M and i were considering our (now usual) mid-winter holiday, when a friend noted that her partner's dive club were diving in Costa Rica and there were two spaces left - were we interested? (oh hell yes).
we'd be diving in Guanacaste, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, and staying in an all-inclusive resort (Villas Sol) nearby. diving would be with Rocket Frog Divers for 5 days/10 dives.
unfortunately, M and i were not able to find direct flights, which made both travel days extremely long but it was a small inconvenience.
i'd never been to Costa Rica before, so i wasnt sure what to expect; what i got was a hilly, volcanic area with the brown dirt/beige sugar cane leaves contrasting vividly with the green trees/crops, and cheerful houses painted yellow or red or blue. we got glorious sunsets of red, orange and yellow and beaches of black and white sand. it felt like a mix of Mediterranean, Israel and South Africa. it was about 28-30C and humid, which added to my positive impressions :)
M, Nadine and i flew together, and arrived at the resort about 10pm on 30/01 - the others (6 divers and one non-diving partner) had arrived earlier that day. we'd missed the dive briefing/qualification check, and dinner, but Doug & Loretta had saved us some food (for which we were grateful!) and passed on the edited highlights: kit would be staying with Rocket Frog, we had labels to be attached, they'd be doing a weight check on the first dive.
on the Sunday morning, we met for breakfast about 6:45am (a veritable feast of hot food, made-to-order omlettes, continental fruit/cheese/cold meats/cereals and fruit juices) and Nere from Rocket Divers picked us up at 7:30am (usually an ungodly hour, but it felt later in the bright Costa Rican sunshine) for the 20 min drive to the dive centre - a routine repeated all week.
it was a short walk from the dive centre to the skiff - there was no dock - which would transport us to the main dive boat (M says it's a catamaran). unfortunately, the walk was over a *hot* sandy beach, and one of our party managed to burn his feet severely. on the dive boat, some of the kit had already been set up (not always correctly - one morning, my regulator had been attached upside down! oops!) but unfortunately weights were removed each evening and so had to be re-set up (i am not sure why, it seemed inefficient, especially with weight belts).
there were usually 10-15 diver-guests on board the boat, with 4-6 dive staff, and it took a while to figure out who people were. the diver staff were all very nice and helpful, although communication could have been better organised (eg when switching dive guides/noting when all the divers were back on the boat etc). as a relatively new diver, i found myself playing catch-up on occasions and feeling slightly rushed at other times. i wish Rocket Frog had been more aware of my newness, but i had M who was happy to (literally) hold my hand.
dives generally seemed to last about 45 min (maybe an hour? i am not sure) although i never managed to last that long - my dives were generally about 20-25 min before i had to start my ascent, which was frustrating as the other 3 in my group were all at half-tank. there was generally an hour for the surface interval, during which we were offered bottled water, pineapple and watermelon. i miss my fruit break :(
once underwater, we generally dropped to 22-ish metres and stayed at that depth for the dive. we used a mooring line, so we were supposed to return to the line rather than using a DSMB - not returning to the line meant a bloody long swim.
the bottom was black volcanic rock/sand, and the visibility was about 10-15-20m but murky/greenish. there was little to no coral, no anemones and very few sponges that i saw (/recognised) which meant the rocks were stark and bare at first glance. there were however, plenty of small critters (nudibranchs, crabs, shrimp) once i got used to looking closely - although bouyancy and air issues meant that i didnt spend dives with my head down holes as M did.
there were plenty of larger animals too: massive schools of fish, eagle rays (one dive, M saw a flock of 2-3 dozen!!), southern stingrays, turtles, moray eels (spotty and stripey and plain black ones), white-tip reef sharks (poor sharks, having a peaceful nap and being ambushed by M's camera), cornetfish free-swimming on every dive...
above-water, there was plenty to watch: one day, we saw spinner dolphins jumping near the boat. another, we had devil rays belly-flopping. i saw my first Not In A Zoo pelicans, which were smaller than i imagined, with the utter disdain only a long nose-beak could provide.
back at the resort Dennis and i, on an exploratory expedition, saw an iguana posing for photos! M and Dennis also saw a scorpion (and the small cat playing with it) one evening. there were also a pair of baby skunks playing tag under a dining room chair one suppertime.
diving generally took up the morning, and we'd returned to shore by 1-2pm. afternoons were generally spent by the pool or in the bar, after lunch, reading or poking the spotty internet connection or chatting. we tended to meet for mealtimes - food in Villas Sol was hearty and there was a lot of it, but not outstanding. non-meat options were generaly salad/veggies and starches eg pasta or potatoes. in the evenings, after supper, we congregated at the bar for glasses of "vino blanco/vino tinto/cerveza" and convivial chat.
on Monday afternoon, we had a group outing: ziplining (two ropes and a climbing harness between person and ground. oh hell *no*) - M and the others had a marvellous time, while Nadine and i watched and waved :) (edit: the ziplines - wires really - were strung between platforms in the tops of the trees)
Friday was a non-diving day, so we took a riverboat down one of the main rivers (whose name escapes me). during the 2 hour 'tour' we saw crocodiles, iguanas, jesus lizards (which can walk on water), bats, herons, sandpipers, howler & capuchin monkeys and an anteater! after lunch we were taken to a potter who still makes pottery 'by hand', using old techniques and clays, which was fascinating.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country, with people who seemed contented and friendly. i'd like to return someday, to see the rest of the country.
we'd be diving in Guanacaste, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, and staying in an all-inclusive resort (Villas Sol) nearby. diving would be with Rocket Frog Divers for 5 days/10 dives.
unfortunately, M and i were not able to find direct flights, which made both travel days extremely long but it was a small inconvenience.
i'd never been to Costa Rica before, so i wasnt sure what to expect; what i got was a hilly, volcanic area with the brown dirt/beige sugar cane leaves contrasting vividly with the green trees/crops, and cheerful houses painted yellow or red or blue. we got glorious sunsets of red, orange and yellow and beaches of black and white sand. it felt like a mix of Mediterranean, Israel and South Africa. it was about 28-30C and humid, which added to my positive impressions :)
M, Nadine and i flew together, and arrived at the resort about 10pm on 30/01 - the others (6 divers and one non-diving partner) had arrived earlier that day. we'd missed the dive briefing/qualification check, and dinner, but Doug & Loretta had saved us some food (for which we were grateful!) and passed on the edited highlights: kit would be staying with Rocket Frog, we had labels to be attached, they'd be doing a weight check on the first dive.
on the Sunday morning, we met for breakfast about 6:45am (a veritable feast of hot food, made-to-order omlettes, continental fruit/cheese/cold meats/cereals and fruit juices) and Nere from Rocket Divers picked us up at 7:30am (usually an ungodly hour, but it felt later in the bright Costa Rican sunshine) for the 20 min drive to the dive centre - a routine repeated all week.
it was a short walk from the dive centre to the skiff - there was no dock - which would transport us to the main dive boat (M says it's a catamaran). unfortunately, the walk was over a *hot* sandy beach, and one of our party managed to burn his feet severely. on the dive boat, some of the kit had already been set up (not always correctly - one morning, my regulator had been attached upside down! oops!) but unfortunately weights were removed each evening and so had to be re-set up (i am not sure why, it seemed inefficient, especially with weight belts).
there were usually 10-15 diver-guests on board the boat, with 4-6 dive staff, and it took a while to figure out who people were. the diver staff were all very nice and helpful, although communication could have been better organised (eg when switching dive guides/noting when all the divers were back on the boat etc). as a relatively new diver, i found myself playing catch-up on occasions and feeling slightly rushed at other times. i wish Rocket Frog had been more aware of my newness, but i had M who was happy to (literally) hold my hand.
dives generally seemed to last about 45 min (maybe an hour? i am not sure) although i never managed to last that long - my dives were generally about 20-25 min before i had to start my ascent, which was frustrating as the other 3 in my group were all at half-tank. there was generally an hour for the surface interval, during which we were offered bottled water, pineapple and watermelon. i miss my fruit break :(
once underwater, we generally dropped to 22-ish metres and stayed at that depth for the dive. we used a mooring line, so we were supposed to return to the line rather than using a DSMB - not returning to the line meant a bloody long swim.
the bottom was black volcanic rock/sand, and the visibility was about 10-15-20m but murky/greenish. there was little to no coral, no anemones and very few sponges that i saw (/recognised) which meant the rocks were stark and bare at first glance. there were however, plenty of small critters (nudibranchs, crabs, shrimp) once i got used to looking closely - although bouyancy and air issues meant that i didnt spend dives with my head down holes as M did.
there were plenty of larger animals too: massive schools of fish, eagle rays (one dive, M saw a flock of 2-3 dozen!!), southern stingrays, turtles, moray eels (spotty and stripey and plain black ones), white-tip reef sharks (poor sharks, having a peaceful nap and being ambushed by M's camera), cornetfish free-swimming on every dive...
above-water, there was plenty to watch: one day, we saw spinner dolphins jumping near the boat. another, we had devil rays belly-flopping. i saw my first Not In A Zoo pelicans, which were smaller than i imagined, with the utter disdain only a long nose-beak could provide.
back at the resort Dennis and i, on an exploratory expedition, saw an iguana posing for photos! M and Dennis also saw a scorpion (and the small cat playing with it) one evening. there were also a pair of baby skunks playing tag under a dining room chair one suppertime.
diving generally took up the morning, and we'd returned to shore by 1-2pm. afternoons were generally spent by the pool or in the bar, after lunch, reading or poking the spotty internet connection or chatting. we tended to meet for mealtimes - food in Villas Sol was hearty and there was a lot of it, but not outstanding. non-meat options were generaly salad/veggies and starches eg pasta or potatoes. in the evenings, after supper, we congregated at the bar for glasses of "vino blanco/vino tinto/cerveza" and convivial chat.
on Monday afternoon, we had a group outing: ziplining (two ropes and a climbing harness between person and ground. oh hell *no*) - M and the others had a marvellous time, while Nadine and i watched and waved :) (edit: the ziplines - wires really - were strung between platforms in the tops of the trees)
Friday was a non-diving day, so we took a riverboat down one of the main rivers (whose name escapes me). during the 2 hour 'tour' we saw crocodiles, iguanas, jesus lizards (which can walk on water), bats, herons, sandpipers, howler & capuchin monkeys and an anteater! after lunch we were taken to a potter who still makes pottery 'by hand', using old techniques and clays, which was fascinating.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country, with people who seemed contented and friendly. i'd like to return someday, to see the rest of the country.
so, last week, M and i spent most mornings throwing ourselves off Moonshadow boat :)
there were 9 divers booked onto Moonshadow (and Jo, her skipper) although not everyone dived every day. M and i dived together all week, we had one dive as a 3 and i sat out one dive.
it was a wierd week - the weather was odd (the day would start well, rain between 9-11am (we entertained ourselves by singing, mostly Queen songs, which amused Jo no end) and brighten up by the time we returned to shore about 2pm), and the divers mix was a bit strained at times. the visibility was moderate, about 2-4m, and quite murky.
however!
the first dive we did was the SS Zelda, that sank in 1874. she's pretty broken up with wreckage scattered in the kelp. she's also fairly small, and we got to see all of her. i managed to creep up on Steve (and his buddy) and tugged sharply on his fins. he turned round, expecting a seal, and drooped when he realised it was only me ;)
we also dived HMS Colossus (where i saw 3 crabs, on my own!) which is an English Heritage site with a very helpful 'tour' of marked buoys, MV Cita (which had some beautiful life on it) and the Lady Charlotte (M dived this, i sat out) wrecks.
edit: the HMS Colossus dive trail
we also did a couple of wall dives - i think they're my favourite, as i can get v close to look at things... we saw jewel/dahlia/snakelocks/plumose anemones, yellow boring sponge, cup coral/dead man's fingers mostly, but we found a squat lobster in one crevice. we also saw lots of starfish (orange ones and purple/white ones), sea urchins (M and i played 'catch' with one :)) and sea cucumbers... M insisted on throwing them at me, which... Do Not Want!! (they're black/green and fat and look like poo).
i also saw sea mats on the kelp, and a seal swam past us on one dive (unfortunately we were unlucky and didnt see any others, let alone play with them). we saw lots of seals on the rocks, sunning themselves. i found my first nudibranch and M was impressed :)
we did one dive as a three, and our third pointed out a pipefish head poking out of seaweed - by the time i'd called M over, it had disappeared. we saw female cuckoo wrasse and ballan wrasse and other fish i couldnt identify.
because we were generally back on shore by 2pm, we had time to explore St Mary's (island, where we were based). we didnt make it to any other islands, apart from St Agnes; we had a quick explore on Sat morning before the ferry back to Penzance. we also entered the pub quiz on Weds, and managed to come 5th :D
eta: oh! i forgot to mention the ice cream! we had some amazing ice cream last week: M had orange & passion fruit sorbet and orange & mascarpone ice cream (twice) and i had pear & elderflower sorbet/clotted cream vanilla ice cream and gooseberry yogurt/after eight mint ice cream. it was gorgeous!
was going to write up each day, but the wifi we were borrowing wasnt good enough and then i lost my writing enthusiasm.
besides, there's only so many anthias i can describe :)
so have a recap/edited highlights post...
at the October dive show in Birmingham, we noticed a company called Eagle Divers based in Sharm El-Sheikh doing 'winter specials' deals (7 nights accommodation/5 days diving or 7 nights accommodation/3 days diving).
M hadn't dived with them before, but it was a good deal and we duly booked for 16-23 Jan. (if you're thinking of diving in Sharm, i'd recommend them - they're a tiny company, and quite new, but the staff are experienced, friendly and knowledgeable.) the hotel they're based in is more basic than we were expecting - wifi wasnt included, i had to ask for a hair dryer, no mod cons - but was charming and the staff were friendly and obliging. our housekeeping chap was lovely, and left us towel-and-blanket creations every day such as an elephant and a scorpion!!
we had mixed feelings about the hotel's location, well away from the touristy Na'ama Bay area. on the one hand, the area - Hadaba - is quiet and mostly residential ie not very 'happening' but on the other hand trying to buy snacks or browsing shop fronts was much easier than in Na'ama Bay with less "hassel" (we were in Na'ama Bay for one afternoon. zomg leave me the fuck alone, seller-type-people).
we did two boat days and 3 shore diving days (we'd planned to do 1 shore/4 boat days) - the first boat day was very windy to begin with and...apparently I will never make a sailor because omg i felt so rough. note to self: drugs before boat days are a must. but M and Ash (our guide on days 2,4,5) were right, and it was easier being underwater. (Hannah was our shore dive guide for days 1 & 3)
because my qualification only allows me a maximum depth of 20m, we spent most of the dives at 15-18m and there was SO MUCH to see! the ubiqitious anthias (they were everywhere, in large shoals), dottybacks (also ubiquitous), parrotfish of all kinds (who eat coral, and are really noisy), trigger fish and my favourites: cornet fish. (i shant write a full list of everything we saw because it would be several pages long)
on the boat days we also saw a turtle and dolphins on the surface (M saw a turtle underwater but i wasnt on that dive)! dolphins! dooooooooooooooooooooooolphins!!
other highlights:
besides, there's only so many anthias i can describe :)
so have a recap/edited highlights post...
at the October dive show in Birmingham, we noticed a company called Eagle Divers based in Sharm El-Sheikh doing 'winter specials' deals (7 nights accommodation/5 days diving or 7 nights accommodation/3 days diving).
M hadn't dived with them before, but it was a good deal and we duly booked for 16-23 Jan. (if you're thinking of diving in Sharm, i'd recommend them - they're a tiny company, and quite new, but the staff are experienced, friendly and knowledgeable.) the hotel they're based in is more basic than we were expecting - wifi wasnt included, i had to ask for a hair dryer, no mod cons - but was charming and the staff were friendly and obliging. our housekeeping chap was lovely, and left us towel-and-blanket creations every day such as an elephant and a scorpion!!
we had mixed feelings about the hotel's location, well away from the touristy Na'ama Bay area. on the one hand, the area - Hadaba - is quiet and mostly residential ie not very 'happening' but on the other hand trying to buy snacks or browsing shop fronts was much easier than in Na'ama Bay with less "hassel" (we were in Na'ama Bay for one afternoon. zomg leave me the fuck alone, seller-type-people).
we did two boat days and 3 shore diving days (we'd planned to do 1 shore/4 boat days) - the first boat day was very windy to begin with and...apparently I will never make a sailor because omg i felt so rough. note to self: drugs before boat days are a must. but M and Ash (our guide on days 2,4,5) were right, and it was easier being underwater. (Hannah was our shore dive guide for days 1 & 3)
because my qualification only allows me a maximum depth of 20m, we spent most of the dives at 15-18m and there was SO MUCH to see! the ubiqitious anthias (they were everywhere, in large shoals), dottybacks (also ubiquitous), parrotfish of all kinds (who eat coral, and are really noisy), trigger fish and my favourites: cornet fish. (i shant write a full list of everything we saw because it would be several pages long)
on the boat days we also saw a turtle and dolphins on the surface (M saw a turtle underwater but i wasnt on that dive)! dolphins! dooooooooooooooooooooooolphins!!
other highlights:
- one of the Russian snorkellers with us on the second boat day decided to jump off the sun deck (the very top deck). no idea why... everyone was a bit o.O WTF?
- M trying to take a photo of a lionfish (venomous) and not seeing the three swimming towards him - he was a bit too close to their glassfish prey - and being yanked away by Ash.
- seeing torpedo rays which look like the Starship Enterprise and swim by waggling their bums.
- trying to identfy the various fish i'd seen, at the end of the day - and managing to perplex Hannah, Ash and M at least once a day.
- playing with the Nemo fish, who are highly territorial and tried to fight both Ash and Hannah.
- managing to hover in place a few times, to look at various things.
- "Sharm Elysee" street (i am easily amused)
- seeing dogtooth tuna and barracuda and scorpion fish, titan trigger fish, napoleon wrasse
- the snorkellers on boat day 1 only being in the water for 10-15 min because it was _that_ cold and windy.
- Feeling...:zomg feesh! *happy flail*
Originally posted by 
la_marquise_de_at Memento mori
la_marquise_de_at Memento moriThis is long, but please read this. And, if you like it, please pass it on.
I have said this before: I have said this for years, if Baroness Thatcher is given a state funeral, I will leave the country for the day, because what her policies did, what her belief did, what her legacy did, is doing to this day are things that are anathema to me.
But we must not speak ill of the dead. (Not unless they are poor or powerless or long gone or far away. Not unless they are of no use to our masters, the oligarchs of wealth whose trans-national networks run our world.) And I did not, in her declining years, wish Baroness Thatcher harm -- dementia is harsh enough. I wished her only obscurity. It was her legacy I wanted -- I still want -- to see dead.
And that legacy lives on, on blunderbuss, cudgel limbs, on heavy crushing feet marching one and on over the poor, the disabled, the disenfranchised, the outsiders, the misfits, those with mental health issues, the disadvantaged, the underprivileged, those without important friends or influence, women, QUILTBAG people, people without UK citizenship, the powerless. The hunger of holy free market capitalism for new flesh is limitless, and it has no feelings. It has no empathy. It has only the drive to acquire, to grow, to possess -- and the devil take all but the winners.
Alive or dead, Baroness Thatcher doesn't matter any more, because this great devouring ideology outlives her, infests the policies and actions of our masters on all sides of the political spectrum. It gave birth to the over-heated banking bubble and its consequences. It trailed our double dip recession on its wings. It lies heady on every word uttered by Cameron and Osborn and Gove and Duncan Smith, just as it pervaded those of Blair and Blunkett. It handed over utilities and hospitals, newspapers and infrastructure to the moneyed few and left them free to treat those things as simply sources of profit. It left them free to plunder, to cheat, to evade taxes and responsibilities -- and to publish as truths self-serving (power-serving) lies about benefit claimants and immigrants, trans-people and asylum seekers, lone-parent families and people with serious mental health issues.
It tells us that there is no money for schools, to help the poor and those who are socially, physically or psychologically disadvantaged, though there is money to help banks. There is no money for compassion, for help, for support, but there is money for tax cuts for the rich. There is no money for low earners or the unemployed -- and these groups must be pursued and measured and harassed to ensure they get even less, whatever the cost --- but the cost of pursuing those individuals and companies who evade and avoid tax is far too high.
And there is £10 million available to pay for a ceremonial funeral for a multi-millionaire.
And we must not complain or protest, because we must not speak ill of the dead. We must accept censorship, because we must not upset or offend.
Though it's fine to upset and offend the relatives of the dead poor, the dead weak, the dead powerless. It's fine to upset and offend those who still live in the communities that Thatcher's policies, Thatcher's legacy have destroyed. It's fine to upset and offend those who have suffered through care in the community, lost relatives to superbugs created by the outsourcing of hospital cleaning, lost people to poverty, seen sisters, daughters, mothers abused and killed because the refuges were closed. It's fine to insult and offend victims of domestic abuse, asylum seekers, the homeless, the unemployed, those driven to illness through year-on-year 'efficiency gains' and institutional bullying in the public sector, those burdened with debt due to student loans and fees, to wages that are below the living minimum.
Those people don't matter. They aren't influential. They need to remember their place -- which is in silent acceptance, without protest.
I am not downloading songs. I am not dancing in the streets. There is nothing to celebrate in this death. But I am protesting, loud and clear. But not about the memory of Baroness Thatcher. I'm protesting about the insult this ceremonial funeral represents to all those her legacy has harmed and still harms.
This is how.
I don't have £10 million. I don't have anything approaching it. But I can find some spare money, and, on Wednesday, when Cameron is trying to ensure he stays in power by pandering to the right, I'm going to make a donation to a charity that works to help those groups that Thatcherite economics and Thatcherite lack of compassion is harming, day on day. And I'd like you to join me. You get to choose your charity -- there are many to choose from -- Shelter, MIND, Help The Aged, women's refuges, charities that work with underprivileged children, MENCAP, charities that help those with physical challenges, charities working with asylum seekers, any group anywhere that is fighting to undo or at least mitigate the effects of Thatcherite 'I'm All Right Jack, Greed is Good, cut help for the weak and give more to the strong' policies. I'm going to be donating to MIND, because Care in the Community was wrapped up as inclusive but turned out to mean little more than abandonment and abuse, because mental health services have faced 30 years+ of cuts and these cuts kill.
Please join me.
I have said this before: I have said this for years, if Baroness Thatcher is given a state funeral, I will leave the country for the day, because what her policies did, what her belief did, what her legacy did, is doing to this day are things that are anathema to me.
But we must not speak ill of the dead. (Not unless they are poor or powerless or long gone or far away. Not unless they are of no use to our masters, the oligarchs of wealth whose trans-national networks run our world.) And I did not, in her declining years, wish Baroness Thatcher harm -- dementia is harsh enough. I wished her only obscurity. It was her legacy I wanted -- I still want -- to see dead.
And that legacy lives on, on blunderbuss, cudgel limbs, on heavy crushing feet marching one and on over the poor, the disabled, the disenfranchised, the outsiders, the misfits, those with mental health issues, the disadvantaged, the underprivileged, those without important friends or influence, women, QUILTBAG people, people without UK citizenship, the powerless. The hunger of holy free market capitalism for new flesh is limitless, and it has no feelings. It has no empathy. It has only the drive to acquire, to grow, to possess -- and the devil take all but the winners.
Alive or dead, Baroness Thatcher doesn't matter any more, because this great devouring ideology outlives her, infests the policies and actions of our masters on all sides of the political spectrum. It gave birth to the over-heated banking bubble and its consequences. It trailed our double dip recession on its wings. It lies heady on every word uttered by Cameron and Osborn and Gove and Duncan Smith, just as it pervaded those of Blair and Blunkett. It handed over utilities and hospitals, newspapers and infrastructure to the moneyed few and left them free to treat those things as simply sources of profit. It left them free to plunder, to cheat, to evade taxes and responsibilities -- and to publish as truths self-serving (power-serving) lies about benefit claimants and immigrants, trans-people and asylum seekers, lone-parent families and people with serious mental health issues.
It tells us that there is no money for schools, to help the poor and those who are socially, physically or psychologically disadvantaged, though there is money to help banks. There is no money for compassion, for help, for support, but there is money for tax cuts for the rich. There is no money for low earners or the unemployed -- and these groups must be pursued and measured and harassed to ensure they get even less, whatever the cost --- but the cost of pursuing those individuals and companies who evade and avoid tax is far too high.
And there is £10 million available to pay for a ceremonial funeral for a multi-millionaire.
And we must not complain or protest, because we must not speak ill of the dead. We must accept censorship, because we must not upset or offend.
Though it's fine to upset and offend the relatives of the dead poor, the dead weak, the dead powerless. It's fine to upset and offend those who still live in the communities that Thatcher's policies, Thatcher's legacy have destroyed. It's fine to upset and offend those who have suffered through care in the community, lost relatives to superbugs created by the outsourcing of hospital cleaning, lost people to poverty, seen sisters, daughters, mothers abused and killed because the refuges were closed. It's fine to insult and offend victims of domestic abuse, asylum seekers, the homeless, the unemployed, those driven to illness through year-on-year 'efficiency gains' and institutional bullying in the public sector, those burdened with debt due to student loans and fees, to wages that are below the living minimum.
Those people don't matter. They aren't influential. They need to remember their place -- which is in silent acceptance, without protest.
I am not downloading songs. I am not dancing in the streets. There is nothing to celebrate in this death. But I am protesting, loud and clear. But not about the memory of Baroness Thatcher. I'm protesting about the insult this ceremonial funeral represents to all those her legacy has harmed and still harms.
This is how.
I don't have £10 million. I don't have anything approaching it. But I can find some spare money, and, on Wednesday, when Cameron is trying to ensure he stays in power by pandering to the right, I'm going to make a donation to a charity that works to help those groups that Thatcherite economics and Thatcherite lack of compassion is harming, day on day. And I'd like you to join me. You get to choose your charity -- there are many to choose from -- Shelter, MIND, Help The Aged, women's refuges, charities that work with underprivileged children, MENCAP, charities that help those with physical challenges, charities working with asylum seekers, any group anywhere that is fighting to undo or at least mitigate the effects of Thatcherite 'I'm All Right Jack, Greed is Good, cut help for the weak and give more to the strong' policies. I'm going to be donating to MIND, because Care in the Community was wrapped up as inclusive but turned out to mean little more than abandonment and abuse, because mental health services have faced 30 years+ of cuts and these cuts kill.
Please join me.
valentines2012 is now open! please _please_ pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease go forth and promote it! (and, y'know, write - Feeling...:
creative
stolen from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=88.1)
lietya (edit: who borrowed it from sioneva)
( An Open Apology to Amy Koch on Behalf of All Gay and Lesbian MinnesotansCollapse )
lietya (edit: who borrowed it from sioneva)( An Open Apology to Amy Koch on Behalf of All Gay and Lesbian MinnesotansCollapse )
In 2000, a commission (Executive Summary) was set up to investigate the systematic child abuse within the Irish Catholic Church - specifically in orphanages and schools - from the Thirties onwards (with the most focus from the mid-Thirties to the 1970s).
The commission's results, published in May 09 and popularly referred to as the "Ryan Report", were horrifying: (Conclusions) and (Recommendations).
On 26th May 09, former councillor and Mayor of Clonmel Michael O'Brian attended the RTE programme "Questions and Answers", speaking to Minister Noel Dempsey (sponsoring minister of the Ryan Report) and the panel.
**WARNING: slight NSFW language and mention of rape. do watch this though
(a brief article with the video and an audio transcript).(more info from The Guardian)
As a result, all known victims of the abuse are getting payouts...but there’s ongoing political curfuffery in general. The Irish Catholic Church are playing the poor pauper and have managed to get a limitation set on the amount they have to pay out, the Irish Government are going to have to pick up the rest of the bill (compare and contrast the Irish Catholic Church and the Catholic Church worldwide!)
The whole situation is appalling in the extreme. If any other group had done this there would have been major arrests, trials and the group itself would be banned from the country, but because it's who it is, it's being allowed to fade already. There isn't anyone here above a certain age who doesn't have some knowledge or experience of the way things were run in Ireland by the Irish Catholic Church.
Yet, the worst bit was the resignation that those responsible would never be brought to justice.
(with thanks to
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
gleth and emohh )- Feeling...:
thoughtful
021408 is now open for Valentine's notes! tell the world (well, the community-watchers) how you feel! edit: while we're on the subject...: for those of us wanting gothy or kinky valentine's cards
because it's been a while, have two memes:
A.
It's a Mixer!
Because I have so many cool folks on my FL, and I want you all to know each other, AND because you have so many cool folks on your FL -
Please leave a comment on this post. Introduce yourself. Tell us something about you, about your LJ, about the people on your FL, whatever you like. Then, everyone read the comments, and visit the people who sound interesting to you.
After you comment, please make a similar post on your own LJ, so that when we visit your LJ, we will meet all your friends. Remember, it's a mixer. It's a party. Have fun. Grab a snack. Have a beverage. Mingle."
B.
1. When did you first "friend" me?
2. Why did you first "friend" me?
3. What posts of mine do you like to read the best?
4. What would you like me to write about that I don't?
5. Do you think we would be friends in real life?
6. How often do you read my journal?
7. What do we have in common?
- Feeling...:
hopeful
for the socially-conscious gift buyer or recipient:
Kiva is an organization that connects struggling entrepeneurs in the developing world with donors through their web site. They work with existing microfinance institutions who are skilled at selecting qualified borrowers.
(they suggest a $25 paypal donation)
(thanks to Zinnea)
Kiva is an organization that connects struggling entrepeneurs in the developing world with donors through their web site. They work with existing microfinance institutions who are skilled at selecting qualified borrowers.
(they suggest a $25 paypal donation)
(thanks to Zinnea)
straight
vanilla (mostly?)
monogamous (i think)
sociable-but-introverted (omnivert!)
agnostic
childfree
reserved/private (will answer questions)
i am a:
sister
daughter
granddaughter
stepchild
friend
ex
girlfriend
i am also a:
book-reader (mainly fantasy/science fiction)
music-lover (with eclectic tastes)
gamer
lj-addict
mass of contradictions
believer of 6 impossible things before breakfast.
over-thinker extraordinaire
i am usually found on
Allods MMO, US "Nezeb" server
World of Warcraft (EU version, Argent Dawn server) (currently 'on a break')
Elder Scrolls Online (EU version, currently 'on a break')
IM & email
dramatis personae:
i have little contact with my biological family. this is usually a good thing. my dad remarried, my mother is engaged.
i have chosen family:
jacelgleth and cynicaloptimist. they're the bestest!i also have a partner (
lazyknight /M), as of Feb 09.other?
i am owned by two cats , when they deign to recognise my existence (usually at feeding time ;) ). (edit 2014: still have two cats, but Pixie and Tilly rather than Pixie and Maia)
M and i have a house. it's a cute house although it needs finishing.
questions?
just ask!
does anyone actually read my LJ, or am i merely writing for myself?
