Out4Marriage

Hi guys! Sorry for my inexcusable absence from blogging for the past few months. I have been panicking over the stress that is exams. I have one left tomorrow...but I thought I deserved a break from reading about Achilleus's childish exhibitions of behaviour in the Iliad. (He really is bloody irritating.)

Now. I am sure many of you are aware of the increasing support for the legalisation of equal marriage around the world and the many campaigns that have been set up to honour this worthwhile cause.

In the UK we are currently going through a consultation period which is nearly over!

Here are some of the reasons why I believe equal marriage should be legalised:

I don't like the fact that people who are homosexual lose rights...for telling the truth and expressing a fundamental part of who they are. What also seems absurd to me is that a gay man and a lesbian can get married but they can't get married to their respective same sex partners.

There is also this huge generalisation that being gay means one is inherently promiscuous and that they wouldn't value a monogamous commitment. This is not true. Many gay people enjoy committed, monogamous relationships that can transcend that of a heterosexual couple, because of the gender they share (some would argue that makes the pair more understanding of each others emotions).

Anyway, focussing back on the point. It's the 21st Century! I honestly can't understand the hold up on equal marriage...its so simple. Also, religion should have no say in civil rights...I would like to refer to religion and government as 'non-overlapping magisteria'. They should remain separate...

What religion does in its own walls is up to religion (however I am heartened to see a declaration of support for equal marriage among Deans and Bishops of the UK.

Also, I don't fully understand some religions grounds for opposition. They scream that homosexuality is abhorrent and that homosexuals are sinful but they ignore a lot of other stuff in the Bible that is 'no longer relevant'.

For example. DEUTERONOMY!

22.20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel,22.21 then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die, because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house; so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

Right...roughly 95% of women in the Western World have premarital sex... When do we start with the stoning? My message to the Church: If you are going to focus on a few passages in the Bible that condemn homosexuality and ignore other passages with clear instructions regarding heterosexual relationships...you lose all credibility. (Obviously I don't think women should be stoned on their wedding night if they aren't a virgin!)

Christians can't pick and choose what in the Bible they believe to be true. All of the Bible should be up for interpretation and/or discredited.

Furthermore, the Bible got something as simple as slavery wrong...its pretty safe to assume it got the complexities of human sexuality wrong too.

If its a question of procreation, a lot of infertile heterosexual people or those that don't wish to have children get married. Plus, gay people can provide loving environments to children in need of adoption. Orphaned or unwanted children need a home too. (Plus do we really need to increase the population?)

Ok. A parting video. A chap I have been messaging over the past 2 weeks is the film maker behind the Out4Marriage campaign. Have a watch. His name is Mike Buonaiuto and he was responsible for the Coalition for equal Marriage Viral film (which I will also post.). He has been incredibly supportive of me and my coming to terms with who I am. Thankyou Mike.

After all. It's about love isn't it? We are all capable of love, and love is the same everywhere.

That is why I am Out4Marriage.

Celtic Sirens

I'm not sure what it is about Irish singers that make me feel that little bit more content with life. The ethereal tones of my two favourite Irish singers are reverie inducing - mine often take the form of autumn leaves falling off trees...and the fragrant smell of long grasses being carried by the wind. The two I am talking about are Enya...and Janet Devlin.

Enya has been in my life ever since I was a tiny tot, often used by my parents to induce a non-wreckless mentality while on long car journeys to our chosen holiday destination (usually on the North Norfolk Coast). It was because of this that I associated Enya with adventure...and she inspired me to create my own world within which I could be myself and all I wanted to be. There is something beautifully romantic about Enya...she lives in a castle, dresses as if she is a Celtic princess and most of her music videos involve her and some aspect of the natural world.

Now, I chose Janet Devlin for a number of reasons: she suits my personal taste of laid back music that you can listen to accompany a daydream, she has an effortless voice and I can listen to her renditions of songs on repeat quite happily. She has quite a willowy, light voice...and I can imagine her being the 21st Century's answer to Enya. One suggestion I would make to Janet is that she should hold her own. I don't want another voice lost to the corporate machine that is Pop Music. Janet herself said she wasn't a huge fan of pop, so just keep that dream in sight! She should be an artist...not a singer who sings songs other people have written her. I really like her though.

Here are some videos of both of them:

Greek temple.

Ok, ok...I'm going through a photography phase. These are all pictures I have taken....feed back is greatly appreciated! (FYI The image is larger if you click on it.)

The Times are right…

Here I am spending the day at the Times newspaper headquarters. A nice early start prompted by my dearly beloved alarm tone…Antelope. If you are unfamiliar with this most infuriating of alarm tones, I suggest you never EVER get a Blackberry. Granted, its harsh tones get you out of bed quicker than you can say gazelle. I guess that makes it a good alarm then. Anyway, in preparation for my work experience here at the Times I have been keeping myself up to date on the goings on in the country by watching the news, reading the newspaper and keeping up to date online as well.

With the London and Birmingham Riots taking centre-stage in this week’s news coverage I thought to myself, ‘What on earth brought that on?’

Many of the rioters maintain that the wrongful killing of Mark Duggan by a policeman who was killed last Thursday in Tottenham, North London, motivated them. However, while some of the anger may be fueled by this, I believe that many just (for want of a better phrase) ‘jumped onto the band wagon’. The riots were just as much motivated by the desire for high-quality clothing as they were in outrage for Mark Duggan’s death. Camila Batmanghelidjh, of the charity Kids Company in Waterloo, talked to the Times reporter, David Aaronovitch about her taxonomy of responsibility for the young people involved. According to Ms Batmanghelidjh there are these three groups: initiators, imitators and opportunists. Many of the young people involved were opportunists, who reasoned that ‘Everyone else was doing it…’

What I think needs to change in this country is the way the government handle the benefits scheme. Many parents who are on benefits expect the government and state sector of education to raise their children for them. However, with suffocating restrictions placed on teachers in these schools they are unable to discipline the children who are being raised in dysfunctional family environments, with many of them living in the absence of a father figure. Many single mothers are ‘scared of their children’ and dare not to question these criminal acts as the children are taking on the role of provider/bread-winner.

However, although a majority of the rioters were of working-class backgrounds, there were many from middle-classes as well! One girl, who acted as the getaway driver for some of the looters, lived in a one million pound home! So while some of the rioters were motivated by political problems, a lot was just pure greed.

Cucumbers...what a pickle

People dressed in cloropel suits, with the addition of hoods and 'booties', the ominous wails of sirens, and Boots having a influx of people buying antibacterial gels and wipes all come to mind when thinking of the E. coli outbreak. It shouldn't as it is a bacteria, not a virus. However, now it makes me think of a plastic suburban housewife spraying a cucumber with 'anti-bac' fresh out of a TV advert.


These thoughts came into my mind upon perusing the selection of sandwiches in Expresso, my finger hovering over many sandwiches before falling on the prawn and cucumber baguette. I weighed up the possible consequences before concluding...


'This is a reputable sandwich bar, right?'


Anyway, my mind somehow falls upon the poor Spanish grocers who are trying to flog their incubi of possibly harmful bacteria. It therefore doesn't surprise me that Spain has spoken of seeking compensation from the EU for all the lost vegetable sales after the outbreak of E. coli was initially blamed on their cucumbers and then beans...turns out it wasn't them either. Which is why I ask, why has the media emphasized these 'killer cucumbers'?


The answer is, most probably, that everyone got bored of the 'Ronan Parke scandal' which also turned out, inevitably, to be false. Ah well, who cares. Lies make the media more interesting-fact. However, I will certainly consider thinking about the origin of the cucumbers in my favourite baguette before purchasing it.

Birthday's are a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world.

Well, Tuesday played host to a gathering of my closest friends to celebrate the day when I blessed the world with my ethereal presence. My eclectic group of friends includes: an amateur moth collector, a cloud enthusiast, and many other interesting characters.

We went and saw, as a result of popular vote, Hangover: Part II. This was an average albeit funny film which had and almost identical template to Hangover: Part I. However, this one took place in Bangkok, Thailand and explored many controversial and current issues such as transsexualism and kidnapping. This film certainly taught everyone that 'if you haven't found [insert lost persons name here] already, they're Bangkok's now.' This certainly makes me consider other possible holiday destinations before I visit the 'City if Angels'.

After the film, we wandered out of the cinema in a daze as we were confronted by a phenomenon known as 'sunlight'. At first we were unsure of what this rare occurrence was doing to our sensitive eyes. Alas, we did get used to it but it certainly is a pain after spending over two hours in pitch black save the glow from the cinema screen. My cinema trip was accompanied by my ever faithful companion, the conventional slush beverage. Not only does it add a hint of awkwardness when slurped during a particularly intense moment of a film, it is delicious and never fails to give me a brain freeze.

Ode, to my tropical fruit slushie,

Well met, is my beverage of partially frozen water,

Mixed with a syrup of exotic artificial colourings and flavourings,

I hail thee and present myself, thy humble servant.

Err...anyway, after the cinema we went to a newly opened Carluccio's which boasted affordable authentic Italian cuisine. Being my conservative, unadventurous self, I ordered the lasagne and was scolded, albeit friendlily, by the 'woman about town' (her own description), Sandy. With a rallying 'Happy Birthday!' chorus I was presented with what can only be described as the most chocolatey cake ever constructed. We then made our way home and had a late night swim.

Swim-fest included: shoulder fights, splash wars, group jumping in and make out sessions between certain members of the group...

We then went and watched Black Swan in our movie room, surround sound and trusty high definition. I was pleasantly surprised at my brother's willingness to spend the night in the room next to an adolescent den complete with infectious laughter and differing voice pitches...still surprised that he managed to get to sleep at all!

With the cumulative hours of our sleep added up to the hefty sum of 3.5 hours. A great night had by all.

To all my friends who were present at the party, thank you so much for the presents.

Until next time...

A short time ago, in a city not that far away...

In a circular room of glass at the summit of the High Council Tower of the English Block in Norwich School, Jedi Master Andy Fisher took charge of the Ascension of the Padawans. Master Fisher had closely monitored their development and had offered guidance to these young adolescents that stood before him dressed in white tunics, grey pants, and blue robes, with the addition of a leather utility belt and boots.

The ceremony proceeded with a blessing of 'May the Force be with you' bestowed upon each Padawan. Utilizing the knowledge of Analytical Writing that these Padawans had obtained from Master Fisher they assembled their Highlighters using the Force.

The Gift of the Highlighter and the power of analytical ruthlessness has certainly proved that the pen is indeed mightier than the...well...lightsaber.

Whilst weilding my highlighter I perused an article exploring the relationship between The Matrix and Christianity. I lapsed into a moment of nostagia as I remembered fondly the moment when we entered the class room in which we would discuss Edgar Allen Poe, Old Man and the Sea, many assorted poems, Othello and Journey's End.

Well, the period known as 'study leave' has arrived and I continue to do 35 minute periods of revision interspersed with exceedingly long breaks....naww I kid, usually about 15 minutes. I have an R.S exam tomorrow, eeeeek! Actually, its not that scary, I'm really rather good at R.S (Not blowing my own trumpet or anything.... :P ).

As you can see by the little gadget on the right hand side of the blog, I am now on Twitter!

The count of my vast following is.... 1

I know, pathetic isn't it but thank you Maharashtra India Travel Guide for your support!

Sorry for my 2 week absence from blogging but the truth is...I didn't have much to write about. Oh, and well done to my friend Maddie for her excellent piano recital last Saturday (7th) and a huge wave to my friend Sandy who supports me by reading this!

Thanks for reading guys, if I don't write its because I am busy with exams. But hey! It's my birthday in 2 weeks! *cheers*

TTFN!