. It will be an interesting 12 years.

More Gay Hate. Oh GAWD, Spare Us From Your Followers!

My faith in humanity has once again been rocked. My trusted friend, facebook, has brought me a posting from the BBC regarding the persecution of homosexuals in Kenya. Here is the story:

A gay rights activist has criticised Kenya's prime minister for threatening a crackdown on homosexual people....

Okey, dokey. So, this piece of news has been the trigger for a flurry of comments that were posted by BBC fans the world over on BBC News' Facebook page. So, what do some of these fans from the world over have to say?

Ejike Anichebe When evil gather strength to resist the truth, then d world is heading for a ruin. Those who engage in acts that tend to extinct life rather than promote it should ask themselves if their entrance to this world was through that means. If their answer is in affirmative, go forward. If it is negative, they should take a decision to either totally be blinded by their so called crave or craze for freedom/right or seek clearer sight by embrasing the light. Enough of the deception.

Nde Denis HOMOSEXUALITY IS A CONTAGIOUS DESEASE AND MUST BE CURED JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SICKNESS!!!

Irfan Ahmad Naz Gays should be persecuted..african ppl dont let these western ppl to destroy ur society...

Frederick Otobele In Africa Gay or lesbanism are not practise openly because if you are caught you could be burnt to death. Being gay, lesbian or raping kid is a sign of mental disorder

Grace Muwaga Whatz wrong with some people who think that one is born gay, no one is born gay and that act is not right. People just decide to do the wrong things and come out and defend them. Cows, goats are even more understanding than gays. Gays you need the supernatural being to forgive you.

Osman Sacad it suprises me people who have no principles no rules , yeah dey have trrafic lights for de cars but wen it comes to human being values dey follow their guts they have no respect for human race as whole... dey out-lawed marryng more dan one woman but to be gay is allowed ...dis is insane..dat is how people do wen dey leave out their religion!!

Lazaro Prieto Cortes I'm not African but I agree that gays are acts of evils, we have seen good & evil in this world . We know Satan is real & we can't change a gay' s sick brain therefore we must keep away from Satan & his followers. Good people don't belong to Satan.

Ceasar Joseph Mcgrath hahahahaha! We will arrest all the gays u have no place in africa and mostly KENYA

Ejike Anichebe All these western pals promoting gay here, i pity ur conditions. Homosexuality is not civilization, u morons. Pls enjoy it in ur place & leave africa alone. Nobody is born gay. Go back to ur history & upbringing u will learn that u acquired it. You can still mend ur way if u believe & start thinking like human.

Donald Chibueze Madueke Need i say without equivocation,that God designed man and woman in their different but sexually complementing biological make up .aswell he endorsed sex between them by perempting them to multiply and fill the earth.be that as it is,God has never planned for man to lay with his fellow man hence he wouldn't have created the woman.therefore sodomy or homosexuality is an obvious aberration to the natural built of man.it is therefore biblicaly and moraly sinful. its partakers and practice should be refuted in its entirety.

Jamil Lahyani Homosexuality is a disgusting uncurable disease!!!

Mariusz Wiloch I would suggest makin a penalty for gays like it is in Saudia Arabia, prison is not a good choice, dead penalty would be perfect. End of topic.

Ezra Rakim Corleone Gf

‎1 issue pro homosexuals neva get to talk abwt is this...procreation,& these xo called civil rights groups campaining for rights to everything including homosexuality fail on expounding on this issue..honestly is it moral or humane to a chi...ld 2 be raised in such filth were roles r reversed father & mother becomes father(dad) father(mom) & vice versa...& how about this an innocent vulnerable being(obviously adobted!) being nurtured in such an unreasonable filth that will highly likely currpt the mind making 1 end up a faggot! & how r we supposed to ensure continuity of our species if saddly th straight give in 2 ua fallacy?


Holy CRAP. What a load of hate filled garbage this is. And this was just the tip of the iceberg! These people can't be real, can they? Sadly, I think they are. How can people possibly think this way? I cannot fathom it. I cannot understand it. I cannot comprehend it. It's too crazy. It's too disgusting. It's too horrible. It's too scary.

I feel disappointed in the BBC in some ways. I don't advocate restricting free speech, but a lot of this stuff, as far as I am concerned, either borders on, or dives headlong into hate speech territory. I wish the BBC would take some action against some of the more extreme statements being made, but they don't seem to have an interest in doing that. Maybe that's good? I don't know. They are letting people speak for themselves and allowing be open for criticism. They should face criticism, as far as I am concerned. I just wish so many of these people didn't hate so much. I take it back, it's not the BBC's fault that these folks have such horrific things to say.

Neglegency. Is That A Word??

I have been rather neglectful of my blog as of late. But now is not the time to rectify that. I am awfully tired, and I am going to sleep. I will update again...one day. It will be soon. It has obviously been on my mind if I have bothered to write this post. Until then, goodbye and goodnight.

Election Day in the USA.

Dear former neighbours to the south,

You are voting today, which means the rest of the world is waiting to see what you will have in store for us in the next few years. Of course, the United States is, at the moment, the world’s sole superpower. Decisions made in Washington have a tendency to affect everyone on the planet in one way or another, and too often the effects are unfavourable. After taking a big step forward in 2008, sadly it would appear that the US is on the verge of not only taking a step back, but diving into a completely new puddle of stupidity by voting for a right wing that is getting increasingly, and scarily, farther right…and by that, I mean, WRONG. Two years ago, Barack Obama really did bring in change. After the world had to suffer through 8 years of Bush, Obama brought hope back. He has managed to rebuild bridges that were completely firebombed, bulldozed and buried by George W. He has managed to save the US from a complete financial meltdown and a major depression. He actually has some plans for getting out of Afghanistan, and has done a fairly good job of starting to get out of a badly tore up and beat down Iraq. He has at least begun to deal with Guantanamo Bay and start getting some of these guys on trial. He managed to get somewhat of a fairer health care system going in the US. He really has done an impressive job in just two years. He isn’t getting the credit he deserves and as a result, we may all end up paying the price. Please, people of the US, refrain from voting for ridiculously stupid right wingers from the Republican Party, and even worse, the Tea Party. And, worse than that, out and out Libertarians. We are counting on you America! Don’t let us down! Those on the right are bad news.

Best wishes…

A concerned citizen of the world.

Hooked on Racing.

Well, I can't seem to stop playing Dirt Track Racing 2 on my computer here. It's a highly addictive little racing game! It's preventing me from doing much else on my computer, which includes writing stuff. It's not like I actually write that much stuff anyway, but I am writing even less as I'm fish-tailing around dirt tracks all across the US with my car that I have spent thousands of virtual dollars getting in top condition. I'm working my way through a few racing series until I can get myself a late model stock car and go big time! It's sort of a new career direction for me, albeit one that isn't grounded in reality. Oh well. One must follow their dream, and my dream is to dominate in the world of Dirt Track Racing 2!

Assimilate Already!

So, what was it that the Chancellor of Germany, Ms Angela Merkel said last week? Multiculturalism has utterly failed in Germany apparently. Immigrants are not doing enough to assimilate, apparently. Then, what did she say? Wasn't it something about inviting all these people to come and work and toil for Germany a few decades ago, and now they just won't leave? Oh man, this was some disturbing talk from the Chancellor (what is a Chancellor exactly??).

First off, I've seen Germans in Doha where I live right now. I don't exactly see them converting to Islam, wearing thobes, and learning Arabic. I'm not seeing a whole lot of assimilation here by Europeans and other Westerners. We Westerners go places and we hardly assimilate. One constant worry that Westerners have here is "I can still get alcohol, right?" Another love of us Westerners is to complain about the lack of bacon. BACON! NO BACON! What kind of place has no bacon? I haven't met one Westerner here, or anywhere I have gone, who has assimilated as it were. If anything, it's the opposite. The world assimilates to us. The world is becoming a McDonald's eating, Brad Pitt loving, Nike wearing, Eminem listening, English speaking homogeneous wasteland (ironically, NONE of these things is German). We are still colonialists. We are not the victims. We are still on top. The world is bending to our needs! It makes life easy for me as a very Western, English speaking white guy who is pretty darn lazy. In fact, I guess I can't complain at all. I really can't. I got it darn good in this world. I have it better than darn good, I'm at the very top. How did I get there? Being born in the right part of the world at the right time with the right skin colour, surrounded by the right language. In other words, I did nothing! That was easy, let me tell you. It's hard to assimilate, which is probably why we just don't do it, us First World hypocrites. We want people to assimilate in our countries, although we don't actually have a clear definition of what that means. With the new fad of banning face veils worn by Muslims, it would appear that looking Muslim, or even being Muslim for that matter, means that you have not assimilated. Sometimes I think people feel that others have not assimilated when some one speaks with an accent, or has not managed to completely forget their traditional language and speak English perfectly. If being able to speak English well means you have assimilated, half of my hometown of Thunder Bay would be asked to leave, but they would have nowhere to go because that is where they were born....eh. They would all be loaded up on a boat and their selected leader would say "F off, eh? Like, we ain't goin' nowheres, eh. We're, like, from Thunder Bay, eh, and you gots no right to do this, eh."

Secondly, the last part of what Ms. Merkel said. This whole idea of bringing people into a country to do crap jobs that no one else would take when the economy is good, and then getting mad when the economy isn't so good anymore, and they are still there. In other words, Merkel is mad about disposable people not being disposed of, and most of these are Turks it seems. Darn people and their giving their hard work, blood and sweat for Germany and it's economic growth and then not going away when they aren't needed. Shameful! So, leave now people! Get out! But leave your kebabs. They can stay. Meanwhile, while I was living in Turkey, I would shop at a large German supermarket, a large German hardware store, and almost get run over daily by many makes of German cars. So, as long as the money is coming out of Turkey to Germany, no problem! But, if those damn, dirty Turks are going to Germany, whoa, problem! Does this just sound completely horrible to you, all of this stuff? It does to me.