BMW!?

Amnesty International; I don't know a lot about the organisation, but I think I'm with Abby on this one. The sentiment is great, but there is no room for political correctness in a human rights organisation. You have to be, by definition, pretty libertarian, to truly campaign for human rights. You can't stand up more for those rights that have been traditionally trampled over, or ignore those that would rock the political boat too much.

For myself, I'd have to say that everyone entering Britain claiming asylum should get a fair hearing. But perple with terrorist pasts, people that would be in prison in Britain if they had committed those crimes on British soil, should be refused asylum. If there is doubt as to whether they will receive a fair trial for their crimes if they return from whence they came, then a fair trial should be organised elsewhere. Letting known terroists gather and form organisations in London throughout the 80s and 90s was a huge error.

I've just read that BMW Z4 drivers are considered the third sexist drivers on earth. First place went to Aston Martin (British, naturally), second place went to Ferrari. But BMW? Wht are they thinking? It's a hairdressers' car! Honestly, a less imaginative choice of sexy automobile I cannot believe exists. There's not even any comedy value. Click.

The British government is under pressure to make A levels more difficult as the pass rate is expected to reach around 97% this year. That's right ladies and gentlemen, 97% of students who take A levels get a pass. And in 1982, the year I went to college, that figure was 68%. Currently nearly 1 in 4 A level passes is a top grade. A spokesman for the department of eduction said that the figures show that, "standards are being maintained". So there you have it. Students today are 30% smarter than 23 years ago.

It strikes me that simply making the A levels more difficult is not going to solve this problem. That will just mean that the kids that were lucky enough to make the cut the year before the changes have a huge advantage, I say we have to rebadge the whole system, or at least make it progressively more difficult over 10 years or something. Of course, the government doesn't want to make any changes because kids getting lower marks looks bad. That's why this has happened. What really needs to happen is to take away control of the exams from the government and place it in the hands of a body that cannot benefit from any particular trend. Click.

I just want to make a quick mention about the Daily Confession website. I like this site and I read it most days. I occasionally play devil's advocate when I see a confession so stupid that the confessor needs a slap. Recently I saw someone basically confessing infidelity and blaming it upon "sex addition". The confessor was clearly looking for sympathy. I have no time for these people and I commented that Sex Addiction was a peculiarly American condition and that Anericans amuse me when they put so much time and effort into inventing conditions to excuse their behaviour. I wasn't surprised when many people, including the webmaster, jumped on me for the comment and pointed out that Sex Addicts Anonymous is represented all over the world as can be confirmed from their website.

Well I can't very well defend myself on the Daily Confession website, so I'll do it here. I had a look at the SAA website and the webmaster is quite right, they are represented in about 10 countries other than the US. That's hardly world-wide coverage, but I concede, my remark was not quite accurate. It's worth noting however that while there are I think 6 SAA meetings listed in England, there appear to be about 10 listed for each state in the US and I think I'm right in saying there are more SAA meetings listed in California than the entire non American world. I stand by the original sentiment of my remark. It's an American thing. It's not a medical condition, you're just not willing to take responsibility for your actions. This isn't an anti American message, it's an anti "people who won't take responsibility" message. Just in case you were wondering.