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Crème de bloggers 6
It’s been a long time since I last wrote a round-up of great stories collected from my blogroll but in my defence I did say that Crème de bloggers was going to be an occasional series right from the start. Well, now it’s back—and with a snazzy new series icon to pretty things up (which you only see, incidentally, when you’ve clicked through to the full article, never on the front page).
So what have I got for you today?
Let’s start with Ms Demmie, who asks ‘Will they listen now?’ on Life at the Edge after the recent wipe-out of the Labour Party in the English local elections. She points out that ‘they [the government] have allegedly been “listening” for the last umpteen years they have been in power – this is their chickens coming home to roost’. Which begs the question from this chicken-keeper, why is it that this old saying suggests chickens coming home to roost is a bad thing? I’d rather they did that than get lost in a field with a sign above their heads saying ‘fox, come eat me whenever you’re ready’–but seriously, she’s quite right to make clear that you can only make grand promises and keep breaking them over and over again for a certain amount of time before the people react in the way they did.
The only problem is, goldfish memory is the norm these days (not, I hasten to make clear, where Ms Demmie is concerned—she makes reference to Thatcher the Milk Snatcher, for starters) and so we see the Tories in the eyes and minds of many getting away with trying to peddle themselves as a more competent alternative. Doesn’t anybody else besides Ms Demmie and me remember the Poll Tax, the introduction of Council Tax, Clause 28, the years those protectors of privilege spent keeping Britain in the Dark Ages of bigotry and prejudice?
The simple fact is, mainstream supposedly democratic parties are failing us and it’s a global problem. Just look at the US, or Italy. We risk swapping the frying pan for the fire, to rework another old saying.
Returning to fish, this time not goldfish but the many different and wonderful species that live in the world’s oceans, Life Goggles in The Trials of Being a Fish highlights the multiple horrors of pollution, habitat destruction, mismanagement and overfishing which have impoverished ocean resources, and have caused more than 90% of the world’s large fish, including tuna, swordfish and marlin to disappear or totter, right now, on the brink of extinction.
The article brings to our attention the work of the Conserve Our Ocean Legacy non-profit campaign that is working to build support for ocean and fish protection in the US. Similar campaign and charity groups exist around the world, and if you’ve yet to ally yourself with any environmental causes but are looking to do so, turning your energies to the fight to save our oceans is a great way of starting your personal fight-back.
Regular visitors to The Spicy Cauldron will know Sue from her many intelligent contributions in the comments sections on a variety of posts here, but now she’s an A-lister! Yes, she’s an A-list Mom Blogger in recognition of her writing on her blog, Life in the Urban Zoo. Congratulations to her!
Howard is battling cancer with his long-renowned humour at the forefront of everything. In his The Web Pen Blog entry My Own Private Matrix he details how he has acquired a data port through his chemotherapy. The chemo has made his hair fall out, so he also shares the look of Keanu Reeves when he emerged from the goo in The Matrix, although Howard is far more likely to compare himself to Dr Evil from Austin Powers. Either way, some might say he’s brave but then, what does that mean exactly? What’s the choice?
You either fold or fight when faced with difficulties in life and Howard’s ability to fight without blood-letting or bitterness is, for me, inspirational. He’s in my thoughts, please keep him in yours. As his t-shirt says, when life gives you lymphoma, drink lymphonade!
I think that’s all for today. But now I’ve got my sequential act together, Crème de bloggers will be back very soon. I promise.
