India Bans Animal Testing... What does this mean for us?

The most recent and exciting news has just come in that India has banned testing cosmetics on animals and thanks to recent campaigning by the Be Cruelty-Free India group, all cosmetics companies in India have to use modern non-invasive tests to clear their products through Indias regulatory committee.

As far as I am concerned, the fact that animal testing is still a very large business is not of much interest to me. I know this may sound cold-hearted, but the truth is, I believe all animals are born with a purpose. Cows and pigs and chickens are born to produce us food, dogs make lovely pets and goldfish are for winning at games fairs. Say what you like about me, but it is the yorkshire farming blood in me that tells me that. But to fit in with that belief than all animals that are abused, dissected, injected with deadly bacteria, have mascara shoved down their throats is not something which sits comfortably on my conscience. It is never great enough to make me do something about it, like some people do, but I can see it is not right, in any circumstances.

This was made even more prevalent to me when I watched an NSPCC documentary made about the animal testing industry here in the UK, granted it was biased, but you have to look at these things for their strengths. The one point I took away from it was that animal testing is so inefficient, it might as well not be used. The film went on the list a whole host of things that had been OK on animals but have caused terrible outbreaks and counter-illnesses since. Granted they didn't mention the testing that had been accurate, but if you have things like thalidomide side-effects to stand testimony to the reliability of animal testing, it really isn't worth it!

So back to India. A developing country with still a very very large amount of poverty strife across many parts, with a very diverse culture in relation to western political powers. Ideas behind their religion, which we often refer to as outdated and unexplainable are just a few little pointers to the fact that India is not the greatest and most advanced of all countries in the world.

But many things have impressed me of India, the first and foremost being it's disciple of peace, Mohatma Ghandi, who should serve as an inspiration and a guardian angel to all politicians over the world. But along side this, the reaction to the traumatic events that occurred earlier this year, and now India come out with this absolutely staunching political statement about fair treatment of animals, in one of the most fiscally diverse countries in the world. Cruelty-Free India.

I really do admire the work being done in India. Some of the people there have so little to possess that their flame hearted passion for certain things is really awe-inspiring. And I often think it is something that we lack here in western civilisation, where everything is peachy and  lovely, that we don't have to worry about anything greater than our neighbour starts making far too much noise after 9pm. 

And if one person reading this takes some inspiration to go out and try and change the world in the smallest of ways, then that is something positive. You may not be able to tell David Cameron to let everybody go to university free of charge, but you may be able to make somebody smile, change the way they think about the world, create something that you will be remembered for, because it is positive, not for negative influences. It is our world after, all, and therefore our duty to do something about it. If the entire 9 billion strong population did something small and insignificant, then think how much it might add up to, with every single person doing something. We could get the world redecorated in a myriad of beautiful and exciting new colours and layouts in just a few days.

While that whole principal makes me sound way too much like a hippie to even take myself seriously, the thought behind it is a sound philosophical, and scientific one. We have all of this modern technology, to be able to recreate the way a human reacts in an instant, but we choose not to use it, for the sake of money. So, here is a life lesson if there ever was one. This world is not all about us, seeing as we share it with so many other people, and have so many more generations to live through our successes or disasters, let's do the best we can to make it the best we can. Who's in?

Thanks for reading.

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Lucy The Moggy Update 28/06/2013

Well what a few months it has been for dearest Lucy. She has been to the grim north twice, and also to see about 1000 of her friends in oxfordshire at the Morris Centenary Rally at Cornbury Park. She has also had a lot of attention for her human supporters, namely me, and is about to get a full makeover...

We have been visting the relatives that Lucy came from more regularly this year, as they have 3 holiday cottages which we are trying to renovate. My working shifts disallow visits at weekends, but during the week I can pop up quite happily on my own, and so Lucy has been the fateful one to get me and a load of other stuff up there, and back, safely. Which I must add, she has done twice so far! Also my Great Uncle, from whom the car originated has much appreciated seeing Lucy again and on the road, running in her former glory.

Then the other weekend, I took some time off and headed down to Charlbury, a little village in Oxfordshire, with the most ginormous stately home and grounds, where the MMOC National Rally was held in conjunction with the Centenary celebrations event of International recognition, to celebrate 100 years of Morris car manufacturing, and massive feat in itself. And yes, we did see some vehicles from 1913! So she spent a day in a field full of Morris Minors, and lots of other different types of Morris, which both of us really enjoyed.

Now, onto the makeover bit. This is the most interesting bit for me as it has been something I have been wanting to do since I got Lucy. I have just received the varnish and scrapers to start to redo Lucy's woodwork! With a lot of time over the summer, and with any luck (or not knowing Britain) the weather on my side, I can't wait to get out and start work on re-varnishing the woodwork. When the rain actually stops of course!

Alongside this, I have also picked up a roof rack from my Great Uncle's farm which I have now found some suitable attire for: in the form of a suitcase from the 60s and a wicker picnic hamper, as you can see in the picture below:

So the minor is really starting to look the part, and I hope to be able to take some lovely photographs of her when the skies show a hint of blue in them, whilst I keep looking around for vinatge suitcases! As an aside, if you have any you are looking to get rid of, then let me know!

There is loads more on the way this summer in terms of Lucy and her restorations and adventures, so please feel free to keep checking my blog for further updates on my baby!

Thanks for reading!

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My holiday productivities so far... And evidence!

Due the fact my mum had allowed my dad 2 rooms in our house which he completely takes charge of, the garage and the shed, you can not find any tools in the house. So when I come to assemble a few signs I have made, which I have mentioned before, I cannot find the cordless drill to screw the signs to wooden posts.

So this is what I did instead: I used a power drill to drill pilot holes in for the screws (talk about over compensating) and then a handheld screwdriver to put the screws in. Now this whole process in the end, after spending an hour and a half searching for the cordless, about an hour. for a job that required screwing in 8 screws.

(The fruits of my labour)

I have decided all this doing stuff that is productive and doesn't require technology is a bit too much work. I need a lie down now...

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My fears for the Zombie Apocolypse...

So I have just met up with some mates in town to go to cinema to see the new film World War Z. This is a film I would often avoid with a barge pole, but today I was in a fairly easy-going mood and decided, what the hell, I will confront my fears of anything which is more than a punch in the face, head on up to the lovely town of Burton-upon-Trent and see what all the hype was about.

Well, I have to say, I have not been that scared since I went to the cinema to watch Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire as an evening viewing, went home to bed and then had the worst nightmares ever. I have never known a film feel more like I am on a roller coaster. I am terrified of roller coasters.

I sat in the cinema with my hands clenched to the seat, and my eyes half open. I have come to realise as well it isn't the actually action that scares me, makes me nervous whatever, it is the tension leading up to it that I absolutely hate. I know it is coming, yet I still feel the fear. It is so common a technique for film directors to use, to create long moments, often a couple of minutes of minutes of suspense, before the action happens. And that is what I dislike about all this zombie films and alien invasion films.

I am a massive fan of War Of The Worlds, mainly for the music, I will grant you, but I love in War Of The Worlds how the music adds to the drama, which is what a film should do. Look at any great, Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, High School Musical (joking) and you can all sing the theme tunes to those films. But in modern film making there is less attention to the music. It is all based on the action, and the way things fly at you, as you constantly duck and dive and weave through a sea of raining dead bodies, rubble and blood to avoid being killed in the process of watching the film.

And I know people rave about these films, but really they do nothing for me apart from make me really need a couple of Ibuprofen for a migraine and a massive great BigMac. Sorry guys, I know it's gay, but I don't like Zombie Apocalypse films. End of.

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Thanks for reading

Technology, honestly?

So I have a super-snazzy, ultra-fast Samsung Galaxy S3. And it is brilliant. But at the minute it has decided that, between it and the network provider, they don't want me to access the internet all of the time and on every application.

This is somewhat frustrating and I would love to know why it has decided to do this to me. As I type this post, I am waiting for the YouTube app to load up. I will let you know when it does.

I spent about 20 minutes on the phone to India while me tea went cold, asking them what on earth was going on. They had no idea, I have no idea. I have tried turning it off and on again several times, but to no avail. 

This makes me question the trust we place in technology. I mean just this morning I was uploading a day's worth of video recording onto it to upload it to YouTube, and now it is in tatters as I can't actually get the stuff on to YouTube as my phone won't let me. We basically run our lives by technology. I know my uncle has a tablet which acts as his diary for work and home, his whole life is stored on there. As this tablet ages, I can't help but look at it in fear of it crashing any day soon, and my Uncle left in a massive whole of confusion and chaos as he can't remember where or when he is supposed to do anything.

And along side this, I have spent the whole day today making signs out of wood. I here you ask, what is the significance in this dull and meaningless piece of knowledge of your life Tom? Well I did not use a single piece of technology to do it. I used wood, a saw, some paint, a book to use the words from to write on said signs, varnish and an incredibly useful sister to make me mny cups of tea. Yes you can argue that there was technology used to get all of those things to that point, hell all of them were probably paid for using a card. But it is the point that so much of our lives are based around technology nowadays, that we never actually get out and do anything.

We are too concerned about reading and writing frivilous little blogs in the hope we make somebody smile or change somebody's life our make a fe extra quid off of adsense, without thinking about what is important in life. So from now on I am going to try and do something technological and something non-technological each day. And I am going to keep you up-to-date with how that goes.

And also my phone has finally come back to tell me that there is a problem with the network and I can't upload that video. Point well and truly proven.

Thanks for reading

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Link to m

Post-Exams

Firstly I would like to apologise for the lack of posts in recent months. I have been incredibly snowed under with lots of things, mainly exams. I have just undertaken my final A Levels, which were to say the least, stressful and a right pain. But now I am a free man, so I can't complain!

I have loads of time on my hands now. Well I say that, I have spent every day since I broke up doing something. My mum teaches music at the local primary school, I am have been roped in to do numerous project in and around the Alreas Radio and Arts Fest stuff that I got involved in last year. Today I spent my day making signs out of wood with the Lord's Prayer on it. I am not even sure if that fits into anything, but apparently it was important! I must say, they lok pretty swish, even if they are about the Lord's Prayer...

So on top of all this work I have been doing in the Primary School (which by the way, I am not even getting paid for it, I am doing it completely voluntarily) I have also been putting my time to good use, working on 'Lucy the Moggy' doing some very important work on the car that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I have recently been part of the Morris Centenary International Event MMOC National Rally, and I have rekindled my love for the Minor. 

I have now got a book about the Morris Minor Traveller, which includes complete Morris history which I have now buffed up on, as well as some whacky and crazy Travellers with 5 rear passenger doors for example, or different boot and window configurations, which are really quite interesting, both visually and mechanically. It also has a complete step-by-step guide on how to replace the Ash frame, which I am looking at doing in the future. For the time being though I have been revarnishing her and she is starting to look really quite elegant. That and the addition of Chrome front light eyelids, and a roof rack complete with vintage suitcase and picnic basket, she is really taking shape.

The next project is the caravan which Lucy will soon be towing. Something that I saw at the Rally the other weekend, and have also researched before, is the idea of creating a 'Half-Timbered' effect trailer to use and tow around. Ones I have seen are really light and fellow owners of said trailers say they can drive at the speed limit quite comfortably because of the lightweight design and shallow height of them, allowing for a more streamlined effect. In fact the rood of the trailer, in a teardrop shape, at it's highest point would not exceed the roof of the car, which would mean it is really streamlined. I am looking forward to building it and using it thereon! All I need to do is find a trailer which I can use as an A-Frame chassic on which to base the caravan...

So anyway, that is an update on my life, and hopefully with a bit more time on my hands, a few more to follow!

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Thanks for reading!