Halloween

You all know how I feel about this, if not search for last year's post on Halloween.
I thought this was an interesting take on the festival/celebrations and quite like the approach "celebrate good over evil". What do you think?

Madonna and child

(Clever title, huh?!)
So the news story about Madonna and Guy Ritchie adopting a one year old Malawian boy raged this week. Madonna who already has two birth children has every material thing that could possibly be offered to any child. David will have every opportunity and every possible range of experience because of this adoption. His birth father has blasted critics of the adoption saying "Where were these people when David was struggling in the orphanage?"
Some people have said that taking the boy away from Malawi is denying him the right to live and understand about his own culture and heritage. What can white Madonna and Guy know about and share with David about being black and Malawian?
Some people believe that Madonna should sponsor a child (or several) in order for families to stay together in their country of birth.
I think her well meaning gesture/desire to help has imperialistic overtones. White, more powerful people, swooping in and taking away a baby because they can and because they think it helps. It doesn't. OK, they can't help every child in that poor country but if they had a genuine interest in helping that nation then maybe they would look into supporting families in need by giving their time, helping organisations working their to relieve poverty or by sponsoring a village.
And moving closer to home: with an over population problem in the world does a mother of five actually need a sixth child to make her family complete? Especially when it entails fertility treatment to accomplish the task?
Hmmmmm

Tuesday 17th October- One Day in History

'One Day in History' is a one off opportunity for you to join in a mass blog for the national record. We want as many people as possible to record a 'blog' diary which will be stored by the British Library as a historical record of our national life.
Here is an account of my Tuesday 17th October...why not do yours?

I have 2 PHSE lessons at The Clare School on a Tuesday morning, one at 9.15 and the other at 11.30. We will be talking about sex and relationships after half term but in the lead up we've been thinking about relationships that we already have like family and friends. The sessions today were really rewarding: the young people engage really well and the teaching staff seem really pleased.

I then had to go to the Training Unit in Sprowston (I must confess all journeys today were done by car) to meet with Mike who is in charge of the youth service training. I was back home by two, had some carrot and orange soup and went on the computer.

Had arranged to cover a session called "Feelings on the Wall" which started at 4 but no young people turned up. I used the time to catch up on some paperwork and chatted to some work colleagues.

Julian texted me to say could I get fish and chips for tea on the way home but I didn't have any cash on me. We went to Waitrose, bought some chunky haddock (not cod) fingers and had them with crinkle cut oven chips and baked beans.

Imogen had to get her ingredients together for food tech tomorrow, Lauren was helping serve fairtrade teas and coffee at parents evening at school and Poppy spent most of the evening on the computer either doing her homework or playing Neopets. I host a chat event for young people between 8 and 9 but no young people came on last night. After that I read some of "Thinking Sociologically" but decided to call it a night just before ten because I was tired, bone tired.

Bubblewrap popping?

Try this!

The UK- the fattest country in Europe

In Italy, 8% are obese.
In France, 9%.
Ireland, German and Spain about 12%.

In the UK 24% of the population are clinically obese.

Story here

Toxic waste?

A security alert in Germany was caused after discarded jelly from a wedding was mistaken for toxic waste.

A large area near the town of Halle was cordoned off after a "flabby red, orange and green substance" was found by the road, Reuters reported.

Fire officers in protective suits spent two hours inspecting the substance before concluding it was jelly.

Story here

Hehehehehe!

Getting tablets inside a cat

Well I've done this 4 times with Stella with varying results. This morning was quite a smooth transaction whereas this evening was frought; accompanied by yowling, hissing and punctured flesh. Anyone would think that she doesn't want to be well.

Smells like teen spirit

Daughter number one came into the kitchen this morning clutching a carrier bag and looking rather sheepish. It would appear that her long missing lunch box had turned up in her room after all. It had been missing for about two weeks, wrapped in two layers of carrier bag and still had a sizeable amount of the pasta salad that she had had for lunch two weeks ago. I tend to find that there is no point in dwelling on doing a task like that: you have to bite the bullet and just do it. So I did. I took off the leaky carriers and chucked them in the bin and then tipped out the rancid lunch. It was only then that the smell hit me- speed was of the essence so it was flung into hot soapy water in order to wash it. But by then the smell was threatening to knock me out and with the offending box soaking I ran to put the contents of the bin in the wheelie bin outside (thankfully it being collection day today!) Unfortunately dear reader I had the misfortune of getting some of the offending liquid on my arm in the process of doing this. Toxic waste, as you know will never be removed by seven or eight washes with soap and water so I was now doomed to have the smell linger wherever I go. The washing up beckoned me and the smell was foul. After washing, I boiled the kettle and drained it thoroughly in order to kill the smell, germs and general offensiveness that lurked behind it's now respectable, clean exterior.

I now will go in the shower although I do not hold out much hope of ever ridding myself of the stench. It is farewell from me- I shall only be able to communicate with the outside world via this blog. My aroma will be forever too pungent for polite society. Farewell....

Surviving a plane crash

It would appear that adopting a "brace position" is key in surviving a plane crash. It also doesn't hurt to make note of where you are seated and where the nearest exits are. Planes are now more likely to crash land and if you get off the wreckage quickly, you should be ok. For more details see this BBC article

Interesting Fact No.8

A study published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections in 2005 suggested that one in 10 British men used prostitutes. And the Home Office suggests that a typical "john" is "around 30 years of age, married, in full time employment, and with no criminal convictions."
Story here

Welcome to October!

Pinch, punch, first of the month! (No return!)

Here are some interesting facts for you:

1. There are now more than 600 full-time degree courses in creative writing - with some universities offering more than 20 different types of creative writing degree.

2. China executes more prisoners than the rest of the world put together (gruesome story here)

3. One in eight children in primary schools in England have English as a second language.