We messed up so naturally the seriously disabled must suffer. Wait, what???
Last night the government announced that it is axing the Mobility Allowance and Motorized Transport Grant. The Mobility Allowance is only available to people who are seriously physically disabled and satisfy a means test. Why are the government stopping this scheme? Because they had in a place a ridiculous and inexcusable situation where it wasn't possible to apply for the allowance if you were over 66 years of age but if you had applied for it prior to being 66 you could would continue getting it after 66. Clearly this doesn't make any sense and it's contrary both to our own and the EU's equality legislation. They are stopping the scheme to avoid paying and backdating payments to people who were incorrectly refused the allowance on this basis. That is what this move is all about - avoid paying for a colossal mistake which was pointed out to them on numerous occasions by various different groups over the past few years. And yes the mistake was in place before the current government but I cannot imagine that a Fianna Fail majority government would ever take such a politically suicidal move as to attack the seriously disabled in this way. I understand that paying for mistake will be costly, but who are these people who are looking for this money? They aren't people looking to screw the system, sitting back rubbing their hands together waiting for the big pay-out. They are seriously disabled people who need this money to live. I met a gentleman a couple of years ago who was over 66, in a wheelchair, with other health complications, and caring for his wife who was in the early stages of Alzheimer's, that is how I found out about the odd situation with the Mobility Allowance. Do you think people like this should have to lose out because of this mistake? This isn't Ireland. This is not the country I'm so proud of.
Want to be scared? Boo!
I love scary movies. There is something about getting the frights that brings you right back to being a kid and feeling small in the great unknown darkness is oddly freeing. That said, there are only a few movies that I have found really frightening. And if asked what movies do you find scary I can only ever think of one off the top of my head - The Shining. I find that film so so so creepy. I'm getting a little creeped out now just thinking about it. I don't find films like The Exorcist or Poltergeist even vaguely frightening and I find it hard to understand how anyone does. And I think that's the interesting about horror movies; they are only scary if they manage to tap into one of deep dark fears, you know that irrational terror you have of something beyond your control, beyond your understanding. And of course that fear is childish nonsense because nothing is beyond our understanding in this logical and sensible adult world, right? Yeah, right...
So I thought I'd put together some lists of movies for Halloween and group them by the fears they evoke in me, and also list some not scary but enjoyable Halloween movies for those who want to get into the spirit of things while not been in anyway scared. Oh yeah and a list of zombies movies. I don't find zombie movies scary but I love them - there should be more zombie movies.
Thankfully I am not what I eat
I watched a documentary called Our Daily Bread recently. It's a fly-on-the-wall look at modern day food production. It's not an easy watch, firstly because it's style is so different to most of the documentaries you see on t.v., and secondly because it shows the factory style farming of chickens, cows and pigs. It also shows vegetable farming and salt-mining. I would recommend watching it but I did find it very upsetting so if you're sensitive about these things approach it with caution.
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