(More animals.) That would sure help make me feel better!

This year, it seems especially poignant - and necessary - to mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by  the United Nations General Assembly, in Paris on 10 December 1948.

As still, too many of our fundamental rights are being interfered with.

It’s so easy to do nothing; to be complacent, think that it isn’t your top priority, that it won’t happen in your country. Or you "avoid making trouble," because you fear the consequences. That’s exactly what bad governments want.

There was a time when you really wouldn’t have believed that Britain would ever undermine human rights, but look at their recent record of deplorable British policing practices that have led to judges in Strasbourg ruling that the police in this country are breaching the human rights of innocent people.

Remember:

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Human Rights Day is probably as good a time as any to glance over the Human rights set out in the Declaration and familiarize yourself with them, preferably before they are taken away! If you don’t know what your rights are, how can you value them, defend them, or demand that you are granted them?

Hat tip: Mangas Verdes

You are a spontaneous person. You don’t make or follow rules. You just go with your gut. You’re eager to go wherever life takes you. If something doesn’t work out, at least you’ve learned. Nutrition and eating healthy is very important to you. You eat your veggies. That being said, you’re not a picky eater. You like all foods.

What Kind of Soup Are You?

I want to be sure I approach this endeavour in keeping with all government policies, as dictated by the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy. I would prefer not to raise bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will just as gladly not rear porkers.

For a £650,000 cheque, I’d like to join the "not rearing pigs" business too!

I seem to remember reading - many years ago - that you could get an EU grant to start up as a rabbit farmer in the Canary Islands. I think that only amounted to about £2,000 and you actually had to raise the rabbits.

I thought that was funny enough and money for old rope-ey enough, considering that most rabbits don’t need a fat lot of help to breed.

Read more about not pig farming | Via: Colin Davies

For my friends who weren’t there, some of my "holiday snaps":

And, you know, there probably aren’t that many places in the world where a Morgan Freeman look-alike turns up to feed a goat called Elvis, but the St Werburghs City Farm in Bristol, is one of them! It’s also where proud Mrs Piggy had lots of baby piggies the day before; where it may not be unusual for ducks to have their own pond, but chickens their own playground? Some of these animals might end up on the menu of the St Werburgh’s City Farm Café too, but they’ll have had a relative happy existance until then.

But why is that the simplest things are the hardest to achieve?

"You are laid back, calm, and good at entertaining yourself. You don’t need an expensive big city to keep you busy. You’ll take the peaceful life over the stressful life any day of the week."

Where Should You Live?

You are the master of new ideas, techniques, and ways of looking at things. You are talented at structuring thoughts, decision making, clarifying, and making deadlines.

You should major in: Marketing, Psychology, Design, Cognitive Science, Economics, Photography.

What Should You Major In?

At college, I studied economics and psychology; at school I was described as having "a linguistic bent"; I’ve worked professionally in marketing, design and the media: I still carry a press card as a photo journalist. Back when I was still counting beans, most of my jobs involved designing and setting up new computerised systems and controls. So, how come I’ve actually done all of the things that I’m supposed to be suited to and still screwed up?

Today is International Buy Nothing Day, an informal day of protest against consumerism.

"Buy Nothing Day is more poignant this year than ever before… Spend, spend, spend!! That seems to be the British government’s rather optimistic plan for yanking the rudder on the country’s economic supertanker before it glides inexorably into the jagged rocks of financial ruin."

Here’s ten things to do instead of shopping.

You may also like … to join the Christmas Resistance Movement.

More | Via

"You really don’t enjoy shopping. For you, it’s just another chore. You approach shopping systematically. You research what you’re going to buy and come prepared with a list. Of all the types, you are the most likely to not buy things you don’t need. You try to de-emphasize stuff in your life. You find shopping and buying things to be a rather empty experience."

What Kind of Shopper Are You?

You Are a Cow: You are strong and very determined. You can remain stoic when times are tough. You are stable and patient. You are able to do mundane tasks without resentment or boredom. You are a caring, nurturing creature. You are willing to sacrifice a lot to take care of those you love. You are smart and very observant. While you may seem passive, you are just taking in everything around you.

What Animal Are You?