The Mysterious Flame of Queen Hinkypunk

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4673908.stm
Hmmm.

I don't where I stand on this. 'Freedom of speech' is a misleading statement, because it doesn't actually exist. There are lots of things you can be prosecuted for saying and if you *know* that by saying something in print or in person you are going to incite a violent reaction then you are, in fact, abusing the ideal of 'freedom of speech'. An ideal that doesn't exist. I see a catch-22 developing...

However- if no-one ever said things to challenge potentially oppressive ideals and structures, then none of the major changes would have taken place over the last 150 years. If Rosa Parks had not said 'No', the course of American and European history may have been very different, for example. Ghandi!

Sitting back and letting something repressive take root was Europes mistake in the 1930's.

*I am not comparing Islam to the Naziism. I am just trying to build a psychological context for modern Europe when it comes to strict belief structures, and to the perception of fundamentalist groups of all faiths by the secular world*

So... this Danish newspaper publishes cartoons that it *knows* will incite debate and possibly violence. Let's not beat around the bush with this, it was meant to cause offence. I heard an interview with a French journalist last night who was one of those who reprinted the pictures. He was quite explicit in his assertion that it was BECAUSE it was a 'forbidden' representation in another culture that they printed it. Now, France is rebelling against religious imagery in most forms at the moment, so this attitude- while it worries me- does not surprise me.

However- do threats of violence against the EU, armed gunmen raiding EU offices, and violent protests do anything but reinforce a stereotype held in Europe?

Personally I think fundamentalists in any religion are dangerous, poisonous and should be subjected to criticism, examination and questioning, always questioning 'but why?'.

I can't help but feel a definite smugness and underlying racism in the actions taken by the Danish and French press, however

I had such a 'disgusted from Tunbridge-Wells' moment yesterday, mainly due to it being the last weekend of half term and kids being in great and loud abundance. 12 year olds, fart gas and pillow fights in department stores sums it up. The words 'in my day' VERY nearly passed my lips but then I imagined myself saying it and the horror took over.

I have spent most of today loading tracks on to my pink creative zen micro, which is my birthday present from the ever lovely Hubster. Here's hoping I don't break it within 48 hours, anything that beeps self-combusts within two days exposure to me. In the last two days a department store till and the computer at work have fallen victim to my presence.

This week brings with it a family bonfire (with roasted chesnuts and catherine wheels), early birthday celebrations, a week off work, big fireworks display by the sea, and on Sunday- a birthday cake, mexican food and copious amounts of Southpark. I love this time of year.

I have a confession to make.

I stroke other peoples cats. Infact, I solicit other peoples cats.

It started when my then-fiance and I moved in together. Both of us went from having 5 cats between us, to none (we rent, as so many in todays housing market are wont to do).
We are cat people. We would be blissfully happy if instead of cushions we merely had various cats stretched over our furniture. I have often professed my desire for a duvet made of live kittens... So, in our cat free climate we sought other avenues for our feline obsession to satisfy itself.

We tried stuffed cat cuddly toys. We tried cat ornaments. Cat mugs. Cat this and cat that... Then we discovered the 3 cats who seem to spend their lazy lives sat outside their house on the road down from ours. We started off just exchanging glances, the odd 'mew', maybe a purr was sent in our direction. Before we knew it we were deliberately taking that route to and from the city centre so that we could see the cats (a grey tabby, a ginger kitten and a big fluffy black and white 'mog'). On one occasion the old lady who lived next door to the cats was on the same bus as us, and introduced us to the cats by name.

Now, 3 years later, and now-husband and I are well acquainted with the kitties. We have even discovered Tiger (a big grumpy old cat just round the corner), Grubby Kitty (a squashed nose grey fluff ball) and Aloof Kitty (who imitates a garden ornament at the bottom of the road). On rare sundays we see Church Kitty, lazing in the grounds of the welsh language church next door...

There is a downside to kitty spotting.

If you have an eye for kitties, you have an eye for all kitties- not just the happy and healthy. We're the people who take the time to ring all the doorbells in the road where we find a run over kitty. We're the people who can't say no to taking in a vulnerable kitty (that's how Thomas entered my family home- rescued by our other house guest after she saw him being abused). In severe cases of pmt, we're the ones crying at the Moby video where the kitty has no home to go to and climbs a tree in despair...

So, next time you see your cat having a chin stroke from a stranger, it's probably just a cat-less house-renter yearning for the final addition to any true home- 'miaow'.

Well, after leaving Live Journal after becoming sick of the 'drama' I decided to find a much nicer home for any online musings.

This seems a friendly, well lit, kind of place where the tea comes with saucers and the biscuits are never the last malted milk in the packet.