On the Norwegian Terrorist Attacks, Fundamentalism and Racism

A long-winded title for a blog post, perhaps. But all three topics are linked.

Firstly, unless you have been living under a rock at the bottom of a lake since yesterday afternoon, you will no doubt be aware that two terrorist attacks were carried out yesterday (22nd July 2011) in Norway.

The first was a bomb attack in the capital, Oslo. Current reports indicate that this killed seven people.

The second attack was far more shocking. A gunman disguised himself as a police officer and visited an island several miles away from the capital which was hosting a youth camp organised by the ruling political party. In the confusion following the bomb in Oslo, he was allowed access to the camp. He then opened fire on the campers, killing at least 84 people in the half hour before he was arrested.

This is stunning. A bombing is in itself a brutal, vicious thing to do, but gunning down 84 defenceless, innocent people is the action of a person who barely deserves the title "human." To carry out such acts, the gunman must have been completely level-headed and utterly callous.

Despite initial speculations of an attack by Al Qaeda or Gaddafi, the gunman was in fact a Christian fundamentalist.

Interestingly, Christianity was trending this morning on Twitter. Let's see what people on Twitter had to say on the subject:

"The murderer in Norway is not a Christian, and these evil actions have nothing to do with Christianity."

"He doesn't represent Christianity."

"That isn't fundamental Christianity. Or even mental Christianity. It's just insanity."

Et cetera, et cetera...

Of course these acts aren't representative of Christianity. Of course this man is an exception to the rule. But he is a Christian. That is undeniable. Trying to deny that is like trying to deny that he is Norwegian because most Norwegians don't do that sort of thing.

Religious fundamentalism is a backwards and thoroughly ridiculous stance that has thankfully almost died out in the West (with the notable exception of the United States).

I expect, then, that we'll see the Daily Mail on Monday foaming at the mouth about how Christianity is incompatible with modern democracy and that churches should be closed down. After all, didn't they say just that after the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks?

Ah, my mistake. Most Christians in this country have the same colour skin as us. How silly of me.

Seriously, though, there is a problem. All too often people attack Islam as backwards, medieval or barbaric without taking into consideration that precisely the same thing could be said of Christianity.

Ah, you might think, but what about all the pictures we see of Muslims holding up signs reading "ISLAM WILL DOMINATE THE WORLD" and "BEHEAD THOSE WHO INSULT ISLAM"? Isn't that evidence that Islam is more inherently fundamentalist than Christianity?

No, it is not. Hands up who has wandered around town, or been on public transport and come across a fundamentalist preacher telling indifferent passers-by to accept Christ into their hearts or suffer eternally. Now hands up who has seen Muslim preachers doing the same for Islam. One at the back. Thought so.

Then I ask: why we do not see pictures of these Christian preachers plastered just as frequently over the pages of the Daily Mail and The Sun? I would hazard a guess that it can be summed up in one word:

Racism.

Priorities

Came back home on Sunday morning after the Year 13 prom (which was good, although I have very little recollection of the after-party). After having a shower, I went downstairs to find my mother in the kitchen. She asked me if I "picked up any girls". The answer was no. (I'm not suave or self-confident enough to simply say "Hey babe, fancy a dance?" If you know what my voice sounds like and what I look like, you'll know immediately just how horrifyingly, ridiculously awkward and utterly unromantic that would be coming from me.)

Later on, when I saw Dad, his first question was not along those lines. His first concern was how drunk I got. He was pleased on that account.

I found this mildly amusing, at any rate...

Goodbye Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle Atlantis took off yesterday for the last time. Never again will humans be taken into space by those ships. I won't say "good riddance" because the Shuttles have contributed to countless discoveries over the last few decades. But I am glad to see the back of them.

The Cold War-era space race was driven by competition between the USA and USSR. Each wanted to show that they could outmatch the other's technology, because mastery of space meant mastery in the event of a nuclear war. A rocket that could take men into orbit could easily bring nuclear weapons crashing down on cities.

Then, suddenly, the Soviets simply gave up the fight. They made no attempts to get men to Mars or establish a base on the Moon. The Americans relaxed and the future of space exploration was held back for decades. No human has set foot on another world since 1972.

But another space race has been gearing up, largely behind the scenes. This time between private companies. As happened with aeroplanes in the postwar period, competition may be able to drive down costs significantly, especially with new and more efficient rockets. I strongly doubt space flight will be affordable for normal people until an orbital elevator is constructed, but we might at least be able to see government-owned bases spring up on the Moon this side of 2030 and space hotels in orbit for the rich and famous before 2020.

50 Things

Shit.

I have nothing original to write about, but think I should do something more worthwhile than arguing with morons on the internet, as I have been the past half hour. Therefore, I am going to write down 50 different facts about me, on the off-chance that someone will find at least some part of it interesting.

1. My full name is Thomas Alexander Nash
2. I was born with a small hole in my brain caused by a blood clot in the womb.
3. Perhaps as a result of this, my dexterousness is all fucked-up. I write left-handed, drink right-handed, shoot a gun left-handed but shoot a bow right-handed etc
4. I was born with a hole from one side of my heart to the other, but this has since closed up.
5. I was born with a condition known as Cystic Hygroma, which affects about 1 in 60,000 people. Basically, I have a large cluster of lymph nodes in my right cheek, making it appear swollen.
6. I have had several operations to reduce the swelling. If you think it looks bulky now, you should see pictures of me as a baby.
7. My right leg is slightly shorter than my left. This gives me a slightly strange gait. I walk heel-toe on my left foot but toe-heel on my right. But if I walk quickly, both feet go toe-heel.
8. I am partially colourblind. I can see in colour, but I can't tell when bananas are ripe, amongst other things.
9. I nevertheless have perfect 20:20 vision.
10. I am an agnostic, ignostic atheist humanist. I do not believe in any gods, but consider the assertion that there are definitely no gods unscientific.
    
    
11. I find it impossible to choose what to believe. I don't know if everyone is like this, but often people talk about "wanting to believe" something. I can't do this. It's either true or it's not, and whether I think it is good or bad has no bearing on the truth of a statement.
    
    
12. I have had two experiences that could be called "numinous", that is to say, "religious" but not as a result of religion. The first came when driving through the Australian outback at night. I looked up and saw the incredible, vast cloud of the Milky Way galaxy above my head. For a brief period of time I was able to comprehend as I had never done just how enormous the galaxy was. It brought tears to my eyes.
    
    
13. On a less serious note, my favourite food is normally pepperoni pizza.
14. The perfect pizza would be barbecue and stuffed-crust, and have pepperoni, ham, bacon, minced beef, chicken and possibly duck as toppings.
15. I consider minstrels to be the nicest chocolate cheaply available.
16. I am single.
17. I am heterosexual.
18. I am, it would seem, inept with regard to relationships.
19. I had a very quiet emotional breakdown between the ages of 14 and 15.
20. I'm a complete nerd/geek. There's no point denying it or taking offence at the term.
    
    
21. I have a phobia of needles resulting from having a drip left in my hand long after the anaesthetic had worn off when I was about 7 or 8, allowing me to feel the pain of it being in there.
    
    
22. The last time I went for a routine injection, I was voluntarily sedated beforehand with (prescribed) diazepam.
23. Diazepam felt like being drunk, only without any urge to carry out "good ideas".
24. I have never smoked anything.
    
    
25. I once wore a brace, but any changes made by the brace were being pushed back by my cheek, so the decision was made to stop wearing it. Hence I have fairly crooked teeth.
26. I have one filling. Not because that tooth had a cavity, but because it came out of the gum already chipped. Typical.
    
    
27. I am a moderator on an online forum.
28. I was also a "super user" (moderator) on another forum which then died.
29. I have been involved for many years with a charity called Changing Faces. No prizes are awarded for guessing why we first got in touch.
30. I was once on posters to increase publicity for Changing Faces.
31. I was once featured in a photo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in Manchester.
    
    
32. There is a reasonable chance that I will also be briefly shown in a BBC3 series soon. Not as a subject, but simply because I was on the same activity day as one of the people who is a subject of one of the episodes.
33. I can flare my nostrils.
34. I have a very high metabolism, but low blood pressure. The result is that I can eat and not get fat, and I have a lower risk of heart disease.
35. I am a casual Lifeguard at a local sports centre. I can work if and when I want, and the pay is amongst the best available for someone my age.
36. The most action I have seen in my job is a grazed knee. The exciting stuff happens precisely when I'm not there, which suits me just fine.
37. I get an unparalleled level of respect when I'm wearing the uniform. I can make douchebags stop their douchebaggery with a whistle-blast or a shake of my head. Maybe they fear me slightly because I can have them removed from the centre. POWER! Muahahaha!
38. I read two webcomics regularly. Yeah...
39. Probably my favourite all-time game is Rome: Total War. I use mods (modifications) to the game, as the original has long ago lost its appeal to me. The replay value with mods is almost unparalleled.
40. I was born in Pembury, Kent.
41. I have a strange accent. My family moved to East Yorkshire when I was three, so I've picked up quite a few local intonations. But at home everyone still speaks with more southern accents. So my "o"s are quite strongly pronounced, amongst other things.
42. I dislike the sound of my own voice. If I have to listen to it, I try not to for long.
43. Ideally, I would be almost carnivorous. Meat tastes so much nicer than vegetables. But I have to take into consideration both health and the fact that chocolate and breakfast cereals are not meat.
44. I've effectively given up on getting my driving license this side of university. I tried to learn, but over a year later, my instructor was taking me round the same bloody roundabouts each week. Not a single manoeuvre or anything. I could almost do those roundabouts with my eyes closed. So I've since stopped having lessons.
45. I resat the first year of Sixth Form. I got a D, two E's and a U the first time round, as opposed to three C's and a D the second time.
46. I'm hoping to study biology Derby University this September. Failing that, I'll go to Salford which, despite its low reputation, has fairly strong biology.
47. If I choose, I can probably exercise complete control over at least two people through blackmail.
48. As long as the situation is not emotionally charged, I can be a fluent liar. Which is very useful.
49. The most fun I've ever had doing an activity was paintballing. If I had someone to go with, I would go as often as possible.
    
    
50. I tend to be optimistic. I have yet to come up against a single event that has changed my life irrevocably for the worse. In fact, the worst disaster I have met (see 45) has actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It granted me the extra time and support (intentionally and accidentally) to mature emotionally to the point where I actually feel ready to flee the nest.

Philip Davies and Minimum Wage for Disabled People

Earlier this week in Parliament, one Philip Davies argued that people with disabilities should be "allowed" to work for less than minimum wage. He argued that an employer is more likely to employ a person who is not disabled and that allowing disabled people to work below minimum wage would be a good way to prevent employers discriminating against disabled people.

I strongly disagree. Allowing such a thing would have precisely the opposite effect. Granted, disabled people might (and I stress the term) be able to find work more easily. But it would still allow discrimination in far too easily. If an employer knows that the law allows disabled people to work for less, they could very easily make a little pay cut that lowers the wages of disabled people in their company whilst still remaining within the law. It compels disabled people to accept the idea of being payed less and encourages discrimination.

Rather than tackling the issue in this way, Mr Davies should have made it his priority to tackle the attitude that would drive employers to hire a non-disabled person over a disabled. An employer that puts profits above people holds an utterly morally bankrupt position. The law should acknowledge this and counter it, not encourage it.

The Case For A Federal Europe

Tony Blair said yesterday in an interview with The Times that he believes the EU needs an elected president. The editor of The Times and many other people disagree with Blair, saying that such a move is a step on the path towards a federal Europe.

I agree with Mr Blair. In fact, I will go further. The European Union should, in my opinion, become a federal nation, made up of the current member states and willing to accept more members into the fold. The current member states should retain local governance in much the same way that the states of the USA do, but ultimate power should rest with a federal government in Brussels (or even shifting location every few years, if that will make people happier). The military forces of the EU should be shared and no single state should be able to go to war without the backing of Brussels.

There are several reasons why I believe this would be a wise move:

1. In a word: China. China's economy is now the fastest-growing in the world. In the next few years it is expected to overtake the US. If the European nations are to avoid becoming insignificant on the world stage, they simply must work together for the common good.
2. Economics. Greece, Spain and Ireland's economies have been on the back foot for over a year now. Without sufficient external funding, their recoveries will be slow. The same goes for the UK, albeit on a smaller scale. While it is fairly easy for an individual, small country to collapse, it is far more difficult to bring down a giant such as a united Europe would be. With money flowing freely to patch up weaknesses in the economy across Europe, deficits would likely be reduced dramatically overall in future recessions.
3. Military. Under the current arrangement, each European nation trains and upkeeps its own military forces, including nuclear weapons. Under a united Europe, with only one, shared military, the EU could have a military consisting of 200,000 troops and 300 warheads. That would be plenty to deal with any military threat, and would barely make a dent in the European economy. This would free up hundreds of billions of dollars (or Euros, rather) for...
4. ...science funding and education. With a United Europe, what with the stronger economy and spare money from the reduced military etc, more funds would be available which could transform Europe and the world. Japan and the US currently lead the world in technology, but this doesn't have to be the case. A united Europe could pour hundreds of billions of dollars worth into science and education. Some European nations already have the best education systems in the world. Consider how much that lead could be improved.
   And then on the science front, Europe could single-handedly accelerate the rate of expansion of human knowledge massively. The European Space Agency, if Europe united in the next few years, could have men on Mars and bases on the Moon long before the Americans or Chinese.

Think for a moment just how utterly all this would change the world stage. A United Europe would be the richest nation in the world. Several members of the EU are already part of the G8. If their resources were pooled, the USA, China and Russia-currently the "big three"-would be dwarfed by the EU. The standard of living and quality of life for people in Europe could increase to a point that we would consider almost utopian.

Pantheism-Possibly a More Applicable Term?

This is the sort of thing I think about after I lose the will to revise further during a day. I'm sure I could be spending my time more productively than this, but here I am.

It's possible that Pantheism might be a more specific and applicable term for the belief system I hold than atheism or even agnostic atheism. I've never used the term "God" to describe the universe like Hawking and Einstein, but I certainly hold a sort of reverence for the universe and have, as I've mentioned in previous entries, had what might be called numinous experiences induced simply by natural wonder.

I do not believe the universe is itself some kind of intelligent entity. There is no positive evidence for it. I do not believe the universe has some conscious purpose or was brought into being through a conscious act. There is no positive evidence for it. I do not believe in any kind of supernatural forces or substances whatsoever, as there is no positive evidence for them. I am a rationalist first, and everything else follows from that. So if I am a pantheist, I'm a thoroughly naturalistic one.

This is a very difficult distinction to get my head around.