We should have guessed it wouldn’t last.  After hearing screams of horror from all faiths about the Charlie Hebdo massacre, the gaps are reappearing.  A carefully worded letter from Community Secretary Eric Pickles to 1100 Imams in the UK has produced outrage.  By urging the religious leaders to show ‘men of hate’ that they have no place in Britain’s mosques, he has generated a storm of protest.  The Muslim Council of Britain takes the position that the letter suggests that extremism takes place at mosques. Nothing could be further from the tone or meaning of the letter. If we need examples of intransigence, we need look no further than faiths of every denomination.  Extremism delivers a temporary truce, as in Paris, where all sides link arms and march as though in step.  But give it a week and they will be back in their entrenched defensive positions, identifying slurs that are never overt or meant. Are faith leaders part of the problem rather than part of the solution?  Could it be the fact that the behavior of those of faith frequently makes atheism a more balanced alternative. 

    Picked up a lovely snippet from the USA about a 16 year old that survived a car crash that left him in a coma for two months.  During the coma, Alex Malarkey from Ohio, described being taken to heaven by an angel, where he met both Jesus and Satan.  We can only assume Jesus had problems with his barbecue!  Alex and his father co-wrote a book about his experiences during the coma.  The book became a best seller.  Alex recently went public on the Pulpit and Pen website to say that he didn’t die and go to heaven, just made it all up.  His fans must have believed every word in the book, since they are said to be devastated.  I had a chat to Elvis about the revelation but he just shrugged.  “Some folks will believe anything, man” his only comment.  He’s as relaxed as he always was!  Interestingly, in the Irish American urban dictionary, malarkey is defined as bullshit.  Maybe truth is stranger than fiction.     

    Recent comments in the media suggest that OFSTED have become the diversity police.  One of their inspectors is reported to have asked a ten year old if she knew what lesbians did?  Our crowd discussed that question many times in the pub without coming up with a satisfactory answer, most suggestions unfit for publication.  Perhaps our grandchildren will be able to answer it for us after their next OFSTED inspection. We tried to find a mission statement for OFSTED, unsurprised to find that they couldn’t explain their purpose in a single sentence.  That inability explains a great deal about the organization. If they can’t do it, their inspectors certainly won’t be able to do so. This leads to individuals doing their own thing based on their personal beliefs - to hell with the job. Is it any wonder that parents question the role of OFSTED? It would tick the excellent box if a manager at OFSTED showed the idiot who asked the question about lesbians what an effective manager does.  What are the odds of that happening?   Keep looking for those flying pigs!  This episode did remind me of a great line from a film.  A young boy was told that a lady didn’t have children because she was a lesbian.  His immediate question, "where’s Lesbia?"  Common sense from the mouths of babes!

    Overall, it has been a good week for old gits.  We’ve seen medical research that we readily accept and will apply to our lives.  It began with a study that found seven drinks a week reduced the chance of developing heart failure by 20%.  If that wasn’t enough, another study suggested that eating nuts could be better for us than taking statins.  It didn’t stop there.  The next study found that eating too much salt is less of a threat the older we get.  I doubt we’ll drink more, but our consumption of peanuts and crisps (chips if you’re in the States) will certainly soar as we begin our drive for improved health in 2015

    We often think we’ve seen it all before but doctors have found a patient where they have diagnosed it as an illness.  Permanent déjà vu has been diagnosed as the syndrome from which the young man suffers, Groundhog Day in real life.  We have only suffered it in short bursts, always associated with politicians opening their mouths.  On the same subject, the Chilcot report has been delayed again.  RIP Chilcot.