Crowded House in Covid-19

This blog is mostly dormant, but since I have the time (ha! ha!), I though I would pop in and document a bit og covi action.

My mother emmigrated to the UK days before lock-down. My mother in law emmigrated to the UK in December last year.

A month ago, we got a beagle puppy. Imogen is 23 months old. she is not talking yet and has only just started walking, sort of.

Liora is now four, almost five and is in Reception at school. she is learning to read and write and work with numbers. She has a lot of energy. A lot.

So now, we have four adults, two litle kids and a dog in our house.

My mother started showing syymptoms of a cold a few days ago and so we called 111. They said that we were all now in quaranteen. House bound for the next 14 days.

We cannot go anywhere. Not for shopping or for meds or anything.

So far, we are all still alive. And miraculously sane.

We watch and read about all the Covid news world-wide and wonder what the world will look like after this disease has ravaged our world.

This is an unprecedented situation and I  wonder if it will change aytthing about the way people are towards one another and the planet we share. I highly doubt that this virus will change anything in the hard hearts of the shrewd business elite who value profits above all else.

I doubt anything could ever get throught o the likes of Trumps and his Oil Buddies. I wish we  could live in a world  where we could live and work and learn without having to worry about the cost of our education and healthcare (I live in Country where those things are free, butt pity the poor Americans who don't - the best country in the world, my eye!)

Money only matters because we give it meaning. If we all had enough, it would become redundant. But that is only fantasy, or StarTrek.

I wish everyone health and well being. enough food and toilet paper.

Stay home and don't cough on people.

Pollution is not an Illusion

First, let me say that this post has no research in it or sources or stats etc. It is my opinion. It also, in my view, happens to make perfect sense, so bear with me here.

Some people say that Climate Change is real. Some people say it isn't. Some people who say Climate Change is real say it is caused by human activity, some say it isn't.

My verdict is as follows:

It does not matter. The argument about cause is just a game of semantics. Believers of Climate Change are trying to be logical and scientific in an effort to affect change. They are getting desperate. They cannot understand why others are unwilling to accept the facts and forecasts.

Deniers, at whatever level are using political arguments and whatever method of obfuscation they can think of to avoid having to change the status quo and endanger their lucrative personal interests. They are being obtuse at a level never before seen in human history.

When the room is messy, and the child goes, I did not make the mess so I'm not cleaning it up. You cannot prove that I am responsible for the mess or that the mess is real. Does the mother say, OK, let's leave it then, I'm sure it will sort itself out. You keep playing over there.
No. We clean up.

What I am saying is, it does not actually matter who made the mess and what you call the mess, or how you feel about the mess.

POLLUTION IS NOT AN ILLUSION.

The oceans are riddled with plastic. Animals eat it or get tangled and trapped in it. They die from it.

The air is dirty and, in some places, unbreathable. You can literally see the air hovering over big cities. you are not supposed to be able to see the air. It is disgusting and stinky.

Water is contaminated in some places, as is the ground. Not everyone cares about the water. Some factories just drain whatever toxic chemical they have used to process their products into the nearest convenient body of water.

There are lovely and beautiful places. there are gross places. But they all have one thing in common. They are on the same planet, so, inevitably, they will have an impact on each other.

Also, and I cannot stress this strongly enough - Animals of all kinds have equal rights to the planet as humans. They are entitled to live. In fact, I believe that wild animals have more right to the world than a of us.

So deforestation is a devastating mistake. Fishing places to emptiness, equally so.

It is all fine and well for individuals to do all they can to mitigate their own impact, but it will not make any difference if the supermarkets keep selling you vegetables in non-recyclable plastic for no reason.

I do not understand the refusal of some companies and countries to reduce their impact, even as a just in case measure. The up-side is a cleaner world. It should be a no-brainer.

Yay, we banned straws. What an achievement. Fast food places are now using paper, non-recyclable ones. Good job Government.

There is no reason that people should not be more environmentally aware and considerate. There are no downsides to taking action against Climate Change, whether you believe in it or not.

Every company should be compelled to do an Annual Impact Audit and receive an Environmental Impact Score (EIS). There should be a financial incentive for reducing the EIS and a Tax penalty for going over the company's allowance or quota.

How fast do you think every high-rise building will put up solar panels and use electric cars as standard. How many companies will only do business with companies who meet the impact rating. Just look at Affirmative Action implementation in South Africa.

Try it and see how creative people can be. And how pervasive it will become.

Okay. I'm done. Think about it. That's all I'm saying. Maybe do something.

Happy New Year etc.
Bye

An Opinion On Skincare Reviews by Makeup Artists On YouTube

So today I watched a YouTube skincare review video by Jefree Star. 

Now, Jefree is a controversial and entertaining YouTube star and cosmetics entrepreneur. He is also very talented when it comes to makeup.

As an aside, I also belong to a few Facebook groups that share their passion for makeup and have watched more than a few YouTube makeup channels. 

All of these have one thing in common, two actually; the first is they know their makeup and are a good source of information and inspiration (also aspiration and temptation, but that's another post altogether) about makeup; the second is that, in general,  they know less than fuck all about skincare. 

No offence to these lovely people, but please stay in your lane. Every time I see skincare advice by makeup people on either Facebook or YouTube I just cringe and my fingers twitch, wanting to comment, despite the obvious futility of it (I generally end up keeping my opinions to myself).

I was glad to see that one of my mentors (in my mind), Caroline Hirons, reviewed the same newly launched skincare products, so I did get a real, rather more accurate view on the products (which I would ever buy, by the way, not that it's relevant).

Now, I am not saying that makeup channels should not review skincare at all. What I am saying is they may want to try to learn some of the fundamentals and know a few things or at the very least, make it clear to their viewers that skincare is not their thing (although, it should be pretty obvious). They don't need to be experts but seriously, Jefree, why are you using wipes as makeup removers? Your poor face! 

Having said that, Shane Dawson, who was in the video with Jefree, did make the disclaimer that he was reviewing as a consumer, therefore, inferring that he was not an authority on the subject, but was trying products and giving his feedback on how they felt, which is perfectly sound. 

I suppose, as long as people don't take their skincare advice from makeup artists, it's all good. As Sam and Nick from Pixiwoo are known to say, they are 'rubbish at skincare', although they aren't  actually that bad. In fact many beauty gurus on UK YouTube have learned and taken advice from Caroline and improved their skincare and the advice they give. 

As for me, I am certainly not an authority,  and I should not fret over the skins of strangers, but hearing people recommend scrubs to acneic skins makes me wince.

Also I have no room to talk because at the moment, I am a hypocrite and do not practice what I preach because my routine is non-existent and my skincare is sitting on the shelf above my head slowly turning in its tubes. For shame!

As a final word, I would like to say that I have learned to love Jefree Starr and his flamboyant style. It makes me smile.

That is all. 

Good night.