Tuesday 23 October 2012

Someone Remarkable and Something Unbelievable

It seems like time for another post, so what should I write about?  Shall I tell you how much we enjoyed the two DVDs I got out from the library? We watched 'The Artist' on Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very relaxing watching something without the usual noise of background music and the talking and the story-line held our interest. I even enjoyed watching the little dog and all his tricks even though I'm not a great fan of domestic pets. I was less amused by the dog being allowed to sit on the breakfast table, cute as it was.


Sunday we watched the equally good but less amusing film, 'The Lady'.  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a truly remarkable woman, but this also tells the story of the sacrifices made by her children and her husband.


On the other hand, I've just heard that the government have decided to stop the imminent badger cull from going ahead. I'm very pleased for the badgers, but I wonder why the members of the government keep announcing policies only to have to say they've changed their minds a bit later when they realise just what a bad idea it all was after having been made aware of the full facts.  Why can't this government check the facts properly before announcing their policies? Are they really fit to run the country? How much money are they wasting as a result of their unbelievable haste and ineptitude?

Getting back to the badgers, or more crucially still, TB in cattle, wouldn't it be better to vaccinate the cattle and/or the badgers and to make sure the cattle are given plenty of space and fresh air as well as a nutritious diet. When we had high levels of TB in the human population we didn't shoot anyone who was deemed to be a carrier. No, the combination of vaccinating children and, over time, better nutrition and housing conditions for the majority of people all but eradicated the disease. Have we learned no lessons from the past? The Farmers' Guardian admits that "[cattle] with a low nutritional plane, mineral deficiency or a compromised immune system are more likely to get TB."

Thursday 11 October 2012

International Day of the Girl

Apparently today is the United Nations International Day of the Girl. It's purpose is to highlight, celebrate, discuss, and advance girls lives and opportunities across the globe and "to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”



The cowardly shooting of 14 year-old Malala Yousafzai by Taliban gunmen only two days ago highlights the plight of many girls around the world who cannot go to school and are abused by men who seek to control and dominate them.

By 2015, women are expected to make up 64% of adults in the world who are unable to read.

Only 30% of girls in the world are enrolled in secondary school. In America the dropout rate is worse for boys but one in four girls does not finish high school and the dropout rate is even higher for minorities. I wonder what the situation is in the UK.

One in seven girls in developing countries is married off before age 15. In the US more than half (54%) of all rapes of females happen before age 18.

The reporting on the case of Jimmy Savile shows us that there is still room for improvement in the way women and girls are treated here in the UK.

One in 5 high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner. Worldwide children as young as age 11 are forced to work as prostitutes. Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year.

More than half (54%) of 3rd-5th grade girls worry about their appearance and 37% worry about their weight. More than half (57%) of music videos feature a female portrayed exclusively as a decorative, sexual object.

Find out more by visiting the website.

Watch out this evening for the London Eye turning pink, around 10 pm I think, to mark the occasion.