(no subject)

[prepare4trouble]

An MP was murdered today on the streets of her constituency while doing her job.  The murdered allegedly shouted Britain First as he fled the scene.   www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jun/16/labour-mp-jo-cox-shot-in-west-yorkshire 

There is little doubt in my mind that this is related to the EU referendum next week.  Jo Cox was apparently a prominent campaigner for Remain, as well as being outspoken on the issue of helping Syrian refugees, and the man who murdered her appears to have been a racist BFfer.  The Leave campaign has built a lot of their advertising on fear and intimidation, and this is what happens as a result.

Comments

[stardreamed]

That's awful. You mentioned racism the last time? Does race play a lot in the referendum?

[prepare4trouble]

It does, unfortunately. The leave campaign have built a lot of their strategy on breeding racism and xenophobia, trying to convince people to vote leave because Turkey might join the EU (which they might, but not for a very very long time) and flood the country with millions of people coming to steal their jobs and their benefits. A lot of it is also about preventing Eastern Europeans getting into the country too. Plus they seem to have convinced a lot of people that leaving will stop Surian refugees arriving, which makes no sense at all, and actually the opposite is true.

A lot of far right nationalist groups have latched on to the leave campaign too, the likes of Britain First, the BNP, the EDL. All hate groups spewing vile nationalist crap under the guise of patriotism. The guy who shot the politician was associated with some of those groups. The whole campaign is pretty nasty. Even without all that stuff, most of what they are saying has been proven to be lies.

[stardreamed]

I just googled Britain First... The internet, according to Google, doesn't have a lot of nice things to say about it. LOL. (Of course, they're also being accused of manipulating search results to help certain US politicians, like Hilary... O.o) My gut reaction, if it weren't you telling me this, I would have probably thought it might have been like how people in the US try to demonize the tea party - when really, they seem pretty diverse, even the lovely gay couple next door who have been really, really good neighbors to my mom for the past 25 years fly the tea party flag in their yard. But, um, yeah, totally apples and oranges.

So, really, they don't have any good reasons? I could see if it were corruption or if the EU were interfering too much on a local level that people would be upset. (Those are the issues I have with the way our government has been operating on a federal level - of course, it's not like I want to see Connecticut secede from the U.S., either. LOL)

Sorry I've been slower with my part for the story - this class is wicked writing intensive and has a ton of deadlines. OMG. It is cool to get view into how hospitals operate and what happens with our healthcare data and learning about the information systems that manage it. This is the home stretch at least - in less than 2 weeks I'm done... & it'll be a nice, long holiday weekend. =)

[prepare4trouble]

As I understand it (and I may be wrong) the Tea Party is some kind of an offshoot or division of the Republican party that kind of exists within it. Britain First is a far right organization led by someone who used to be a member of the British Nationalist Party (basically nazis). They are staging a hate campaign against Islam, which they want to ban in the country, and have been knows to invade mosques, and stage protests demanding that no more be allowed to be built. They frequently use images of Lee Rigby, who was murdered by Muslim extremists, despite his family repeatedly asking them not. They are awful. If you're interested check out their Facebook page, some of the comments there defy belief, and the videos of their protests show them in their true light.

There are some good reasons for leaving, or some people see them as good, but the good reasons for staying far outweigh them. I'm not sure why the Leave campaign haven't focussed on these instead of lies, I guess they are wanting headline 'facts' that people don't have to think about too much.

Don't worry about the story, you're busy! Get to it when you're ready :-)

[stardreamed]

That's pretty much it. The Tea Party isn't just one organization and there's no centralized leadership or agenda, & they consider themselves Republican. They focus on economic and limited government issues. I did a skim of the BF facebook page... Looks like there was a lot of recent activity - at the moment it looks like a lot of posts showing people heroically putting flyers through people's mail slots. (That and a lot of hubbub about a woman in a tent - didn't watch the video, though.) Looks like people outside their group were commenting at the moment, so it's kind of hard to get a barometer reading on it.

Thanks! I haven't lost interest, I've just been swamped with papers. Speaking of, I should probably get a bit more in since Nik's finally asleep. LOL.

[stardreamed]

Eeee... I just realized how much time has passed - sorry! I'm still in the school zone. I both love it and think it's sucky if that makes any sense. (Well, I love the school work, I just wish I had more time for other things, atm.) I hope to have my part up sometime over the long weekend. My final is tomorrow, but I still have a research paper to finish.

I honestly don't know how people put up with me when I'm just this far gone into work and school. :( It'll be worth it when I'm graduated and have a better career, though. (Of course, I'm considering maybe applying to some sort of grad school program, so even when I graduate, it probably won't be the end. Though, it's this summer semester that's killing me. I usually still have time for a social life during the regular semester.)

Anyway, I hope things are going well with you! How's the new helmet camera?? (I'm so envious! It sounds wicked epic. LOL)

[prepare4trouble]

Hi

Sorry for not replying sooner, I've been super busy this weekend babysitting me nice while my sister went on a course for her new job. I've been meaning to update my blog for a while now but I've just not gotten around to it.

How did your final go? Did you manage to get the paper done?

It;s good that you're so focussed on your learning, it means you'll do well at it. What postgrad course would you do if you decide to?

The helmet camera is great. I've managed to record my first incident. Nothing too major, just some asshole overtaking me way too close. I beeped him with my airhorn :) When I have the time, I'm going to upload some of the videos I've taken to youtube or somewhere. I just need to work out how to use iMovie first!

[stardreamed]

The final went well. I was a bit worried because I didn't have as much time as I would've wanted to study, but it's already been graded, so... :) Still finishing up the paper - I have an extension on it, so I'm not scrambling under the gun anymore. Which was good - it meant I got to go to a wedding reception Sunday night :) Though I do need to get it done. (The hw for that class was a lot - we had 5 papers & a project, not including the research paper w power point. My last paper was 18 pages double-spaced 12 pt Arial... O.o Still, I also feel like I've learned a lot.) So long as I do well on my research paper, everything is lined up to earn an A. :)

Oh, and I made Dean's List! This is the first semester I qualify, because you have to have a minimum of 15 credits. (Well, that and a GPA over 3.5, which I have. :) ) Taking two classes a semester, I had 18 as of the spring, plus I just earned another 3 this summer. (Well, as soon as I turn in my paper.)

I'm not sure. Though, I need to make up my mind so I know which test to be studying for. (GRE/GMAT/LSAT? Yeah - sometimes I flirt with the idea of law school, actually. Though, I don't tell people that. Shhh. I'd never live it down at my firm. Though, going part-time sounds impractical - that'd be 6 or more years and I'm already 37, so probably not, even though I geek out over legal stuff.)

I do have my eye on an online program through UMass. It's just a graduate certificate. Though, I may need to work in the field first: http://www.umassonline.net/degrees/graduate-certificate-business-analytics I have a feeling I'll have a clearer picture of what I want to do come this fall. These are the courses in it: https://www.umb.edu/academics/caps/certificates/business_analytics/courses

What I'm taking this fall is all about databases and business intelligence. So, depends on how well it all clicks with me and how I like it. I'd also want to run my options by the dept head and get his input.

Glad you were ok! The airhorn sounds amazing! LOL. I want one! I see you posted videos - awes. I finally got out on my bike this weekend. I missed it so much...

[prepare4trouble]

You might need to work in it first, does that mean before they would accept you onto the course?

What's the Dean's List? I assume it's something good based on hat you need to do to get on it! but what does it mean?

If you want to go to law school you should do it! Doesn't really matter about how long it would take, you only get one shot at life, you should do what you think will make you happy, because in the end that's really the only thing that matters. I have a friend at work who's about the same age and just going back to school to become a nurse. Someone expressed surprise at it and she said it's what she always wanted to do, and she's going to be working about another 25-30 years and didn't want to spend them regretting not doing it.

[stardreamed]

Yeah, that might be what they mean. Or they just want work experience in general, I'm not sure. (If it's the latter, I'd be fine. If the former, it just means I'd need to wait a little.) It's something they make you do with MBA's. (Actually, that's another maybe thing on my radar.)

I'm not 100% sure what I want to do. They're both good paths, they're both things I enjoy studying. I think I hang onto the law school idea because I know it's a subject that clicks with me and I enjoy it. (That and I've worked in the legal field since late 2009.) The BIS stuff, I know I've been doing well, but I sometimes get this fear that what if I can't hack it. Which is ridiculous. I had the same fear early on in the paralegal program, too. And then I proceeded to ace all my classes and become secretary (and later president) of the school paralegal association. (I bet if I do go on to law school or any other graduate program, I'd have the same fear.)

Becoming an atty isn't an easy thing - it's the LSAT's, 3 years of school (and the debt that goes with it), and the Bar exam. Plus, after all that, you still have to learn how to be one. And, the work isn't easy - it's a huge responsibility. (And, you wouldn't believe some of the strange scenarios you may have to deal with. People, in general, are crazy. Though, it is kinda part of the fun. Sometimes.) And, after all that, don't expect to necessarily make a huge salary. (At least, not right away, and there are probably some humongous student loans to pay.) It's not something to do lightly. I have a huge respect for it.

Becoming a Business or a Systems Analyst would probably be the easier/smarter(?) path. And, I have the qualities that would make for a good one. And, it's a path that could possibly lead to Chief Information Officer (CIO), eventually. (And, if it doesn't work out, I could always apply to law school. It's still sort of bonkers to me that it's, like, my back up plan. O.o) What I need is something that continues to challenge me. I don't want to get bored. *shrugs*