Bang goes another theory!

I watched BBC's Bang Goes the Theory last night. Liz Bonnin was very excited because she had been investigating one of the problems with Darwin's theory of evolution. It was one that he openly admitted in his book, The Origin of Species, that the fossil record was very patchy in places.

In particular, there is a lack of early fossils before what has become known as the "Cambrian explosion". The Cambrian era is where the fossil record suddenly appears. Not finding fossils before then is a big problem.

But Liz is on the case! And she showed us a fossil that had been found in pre-Cambrian rock, which proved the point that there were fossils before the "explosion". It's a charnia, so named, I assume, because it was found in Charnwood Forest in England.

But it looks like a leaf! However, it isn't, so she says, because it lived too deep under water to live like one. Hang on a minute, how deep under water could a fossil found in a forest have been? She didn't explain that. She DID say it had no mouth, but absorbed nutrients "in some way". She added that it remains a bit of an enigma!

So, unconvinced, I go onto the internet. The University of California Museum of Paleontology says of charnia and similar fossils, "Exactly what these fossils are is still not settled to the satisfaction of all."

So, hardly a great victory for Darwin, then!

AA renewal

I've been a member of the AA since 1968. My subscription renewal is due and I got a tip off from a friend. And that was to look on their website to see how much cheaper it is.

Our current membership includes "Home Start" and "Relay" service and the AA have given me (even though I haven't asked for it), complimentary "Stay mobile" service. This costs us £192 in total.

But on the Internet the cost for all of that, including paying for "Stay Mobile" is £30 cheaper! If we don't have "Stay Mobile", it's £70 cheaper!

So I rang up and he was happy to do the deal on the website prices. He said something about having to give the full prices in their letter due to the FSA. I didn't understand that. But I DO understand paying £70 less!

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I blogged about last year's renewal, as they sent it out so early (Put "AA" into the search window at the top left of the page to find it).

Also, another friend tipped me off about a YouTube clip, also about a helpful AA man. Go to
www.YouTube.com and search for "AA Barrier"

Glamour, here we come!

It's an exciting time here in Basildon. I say 'here', but we are in Laindon, which is next to Basildon, but likes to think it is very much 'distinct' from it.

Anyway, it's exciting because we have a new sign for all to see who travel down the A127 (the Southend Arterial Road). In "Hollywood" style letters the name "B A S I L D O N" is spelt out on a hill by the Noak Bridge interchange!

We drove past it yesterday, it really IS there! But if you don't believe me, look at the article just published on the Mail online (so it must be true!)
www.DailyMail.co.uk/news/article-1261756

However, this is merely an addition to the USA feel of the place, as the leisure complex is already know unofficially as "Bas Vegas".

It makes you proud to be living in Essex ...

Donations & Easter Colours

Two miscellaneous ramblings ...

Do you get regular bags through the letter box asking you to donate unwanted items for 'charity'? They are a regular stream through our door. Some are from recognisable charities but most are not. Like the latest one which is for "breast cancer prevention programme". There's a website - which consists of a blank page. The information on the bag says they make a minimum contribution of £5,000 each month to the project.

Well, do they? It is run by a limited company, and it says it's registered in Lithuania. Say no more!

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We needed some tissue paper and saw some in a shop window. We went in, and could not find the packet in the window on display where the other tissue paper was. On asking, we were told it was on the Easter display. You see, the paper was yellow and green, which are Easter colours. Of course, silly us!

Presumably red and green are Christmas colours. But spare a thought for poor old blue! Doesn't he get a look in?

We are currently running an Alpha course at church, using the DVDs. Last week Nicky Gumbel was talking about belief and saying that to be a Christian is more than just believing God exists. The Bible says even the demons believe that much!

We need not only believe God exists, we must also put our trust in him. I read the following recently:
To believe something is a decision of the intellect.
To believe in someone is a decision of the heart.

To become a Christian is to believe in Jesus - and that's a decision of the heart.

Some people think that you either believe or you don't. But I see belief as a "continuum" going from out and out unbelief to unswerving belief. Most of us are somewhere along that continuum, not at one end or the other.

As a Christian, sometimes my faith is stronger than at other times.

When a man asked Jesus if he could help his son who was very ill, Jesus picked him up on asking 'if', saying, "everything is possible for him who believes." The man responded, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Many people do believe, but are somewhere along the continuum. As we progress from left to right, our faith increases. If we regress from right to left, our doubt increases.

We won't necessarily achieve "complete belief", the important thing is we are moving in the right direction!

Cheap Lunch

I thought B&Q were the DIY store until today. We were in Asda to buy some grocery items and thought we'd have some lunch at the Cafe in store. I thought a sausage sandwich sounded nice, so I was given two slices of bread, three sausages and told the butter portions were by the till and the ketchup sachets on the left.

All you need to make the sandwich! Well, it was only £1.30.

Pointing the Way

Whenever we go down the A127 to Southend we pass a sign that points the way to the "Megazone Laser Arena".

Now I'm sure it's called Megazone because mega means large and a zone is an area.

But I can't help thinking of cough sweets ...




[ You probably have to be at least 50 years old to understand that. ]

At the time of writing I see there are only 287 days to go to Christmas! So, not surprisingly, I suppose, the big whole page advert on the front of our local paper urges us to book our Christmas party now.

Special rates if you book before the end of March!

There is an "all inclusive" price of £42. I assume "all inclusive" for a Christmas 'do' includes someone re-counting the story of the baby Jesus born in a stable and the visits of the shepherds and wise men...

No, actually, I'm not being serious.

Going round in circles

A while back I made some comments about the new route for the Underground Circle line, which is no longer a circle, more like a 'Q', or, as someone else has said, a lasso. A friend of mine who works on the tubes used to read my blog at work - during a refreshment break, of course!


But now he says he can't because my site has been restricted. Are they really that upset??

You can read original blog if you type "circle" into the search box at the top of the page.

The 'news' media

I've not blogged for a little while but I've been thinking about the recent saga that Jon Venables is back in prison. There are a number of things surrounding the story that have made me think.

The first is why, every time Venables is mentioned, the BBC has to show, yet again, the CCTV footage of Jamie Bulger being led away by those two. This image is unnecessary and distressing. To keep repeating it is completely uncalled for as it adds nothing to the current news story. Come on, BBC, I thought you were above things like that.

Secondly, what's all this about the "right to know"? I admit that I have no right to know why he has been recalled to prison. In fact, in opposition to what some are saying, it could be said it's comforting to know he is back behind bars and not at large.

Thirdly, it is, of course, the tabloid press who are whipping the frenzy up (as usual). Clearly they have no idea why he was recalled to prison - but that's no problem - they just make up a reason. That's why one paper said it was a serious sexual offence and another paper said it was child pornography. They have no idea what it is, but by making their claims they hope to force the authorities into saying more. But they are not saying more, and good for them.

If what the government says is true (and it seems reasonable to me) that any trial would be prejudiced if the full details came out, then I'm more than happy to know no more than I do now.

Because actually what I want is justice to be done. Rather than the witch hunt the tabloid media want to work up.