Stupidest Charity Ever

Reading an article on the BBC website [1] about a woman in the UK bitten by a rabid dog, I was dumbfounded after the first line:

"A social worker who runs a charity that brings street dogs from Sri Lanka into the UK was one of three people bitten by a puppy infected with rabies."

A charity that brings street dogs from Sri Lanka into the UK? Is this woman totally stark-raving mad? Don't get me wrong, I'm not against animal charities: RSCPA, Battersea Dogs Home and the like all do a sterling job of looking after animals that have been subjected to cruelty and provide assistance in the prosecution of the idiots responsible.

It transpires that Kim Cooling, the lady in question, runs a charity that rescues street dogs from Sri Lanka and brings them back here for rehoming. Now call me harsh, but isn't this a bloody awful waste of money? Why can't she just rehome them in Sri Lanka? The money spent on airfreight combined with the cost of facilities and wages for carers in the UK must be enough to pay for a Sri Lankan mansion for the little rascals!

People don't often realise that the effects of charity can be doubled if the money raised in the UK is used fully in the country of destination. In this particular instance, I think it is an absolute joke that people would dare to run such a charity in a country torn apart by a brutal 25 year civil war that has killed 70,000 people [2]. What about the orphans that these resources could feed/house/educate? What about the hospitals that these resources could fill with medicines?

Kim Cooling, congratulations on Animal SOS Sri Lanka receiving my vote for the stupidest charity ever.

Sources
[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7368808.stm
[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7369516.stm

Exhumation of Padre Pio

The body of Padre Pio, the famous 20th Century Italian priest who became St. Pio of Pietrelcina in 2002, has been exhumed and put on display on the fortieth anniversary of his death.

I am no longer a practising Catholic (I would probably describe my beliefs as agnostic leaning towards theistic) but it must be said I find the whole affair thoroughly distasteful and, dare I say it, irreverent. By digging up his body and placing it on public display, it seems to me as if the Church wants to make money from pilgrims or stir up publicity. Cynical as that is, I can't help but feel disgusted by the public display of a famous corpse on an anniversary, it just seems to me as such a disrespectful act. When I've conked out and am six feet under I want to be bloody well left there!

From Erol Alkan's MySpace profile

The beat breaks down so we pick it up
The floor shakes down but it’s not enough
The beam is up and the kids are high
I’ve seen them move and it blows my eyes
The floor’s an ocean and this wave is breaking
Your head is gone and your body’s shaking
There is nothing you can do because there is no solution
You gotta get down to the noise and confusion

The sound goes round and we start to climb
The lips curl up and it kills my line
The beat is steal and the scene is sown
I see her eyes and her eyes are blown
The floor’s an ocean and this wave is breaking
Your head is gone and your body’s shaking
There is nothing you can do because there is no solution
You gotta get down to the noise and confusion

Out of our minds on the stage

"There is nothing you can do because there is no solution
You gotta get down to the noise and confusion"

’Sons Of The Stage’ written by Tony Ogden and Gordon King

Imagining the Tenth Dimension

Here is a simple (albeit very hand-waving) explanation of how to imagine the 10th dimension.