Accepting Spying? You Should Not!

Spying has been big news this year thanks to the likes of Edward Snowden, whose leaks have highlighted the extent of Government spying in the US and UK. The massive extent of data collection by agencies on both sides of the Atlantic is mind blowing. In my opinion surveillance on this scale has so far been unjustified, terrorism the usual answer for the US and UK to do anything secret does not really fully explain this vast trawling of data and even the tapping of Angela Merkel and others. I understand that in today's world as in the past countries will spy and need to spy for various reasons. But as the last years has shown oversight of spying is little or nothing and anyone can be a target whether they are a suspect for something or not.

I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and came across a post from a friend of mine, which made me shudder a little and really shows our ambivalence in the UK to spying and spying on us the people.

More than anything it is the last part of the post that worries me the most, "your welcome to listen in on my phone calls or read my emails anytime if you feel it necessary". For me there is ZERO reason for my government or any other to listen or read my private correspondence unless I am already suspected of something. General populous surveillance is not COOL. I suspect the person who wrote this post had in mind terrorism and the fact that the attacks we have had in the UK have been home grown. To some extent I understand his point, however to accept an open ended view to spying on people contradicts the supposed values of our nation. In fact I find the whole post a little contradictory in the sense that he believes in the integrity and uncontrollability of the secret services to conduct spying on as many people as possible to find the few corrupted bad ones, when the last year has shown the secret services have really over stepped the boundaries of what is acceptable. But what is acceptable in the age of the internet? Has this even been debated? What are the levels of oversight? Its all a fuzzy blur to the general public.  

Sunset Brinsley

Sunset from my window tonight! Very dramatic and beautiful glad I took a look out of the window. 

Street Light and Chapel

Old chapel down the road from my house. 

Bit of Fun Photography at Work

While we had a quiet period yesterday I took this pic of my colleague busy at work! 

Ison Comet of the Century

One of the things I have been looking forward to most about 2014 is the coming of the comet Ison, the so called Comet of the Century. I have a faint memory of Hale Bopp back in 1996/7 sitting in the Sky for what seemed like months but was probably not that long. I just remember being in complete awe as this visitor from the outer Heliosphere as it cruised past our planet oasis. I want to feel like that again so fingers crossed Ison can deliver!

Ison on the 15th of November taken by Damian Peach

Ison has the potential to be the Comet of the Century however it could also not happen at all. At this moment it it is heading towards the Sun and will swing round it and then come back past the Earth. This is when the real show is supposed to begin for us! If it can safely pass the Sun without burning up completely we will see an amazing sight in our night Sky, shining as bright as our moon. The problem with Ison is that it might be passing the Sun just a little to close. Fingers crossed that its made of hardy stuff and makes it through safely.

Devonshire Arms, Beeley, Derbyshire

Ok so I was sat in a pub after a long walk in and around Chatsworth House and two vintage cars pulled up out side of the pub. It just completed the scene for me! In my mind I was way back in time and it reminded me of the book Remains of the Day. I have edited it abit though to more of what my imagination was seeing than what it was actually like. 

St Michaels Mount, Mounts Bay, Cornwall

St Michaels Mount in Cornwall last year, taken on my phone with Microsoft's Photosynth App. Turned out okay I thought, especially from a free app!