The Pessimism and Occasional Optimism of Juvenile Adulthood

Around the world, every country has their own laws, and despite the anarchy I suggested in my previous post, their are principles of governance which are less riotous than anarchism. But how are these laws created and then verified? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of unicameral and bicameral legislatures? Lets investigate. The easiest way to explain this matter is to use case studies. So lets use the respective Parliaments of the UK, Finland (Eduskunta), and the National People's Congress of China. The UK has two 'chambers of government', the House of Commons and the House of Lords. As in most bicameral legislatures, the lower house is where new laws and amendments are debated and drafted. If the elected government has a majority of elected MPs in the house then the law will be moved onto the House of Lords. This is where the fundamentals of bicameralism remain but with British weirdness thrown in for good measure. Here, the legislation is 'looked...

Following on from our London to Paris ride, I'm pleased to say we raised over £10,000 for the British Heart Foundation. Thanks to you all for your support and also the amazing page hits I have received. But with the ride over, so are the ride updates and L i f e G o e s O n . So I'm going to talk about Zimbabwe. I've become rather fascinated by this Republic, and since the demise of 'the Robert', I have the perfect chance to give my opinions. This was a nation which since 1923 had endured colonial rule inspired by early white supremacist Cecil Rhodes who the nation was named after. It was in the 1960s however when things became interesting. Tension with the British over black integration into current affairs led to prime minister Ian Smith declaring independence, not that any country took notice. Only Portugal and pro-apartheid South Africa supported them secretly. This was a year into what became a 15 year Bush War ending in a stalemate, sacrificing 20,000 ...

I would like to start by writing that this is being typed on a Parisian street corner having now completed a rather eventful and exciting leg spinner of a day. (Note pictures of today and the whole journey will follow) We woke up in a rather large chateau with donkeys, a mad woman and horrible showers -not that any of them were to be enjoyed in great detail. However, I swiftly became aware that my legs weren't quite at their best. Every step felt ever so slightly heavier and it gave a rather impressive insight into how the pro riders do this for 3 weeks with only 2 rest days. The fact that Adam Hansen has completed 20 consecutive Grand Tours is just astonishing! Anyhow, we set off sadly later than planned but with staggered starts!! Though the credit I will claim for that idea is minimal. This would have been brilliant if senses of direction remained unaffected!  Nevertheless as we departed, the fog descended and much like in the Hounds of the Baskervilles,   we were going to ...

Today was the longest day, a full 124.6 125 km, and our first day cycling in the French Republic following a transition day on the ferry.  A choppy ride made the journey long, at times nauseating and shaky to say the least. However it was the 18th Birthday of one Team Froome member, Master Mister Jack Bennett. So happy birthday to him. Anyway... We began today in a hotel F1 (Formula " unn") , renowned for their distinct lack of quality and facilities, stripped bare of any luxuries- like McLaren Honda! We then headed to the docks at Dieppe and departed swiftly after, and one thing was instantly noticeable. The surface. I could wax lyrical about the smooth, divine Tarmac, weaving elegantly through the green and pleasant land that isn't Jerusalem.  In the allegedly United Kingdom, the terrain varied from pothole infested roads to gravel to large stones. On a road bike on road tyres, I was paranoid throughout. Yet in a nation which cares about the bicycle, having devoted cycl...

Today was a day of numbers. Between we the mighty 7, we used 8 bikes had two punctures and one more fall, this time courtesy of Rory Bennett, who went skidding across mud and created a sight to behold. The day sadly began too late for anyone wanting but Team Cavendish had the chance to regain their place in the peloton, and boy did try succeed as with only one puncture they finished strong, just like their their namesake. Beyond their, we headed to our start for the day, in a journey which nearly came to an abrupt end as the deer scarpered across the road, before swiftly leaping over a 5 foot hedge. Soon though, we reached the start and we swiftly departed . The main question I was debating the night before, was how long my legs would last before succumbing to yesterday's fatigue. The answer: inconclusive. Throughout the day, the pace was relatively constant and the main sources of difficulty lay in the hills. Naturally, the gulf between us as a group would inevitably increase as f...

In truly Intrepid fashion, things were never going to go fully smoothly. However by the end, our sandpaper had been used to great effect as all appeared to go well. At least on the surface... After following custom and leaving the rather grim surroundings of the scout campsite 1/2 an hour late. We headed for the tube. With our bikes. In Lycra. All the way to Westminster. To all the passengers whose seats we deprived them of with our saddles, handlebars and wheels, I apologise. Fortunately though, for all parties involved, we departed and crossed the eponymous bridge and passed the residence of Mr Bercow where we reached our start point: The London Eye. By this point, timing had ticked by at such a rate that its importance seemed forgotten - right until we looked at our watches and realised we were over 1 hour late and morning was preparing to bid farewell for another 12 hours. Such time constraints rather forced our staggered starting plan to be drastically scaled back to us setting of...

I'm writing this in a Land Rover heading down to London with several bicycles in the trailer. This is because tomorrow I will begin a bicycle ride from London to Paris. I'm doing this with my Explorer Scout Unit (aptly named Intrepid) so over the next few days I will be using this online platform along with the book of faces to update the world on our pedal strokes heading gently south. We begin tomorrow at 10am at the Eye of London Town.  Please stay tuned FACT of the IPOT: Over the next 5 days and 4 cycling days, we will cycle over 400 kilometres. My saddle cream is at the ready... 

It firstly goes without saying that I'm sorry for the lack of posts in recent months but life has happened and time has passed with at a similar speed. But I shall digress for no-one wants to listen to me wittering about my life. Instead I'm going to witter about other people's. Specifically, I want to get political. Well mildly... We British folk have decided to leave the Union of Europe. I have my opinions about the decision but once again I shall put these to one side. What irritates me is the type of vote it was.  The referendum was an electoral agreement. Something Mr Cameron promised in exchange for the position in power at Westminster. But also the means of campaigning were incomprehensible. Like the Scottish independence referendum, I hoped for information and impartial ideas. Mr Salmond even had the decency of producing a 650 page white paper with a 200 page section of FAQs. It was presumptive yet informed and came from those best in the know about the sub...

I'm a sports fan. That is... a fan of many sports. It is the competitive edge as we can watch and compete against one another for a physical edge. It is the case of superlatives. We all want to either see or be the fastest, quickest, strongest or to put another much simpler way, the best. And at this time now, the passion could not be more evident: The Football Season is at a climax, Cycling's first Grand Tour is underway, The Lions tour is about to start and I wonder when a fan's passion can become excessive. The clip of Chris Froome running up Mount Ventoux has become iconic but it is the man you see 1 minute and 45 seconds into the clip that proves that passion can soon become idiocy.   Surely at some point, things don't become as exciting as they may seem.  Just take Hereford VS Wantage Town earlier this year. It really wasn't exciting, nor was the sight of Froome having to make the unwanted trip up Ventoux on cleat. So as the sporting season ...

You may have noticed I have this photo as the background to my blog: Those who have seen my web log profile will also see that I have listed The above film as my favourite film. Here's why: The 2013 remake of the classic short story inspired me when I first saw it many months ago. It combined many of my favoured interests, such as Greenland, Iceland,  Eyjafjallajökull   (pronounced I-yaf-yalla-yo-hull with the extra throatiness on the last syllable.) and bicycles along with a story of chasing your dream. Now while I could happily talk about any of the above subjects with willingness, I get the impression that in order to appeal to a wider demographic I need to give some form of motivational rubbish while still linking it to the main topic of conversation. Life can not be given. It must be chased. After all, there is no sense of achievement unless you have worked to earn it. Everyone at some stage in their life will have a dream. A dream which should be fu...

This article sadly won't be about the true legend of words that is Sir Terry Pratchett. Instead it will be based around something I experienced recently. I have played the violin for a long time. Not for much longer but the important thing is that I currently do. Anyway, I was asked to play the violin for an elderly social group and one thing struck me. The interest and care they showed for us as we played was truly wonderful. In a modern society that often leaves the elderly feeling isolated and marginalised it was heart-warming to see them united and out about. But that isn't my main talking point. During the meeting, they were informed of sad news that a close, much-loved member of their club had passed after a brief battle with the embuggerment that is Cancer. What struck me was their dealings with death. The instant shock was evident as you'd expect from almost anyone, but their ability to so quickly forget about his lack of presence and focus on their happy and ...

This article has been written having just read this news article . - BREAK FOR READING FULL ARTICLE OR ENOUGH TO GET THE GENERAL GIST.- This article amuses me. I'm curious how this survey of 1,000 people in each country can declare Norway remarkably perky and the Central African Republic down. It's certainly not wealth although it's easy to think so. The Danes pay ridiculous taxes with the wealthy paying up to 52% on their income. Mali meanwhile offers a choice of 30% or 3%. This rather bizarre system doesn't count for happiness though as they continue struggle on the happiness list. Instead it must stem from emotional feelings of satisfaction. This is Hygge. I'm not going to tell you how to pronounce as despite much debate, this is a blog not a vlog instead. Instead you can look at the picture. The point is if we all look after ourselves with small acts of self satisfaction, we would be better in the long term. Or at least happier. On the other hand...

Now I've grabbed your attention with my clickbait, let me begin: I'm curious about North Korea  the ' Democratic ' People's Republic of Korea. Not because I believe in their policies or because I am an advocate of   Juche . No I'm curious because of a hunger. A hunger for knowledge We live in a land of luxury where interweb software means we can communicate with texts and e-mails and phone calls. Sometimes only one at a time... But if there's is anything in this world which we don't know about, it is the 'D'PRK. There's a reason for that: They don't want anyone to know. The best example of  this is epitomised with North Korean tourism. The legend that is Alan Sugar once remarked at a health food saying that it's list of ingredients had  'as much information on it as a North Korean tour guide.'  As far as I am aware you can visit North Korea, with a selected tour company. With a strict presence of army guards. At  AL...

You may have noticed something happen at the Oscars... Therefore I'm not going to tell you what happened and instead give my opinion on the matter and my opinion is this: A fun anecdote missed. The important thing to remember about any event is the feelings of those involved in this case the cast and crew of the two respective films. Now anyone would be shocked when something unexpected happening (Brexit, Trump, Hereford United disbanding, Ranieri, draws to Santiago Colts U15 etcetera) however it is about the aftermath and their thoughts looking back in hindsight appeared to be tongue-in-cheek humour. Both Emma Stone and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins seemed more focused on the eventual result and were happy to laugh off the 'misunderstanding'. But surely things have become out of hand. Over the following decades this could've become a funny story. This could've become an 'I was [insert location here] when they messed up the 89th Oscars...

This article is about vexillology (study of flags) Flags are a symbol of identity and can also act as a form of identification and also decoration. They carry pride and patriotism whilst being a form of recognition for a belief or way of life. So in such a troublesome time, is the flag the issue or is it the inaccurate interpretations by of the flag's intended connotations. Let's investigate... Flags were originated for battle so the oncoming armies could identify each other. It was for a simple purpose of recognition. Only during the development of maritime exploration did flags become necessary to identify nationalities. It was only in the late 18th century were flags officially produced with nationalist sentiment and by the mid 19th century, every sovereign state had its own flag. However the controversy of flags tends to predominantly come from colonial history and quests for independence. Two of the most recent examples are the confederat...

I'm writing this article in the midst of pride and frustration. Today Sutton United of the Nationwide/Blue Square/Skrill/Vanarama Conference/National League Premier, will take on Arsenal of the Premier League. This is just two days after Lincoln conquered the mighty Burnley at Home. Something no team in the league has done. The commentator speaking in the immediate aftermath said that the result was up there with Hereford - a reference to Hereford United's 2-1 win over Newcastle United on the 5th February 1972. More info on the game can be seen here . This isn't however my point. As my tagline to act as clickbait suggests, my point is the commercialism of football. Those close to me will be aware of our recent studying of the topic in GCSE P.E but it's raised an issue in my mind.... How many people see these brands and buy them as a consequence? I haven't once in my life thought while watching football- i.e. Burnley vs Lincoln- oh I know I must go and hire a mi...

Half Term has arrived though it's hardly a holiday... Here we are meant to be relaxing with a week off while recuperating ahead of the final bend before the home stretch to mock exams and 2 GCSEs. Yet this doesn't come across. In a land of a supposedly 'United' Kingdom we are pressurised into panicking ourselves for mocks! The whole purpose of mock exams is to understand where your strengths and weaknesses are. From then you can begin to focus on your weaknesses so that they can be eradicated in time for the real thing. This year in particular, I admit, the stress is understandable. The Conservatives' Gove/Morgan partnership has decided to bring the exam board in line with Europe just as the rest of the government decides to separate itself from the rest of Europe. By unexpectedly changing the marking system and dragging A-Level topics down to GCSE it is hardly the teachers fault. They are the innocent victims of this event like nature in the late Ted Hughes...

Hello. I'm currently a 14 year old but I don't think that's important. I also have Asperger (or Asperger's) syndrome but I don't think that matters too much either. Anyway the pangs of the internet have brought me here and I've decided to join a form of social media. So I want this blog (or web log according to Mr Bruff) to be my platform. A platform to express both the pros and cons that come with life especially at what is such a moody irritating age (allegedly) I won't declare any affiliations to anyone/thing but I'm assuming you can decipher these soon enough. So erm... enjoy (I think) Signed Me