ME AND OPHELIA
Thursday, February 24, 2005
SNOW HERE
By the seaside
Yesterday afternoon, a dear friend brought a snazzy fire heater for us to use until the heating situation here is sorted out here. It has five electric bars radiating heat through space agey silver mesh and works with a remote control. Ophelia loves it. She is stretched out in front of the fire, basking in its light that beams brightly like the sun.
The past four weeks have taken its toll dealing with the heating problems and getting my phone to work while I am online. Right now, I am feeling on the verge of tears. I am not feeling sorry for myself, it's just one of the many symptoms, along with physical muscle pain, that I suffer whenever I experience stress. I need to rest and may have to take another blogging break.
My friend and her husband are very kindly helping me to get the heating and phone sorted. It may take a few more weeks yet. I cannot imagine what I would have done without them over the past five years. They seem like angels to me and I am hugely grateful. If the majority of people were like them, the world would not seem so harsh.
The next photo by Louis Leclézio, courtesy BBC, has the caption: "Geneva recently experienced a cold and windy winter. The result was ice, ice and more ice."
In the mid 1980's I visited Geneva for the day with an American friend. We had a memorable journey on the brand new TGV express from Paris. We lunched at a restaurant overlooking Lake Geneva, spent the afternoon shopping for a Swiss watch and arrived back in Paris just before midnight.
The next photo of the Hoover Dam brings back more memories. As I lay here horizontal 23 hours a day, it seems unreal that I have walked all around Boulder and stood inside the little building at the foot of the dam. Many workers lost their lives building the dam. A few were encased in the concrete.
Photo by Mike Abbott, courtesy BBC, with the caption: "The Hoover Dam. Taken by my son Tom Abbott while on a week's holiday in Las Vegas."
More photos at BBC.
By the seaside
Yesterday afternoon, a dear friend brought a snazzy fire heater for us to use until the heating situation here is sorted out here. It has five electric bars radiating heat through space agey silver mesh and works with a remote control. Ophelia loves it. She is stretched out in front of the fire, basking in its light that beams brightly like the sun.
The past four weeks have taken its toll dealing with the heating problems and getting my phone to work while I am online. Right now, I am feeling on the verge of tears. I am not feeling sorry for myself, it's just one of the many symptoms, along with physical muscle pain, that I suffer whenever I experience stress. I need to rest and may have to take another blogging break.
My friend and her husband are very kindly helping me to get the heating and phone sorted. It may take a few more weeks yet. I cannot imagine what I would have done without them over the past five years. They seem like angels to me and I am hugely grateful. If the majority of people were like them, the world would not seem so harsh.
The next photo by Louis Leclézio, courtesy BBC, has the caption: "Geneva recently experienced a cold and windy winter. The result was ice, ice and more ice."
In the mid 1980's I visited Geneva for the day with an American friend. We had a memorable journey on the brand new TGV express from Paris. We lunched at a restaurant overlooking Lake Geneva, spent the afternoon shopping for a Swiss watch and arrived back in Paris just before midnight.
The next photo of the Hoover Dam brings back more memories. As I lay here horizontal 23 hours a day, it seems unreal that I have walked all around Boulder and stood inside the little building at the foot of the dam. Many workers lost their lives building the dam. A few were encased in the concrete.
Photo by Mike Abbott, courtesy BBC, with the caption: "The Hoover Dam. Taken by my son Tom Abbott while on a week's holiday in Las Vegas."
More photos at BBC.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/24/2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Terri Schiavo
Today, I received an email from Tim at ProLifeBlogs "because of a critical situation that has developed in the case of Terri Schiavo."
Tim explains that today, the courts rejected the pleas of Terri’s parents to stop her husband, Michael, from withholding food and water from her. He has promised to begin starving her tomorrow at 1 pm. Here is an excerpt from Tim's email:
I have not yet read the latest reports on why the US courts rejected the pleas of Terri's parents to stop Michael Schiavo from starving their daughter, but having seen several posts on the issue, I am responding to Tim's email by blogging this in support of many bloggers who are going to a lot of trouble and effort to raise awareness of the plight of Terri Schiavo and her family.
Note, it is taking a few hours to publish this post. Either my ISP is having problems or the net is so busy, it has ground to a halt. Hopefully these two issues are contained within millions of posts zipping around the world.
- - -
GLOBAL BLOGGER ACTION DAY CALLED TUES FEB 22
By the Committee to Protect Bloggers
Committee to Protect Bloggers blog is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites today, 22 February, to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day". Please see previous post here below. Thanks.
Terri Schiavo
Today, I received an email from Tim at ProLifeBlogs "because of a critical situation that has developed in the case of Terri Schiavo."
Tim explains that today, the courts rejected the pleas of Terri’s parents to stop her husband, Michael, from withholding food and water from her. He has promised to begin starving her tomorrow at 1 pm. Here is an excerpt from Tim's email:
Terri is not a "vegetable" or "brain-dead" as Michael and his lawyers claim, but responds to others and is aware of her surroundings. She laughs, smiles and, according to her nurses, has a small vocabulary. Terri is not on life support and is healthy. She needs help eating and is fed through a tube (helping someone eat and drink who is impaired has never been considered artificial life support).Please see Tim's post that helps explain what you can do to help.
While Michael asserts he is carrying out Terri's wishes, he waited until after he received a large sum of money from a lawsuit against her doctors before making this claim. During the lawsuit, he alleged negligence and motivated a financial award with the potential cost of Terri’s rehabilitation.
However, Terri has been denied rehabilitation that experts testify could allow her to eat and talk. The courts in Florida have consistently blocked appeals to give Terri proper tests and therapy that would improve her life. Terri may not have the capabilities she once had, but she is no less valuable and no less a person.
I have not yet read the latest reports on why the US courts rejected the pleas of Terri's parents to stop Michael Schiavo from starving their daughter, but having seen several posts on the issue, I am responding to Tim's email by blogging this in support of many bloggers who are going to a lot of trouble and effort to raise awareness of the plight of Terri Schiavo and her family.
Note, it is taking a few hours to publish this post. Either my ISP is having problems or the net is so busy, it has ground to a halt. Hopefully these two issues are contained within millions of posts zipping around the world.
- - -
GLOBAL BLOGGER ACTION DAY CALLED TUES FEB 22
By the Committee to Protect Bloggers
Committee to Protect Bloggers blog is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites today, 22 February, to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day". Please see previous post here below. Thanks.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/22/2005
Monday, February 21, 2005
GLOBAL BLOGGER ACTION DAY CALLED TUES 22 FEB
By the Committee to Protect Bloggers
Today, BBC News science and technology reporter, Dr Jo Twist explains how the blogosphere is being called into action tomorrow, to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers.
The month-old Committee to Protect Bloggers is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on 22 February to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day".
"If you have a blog, the least you could do is put nothing on that blog except 'Free Mojtaba and Arash Day'," said Committee founder Curt Hopkins. "That would mean you could see that phrase 7.1 million times. That alone will shine some light on the situation."
Download the "Free Mojtaba and Arash" banner to your blog and link it back to the Committee's post here. No one in the blogosphere should be unaware of Mojtaba and Arish.
[Thanks to Norman Geras and The Woolamaloo Gazette]
By the Committee to Protect Bloggers
Today, BBC News science and technology reporter, Dr Jo Twist explains how the blogosphere is being called into action tomorrow, to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers.
The month-old Committee to Protect Bloggers is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on 22 February to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day".
"If you have a blog, the least you could do is put nothing on that blog except 'Free Mojtaba and Arash Day'," said Committee founder Curt Hopkins. "That would mean you could see that phrase 7.1 million times. That alone will shine some light on the situation."
Download the "Free Mojtaba and Arash" banner to your blog and link it back to the Committee's post here. No one in the blogosphere should be unaware of Mojtaba and Arish.
[Thanks to Norman Geras and The Woolamaloo Gazette]
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/21/2005
- - -
SUDAN I: CANCER DYE COULD BE IN MORE FOODS
Major brand products feared to be contaminated
Britain's largest food recall was ordered after an illegal dye known to cause cancer was found to have contaminated millions of ready-made meals, snacks and cooking sauces. The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned that the foodstuffs, ranging from prawn salads to pot noodles, were contaminated by Sudan I - a red colouring normally used in products such as oils, waxes, shoe polish and petrol.
Major brand products feared to be contaminated
The FSA previously named more than 350 goods feared to be contaminated with Sudan 1. Products were recalled from major British supermarket chains such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Makro, Morrisons and Asda. Now it is reported the cancer dye could be in many more foods.
The London Times reports that Walkers Worcester sauce crisps yesterday became the latest product to be removed from supermarket shelves in the food scare. Production of the crisps has been put on hold by Walkers, which is owned by PepsiCo, the international food giant.
Supermarkets are expecting the food crisis to grow as more food manufacturers realise they have been affected by a tainted shipment of 5-ton batch of red chilli powder imported into the UK in 2002. Chillis often turn brown when they are stored and the suppliers had laced the powder with Sudan 1 to enrich the natural colour.
Even South African health authorities are closely monitoring the local implications of the recall of more than 350 products from British supermarkets over the weekend. Some of the goods withdrawn from stores can also be found on South African supermarket shelves, such as products from Crosse and Blackwell, Colmans (Unilever), Heinz, McDonalds' Low Fat Caesar's Salad Dressing and Schweppes/Coca-Cola's Tomato Juice Cocktail.
Further information at FSA website. A list of affected products can be found at www.food.gov.uk/sudanlist. Shoppers have been advised to check food in their homes against the official list.
Further reading:
20 Feb BBC news provides further news links.
20 Feb London Times says the carcinogenic risk to humans of Sudan 1 has not been established, but research has shown that it causes liver tumours in laboratory animals.
21 Feb New Zealand news says NZ food authority believed few, if any, of those products listed were in New Zealand. Heinz had assured the authority that its products on sale in New Zealand were either made in NZ or in Australia.
SUDAN I: CANCER DYE COULD BE IN MORE FOODS
Major brand products feared to be contaminated
Britain's largest food recall was ordered after an illegal dye known to cause cancer was found to have contaminated millions of ready-made meals, snacks and cooking sauces. The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned that the foodstuffs, ranging from prawn salads to pot noodles, were contaminated by Sudan I - a red colouring normally used in products such as oils, waxes, shoe polish and petrol.
Major brand products feared to be contaminated
The FSA previously named more than 350 goods feared to be contaminated with Sudan 1. Products were recalled from major British supermarket chains such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Makro, Morrisons and Asda. Now it is reported the cancer dye could be in many more foods.
The London Times reports that Walkers Worcester sauce crisps yesterday became the latest product to be removed from supermarket shelves in the food scare. Production of the crisps has been put on hold by Walkers, which is owned by PepsiCo, the international food giant.
Supermarkets are expecting the food crisis to grow as more food manufacturers realise they have been affected by a tainted shipment of 5-ton batch of red chilli powder imported into the UK in 2002. Chillis often turn brown when they are stored and the suppliers had laced the powder with Sudan 1 to enrich the natural colour.
Even South African health authorities are closely monitoring the local implications of the recall of more than 350 products from British supermarkets over the weekend. Some of the goods withdrawn from stores can also be found on South African supermarket shelves, such as products from Crosse and Blackwell, Colmans (Unilever), Heinz, McDonalds' Low Fat Caesar's Salad Dressing and Schweppes/Coca-Cola's Tomato Juice Cocktail.
Further information at FSA website. A list of affected products can be found at www.food.gov.uk/sudanlist. Shoppers have been advised to check food in their homes against the official list.
Further reading:
20 Feb BBC news provides further news links.
20 Feb London Times says the carcinogenic risk to humans of Sudan 1 has not been established, but research has shown that it causes liver tumours in laboratory animals.
21 Feb New Zealand news says NZ food authority believed few, if any, of those products listed were in New Zealand. Heinz had assured the authority that its products on sale in New Zealand were either made in NZ or in Australia.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/21/2005
Saturday, February 19, 2005
AMERICAN MEDIA vs THE BLOGS
Bloggers. Truth-tellers or vigilantes? Trophy-hunters or watchdogs?
A friend has just emailed me a BBC news report, along with a note saying: "Unfortunately this powerful communications device can also be used for evil purposes."
The report Feb. 19 by Kevin Anderson at BBC News says with the abrupt resignation of CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan, the American media are struggling with how to respond to bloggers.
- - -
EMAIL ADDRESS
New Gas Fire
Thankfully, I have my Tiscali email address back. So everything is back to the way it was before I tried to connect to Broadband. Tiscali and Virgin talked me through correcting the settings and, it turned out, my email box at Tiscali webmail had exceeded its capacity. The box was full due to 1,237 spams. It never occurred to me that one has to access webmail at Tiscali and delete mails. I thought deleting them within my Apple Mail, and emptying the trash, was enough.
Also, I phoned the fireplace shop today. They will phone me lunchtime Monday to let me know when on Tuesday they will deliver samples of granite and slate for the surround, and a written quotation.
Bloggers. Truth-tellers or vigilantes? Trophy-hunters or watchdogs?
A friend has just emailed me a BBC news report, along with a note saying: "Unfortunately this powerful communications device can also be used for evil purposes."
The report Feb. 19 by Kevin Anderson at BBC News says with the abrupt resignation of CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan, the American media are struggling with how to respond to bloggers.
- - -
EMAIL ADDRESS
New Gas Fire
Thankfully, I have my Tiscali email address back. So everything is back to the way it was before I tried to connect to Broadband. Tiscali and Virgin talked me through correcting the settings and, it turned out, my email box at Tiscali webmail had exceeded its capacity. The box was full due to 1,237 spams. It never occurred to me that one has to access webmail at Tiscali and delete mails. I thought deleting them within my Apple Mail, and emptying the trash, was enough.
Also, I phoned the fireplace shop today. They will phone me lunchtime Monday to let me know when on Tuesday they will deliver samples of granite and slate for the surround, and a written quotation.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/19/2005
Thursday, February 17, 2005
MEDIA BLOGGERS ASSOCIATION
Newspaper threatens blogger for linking
Last year, I received an email from a photographer requesting I remove from my blog a photo that she had taken of a Sudanese baby dying from malnutrition. The email arrived from a Yahoo address. After much thought, I decided to ignore the email because (a) I did not think it was right to delete content in my blog on the strength of a yahoo email from a stranger (b) if I replied to the email, I could not be sure it was the photographer I was communicating with (c) I found the photo freely available on the net and credited it with the copyright, source and photographers name in my blog that clearly has no commercial interest (d) I concluded if the photographer was so protective over the photo, she should not have posted it on the net.
The photograph was shocking and said so much more than words could convey. It was an important image and deserved to be publicised. I could not imagine what the photographer had to gain from keeping such a topical image under wraps. It made me wonder why she went to the Sudan and took such a hard-hitting photo if she had not meant to raise awareness of the world's greatest humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
Nearly every day I link to a blog or press report here and at Sudan Watch or Passion of the Present, and often I wonder if mainstream media agencies mind when we bloggers use stuff they have published. Surely we are giving them free advertising and publicity and should be pleased, as long as we credit the source and link directly to the item.
A few days ago, American blogger Rebecca MacKinnon published a post about a Tulsa newspaper suing a blogger not only for "reproducing" parts of its articles... but also for linking to it without permission. Rebecca asks for our help in putting the blogosphere's spotlight of shame on this legal threat.
Here's wishing the blogger under threat, Michael Bates, best of luck. It's good to know there is a Media Bloggers Association where we can turn to (especially those engaged in media criticism) and get advice if ever a blogging media problem arises. [Link courtesy Joi Ito]
- - -
Hormone could be the elixir of youth
A report in today's Scotsman reveals that scientists have moved a step closer to identifying the elusive "elixir of life" after extending the lifespan of laboratory mice. Dr Richard Faragher, an expert in anti-ageing biology at Brighton University, explained:
"There is a tremendous amount of interest at the moment in regenerative medicine, basically because it has applications in a very wide range of medical conditions. In this study the majority of the repair processes that they are picking up in the old mouse are from the activation of old progenitor cells by the hormone from the younger mouse. This means the old animal, for reasons that are not clear, is lacking hormones that make the cells grow.
It has the progenitor cells that could grow if you gave them the right signal, but the hormones that tell it to do this are not present. What they have achieved by hooking up the blood supply is to introduce these hormones and as a result they have found that the progenitor cells can still wake up."
While replicating such results in humans is still the work of science fiction, the finding could have far-reaching implications, both for medical science and for the youth-obsessed cosmetic industry. It may even leap-frog the necessity for stem cell research into understanding ageing. [Full Story Scotsman.com Feb 17, 2005]
Newspaper threatens blogger for linking
Last year, I received an email from a photographer requesting I remove from my blog a photo that she had taken of a Sudanese baby dying from malnutrition. The email arrived from a Yahoo address. After much thought, I decided to ignore the email because (a) I did not think it was right to delete content in my blog on the strength of a yahoo email from a stranger (b) if I replied to the email, I could not be sure it was the photographer I was communicating with (c) I found the photo freely available on the net and credited it with the copyright, source and photographers name in my blog that clearly has no commercial interest (d) I concluded if the photographer was so protective over the photo, she should not have posted it on the net.
The photograph was shocking and said so much more than words could convey. It was an important image and deserved to be publicised. I could not imagine what the photographer had to gain from keeping such a topical image under wraps. It made me wonder why she went to the Sudan and took such a hard-hitting photo if she had not meant to raise awareness of the world's greatest humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
Nearly every day I link to a blog or press report here and at Sudan Watch or Passion of the Present, and often I wonder if mainstream media agencies mind when we bloggers use stuff they have published. Surely we are giving them free advertising and publicity and should be pleased, as long as we credit the source and link directly to the item.
A few days ago, American blogger Rebecca MacKinnon published a post about a Tulsa newspaper suing a blogger not only for "reproducing" parts of its articles... but also for linking to it without permission. Rebecca asks for our help in putting the blogosphere's spotlight of shame on this legal threat.
Here's wishing the blogger under threat, Michael Bates, best of luck. It's good to know there is a Media Bloggers Association where we can turn to (especially those engaged in media criticism) and get advice if ever a blogging media problem arises. [Link courtesy Joi Ito]
- - -
Hormone could be the elixir of youth
A report in today's Scotsman reveals that scientists have moved a step closer to identifying the elusive "elixir of life" after extending the lifespan of laboratory mice. Dr Richard Faragher, an expert in anti-ageing biology at Brighton University, explained:
"There is a tremendous amount of interest at the moment in regenerative medicine, basically because it has applications in a very wide range of medical conditions. In this study the majority of the repair processes that they are picking up in the old mouse are from the activation of old progenitor cells by the hormone from the younger mouse. This means the old animal, for reasons that are not clear, is lacking hormones that make the cells grow.
It has the progenitor cells that could grow if you gave them the right signal, but the hormones that tell it to do this are not present. What they have achieved by hooking up the blood supply is to introduce these hormones and as a result they have found that the progenitor cells can still wake up."
While replicating such results in humans is still the work of science fiction, the finding could have far-reaching implications, both for medical science and for the youth-obsessed cosmetic industry. It may even leap-frog the necessity for stem cell research into understanding ageing. [Full Story Scotsman.com Feb 17, 2005]
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/17/2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
STUDENTS' RENDEZVOUS
At the Hungarian Cafe in New York
Further to Sunday's post here, I am happy to say it looks like American blogger John in New York is smitten for real. Check out his Feb 14 post as to what happened with his new special someone at the Hungarian Cafe in New York.
Great post John. I hope it's all true. Good luck with the exam. Looking forward to reading the next installment.
At the Hungarian Cafe in New York
Further to Sunday's post here, I am happy to say it looks like American blogger John in New York is smitten for real. Check out his Feb 14 post as to what happened with his new special someone at the Hungarian Cafe in New York.
Great post John. I hope it's all true. Good luck with the exam. Looking forward to reading the next installment.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/15/2005
Monday, February 14, 2005
A TOKEN OF LOVE
On Valentine's Day
Fact of the Day
It may be Valentine's Day but war and death abounds throughout history today. On this day:
In 1779 Captain Cook was killed in the Sandwich Islands.
In 1900, 20,000 British troops invaded South Africa's Orange Free State. Chicago saw the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929.
In 1945 the Allies began to fire-bomb Dresden, leading to the deaths of at least 25,0000 people.
To keep things jolly, 1989 saw Ayatollah Khomeini issue a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
If all that has left you depressed and you are unattached, cheer yourself up with a date.
- - -
Similarity 'makes happy marriage'
People who pick partners with a similar personality to themselves could be helping to guarantee matrimonial bliss. When dealing with the day-to-day stresses of life, opposites do not attract, US scientists say. Happier couples were the ones who were more similarly matched. People have these beliefs that birds of a feather flock together and research backs this up. Full Story.
- - -
Congrats to Charles and Camilla
The Prince of Wales is set to marry his long-term partner Camilla Parker Bowles on Friday April 8th. The wedding will be a civil ceremony followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St George's Chapel. After the marriage Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title HRH Duchess of Cornwall, changing to the Princess Consort when Charles becomes King. The heir to the throne was previously married to Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Q&A on Charles and Camilla.
After 30 years of knowing each other, good luck to them I say. Prince Charles is a widower and is lucky that he can now marry the love of his life. There is not enough love in the world. I like Prince Charles and think he is under rated and misunderstood. Click here to read what others think in the comments at BBC online.
- - -
Life begins at 50
There are more people in the over-50s age group in Britain getting divorced than ever before, figures from the Office of National Statistics show.
A survey found the main reasons couples split was the sudden realisation they had spent years focusing on being parents at the expense of being partners, and the re-evaluation of what they wanted from the rest of their lives. The website over50s.com has been running a dating service since it launched in 1999 and now boasts more than 250,000 registered users.
Managing director Geoff Ellis says almost three-quarters of the site's clients are women. Some are looking for friendship, others for a long-term relationship - but all are looking for something new. "People who are 50 these days are acting like they are 40," he says. Full Story.
Note, the report says dating websites for the over-50s are growing.
- - -
More are marrying, figures reveal
"Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet" - Mae West
There are 6 billion people on this planet. But not everyone needs to be as part of a couple. I've read somewhere that one quarter of adults live alone quite happily.
See Why marry?
- - -
Easing the pain of a break-up
Relationship counselling groups Relate and Couple Counselling Scotland think there are some strategies for lessening the damage. Here are their tips for talking through a break-up.
Not all relationships have happy endings - but there are strategies to cope.
- - -
Unrequited love can be a 'killer'
Lovesickness can kill and should be taken more seriously as a legitimate diagnosis, according to health experts. Experts say people can die from a broken heart.
Dr Tallis said that before the 18th Century, lovesickness had been accepted as a natural state of mind for thousands of years. He said in modern day terms the symptoms can include mania, such as an elevated mood and inflated self-esteem, or depression, revealing itself as tearfulness and insomnia.
Aspects of obsessive compulsive disorder can also be found in those experiencing lovesickness, such as preoccupation and obsessively checking for text messages and e-mails. Full Story.
- - -
Online dating 'good for romance'
Dating websites can give people a "surprisingly high" chance of long-term romance, suggests a study published on St Valentine's Day.
Could internet dating lead to a life-long match? Some 94% of UK online agency customers questioned saw their "e-partner" again after the first face-to-face meeting. Bath University psychologist, Jeff Gavin, surveyed 229 adults, finding web dating worked "for many people".
Only 9% of chatroom users chose to converse via a webcam, most "shying away" in favour of "text-based relationships".
Those people who wrote letters or sent gifts tended to help strengthen their bond.
Almost one in five of those interviewed had started a relationship lasting more than a year via a dating website. Dr Gavin said this represented a "similar level of success" to partners who had met "in more conventional ways".
Male website customers tended to be "more committed" than female ones, as subsequent chatroom conversations gave them a way to express their feelings which did not normally exist.
Dr Gavin added: "Lots of people join sites because they don't get time to go to bars and clubs to meet.
"When online dating agencies first started they were quite standard. Nowadays there are all sorts of niches.
"There are gym-goers' sites, where fit people meet other fit people, Christian sites and university graduate sites - it's incredibly diverse." Full Story
Note, the report says UK-based internet dating agencies have an estimated six million subscribers.
Web romance 'fuels divorce rise'
Websites which help people look up old flames on the net may be adding to the UK's rising divorce rate, it is claimed - and long hours in the office may make couples more likely to grow apart. The number of couples getting divorced is at its highest level for seven years, official figures for 2003 show.
Relationship experts at Relate said the increasing number of people going to websites like Friends Reunited to look up old partners was having an impact.
Almost 12 million people - around 47% of UK internet users - were registered on the site. There are very, very occasionally unhappy stories. For every one unhappy story there are literally hundreds of happy customers.
Divorce rates have risen over the past three years since falling back from the level reached in 1996, the Office for National Statistics said. The average age at which couples split is increasing, at almost 42 for men and 39-and-a-half for women.
Couples are also staying together for slightly longer, with the average up from 11.1 years in 2002 to 11.3 years before they part company.
Just over half the couples who divorced last year had at least one child aged under 16.
More than 150,000 children were in families where the parents divorced last year - and a fifth of those were under five.
Denise Knowles, of Relate, said: "The figures are very upsetting and have to be a concern for us all. We need to make sure people are properly prepared for marriage because there is sometimes an unrealistic expectation. People go into marriage thinking about the lovely wedding day and assuming the rest of your life will echo that but it is just the beginning." Full Story
- - -
Valentine's date for 'love birds'
Two swans who fell in love at a bird sanctuary are to be released back into the wild on Valentine's day. Full Story.
Happy Valentine's Day blogmates, with love from Ingrid and Ophelia xx
On Valentine's Day
Fact of the Day
It may be Valentine's Day but war and death abounds throughout history today. On this day:
In 1779 Captain Cook was killed in the Sandwich Islands.
In 1900, 20,000 British troops invaded South Africa's Orange Free State. Chicago saw the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929.
In 1945 the Allies began to fire-bomb Dresden, leading to the deaths of at least 25,0000 people.
To keep things jolly, 1989 saw Ayatollah Khomeini issue a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
If all that has left you depressed and you are unattached, cheer yourself up with a date.
- - -
Similarity 'makes happy marriage'
People who pick partners with a similar personality to themselves could be helping to guarantee matrimonial bliss. When dealing with the day-to-day stresses of life, opposites do not attract, US scientists say. Happier couples were the ones who were more similarly matched. People have these beliefs that birds of a feather flock together and research backs this up. Full Story.
- - -
Congrats to Charles and Camilla
The Prince of Wales is set to marry his long-term partner Camilla Parker Bowles on Friday April 8th. The wedding will be a civil ceremony followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St George's Chapel. After the marriage Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title HRH Duchess of Cornwall, changing to the Princess Consort when Charles becomes King. The heir to the throne was previously married to Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Q&A on Charles and Camilla.
After 30 years of knowing each other, good luck to them I say. Prince Charles is a widower and is lucky that he can now marry the love of his life. There is not enough love in the world. I like Prince Charles and think he is under rated and misunderstood. Click here to read what others think in the comments at BBC online.
- - -
Life begins at 50
There are more people in the over-50s age group in Britain getting divorced than ever before, figures from the Office of National Statistics show.
A survey found the main reasons couples split was the sudden realisation they had spent years focusing on being parents at the expense of being partners, and the re-evaluation of what they wanted from the rest of their lives. The website over50s.com has been running a dating service since it launched in 1999 and now boasts more than 250,000 registered users.
Managing director Geoff Ellis says almost three-quarters of the site's clients are women. Some are looking for friendship, others for a long-term relationship - but all are looking for something new. "People who are 50 these days are acting like they are 40," he says. Full Story.
Note, the report says dating websites for the over-50s are growing.
- - -
More are marrying, figures reveal
"Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet" - Mae West
There are 6 billion people on this planet. But not everyone needs to be as part of a couple. I've read somewhere that one quarter of adults live alone quite happily.
See Why marry?
- - -
Easing the pain of a break-up
Relationship counselling groups Relate and Couple Counselling Scotland think there are some strategies for lessening the damage. Here are their tips for talking through a break-up.
Not all relationships have happy endings - but there are strategies to cope.
- - -
Unrequited love can be a 'killer'
Lovesickness can kill and should be taken more seriously as a legitimate diagnosis, according to health experts. Experts say people can die from a broken heart.
Dr Tallis said that before the 18th Century, lovesickness had been accepted as a natural state of mind for thousands of years. He said in modern day terms the symptoms can include mania, such as an elevated mood and inflated self-esteem, or depression, revealing itself as tearfulness and insomnia.
Aspects of obsessive compulsive disorder can also be found in those experiencing lovesickness, such as preoccupation and obsessively checking for text messages and e-mails. Full Story.
- - -
Online dating 'good for romance'
Dating websites can give people a "surprisingly high" chance of long-term romance, suggests a study published on St Valentine's Day.
Could internet dating lead to a life-long match? Some 94% of UK online agency customers questioned saw their "e-partner" again after the first face-to-face meeting. Bath University psychologist, Jeff Gavin, surveyed 229 adults, finding web dating worked "for many people".
Only 9% of chatroom users chose to converse via a webcam, most "shying away" in favour of "text-based relationships".
Those people who wrote letters or sent gifts tended to help strengthen their bond.
Almost one in five of those interviewed had started a relationship lasting more than a year via a dating website. Dr Gavin said this represented a "similar level of success" to partners who had met "in more conventional ways".
Male website customers tended to be "more committed" than female ones, as subsequent chatroom conversations gave them a way to express their feelings which did not normally exist.
Dr Gavin added: "Lots of people join sites because they don't get time to go to bars and clubs to meet.
"When online dating agencies first started they were quite standard. Nowadays there are all sorts of niches.
"There are gym-goers' sites, where fit people meet other fit people, Christian sites and university graduate sites - it's incredibly diverse." Full Story
Note, the report says UK-based internet dating agencies have an estimated six million subscribers.
Web romance 'fuels divorce rise'
Websites which help people look up old flames on the net may be adding to the UK's rising divorce rate, it is claimed - and long hours in the office may make couples more likely to grow apart. The number of couples getting divorced is at its highest level for seven years, official figures for 2003 show.
Relationship experts at Relate said the increasing number of people going to websites like Friends Reunited to look up old partners was having an impact.
Almost 12 million people - around 47% of UK internet users - were registered on the site. There are very, very occasionally unhappy stories. For every one unhappy story there are literally hundreds of happy customers.
Divorce rates have risen over the past three years since falling back from the level reached in 1996, the Office for National Statistics said. The average age at which couples split is increasing, at almost 42 for men and 39-and-a-half for women.
Couples are also staying together for slightly longer, with the average up from 11.1 years in 2002 to 11.3 years before they part company.
Just over half the couples who divorced last year had at least one child aged under 16.
More than 150,000 children were in families where the parents divorced last year - and a fifth of those were under five.
Denise Knowles, of Relate, said: "The figures are very upsetting and have to be a concern for us all. We need to make sure people are properly prepared for marriage because there is sometimes an unrealistic expectation. People go into marriage thinking about the lovely wedding day and assuming the rest of your life will echo that but it is just the beginning." Full Story
- - -
Valentine's date for 'love birds'
Two swans who fell in love at a bird sanctuary are to be released back into the wild on Valentine's day. Full Story.
Happy Valentine's Day blogmates, with love from Ingrid and Ophelia xx
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/14/2005
Sunday, February 13, 2005
ST VALENTINE'S DAY MASS SUICIDE AVERTED?
UK web address link to online suicide plot
An internet surfer accused of planning a bizarre Valentine's Day mass suicide used a British chat room to recruit willing victims, says a report in today's Sunday Times.
[via Nzyme's post at Tursiops Times who admits she has never had a nice Valentine's Day. Nzyme describes herself as a 34-year old SBM (single black mother) in Texas who works full-time as a technical support representative, adores her family and dolphins, wants love and needs a nice family life]
So, Nzyme needs a valentine. Heh. Let's see what we bloggers can do to help. [Sorry Nzyme, but I found your blog after you kindly linked to mine at Sudan Watch. Your recent posts left me feeling I ought to try and help here!] Here's pinging American blogger Bill in Germany to see if he knows of any suitable unattached boyz.
Note to any unattached readers: please let me know your URL (or someone's you know) in the comments here or by email, and I will read the blog and find something within it to link to here tomorrow as an electronic card on Valentine's Day. It's no trouble. There is not much else I can do tomorrow except play cupid and it won't be fun if I've got nobody to play cupid with.
Photo: American blogger Nzyme.
See Nzyme's three children at her pod post.
Note: The commenting system here is provided by HaloScan, not Blogger. Blogger has introduced some new changes. The HaloScan system keeps disappearing. If you care to leave a comment and the system here does not work, please use my blog at http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com or email me. Thanks.
- - -
Love's not only blind but mad, say scientists
On reading this little sweetie of a post, it looks like American law student John at Secession in New York may have met someone special - if the post is not a figment of his imagination or an extract from a book.
John is a great romantic and likes to tease his readers, I think. I am never quite sure whether his posts are true or not. Going by his writings and the quality of his posts, you'd never believe he is only in his twenties. Great style, flair and a wonderful writer. I marvel that he is not older than he says and am convinced, because the pen can be mightier than the sword, he will make a monster lawyer, or professional writer, or both.
An article in today's Sunday Times says love makes you go mad and affects your concentration. Poor John. He is in the midst of taking his bar exam. Here is an excerpt from the article:
People who feel compelled to behave irrationally on Valentine's Day tomorrow may not entirely be to blame for their actions. Scientists have found evidence that love really is blind. Hodson says: “I would advise people to enjoy their love affair knowing that this isn’t going to happen more than two or three times in a lifetime but they should realise it is akin to being mad. You become deranged and lose your ability to reason." Heh. Happy Valentine's Day John.
- - -
Boy is aborted 3 times and lives
On Valentine's Day, if you can't be good, be careful, someone I once knew was fond of saying.
You have to wonder what one boy will think when he grows up and maybe reads this article from today's Sunday Times. Here is an excerpt:
A baby survived at least three attempts to abort it from the womb and was born alive at 24 weeks old. The boy was delivered in hospital after his 24-year-old mother changed her mind about wanting the child after feeling it move on the way home from an abortion clinic. Although the clinic had told her an ultrasound scan had confirmed the child was dead, she went into labour that afternoon and the boy was born alive. Now two years old and healthy, he is the first long-term abortion survivor to have been born so prematurely. His remarkable entrance into the world is documented in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
UK web address link to online suicide plot
An internet surfer accused of planning a bizarre Valentine's Day mass suicide used a British chat room to recruit willing victims, says a report in today's Sunday Times.
[via Nzyme's post at Tursiops Times who admits she has never had a nice Valentine's Day. Nzyme describes herself as a 34-year old SBM (single black mother) in Texas who works full-time as a technical support representative, adores her family and dolphins, wants love and needs a nice family life]
So, Nzyme needs a valentine. Heh. Let's see what we bloggers can do to help. [Sorry Nzyme, but I found your blog after you kindly linked to mine at Sudan Watch. Your recent posts left me feeling I ought to try and help here!] Here's pinging American blogger Bill in Germany to see if he knows of any suitable unattached boyz.
Note to any unattached readers: please let me know your URL (or someone's you know) in the comments here or by email, and I will read the blog and find something within it to link to here tomorrow as an electronic card on Valentine's Day. It's no trouble. There is not much else I can do tomorrow except play cupid and it won't be fun if I've got nobody to play cupid with.
Photo: American blogger Nzyme.
See Nzyme's three children at her pod post.
Note: The commenting system here is provided by HaloScan, not Blogger. Blogger has introduced some new changes. The HaloScan system keeps disappearing. If you care to leave a comment and the system here does not work, please use my blog at http://sudanwatch.blogspot.com or email me. Thanks.
- - -
Love's not only blind but mad, say scientists
On reading this little sweetie of a post, it looks like American law student John at Secession in New York may have met someone special - if the post is not a figment of his imagination or an extract from a book.
John is a great romantic and likes to tease his readers, I think. I am never quite sure whether his posts are true or not. Going by his writings and the quality of his posts, you'd never believe he is only in his twenties. Great style, flair and a wonderful writer. I marvel that he is not older than he says and am convinced, because the pen can be mightier than the sword, he will make a monster lawyer, or professional writer, or both.
An article in today's Sunday Times says love makes you go mad and affects your concentration. Poor John. He is in the midst of taking his bar exam. Here is an excerpt from the article:
People who feel compelled to behave irrationally on Valentine's Day tomorrow may not entirely be to blame for their actions. Scientists have found evidence that love really is blind. Hodson says: “I would advise people to enjoy their love affair knowing that this isn’t going to happen more than two or three times in a lifetime but they should realise it is akin to being mad. You become deranged and lose your ability to reason." Heh. Happy Valentine's Day John.
- - -
Boy is aborted 3 times and lives
On Valentine's Day, if you can't be good, be careful, someone I once knew was fond of saying.
You have to wonder what one boy will think when he grows up and maybe reads this article from today's Sunday Times. Here is an excerpt:
A baby survived at least three attempts to abort it from the womb and was born alive at 24 weeks old. The boy was delivered in hospital after his 24-year-old mother changed her mind about wanting the child after feeling it move on the way home from an abortion clinic. Although the clinic had told her an ultrasound scan had confirmed the child was dead, she went into labour that afternoon and the boy was born alive. Now two years old and healthy, he is the first long-term abortion survivor to have been born so prematurely. His remarkable entrance into the world is documented in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/13/2005
- - -
PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL HOWARD DEAN
Now chairs Democratic Party
Dear Jim Moore and many other Americans will be pleased with this news. Former presidential hopeful Howard Dean has taken the reins of the Democratic Party, saying there is much work to be done, Democrats need to reclaim the debate from Republicans, compete in every election, and turn the party's structure upside down. (Click here for full story).
Photo: Outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe (R) and incoming Chairman Howard Dean (L) celebrate after Dean gave his acceptance speech during the DNC Winter Meeting in Washington, DC. Feb 12 2005 (AFP/Alex Wong)
- - -
New York opens up its golden Gates
New Yorkers woke up yesterday to a "river of gold" running through Central Park as the saffron coloured panels of The Gates, a gigantic £11m art installation by the Bulgarian born artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were unfurled, says the Sunday Times today.
Hundreds of volunteers in grey and orange tunics designed by Christo gathered along 23 miles of the park's pathways, planted with 7,500 16-foot high vinyl frames, to shake loose the billowing pleated fabric. It provided a splash of sunrise 26 years in the making.
What its meaning is, none can say. "The Gates is the result of simply a lot of love for each other, and a lot of love for art. Nothing more. It's only a work of art," Jeanne-Claude demurred.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, both 69, provided the money to erect the art work out of their own pockets and hope to recoup the costs through the sale of Christo's lithographs, collages and drawings of The Gates.
The project is not designed to last. The Gates will be taken down after 16 days and the material recycled in a deliberate tribute to the transience of art.
"The Gates" are open - all 7,500 of them. The biggest art project in New York City's history debuted Saturday in Central Park with the unfurling of saffron-coloured fabric banners suspended in 16-foot-high frames, providing a splash of sunrise 26 years in the making. The Gates project, created by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, officially opened in New York's Central Park on February 12, 2005.
The giant $21 million art project The Gates," filled the park's 23 miles of pathways as thousands of saffron-colored portals blossomed yesterday.
The large scale project uses approximately 7500 gates placed on over 23 miles of walkways throughout Central Park.
Photo: A bird's eye view of the art exhibit 'The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005' as it snakes around Central Park in New York City. The work is displayed along 23 miles of paved paths.(AFP/Getty Images/Spencer Platt)
"I came for this. It's poetry in motion. It's for the moment — a kind of Zen," said Barbara Knorr, a German-speaking visitor who came from Switzerland just to see the exhibit created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
"The Gates" is the pair's first major project in New York City. It features 7,500 frames with their hanging orange-tinted fabric, creating what the artists billed as "a visual golden river" along 23 miles of footpaths in the park. Click here for a photo slide-show. It's amazing. What a great boost for the people of New York and tourism.
PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL HOWARD DEAN
Now chairs Democratic Party
Dear Jim Moore and many other Americans will be pleased with this news. Former presidential hopeful Howard Dean has taken the reins of the Democratic Party, saying there is much work to be done, Democrats need to reclaim the debate from Republicans, compete in every election, and turn the party's structure upside down. (Click here for full story).
Photo: Outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe (R) and incoming Chairman Howard Dean (L) celebrate after Dean gave his acceptance speech during the DNC Winter Meeting in Washington, DC. Feb 12 2005 (AFP/Alex Wong)
- - -
New York opens up its golden Gates
New Yorkers woke up yesterday to a "river of gold" running through Central Park as the saffron coloured panels of The Gates, a gigantic £11m art installation by the Bulgarian born artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were unfurled, says the Sunday Times today.
Hundreds of volunteers in grey and orange tunics designed by Christo gathered along 23 miles of the park's pathways, planted with 7,500 16-foot high vinyl frames, to shake loose the billowing pleated fabric. It provided a splash of sunrise 26 years in the making.
What its meaning is, none can say. "The Gates is the result of simply a lot of love for each other, and a lot of love for art. Nothing more. It's only a work of art," Jeanne-Claude demurred.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, both 69, provided the money to erect the art work out of their own pockets and hope to recoup the costs through the sale of Christo's lithographs, collages and drawings of The Gates.
The project is not designed to last. The Gates will be taken down after 16 days and the material recycled in a deliberate tribute to the transience of art.
"The Gates" are open - all 7,500 of them. The biggest art project in New York City's history debuted Saturday in Central Park with the unfurling of saffron-coloured fabric banners suspended in 16-foot-high frames, providing a splash of sunrise 26 years in the making. The Gates project, created by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, officially opened in New York's Central Park on February 12, 2005.
The giant $21 million art project The Gates," filled the park's 23 miles of pathways as thousands of saffron-colored portals blossomed yesterday.
The large scale project uses approximately 7500 gates placed on over 23 miles of walkways throughout Central Park.
Photo: A bird's eye view of the art exhibit 'The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005' as it snakes around Central Park in New York City. The work is displayed along 23 miles of paved paths.(AFP/Getty Images/Spencer Platt)
"I came for this. It's poetry in motion. It's for the moment — a kind of Zen," said Barbara Knorr, a German-speaking visitor who came from Switzerland just to see the exhibit created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
"The Gates" is the pair's first major project in New York City. It features 7,500 frames with their hanging orange-tinted fabric, creating what the artists billed as "a visual golden river" along 23 miles of footpaths in the park. Click here for a photo slide-show. It's amazing. What a great boost for the people of New York and tourism.
# posted by Ingrid @ 2/13/2005
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- - -
SUDAN'S PRESIDENT
Named as worst dictator in world
US Parade magazine's yearly list of the planet's 10 worst living dictators has named Sudan's Omar Bashir as the head of world's most ignominious class. Here is a copy of a UPI report:
Although last year Bashir ranked a mere seventh among the 10 worst dictators, this year's list has him as the worst of the worst because of the 70,000 people who have been killed in Sudan's Darfur region and 6 million internally displaced as a result of Khartoum's ethnic cleansing, contributing editor David Wallechinsky wrote in Sunday's edition of Parade.
Among his signature forms of abuse: slave trading and aerial bombing of women's and children's refugee camps.
Following Bashir are, in order: Kim Jong Il (North Korea), Than Shwe (Myanmar, formerly Burma), Hu Jintao (China), Crown Prince Abdullah (Saudi Arabia), Muammar al-Qadafi (Libya), Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan), Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenistan), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) and Teodoro Obiang Nguema (Equatorial Guinea).
Receiving dishonorable mentions are King Mswati III (Swaziland), Aleksander Lukashenko (Belarus) and Fidel Castro (Cuba), the world's longest-reigning -- and in Latin America an almost beloved -- dictator.
Wallechinsky developed his list by consulting such human rights groups as Freedom House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders.
- - -
Mans inhumanity to man
Following on from the post above, it is interesting to see Middle East Financial Network online Feb 12 carrying the same UPI report titled "Omar Bashir named world's worst dictator".
Here's hoping the news item will spread on the Internet and reach him and all the other dictators listed, in time for Valentine's Day as a message from the world to make love not war. Who knows if it might sober them up and change their mindset. If their wives, children, relatives, friends and religious leaders got to hear about it, maybe they could make a difference. Mankind needs more love, not hate and cruelty.
Note the absence of females among the list of those who mass murder defenceless women and children. Since when did men stop protecting women and children? Men really must wake up to what is going on or they will, like the Neanderthals become extinct. It might take 10,000 years or more but with so many psychos in power and so few men willing to do stop them, who needs any of them?
On the other hand, with a population of six billion human beings chasing resources, maybe the world needs such predators. After the holocaust and Rwanda the world said "never again" but it was less than ten years ago, and a two hour flight away from here in England, that genocide occurred in Bosnia while the world watched. Mankind is not as civilised as we like to believe. There is a long way to go yet. Genocides will continue to occur. Too many humans amongst too many predatory barbarians. Perhaps sporadic culling of humans is part of nature in their battle for survival. Over the past year and a half, after much thinking and discussion with a friend, I have no other explanation for mans inhumanity to man.
Photo: June 2004 Secretary-General Kofi Annan (second from left) meeting with the President of Sudan, Omir Hassan A. Al-Bashir (right). (UN Photo by Eskinder Debebe).
See more photos of Mr Annan's visit to the Sudan June 30, 2004 and July 10-12, 2002.
- - -
Islam will remain main source for legislation in Sudan: president
9 Feb AFP news reveals Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said that Islam will continue to be the main source of legislation in Sudan even after the peace deal with the mainly animist and Christian southern rebels. He made the comments while addressing a crowd in al-Suqi in central Sudan, the official Sudan News Agency reported.
Photo: Sudanese Sufis practice their religious rituals in the arid Khartoum suburb of Omdurman. (AFP)
SUDAN'S PRESIDENT
Named as worst dictator in world
US Parade magazine's yearly list of the planet's 10 worst living dictators has named Sudan's Omar Bashir as the head of world's most ignominious class. Here is a copy of a UPI report:
Although last year Bashir ranked a mere seventh among the 10 worst dictators, this year's list has him as the worst of the worst because of the 70,000 people who have been killed in Sudan's Darfur region and 6 million internally displaced as a result of Khartoum's ethnic cleansing, contributing editor David Wallechinsky wrote in Sunday's edition of Parade.
Among his signature forms of abuse: slave trading and aerial bombing of women's and children's refugee camps.
Following Bashir are, in order: Kim Jong Il (North Korea), Than Shwe (Myanmar, formerly Burma), Hu Jintao (China), Crown Prince Abdullah (Saudi Arabia), Muammar al-Qadafi (Libya), Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan), Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenistan), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) and Teodoro Obiang Nguema (Equatorial Guinea).
Receiving dishonorable mentions are King Mswati III (Swaziland), Aleksander Lukashenko (Belarus) and Fidel Castro (Cuba), the world's longest-reigning -- and in Latin America an almost beloved -- dictator.
Wallechinsky developed his list by consulting such human rights groups as Freedom House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders.
- - -
Mans inhumanity to man
Following on from the post above, it is interesting to see Middle East Financial Network online Feb 12 carrying the same UPI report titled "Omar Bashir named world's worst dictator".
Here's hoping the news item will spread on the Internet and reach him and all the other dictators listed, in time for Valentine's Day as a message from the world to make love not war. Who knows if it might sober them up and change their mindset. If their wives, children, relatives, friends and religious leaders got to hear about it, maybe they could make a difference. Mankind needs more love, not hate and cruelty.
Note the absence of females among the list of those who mass murder defenceless women and children. Since when did men stop protecting women and children? Men really must wake up to what is going on or they will, like the Neanderthals become extinct. It might take 10,000 years or more but with so many psychos in power and so few men willing to do stop them, who needs any of them?
On the other hand, with a population of six billion human beings chasing resources, maybe the world needs such predators. After the holocaust and Rwanda the world said "never again" but it was less than ten years ago, and a two hour flight away from here in England, that genocide occurred in Bosnia while the world watched. Mankind is not as civilised as we like to believe. There is a long way to go yet. Genocides will continue to occur. Too many humans amongst too many predatory barbarians. Perhaps sporadic culling of humans is part of nature in their battle for survival. Over the past year and a half, after much thinking and discussion with a friend, I have no other explanation for mans inhumanity to man.
Photo: June 2004 Secretary-General Kofi Annan (second from left) meeting with the President of Sudan, Omir Hassan A. Al-Bashir (right). (UN Photo by Eskinder Debebe).
See more photos of Mr Annan's visit to the Sudan June 30, 2004 and July 10-12, 2002.
- - -
Islam will remain main source for legislation in Sudan: president
9 Feb AFP news reveals Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said that Islam will continue to be the main source of legislation in Sudan even after the peace deal with the mainly animist and Christian southern rebels. He made the comments while addressing a crowd in al-Suqi in central Sudan, the official Sudan News Agency reported.
Photo: Sudanese Sufis practice their religious rituals in the arid Khartoum suburb of Omdurman. (AFP)
ME AND OPHELIA
This is the personal blog of Ingrid Jones.
I live by the sea in Dorset, England, United Kingdom.
Here on my PowerBook G4 I communicate to my friends.
About things in general and my life with M.E. and cat Ophelia.
Home user technology and business services.
Food and household management.
How it all impacts on my *lifestyle management programme*.
And my battle for more energy.
See Blogger Profile
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