Some blogging elsewhere - all about language and the words we use

I've done a little bit of blogging elsewhere in recent day.

Over on LGBT Lib Dems NI

Dave for equality in marriage we need equality in language

Looking at the language used by several in talking about the government proposals and how the Prime Minister and his party still have a way to go to understand equality.

Anglican Archbishop of Armagh calls for  “reasoned and rational” same-sex discussion

Although the Church of Ireland Archbishop does understand that language needs to be inclusive and discussions on this issue need to be reasoned and rational.

Solas successfully argue against religious marriage altogether

Scottish faith group Solas may have brought a whole other argument to the table over equal marriage when they brought the European normative of civil marriage not religious to the table in their response to the Scottish Parliament's consultation.

While over on Lib Dems NI

Irish language row in Stormont

Looks at a different area of language and when is asking a question not asking a question in the views of the person presiding in the chair.

If your not following LGBT Lib Dems NI or Lib Dems NI please do you may miss out on something I write.

Next time you have a business trip abroad take me your bestest friend

I have a number of friends who work all over the world travelling to meetings here and there. Apart from the ones who have traveled for the same work purposes or have traveled to where I am, very few of them have seen me on the margins of any of their work meetings.

But apparently the Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has encountered his friend Adam Werrity on the margins of 18 of his foreign trips. This appears to be on top of the 14 trips to his Ministry of Defence offices since May of last year.

Now surely the foreign secretary's itinerary of foreign trips is one of those that is protected by the official secrets act. After all we are at war in Afghanistan and recently in Iraq and the terrorist threat still exists in many parts of Africa and Asia. But as one of these chance encounters was apparently at a military airbase as Dr Fox was transferring flights to Afghanistan. Yeah that is airbase not airport, but apparently to transfer to a civilian aircraft. Surely the only reason to transfer there, would have been during the Arab Spring uprisings, when surely Mr Werrity and the other arms dealers defence industry businessmen would surely have been advised not to travel to Dubai.

I'm not that keen on fox hunting, but I smell a rat.

Although if you are going on a business trip overseas and wouldn't mind seeing me on the margins of it and your work may well pay me to be there as an advisor or something, give us a call, my diary is pretty empty at present.

Da iawn Cymru #rwc11

Shane Williams scoring the first try

Well done Wales.

Of course there will be debates over whether Ireland kicking those two penalty opportunities early in the first half would have changed the way the match panned out. But a 12 point win was not in most people's estimates of the way the first quarter final would go.

However, one thing that is certain after this match. Both Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Gordon D'Arcy, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell and many of the others in the Ireland squad will not be there in 2015. There will be experienced young heads like Tommy Bowe and Kieth Earls on the wings, Johnny Sexton at Scrum Half. But Ireland had entered this world cup as one of the oldest teams, many of the figureheads knew this was most likely going to be their last chance to win the world cup.

After a slow start against the USA, but then there was that win against Australia. Suddenly from being talked about as a team that might struggle to get out of the pool we were being talked about as a team that could go all the way to the final. Then when we demolished Italy in the second half of the last pool game it was set up for the semi final of the two in form Northern Hemisphere teams to send one of them away home in the half of the draw that now guaranteed a six nations finalist.

Wales of course only just lost out to South Africa in the first game. But like Ireland also kept building on their start. Theirs of course was not a slow start and indeed many consider they were actually cheated of a winning three points by the match officials. We haven't even seen who Wales will play next weekend but I already feel that we will be hearing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau* being sung by the vast traveling Welsh Male Voice Choir in red at Auckland in the final.

* Land of Our Fathers

Wikio welcome me back into the top 100

Well thanks go to Mark Pack for bringing this to my attention, but the wikio ranking see me back inside the top 100 political blogs. With some difficulty getting Wikio to accept the new address initially, taking time out from blogging really cutting stuff while I worked for Yes! to Fairer Votes with an array of parties and the fact that some people still link to http://linlithgow-libdems.blogspot.com instead of

http://stephensliberaljournal.blogspot.com


hasn't made things easy. But I am back at number 95 I'll be looking to see how that improves over the next few months see if I can get back into the top 50 once again.

What would Andrew Reeves do about Steve Jobs cause of death?

One of my first thoughts about the fact that Steve Jobs died yesterday of pancreatic cancer is that I'm sure Andrew Reeves would have used the fact that he too lost his dearly beloved mother to the same disease as a really from the heart plea for people to donate to research into one of the most virulent types of cancer that there is.

How am I so sure, because he chose the day that was his mother's birthday earlier this year to get married to someone else he loved immensely, his dear husband Roger. He even mentioned his mother's disease on that day.

He of course wrote about the first Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week back in 2009. When he mentioned some of the really heart breaking facts:

• Pancreatic cancer only has a 3% survival rate, that hasn't improved in forty years.
• It's the 5th most common cause of caner death in the UK
• Survival rates for pancreatic cancer are extremely low – 4-6 months on average after diagnosis, with the 5 year survival rates less than 3%.

He may of course have told you all how almost a year ago he took part in a 10k race at Hopetoun House, largely because the charity he was being asked to run with Bev, Elspeth, Siobhan and Fiona was Cancer Research. It may have been only 1 hour 19 minutes of his life, and he would have easily rattled off several blog posts about pancreatic cancer in that time, but is was an period of time he was proud to have given to the cause.

However, of course I'm not 100% sure what Andrew would have been doing as soon as he learnt of Steve Jobs death. All I can guess is that he would have made a plea for pancreatic cancer.

That is why most of all and no matter what he would have used today and the sad news of Steve Jobs death to the same disease to highlight two worthy charities dedicated to pancreatic cancer, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and Pancreatic Cancer UK.


So as Andrew is no longer around to ask you to do it yourself let me on his behalf say, although the death of Steve Jobs from pancreatic cancer is a terrible loss, so to is the next person to die of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, please give generously and if you are able please give with gift aid as well so that the tax you've paid on your donation is also given to the cause. How to donate.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

People may love or hate Apple. But one thing that everyone can agree on is that Steve Jobs was a visionary.

He may have lead the way with Apple products but everyone else is trying to keep up. Touch screen technology on phones is now seen almost as standard, and I was working in the industry in the last 10 years when colours screens and cameras first came in a the new innovation. We know think nothing of reading our books on electronic books, they started with the iBooks.

The iPad has lead the way to tablet technologies. Items the size of books that I know that one of my heroes Douglas Adams would have loved to own, it really is the realisation of his internet connected Hitchhikers Guide. The fact that Douglas was a Mac fan means I'm sure he and Steve Jobs would have got on like a house on fire.

Maybe they will now, in this the week that H2G2 is returning to ownership of those who love and understand Douglas and away from the BBC.

Because sadly today Steve Jobs lost his battle with cancer. Jobs had managed to survive seven years with the Pancreatic Cancer that he was diagnosed with in 2004. Therefore in the time he was ill he came up with the final concepts of the iPhone and iPad and moved on the iPod from its 2001 launch into something that is now included in phones and tablets and therefore is an obsolete Apple technology less than 10 years after launch as it is now integral in so much more.

The energy and enthusiasm of the guy was behind the way that Apple launched new products. It was a demonstration of what was  offer not by some underling but the CEO, something that Tim Cook who took over when Jobs resigned in August did only yesterday with the iCloud launching next week though it was Phil Schiller who presented the iPhone 4S and the Siri voice activation software*.

Tim Cook was left yesterday to say that Apple was a family of products that were to work seamlessly together. However, the thread that for so long tied that connectivity of function and vision has sadly passed on today.

See also The BBC's Obituary

Stephen Paul "Steve" Jobs entrepreneur and inventor February 24, 1955 - October 5, 2011



* As an ex-Motorola employee Apple playing catch up there ;-)

The Rogue in not for Running

So she may have said she was Going Rogue in her book, seen by many as laying out her manifesto to be the Republican Presidential Nominee for 2012. She has been seen by many for the last three years as the one that everyone has to beat having been on  the ticket last time. But this evening in a press release from Alaska the former Governor Sarah Palin has announced that she will not be seeking the nomination for the Republican Party in 2012. Her statement reads:

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.
My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.
From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.
Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.
– Sarah Palin

It means that those still in the race are Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachman, Texas Governor Rick Perry, previous runner and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, former speaker of the House of Representative Newt Gingrich, former Governor of Utah and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. and Radio Host Herman Cain.