Monday Action: Plastic Bags? No thanks!

See also Monday Actions for more.

Inspired by the Devonshire town of Modbury and my general annoyance at the number of times I’m asked if I want a carrier bag in shops, I’ve decided that its time every else took on the challenge of turning down plastic carrier bags as often as possible.  When you’re offered a bag at the checkout, Just Say NO!

We apologise for delays to this service…

Well, I figured it was time to post some form of apology to anyone who bothers to check by this blog daily.  Due to the strains of deadlines, etc.  I have been unable to find the time to post anything.  However, there’s a list of topics in my head again, and hopefully some time in my diary over the next week.  All being well, a Monday Action will appear tomorrow.

Putin appears to attack “democratic ideology”

Just a brief note in the middle of much of life’s chaos, as I just spotted that Putin has used his annual national address to speak plainly against those who he sees as putting democracy before economic stability: “Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country,” he said. “There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal affairs.” (Quoted on BBC News).

Does anyone else hear the potent mix of double speak and an attack on what it truly means to be a democracy?  The rise of exactly what?  Organised crime and corruption? It appears he feels threatened by those seeking wider democracy within the country.  I guess its rare we see the power-crazed speaking so candidly.

Quick thoughts on false dichotomies

Sorry this isn’t a ‘neater’, ‘tidier’ post, but this is all I’ve got just right now.  Dichotomies are the kind of things humans seem to do rather well; the over simplification of the relationship between two assumed polar opposites.  Three have cropped up in my conversations lately, and I wonder if you can identify any others that might have come up in yours.

Behold your saviour (or maybe dictator)

Chavez.  Yes, the guy in Venezuela.  He done this thing right.  He shut down a private TV channel.  Now, I’m not saying that the TV men were any good or anything, but, like, I don’t feel too good about this.

Yes, my friends, Hugo Chavez, proclaimed as saviour of Latin America by so many on the left, has just shown us his darker side.  I don’t f—in care if the TV station in question was a mouth piece for right wingers who oppose his (and I mean this) brilliant social policies.

Monday Action: Continue Opposing the BNP

See also the Monday Action page.

Well done to anyone and everyone who’s managed to do something towards my super-popular (like over 100 visits not from StumbleUpon) anti-BNP Monday Action.  But the election is still to happen and far more needs to be done.  The following is a list of stuff you can do in York, but this is generally a reminder to spend some of the next 10 days putting just a bit of effort into ensuring the BNP don’t continue to divide our societies.

FairTrade and the African Dream

This is a heavily edited version of an original story. It would have been great if I’d only written it better the first time. Anyhow, its getting submitted for a magazine.

During FairTrade Fortnight the BBC website ran some articles looking at the issues around FairTrade. In one of them, they asked a representative of the right-wing Adam Smith Institute to give their views on FairTrade. He claimed that it was keeping Africa poor, preventing some pre-ordained transition to urban industry across the continent. So should we really encourage Africans to keep farming?

Creating the media for ourselves…

The aim of this is to share cool ideas for what to do, not the geekish how to do it stuff. Just so you know.

York IndyMedia, one of the websites I work with has just had a major overhaul, and I’m pretty pleased with what’s been achieved. Now the good people of York will get their locally-written news in a nicer, neater format. Its led to some new questions getting asked about how we take the website forward, and what the site is for…

Spare a moment…

It’s 5:35 in the morning and I’m almost finished on what I’m doing.  But in the midst of the rush, I figure I should spare a moment for some events which have left the world a more worrying place.  Perhaps, when you read this, you’ll join me.

For the victims of the carbombings in Baghdad.  We will remember them.

For the victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech.  We will remember them.

For the family, friends and colleagues of BBC Correspondent Alan Johnston.  We will remember them.

Whatever our background, our beliefs or our visions, let us oppose hatred, tear down ignorance, and build up common humanity.

Election time is here!

Yes, in just a few short weeks, a lot of us will (or should) be heading to the polls for a crucial round of elections.  Here’s some thoughts of mine for you to take, consider and probably discard, as you make up your own mind on who to vote for.  Yes, its that bit where I express preferences in polls I ought to have nothing to do with…