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Stalking, what it is and what it is not…

So many years ago many of you will know I was stalked to the point it affected my mental health and left me in fear of violence being perpetrated against me. Now I recently had someone use the excuse “I didn’t want to be accused of stalking you” as a reason not to communicate, and then later actually partake in stalker like behaviour (jury is out if they will actually move to stalk me.) So I thought I’d write this post about what stalking actually is and isn’t.

First the legal definition:

From https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/crime/domestic_and_family_violence/what_is_stalking

Stalking is a crime. It is an offence under the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007.  Stalking is defined under this law and includes:

‘the following of a person about or the watching or frequenting of the vicinity of, or an approach to a person’s place of residence, business or work or any place that a person frequents for the purposes of any social or leisure activity’.

Stalking involves a persistent course of conduct or actions by a person which are intended to maintain contact with or exercise power and control over another person. These actions cause distress, loss of control, fear or harassment to another person and occur more than once.

Stalking can involve threats or sexual innuendo and the stalker generally tries to intimidate or induce fear in the person they are stalking. The person being stalked may only realise they are being stalked once they identify a pattern of strange or suspicious incidents occurring, such as:

  • phone calls
  • text messages
  • messages left on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter etc.
  • notes left on the their car
  • strange or unwanted gifts left at their home
  • an awareness that they are being followed
  • being continually stared at or gestured to by another person.

The person being stalked can often develop a sense of loss of control over their lives and can be forced into changing their routine and behaviours.

What this means, and cyberstalking.

Basically, in very simple terms, if someone is engaging in following someone either in real life or ‘online’ they are likely to be stalking them… However, doesn’t that mean all our friends are ‘stalkers’ … no obviously it does not, there is the prerequisite to stalking, the stalker must be doing the following without permission. Friends have inferred consent and therefore the any following is not stalking. Similarly if someone follows your public posts on social media or a blog (such as this one) it is not stalking.

What is stalking though is if the person(s) following the posts have been told to stop their actions (very difficult to prove) or if they circumvent access controls to ‘follow‘ posts. This means that if you explicitly block someone on social media, and the person uses a second, unknown to you, account they are guilty of stalking. Similarly if they get a friend, relative or partner to view your posts and then relay the information to the person blocked this is stalking by proxy (legally ‘aiding and abetting an act of stalking‘.)

What stalking isn’t is the act of a person going to a place, social, home or other to communicate with another person, providing:

  • They have not been told previously to stop (i.e. the ‘stalkee’ has told the ‘stalker’, I never want to see/speak/communicate with you again.)
  • They don’t show up in any place where a reasonable person would consider it inappropriate. (e.g.turning up at a work place where they can reasonably visit a home and knock on the door.)
  • They have a reasonable excuse to communicate (e.g. if there is a child involved and some illness or injury has occurred.)
  • Emailing someone about an issue as a preference to seeking them out physically. (Note: emailing someone constantly can be stalking, this comes down to intent and frequency. Legal matters (attempts to resolve) are not stalking, but if you have a lawyer you should let them handle it as any direct contact can have legal implications. Matters about property or children (e.g. where custody is involved) etc are not usually stalking offences unless the ‘stalker’ has been explicitly told to cease contact… Using such an issue such as custody to include another matter such as comments on their personal lives, however are riding a very thin line than can turn either way, especially is the ‘issue’ is frivolous.)

Often issues of stalking come up where two people share the same area and make unwanted contact due to close proximity. This is often seen by the person that thinks they are being stalked as a stalking incident. It often is not… For example, if a couple splits and they both live in the same small town/village, it is quite reasonable to expect that they will be in the same physical location from time to time (e.g. a supermarket) What would be stalking though is if one party moves to another area and travels to the location of the other to visit services (again, e.g. a supermarket) where there are the same services local to them. Similarly if the person that feels they are being stalked changes services used/visited to avoid the other, and the other suddenly also changes to match their habits, this is very much stalking.

A recent issue of stalking…

A recent issue with me shows clear misconception of what constitutes and does not constitute stalking. I recently warned someone, via a third party, if the continue their actions, I would cut all social contact. They continued, I blocked their phone number, I ‘unfriended’ and blocked their social media accounts. They then did not contact me, as any good person wouldn’t, however there was an unresolved issue of property that had to be returned (in both directions.) I initiated email contact, which the resulting conversation was not pleasant to say the least, however it resulted in meeting twice where the second meeting was more level-headed and respectful on both parties. The last of the property (that I care about) was returned and I returned the remaining item that I was unable to locate previously.

The conversation that followed though brought up the comment about stalking. I had told the person that they could have contacted me if they had wished. They indicated they could not have as I had them blocked on all social media and messaging apps (phone SMS). I replied, they could could have emailed, could have knocked on the door of home, or failing wanting to travel the 25 minutes highway drive to my home they could have turned up at a couple of venues they know I frequent at a specific time and day of the week most weeks. They responded that they could not as this would constitute stalking. It would not… A single visit to communicate about the exchange of property is not stalking. In fact, based on their assertion the third-party had not given them the message (which I have since determined is actually a lie), turning up to have a reasonable conversation would not have been an issue as I had no issue with this person. If however, I had at that time or later told the person never to turn up again, any future acts would be actionable with the police.

What is interesting though is after that conversation and matters concluded, the person felt it was a good idea to email me with demands and additional personal comments. This email would not be considered stalking either (I have explicitly told the person until I indicate otherwise they can email me) however the content of said email contained information that would later be confirmed to be an act of stalking.

Their message indicated a ‘friend had forwarded‘ something to them from my social media that they were not happy with. Problem is they have at this point indicated they have a friend that is forwarding posts to them, which is ‘stalking by proxy‘. Further, after checking third-party information I have determined that they viewed the information via social media. As any shared post on social media is not viewable by anyone blocked by the original poster this indicates they have circumvented access controls by creating/using an account unknown to me with the intent of bypassing said controls.

This is both and act of stalking and a violation of the Telecommunications Act.

The stupid part of this is they could have easily turned up at that social place I mentioned earlier in this article to make their demands (which would have been denied as they were unreasonable, I have instead put said reasons in the same place as the original post they have indicated they have also read so they can also read the update) and providing they were respectful and non abusive they would not have been told never to show up again.

Finally, if you are victim of stalking…

Anyone can be a victim of stalking. People who engage in stalking behaviour do not necessarily need to be related to the victim.

If you are a victim of stalking, you need to understand that you are not responsible for the behaviour of the stalker and that you should not be blamed in any way.  If you are a victim of stalking, you should report it to the police so that there can be an investigation.

If you have recently left an abusive relationship, you may be at risk of being stalked and you need to make sure you are aware of what to do if this occurs.

You may be a victim of stalking if someone is:

  • Repeatedly following or spying on you
  • Repeatedly calling your home and/or work
  • Repeatedly sending you unwanted or offensive emails, letters, text messages etc.
  • Leaving unwanted gifts or items for you
  • Vandalising or damaging your property
  • Threatening you or someone close to you
  • Repeated showing up for no legitimate reason at places you go to. For example, the gym, dinner with friends, shopping, movies etc

Stalking is a crime.  It needs to be reported to the police to prevent the offender from committing a more serious crime.

….as yet I have taken no action except to record communication in the event of the person escalating to threatening myself or others…

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Site fixed…

It seems that over the years of the seemingly constant WordPress security updates, the registration system was broken at some point, when they forced all SMTP connections to use ‘STARTTLS’ even when not needed (e.g. connecting to a TLS only port). A minor patch restored previous functionality and now the registration system and therefore the ability to comment has been restored.

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Gas lighting: The Art of Changing Facts

It’s been a while since I blogged, but a recent experience alerted me to what Gas Lighting actually means, and that over the years I have been subjected to Gas lighting on more than one occasion, though in later years it seems to be getting more and more common.

The official definition is: Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse that’s seen in abusive relationships. It’s the act of manipulating a person by forcing them to question their thoughts, memories, and the events occurring around them. A victim of gaslighting can be pushed so far that they question their own sanity.

The term “gaslighting” comes from a play and subsequent movie called “Gaslight.” In the movie, the devious husband, played by Charles Boyer, manipulates and torments his wife, played by Ingrid Bergman, to convince her she’s going mad. 

Gaslighting, whether intentional or not, is a form of manipulation. Gaslighting can happen in many types of relationships, including those with bosses, friends, and parents. But one of the most devastating forms of gaslighting is when it occurs in a relationship between a couple.

For me the definition is slightly different, though essentially the same…

Gas lighting: the Art Of changing the facts (literally or by context change) throughout a conversation to support your point of view or “win” an argument….

In all cases it is known as “emotional abuse” (and it doesn’t matter if its deliberate or unintentional… it’s still abuse.)

If you are in a conversation or argument, and you think, “I didn’t say that” or “that’s not what I meant, it’s not the context I used” and you start questioning your own memory and/or sanity, you’re probably the victim of gas lighting…  either that or you are actually going insane… 

Spotting if you’re being gaslit..

You can usually tell which by the fact you start thinking, “I need to record conversations like this in the future” or the person you are conversing with starts “talking” (can be face-to-face or via one of the myriad of “instant” messaging services) really quickly or changing the subject really quickly and not allowing you to go back to what was said to clarify or correct, they may also try and invoke a “guilt trip” to get you to change the conversation into you defending yourself instead of challenging the new facts… It is also common (extremely common) for the abuser to accuse you of gas lighting them, or abusing them, or you are trying to do some form of manipulation on them.

Stopping this emotional abuse…

There are two distinct ways, both can be used, or either, both detailed below.

Getting professional help.

Talking to a psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist about your concerns and experiences. They can help you sift through your doubts and fears and understand the realities of what you experienced. You’ll learn how to manage doubts and anxiety and develop coping skills.

Stopping the abuse yourself, if you can.

This is tricky if the other person is your partner as they will still want to control the conversation by making it face to face, but it still can be done with a little thought.

First: Stop the conversation and walk away…

If the person is face to face, do it literally, if they are ‘remote’ hang up the phone, block/mute the person on the text messaging app after telling them to take it to something you can refer back to, either email or an old fashioned pen and paper and write a letter…

What this does is ensure what is “said” can be easily referred to and “quoted” to point out to the abuser that the context or facts are not what they just changed them to, and ultimately show them the actual conversation/facts of what was said.

This is quite easy by email as you just have to ensure all messages you send quote your previous messages *and* theirs..  try to use “inline quoting” rather than reply on top. This makes it clear of the context of your words, what you are replying to (so that the other person cannot engineer a reply and use that reply in a different context.) If the conversation is an argument and you have to resort to written (pen and paper) replies, ensure you quote from previous letters by using, “in your later letter, you said…” and quote the *exact* words they use, because the first thing a gaslighter will do is accuse you of gas lighting them if you miss part of the item you are quoting and they see an opportunity to say, “I didn’t mean that” or “that’s not what I said”.

In all cases, the most important thing is continually fact check yourself, fact check what they said to you by referring back and quoting.

An example from my recent past, an abuser accused me of trying to manipulate their emotions by saying I was dying. To me this was incredulous and highly amusing because had I been face to face with the person, they would have quoted me as saying something slightly different, they would have been very quick to talk over me, and Im certain there would have been a “what ever, but” and the subject would be changed slightly to stop the challenge of the changing of facts.

It was incredulous, because this was a supposed highly intelligent person (who is not afraid of telling you that they are on the ‘spectrum’ and ‘way high IQ’) and they failed to spot I had closed down all methods of communication except email. I had done it quite deliberately after this “friend” had tried to manipulate me, and I had felt manipulated for sometime and after talking to a professional they suggested it… I just couldn’t work out how to do it without letting them know I was on to them… so when an opportunity presented itself I took it with open arms…

The conversation below is limited to just one of the manipulations and gas lighting they tried, because, like the person, the rest of details are now irrelevant (Note: the ‘test’ and “something new” is not the exact word use, as it is purely work related… however the punctuation and “if I pass” is a direct quote.)

It went something like this…

I said I was “taking a test, and if I pass, I’d be doing something new”… the reply came back a while later that I had tried manipulate their emotions by saying I was dying…

The reply came back: “Even now, you continue to bait and manipulate me IE: talking about you dying and moving.”

Classic example of what an emotional abuser will do, accuse you of doing the very thing they are doing to you… so my reply went back asking what the f*** they were talking about “dying and moving”…?

The response was swift and as I had already guessed, a classic example… it was this…

“You did mention moving and dying. Don’t be stupid and read over your own emails. “***** address is changing in three months” “if I pass” etc etc etc. it’s there in black and white. YOU fucking said that shit TODAY. “

My reply was as swift, I did debate just not replying, but as I had just proven clearly their abuse and I was never going to even speak to them again… ever… I figured a parting shot from me, can only do good, maybe they’d actually get some professional help (very unlikely, but you never know in the future when they look at how their past relationships with friends, co-workers and even partners ended and are trying to work out why they never last long and all go south, they may remember the email and seek help.)

I quoted the original conversation excerpt in full and replied, “That’s “if I pass the test” you blithering idiot.”… the moving part was something very similar, not going to put it in full here, but I will say, it was about needing paperwork only if moving, which was changed by the abuser into, “you said you were moving” … i hadn’t actually mentioned moving other than in the context, it’s not urgent as only will need it when moving.

Finally…

To finish, this is just one of the many experiences I have personally had to deal with over the years, at times I have literally thought I was going insane where I thought, “I didn’t say that!”, and “That’s not what I meant”… and I must be an abuser magnet because as you’ll know by my previous posts, over 10 years ago I was severely abused by a pathological narcissist… and I took to actually recording interactions as they were the picture of sweetness outside of the home and absolutely nasty as nasty can be behind closed doors.

I hope this helps you if you are either the abuser or the abused… just don’t do it.. its easy to do unintentionally as it is easy to do deliberately, and as an onlooker you can’t always tell which is which.

EDIT: Last thought….

If you want to determine the difference between an abuser and someone who inadvertently gaslit you… wait for the apology. An abuser will never apologise, and in many times they will accuse you of doing it to them, or even just gas light you about the whole incident. A good person, may or may not apologise because at the time of being caught out, they will likely be upset or angry and it will take time to realise what they did and apologise for it. Many times (with me for sure) by the time the apology is even considered it is way too late to give it with any intention of repairing any damage done. e.g. in the recent case, I don’t expect an apology as I am certain it was deliberate abuse, and if I’m wrong it won’t matter any how. I deliberately left it months before the challenge over the gas lighting, and so by the time they actually work out the truth of their behaviour, they won’t be able to contact me… either from their own embarrassment or the simple fact I will not be contactable other than face to face and if I see them coming I will walk the other way… because by that time they will be persona non grata in my circle.

EDIT(2): An Update… how the abuse can continue…

Surprisingly I got an email (rather than comment) in response to this article on Gas Lighting.

Unsurprisingly it was from the subject of the example demanding the article was to be taken down as it was about them. They supported their argument with the assertion that they have shown it to multiple people who agree it’s about them. Needless to say, I haven’t and won’t respond, the article is about Gas Lighting and not about any individual, and without showing emails and communications with third-parties there is no link to the subject of the example, either inferred or directly… I deliberately did not include details that would point to any individual specifically and out of misplaced respect for them.

That all said, I will now say a few words that will directly address things brought up in the email in a manor which is both anonymising and direct to show how the abuse can continue.

They started by quoting the original email which was the target of the changed context/facts and then continued to state “Both of those could be read as you threatening to harm yourself” … anyone who knows me (like this person alludes to) knows my days of self harm ended in hospital in 1994/5.. but apparently “everyone who’s seen that email agrees” … which unfortunately goes back to the the first part of this update that they are pointing the finger at themselves in respect to any inference that the post is actually targeted at themselves. They then go onto apologise but rather than actually apologise attempt to justify their position by referring to the very far distant past and how they ‘assumed’ it was about suicide. This is a tactic I have seen before in abusive relationships, and indeed non abusive (usually desperate) to try and justify themselves as why they did no wrong and how the target (in this case me) should forgive them for making a mistake. The psychology is quite simple, illicit doubt that there was a deliberate act then canvas guilt that the target got it wrong. This in many ways is similar to the changing of facts in gas lighting, but without speaking to a professional on the subject I cannot conclude whether it is actually just another form or not.

The email continued, and as per the usual tactic of abusers it stated one fact, but in the complete opposite of the actual course of events… Specifically, “you wanted me gone, I went” but as you’ll recall from further up in this article, I specifically cut communication where it was not recorded in a way that could be referred back to. In fact there was no ‘I want you gone’ mentioned anywhere in any communication at all, reality is the person was told (confirmed) that if they didn’t respond to me I would cut all lines of ‘instant’ communication and later consider them persona non grata. They didn’t, so I did. It was not something I wanted but something that was necessary for my own sanity…

…and now for the classic sign of abuse and manipulation…

The email goes on to reminisce on ‘good times’, then switches to a one-liner indicating I am abusing them, and how they are sorry that I am “feeling hurt and upset” (Note: no apology there, it’s trying to turn the entire conversation from their guilt to me being the guilty person.)

They then continue to profess their feelings and how they can’t work out why we’re not friends anymore.. which is quite simply yet another attempt to place the guilt (or loss) they are feeling for what they did on me instead of themselves. They them say about how ‘friends’ are forwarding this post to them, which is no doubt an attempt to deflect from a previous lie where they say they don’t know any of my domains/contact details… (in the unlikely event it’s true… they are not your friends!) They (the abuser), however forgets I have blocked anyone and everyone that knows both myself and them except for one family, who don’t actually know of this blog, let alone knows where to view it or would forward a post.

They also fail to realise I have been manipulated multiple times in the past and with age and time comes knowledge and insight. Those of us who seemingly accept the abuse, quietly and without argument are actually collecting and collating the abuse to be 100% sure before making our move. Sometimes it pays to be quite and listen to what is not said, rather than what is spoken.

The message to them is simple… The world does not revolve around you, this post wasn’t about you, but whilst you’re here… You got what you wanted, you said it yourself. When you’re ready, seek professional help and maybe you’ll realise what you actually did. Don’t leave it too long or you’ll find yourself in the same situation as Donna. That said, I personally expect by the time you do; I am sure I will be long gone as will your husband/employer/partner/whatever… (really I don’t know any more) …. In the event you actually seek help in the next few years, when you feel the time is right, you might want and be able to contact me. However, be warned though, lying is unacceptable, transference of blame/guilt/loss is unacceptable, manipulation is unacceptable, gas lighting is unacceptable, if that is on your mind or you think you can get away with it, don’t even bother… and to be honest, after what you have done, I don’t even know if I will ever want to know you again, let alone be friends… but I guess I’ll find out in the unlikely event you actually get there.

Parting thought: When one is given enough rope, many will hang themselves.

Music for the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elk6NXBHjBg

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Electricity Generation and ‘Base Load’

So I’ve written a little on climate change, and tweeted/posted on climate change, talked to people etc and one reoccurring theme seems to keep coming up and seems to cause the biggest rifts between climate change activists, climate deniers and even those who know better!

So lets look at a few arguments and dispel a few myths.

Baseload.

Baseload seems to be universally dismissed as something that will go away at some point in the future… or as something I haven’t quite worked out what people think it is…

Very simply base load is:

The amount of electricity that is always needed, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, regardless of night or day, regardless of winter or summer etc.

… it is NOT anything else. Follows are some simple questions and answers that will upset a few of the Greenies (I, the author, am one.) “Supplied” below means all the time, every day of the year.

Can baseload be supplied by solar or wind? NO
Can baseload be supplied by batteries or pumped hydro? NO
Can baseload be supplied by hydro? Maybe
What can base load be supplied by? Coal, Gas, Oil, Geo-Thermal, Nuclear.

Smartgrids

Smartgrids are the supposed technological solution. In reality, they are if they are done right, but unfortunately there are many people and policies that make the smart grids not so smart.

A Smartgrid is a power grid with the ability of all generators (large and small – including home solar panels etc) to all work together to ensure the power requirements at any one time are satisfied to maintain reliability and stability. (more on it over here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid )

What does it mean for the consumer?

Reliable power that is stable (in theory) but nothing else.

What does it mean for a producer (someone pushing power into the grid)?

A central control (or localised control hub) will tell your generator (whether it be an inverter supplied by batteries (like a Tesla Powerwall II), rooftop solar, or even a gas/diesel/petrol generator) to stop pushing as much power into the grid or push more depending on what is needed.

This means if your power is not needed, you won’t get paid for it, regardless of the number of solar panels on your rooftop. What it does mean though is if you have batteries that can supply the grid, when power is not needed your batteries will be charged up, and if power is needed and the sun is not shining the batteries can supply the extra power for the grid… or the extra power can be sent to power the pumps of a pumped hydro system, or (in theory) to charge someone else’s batteries.

This means with a smartgrid and enough people supplying it with storable solutions it is possible to reduce the baseload requirement in your area…. oops there we go, this is where the confusion happens.. it does *NOT* *REDUCE* the BASELOAD .. it supplies part of it!

Pulling that concept out further if you have enough people with enough storage and generation to cover the baseload requirement then you have baseload supplied without additional generation needed. It’s still there, still a requirement, but you have it covered… this is very very different from eliminating baseload!

Power generation types (carbon and not.)

Solar

The rooftop panels on houses, ‘farms’ of them supplying MegaWatts of power. “Free Power from the Sun” … well people got news for you. After 25 years they are expected to be at 80% their original efficiency. They are currently NOT recyclable for the major component. This means you have a 10kw set of panels on your house, in 25 years time you have a set of 8kw panels – this is assuming you keep them clean. If the projected degredation is linear (ie a straight line and not a curve) it means in 125 years time they will be generating 0kw (zero, nothing, nada!).. Great, I won’t be around to worry, but what of my children or my children’s children? Huge amount of non-recycable materials that no one can do anything with!

Carbon wise, no emissions, but carbon is put into the atmosphere creating and transporting/installing them.

Wind

We’ve all seen windmills, the precursor to the wind turbine, they’ve been around for hundreds of years, but as with all things, they wear out. They have bearings that wear out, they have blades that will degrade and eventually need to be replaced… They also have an environmental impact, though the sound of them does NOT cause cancer regardless of what the President of the United States says.. Are they recyclable? I don’t know the be honest, parts of them are, but parts are not.

Carbon wise, no emissions, but carbon is put into the atmosphere creating, maintaining and transporting/installing them.

Nuclear

Despite what you see in the media (all types) this is currently one of the safest power generation types and has the fewest deaths/illnesses relating to it (along with wind and solar.) It is usually depicted in the media with the first image of a mushroom cloud from a nuclear warhead, which instills FUD (Fear, Uncertainty (of it’s safety) and Denial (from using it)). The fact of the matter is nuclear bombs and nuclear power use completely different types of technology and the only link is you can dilute the fuel used in bombs for use to generate power… in fact this is the very reason for the Megatons for MegaWatts deal between Russia and the USA where Russia decommissioned 20,000 nuclear warheads and the Uranium was mixed with other things to make it suitable for use in the USA’s nuclear reactors to generate power. Yes you got that right, the disarming of nuclear weapons resulted in cleaner power.. how about that for recycling!

Nuclear power is also the only true ‘renewable’ power generation method, as the fuel is naturally occurring and continuously being replaced deep in our oceans. We have enough for billions of years.

Carbon wise, no emissions, but carbon is put into the atmosphere creating, maintaining and transporting the fuel for them. Expected lifetime of modern reactors is 60 years.

The amount of power generated from fuel ratio is the average person will use 1 kilo of fuel through out their whole life (70 years).. thats a bag of sugar or 2.2 pounds for those that don’t know what a kilo is… per person, for 70 years of normal electricity….

Waste has to be stored, but everyone forgets it (currently) is being dug up, already radioactive, the waste can go back in the same hole it was taken out of (in theory.) There are waste solutions!

Gas

The cleanest of all the fossil fuel generation. Also with availability (at the moment) one of the cheapest, but as more is used, soon it will be expensive!

Carbon wise, lower carbon emissions, but carbon is put into the atmosphere creating, maintaining them. Expected lifetime of modern power stations is 60 years.

Oil

The not the cleanest of all the fossil fuel generation… but probably the most expensive, especially as it’s a finite resource that is rapidly running out and it is needed for many other things.

Carbon wise, a significant producer of carbon emissions, carbon is also put into the atmosphere creating, maintaining them. Expected lifetime of modern power stations is 50 years, none as far as I know are being built, instead they are all being converted to gas or decommissioned.

Coal

The dirtiest of all the fossil fuel generation… but one of the cheapest (fuel cost), it is a finite resource that will run out. It has a massive ecological impact both for the production and burning of the coal, and by far has the most deaths relating to its production and use every year.

Carbon wise, it is the worst producer of carbon emissions (highest), carbon is also put into the atmosphere creating, maintaining them. Expected lifetime of modern power stations is 50-60 years.

To be continued… (in a later post.)

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Climate Hypocrites

So a short post on climate change and the hypocrisy surrounding it.

It occurred to me a few minutes ago the massive hypocrisy of the “Climate Deniers” so I thought it was about time I made comment, and get a whole load more people hating me for just confronting them with an uncomfortable truth.

No matter which side of the debate you’re on ask yourself some serious questions about your beliefs and behaviour. For example, how many of you have children and tell them to put a tooth under their pillow so the tooth-fairy can come along and convert it into money? How many of you teach children about Father Christmas/Santa Claus. How many other imaginary creatures/people do you teach your children exist? We as adults teach these figures to our children, who in some cases don’t want to believe in them, yet we don’t listen to scientists that tell us something we don’t want to believe in.

Now lets take that a step further, how many of you believe in imaginary creatures?

Now ask yourself again after I rephrase the question… How many of you believe in creatures/beings that have no scientific basis or fact to support their existence…?

Still not including yourself? Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Allah? Do you believe in Buddha? Do you believe in any other deity? Do you believe in Aliens? If the answer to any of these is, “Yes” then you believe in the existence of something that has no scientific basis or fact. There is nothing wrong with this as it should give you purpose and make you feel better about yourself.

So now ask yourself the question, why do you not believe in Climate Change, why do you not believe in Global warning? There are many scientists that specialise in climatology that are warning us of what’s coming, there is empirical evidence of global warming. You can even see things for yourself with no scientific training, just look how the hurricanes and cyclones are getting more severe. How drought for traditionally fertile land is now causing massive ‘dead zones’. How deserts are expanding and how glaciers are receding.

Now I know what you’re thinking, there are all those scientific reports that state the opposite, or those that show as the decades pass there are warm times and cool times “Its part of the natural cycle”… but look at the evidence are the cool times as cool as they used to be? Are the warm times warmer than they used to be? There is evidence out there, you only need to open your eyes and look.

The worst part of this whole saga for me is how a 16 year old girl with Aspergers syndrome, rather than being praised for her dedication to bring the possibility of our impending doom to light (whether well founded or not) is being attacked for “Mental Illness”, for her age, “How can a 16 year old know this, she needs to go back to school?” Seriously, this is another doing the rounds, “She must be a Nazi because she is white with braided hair.”

Then those same people, say, “I believe in God” where Christianity (for example) teaches love and compassion for others. Sorry you can’t be Christian if you are spreading the hate about a vulnerable 16 year old girl for telling the world that we are on the brink of destroying ourselves unless we start improving how we use the limited resources of our planet.

If you got here and still deny the science are still unwilling to listen to those who make it their life’s work to find the facts. Perhaps you should also stop listening to those others that do the same, like the scientists that created drugs to cure your illnesses, next time you get sick, don’t take those drugs no matter how ill you are. Perhaps in the same vein to those that discovered how to harness the power of electricity, get rid of your TVs, your Phones, your solar panels, your incoming electricity connection, your ovens, your fridges. Go back to lighting fires to cook, digging up vegetables and using spears to kill animals to eat… Even give up your homes (which are built using science) and go back to living in caves as you once did.

Science has provided you many luxuries in life, it has made you live longer, and now it is warning us that if we don’t change we will all (as a species) die within just a few hundred years… so now you chose not to believe in it?