war on terrorism?..then get off the fence

It infuriates me when governments publicise their intention to declare war on terrorism but do little about it. I refer in particular to the Pakistani government. We all know that Pakistan is not doing enough to rid their country of the Al Qaeda supporting Taliban.

President Asif Ali Zardari should and could mobilise his forces and kick out the Taliban but it is not happening.

Why..? It obviously has to do with part of the northern Pakistani population supporting the "cause", as in the fight against the "infidel" (America), so to speak.

David Cameron has yesterday, in his visit to India, spoken out against this situation and I must say, I now respect him a lot more than I did before. So if Cameron has spoken out and rightly accused Pakistan of procrastinating, why are there Pakistani protesters outside 10 Downing Street? Why has the Pakistani government complained about this statement? Everyone but the Pakistanis know this to be true!!

Come on Pakistan, kick out the Taliban and join the world community, where you belong. Educate your people and free them from the shackles of the past.

You know it's the right thing to do.

...well done David, thank you for proving me wrong on that score...only on that score though :)

A Self-Help Masterpiece (at last !)

The best self-help book I have read - and

in my opinion, the only one worth reading

I have read many books on self-help through the years, and have mostly been left disappointed. Unlike published psychology, most self-help books are not written by the real 'masters' of the trade but merely people who can write, are already successful and wrongly believe they know what makes humanity tick . Some give advice that would make any psychologist worth his salt recoil with shock!

I refer specifically to the books urging people to "imagine being rich and successful and it will eventually happen" nonsense. If all it takes to be successful is to constantly imagine yourself in a wealthy/healthy scenario, then there would be no poverty in the world! As Richard Wiseman points out in his brilliant book ":59 seconds" , that kind advice can bring on more misery than riches. It causes instant well-being, granted, but places the person in an unrealistic world, unprepared for the pitfalls we all know are very much part of everyday life.

Anyone out there who wants a 'pick-me up' read should get a copy of this book, clear out their mind of past advice and enjoy a real good book based on research by hundreds of experts through the ages and compiled by a no-nonsense British authority in psychology, Professor Richard Wiseman.

Happy reading friends and may you all find the happiness you deserve :)

Common Contradictions !

I was thinking about world terrorism, the needless killing, the misguided justifications and the word "contradiction" entered my head. Here are some to get us going;

"Holy War"

"Friendly Fire"

"Plastic Glass"

"Dry Wine"

I would appreciate some comments please, I'm sure there are many others...

Cheating on "cheating survey"...

Let's get one thing straight, I don't often read women's magazines but this weeks issue of "More!" got the better of my curiosity. The attention grabbing headline reads "How Often Do Men Really Cheat?"

Well, I should have known better than expect anything sensible from this kind of magazine and now know better (or do I?). It reports a survey carried out with 500 men and 500 women and this is where it got confusing.

When asked "When is it OK to cheat?" 70%" of women said 'never' - and almost all men said there are "justifications to cheat like - being mistreated by their partner, or "long-distance relationships, etc etc". Expected response I think.

Also 90% of women said men are more likely to cheat than women and 70% of men agreed! Again no real surprise!

All OK so far but the next question stumped me.

It was the "How often have you cheated?" 50% of women said 'never' and 55% of men said 'never' ....................???????? So, more women than men cheat?????

I got it !!! More women than men "cheated" with their replies! (now I'm really confused) ?!?!?!

Gratitude Attitude

To Madeleine with love...

Thank you for being there when I need you most...

Thank you for putting up with the adverse situation we are in...

Thank you for being patient and not giving up...

Thank you for staying strong while isolated from friends and relatives...

Thank you for putting up with me...

Thank you for your love and companionship...

Eternally gratefully yours...J

money money money

Money is a tool, like all other tools, designed to facilitate and enhance our lives. It is the most desirable tool of all ! Money is not a commodity that will run out eventually, for as long as someone somewhere is selling a product or service, new money will be made. Like the universe, it is infinite...there is enough for everyone and the more people have it the more others will benefit from it. It can't buy everything, of course, as not everything is for sale - but when it is not available it leaves a void in our lives that seems almost impossible to fill.

Almost impossible...unless we concentrate on the most precious things we have, like family, friends, our ability to walk, to see the wonderful sights around us, to smell the morning dew in springtime, to meet a friend for a drink and chat, to wake up in a warm sunny morning...and to think that all these things are FREE...

Life is truly wonderful :)

human rights...and wrongs - Part II

On my blog entry of 11/05/2010, "human rights and wrongs",I wrote about the subject of "gay adoption" and mentioned my concerns for the children involved. I urged caution and a fostering system first, followed by assessments, before allowing full adoption. After watching the TV documentary "My Weird & Wonderful Family", aired a few nights ago, about 2 gay men (millionaires) from Essex, who have, by means of surrogate parenting, "obtained" 5 children, I am more concerned than ever!

I say "obtained" for obvious reasons. They had to travel to California, for legal reasons, to choose a surrogate mum. Once chosen and the $50,000 fee paid, the woman's ova were fertilized by the "daddy's" sperm. End result= 5 babies bought by 2 wealthy gay men!

Dad and Daddy seem like a nice couple, devoted to their children, but,.. sadly missing the point. The daughter is being brought up by two dads and surrounded by four brothers. She is obese and to me,looks bewildered. She has asked to meet her biological mother but that request has been declined by the "mum", who has since sold countless other babies .

What must this girl think of women? Will she grow up to think women are "unnecessary" , a "commodity" who sometimes have babies only so as to sell them on?

Her "mother" created her for money and now refuses to see her!!! Tragic situation as far as I am concerned.

If "Dad and Daddy" felt such desire to have children, why not try to adopt the ones already here who need a home? Why create new ones, who, by no fault of their own, will never meet their real mums?

Almost all of the people I have ever met through life , be they boys or girls, feel a stronger affinity to their mums than they do their dads. Most of society, including the judiciary system, realises that young children are better off with their mothers. It's a shame "dad and daddy" from Essex don't seem to agree and instead seem to believe that money can buy them whatever they want.

I hope it all turns out OK for the children...but I have my doubts... only time will tell