New Powers

Two new sidekicks to be added: Leverage: A self-described conservative youth minister, who brings to the fore his super-Power Of Suggestion. He welcomed their company... Man from Nowhere: The defender of Nowheresville, bringer of interesting games and discussion. Technorati Tags: sidekicks, power of suggestion, nowheresville

Political Science

The monster was one of Dr Evilbad's warped scientific experimental creations. The Councillor throws down the gauntlet in response to a comment left on his blog. Original Post To which Alex left the comment: "I heard a little while back (sorry no sources- top of my head) that some Christian activists had registered a patent for human-mice chimera. It was actually a well-calculated move to force the governments hand and stimulate a debate. It was borne of a concern that if we don't debate these things now, we will slowly fall into these things as a society unaware. I would guess that this one is probably someones thesis that has been passed on by word of mouth and become itself a sort of mutation. Mice, rice whatever, I think scientific experiments need to have 2 things in place - a purpose and sanctity of human life." To which The Councillor replied: "I agree that we need to have a debate! Inevitably, though, I don't agree with the need for a purpose. Much experimentation that has led to world-changing discoveries have no purpose. Trips to Titan, for example, have no purpose at all — they burn through lots of money and find out fascinating stuff, but there's nothing out there we could remotely use. I also am not sure about the "sanctity of human life". Yes life is special, but human life is no more so. I can see massive societal problems were we able to make all children of similar [insert criteria here] and the idea of fully developing a chimera (which at the moment is not proposed or possible) should send a shudder down anyone's spine... But at the same time, we shouldn't think that same-species genetic modification is significantly different to forced hybridisation or selective breeding (it isn't) and we shouldn't be afraid of things without good reason... Going faster than 50mph, remember, will suffocate you!" Alex does not want to be drawn out into a lengthy debate and assumes neither does The Councillor, for which Alex has utmost respect. So Alex decides simply to offer some examples: What happens when science (research) does not have a purpose? What happens when science doesn't have a conscience (respecting sanctity of human life)?

The Great Firewall of China

Check if your site/blog gets through the Great Firewall of China. Alex Fear has freedom to move within Chin-net for now. Heads up: AnotherThink Also adding a new sidekick: The Councillor

Sidekicks

No good hero would be complete without a sidekick (apart from Batman, Alex has always insisted he should work alone). So Alex is promoting the first 2 sidekicks in the fight against tyranny. To become a sidekick, all you have to do is mention Alex or AAF in a post or on your website, write lots of comments or do something interesting. Sidekick status may be applied retroactively, since we are now in a post-Post Zero era. However if you haven't been retconned into a sidekick and feel you should, then drop Alex a comment. Behold the sidekicks: The Mocker A supporter of Abandon All Fear since stumbling across the blog pre-Post Zero. Ed is driven by the quest to find the funny in tech and news. He has written favourably about AAF twice!. Therefore he has proven loyalty and commitment to good over evil, even if his methods are questionable). The Incredible Growing Man: Steve seeks to live a provocative life style. Fighting luke warmness wherever he finds it, he challenges people in what they believe, encouraging them to pursue Christ. Also a friend of AAF. Keep up the good work.

TalkTalk WaitWait

I hope my readers had a good New Year, FYI Mr & Mrs Alex Fear are still awaiting TalkTalk to install the broadband connection. A quick google for "talktalk problems" doesn't bring much confidence. In the meantime I am still reading your blogs and been able to leave the odd comment. While I'm offline I've made use of the time to start improving Abandon All Fear and very shortly a change will be happening. Alex Fear gets a transformation... got you interested now? Don't worry no link changes or anything like that, but it's time to shed some skin. Anyway, I can't wait to get back online and weighing in on some controversial topics: Immigration - Yup, this one isn't going away soon Homosexuality and the Church Companies and Organisations to avoid Traffic Regulations Big Brother (the government stupid!) EnvironMENTALISTS Loopy London(ers) Middle Class Mentality Ken Livingstone, Rupert Murdoch, George Bush, Tony Blair and other pharisees Anti-theists and other uncircumcised philistines The religious right in the UK and other little Hitlers The housing price crash- which will happen! Plugging more great bloggers The War Against Terror (TWAT) If you find anything on this list that doesn't offend you, please let me know. I will try my best to find a subject that does.

Honourable?

I have recently been profiled by The Pisstaker on his blog of the same name. So it's only fitting that I offer a reciprocal link to the article. While I'm very honoured and bemused at the description, cleverly written and quite funny, I do need to correct some factual errors: I did live in Warwickshire, but have recently moved to Ealing My wife is Canadian, and we met in Switzerland... long story, don't ask The wedding was in Maui, a slight distance from the Midlands Other than that, very fine and witty, thanks Ed!

The Time I Found Free Wifi

Natural Cafe in Chiswick deserves an honourable mention. I'm here on Saturday afternoon making use of their free wifi connection. I'm not into organic food but they do offer muffins and lattes so it works for me. I just ordered an XL latte as I want to be here for a few hours, and they brought it out in a cup and saucer the size of a breakfast bowl.

Oh, Canada!

Tomorrow I fly out to Canada for my first visit. I'll be meeting some of my new family and exploring for a week then flying down to Maui to get married to my ultra sexy Canadian fiancee, who is not feeling very ultra or sexy right now as she has a cold. I will be flying into Calgary and possibly staying overnight. We'll do some shopping and more importantly look for our rings. I had to give up on the parking ticket and pay it off. The courts were demanding the money and since I will be away for 3 weeks I won't be able to defend. However I intend to see if it's possible to lodge a complaint against the Central Fine Oriffice or potentially sue the council for misleading road markings- I'll keep you updated. I don't know if I will have time to blog anything of particular relevance, however I might try to post some images I take with my digital camera. For now, however, I will leave you with recommendations for some excellent blogs and sites. If you're looking for some deep conversation from an open Christian perspective then check out Dead Yet Living, though it's mostly run by students so the blog seems to have gone into recession recently. If you're of the political persuasion and are interested in an alternative to the evil Christian Right, God's Politics might be for you, I read Jim Wallis's book this summer and it altered or confirmed my perspectives on many things. There's always a lively debate going on at Mark DeHoog's blog and Nowheresville. Southampton University CU Chaplain writes some very witty commentary on life at the university and beyond. Please visit, especially if you are far away, because the site stats will really confuse him. If you're looking purely for laughs, I recommend the aptly named Hot Chicks with Douchebags, or the irreverent Chase me ladies, I'm in the cavalry. If you are interested in UK law, you should check out The Magistrate's Blog for an eye-opener into the thoughts of a magistrate, You're Nicked is another coppers blog, where, if you are like me, you may be surprised to find similar views to your own. Bill Sticker is Walking the Streets hoping to issue you a PCN for parking on double-yellows. Speaking of which Neil Herron is one man taking a stand against the system- and inspiring others. For straight up politics and current events Kel writes excellent commentary on The Osterley Times. The Gun Toting Liberal also offers some great commentary, and Snafu asks some probing questions at Not Proud Of Britain (But Would Like To Be). For political protest, look no further than Tales of the Freewayblogger, I'm sorely tempted to join in this fun and start it up here in the UK. Help - The Bailiffs are here! I've had some hits from people googling for what to do about Bailiffs turning up for unpaid fines and parking tickets discovering this blog and finding just a rant. Therefore if you are one of those people looking for legal help, you will probably need to contact a solicitor, however there is some research you can do before then to get you in the picture and understand your rights. Check out my links to Social Justice & Responsibility on the sidebar. There is nothing specific about bailiffs, however you will find links that will lead you to information that will be helpful in your situation. Also check out my previous post: Thick As Legal Thieves. If you find that you have a speeding or parking ticket you may want to check out Neil Herron's blog, the forums at Pepipoo and the Association of British Drivers website. If you feel you are being persecuted by authorities in anyway and need to know your rights check out Your Rights, Liberty or get in contact with Justice. Are the banks giving you hassle, over-charging you in fines or harassment? Go to the Consumer Action Group forums or Penalty Charges. Have you been ripped off/mis-sold a product or concerned about a rogue trader? Visit Rip-Off Britain and get tips from the Money Saving Expert. Hope to hear from you soon! Tags: Abandon All Fear T-Shirts Canada Blogs Social Justice Fun Politics Christian Parking Ticket Speeding Ticket Bailiffs Fine Charge Rights

More Offerings

It's that time again where I offer up some new blog-links, and give some respect to the ones I'm already linking, whom I haven't mentioned already. Without further ado: Guido Fawkes Blog - The witty diatribe of the main political parties. Written, as far as I know, by an parliamentary insider. Not sure which party he belongs to though. The Bearded Man - A thought provoking, revealing and authoritative commentary provided by someone who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe. Knowing only what we hear in the British and International press, it's great to read something from someone who has lived there and knows exactly what is happening. The Cranky Insomniac - A US Army veteran who is kept up at night by thoughts of politics, military affairs, religion, culture amongst other hot topics. In honesty, I haven't had a chance to read Cranky yet but he seems to have some fairly good observations. Sharper Iron - Some good articles written by a Christian in order to discuss "news and ideas from a Christian, Biblical, Fundamentalist worldview". It's pretty positive, wanting to avoid the typical fundamentalist narrow mindset and merely edify Christ. Chase Me Ladies, I'm In The Cavalry - Very, very funny, not to be missed! Nick Robinson's Newslog - OK, so he works for the BBC, but this guy is a god when it comes to TV political news reporting. Sorry. BarrenAlbion - Pregnancy and IVF treatment might not be up everyone's street, but this girl manages present it in a humourous way. So I make Albion the exception to the rule, and I'm glad that I blog anonymously. Universal Soldier - Intelligent memoirs from a serving British soldier half way through his army career. He does some pretty awesome stuff with his own images, and offers some good insights into a soldiers life.

New Offerings

Some new links I have to share with with you which I have found through other excellent blogs: I Work With Fools - A blog where you can write in and share your nightmare stories of work hell. It's a good place to let off steam if you don't already use your blog or have a blog to do that. I Am Livid - I thought my ranting was pretty vitriolic at times till I came upon Mr Angry;s blog. Still it's a very funny read and some good observations, exactly what I like to see. Gun Toting Liberal - I'm neither red or blue, the closest I would consider myself liberal with conservative values. I have to say that this is an excellent blog with some excellent commentary of US politics. I agree with a lot of things said by the GTL and it is very different from the typical left/right stances. Ideal Government - A UK blog with articles on the present government and ideas on how it should be. Anyone who is concerned about ID cards, sweeping legislation and general mismanagement by New Labour should check this out. Not Proud of Britain (But Would Like To Be) - Another UK blogger with political commentary which is pretty much summed up in the title. Short posts and easy to digest. Whilst I'm at it, I would also like to credit some of my existing links, so hats off to: Sojourners - I am currently reading a book by Jim Wallis called God's Politics, and I'm finding it an excellent read. It's helping to shape my own view of politics and culture. Pepipoo - The best place to go for UK Motorists for advice on the law and their rights. I Heart Irony - Rohan described himself (in my comments a while back) as a frustrated writer, which motivated him to start this blog. As a frustrated IT Monkey (and frustrated UK citizen), I can fully relate. This is also what makes his blog especially funny, witty and gives it edge. Keep it up Rohan, you've got good observational skills. The Policemans Blog - PC Copperfield's is the first blog I read, after spotting it a the national newspaper. This is the one that got me thinking of the idea of blogging out my frustrations. PC Copperfield opens the doors that are normally shut to the public and in doing so exposes the general bollotics that takes place at the higher levels of our police force. At the same time showing us that ordinary coppers are just like us and also share similar resentments to the target/statistic driven culture we all live in. The Magistrates Blog - Another thought-provoking, revealing blog, this time into the closed world of the courts. Bystander affirms my faith that the courts are there to protect us and to allow us to be judged fairly and equally. Magistrates and Judges are people, they are appointed for our benefit. A lot of public organisations use the courts as a threat, as though it was just another part of the prison system. This is a wrong perception of justice and I am grateful for a blog like this. You're Nicked - Like PC Copperfield, Stan Still is one of the flourishing anonymous police blogs that are blowing the doors open on this institution. I find this blog thoughtful and intuitive. Overheard in the Office - Short, funny dialogs between co-workers, managers and other company bods. This is always good for a quick chuckle during my lunch break. In Training - This blog is by a girl who is engaged to a Royal Marine. As well as just personal experience, Kath offers quite a funny, energetic commentary on politics and culture of her country. Fiercely patriotic and 'right wing', she also shows an interest in UK politics and culture. I do want to comment on other blogs and links, but for now I'm spent, so keep coming back to check!