Winter.

I stand beside nude trees,
Under a bare sky.
It’s cobalt-coloured – like stripped-bare dreams;
It’s leaden, and naked of life.

The Pavilion is risen tall;
Its grandeur all too clear.
If you’d like to take a winter stroll,
Why don’t you meet me here?

My skin is chilled
And my dreams hang low –
Like a frosty, morning fog.

And I pine for you,
In grumbled tones –
After my keeper,
Like a dog.

If you should see me upon the pavement
With desolate-looking eyes,
Know there’s a sparkle present
And, because of you, my tears have dried.

And I feel I’m not kidding myself
With the undulations of my mind;
No matter what my temperament,
I know you’ll soothe me in tones kind.

The sky is cobalt-blue
And the leaves are in dank piles.
But I’ll walk these paths with you –
And I’ll walk them for miles.

A lighter shade of me....

I know most of the stuff I write is over-serious and leaden, so here are a few uplifting videos courtesy of Nalts:

Judeo-Christian religion and women.

To be a Born-Again Christian means to be as a child - just as Jesus advised. To be born again isn't to see the world through the eyes of a thinking adult who's had his or her views changed; it's to be re-born as a child. We don't need more children on this planet; we need thinking adults.

Throughout the histories of Judaism and Christianity, women have been subjugated and subjected to the most extreme oppression. This sort of thing only stopped occurring towards the end of the nineteenth century. For hundreds of years, women could not vote nor own property; nor could they escape their domestic settings. The first American woman to ever strive to become a lawyer was blocked by the Supreme Court (with an 8-1 majority) some 100 years ago.

The 10th commandment alludes to the fact that women were seen as property to the early Jews. Many Christians will fail to recognise this or wholly deny it. Many don't know that early Jewish men were polygamists who had many wives - King Soloman had 1000 (or so we're told in the Bible).

The 10th commandment states: "Thou shalt not covet your neighbour's house, or his wife, or his plough, or his ox, or his ass." Houses and oxen and ploughs were property - and so were women. Women were 'chattel' (they were personal possessions who could be moved around). Another striking thing about the Old Testament is that it was perfectly acceptable for Jewish - and early Christian - men to sell their daughters into the sex trade. People also kept slaves (provided that these slaves were taken from foreign lands - just as the Egyptians did with the early tribes of Judea; it seems some people never learn).

Before you go to bed tonight, just think about some of the tortures your great-grandmothers had to endure. Think about how women have been treated throughout the centuries. Think about how in some Muslim states (as well as in Israel and some Christian states in Africa and the Far East) women are oppressed and controlled (all because the early Moslems aped the Old and New Testaments). I'm an atheist, but if you wish to pray tonight please pray for all those around the world whom are in dire need of their human rights. Pray for your loved ones and your enemies. Pray for everybody. And if you're not no spineless and idiotic as to think to pray, make real change and help others in your communities.

God in the 21st century.

A few words on prayer by John Shelby Spong.

A talk by John Shelby Spong.

Plan Colombia.

Since 1998, America has been destroying the Colombian countryside under the guise of a collection of anti-drugs policies called 'Plan Colombia'.

This involves spraying large amounts of defoliant (herbicide) over coca fields in order to halt the production of cocaine. There's one thing Americans aren't aware of, though - something entirely more sinister and nefarious: American agribusiness companies are moving into these affected areas and farming crops. These companies employ jobless, displaced peasants and make them work in the agribusiness industry for low pay, under dire working conditions.

Also, vast areas of Colombia are handed over to mining companies and oil companies. Vast swathes of land are strip-mined and destroyed. These acts are the product of American policy and they're supported by western countries such as the UK.

The following videos will provide you with some information:

A joke.

I got into a fight with a dyslexic man today. He told me he was gonna shit the kick out of me.

A review of Changeling.

Changeling tells the story of Christine Collins - a mother who fights tooth and nail against police corruption and unthinkable odds in order to find her missing son, Walter. The film is written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed, produced and scored by Clint Eastwood. The film's message: never start a fight, but always finish it.

The film is set in the bustling, yet seedy, world of LA in the 1920s. Christine oversees a team of switchboard operators and is the single parent of her nine-year-old son, Walter. One day, she leaves work but misses her usual tram, arriving home slightly later than normal. When she returns, her son is nowhere to be found; the gentle piece of music playing begins to turn ominous in tone - a testament to Clint Eastwood's musical prowess. In desperation, she calls the police - who tell her nothing can be done until morning.

Walter goes missing on March 20th, 1928. In August of that same year, she receives an impromptu visit from the LAPD. They tell her that Walter has been found and he's in the process of being returned to her from Ohio (where he was supposedly found in the company of a vagrant man). When she greets him, though, she's struck with awe - he's not her son. In shock, she tells Captain Jones that she doesn't know who he is. He manages to get her to co-operate, though, and the LA press snap pictures of mother and 'son' together.

All seems to be working well until Christine tends to the boy after he slips in the bath - she sees the boy is circumcised. She drags him out into the hallway and measures him - he's three inches shorter than when last measured (five months previous). She calls Captain Jones and he gives her lip-service about what stress can do to a child. She refuses to co-operate so he sends in a counsellor (who proceeds to drag 'Walter' around the neighbourhood in order to have neighbours judge him 'objectively').

Soon, we are greeted with the presence of Reverend Briegleb (played by John Malkovich) - a local pastor who proselytises about the evils of the LAPD on his community radio programme. He asks to meet Christine at the church one morning. When she arrives, he shows her an article printed earlier in the morning insinuating that Christine might not be looking after Walter properly from shock (and so she might be the reason for his extreme physical changes).

Reverend Briegleb says: "Many children have been sacrificed to expediency; your boy is not the first, but, depending on what you choose to do, he might be the last...". He also informs Christine of various corruptions in the LAPD - one such corrpution is that police officers are able to kill criminals if they refuse to co-operate.

With the Reverend's help, Christine succours the confidence to take on the establishment. She receives testimonies from Walter's dentist (who notes extreme differences in the two children's teeth), and his teacher - who also notices differences in behaviour. (Both are prepared to give evidence in a court of law.)

The following morning, Christine gives a statement to the local press outside the town hall, stating that she has testimonies and will soon be speaking out against the corruption and incompetence of the LAPD. An officer present calls Captain Jones and notifies him. He issues an order to have Christine brought back to LAPD headquarters and brought in "through the back door".

Christine is told by the Captain that she's either lying about Walter or she's not aware of the fact that she's lying - either she's a liar or she's crazy. On that basis, he has Christine thrown into an asylum for being a "danger to the public and the peace". He does this illegally without issuing a warrant and also doing so before the warrant is issued - both of which are extremely illegal actions. Meanwhile, an investigator at the LAPD receives a call about a youth holed up illegally in a ranch in Wineville and tends to the case.

When Christine enters the asylum, she pleads with the head nurse to let her go and states that she's being blackmailed by police. She's hosed down and given a brisk, degrading, brusk cavity search. Upon seeing this scene, I couldn't help but juxtapose it with how Angelina Jolie is presented in 'Girl, Interrupted'.

Christine meets a woman called Carol Dexter. She notices that Christine's not eating, so she tells her: "Eat; eating's normal. You gotta do everything you can in here to appear normal." Christine tells her that she's sane, to which Carol replies: "No matter what you do, you'll appear insane - if you smile too much, you're delusional (you're stifling hysteria); if you don't smile, you're depressed; if you remain neutral, you're emotionally withdrawn." Carol states that she was admitted after one of her clients (she was a prostitute) beat her up (the client of which turned out to be a cop). When she lodged a formal complaint to the LAPD, she was thrown into the nuthouse - along with dozens of other innocent girls - under Code 12 of a relevant police act.

When the investigating officer arrives at Wineville, he comes upon a man whose car has broken down at the side of the road. He asks the man where the Northcott Ranch is. The man proceeds to reach into the back of his truck in order to put away his gasoline and he almost reaches for a 12-gauge shortgun he has in back. However, he refrains and gives the policeman directions. The cop arrives at the ranch and looks around the scene (finding an empty chicken coop, and axes and knives strewn about the ground) when he's startled by a boy who sees him and tries to flee into the house. He takes the boy into custody.

Meanwhile, at the asylum, Christine is being studied by the head psychiatrist. Christine tries to remain neutral and unaffected throughout his questioning. When he asks her if she minds how she's been treated, she says that she doesn't - the nurses are just trying to "cover all their bases" (by doing such things as testing for syphilis). When she's asked if Walter is her son, she says no (in stark contrast to the picture of her with 'Walter' at the train station taken in August). When she's asked if the police are just doing their job she says: "Yes; they're here to help," to which the man replies: "Really? That's not what you said to the head nurse - you told her that the police were 'conspiring against you'. Right, Ms Collins?" She begins to crumble.

Reverend Briegleb arrives at the LAPD headquarters shortly afterwards with hundreds of protestors in tow, demanding that Captain Jones tell him where Christine is. He tells her she's in a "safe place" that she needed to go to in order to maintain public peace. When the Reverend leaves, he calls the cop who was previously investigating the Northcott ranch and asks him to return. However, after he interviews the boy - who turns out to be named Sanford Clark - he finds out that the boy and his older cousin (Gordon Northcott) could potentially be at the heart of one of the state's biggest ever murder investigations. Sanford tells the officer that he and his cousin are responsible for the deaths of up to 20 children at the Ranch. When Sanford looks through the pictures of missing children, he picks out several photographs of children he remembers being held at the ranch - one of whom turns out to be Walter Collins.

Upon going back to the ranch with Sanford, the officer (accompanied by several others) asks the boy to dig where he believes the boys' bodies lie. After several minutes he unearths several skeletons. The investigator requests the aid of every officer within a 20-mile radius and phones back to the LAPD. Shortly afterwards, an article is published (which soon comes into the hands of Reverend Briegleb). The reverend storms the asylum along with California's leading civil-case lawyer and orders the release of Christine Collins. (Shortly afterwards - after she tells the men of the mistreatment and illegal holding of innocent, sane women - all of the women being held under Code 12 are released). When Carol and the others leave, we see the dainty frame of Christine (who's wearing her trademark, floral bonnet) standing at the foot of the entrance of the asylum. Carol throws Christine a look of deep gratitude and pride.

'Walter' is interviewed by the investigative officer who found the bodies of the missing boys and he cracks when he's told he could be prosecuted for impeding a police investigation. The boy says that his real name is Arthur Hutchins and that he wanted to come to LA to meet 'Telmex' - a character in a series of films - and ride his horse. Meanwhile, when Gordon returns home to Vancouver to see his sister she has her husband call the police. Soon afterwards he is arrested and taken into custody.

Christine pays for Arthur to be returned home. The Chief of Police oversees his returning. When he greets his mother, the Chief is giving a statement to the LA press. As Arthur is getting on the train, he tells his mother that it wasn't his fault - "It wasn't even my idea; the police told me to do it". The press members hear this comment and note it with curiousness.

At the civil trial, Captain Jones and the Chief of Police are both fired for malpractice, never again entitled to stand in the LAPD. Meanwhile, Gordon Northcott is being tried in a smaller, criminal trial. After the jury deliberates, they reach their verdict: they find him guilty of 20 counts of murder in the first degree. Gordon is sentenced to be hanged after being held for two months.

The final scene we see takes place a few years after Gordon's death. Christine is called by a 'Mrs Clay'. She tells Christine that a boy has been found. He turns out to be David Clay. David tells of how one night he and Walter and another boy escaped through a hole in the coop. Walter and the other boy were out when David became stuck. His noisy attempt at escape roused the attention of Gordon Northcott. Walter went back to help free David and all three escaped. David spent several years moving in and out of orphanages through fear of being faced with a reprisal kidnapping. Christine Collins kept looking for Walter but never found him.

I found the film riveting. The score was simple and elegant and the set pieces made one feel one was immersed in LA as it actually was in 1928. Angelina Jolie played the part of Christine simply and elegantly, bringing the character alive with the gentleness of her eyes alone - each exchange was like softest velvet; some were as knives. It's certainly up there alongside such greats as the Shawshank Redemption, LA Confidential and Stand by Me. It's certainly one of Clint's finest efforts - perhaps even exceeding Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino - and it offers lots of commentary on contemporary society - if one wants to read it in that way.

Rating: 9/10. If I had a handle on more films I'd give it a 10. It's a little wearisome at over two hours in length but it's a worthy and worthwhile investment.

Town.

The town in which I live is dying;
Sometimes I go out to cry.
But the rain masks my tears
And the night cloaks my fears.

The sky is crushing and cold
And this town's bones are getting old.
The sea's storming the pier
And the squall's all I hear.

Sorrow's a drag and regret's pointless.
We're here; we'll be gone, so why feel the blues?
But the jobs have all gone
And I'm left without Sun.

The TV screen flickers in the evening.
I'm sitting here with cans of beer and spite.
Some girl's on TV
But she's not singing for me tonight.

The lads 'round my way all want blood.
To them life is worth less than mud.
They all hide their eyes
And shout slurs in the night.

The town in which I live is dying;
Sometimes I go out to cry.
The sky's grey and looms
Like it's pregnant with gloom.

With hearts on our sleeves,
We die and we bleed.
With hearts on our sleeves,
We die and we bleed.

How do religious people manage to get out of bed in the mornings?

If I were a Christian (or any devotee of one of the Abrahamic religions), I don't think I'd be able to get out of bed in the mornings. For 1200 years, the Catholic church ruled Europe with snipe and subversion and torture and repression until the first awakenings of the Renaissance in the 1500s.

In that time, people believed they knew everything there was to know. They thought the Earth was at the centre of the solar system - and possibly the universe - until the Copernican revolution; they thought the Sun and planets and stars orbited the Earth in 'spheres' and perfect circles (hence the expression: 'music of the spheres'); they thought the stars had a bearing on destiny; they thought mental illness was caused by demonic possession (the usual 'cure' was to drill a hole in the afflicted's head through which the demon would pass); they thought that comets were portents highlighting God's wrath at the sinful multitudes (or possibly highlighting the imminent downfall of certain kings - as happened in 1066); they believed they were made in God's image out of dust; they believed women were inferior and infidels should be held as slaves and chattel.

I don't think I could get up in the mornings with the knowledge that some deity might hold a definite plan for my life. I don't think I could get up if I thought that everything was known and that there were no more triumphs to be had. I don't see how Christians can get up in the mornings with their short-sighted, stunted views on reality.

I don't see how Christians can assume to have definite knowledge on the cosmos and its origin, and the origin of man. I don't think I could get up assuming the world is 6,013 years old and that the Renaissance was a bad thing. I don't think I could get up if I were to believe that women are subordinate and that certain peoples can rightly and justifiably be held as slaves. I don't think I could get up if I were a Christian. My current awe at the beauty of nature would be expunged and replaced with a numbing, dogmatic nothingness. The beauty of evolution and its tangible and delicate dancings through time would be gone. If I were a Christian, there would be nothing more to live for. If I were a Christian, I would follow the teachings of Christ.

A short polemic against school uniforms.

You might think it an odd topic - and possibly a marginal one - but I have several things to say on the subject of secondary education. Every year, hundreds of thousands of primary school children are shipped off to their new state indoctrination centres to learn single, national accounts of history - in other words, they're taught to be able to justify things Britain has done in its past.

In primary school, the uniforms are usually incredibly twee and cute - crisp cotton shirts with large collars, woollen or cotton jumpers with the school emblem emblazonded on the breast, and, invariably, neat black trousers and clunky leather shoes (my trousers invariably had holes in them around where my knees would sit).

In secondary school, the uniforms are often more casual - I never wore a school jumper or a blazer; I'd usually trade it for a jumper, a plain hoody or a rain coat. Also, black trainers (or white ones for the next generation of thugs) are usually the choice footwear of today's children.

I haven't got to my point yet and I don't intend to labour it, but my point is this: why should school children have to wear uniforms? In my view, they shouldn't. School uniforms encourage children to look and act the same - they're already encouraged to think the same.

Certain subjects are essential: English grammar should be taught in English classes, maths should be taught proficiently, and so should science. English literature is also important - as is History - but I think it's second to the former subjects. The most important faculty any child should possess, though, is the ability to think critically; it's not enough to be able to read words on a page and understand, roughly, a given point or argument - children should be able to scrutinise rigorously what they read.

So, should children wear uniforms? No. Uniforms encourage uniformity - go figure! - and homogenisation. Individuality should be the only message inculcated into children. We need a next generation of adolescents capable of critical thinking who can detect and scrutinise the mistakes of their elders. It seems our educational system is failing. Perhaps it's time parents took the initiative. Is this or is this not a democracy?

Female circumcision.

Over 80 million Christian women in the Third World have had their clitorises forcibly removed in order to reduce sexual stimulation (and thus 'prevent' them from commiting adultery). Women who suffer this custom often succumb to chronic infection problems (as well as social disorders (and lameness in general)). Here's a video detailing this most horrific custom:

On last night's Question Time.

Last night, over eight million people tuned in to watch Question Time - four times its usual audience. The media storm surrounding Nick Griffin's appearance had whipped up much interest.

Many of the audience and panel's questions were directed at Mr Griffin, and, in answering them, his responses were flummoxed and came across as being desperate. (He also often failed to answer questions relating to stances he'd taken up in his past.)

Quotes about his party's evocations of Churchill and Hitler were put to him - many of which he denied saying - and he was also asked to justify comments he made at an American political rally at which the former head of the Ku Klux Klan was present.

He is believed to have said that his party would conceal their true nature until election time and dupe in members of the British public by using 'saleable' words such as 'freedom', 'democracy' and 'identity' (identity being a euphemism for race to him). He also said that he hoped to achieve control of the BBC if elected. Mr Griffin denied saying these things (despite the fact that one can hear him say them in a short Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04QolIvfQEw).

On the show, he disparaged Muslims and said that 'if Churchill were alive, he would be a member of the BNP.' He also disparaged Jack Straw's father (a conscientious objector during WW2 who was imprisoned), saying that his own father flew in the Royal Airforce.

At one point, he insinuated that 'indigenous' British people have been on this isle for 17,500 years - despite definite knowledge that the first Britons were Picts (a Celtic tribe who were present here some 4,000 years ago and were driven westwards by the Romans) and the Angles and Saxons didn't arrive until around 500 AD.

He also insinuated that his party stands for 'traditional, British, Christian values'. I wonder whether the admonition 'Do not judge, lest ye be judged' means much to Mr Griffin?

Although it's fair to say an unfair amount of time was spent probing Mr Griffin's beliefs and politics, I think such probing was a justified and necessary evil. He's a sickening character and I think he showed his willingness to deceive the public fully last night.

As of midday today, he has stated that he is due to lodge a formal complaint to the BBC for his 'unfair' treatment, and he has also challenged Jack Straw and David Cameron to formal debates.

I sincerely hope that no more platforms will be granted to him. I agree with Peter Hain that it might now appear to BNP enthusiasts that his party is as legitimate as any other major party purely because he's been allowed to take part in formal, televised debate.

His politics are disgraceful, deceitful and fascistic (and technically illegal because of his party's refusal to allow ethic minorities membership), and he deserves no recognition. I think we've all seen him for the callow, hollow, callous man he is. I hope sensible people will not identify with his claims about being treated unfairly. Sympathising with him would be playing right into his hands.

Creation.

This afternoon, out of sheer chance, I remembered that Creation is still being shown in cinemas. (For those of you who don't know - or might be fooled by the title - it's a biopic of Charles Darwin and his grand theory of evolution - the theory of which changed for ever the image of man within the cosmos.)

Upon looking around, though, I've found no cinemas in Brighton that are showing it - not even The Duke of York's Picturehouse. I'm thoroughly disgusted that fear and monetary sensibilities go before educational value in this country. Even if the picture were to have some inadequacies or bad character acting I'd still see it.

My faith in the secular nature of my country has been slightly shaken and I'm left feeling perturbed and dispeptic, with the odd taste of bile hanging around in the back of my throat.