Madness of the unborn states?

After way too much inward navel gazing, its  time to expand from myself and ponder for a while matters other than i.


The virulent antics of the anti-abortionist brigade (strangely usually headed by men - why is that?) has always struck me as strangely dyspeptic, even logic twisting; as many of its supporters appear happy venting unabashed vengeance against those providing services for women who don't want a baby, any baby not even a baby forced on them by a rapist, as presumably society as we know it will up sticks and collapse.

Mayhaps they are unaware of the 15,000,000 annual baby and children deaths around the world from starvation (have a read just in case you have no idea of the process, i didn't), a slow painful death as your body slowly feeds on itself over weeks in an effort to survive.

Perhaps that's not as pressing a concern as preventing a woman from having an abortion. A woman who has probably thought through and reached a decision that extremely affects her, her body, her health, her sanity, and her ongoing dividing embryonic cells.  Not yours, nor mine.

No, these bubble-hounds believe it is far better that a child is born, regardless of the wants and wishes of the mother, so whatever passes for their conscience can be salved; happy, ignorant or uncaring of the other 15,000,000 deaths, occurring annually around the globe, from starvation.  Or are they of the opinion that once a child is born, if it then succumbs to a slow and painful death then never mind, that must be the will of the almighty or the work of the fallen one? I believe the term sadist in this light is a woeful inadequate term.

People have always meddled in others lives, you do it, i'm doing it, its a product of who we are, and as our cities continue transforming into glamorous villages, action (for good or ill) is a slivering whisper away from a roaring inferno.

If the pro-lifers (but happy to kill you if we disagree with you brigade), wish to show they are much more than a fanatical band of whoopy-tunes, then they should go boycott big food, the pharmaceuticals, or demand an answer from their politicians, as to why in this day and age millions across the globe are allowed to starve, when at least 40% of 'westerners' foodstuffs ends up in a landfill never being consumed or opened.  Then once they've committed to that and sorted that out, they might then have a claim to advise women on the benefits and joys of motherhood and the bringing up an unwanted child.

About thyme

A friend firkled me out of my hermit-hole to brave the world outside 18 walls.

I'd forgotten what it was like, seeing how much that part of town (victoria/pimlico) had changed. Saddening to see the arrogance, the absence of empathy, to see subtle yet pervasive fear in an area that had blossomed into glittery brightness after so many years as a desolate wasteland - to become, as my friend sadly intoned, "snooty."

But what, about thyme?

The menu was modicumly expensive, after ten minutes of sitting down, half the downstairs clientèle paid and left - perhaps due to the sudden influx of raff or perhaps nothing more than a happy switch-over of customers, but any fear was dispelled as the waiters and maître d’ were fantastic, smoothly polished in their delivery, execution, and best of all non-rushy - which is always a sublime experience when everything blends without a hitch.

The rosé wine looked lost, nestled as it was forlornly at the bottom of a 330ml glass; which set thoughts scrambling as to whether i'd need to pop into a chippy on the way home or have a bar of something chocolatey to savour the feeling of fullness. Those thoughts were soon forgiven and banished upon the arrival of a shared starter, the tabla iberica comprising of: ham, chorizo, lomo & salchichon, combinations which only bettered my ageing chompers once, as each soft silkily smooth slice, happily complemented the black olive bread, with each bite gently caressing the structures of my tongue, before punting southwards. Next, i plumped for pan fried calves liver served with smoked pancetta and creamed mash, which was surprisingly even more deliciously soft, textured and meltingly tasty; indeed, each bite cried out for its own choral symphony - by far one of the best offerings i've been delighted to consume in many a year - being a hermit does have its impact. My friend inhaled the barbary duck's breast, potato rosti, braised red cabbage and red currant jus, which too rated as excellent, on the mouthwatering melt-scale.

So if you haven't yet experienced, nor worried about taking out a fifth mortgage, then about thyme should be on your visiting schedule. Strangely, well worth it.

Fruit and veg luxury

In the uk a bastion of opportunity, fairness and democracy, it's telling how truly bad things are; when people start thinking of ordinary fruit and vegetables as an expensive luxury.

Changing planets

With the ever increasing noise about climate change and how it will affect the planet and all the species it contains, perhaps now is the correct time to think about what comes after. 

Imagine all that captured carbon solidified and compressed into a small space then been carted over to mars.   With the leaps and advances made in the arena of ameliorating the worst effects our own climate folly could embue upon us, the flip side could be the knowledge to change another worlds atmosphere to one of our own suiting.  Yes that wonderful science fiction staple that is known as terraforming.

Breadless

Egypt, once the bread basket of an empire, is now running short of subsidised bread due to the rising cost of wheat. 

But when everything is a commodity, everything has a price.  And heaven help those who don't have the ability to leverage, as they'll be squeezed further into the gutter and labelled as terrorists if they complain.